Black sail

Chapter 657 XXXVII. Ace vs. Ace

It's that time of year again when the Adventurers' Guild selects its annual goddess.

After the mainland martial arts tournament concludes, the "Annual Goddess Handbook" will be printed and distributed, circulating among various grassroots masters and elders.

Garen is now hanging out with Glenn, who is a rich heiress with no concept of money. She treats Garen to luxury hotels where his expenses are in the thousands and provides him with gourmet food from land, sea and air every meal.

However, many things shaped by one's upbringing cannot be fundamentally changed.

Garen bought a copy of the "Annual Goddess Candidate List" to read. Every adventurer could go to their local guild with their guild ID card to vote for the goddesses on the candidate list. The annual goddess list would be released that evening based on the number of votes received.

Speaking of which, Lisite told me that last year, the goddess Moonblade Swordswoman Gloria, who made it into the top ten, was working under him.

I wonder which beauties will be nominated this year.

Garen looked at the list of candidates, a strange smile appearing on his face from time to time. He wondered whether he should cast his vote. Before meeting Brother Li, no, even after meeting Brother Li, he had always supported a female hero-level adventurer and never wavered. This year, he hoped that she would at least make it into the top thirty.

"Your smile is so strange..."

Glenn frowned, showing no sign of the tension that came with the day of the decisive battle.

Under the sunshade of the high-rise terrace, overlooking the cityscape of Alan, the wind was pleasant today. The three of us were having breakfast, which was rather light but not cheap.

After deducting the 10% commission paid to Garen, Glenn's funds still had a terrifying 70,000 left, which was more than three times the amount in her fund. The bank manager frantically recommended wealth management products to her, suggesting that she could invest in large-scale real estate and magic energy industrial projects, but Garen rejected them all.

If Glenn dares to bet 70,000 today—70,000 is a sum only the wealthiest individuals in the Western Continent with a significant lead in the top tier—and if she can actually win big and reach the upper limit of this extreme scenario, then she can indeed get close to her goal of 400,000, and returning to the East China Sea will not be a problem.

The group also read yesterday's newspaper; professional gamblers must be surfing at a high intensity.

Garen didn't react much. He already had a sense of admiration for Lister, and he didn't need to worry about that level of competition since he couldn't handle it himself.

Glenn was devastated; the descendant of a tyrant—what kind of nonsense is this?

If Sister Head wins, will she really get a position and lead troops to wipe out Heavenly Port?
"Hurry up and decide who to bet on tonight."

Glenn looked dejected, listlessly stirring the coffee in her cup with a spoon. The sun outside was so bright it was almost unbelievable, and Glenn just felt a bit too hot.

"I'm sorry, I won't give you any advice. Once you get to the round of 16, I think it all comes down to luck. It's hard to say who will win or lose. Kaden is already struggling to make it to the finals, and Salert is going to face some monsters. I can only advise you to give up."

Garen understood that Glenn's success was all thanks to his being a member of Black Sail, which gave him an information advantage. He knew that these guys were incredibly powerful and were after a big job.

But tonight is different. All sorts of gods are flying around doing big things, and everyone has a big job to do. Even Brother Sallet probably can't keep up.

Garen had mixed feelings; he hoped that Glenn would lose all his money, but he didn't really want to either.

"Could I ask you for a favor..."

Glenn had thought about it for a long time, and only today did she finally muster the courage. There were so many rumors circulating outside, and she didn't know which one to believe.

"You say it."

Garen sensed her seriousness.

After Glenn told him she needed his help.

Garen fell into a long silence. Ever since his conversation with Lister, he had been putting it off. Should he really tell her the truth?

Nine o'clock in the morning.

The villas designated for the top 16 players to rest near the Imperial Arena.

The court's stylist made Kaden look so different that he didn't even recognize himself anymore, supposedly to highlight his flexible and versatile fighting style, with clothes that were all designed to fit his curves.

"It's too astringent..." Considering that she would be fighting that night, she was extremely careful and didn't even choose the largest scientific ninja tool, but only the lightweight C.

Although it is not made of rubber-based fabric, the surface of the garment has a reflective texture. It is silver all over and has a very avant-garde design, with some panel-like trim decorations reminiscent of mechanical puppets.

To make her appear even taller, the organizers asked Kaden to wear high heels. Although she was already quite tall, Kaden refused outright. "Tonight is no joke. Any mistake will land me in hell. Do you want to kill this princess?"
Because Kaden is already very handsome, and due to his so-called extraterrestrial demon bloodline, his pupils are amber-colored, and his skin is slightly wheat-colored. The faint freckles around his nose are actually a plus, giving him a strong wildness and a contrast of naivety, at least in appearance. In reality, he is purely dark.

The court's makeup artists thought this was a good look. No makeup was needed; only partial contouring and minor adjustments were required. They emphasized the three-dimensionality of the face and enhanced the contrast between wildness and naivety. They gave enough leeway for "too much of a good thing" and then gradually adjusted it down to achieve the ultimate saturation.

Once everything is complete.

Kaden looked at himself in the full-length mirror and turned around from side to side.

"Fuck."

Kaden thought he could now sell his services at top-tier prices at the Heavenly Palace on Xilan Island. He was incredibly arrogant. These royal makeup artists were truly something else.

Unfortunately, the Imperial Concubine disdains to participate in that kind of work.

If I'm going to give you your virginity, it has to be a ten-inch holy radiance magic dragon from a high-elf prince of the ancient divine land royal bloodline. If Lisite is really brave enough to turn this situation around, that would be a miracle. This imperial concubine will reluctantly take pity on you and grant you this favor.

Diaz has already written the script for herself.

Despite the utterly absurd and ridiculous stories in the Adventurers' Guild, this is how it works. Even if it's not the champion, as long as it's in the top three, the Emperor will definitely take it seriously. With all the mess that Lister has made, leading the Heavenly Army to wipe out Heaven's Port is no problem, and it can even create benefits for the Emperor.

The makeup artist was very satisfied with the work, but if he knew what Kaden was thinking, he would definitely be furious.

"In half an hour, reporters will come to interview you as a warm-up for tonight's martial arts competition. They will be interviewed in groups of four. Considering the recent emphasis on women's power by the Court's Department of Culture, you will be interviewed with Valentina, Shirahoshi, and Marianne later."

That's what the organizers said.

"what?"

Kaden sat imposingly on a rare monster fur sofa, a stark contrast to his carefully crafted persona.

They were interviewed together.

Leaving aside the Sword King's apprentice and that road-hopping knight, there's also Marian, the so-called Lady of the Golden Country.

Sometimes it's really helpless to participate in the Continental Martial Arts Tournament alone. Marian is basically a milk cow, I have no idea what she ate to grow up. Even with scientific ninja tools, I can't beat her. I definitely don't want to be interviewed with someone like that.

Men are all the same; big means strong. It's infuriating! Are there really any good men in the world? Men should all die.

Forget it, now is not the time to think about this.

Those idiot reporters will definitely bring up last night's newspaper article later, and I'll not only make sure it gets the highest traffic, but I'll also claim to be on the side of justice.

Cows are nothing special, I, the imperial concubine, am the biggest focus.

Just follow this script.

And at this moment.

Inside the Adventurers' Guild's Western Capital Branch.

Ben knocked out a reporter from an adventurers' guild, dragged him into the warehouse, and, using his superb disguise skills, changed into a felt hat, glasses, and formal attire, with a reporter's card hanging around his neck.

FAKE NEWS! I'm fucking here!

(End of this chapter)