https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-912-I-Knew-It-Would-Be-Like-This-Part-2-/13456259/
Chapter 911: Three Days
Chapter 911: Three Days (Combined)
Operation Disguised Flamefox, success! Qiao Sang's face lit up with joy.
With this, his mission was practically complete. In three days, he might even have the chance to meet the champion of this match.
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker wore a delighted expression.
"Steel Blade."
Steel Treasure let out a silent sigh of relief.
Lulu relaxed and burrowed her head back into the backpack.
The swirling wind gradually calmed down.
The kind-faced woman, unable to resist her curiosity, approached and asked softly:
"Could you tell me what the reward for your mission is?"
She couldn't fathom what kind of reward could attract a B-Class Master to take such a mission so seriously, even to the point of having their familiar undergo a disguise to stay.
Typically, Fire Familiars are chosen by the Authorities. However, some Artificers, to increase their chances of winning the match, would issue related missions with extremely high rewards, urging the Beastmasters who had already selected their Fire Familiars to find a way to infiltrate the match.
Of course, successful cases were rare, but not nonexistent. There was one such instance two years ago.
The Authorities offered minimal rewards, but some people would still find ways to enter the match even without any reward. After all, the Artificers who could participate in this match were already quite renowned, and among them were some major figures.
If one could increase their chances of obtaining the Artifacts they created, even if not for personal use, reselling them could still bring in a substantial profit.
If an Artificer managed to get their chosen familiar into the match and succeeded, the reward would be extremely high.
She suspected that the B-Class Master before her likely fell into the latter category.
"Mission reward?" Qiao Sang paused, then smiled and replied, "This is an Evaluation Mission issued by the Examiners. There is no reward."
An Evaluation Mission? The woman was taken aback. "You've registered for this year's Regional Tournament?"
Qiao Sang nodded.
So, this B-Class Master was still under 40 years old... The woman suddenly understood.
No wonder this major figure looked so young in appearance and demeanor; it turned out he was still under 40.
Becoming a B-Rank Beastmaster before the age of 40, he was undoubtedly one of the youngest in the B-Rank, a true prodigy... The woman composed herself and said seriously:
"You will surely achieve a great ranking in the Regional Tournament."
Qiao Sang smiled in response. "Thank you."
...
Meanwhile.
In the audience stands, the noise grew louder.
"Doesn't Familiar No. 31 look familiar? I feel like I've seen it somewhere."
"Didn't you guys think this familiar looks a lot like the Fire Familiar that was rumored to exist?"
"You mean the one Qingqing Ni's Beastmaster was holding?"
"Exactly."
"Damn! I knew it looked familiar!"
"Wait, Qingqing Ni's Beastmaster's Fire Familiar is only a few dozen centimeters tall, right?"
"Have you heard of the Miniaturization Band?"
"That's it! I just used the Familiar Identifier to check, and Familiar No. 31 is indeed Flame Kiru! This familiar is in a new form, and its evolution path hasn't even been studied yet. It's the only one of its kind!"
"Oh my gosh! So, Qingqing Ni's Beastmaster is actually here?!"
"Everyone, calm down. Just because the evolution path hasn't been officially published doesn't mean there's only one Flame Kiru. Remember when the Pendulum Form first appeared? There were three of them, and the Authorities hadn't published the evolution path yet."
"But this is a Yuhua Region familiar, and its evolution path hasn't been published. It's so rare; isn't it unlikely that there would be two of them in our region at the same time?"
The murmurs grew louder, and the situation seemed to be getting out of control. The host picked up the microphone and regained control of the situation:
"All contestants have selected their partner Fire Familiars. Now, let's move on to the official Artifact crafting phase!"
"This will last for three days, and we will record the entire process of crafting Artifacts!"
"Please supervise and witness the birth of the champion together!"
The audience, who had come to watch the match, were initially intrigued by the possibility that Familiar No. 31 might belong to the rumored Beastmaster. However, with the host's intervention, their attention returned to the match.
For the Prop Crafting Competition, the materials for crafting were provided by the organizers. The short-haired young man selected his materials and went to the designated area marked with his number.
Fangy had been waiting here for a while.
"Tooth!"
Seeing the human who had chosen him, Fangy let out an energetic call, indicating that he was ready to start.
Young Man didn't understand, but he slowly exhaled and introduced himself with a smile.
