Lord of the Sky City

Just when everyone was at their wits' end over the financial issue, unable to come up with a perfect solution, Hammerfire suddenly spoke up.

"I do have a method," he said.

At these words, all eyes fell on him, and Hammerfire looked at Rocky: "It's just that this method might be somewhat dangerous for you."

"Master Hammerfire, please feel free to speak your mind," Rocky said.

"Come on, Hammerfire, stop beating around the bush and tell us what it is!" Orton immediately asked, showing the urgency the group felt.

And thereafter, Hammerfire continued:

"The Arena."

With the utterance of these three simple words, everyone present was momentarily stunned, then various expressions quickly spread across their faces. Explore more at empire

"Hammerfire, make yourself clear, what do you mean? Are you suggesting that Rocky participates in the Arena?" Orton furrowed his brows tightly, his complexion turning sour upon hearing the word "Arena."

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm suggesting, for Rocky to participate in the Arena," Hammerfire nodded in confirmation and elaborated: "Eternal City's Arena holds a league every quarter. Any contestant who wins can earn an immensely generous prize money..."

"No! Absolutely not!" Orton didn't let Hammerfire finish his sentence and abruptly cut him off, his eyes widening as he shouted: "Rocky is the honorable City Lord! How can he compete in the Arena? Besides, the Arena battles are to the death. What if something happens to him, what if he loses an arm or a leg; would you take responsibility?"

Orton was visibly upset with Hammerfire's suggestion, the objection clear in his wide-eyed glare.

The Arena was essentially a place of entertainment that capitalized on the spectacle of Void Magic Warriors battling each other to the death for the audience's pleasure; a concept not to be underestimated. In God City, the Arena was one of the biggest entertainment events, with continual matches throughout the year, and without exception, all the contestants were Void Magic Warriors!

However, although the Arena served as an entertainment venue for spectators, it was utterly brutal for the participants, because the Arena's matches were real combats to the death, with the slightest mistake potentially costing a fighter their life.

But correspondingly, the high risk of competition was matched by high rewards. Every Void Magic Armor warrior that won in the Arena could earn substantial rewards. The most basic rewards were Gold Coins, but if the level of the match was higher, the rewards would be more valuable than Gold Coins. Indeed, if one could become the champion at the triennial Sky Combat Skills Convention, they would be granted a whole Sky City as the ultimate prize!

Because the rewards were so lavish, despite the inherent dangers, there were still many who chose to compete in the Arena.

Nevertheless, even so, the number of Void Magic Armor warriors remained limited; after all, their status was far higher than regular soldiers, and not everyone was willing to risk their lives. Therefore, to attract more participants, the Arena provided Void Magic Armors free of cost to some contestants who lacked the means, drawing in more regular soldiers to compete.

And it was because of the Arena's provision of Armor for free that the number of contestants participating was always high, ensuring that matches took place throughout the year.

Moreover, since the quality of the participants varied greatly, both genuine and fake Void Magic Warriors were present, which further intensified the bloodiness of the competition. Once a real Void Magic Warrior faced an imposter, it was almost certain that lives would be lost. Yet, the bloodier the matches, the more they drew spectators, increasing the earnings of the Arena.

This was the Arena, an event that entertained people through bloodshed.

Hammerstone had come up with the idea in hopes that Rocky would compete in the Arena to earn money. By doing so, not only would they secure the needed funding for their research, but they would also prevent the research outcomes from falling into the hands of others—a solution that solved two problems at once.

"Hammerfire, although there's prize money for winning Arena matches, surely that's not enough to support our research, right?" At this point, Pelaya spoke up. She didn't outright reject the idea, like Orton did, but she did voice her doubts.

In Pelaya's view, while the prize money from the Arena might seem significant for the average person, what would tens or even hundreds of thousands of Gold Coins mean for the research of Rune Armor?

But no sooner had she finished speaking than Hammerfire immediately replied: "Pelaya, you're not aware, the Arena's competitions are tiered. The prize money is naturally low for the lower tiers, but it's different for the higher tiers. It's quite normal to win over a hundred thousand Gold Coins in one competition. Moreover, my suggestion for Rocky to enter the competition isn't for the prize money, but for the gambling outside the Arena!"

"You think the Arena just earns money from ticket sales? That's not the case. Each time there's a match in the Arena, the officials set up betting pools outside, offering odds for both sides, then let everyone place their bets. That's the real source of the Arena's income."

"So, as long as Rocky competes, we bet on him from the outside. And as long as he keeps winning, we continue to win money on the outside, multiplying our winnings manyfold. This way, wouldn't the research funds be taken care of?"