Star Forge Titan

Then, Heidi left the palace as usual, with a calm expression on her face, and even nodded to the familiar nobles on the way.

But unlike her seemingly calm appearance, Heidi's heart was already in turmoil at this moment.

Something is wrong!

I am familiar with that monster in elf skin. Although she looks crazy, there is a deeper meaning behind everything she does. It is definitely not a boxing match organized by the Witch King on a whim.

She was definitely planning something, there was no doubt about that!

The female sorceress roared silently in her heart. She realized that the situation in the entire desert might undergo a huge change in the short term, which had not happened in the past hundred years.

But change is not necessarily a bad thing. Just like more fish will approach the water surface before a rainstorm, when the entire situation in a large area is caught in a vortex of chaos, it often means the emergence of many opportunities that are rarely seen under normal circumstances.

Thinking of this, Heidi's breathing became rapid, and an expression somewhat similar to that of the Witch King Menes appeared on her face.

The reason they are similar is not because both are women, but because both have ambitions that are no less than men.

If Ivan were to comment, he would probably say, "A career-oriented woman?"

However, for Ivan, who was facing his first official match in the ring, the fight with the Shadow of Death was not counted in his results, so he probably didn't have the time to care about this at the moment.

On the ring, a man covered in metal armor was holding a sword in both hands. Through his open visor, he looked at Ivan, who was wearing traditional desert clothes, with a look of contempt.

Now, Ivan's identity has not been widely leaked, and many viewers who were discussing the previous fight did not know that the parties involved in the fight yesterday were now standing on the ring, boredly waiting for the referee to announce the start of the boxing match.

Because he was really bored, Alvin casually looked at his first-round opponent in front of him.

This guy should be considered a very wealthy person in the desert, right?

The bright desert sunlight made the reflection of the metal armor particularly dazzling. This also meant that the other party must be quite wealthy, whether in terms of status or financial resources. Otherwise, it would be impossible to obtain such a thick full-body plate armor in the Silent Desert with its iron tax system.

What's more, Alvin's golden eyes, which could directly see magic, also noticed that there was an obvious magical glow wrapped around the armor and the sword, which meant that the armor and weapons used by the other party were magical equipment.

A noble under the Witch King? Having spent a fortune acquiring this set of equipment, was he planning to gamble for the position of the Witch King's successor? He couldn't be a high-ranking noble, otherwise he wouldn't be unable to hire a powerful enough spokesperson and would have to participate in the competition himself.

Or is he very confident?

Alvin made a judgment in his heart and showed a look of understanding.

However, his opponent seemed to have misunderstood his look.

"Hey, man from the manor, what are you looking at?" the noble young man said in a bad tone.

"Oh, I see. Are you envious of my armor? Ha, poor fellow, this is high-end stuff you'll never come across in your lifetime! The stone crap in your hands won't even scratch this armor."

The young man looked arrogant and his words were disgusting, but Alvin didn't feel angry at all.

He was even a little surprised...

He thought about the Holy Sword Burning Justice, who was quiet and calm in the lepton space, and Karlbant, who was furious at being called trash and was clamoring to sacrifice the other party to the Blood God.

High-end goods?

That's it?

Chapter 66: Easy Victory

Some people may feel strange that why there are such heavily armed guys in a boxing match.

Yes, the young nobleman opposite who kept shouting "Manor Man" was fully equipped with magical equipment.

But this did not violate the rules of the King Selection Boxing Tournament. To be precise, the rules of this match did not mention that weapons could not be used, so some people came on the field with large shields and spears.

It can even be said that the only rule of the so-called boxing championship is that there are no rules.

Even the one-on-one fight on stage is an unspoken rule agreed upon by all the forces in the city-state who want to compete for the successor to the Witch King.

Otherwise, people would probably see dozens or even hundreds of people who call themselves boxers forming an army, fighting each other to the death in a limited arena as if it were a real war.

Every time he thought of this, Alvin couldn't help but want to laugh out loud.

It’s really too free.

It's even freer than boxing.

An undisguised mocking expression subconsciously appeared at the corner of his mouth, which immediately made his opponent, who had no idea what he was actually thinking, furious.

He, Adam Idris Nuhawir, is a descendant of a noble Emir. Although he is separated from that ancestor by several generations and it is a question whether his direct line knows of his existence, this still does not change the fact that he has noble blood in his body.

In addition, he had used up the last of his fortune to buy this entire set of magical equipment from the Golden Sands Chamber of Commerce, including full body plate armor and an enchanted longsword, just to go all in and get the status of heir in the competition.

By the way, maybe I can use my status as the heir to get closer to the great Majesty, the lord who rules the south of the desert, the sister of the bright moon in the night sky, the Majesty Menes who is more gorgeous than the rare flowers in the desert.

and so!

