The interval between the two matches is fifteen minutes for preparation and during this time, the enigmatic Liu Feifei inexplicably moved towards their preparation area.
However, her complexion, whether from sun exposure or other reasons, was unusually rosy, akin to that of someone intoxicated.
"What are you here for?" Weng Ling cautioned.
"Hehe, Little Ling'er, don't be nervous. I'm not looking for your little lover; I'm looking for her." Liu Feifei pointed at Bede and chuckled.
"I wonder what the honorable notary lord wants with me?" Bede placed her hands behind her back and blinked.
Liu Feifei glanced at the crocodile next to Sha Wen Cheng and, covering her mouth, said, "Well, you just administered some enhancing substance to it, right?"
Enhancing substance?
Bede was about to explain when Night Triple-More preemptively nodded.
"So, the notary lord is here for this matter? Yes, it is indeed a substance, but rest assured, Notary Lord, we understand the rules. The consumable count decreases by one, right?"
"Yes, as long as you understand, then I can rest easy. Well, I won't disturb your preparations any longer. I wish you a smooth match in the upcoming bout!"
Liu Feifei looked at Night Triple-More in front of her and suddenly felt her heart beating faster. Blushing once again, she quickly bowed towards the notary stand.
"This woman!" Weng Ling pouted.
"Bede clearly used an enhancement spell, why did you mention it was a substance?" Bede also curiously turned her head to look, wanting to hear Night Triple-More's explanation.
Night Triple-More grinned and said, "Enhancement magic is not allowed to carry over between matches, but there are no such restrictions on substances."
Hiss!
Weng Ling took in a sharp breath.
Night Triple-More had planned for this as well?
It's known that some professions can cast beneficial spells for their teammates. If a large group of support professions cast buffs on the participating players before the match, creating a superhuman, it would be possible.
However, if it were substances, there would be no such issue. Firstly, the match rules limited the use of consumables, and secondly, the stronger the effect of the consumable, the more valuable and expensive it would be. Being able to afford it indicated the territory's considerable financial strength.
And financial strength was naturally a form of power.
So, to maintain the fairness of the competition, casting buffs for others or applying buffs to oneself before the match was not allowed. However, taking substances was not prohibited.
Night Triple-More's response left enough room for maneuvering, because...
"Rest time is over!"
A whistle sounded, and Chief Notary Xu Muchizhi shouted loudly.
"The second match, by..."
"I forfeit!" Bede suddenly raised her hand.
Forfeit?!
The onlooking audience was somewhat puzzled, and whispers started spreading.
"What a letdown! She's forfeiting after just one match? Boring!"
"Yeah, she didn't even make a move just now, relying entirely on that crocodile. And now she's forfeiting? That's so spineless!"
"Cough! She wasn't that impressive to begin with, right? If it weren't for Lord Mao being overly confident and missing the shot, she would've been riddled with holes by now!"
"Exactly! She's definitely scared! Such a timid person participating in the competition, no wonder she chose the Beast Tamer profession, just lying low and winning!"
"What a shame. I bet her teammates are bewildered. At least wait for the notary to reveal the opponent's professions before surrendering. Now, there's no information provided. Looks like the vase is indeed just a vase. Too bad, she looked pretty."
"Hush! No courage!"
"Hush! Timid coward!"
"Haha! Insightful!"
Bede glanced at the audience that had already started booing, tilted her head, and her lips gradually curled into a smile.
"Cough, are you sure?" Xu Muchizhi asked for confirmation.
"Yes, I'm sure. I forfeit!" Bede nodded.
"Very well."
"Do you still need fifteen minutes for preparation?"
"No need. We've already decided on the third participant. Please proceed, Chief Notary."
Weng Ling, as the official team leader of Lorand Territory, raised her hand.
"Alright, let the third participant get ready!"
Over at Tian Shi City, a slender man looked back at the elderly purple-staffed individual. The old man cast him a sinister glance, and the former nodded in understanding before walking onto the arena.
Since he was scheduled to appear in the second match, even if Bede didn't show up and forfeited, he couldn't be replaced. He had to continue according to the rules.
"Tian Shi Territory's Liao Hai, a professional assassin."
"Lorand Territory's Sha Wen Cheng, a..."
"Knight!"
Sha Wen Cheng grinned.
Smack!
The elderly purple-staffed man fiercely struck the ground and blew on his beard.
Intentional, this must be intentional!
That girl knew that I would send an assassin to confront the Beast Tamer, weak in close combat, in the second match. So, she voluntarily forfeited and replaced it with a knight!
This!
This!
This is an insult in front of a thousand people!
Although the agile and elusive assassin was not suitable for fighting in an open field, the Beast Tamer on the opposing side only had one battle beast, and its combat strength was not high. The assassin was more than capable of dealing with it.
Moreover, after winning, dealing with the remaining opponents on the other side would be relatively straightforward, except for...
This knight!
In general, knights were quite effective against assassins. Their advantages in mobility, attack range, and defense made them a significant challenge for assassins.
But it was just a bit challenging. Looking at the thin set of armor on the opponent's body and the score now tied at one-to-one, as long as Liao Hai didn't make the same foolish mistake as Lord Mao, everything would be fine!
The purple-staffed old man cast a reassuring look at the lord of Tian Shi, and then his attention returned to the arena.
"A knight?" Liao Hai squinted his eyes, but after sizing it up, he chuckled.
"Then where is your horse?"
"I don't have a horse..." Sha Wen Cheng shook his head.
"But, I have it!"
"What!" Liao Hai looked at the giant crocodile that strode confidently into the arena again, approaching the knight. His expression suddenly turned horrified.
"I protest!"
The purple-staffed old man had just turned around, almost spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Isn't this the battle beast of the Beast Tamer from just now? How did it climb up again?!
"Notary, I protest! How can a battle beast reappear multiple times? This is a blatant violation of the spirit of the competition! It's contempt for the Empire's dignity! I strongly suggest immediately declaring Lorand Territory to be at a disadvantage!"
The purple-staffed old man shouted in anger.
"Calm down!"
Xu Muchizhi frowned and looked towards Weng Ling.
"Ling Lord, do you have any explanations?"
Weng Ling nodded, gathered her focus, and recalled the explanation Night Triple-More had
given her earlier.
"May I ask, honorable Notary, if the rules of the competition explicitly state that a Beast Tamer's battle pet cannot be a knight's mount?"