Chapter 814: Coordination Contest
Chapter 814: Coordination Contest (Combined)
"Your Iceapura perfectly meets the standards for the Coordination Competition", Maral concluded.
In Supernest, Ice-Type familiars are already rare, and when you add the Snowfall Trait, which provides a beautiful visual effect, paired with Iceapura's appearance, just showing up would guarantee passing the first evaluation stage with flying colors.
"Xunxun?" Treasure Seeker looked at Maral with hopeful eyes.
What about it? What about it?
Qiao Sang helped ask, "What about Ghost Ring King?"
Maral glanced at Treasure Seeker, "Ghost Ring King is certainly very charming."
To be honest, among Qiao Sang's four familiars, Ghost Ring King was actually the least suitable for the Coordination Competition.
While the Coordination Competition focuses on showcasing a familiar's charm, the popularity of different types of familiars has remained similar throughout history.
Ghost-Type Companion Beasts have consistently ranked among the top two most disliked familiar attributes each year.
Moreover, the skills of Ghost-Type Companion Beasts are generally eerie and terrifying, lacking the flashy appeal needed for the competition. As a result, most Ghost-Type Companion Beasts are eliminated in the first round.
Despite Ghost Ring King's relatively cute appearance among Ghost-Type Companion Beasts, which Maral found charming, it still wouldn't have an advantage compared to other competitors' familiars.
This is why Coordinators rarely enter Ghost-Type Companion Beasts in the competition.
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker perked up, took off its Ring, and retrieved a Focus Monocle to wear.
Maral observed, "Your Ghost Ring King looks great with that."
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker proudly lifted its glasses.
"Kind of like those familiars who are very studious and love learning", Maral added.
"Xunxun…"
Hearing this, Treasure Seeker's body stiffened slightly, quickly removed the glasses, and put them back in the Ring.
Qiao Sang silently glanced at Treasure Seeker.
Maral didn't pay much attention and continued chatting casually with Qiao Sang.
About twenty minutes later, she looked down from the air and smiled, "We're here."
…
The Coordination Match Arena spans approximately 5,500 square meters and has three floors.
A metallic track spirals up and wraps around the building, giving it a dynamic feel.
The first two floors have facade glass that allows visitors to see the internal display spaces, except for the third floor.
At the ticket checkpoint, a long queue had already formed.
Almost everyone was dressed fashionably, and most familiars were also adorned.
"Xunxun…"
Treasure Seeker watched a few fully adorned familiars pass by, took off its Ring, rummaged inside, and pulled out three pairs of sunglasses, handing them to Fangy, Lulu, and Steel Treasure.
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy happily put on the dark green triangular sunglasses.
"Ice Ai."
Lulu poked her head out of the backpack, looked at the sunglasses, and shook her head, refusing them.
"Steel Slash."
Steel Treasure took the yellow sunglasses, put them on, but after seeing the world through them, it felt uncomfortable and removed them, handing them back.
"Xunxun…"
Treasure Seeker, feeling helpless, put on the yellow sunglasses itself and returned the other pair to the Ring.
Then, it felt something inside, its eyes lit up, and it took out a lavender-colored felt hat, handing it to Steel Treasure.
"Steel Slash..."
Steel Treasure looked at the hat for a moment, then took it and put it on.
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker grinned and pulled out a black towel from the Ring, draping it over its back.
The people around them couldn't help but cover their mouths to stifle their laughter, and some even took out their mobile phones to take photos.
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker, not understanding the reason for their amusement, thought they were all captivated by its charm and enthusiastically waved its claws.
Qiao Sang saw this and sighed, scanning the area around them.
"What are you looking for?" Maral asked.
"Is there a familiar accessories shop nearby?" Qiao Sang asked.
"Yes", Maral nodded. "Do you want to go there?"
Qiao Sang hummed in agreement. "I want to buy a cloak suitable for a small familiar."
Maral glanced at the black towel draped over Ghost Ring King's back and immediately understood, smiling. "I'll take you there."
Normally, at this hour, most shops other than breakfast and beverage places would still be closed. However, due to the large Coordination Competition today, most of the surrounding stores were already open to catch the influx of visitors.
Soon, the two arrived at a familiar accessories shop.
"Ya Ya!"
"Xunxun!"
Fangy and Treasure Seeker were very excited.
Fangy stayed in its Beastmaster's arms, its eyes darting around, and its tail wagging excitedly.
Treasure Seeker floated over to the items that caught its interest, picking them up and trying them on.