"My name is Lin Jianyi. I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration over the next three days."
As he spoke, he reached out to pat Fangy's head, trying to build a connection.
Fangy took a step back, looking quite disdainful.
Ah! I knew this familiar wouldn't be easy to handle! Lin Jianyi exclaimed inwardly, his expression stiffening. He silently withdrew his hand and forced a smile.
"Let's get started. First, melt these materials."
He placed a few of the materials in front of Fangy.
He then added with a hint of concern:
"Control the fire a bit more. Don't use any large flames."
As soon as he said that, there was a loud "bang", and a nearby workbench burst into flames, exploding.
The facilities above quickly released water to extinguish the fire.
The Artificer in that area was covered in soot, coughing up black smoke, looking utterly defeated.
"Chimney!"
Chimney, standing beside him, wore an expression that said, "It's not my fault."
"Tooth!"
Fangy turned his gaze back to the human, giving a serious call, assuring him that he wouldn't be like that rigid guy.
...
Backstage.
Chimney's Beastmaster silently rubbed her forehead.
Qiao Sang entered the rest area, leaned back on the sofa, and crossed her legs. She sipped the water a staff member had just brought and watched the giant virtual screen with a relaxed demeanor.
She wasn't worried about Fangy's control over fire energy. Now, she was curious to see what kind of artifacts the Artificer who had chosen Fangy could create.
She remained relaxed until evening.
At 8:30 PM, Qiao Sang checked the time and noticed that few people were still paying attention to the match. She couldn't help but ask the woman she had previously spoken to:
"When will this match take a break?"
The woman put down her mobile phone and looked over, surprised. "You didn't know it lasts for three days?"
"I know it lasts for three days", Qiao Sang said. "I'm asking when we'll take a break today."
The woman paused for a moment. "When to take a break mainly depends on the Artificer. The match is a three-day duration, and it's continuous. The Artificers stay on the field for the entire three days. If they want to rest, they do so on the field, but most Artificers don't do that."
Qiao Sang was stunned. Three days on the field? Does that mean Fangy has to stay there too?
"What about eating, drinking, and using the bathroom?" Qiao Sang asked. "Surely they can't just do that in front of everyone, right?"
"Don't worry about that", the woman said with a smile. "The organizers prepare familiars each year that can eliminate fatigue, hunger, and suppress physiological needs to help everyone."
Qiao Sang was silent for a few seconds before asking:
"What kind of familiar can suppress physiological needs?"
It seems she's not a B-Class Master from the Hollow Plains... The woman explained:
"Delay Chime. Its bell sound can delay various bodily sensations."
There's actually a familiar with that kind of ability... Qiao Sang thought, feeling enlightened.
Then she thought of something and looked at the giant virtual screen, her eyes showing a hint of worry.
Fangy had been staying up all night recently, driven by his will to become stronger.
He definitely won't be able to pull all-nighters while helping to craft artifacts.
I hope this Artificer will get some rest tonight...
...
"We won't be resting tonight", Lin Jianyi said seriously as he continued crafting the artifacts on the field.
After a day of smooth cooperation, he had forgotten his initial wariness of Fangy.
"Ya Ya?"
Fangy looked puzzled.
Not sleeping tonight?
Lin Jianyi didn't understand and continued, "Soon, you'll melt these ten Firmness Crystals into spherical shapes, all about the same size. Remember, the fire must be small, and you need to melt them slowly. Although these crystals are hard to melt, if the fire isn't controlled properly, they could easily be ruined. We only have these ten Firmness Crystals, and if one is damaged, the final power of the artifact will be weakened. So it's very important."
He put down his tools and placed the ten Firmness Crystals in front of Fangy.
"Ya Ya?"
Fangy stared at the ten crystals for a moment, then called out, repeating his question.
Not sleeping tonight?
Lin Jianyi realized what Fangy was trying to convey and apologized.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying."
"Ya Fangy"
Fangy wore an expression that said, "Why didn't you say so earlier", and his eyes glowed with a blue light.
The next second, Lin Jianyi was controlled by an invisible force, lying down involuntarily with his hands on his chest and his eyes closed, looking like he was peacefully asleep.
Lin Jianyi: "!!!"
"Is Contestant 28, Lin Jianyi, going to sleep?" the host's voice rang out at the right moment. "It seems he's very confident in his Artifacts."
