The excitement of the finals exceeded many people's expectations.
In post-match interviews, Andy and Wardson both said that even if they replayed the match on the spot, they might not be able to perform as brilliantly as they did that day.
For many spectators, this match became a deeply etched memory.
Especially the various spells that continuously appeared above the Grand Arena—including over twenty Legendary-tier spells—left a lasting impression.
As time passed, years or even decades later, when magic battles gradually faded from public view, there might still be a group of veteran players who would occasionally tell their children about the grand spectacle of that day.
In the eyes of many, magic battles might spark a nationwide gaming craze.
But in Ron's view, the emergence of Phantom Willow would undoubtedly shatter that assumption.
Of course, that was a matter for later.
At the moment when the massive fireball—representing Wardson's final sliver of health—exploded, the entire Grand Arena fell silent for a brief instant.
Then an even louder wave of cheers erupted, shaking the sky.
The entire audience shouted Andy's name.
The teenage boy stood there in a daze, momentarily overwhelmed.
Having just come out of his intense battle state, he suddenly had to face the roaring crowd.
He didn't know how to react.
Instead, Wardson, despite losing, walked forward generously, shook Andy's hand, then raised his arm high to declare his victory to the tens of thousands watching.
It took more than ten minutes for the cheers to finally die down.
The hundred-plus contestants who had entered the elimination stage all poured into the center of the arena.
Next came the long-awaited award ceremony.
Ron watched as each contestant stepped onto the stage to receive their prize money and commemorative badges of the First Magic Cup.
He couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.
And when Mia, standing on the main platform, officially declared the Magic Cup concluded—
A system notification immediately sounded in Ron's mind.
[System: "Congratulations, host, for completing the task. Reward: Devouring Bamboo and its cultivation method have been stored in your inventory."]
A smile appeared on Ron's face.
Just a few days ago, he had obtained Phantom Willow, and now he had completed another main quest and gained Devouring Bamboo.
It felt like a great harvest.
He wondered what this new plant could do.
As he was thinking, more system notifications followed.
System: "Upgrade task triggered."
[Upgrade Task] — [Plant Devouring Bamboo]:
["Objective: As stated."]
["Reward: System Level +1. Unlock panel voice effect functionality. Grants 'Mature Woman Voice' sound effect."]
"…"
Ron stared at the reward, feeling like something was stuck in his throat.
Your system panel is getting more and more flashy, isn't it?!
And none of it is actually useful!
Sure, the current panel skin—the Goddess of Harvest, Hervesta—looked nice.
But she was still just 2D.
Now that he had Nora—a soft, warm human body pillow at night—who cared about some anime girl?
Wasn't that kind of thing just for lonely shut-in guys to fantasize about?
Hmph!
Ron scoffed internally, then quickly stood up, left a message in the Phantom World, and hurried back to the flower shop by carriage, entering his dimensional space.
Not because he was curious about the reward.
Definitely not.
He just wanted to see what Devouring Bamboo did.
After absorbing the cultivation method, Ron opened its description.
[Devouring Bamboo]:
["A tall, tree-like grass species."
"Prefers warm and humid environments."
"Grows 8–10 meters tall. Mature bamboo produces horizontal branches. Leaves are sword-shaped with petioles; young plants sprout leaves directly from the stem."
"Has a habit of devouring mana, but does not consume it—stores absorbed mana until saturation."
"Highly resistant to magic, capable of absorbing most spells and retaining the majority of their mana."
"When saturated, condensed mana crystals will precipitate from their surface, containing pure mana."]
After reading, Ron fell silent.
So… basically a mana storage unit and crystal generator?
Useful, sure—but compared to Phantom Willow, it felt less versatile.
Of course, the two couldn't really be compared directly. Each had its own advantages.
Still, Devouring Bamboo didn't seem particularly useful for Ron himself.
With Element Potatoes, he could already convert elements into mana through a simple storage array.
He didn't really need mana crystals.
As for its mana-absorbing properties… maybe it could be used to make magic robes?
Absorbing magic damage did sound useful.
Not thinking too much about it, Ron planted the Devouring Bamboo seeds in his cultivation space.
After half an hour, the first bamboo grew.
[System: "Congratulations, host, for completing the task. Rewards have been issued."]
[System: "All Element Card-related tasks have been completed. Please select a new main quest from available side quests."]
Ron checked his remaining side quests.
Only one remained: "Explore the Relationship Between Mana and Elements."
"What's there to choose?" Ron rolled his eyes.
[Main Quest] — [Explore the Relationship Between Mana and Elements]
[System: "Main quest updated. Please proceed actively."]
Ron closed the system panel and examined the Devouring Bamboo.
The light green bamboo stood tall in the cultivation space.
He filled the environment with dense mana.
Soon, the bamboo darkened to deep green—indicating saturation.