The man in front of me was only wearing the cheapest white linen hooded robe. God knows where he came from in some remote oasis farm. He had probably only touched stone farm tools in his life and had never even seen what metal with a noble luster looked like.

How dare you look at him with such a mocking expression? Insult the honorable Adam Idris Nuhawir with such a sarcastic look!

How dare he!

"Fire!" The young nobleman with the surname Nuhavel recited the ancient language he had memorized with great difficulty and pulled out the long sword in his hand with force.

This is a standard two-handed sword, 1.5 meters long. It is difficult for someone without professional training to wield it normally, let alone use it in combat.

After Nuhavel recited the activation code engraved in ancient language, the magic attached to the sword was activated. A scorching heat spread out from the golden filaments inlaid on the sword spine, burning the originally cold and sharp blade to a scorching hot and shiny state.

Although the total amount of magic-friendly metal used in the golden filaments is very limited, its magic conductivity is still higher than that of normal metals, so this two-handed sword of astonishing length is indeed a qualified magic weapon.

In other words, the Liujinzhisha Chamber of Commerce is honest and trustworthy, does not sell fake goods, and does not deceive fools.

but--

Looking at the magic sword that was being danced with great force, making the already scorching air in the desert even hotter during the day, Alvin couldn't help but yawning where he was.

It was not that he looked down on the other party, nor did he mean to insult his opponent. This was a game after all. The education he received since childhood and his innate character would not allow him to do such a thing.

However, this so-called magic weapon, which only reached the lowest level of rare, probably wouldn't even be able to cut the oily skin on my pinky finger, even if I stood there and let the opponent slash at me. Rounding it off, it was roughly equivalent to an ordinary person in my previous life being hit with a long balloon by a friend as a joke.

Oh, maybe not as good as that.

"Okay, okay, let's all save some time." Alvin sighed, and Karlbant's angry roar became louder and louder in his mind.

After thinking about it, he had no intention of suppressing this soul-made weapon that had been dormant for a long time after being damaged, and was just awakened and was called garbage by strangers.

As long as the demon's true name is not released, the Axe of Annihilation disguised as a hand axe will not attract too much attention. As a soul-made weapon comparable to legendary magic weapons, the Axe of Annihilation, which is integrated with the soul of the demon vanguard officer Karlbant, has no problem in self-disguise.

then--

Reaching out and grabbing the robe, Ivan pulled the collar hard, and instantly threw the entire cloak into the air.

At the same time, a hand axe shining with bright silver light appeared in the right hand of the tall and slender black-haired boy.

The handle is made of an unknown wood with a dark color. An axe face that reflects the sun's brilliance is inlaid with an amber gem in the center, and the rest of the axe is engraved with abstract vine patterns. The overall style is very much in the style of ancient empire creations.

Alvin's current identity is that of a young mercenary. Although the weapons of this type of people are mostly not very good, if they often participate in the exploration of ruins in various places, they will occasionally own one or two decent low-level magic weapons.

Therefore, it was very reasonable for him to take out a small magic axe when facing an opponent who was covered in magical equipment.

"Ha, you're going to use that toy against me? Against the noble Adan Ide..."

Before the young, angry Javier could finish reading his full name, which used his grandfather's and maternal grandfather's names as his middle name, he felt the two-handed sword in his hand suddenly become lighter, and a crisp ding sound rang in his ears.

Cold sweat rolled down the cheeks of this young nobleman who spoke disparagingly of "manor man". He slowly raised his head with an unwilling-to-believe look and looked at the tip of the two-handed sword.

Originally, there should have been a sharp angle like a spear, but now it has become as smooth as a ceremonial sword that symbolizes the king's mercy.

To be precise, it turned into a square.

And that crisp sound was the sound made by the severed sword tip falling to the ground.

Then, Nu Javier noticed that the plain-dressed, black-haired young man had stood in front of him.

The other person was tall enough to look down at him, and the muscles revealed after he took off his robe were even more perfect than the human sculptures completed by great artists with painstaking efforts. Every line and every contour fully revealed what strength, beauty, and violent aesthetics were.

Huh, the robe that had just been thrown into the air has just landed on the ground.

Seeing that his opponent did not react, Alvin frowned slightly, then chopped down with another axe, and then another.

Ding ding ding, the two-handed sword in the hands of the noble young man Javier was broken into pieces like sugarcane being chopped casually.

Every time the long sword was a little shorter, his heart would beat uncontrollably as if it was hit by a drumstick. Inexplicably, he would see an illusion of an angry lamb, roaring and running towards him with its head lowered.

Finally, when only the bare hilt of the sword was left in Javier's hand, he could no longer bear the terrifying pressure of approaching death. His eyes rolled up and he fainted on the spot.

My first-round opponent is actually this kind of noob...

Alvin shook his head and put away the Axe of Annihilation that was still clamoring to chop the opponent into fine minced meat and sacrifice it. He looked at the referee who was also standing there.

The referee shuddered and then loudly announced the victory of the game.