I'm not going to sleep! I don't have confidence! Help! In the midst of his inner turmoil, Lin Jianyi found that he could move again.
He opened his eyes and sprang up, looking at Fangy with lingering fear.
"Contestant 28, Lin Jianyi, is standing up again. Has he changed his mind about sleeping?" the host commented.
"Ya Ya?"
Fangy called out, as if asking, "Do you understand what I want now?"
Lin Jianyi suddenly understood, realizing what cooperation with a familiar meant. He tentatively asked:
"You mean you want to sleep at night?"
"Ya Ya."
Fangy paused for a moment, then nodded and called out.
This human's understanding wasn't far off.
"No way!" Lin Jianyi, seeing Fangy nod, felt as if the sky was falling. He almost grabbed its leg, pleading, "We only have three days to craft the Artifacts. We can't afford to rest! If we rest, I won't be able to complete them. Your Beastmaster must have chosen you to help me finish the crafting!"
Fangy hesitated, then called out seriously.
"Ya!"
Then we won't sleep!
Saying this, it opened its mouth and began to control the Crystal of Firmness with the Flame Jet.
Seeing this, Lin Jianyi let out a sigh of relief and picked up his tools, resuming the crafting of the Artifacts.
...
It was two in the morning.
The audience had thinned out, leaving only a few Artificers who stayed to learn.
In the backstage, some of the Fire Familiars' Beastmasters had left, while others had fallen asleep.
Qiao Sang looked at the Giant Virtual Screen, amazed that Fangy was still awake. He thought to himself, I didn't expect Fangy to still be up...
"Xunxun?"
The Treasure Seeker called out while drinking milk, as if asking, "Aren't you going to sleep?"
"I'm not sleepy. Lulu just gave me a Healing Light a while ago", Qiao Sang said, flipping through a book and speaking softly. "If you're bored, you can go to the scene and watch."
"Xunxun~"
The Treasure Seeker shook its head, showing a warm expression that said, "I want to stay with you."
Then it nuzzled Qiao Sang's cheek.
Qiao Sang was deeply moved.
"Xunxun?"
Two minutes later, the Treasure Seeker called out again, as if asking, "Really not sleeping?"
Qiao Sang understood and looked at it. "If you have something to say, just say it."
"Xunxun~"
The Treasure Seeker hesitated, then called out, indicating it wanted to play with a mobile phone with a Sim card.
Qiao Sang: "…"
Just say you want my mobile phone... Qiao Sang silently took out the mobile phone and handed it over.
"Xunxun~"
The Treasure Seeker happily accepted it.
The Treasure Seeker is still the same... Qiao Sang looked up at the holographic screen, where Fangy was still using Flame. He remembered how Fangy used to fall asleep at a specific time and felt a strange sensation in his heart.
...
The sun rose and set.
Time passed.
Soon, the final day of the Prop Crafting Competition arrived.
During this time, many Fire Familiars damaged materials, causing Artificers to abandon their matches due to a lack of materials.
The remaining Contestants either had strong personal skills and could adapt their methods despite damaged materials, or had Fire Familiars that cooperated perfectly without any mistakes.
Lin Jianyi was one of the latter.
When his Artifact was successfully crafted, he was overwhelmed with excitement and turned to hug Fangy's head, preparing to kiss it.
Fangy extended its claws and coldly blocked his mouth.
Lin Jianyi's body stiffened, and he let go, looking at Fangy with a pained expression.
The successfully crafted Artifacts were tested one by one, and the Judges' scores and audience votes quickly determined the results.
The first place went to an elderly man with half-gray hair, clearly experienced.
Lin Jianyi placed twelfth.
Looking at the top three on the podium, Lin Jianyi showed an envious expression.
"Ya Ya."
Fangy called out, as if offering comfort.
"I'm fine", Lin Jianyi said, hiding his envy and smiling. "I'm already very happy that the Artifact was successfully crafted this time."
He looked at Fangy with deep emotion.
"Thanks to you."
Fangy didn't look at him but turned to look behind him and called out excitedly.
"Ya!"
Then it shrank in size and ran off eagerly.
Qiao Sang caught it and said warmly, "You've worked hard."
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy nuzzled Qiao Sang's cheek, found a comfortable spot, and fell into a deep sleep. (End of Chapter)
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