Black Sail
Chapter 543: CLXXII. Imperial Arena

Chapter 543: CLXXII. Imperial Arena

Swan could only do so much; after two assassinations, the navy’s defense had become extremely strong, skipping the process of appointing naval officers altogether.

According to the military merit system, current Vice Admiral Bartlan, who had remarkable battle achievements, only needed this operation to be successful to get promoted to Grand General.

Zahak, who had once been defeated in Londen City, still held the status of a student of the Sword King, and was transferred to the navy. Although he was just a Lieutenant, he could turn his fortunes around by meritorious service.

"No navy chasing us, right? Damn it."

Ben quickly walked to the window, observing the street outside. Swan had been elusive during this time, rarely spending the night at the manor, so any trouble he caused wouldn’t be surprising.

"It’s not that. It’s this outfit. I went to the Imperial City with Saleret, as the Continent Martial Arts Competition is about to begin, and he too has moved into the Arena Hotel."

Swan pointed to the cloak draped over him. This was no ordinary piece of clothing; it was the "nightingale" stolen from Kai Deng, which allowed for easy disguise.

The body types of Tiger-men varied according to their birth signs. There were tall, strong types like Pyapan and natural thieves like Swan, who had excellent climbing skills and maneuverability in complex environments.

Currently, their only weakness was their fur. Otherwise, Tiger-men would make perfect flying thieves. If Swan wanted to disguise himself as a human, it would take a great effort, but not anymore. With a prepared mask, he could become anyone at any time.

Not only transformations, but Swan could also feel his actions becoming swifter and lighter due to the magic power imbued in the clothing, allowing him to do things he couldn’t before.

"Nightingales," even the well-informed Ben had never seen such a thing. It’s said to be a product only existing in history since the founding of the Thief Guild. The Netherworld Envoy, the guild’s top enforcers, could access things Ben never had.

"Clothes?"

Violet looked at the attire Swan was wearing. It appeared to be a regular male Leather Armor, covering his entire body, without any noticeable oddities.

Swan had no intention of explaining.

During his disappearance, besides doing undercover work in the Imperial City, he also kept an eye on Saleret to ensure he wasn’t up to anything, despite holding his sister hostage. Who could tell if this tower-watching, six-seven-year state psychopath wasn’t a cold-blooded bastard?

With Saleret’s skills, he had already secured a spot in the top thousand. On September 1st, the battle would begin at the Imperial Arena.

Although forty days remained, the pre-tournament activities were in full swing. The Imperial City buzzed with people, as renowned figures from all over the world flocked to place hefty bets on winning and losing, with decorations hanging everywhere.

Aran Imperial City was unparalleled in size. One city hosted twelve adventurer guilds, each dealing with the busyness adequately. Each guild building was built to the largest scale.

Each store’s KPI was globally top-tier, among the top thirty in turnover; seven were located in Aran Imperial City, with one holding the annual sales champion title.

The printing machines of "Aran Epoch Weekly" and "Adventurer Guild’s Aran District Report" were burning with workload.

Hot champion candidates, participating beauty contestants, gossip, and hero background stories filled the pages.

The national media mouthpiece, "Aran Epoch Weekly," remained serious and conservative, highly objective.

But "Adventurer Guild’s Aran District Report" was different.

You could always believe in this continent’s most miraculous species. With the editors’ imagination, starting points were already played out.

It was always about the fool fighting Emperor Huang Tian, waking up to a world with martial prowess decreased ten-thousandfold, or which contestant hooked up with whom.

The Continent Martial Arts Competition brought so much heat; the guild would certainly hitch a ride.

The Western Continent’s broad masses eagerly awaited the "Annual Goddess Album"! Updated punctually every September, everyone wondered, who would be the true Guide Emperor?

Last year, Goria was the chairperson of the album; unless expelled, she still had a chance this year.

Each year new talents surged, making the competition extremely fierce.

Hearing about the Continent Martial Arts Competition, Ben felt a bit guilty, silently folding the "Annual Goddess Prediction" newspaper he was holding and hiding it behind his back.