Qiao Sang scanned the shop and spotted the area selling cloaks.
She picked up a black silk cloak and waved Treasure Seeker over. "Come here."
"Xunxun~" Treasure Seeker's eyes lit up when it saw what Qiao Sang was holding and immediately teleported over.
Qiao Sang removed the black towel from Treasure Seeker's back and helped it put on the black cloak. She admired it for a moment and then said, "Go look in the mirror and see if you like it."
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker called out and teleported in front of the full-length mirror.
When it saw its reflection, it beamed and began examining itself from all angles.
"Looks like Iceapura doesn't have anything. Do you want to buy something for it?" Maral leaned in and asked.
Qiao Sang sighed. "It doesn't like these things."
Maral didn't say anything more.
After paying, the two headed toward the end of the queue.
Suddenly, Maral received a call and answered, "Yes, I'm at the Coordination Match entrance."
To avoid overhearing anything she shouldn't, Qiao Sang automatically tuned out the conversation.
About half a minute later, the call ended, and Maral turned to Qiao Sang with an excited look. "We don't have to wait in line. Dean Suli is judging today, and she said someone will come to pick us up."
Coordination Academy, Dean Siri Hayek... Qiao Sang couldn't help but recall the scene when she and Dean Suli first met.
"How about it? Want to watch a Coordination Contest? Maybe you and your familiar will enjoy it."
Coordination Contest...
Invitation...
Qiao Sang suddenly remembered something and looked at Treasure Seeker. "The invitation I gave you, the one that looks like a champagne-colored envelope, can you bring it out?"
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker removed its Ring, stuck its head inside to look, and then came out, shaking its head.
It wasn't there.
Qiao Sang paused. "Take off your sunglasses and look again."
"Xunxun..."
Treasure Seeker took off its sunglasses and stuck its head back into the Ring.
After about ten seconds, it emerged with the champagne-colored invitation in hand.
Qiao Sang took it and opened it to read.
The location and time indeed matched today's event.
"Did Dean Suli give this to you?" Maral leaned in to read the invitation, surprised.
Qiao Sang glanced at her and asked, "So, did Dean Suli tell you to bring me here?"
Maral's face stiffened.
"There's nothing to be concerned about. I'm already here", Qiao Sang said.
"That's true." Maral sighed and dropped her act. "Dean Suli wanted you to watch this Coordination Contest, but she thought you might not come, so she asked me to consider this as part of my mission reward."
She paused, then spoke sincerely. "The Coordination Competition is really something to see. You'll absolutely love it, and watching it live is a completely different experience from watching it on TV."
Qiao Sang inwardly affirmed herself, thinking that the Dean of the prestigious Coordination Academy must have really believed in her talent for coordination. She was about to say that she had already decided to return to Blue Star at the end of the semester when a staff member in a white uniform jogged over and asked:
"Are you Miss Qiao Sang and Miss Maral?"
"It's us", Maral nodded.
"I was sent by Dean Suli", the staff member said respectfully. "I'll take you inside now."
With that, the staff member led the way.
Under the staff member's guidance, they headed to another entrance and smoothly entered the Coordination Match arena.
"Dean Suli is waiting for you on the third floor", the staff member said as they walked onto the rotating elevator.
Maral looked somewhat nervous, slowly exhaling.
"What are you nervous about?" Qiao Sang noticed her unease and asked.
"That's Dean Siri Hayek", Maral said reverently. "I've only seen her a few times since school started."
"I thought you two were close", Qiao Sang said, a bit surprised.
Maral smiled and looked at her. "Thanks to you, I have Dean Suli's contact information and have been messaging her for a while."
She placed a hand on Qiao Sang's shoulder, speaking with resolve. "So, after today's Coordination Contest, I can still help you with Flame Kiru's Wave of Peace resistance training until you no longer need it."
Qiao Sang smiled. "Thank you."
Although she wasn't confident that Fangy could develop resistance to the Wave of Peace, she hadn't given up on the training. It was possible that, like when she learned Clone from Steel Treasure, the training might show significant improvement later on.
They soon reached the third floor.
"Dean Suli is waiting inside", the staff member said, helping to push open the main hall's door.
The main hall was adorned in resplendent gold. A large, gleaming top ring was surrounded by hundreds of colorful lights.
The seats were arranged in different tiers, providing various viewing angles and perspectives.
A massive stage stood at the front, with beams of light continuously adjusting.
There weren't many people in the main hall, and Qiao Sang immediately spotted five people sitting in the front row closest to the stage, one of whom was Dean Suli.
