Tivia didn’t return to Sonia’s home with her.
After expressing her desire to become an explorer with Sonia, she seemed to have something on her mind, lowering her head and thinking about her own affairs.
After seeing Sonia off in the Upper City, she said goodbye and hurried home.
Sonia also went straight home after leaving the Upper City, not going anywhere else.
As soon as she got home, Yide couldn’t help but ask,
“So, what exactly is that tree about?”
“Hehe, so there are things even Mr. Yide doesn’t know.”
Sonia put her hands on her hips, “But it’s true, I’ve heard those nobles from the Upper City say that the World Tree only exists in the Ring City, so it’s normal that Mr. Yide hasn’t heard of it.”
Yide clenched his transparent fist.
You’re looking down on me as an outsider, aren’t you?
The fist hardened.
Sonia looked very happy, “Since Mr. Yide doesn’t understand, I’ll explain it to you!”
Come, come, Sonia’s little class is starting!
Perhaps it was because Yide had always played the role of a teacher.
It was rare to encounter something Yide didn’t know, and Sonia was very excited.
“The so-called World Tree is actually a name given by the people of Ring City themselves.”
“No one knows how this big tree came about, or what its real name is.”
“And the reason it’s called the World Tree is because it contains many different small worlds…”
It must be said that when she was confident, Sonia’s thoughts were very clear.
Listening to Sonia’s description, Yide slowly understood.
The status of this World Tree in Ring City was actually a bit like a time-limited event in a mobile game from his previous life.
For the first three months of each year, the World Tree would open its entrance, allowing a portion of duelists to enter.
The entering duelists would start exploring from the lowest small world of the World Tree, moving step by step to the upper small worlds, gaining rewards during their exploration, and finally completing their adventure within the three-month period.
“Because each duelist can only explore once in their lifetime, and there are age restrictions, those great nobles in the Upper City are willing to release spots to other duelists.”
Sonia shook her head, “Even so, the number of spots released to the public is very limited.”
“But no matter how the external spots change, the Duel Academy will have three fixed spots every year.”
“These three spots can be considered the only way for those noble descendants without pre-determined placements to enter the World Tree, which is why so many nobles in the Upper City send their offspring to the academy for training.”
“No wonder Tivia wanted you to re-enroll so badly.”
Yide nodded.
It sounded like this World Tree was quite good.
It’s just a pity that Sonia can’t participate in the selection now.
Wait a minute.
Yide suddenly remembered, “Don’t the Lower City have spots for this kind of thing?”
“There are, actually. The Lower City also has ten fixed spots every year.”
Sonia pouted, “But these ten spots are competed for by everyone in the entire Lower City. It’s much harder than in the academy, so Mr. Yide shouldn’t even think about it.”
Saying that, the girl also waved her hand.
Although she had proven her strength.
But Sonia was essentially still that slacker.
When it comes to dueling, once a day is more than enough.
Dueling too much would instead lead to a slowdown in strength growth, making it easy for others to exploit weaknesses and break through.
She heard that some duelists duel four or five times a day just to catch up with the rankings ahead, which is too terrifying.
Even if you win, the damage calculation and judgment of the situation consume mental energy, not to mention that maintaining the duel arena itself is quite tiring.
Therefore, it’s impossible to grind endlessly.
Yide, however, began to consider it seriously.
The top ten in the entire city sounded like intense competition, and it seemed unlikely that Sonia would get a spot.
But the actual competitive pressure wasn’t that exaggerated.
Age restrictions.
The one-time entry restriction.
Plus, these were spots allocated to the Lower City, which basically eliminated the possibility of Upper City duelists coming to the Lower City to snatch spots.
With so many restrictions, the intensity of the competition perfectly aligned with Sonia’s skill level.
Of course, whether or not to participate still depended on the rewards.
Yide, who had played too many mobile games in his previous life, understood this point.
If the rewards weren’t generous enough, he wouldn’t want to grind.
So, Yide casually asked, “What kind of rewards are there for exploring the World Tree?”
“I’m not very clear about that, Mr. Yide.”
Sonia’s cowlick swayed from side to side, “Each time the World Tree opens, the small worlds inside are different.”
“Because the small worlds change, the rewards also change. Each time I hear about the rewards from those who come out, they are quite different.”
At this point, Sonia suddenly slapped her palm, “Oh, right, there’s one reward that never changes.”
“Every time a duelist passes a level, they receive one point of Refinement as a reward. This seems to have remained unchanged.”
“What?”
Yide was stunned, “How many levels does the World Tree have?”
Sonia shook her head, “I don’t know. No one has reached the last level, but it seems that on average, duelists who participate in the exploration each year can reach over twenty levels.”
Then wouldn’t she be able to earn twenty to thirty Refinement Points in one trip?
Yide was a little surprised.
Don’t look at Sonia’s Refinement Points pouring in now, earning fifteen points net in two duels.
But this can only be considered a special circumstance.
No one would give their opponent Refinement Points when they know their opponent is a strong enemy.
