Totem

“As of today, Sauron and the Professor are tied for first place on the Totem Ranking!”

The surveyor tidied his collar and said in a serene manner: “Ladies and gentlemen, although the Professor is only at the primary-rank 8th level, and although the details of today’s battle are still being investigated, there’s no need to doubt the outcome. The Professor indeed has the strength to stand neck to neck with Sauron! For this reason, I discussed with several other surveyors….”

The surveyor was right in the middle of going through these formalities and explaining the ranking in detail when he suddenly discovered that a queer atmosphere had abruptly spread throughout the entire crowd.

This sort of atmosphere had not yet erupted, but it already had the signs of bursting into a storm!

The next second, he suddenly understood: since ancient times, there had never been an absence of number one or number two. These people definitely would not be satisfied with a ‘tie’ for first place. Rather, they were much more interested in knowing this: between Sauron and the Professor, who was the number one expert?!

As expected, several people had already begun complaining, “Mister Surveyor, what is number one? Number one means unrivalled and unmatched, superior to all the experts in Sun City! That you guys actually declared a tie for first place…. Hmph!”

“This gentleman here, no need to worry, no need to worry!” The surveyor hastily broke off his lengthy explanation as he spoke with a smile: “I understand. Everybody is more concerned about who the genuine number one expert of Sun City is. In regards to this question, I am unable to answer you, but….” He raised a match contract up high, “Five days from now, on the very first day of the New Year, the Professor and Sauron will fight a decisive battle in the Totem Arena! At that time, the throne for Sun City’s number one expert will then find its one and only master!”

Five days later….

Immediately, the entire town quieted. The crowd’s faces were quite marvelous to behold; some expressed astonishment, some excitement, while even more expressed troubled looks.

Correct, troubled looks! “It’s actually the first day of the New Year, the day Yulianne will arrive…. Hey, are you going to go see Yulianne or go watch the match between Sauron and the Professor?”

“This…. Although the confrontation between the Professor and Sauron will be fascinating, Yulianne is also…. Ai, it’s hard to say, it’s hard to say.”

Yulianne, or the match? Right as the crowd sank into troubled thought, a carriage guarded by two cyan-armored warriors appeared within the forest outside the town.

Madame Suzanne was sitting within the carriage, and she let out an expressive sigh as well. “Arranging the match on the day of Yulianne’s arrival…. Sauron actually agreed to the match. What exactly is he thinking?”

The person within the carriage was precisely Madame Suzanne! She had been observing the situation in hiding!

Madame Suzanne rubbed her forehead in confusion. At this moment, she spotted Sauron right as he came down from the mountain peak and arrived beside the carriage.

She thereupon spoke in dissatisfaction: “Sauron, I already know of the match’s results! That you actually agreed to fight during the first day of the New Year, exactly what is the meaning of this?”

“Madame, are *you getting angry? Oh, no, I actually have even graver news….”

Sauron gave a faint smile and whispered in Madame Suzanne’s ear, “Not only did I accept the match, I even bet the property that is already in our hands without *your permission…. Mount Longinus!”

“Sauron!”

Whoosh!

A gleam of killing intent flashed across Madame Suzanne’s eyes, but she very soon calmed down and spoke with a slight smile: “Tell me, why did you accept this sort of disadvantageous match?”

“As expected, Madame understands me….” Sauron began chuckling, “Madame, I bet Mount Longinus today, and five days later, I will be able to destroy Weylin’s faction of power from the root up and slaughter all of West Farms until not even a chicken or dog is left!”

At this point in time, Sauron had still not removed Flower Battle Armor. Amidst waves and waves of flower fragrances, he spoke hushedly in Madame Suzanne’s ear.

Subsequently, Madame Suzanne knitted her eyebrows, “This is too risky. With the slightest inattentiveness, the ones who will die will not be Weylin, but rather us!”