Then, transparent crystals slowly formed on its surface.
With a thought, Ron pulled the crystals into his hand.
They had a faint blue tint.
Using the Natural Meditation Technique, he absorbed the mana within.
The crystal dimmed and eventually became completely transparent.
Absorbing mana this way was extremely convenient.
Unlike elements, it didn't require conversion through a mana seed.
In battle, this would be far more effective than Element Stones or Element Potatoes.
After further checks, he found no additional special effects.
So he assigned the planting task to puppets, planning to mass-produce Devouring Bamboo and send samples to the labs in the Royal Capital and the City of Chaos.
Then he exited the dimensional space and opened the system panel in his study.
From his inventory, he selected the reward: "Mature Woman Voice", and applied it to the panel.
And then—
Nothing happened.
"System? What's going on?" Ron asked.
The next moment, a seductive, mature female voice echoed in his mind:
["After changing the voice effect, the system's voice will become the one you selected~"]
"Whoa—!"
Ron jumped in shock.
Once he recovered, he felt… strange.
He was used to the system's cold, mechanical tone.
Now this?
It made his body feel a little weak.
Especially since the voice came directly from his mind—it felt like something soft was teasing his nerves.
It was… hard to handle.
The system continued in a charming tone:
["The shop now offers various system voice packs. You may choose freely according to your preferences~"]
"…" Ron shivered. "Please stop talking."
He opened the shop.
Sure enough, there were new items:
Loli Voice: 1000 wealth points
Shota Voice: 1000 wealth points
Uncle Voice: 1000 wealth points
Rich Lady Voice: 1000 wealth points
…
Looking at the long list, Ron's eyelids twitched.
Then he firmly closed the panel.
"If I don't buy, I save 100%."
Why pay when there's a free one?
Free is best.
After dealing with that, Ron entered the Phantom World at the Royal Capital branch and arrived at the "Grand Arena Finals Discussion Zone."
With the finals over, Nora and the staff were handling the aftermath.
There was still a lot to do.
For example, the Magic Battle Arenas will soon open the Diamond rank.
New skins would be released.
Branches across the Empire were about to open, and Nora needed to select outstanding employees to become managers.
After that, she would gradually step back from daily operations and focus on major decisions, taking over part of Guy's responsibilities.
For Nora, the real challenge was just beginning.
"I've arranged the follow-up work. Is there anything else I should pay attention to?" Nora asked obediently.
"Mm." Ron patted her head. "Take care of yourself."
Nora blushed slightly and leaned into him. "I will."
After a brief moment together, Ron renamed the zone to "Magic Battle Arena Internal Staff Channel."
Then he moved to the City of Chaos branch and entered the Phantom World there.
As he walked toward the "Private Experimental Zone Channel," he thought about integrating the Phantom Worlds of the Royal Capital, Tansen City, and the City of Chaos.
Even now, things were much more efficient—but people always wanted more convenience.
Soon, he found Illya and explained Devouring Bamboo's properties, assigning research tasks.
Illya, always fascinated by Ron's plants, eagerly agreed.
Especially after hearing about its mana absorption, her curiosity surged.
Ron immediately brought some freshly grown Devouring Bamboo to the private lab via Element Vehicle.
…
April 24th.
Three days after the Magic Cup.
Magic Battle Arenas across the Empire officially opened.
Kiel's promotional campaigns were rolling out, using Mimic Grass and recording arrays to attract new Element Card players.
In the private lab, Illya had successfully developed key technologies and created the first magic array assembly line.
This allowed ordinary people to mass-produce staffs engraved with the Plant Manipulation Spell.
These staffs featured Illya's unique rotary-pattern mechanism—anyone could use them by simply turning the dial.
At the same time, Ron had Illya continue working on the Element Gun assembly line.
Factories were being established in Tansen City, recruiting workers.
Farming bases were expanding under the supervision of nuns.
With production scaling up, Ron also decided to launch a new card game: Legendary Kill.
Kiel had already begun preparations for its promotion.
Recruitment notices for private troops were posted.
By the time recruitment finished, the Element Gun production line might already be operational.
Soon, road expansion in Tansen City would be complete, and buses would officially begin operation.
Meanwhile, Lyle had returned to the Royal Capital for a break.
He planned to revisit hot pot branches across the Empire, identify issues, and then return to the City of Chaos to reclaim the barbecue market.
After that, he would expand into the Dwarven Kingdom.
Ron supported this and offered financial backing.
Phantom Willow puppets were gradually spreading among Ron's circle—staff, researchers, nuns, workers, and loyal players.
The Phantom World was steadily growing.
Everything was moving in a positive direction.
And then—
News came from the palace.
Emperor André III had been assassinated.
The assassin was suspected to be from another race.
All foreign delegations in the Royal Capital were immediately placed under control.