Enshir and Edward dared to propose a Refinement Point gamble only because they genuinely believed Sonia was weak.
It could be said that all of Sonia’s current gains were merely fate’s compensation for her past suffering.
Even so, Sonia had only earned a total of fifteen points.
Many duelists might not even encounter the opportunity to earn twenty or thirty points in one go in their entire lives.
“Oh, right, I remember hearing about another reward before, which seems to appear quite frequently.”
Sonia seemed to recall something and continued, “But at that time, I didn’t quite understand what it meant, so I didn’t really look into it.”
“Now that I think about it, what those people were talking about seems a bit similar to the enhancement I received as a reward when I was promoted to D-rank?”
Yide:!
“But, it doesn’t matter anyway.”
Sonia shook her head, putting on a lazy expression, “I’m not planning on participating anyway.”
As she spoke, she also immersed her consciousness into the Millennium Puzzle, complaining to Ide.
“Mr. Yide doesn’t want to participate in such a tiring activity either…”
Her words suddenly stopped.
Because she saw that Yide was staring at her seriously at that moment.
Sonia suddenly had an ominous premonition.
“Mr. Yide, what’s wrong?”
“I need to correct a mistake you’ve made.”
“What mistake?”
“You actually really want to go.”
Sonia: (」> <)｣
She knew it!
…
Just as Sonia was forced to consider participating in the World Tree spot competition.
Lower City, Zone Six, the headquarters of the Mad Heart Group.
The decorations of skulls and scrap metal gave off a wild aesthetic.
The dark red casually smeared on the walls further stimulated the senses of visitors.
Enshir was kneeling on one knee at this moment, his back drenched in cold sweat.
All because of the giant man sitting on the high seat.
“Useless trash!”
A rough voice boomed in the hall like thunder.
“Provocation, searching the house, challenging to a duel…”
“Everything was proceeding step by step.”
“But I didn’t expect that in the end, you would be the one to mess up and lose to that girl!”
Hearing the giant man’s tone growing increasingly angry, Enshir’s voice trembled slightly, “Leader, please give me another chance!”
If it were other high-ranking members of the Mad Heart Group, Enshir wouldn’t be so terrified.
Only this person in front of him!
Thinking of the giant man’s past conduct, Enshir’s body, not just his voice, began to tremble.
The giant man propped his face with his fist, “Hmph, I’d like to give you a chance, but our employer is very angry right now.”
“Our employer drove that girl from the Upper City to the academy, and then from the academy to the Lower City, just one step away from driving her out of this city.”
“She entrusted the final step of the mission to us, but you messed it up.”
He glanced at the prostrate figure below the stage, emotionless.
“The employer’s wrath must be appeased.”
“Someone has to be exiled.”
“So, you’re useless.”
“No, Lord Gris! No!”
Upon hearing these words, Enshir seemed to have his world collapse, and immediately burst into tears, throwing himself at the giant man’s feet on the high platform, begging for mercy.
But soon, two guards from outside the hall walked in.
The people who entered carried Enshir out without hesitation, completely ignoring Enshir’s wailing, seemingly not believing that the giant man on the high platform would change his mind because of a D-rank duelist’s plea.
Because they all knew that in the Mad Heart Group, tears meant nothing.
After Enshir was dragged away, Gris looked to the side.
“I heard that girl went back to the Duel Academy today, wanting to re-enroll.”
His voice sounded like he was talking to himself.
But at some point, a black-robed figure had appeared beside the giant man, answering the giant man’s question with a rather cynical voice.
“Ah, don’t worry about that. Our employer won’t let that little girl get the academy’s protection again.”
The black-robed figure’s voice sounded cold and cynical, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, making even the giant man frown.
However, the giant man’s expression quickly calmed down, and he nodded.
“Is that so? Then I’m relieved.”
The black-robed figure smiled upon seeing the giant man’s reaction, “So, what does the esteemed leader of the Mad Heart Group plan to do next?”
“Cut that strange tone, Dark Duelist.”
The giant man snorted, “Just because our employer hired you too doesn’t mean I wouldn’t dare to touch you.”
“Others fear your Dark Duels, but I don’t.”
“Leader, you’ve misunderstood me.”
The black-robed figure quickly waved his hand, as if clarifying, “I just wanted to ask if there’s anything I can help with.”
“The only thing you can help with is to stand aside and do nothing.”
The giant man let out another cold snort, “Without you, I can still deal with that girl.”
“As for what I’m going to do, just watch.”
“That girl won’t have another chance.”
“I will personally take action.”
After speaking, the giant man no longer paid attention to the black-robed figure, rising from the scrap metal throne and leaving.
The black-robed figure looked at the giant man’s back and bowed exaggeratedly, “Then, I shall wait and see.”
“Let me see what the dueling strength of the one who stands at the pinnacle of the Mad Heart Group and rules the entire Zone Six of the Lower City with violence is like.”
“Leader of the Mad Heart Group, Lord Gris El.”