“Madame, fortune is found within risk!” A sinister light glinted in Sauron’s eyes, “Of course, if *you do not agree with my plan, I can also genuinely go and fight with the Professor. However…. Do *you really wish to give up the opportunity to completely uproot West Farms?”

Madame Suzanne sank into lengthy silence.

“Just do as you’ve said then…. Ai, I’m tired. Let us return!”

Madame Suzanne’s carriage slowly departed from Mount Longinus, while others toiled hard and long to deal with the aftermath of this incident.

The moon was already at the midpoint of its...o...b..t, and according to the agreement made several days before, Weylin should have already handed Mount Longinus over to Madame Suzanne.

However, Mount Longinus had already become the stake for the match, and the Totem Advancement a.s.sociation now had the authority over it. As such, Mount Longinus was temporarily signed off to the Totem Advancement a.s.sociation.

And Weylin and the surveyors were simply ‘nominally’ busying themselves over the particulars of this transfer.

Talik, on the other hand, had already located the City Lord. Under the official’s a.s.sistance, he hastily sealed off all news considering his appearance at Mount Longinus, or at least, sealed off all news from reaching the ears of his political opponents in the Imperial Capital.

As for Eddy….

This unfortunate chef had been heavily beaten by those pursuing troops and incarcerated within the town’s prison. If only it were possible for Talik to drag him out when day came.

On a separate note, Victor had not fallen to his death from the steep precipice. However, just as he was about to slaughter his way to the Professor once again, Sauron suddenly appeared before him!

As to what these two gentlemen discussed….

Jiang Nan did not know. Furthermore, he was not in the mood to go find out either.

From the map’s perspective, Mount Longinus was a steep precipice on three sides, and of these cliffs, the northernmost cliff had many flat inclines. Under the cover of the greenery, these inclines concealed many indiscernible caverns.

More accurately, there were 206 of these caves, which just so happened to coincide with the number of bones in the human body.

Jiang Nan was currently hiding within one of these caverns. Normally, this cavern was used by Weylin for storing war preparations and supplies, provisions, medicine, emergency treatment kits, and many other necessities, so it was completely capable of a.s.sisting Jiang Nan in healing his injuries.

Phew!

After Jiang Nan bandaged up his shoulder, he lied feebly against the large trunk.

His injuries were not actually very serious; they were simply superficial. However, the issue was that the three Ghost Art skills were truly too draining. Even now, his four limbs still faintly ached.

“Oh, what an interesting fight….”

Jiang Nan closed his eyes and summed up his experiences from the battle. However, as he pondered, he came to this conclusion: through his aunt’s revision, the Ghost Art’s might was incomparably terrifying, to the point that he could overlook his current level and defeat two powerful opponents!

However, since the Ghost Art’s might was great, so was its consumption! If he went all out in unleashing his Ghost Arts, the most he could hold out was…. Five moves!

All of a sudden, m.u.f.fled footsteps rang out from outside the cavern.

“Rodi, have you acquired the map of Mount Longinus?”

In a mist of black fog enshrouding his figure and an eyeball hanging against his cheekbone, the freak with the hanging eyeball whom Alisa had spoken off had come!

“I’ve already gotten the map. If you want it, it can be drawn for you anytime.”

When Jiang Nan heard the black figure’s voice, he responded without even lifting his eyelids.

“Since you’ve already gotten the map, then there’s no rush, no rush…. Rodi, first answer my question!”

The black figure let out a bizarre cackling sound only to suddenly direct his hanging eyeball to gaze fixedly at Jiang Nan’s eyes, demanding in a sever voice, “I saw the course of your match. The might of the Ghost Totem skills you utilized from my Ghost Art was stronger by at least a hundred times! Say it, was it ‘Blazing Angel’ who altered my Ghost Arts?! d.a.m.n it all, it can only be Blazing Angel. Only Blazing Angel can revise my Ghost Arts to this degree!” He snarled furiously, “Tell me, was it Blazing Angel?!”