Picking up his robe and casually throwing it over his shoulders, Alvin walked down the ring with a steady gait.

This time, Brad did not come to watch his junior's game. Instead, Lucas, a young man he had just met, came to cheer him on after Gao Shan's injury stabilized.

At the moment, he was waving happily at this side, and from time to time he looked at the angry Javier who was foaming at the mouth and lying unconscious on the other side, with undisguised dissatisfaction in his eyes.

"Mr. Walker, it was a really exciting fight." Lucas took the initiative to hand over the water bag filled with cold well water, and the expression on his face was even happier than if he had won the game himself.

"Thank you." Although the other party didn't know that he had known him for a long time after disguising his identity, Alvin still thanked him very friendly and then took the water bag handed to him by the other party.

The outer layer of the water bladder is made of leather baked with beeswax, and the stopper is made of cork for good sealing. Although it is a personal handmade product made with primitive technology, the quality is quite good. Even if the sun is scorching outside, the well water inside still maintains a relatively cool temperature.

Feeling the other party's kindness, Alvin also showed relative friendliness.

Afterwards, the two left the arena while chatting.

Chapter 67: No Hotbed of Kindness

Listening to Lucas talking about boxing, Ivan couldn't help but start chatting with him. This gave him an inexplicable sense of déjà vu as if he was chatting about game strategies with his friends on the way home from elementary school.

He always found learning boxing very interesting, and interest was obviously the best teacher. Besides, he had some experience in learning this little thing.

So, even though he was using a disguised identity, Alvin quickly became familiar with Lucas. The latter didn't know that they had met before, but the smile on his face was very sincere.

"Mr. Walker, those few hits just now were really satisfying." Lucas waved his fist excitedly.

"Oh? You know that armor stand across the way?"

"Armor rack? Oh, hahaha, that thing can only be considered an armor rack." The young man was stunned for a moment, and then he realized what the so-called "armor rack" meant.

Lucas's performance made Ivan himself smile. Since others understood it as soon as they heard it, it meant that it was a very appropriate name in every sense.

"It's not that I know him. I don't have the 'honor' to know a noble lord. It should be said that I am envious, or jealous?" The young man from Oasis Farm shook his head with some self-mockery when he said the latter part.

"What the noble young man said just now may not make much sense to people like Mr. Walker who come from other regions, but it is very harsh to us poor farmers who ran away from the Oasis Farm." There was a hint of sadness in Lucas' eyes instead of anger.

"For a poor boy like me, the only metal I've ever seen is the dagger hanging from the farmer's waist. All the tools we encounter are made of stone, and the best are made of relatively sharp obsidian."

Lost in memories, Lucas slowly recounted the life at Oasis Farm.

Ninety percent of the people on the farm are farmers. Although they have made a living from farming for generations, not a single inch of land in the entire farm or even the entire oasis truly belongs to these farmers who work hard all year round.

The only owner of the oasis is the Witch King, and the nominal manager of the farm is the farmer with a whip.

For lower-class people like Lucas, serfs might be a more accurate term than "peasants."

Even some ordinary civilians in the city lived better off than the oasis serfs, so the young people in the oasis would try their best to go to the city. Even if they would be severely whipped by the farmers, they would escape again and again.

On the other hand, ordinary civilians in the city-state were not very friendly to them either. The former felt that these people would take away their jobs, which made the people from the oasis farm even less prestigious. Even the somewhat impoverished descendants of nobles like Nu Javier would contemptuously call them "manor guys" and "farm guys".

But even so, the people of Oasis Farm still yearn for the outside world.

Because the peasants, no, the serfs' lives were too difficult. Most of the annual harvest would be taken away by the tax collectors, and the remaining small portion would be taken away by the farmer and his lackeys. The rations that could be obtained by the serfs had to be used to provide enough seeds for the next year's farming.

The misery during that period can be imagined.

In addition, apart from the extreme poverty caused by high taxes, what is even more despairing is the hopeless future.

The children of serfs could only be serfs for generations.

Under normal circumstances, they had no right to receive an education. Even within the city-state, only the children of nobles were eligible. Furthermore, most oases lacked doctors or herbalists, and priests, who were only retained when the Order needed to build temples and churches, were unlikely to stay.

When faced with illness, the only thing the serfs could do was to follow the folk remedies passed down from generation to generation and try their luck by finding some herbs.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Walker, I seem to have said something rather boring."

Suddenly realizing that he was just complaining, Lucas stopped and touched the back of his head embarrassedly.

"No, it's not boring." Alvin shook his head.

He felt a heavy emotion in his heart, not only because of the hardships faced by the desert dwellers, but also because of a deeper concern.

The events unfolding in this desert reminded Ivan of the evil gods entrenched in the Outer Realm. For them, this place was undoubtedly a perfect breeding ground, capable of fostering even more horrific and immense suffering and disaster.