"The enthusiasm from the crowd is so high," Lyle said in surprise as he watched the Andrey Liches grow restless amidst the drumming.

"That’s because the contender from the Advanced Magic Research Society is about to enter," the Gentleman’s skull replied beside Lyle.

The place where Lyle was sitting now resembled the sacrificial site of some dark ceremony. He was seated in the middle, surrounded by the skulls of those eight punished individuals, who were hung from flagpoles.

The flaw in their punishment was discovered by Shiny, who demanded that their bodies must be hung on the flagpoles, but didn’t say they couldn’t disassemble other parts of themselves... And since Lyle himself wasn’t too angry anymore, so... On the seats of the Gentlemen and their associates, skulls hung by bone brackets were clicking and clacking around him. Alianna, being a contender, had already left, and everything seemed to be back to how it started.

Not really, because of the eerie scene around him, when other races occasionally glanced at the Andrey stands, they regarded Lyle with new respect. Moreover, due to some disturbances caused by the ominous giant from the Hellfire invitation contest, the image of Mr. Plague Doctor, this Andrey Lich, was already sliding toward some unseen abyss.

Lyle had become numb to it, oblivious to the strange gazes, and continued his conversation with those skulls.

"The Advanced Magic Research Society is indeed very popular."

"Of course, the Advanced Magic Research Society is the leader of modern magic at Andrei Academy. It’s no exaggeration to say that the Society has changed the entire power system of the spellcaster world, becoming a bold and significant mark in the history of magic."

"For Liches who study academia, knowledge is always respected," the Gentleman’s skull replied, swaying left and right on the bone rack, "just like the current Necro-Handicraft Society. The Plague Doctor, the Advanced Magic Research Society has changed spellcasters, and you have changed Liches. Along with the Holy Light Culinary Society, your three societies are now the most popular in Andrei."

A reporter’s skull had a thin string with a bell hanging from it, the delicate and pleasant sound of the bell successfully drew Nia’s attention, so it had been ringing nonstop like Nia’s order bell.

It was only after Lyle grabbed back Nia’s mischievous tentacles that the reporter finally spoke.

"Of course, there are other reasons why people like the Advanced Magic Research Society..."

"The Advanced Magic Research Society is one of the most powerful societies in Andrei. Their performance is absolutely stable, which means... betting on the Advanced Magic Research Society is a surefire way to win."

"You mean the wagers on the Wandering Supremacy Contest?" It was natural that there would be wagers, a social activity that could affect human cognition, preserved even after death as a means for Liches to pursue pleasure or despairing emotions.

"However, if everyone bets on the Advanced Magic Research Society, is there a need for wagers at all? Who would create such a foolish wager?"

"We would," Mr. Gentleman’s head bobbed, and Lyle could just make out a smile in the gap where his mouth should be. "All of Andrei’s wagers are held by the Literature Society. The wealth accumulated by the Literature Society is a testament to the credibility of the wagers; we don’t care how much we earn, the main thing is that it is amusing."

"And we’re always looking forward to the hysteria displayed by the confident Liches when they face an upset, which would make for a good joke for the Literature Society."

The Literature Society, once known as the Dark School Society, was devious to the core.

"But such scenes are hard to come by."

The atmosphere of the Black Abyss Arena intensified with Bigby’s commentary, and after the warm-up finally ended, the high-pitched voice of an inferior demon announced the contender’s entrance.

"Who lives in the huge caverns of the Dark Eighth District?"

"Whose body is unbreakable, angular, and sharp?"

"Whose entire being is a treasure, worth at least a hundred thousand?"

"The dream lover of blacksmiths, the dearest father of jewelers!"

"Welcome our next contender! From the Stone Monster Race, the Platinum King Naizode the Sixth!"

Listening to Bigby’s introduction, Lyle wore an odd expression. It sounded more like a product advertisement than a contestant’s intro. He could even sense some insult toward the Stone Monster Race between the lines—who would want to put a price tag on themselves?

The iron gates of the arena slowly rose, and out of the shadows emerged a metallic figure approximately five meters tall: a metal behemoth covered in jagged stone shards.

Naizode raised his hands to wave at the audience in the stands, and a laughter like clanging bells came from his rough, ore-like metallic body. He appeared quite happy with the introductions.

"The Stone Monster Race holds different personal beliefs from ours. In their values, the price of their body is a matter of pride. Much like a lady who enjoys flaunting her jewelry, Stone Monsters boast about their bodies, especially parts made of expensive precious metals and gemstones. They are particularly pleased to see accessories made from materials similar to their own become popular among other races."

"Their concept of a king is also based on substance—the one with the largest mass, highest density of precious metals, and greatest value."

Naizode’s silvery platinum body glittered in the sunlight, indeed quite beautiful.

"Stone Monsters shed their rocky exteriors layer by layer like snakes as they grow, increasing their purity over time. They are accustomed to trading the fragments of their shed bodies with other races, so most Stone Monsters are actually quite wealthy."

"Just like Liches. Liches accumulate wealth through death and time."

"Stone Monsters earn money by selling themselves."

Lyle felt odd, knowing that the Gentleman didn’t mean it in that way, but he couldn’t help but think askew. Perhaps it was intentional, as the Gentleman knew he was human, with desires and a sense of shame.

Fortunately, Lyle’s thoughts were soon interrupted by the Demon Race’s commentary.

"Naizode’s opponent, he comes from the talent-filled Andrei!"

"His society controls the magic development of this century, a group of outstanding researchers from the new era! Provers of the round earth theory! Participants in the structure of the magic network! Promoters of Magic Studies! He comes from, the Advanced Magic Research Society of Andrei Academy!"

"Although he is currently little known, just a nameless junior, his future is promising, and he will sooner or later become an exceptional individual like his mentor, Mr. Uninhibited Gravity!"

"Let’s welcome, the Advanced Magic Research Society of Andrei Academy, Mr. Nameless!"

The iron gate on the other side slowly rose.

There were no magical effects, no aggressive and flashy entrance moves.

Nameless walked out like a master returning to simplicity and going out for a stroll in the fresh air.

He paid no attention to the enthusiastic cheers of the audience around him, especially the Liches from Andrei.

Nameless moved his head, expressionlessly located his mentor in the stands, and then gave a thumbs up.

"Both sides in position, the match begins!"

No sooner had the words ended than Nameless immediately sprang into action.

He pulled out a chain of stars from his pocket. These were spheres of varying sizes, floating in the air like a beautiful string of bubbles.

The solid spheres radiated a refined glow, and as they appeared, a layer of visible ripples centered around them spread out, lifting the dust from the ground.

The spheres, which looked like beautiful artifacts, actually emitted a terrifying pressure. Instantly, they put the Platinum Stone Monster on high alert.

"An extremely powerful magical artifact."

"Yes, its name is Simulated Galaxy, if I remember correctly."

Naizode felt the power of those unknown spheres, and his instincts as a Stone Monster told him this battle held more danger than fortune. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

If danger outweighed fortune, it was best to strike first.

With the momentum of a collapsing mountain, Naizode charged at Nameless.

Only to see Nameless raise his hand.

"Wait a second, I have something else to get."

Naizode obediently stopped, the cold light flickering in his stone eyes, "Do you have more powerful items like that?"

"In a sense, this next item, for me, is a divine artifact."

Hearing Nameless’s explanation, Naizode found his massive body trembling.

"What? A divine artifact!"

Nameless pulled out a booklet, a very ordinary-looking booklet.

"The instruction manual for Simulated Galaxy."