71 The Whole Country’s Focus

The next morning, after Ning Shi and Lena had a sumptuous breakfast, they slowly walked to Victory Square.

On the way, Lena handed Ning Shi a tube-shaped object and said, “Sir Gu Bin has already placed your troops on Rat Street, not far from Victory Square. Release the signal flare and they will arrive.”

Ning Shi took the signal flare and put it in his inventory. He took Lena’s hand and went to Victory Square.

Victory Square was the largest square in Rose City. It covered an area of more than 100,000 square meters and could accommodate nearly 100,000 people at the same time.

It was said that Victory Square was built to commemorate the victory that mankind had obtained in the catastrophe a thousand years ago.

In Rose City, only major festivals or important occasions like the Duke’s coronation ceremony would be held in Victory Square.

In the middle of the square was a huge snake-shaped creature sculpture.

Half of the snake’s body was on the ground, while the other half was upright. The snake’s head was extremely huge and triangular. It flicked its tongue, looking like it was ready to attack at any time.

This was the original bloodline of the first Duke of Rose, the Giant Wind Snake.

Anyone who came to the Victory Square of Rose City for the first time would be frightened by the terrifying image of the Giant Wind Snake.

Beside the snake-shaped statue, there were roses of various colors.

Through the change in color, the roses formed a name from the sky: Alice.

The rose was a symbol of honor, and the snake statue was a symbol of strength. The two together formed the Duke’s bloodline, the Alice family, which had been passed down for nearly a thousand years.

In front of the snake’s tongue, there was a Square Arena built of bluestone that was more than three meters high.

“That’s the battle stage,” Lena explained. “It’s said that when Rose City was first built, magical beasts wreaked havoc, and wars between humans were very frequent.

“In order to maintain the bloodlust of the nobles, the Duke of Rose had set up a battle stage for duels, encouraging the nobles to show their strength through duels and gain honor.

“It’s a pity that after a thousand years, this stage has become a place for sacrificial ceremonies and celebrations. It’s been hundreds of years since someone dueled on the stage.”

Ning Shi looked over. On the east and west sides of the stage, there were dozens of stairs-like viewing seats, which were specially reserved for the aristocrats.

Ning Shi and Lena had to first go to the seats on the east side and sit down, waiting for the battle to start.

It was only 9:30, half an hour before the start of the arena battle, but Victory Square was already packed with people.

They were all people who had come to watch the arena battle.

Wherever Ning Shi and Lena passed, there were guards who helped to push through the crowd, but they still heard the discussions of the crowd.

“It’s the arena battle. I didn’t think I would be able to experience such a grand scene.”

“That’s right. I’m excited to witness the birth of the new Duke of Rose!”

“It’s a pity that lady Allie is dead. It’s said that…”

“Shut up! Is this something you can talk about?”

Allie had been killed, and the nobles of Marquis of Blackstone’s line had collectively turned to Gray. Ning Shi had known about this last night.

He and Lena continued to walk forward, and they heard someone talking about gambling.

“Lord Gray and Lady Lena, who do you favor?”

“Of course it’s Lord Gray. I heard that Lady Lena just became a bloodline warrior two months ago, while Lord Gray is already a Level 12 bloodline warrior.”

As a commoner, he didn’t know the specific strength of Lena and Gray. It was all hearsay, but he also had his own unique wisdom.

“Look, the third Prince, His Highness Alesia, and the other nobles are all supporting Lord Gray. These big shots are smarter than me, so I’m definitely not wrong to follow them.”

“How much did you bet?”

“Let me tell you, something good happened last night. I don’t know which idiot bet 1 million gold coins on Lady Lena’s victory, but it caused the casino to urgently lower the odds for Lady Lena. The odds for Lord Gray also rose from the lowest 1: 0.1 to 1: 1.1!

“Of course, I won’t miss such a good opportunity. I bet 10 gold coins on Lord Gray’s victory!”

“10 gold coins! Uzi, you’re crazy! That’s a year’s worth of your income!”

“It’s fine. Lady Gray will definitely win. Listen to the discussions around you. No one is optimistic about Lady Lena’s chances.”

“Ning Shi, did you bet 1 million gold coins on my victory?” Lena asked quietly.

Ning Shi smiled. “That’s right. Your odds last night were an astonishing 1 to 7.2. It’s a free gift. It’s a waste not to take it. It’s a pity that the casino only accepts a bet of 1 million and immediately adjusted the odds.”

