The excitement surrounding Tony Clark's victory barely lasted a single night before the tournament moved forward once again.
Nobody complained... Nobody questioned it.
Because everyone understood that the Golden Flag battle had merely decided who controlled the largest prize.
The remaining positions still needed owners.
Twenty slots attached to the Red Flag.
Ten slots attached to the White Flag.
Two hundred and four individual positions still waiting for their final masters.
The next morning, Nine Lotus Academy opened its gates once more.
However, the atmosphere had changed dramatically.
The participants had changed as well.
The previous rounds were battles for survival.
These battles were battles for value.
Everyone understood the numbers.
Tony's first place granted thirty World Tree spots. Emma's battlefield offered twenty.
The White Flag offered ten.
Beyond that... Rankings became nearly meaningless.
