Zzzzt— Zzzzt—
With a wave of the semi-transparent figure’s large hand, the screen behind it flickered a few times before displaying a tournament bracket, along with the names and races of the eight contestants.
The bracket was simple: an eight-person knockout format where winners advanced from the quarterfinals to the semifinals, and finally to the championship match.
The first match: 【Witch race】Ursula vs. 【Banshee race】Angelina Judy.
The second match: 【Witch race】Alisa vs. 【Lesser Imp race】Mayuzono Mitsuaki.
The third match: 【Wind Elf】Li Huai vs. 【Demon race】Xin Tianle.
The final match: 【Witch race】Lan Qingyou vs. 【Void race】Hoger.
Good, I can take a bit of a breather.
Wait... that Demon race guy fighting Li Huai, Xin Tianle... His name seems a bit familiar.
If I’m not mistaken, I must have seen it on the world channel or the regional channel before.
“Forgotten already? He’s one of the Five Notorious Figures of District 666, just like you. He’s the one who scammed over a thousand people out of their supplies and ran off when the first mana tide arrived.”
“What do you mean ‘just like me’? I’m just a proper alchemist doing honest business! It’s only the broke losers who can’t afford my stuff that love to slap labels on people!”
With Li Huai’s reminder, Lan Qingyou instantly remembered exactly who this Xin Tianle was—a man who was clearly up to no good.
However, Lan Qingyou had never accepted the claim made by Li Huai and the other survivors of District 666 that she was one of the ‘Five Notorious Figures.’
Give me a break.
Wasn't trading one point of mana for one point of mana the fairest thing in the world?
Nobody lost out, and nobody gained an unfair advantage, okay?
【Now, will all contestants please proceed to the resting area. We will begin the first round of the quarterfinals in thirty minutes.】
As the semi-transparent figure’s androgynous—and possibly non-human—voice rang out again, Lan Qingyou and the other seven were instantly transported from the arena into a brightly lit interior.
It was a banquet hall with red carpets and crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
On either side of the hall stood long tables covered in white tablecloths.
Arranged on these tables like a buffet was a vast assortment of food.
From roasted suckling pig to stir-fried greens, from squab to large lobsters, and from beer to hard liquor... every delicacy and fine wine one could imagine was there.
You could even see 'junk food' like burgers and fries, or even the fried sweet potato cakes that might evoke memories of school gates from childhood!
There was nothing you couldn't find, only things you couldn't imagine.
They really could do whatever they wanted.
Judging by the voice, that person probably wasn't the world consciousness 'itself.' Who they were was a mystery; they might even just be a clone.
But that ability to open space and pull people in at any time was certainly something to envy.
“Heh, so this is the resting area? Looks like the world consciousness knows how to treat us.”
Xin Tianle was the first to recover from the teleportation. With a smirk on his face, he walked up, grabbed a bottle of wine, and crunched the glass bottle open with his shark-like sharp teeth before pouring it down his throat.
“How uncouth.”
The banshee, Angelina Judy, curled her lip and muttered a soft critique as she swayed her hips past Xin Tianle to grab a cake from the refreshments area.
At that moment, Xin Tianle’s grin widened, and he reached out, intending to grab her.
For a superior being like him who had evolved, such an action was as natural as eating or drinking.
However, before Xin Tianle’s hand could make contact, Angelina Judy stopped in her tracks.
“If you plan on doing that, you’d better be prepared for me to dismember you.”
“Oh! How strict! Pansy King sure knows how to train her bitches.”
Xin Tianle pulled his hand back and rubbed his balding head, speaking in an exaggerated tone.
It was clear from their exchange that even if they weren't close, they definitely knew each other.
“They say District 666 is a breeding ground for scumbags. Now I finally understand why,” Alisa remarked, having overheard Lan Qingyou and Li Huai’s earlier conversation as she glanced at Xin Tianle.
“Haha! I didn't expect to run into acquaintances here. Tsk, tsk, a Witch, huh? When the rest of us were huddled together like rats in a sewer resisting the mana turbulence and the mana tide, you must have been laughing yourself silly at home.”
“After all, you certainly didn't hesitate to use your potions to squeeze supplies out of everyone else back then.”
Seeing Alisa mock him, Xin Tianle used even more exaggerated body language to turn his mockery toward the household name that was Lan Qingyou.
However...
“You’re wrong. Whether it was the first mana turbulence or the first mana tide, I slept perfectly fine. In fact, I slept quite soundly.”
Sitting on her magic broom, Lan Qingyou answered with absolute sincerity.
Faced with Lan Qingyou’s earnest expression, Xin Tianle, who had been ready to say more, simply opened his mouth and found himself unable to speak.
Alisa, watching this scene where a punch landed on nothing but cotton, thought to herself that this was a dynamic she knew all too well.
“This food... why does it look so much like it was made on Blue Star? Especially those bottles.”
Li Huai ignored the tension in the room.
He stepped out of the group on his own, picked up a bottle of wine, and examined the label.
“Croatian Winery. The production date is from before we transmigrated.”
“Croatian Winery, huh? I’ve heard of it.”
Hoger walked up, picked up a similar bottle to look at it, then set it down and picked up a bottle of mineral water to examine.
“Do you think there’s a possibility that this food actually is from Blue Star?” Lan Qingyou said softly as she slowly floated up behind the two.
The two of them turned slightly, looking at her with questioning eyes.
“Did you forget all the food we opened from those Shackle Chests at the beginning?”
Lan Qingyou shrugged and then turned to float toward the area where the delicacies were laid out.
White cut chicken, roast goose, cured meat claypot rice... From the moment she entered this resting area, she had spotted these familiar items immediately.
Since it was a resting area, she was naturally going to enjoy herself.
It was better to enjoy some treats now so she’d have more energy when the fighting started later.
In passing, Lan Qingyou also grabbed a bottle of herbal tea as she left the beverage section.
“Ah... I see.”
Once Lan Qingyou pointed it out, everyone understood immediately.
Back when they had first transmigrated, the Shackle Chests could drop almost anything.
In all likelihood, these items were part of the same batch brought from Blue Star to this world back then.
“I just wonder if this food has expired after being kept for so long,” Lan Qingyou remarked casually as she opened the claypot rice and squinted, sniffing the rising steam.
“Pfft!”
Xin Tianle, who had just taken a large gulp of wine, instantly sprayed it all out upon hearing Lan Qingyou’s words.
Not only that, he simply tossed the wine bottle aside and began dry heaving right then and there.
Rate on N.U.