Unless it was an extreme situation, the casino generally adjusted the odds according to the bets of both sides to ensure that they would make a profit without losing.

Ning Shi placed a bet of one million and instantly pulled Lena’s odds down to 1 to 0.8.

Those who didn’t know better would think that the casino was optimistic about Lena’s victory.

After walking for more than 10 minutes, Ning Shi and Lena came to the special seats in the middle of the east stand and sat down. Tagore and his son had already arrived and sat beside Ning Shi without a word.

He didn’t even greet him, acting as if he had shed all pretenses of cordiality.

Gray and the others had also arrived. A large group of people crowded around Gray. In comparison, Lena and Ning Shi seemed to be alone.

The top nobles of the Brad Empire sat behind the two competitors.

Sitting in the center of the table was the Crown Prince, Chapman, the appointed heir to the throne.

To Chapman’s left was the representative of the vine-type bloodline, the head of the Kambia family, Duke of Rosaceae, Georgina.

She was wearing a long green robe that wrapped around her mature and graceful body. She was chatting and laughing with Chapman.

Accompanied by waves of laughter, her chest would always flash with white soft waves, attracting the attention of the surrounding nobles.

To the right of Chapman was Kingsley, the Unicorn Duke of the Yuleke family. Kingsley’s expression was cold and his narrow eyes were closed. He seemed to be resting.

Beside the three of them were the influential nobles from all over the Empire.

There were only three dukedom families in the entire Brad Empire.

The fight for the position of Duke of rose this time involved the changes in the Empire’s situation and attracted the attention of various forces in the country. Many big shots were present to witness it.

First Prince Chapman joked with Duke Georgina for a while. He seemed to have noticed that the Unicorn Duke was neglected. He turned to Kingsley and asked.

“Lord Kingsley, which side do you think will win this duel?”

Kingsley opened his eyes. His eyes were pure white, without any pupil color, like a blind man.

Even in front of the First Prince, he was not polite at all.

“If the royal family doesn’t interfere, then the final winner will naturally be Lena. As for now, hehe…”

Kingsley naturally did not wish for Gray, whose mother was the blood of the Kambia family, to become the Duke of Rose.

In that case, the Duke of Rose and the Duke of Rosaceae would join forces. The balance between the three Dukes would be broken, and the Unicorn Duke would be in trouble.

Logically speaking, the royal family did not want such a situation to happen. Everyone’s previous tacit understanding was to let Lena grow quickly and finally defeat Gray to become the Duke of Rose.

This was the script that fate had arranged, but Alesia had forcefully changed it.

In the face of Kingsley’s complaints, the First Prince smiled awkwardly and explained.

“I swear on the honor of the royal family that it is Alesia’s personal decision to enter the arena. The royal family has no intention of interfering!

“His Majesty Joerger was very angry about this. Originally, he was supposed to personally witness the duel today, but because of this, he only sent me as his representative.

“His Majesty has said that after this matter, Gray will be granted a marriage. The new Duke of Rose will marry Lord Kingsley’s youngest daughter, Bianca.”

Kingsley’s expression changed, and his white eyes rolled.

“Is this true?”

“A gentleman does not joke!”

“Okay, then I’m optimistic that Gray will win this game!”

The corner of Ning Shi’s mouth twitched. These great aristocrats were really unscrupulous. They were clearly sitting behind the two sides of the competition, but they didn’t hide what they said. Lena and Gray could hear it.

He just talked about power and conspiracy in such a grand way.

This was an extreme contempt for Lena and Gray, but Gray could not feel it. When he heard that even Duke Kingsley supported him, he became even more proud.

The match hadn’t even started, but he already had victory in his hands.

Alesia was the only one who had been tricked by his big brother. His participation in the competition was said to be his own personal action. At this moment, he was thinking about how to explain it to Lena after the duel.

After all the nobles had arrived, the First Prince looked at the dark crowd below the stage and walked up to the battle stage.

He activated his magic power, and his voice spread to every corner of Victory Square.

“I am the Crown Prince of the Empire, Chapman Ryan. I represent the Empire’s King, His Majesty Joerger, to witness the birth of the new Duke of Rose!

“The arena battle is an ancient tradition of the Brad Empire, and it is a sacred and inviolable honor!

“I hereby declare that this victory has been recognized by the royal family and the nobles of the empire, and has the effect of the supreme law of the empire!

“The list of participants and the number of matches for this arena battle has been finalized and cannot be changed.

“I declare that the match has officially begun!”

“The first match, Lena versus Gray!”