Violet rolled her eyes. "Brother, there’s no need to hide your level of nerdiness, right?"

Swan didn’t waste any words, finding the radio transmitter to inform Kai Deng of the latest news.

Since Saleret was a man of generous tragedy, putting himself in the fray, contacting Kai Deng was logical. It was entirely possible to kill that woman beforehand.

The Imperial Arena was large, designed for viewing pleasure and different racial field advantages, combining multiple terrains.

The Western Continent was already geographically complex. The Continent Martial Arts Competition aimed to select the strongest to serve the Royal Court, considering not only competition but also practicality.

For example, performing well in ranking matches versus the duel room required different mentalities.

And for the thousand combatants entering the finals, once they entered the Imperial City, they couldn’t just leave—the Emperor granted amnesty. Many had legal issues, and before the final outcome, they couldn’t be let go. It was either glory or service.

There’s no surrender in the Continent Martial Arts Competition.

Upon entering the duel arena, mercy depended entirely on whether the opponent felt inclined to spare a life, but most victors would cut down their adversary directly.

This unwritten rule persisted annually.

The thousand combatants had to stay in the Arena Hotel, ensuring royal management. Naturally, the amenities matched the Aran Upper Three Flags treatment.

Swan could mingle in the rain at night to search for and kill Kai Deng alongside Saleret.

To put it briefly, they found Kai Deng but were still obstructed by the Royal Court, as pre-competition killings were common. Many experts didn’t care about ranks; they sought vengeance on enemies they knew would appear, stirring trouble immediately after checking in.

Having hosted over twenty editions, they had long since mastered dealing with such matters. Both Kai Deng and Saleret were restricted, their range of activity reduced further.

The only gain from Swan’s venture was stealing the "nightingale" from Kai Deng’s residence. The Thief Guild’s heavily guarded treasury couldn’t thwart him, so this was no challenge, only proving his skill superior to Ben’s.

Through the radio, Swan relayed that the Continent Martial Arts Competition in the Imperial Continent was underway, Zahak moved to Mulong, and Nishi, the parvenu, had descended, with Duguli’s situation stabilized.

The message was sent to Liszt.

Despite Heaven Port being farther from Mulong, it took over a minute to relay through multiple secondary devices via Duguli, and nearly three minutes for a round trip.

"Did you truly consider this carefully? If Mulong progresses well, having Saleret handle what Kai Deng was supposed to?"

Sometimes Swan thought he had never encountered anyone so ruthless in his life.

Ordinary people facing this situation would soon ascend to the Emperor’s attention, report directly, and flee to the Far East. They’d abandon the Dragon Stele and Overlord Descendant.

During the Imperial Martial Arts Competition, the Emperor would watch onsite, but the time was uncertain. Based on years of experience, he showed little interest, having visited only twice in the past, mostly never coming.

But he would be there on the 9th.

If Kai Deng made it to the ultimate showdown on September 9th, Saleret not yet having drawn a match with her, the situation would be awkward. Even if he reached the top sixteen, Kai Deng would still expose Alicia and point out she was at the East Sea Heavenly Kingdom Port.

It would be disastrous if she succeeded.

Liszt intended... for Saleret to reveal it, playing the red alert strategy.

Self-destruct-truck.

Indeed, just as Fen had said when Swan first boarded the ship, he was a man who would raise his bets, even with a loan.

Swan had one thought: Liszt was incredibly ruthless. No wonder he became the East Sea Brother One, daring to gamble like this.

Three minutes later.

Liszt’s reply came through.

"A woman who doesn’t concede to men, after the new district is completed, give General Nishi the highest-tier deluxe residence in the residential area, as a reward. I understand everything else; smooth operation is all that matters. As for Zahak, haha, he’s just a defeated opponent. Over."

After speaking, Liszt felt extremely pleased, glancing at Nashano, who was writing a letter to the Tower Master of Pedan Winterless Tower’s son. Given time, they would surely navigate the Four Seas together.

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