Chapter 2277: Public Tournament

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

“Don’t worry, the Aorus Sacred Institute has already repaired the mounds. Even if the Andes Mountains are only a hundred-some kilometers away, they are keeping a close eye on the movements of the demon creatures!” Zhu Meng patted Mo Fan on the shoulder.

They were not unprepared like last time.

The Black Vatican seemed to be targeting Banlo City, the city that would soon be the Andes Federation’s capital and economy hub.

The open tournament was being jointly held by Banlo City’s government and the Aorus Sacred Institute. It not only had teams from the Aorus Sacred Institute, but teams from other schools in the Americas, too!

The nine teams from the Aorus Sacred Institute were only the warm-up matches for the true tournament.

The tournament’s scale was second only to the World College Tournament. It was the most important tournament in the Americas, and the first round was taking place in Banlo City!

“Yeah, Half-Ridge Mountain City is the closest to the Andes Mountains. Even if there’s an invasion, Half-Ridge Mountain City will serve as the first line of defense. Banlo City might have a high population, but there’s plenty of time to evacuate the city before the first line of defense falls,” Mu Bai agreed.

Banlo City was a central transportation hub with spacious lands about. It was unlikely the city could be surrounded by demon creatures, even if something went wrong in the Andes Mountains.

The Mounds of the Aorus Sacred Institute also served as sentry towers. The Half-Ridge Mountain City was the first line of defense, followed by the Scorching River that served as the second line of defense. There was no reason for them to be worried, even if a strong horde of demon creatures was advancing toward the city.

Mo Fan nodded. However, he still felt uneasy.

Banlo City seemed absolutely safe…

It was not close to the demon creatures’ territory, nor did it have a unique species like the undead close to it. Even if the kingdom of demon creatures in the Andes Mountains was marching toward them, the people could easily flee by sea, the rivers, or the land. Multiple military bases were not far away. They could easily ask them for backup.

Bo City had been built right up against the Nanling Mountains.

The Ancient Capital was located in the Undead Kingdom’s land.

Was Salan really planning to carry out her plan in Banlo City? Was it really just a normal rain coming from the Pacific Ocean?

Was there no conspiracy involved, nor a potential bloodbath?

Mo Fan was still worried. He asked Elemental Green Chief, who was sitting beside him, “What about the Hillmen? Is there any news from the Mounds?”

Green patted Mo Fan on the shoulder, telling him to calm down. “Don’t worry, the mounds are perfectly normal. There’s no sign of demon creatures,” Green assured him.

“It’s easy to detect demon creatures’ movements when they are in a large group. As long as our sentry towers are operating normally, we can fully focus on the tournament. It’s an important tournament, as the Andes Federation is about to be established. I believe every Mage with outstanding performance in the tournament will make a huge name for themselves,” Dean Schierling spoke up.

——

The first match after the opening ceremony was between Brianca and Prince Beny’s factions.

Each team had nine students. It was going to be a spectacular match.

When the match began, many people were still outside the arena and the streets, struggling to make their way inside.

Some decided to sit on the ground. Others were standing on their cars.

The arena was not stacked on a high ground. It was possible to see bits and pieces of the match through the gaps and glass.

The rain was pouring heavily, yet the crowd was so excited that they did not bother using umbrellas or putting on their raincoats. They were cheering loudly in the rain.

There were people with banners written full of words further away. They were trying to get the attention of foreigners by protesting against the new government.

The armed police were keeping an eye on them. It was fine if they were only protesting, but the police were around to make sure they were not stirring up trouble or disturbing the tourists from other countries and cities.

They could not afford to let these protesters ruin the Andes Federation’s reputation!

“If you have the money to hold the tournament, why don’t you provide us with comfortable houses? You were the one who forced us to leave our homes and tricked us by saying that the sea monsters are going to overrun the cities and villages to the west of the Andes Mountains!”

“You have placed us in a city full of slaves and manual laborers. We have to do filthy jobs to feed you assh**** while you enjoy your red wine in the main cities!”

“Give us back our homes!”

“Give us back our homes!”

The group of protesters was not particularly big. It only had around three hundred people.

It was only a small ratio compared to the crowd and the gamblers who were focusing on the tournament. However, their voices would occasionally cover the cheers of the crowd.

—

Mo Fan could hear their angry shouts from inside the arena.

Mo Fan remembered having a conversation with Brianca about how the federation was established in such a rush that they were unable to look after everyone, like the orphans.

If such a complicated and unstable city was invaded by demon creatures, it would lose the fight easily.

“Why are the voices outside getting louder?” The officials of Banlo City were annoyed.

“We can stop them from coming in, but we can’t stop them from talking. After all, we have done some inappropriate things too.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing, just watch the match.”

—

Meanwhile, in the match, a Savage Bear Beast from Prince Beny’s team was charging at the opposing team, trying to break down the opposing team’s formation.

Unfortunately, the Savage Bear Beast’s level was not that high, and it only managed to harass the opponents slightly. It was soon heavily injured by a Fire Mage.

“How dare you bite me? Die!” the Fire Mage yelled angrily after seeing the wound on his arm.

The flames immediately grew fiercer as they surrounded the Summoned Beast and devoured it.

A burned smell lingered in the air. The Savage Bear Beast tried to break free from the flames, but the Fire Mage kept stopping it.

“What are you doing?” A female student standing beside the Fire Mage stared at him.

“I’m burning it to death!” the Fire Mage snarled.

“It’s their Contracted Beast. Can’t you just let it go? It’s no longer a threat to us!” the woman yelled at him.

“It shouldn’t have bitten me in the first place!”

The Savage Bear Beast failed to leave the flames alive. The Summoner on Prince Beny’s team felt the pain his Contracted Beast suffered when it died, and stood there blankly.

He could not believe the opponent team had burned his Contracted Beast to death!

“I’m going to kill you!” the Savage Bear Beast’s master howled.