Maral took another deep breath.
Qiao Sang walked forward confidently.
Maral quickly followed.
Dean Suli turned at the sound of their approach and smiled upon seeing who it was. "You're here."
"Dean Suli", Qiao Sang and Maral greeted her simultaneously.
"These two are?" A middle-aged woman with red hair and blue eyes, sitting in the judge's panel, turned to ask.
"They are students from my school", Dean Suli said with a smile.
"Isn't that Qiao Sang? The champion of this year's Star Beastmaster competition", another judge, a handsome middle-aged man in a black suit with golden glasses, turned and said in surprise.
The other two judges turned to face them, smiling warmly.
Qiao Sang, though not part of the coordination world, was well-known for her General-Class Beast Companion's Epic Skill, a fact that anyone who followed the news would know.
Qiao Sang quickly returned their smiles.
"That's her", Dean Suli said, pointing to the two seats behind her. "You can sit here. The match is about to start, and I need to verify the participants' information."
With that, she turned back to the documents in her hands.
After sitting down, Qiao Sang whispered, "Five judges? That's a lot. I thought it was usually three."
Maral whispered back, "Coordination Contests always have five judges. The ones you've seen probably had a smaller scale."
Indeed, I haven’t watched many Coordination Competitions, and most of those were on TV. Later, I got busy and didn’t even watch TV anymore… Qiao Sang asked, "Apart from Dean Suli, who are the others?"
Maral immediately began introducing them, "The one with the red hair, who stands out for her beauty, is the president of the First District Coordination Center. She’s from the Authorities. The man wearing glasses is an expert in the breeding field."
"The Coordination Competition evaluates the charm, appearance, and condition of the familiar, as well as whether any rule-breaking substances have been used. That’s why someone from the breeding field needs to be there."
"The lady in the silk gown is the champion of the previous Global Elegance Contest."
"The last one, with the white hair, is a Beast Coordination Master. In his youth, he participated in many Coordination Competitions and won every time. He has also trained many outstanding Coordinators."
It seems they’re all big shots… Qiao Sang mused internally.
Suddenly, the middle-aged man turned to observe Fangy, Treasure Seeker, and Steel Treasure, and smiled, "Your familiars are all very well-trained."
"Thank you", Qiao Sang accepted the compliment.
"Are you here because you’re interested in the Coordination Competition?" the middle-aged man asked next.
Dean Suli didn’t turn his head, but his movements paused.
With so many bigwigs in the coordination field here, how can I say I’m not interested… Qiao Sang complained internally but replied seriously, "Of course, watching the Coordination Competition is a visual feast."
Dean Suli continued flipping through the documents in his hand.
"If you’re interested, you should give it a try", the middle-aged man said enthusiastically. "I think your Flame Kiru, Iceapura, and Steelcut Falcon would be perfect for it."
"Xunxun?"
Treasure Seeker pointed at itself with its claws.
Did I forget about it?
"Especially the Steelcut Falcon", the middle-aged man’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he added excitedly, "The Steelcut Falcon is a new form from Supernest, but because it’s a bond evolution and its Junior form is the Steel Sparrow, many people, even if they’re interested, are hesitant to bond and train it."
"But if the Steelcut Falcon participates in the Coordination Competition and more people see its charm, I believe more people will be willing to bond with the Steel Sparrow species."
"Steel Slash…" Steel Treasure’s eyes flickered with unusual emotions.
Qiao Sang was taken aback.
To be honest, when it came to the Coordination Competition, everyone thought she was suitable because of Fangy and Lulu. Few people directly told her that Steel Treasure was the most suitable.
Indeed, Fangy and Lulu are Blue Star’s familiars. Even if they participated in the Coordination Competition and showed their charm, people would only discuss it for a while.
But if Steel Treasure successfully demonstrated its charm, it would draw more attention to the species.
The last time I participated in the Beastmaster Star Tournament, Steel Treasure only appeared once…
Thinking about this, Qiao Sang said seriously, "I’ll consider it."
The middle-aged man nodded in satisfaction.
Dean Suli pushed an unopened drink over, "Thirsty? Would you like something to drink?"
The middle-aged man was flattered and quickly took the drink, thanking him.
"Do you want to participate?" Qiao Sang asked in her mind.
"Steel Slash." Steel Treasure quickly responded.
It needed to think about it.
"Xunxun…"
Treasure Seeker looked at the human who had sat back down, then at its Beastmaster, and its cheeks slowly puffed up.
(End of Chapter)
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