Backstage in the lounge.

Kaiden has already qualified for the finals, but she can't go back to sleep just yet.

Due to the once overwhelming influence of the Holy Spirit Sect, the Saint Aran Calendar promoted by the Eternal Sect was not widely adopted, and when the New Year came around, the disputes between sect parties prevented carefree celebrations. Although it was not regulated, and people could celebrate as they wished, the overall atmosphere was just not there.

So the Stargazing Festival became the biggest celebration in Aran, where families gather, and there's also a grand martial contest, making it doubly joyful.

The top sixteen contestants are celebrity warriors and the focus of the entire continent. Tomorrow, they can't just do whatever they please; any kind of flamboyant behavior from flashy adventurers has to be restrained.

Shortly, relevant personnel will come to explain the precautions, and professional staff will forcibly bathe the contestants. Tomorrow morning, there will be court stylists to dress them up, because that man will be there. One must not be disrespectful before the Emperor. Although they won't be beheaded even in a high-pressure military government, the consequences will be severe.

Kaiden could only wait in the lounge for the organizers to come over.

The ninth match finished.

"Tsk."

Kaiden's golden eyes flickered, her mouth twitching as she made a rude sound.

To be honest, she had no idea what Liszt was up to, but she felt a bit unsettled; this Iron Face clung on like a ghost, never letting go.

The chances of bumping into him during the qualifiers were slim, but that's not the case for tomorrow, perhaps the first round might turn into a deadly duel.

The competition timing is also eerie; the Stargazing Festival requires night, but for the social elite of the Western Continent, these traditional holidays mean nothing nowadays.

Once the final four are decided, there's a damn cultural performance during the intermission, giving contestants time to rest and peak again. Kaiden herself despises these frivolous, gaudy affairs full of affected charm.

Afterwards, it's a showdown in the imperial city: the victor becomes king, with four incredible participants, the defeated group vying for third place, while the victors will face the ultimate duel for the martial arts championship.

But Kaiden isn't concerned; all preconditions have been met, just waiting to spill Liszt's blood.

Stealing from the Aran Court, the yet unidentified Dragon Girl can be considered greed, but meddling in the "Continent Transportation Law", influencing Aran's grand strategy in the Advancement Movement, that's rebellion.

The biggest problem is.

Because the Emperor's bravery is unrivaled, rumors externally assume he has the Overlord Bloodline, but now a real one has emerged, making it hard to judge.

Many on the Western Continent see themselves as Siroempirel people in spirit, although the Overlord's regime has been gone for ages, the language continues to be passed down as the common tongue.

Some countries with little history, like Lostra which rose after the Magic Energy Industrial Revolution, have the common language as their official language.

This endorsement remains strong; even if negligible in terms of hard power, an heir carries significant implications for soft power.

Although the Narrow Sea is sparsely populated on both sides nowadays, with significant geographical and cultural differences, ultimately it's because there was unification two thousand years ago. Except for some alien races, they're all within this cultural circle, with too many spiritual Sirodir people.

There are two things in this world that must not be touched: the influence of the powerful and the consciousness of the grassroots. Whoever touches them dies.

The Cirrodir Culture Circle has been on repeat for two thousand years in the Western Continent; many will buy into it, as a strong declaration.

"Tsk."

Kaiden felt anxious, standing and pacing in place in the lounge.

Her colleagues have already left, advising her to just fight, face the Emperor directly, there's nothing to fear since the Thief Guild has her back, leaving other matters to the paperwork-handling mechanism under Diaz.

Before leaving, they also handed Kaiden a secret letter.

National intelligence agencies focusing on collecting enemy intelligence could never be matched by civil organizations.

But when it comes to the most extensive and comprehensive intelligence network, the Thief Guild is undeniably the world's best.

Many come to the Continent Martial Arts Competition with impure intentions, hoping to perform some ideological stunts during the peak traffic.

The secret letter mentioned several people to watch out for.

The only two Far East contestants in the top thirty-two, aside from Xiao Long, one is known as "Shadow of Death".

Both have qualified for the finals now.

Shadow of Death has quite a background, carrying some deadly tools.

Roughly twenty years ago, after the Emperor's failed eastern campaign, the alliance formed by the Far East Islands soon disbanded due to traditional abilities fading but some radicals stayed behind, establishing a special organization "Suspended Sword". Using the two-thousand-year-old figure "Jie Dao" as a focal point, they created a core ideology and action plan suiting Far East interests, mostly composed of highly skilled individuals dissatisfied with being confined, evolving over the years to become the Far East's most powerful assassination group.

Suspended Sword members pursue certain goals; the Aran Sword King led a bad example, encouraging more people to adventure on the Western Continent, with severe personnel loss.

Shadow of Death is one of them, here to take down the Aran Sword King and toy with ideologies.

This person must be watched closely.

Star Splitter Clark also stirred things up, though he has already been eliminated, nothing to note. He was sent by the Giant Whale Guest with bad intentions, but his venture collapsed halfway, unclear if he drew a bad lot or if he's a Joker.

In the letter, other contestants also had many disputes, putting aside those already eliminated.

A person named Death Dance seeks vengeance against Black Sword Netherflame.

But that's not surprising; Black Sword Netherflame's notorious in the Underworld, ranking as utterly abominable – many crooked affairs ultimately trace back to him. No surprise, it's unimaginable how this guy got into such a high position in the Imperial Guard.

Two others of interest are yet to finish their outside matches, unclear if they'll advance to the finals.

One named Gedre, with explosively outstanding performance, rated the biggest dark horse by major newspapers. Innately dominating, his Human Race physique like it hides a giant's strength, beat Clark, preventing the Giant Whale Guest's plots. This person sailed through round after round without understanding the ways of the world, utterly terrifying.

On the surface, Gedre appears stateless, but according to the Thief Guild's information, he hails from the Beima Duchy, a leatherworker running a leather workshop.

Though seemingly emerging from nowhere, even Diaz's well-connected intelligence could only gather this scant information, suspiciously clean, and unlike the rest who have pages of information, this guy's record only has two lines, as if he dropped from the sky.

Perhaps holding back something big.

Diaz naturally hopes Kaiden ranks higher, increasing her power as an insider in the court, advising her to concede if needed.

With Netherworld Envoy and nightingale, avoiding direct combat, it arguably forms the highest level of threat units on the Western Continent, where many figures in the Continent Martial Arts Competition are mysterious and unwise to confront head-on.

Still amid countless dangers.

She who always moved in shadows stands under the sun for the first time.

Perhaps... tomorrow will be the best day.

"Is this a girl's trouble?"

Kaiden was already imagining tomorrow's makeover; unmarried Augustus falls for her; now it's fantasy time.

"Lady Kaiden, please come with me. We will inform you of some important precautions for tomorrow, which might take a while, please be patient. There are also some arrangements for tonight to clean up, as one must not be disrespectful before the Emperor tomorrow."

The organizer finally arrived, preparing to thoroughly groom Kaiden for tomorrow, aiming to heavily impact all betting Gold Coins.

"Are there any unspoken rules for ranks above general? I can consider."

Kaiden stated seriously, since the pursuit of thrill requires full commitment, having displayed herself for so long, her appearance and figure would surely enchant these muscle-bound laborers of the military government.

"Huh?"

Really liking the organizer's reception person's phrase, huh?

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