Chapter 1549 The Group’s Combat Achievements <TOC> Chapter 1551 Shalem's Expectations
Translator: SumTLMan
The spectator stands were nearly packed to the brim due to the immense potential of the two competitors in this match.
However, there was one area that was conspicuously empty.
This was Angel’s location.
Perhaps it was due to the awe Angel inspired; the seats within a ten-meter radius of him were completely vacant. Other than Shalem and Leon, nobody dared to come close, leaving a void around him.
Whispers filled the air, discussions frequently revolving around Angel. This continued until the competitors took the stage, when the chatter gradually lessened. Still, the audience’s gaze would occasionally drift in Angel’s direction, their eyes tinged with fear yet irresistibly drawn by curiosity.
Once the players took the stage, the floating display above showed their monikers: “Shadow Goose VS Wisp.”
“Wisp’s real name is Yuridia, and she will be my opponent in the next match. This is her third match. In the first, she voluntarily conceded halfway through against ‘Cold-Eyed Cat’ Yehi. In the second, she faced ‘White Feather’ Bolin, and easily won due to her opponent’s lack of strength,” Shalem quietly mumbled. “Her match history is rather scant. Her second match doesn’t serve as a good reference since ‘White Feather’ Bolin is quite weak; even I could easily beat him. Based on her first match against Yehi alone, she seems to be a strong competitor.”
“‘Cold-Eyed Cat’ Yehi is a student from Winter Academy, and he has received high praise from the editor-in-chief of —City Firefly’s Night Whisper—, Dietrich. He’s an absolute rising star.”
“At the time, Yuridia was able to hold her own against Yehi, which suggests her abilities should be quite decent. However, she conceded not long after the match began, and the exact reason remains unknown. There are two theories: the first is that she wanted to conceal her true abilities, and the second is that she appeared unharmed but was actually running on empty, which led her to concede.”
“If the first theory is true, defeating her may be a tall order for me. But if it’s the second, perhaps I stand a fighting chance. What do you think?”
After speaking for quite some time, Shalem received no response. Curious, he turned his head only to find that Angel’s gaze was fixed on the stage.
However, the person he was focused on was not Wisp.
Instead, he was looking at another contestant from Summer Dew Ridge——Shadow Goose.
Shalem noticed a hint of curiosity in Angel’s eyes, as if he recognized Shadow Goose.
Just as Shalem was about to inquire, a peculiar female voice resounded from behind them: “Lord Pat, you seem quite interested in my unlovable colleague, don’t you?”
The voice was described as peculiar because it carried two completely contrasting tones — a captivating voice as if emanating from a bottomless abyss, coupled with a languid tone as if basked in abundant daylight.
Shalem turned his head and saw that their previously empty seats were now occupied by a young girl wearing a large hat.
Her eyes flickered with cruelty and bloodlust, her cheeks tinged with a rosy hue, and the corners of her mouth lifted in a faint, almost non-existent smile, as if mocking the world at large.
She embodied the essence of a ‘yandere.’
Her hat was especially extravagant — a wide brimmed hat with a conical top shaped by internal wire, a golden ring securing the brim, and a rim of deep black velvet, adorned with silver gauze.
“Wintertime Antler,” Shalem murmured cautiously, identifying the girl by name.
The yandere young woman known as Wintertime Antler turned her head toward Shalem and let out an eerie chuckle: “It’s impolite to call a young lady by her first name, you unlovable little brother.”
Caught off guard, Shalem switched his tack: “Miss Black Hat, may I help you with something?”
With a grin, Wintertime Antler playfully waved her ticket for the event, as if to answer Shalem’s question. She had purchased a ticket to be here, and since the seats were empty, there seemed to be no issue with her sitting there.
Subsequently, Wintertime Antler shifted her gaze towards Angel, her eyes flickering with an enigmatic red light.
After a brief silence, Angel inquired, “Are you also from Summer Dew Ridge Ridge?”
The word “also” suggested that Angel recognized the woman onstage, known as ‘Shadow Goose’ Silkvine.
Wintertime Antler nodded, “It appears you do know Silkvine. Are you curious about her? I have some insider information that I could share.”
Angel looked at Wintertime Antler, whose face was partially obscured by a veil, making her features somewhat indistinct, and said, “Go on?”
“I only ask for a small fee. Would that be agreeable?”
Angel narrowed her eyes, “A fee?”
Wintertime Antler pointed to the hat atop Angel’s head, “Just that hat of yours will do. If my sister wore it, she’d look stunning.”
Hat? Sister? Angel was somewhat puzzled by what Wintertime Antler was trying to say.
After mentioning her sister, the unsettling cruelty in Wintertime Antler’s eyes vanished, replaced by a look of adoration and love, “My sister’s dearest dream is to open a hat museum. Her wish is my wish.”
Wintertime Antler rambled illogically about “hats,” “sisters,” and “museums,” her expression becoming increasingly infatuated as if she had just experienced an emotional climax in a reverie.
Finally, she looked at Angel with flushed cheeks, “I only want a small hat from you. Will you oblige?”
While Angel initially had questions about Silkvine, after seeing Wintertime Antler’s odd demeanor, she shook her head, “I’m not interested in Silkvine.”
Wintertime Antler’s expression briefly faltered but quickly recovered. She said with a tinge of regret, “Well, that’s a shame. If you ever need my assistance, just come and find me. The price will be the same — a hat of yours.”
After speaking, Wintertime Antler left the seating area with a “hee-hee” laugh.
Once Wintertime Antler had left, Leon, who had been silent all along, curiously asked, “What’s her deal? Is there… something wrong here?”
Leon gestured at his head with his finger.
Shalem nodded in agreement, “I also think there’s something off about her.”
Angel seemed unfazed, “Wintertime Antler and Basket Witch seem cut from the same cloth — both are sadistically whimsical. One is fixated on baskets, the other on hats. What else can you say? True to the reputation of Summer Dew Ridge, isn’t it?”
Shalem hesitated, a glint of wariness flashing in his eyes, “However… She is extremely powerful. Moreover, all of her defeated opponents, except those who conceded immediately, have had their heads removed, supposedly to be used as molds for storing hats.”
“Using human heads as molds, just for storing hats? That’s brutal, isn’t it?” Leon frowned, “Why hasn’t anyone who defeated her taken the chance to kill her?”
“Because… so far, no one has defeated her,” sighed Shalem. “She’s already being hailed as the dark horse of this Novastar Competition. Some even say she might break Jiebo’s unbeaten legend.”
Leon gasped; he had not expected that the seemingly frail young girl from earlier was this formidable.
At this point, Angel interjected, “Jiebo’s unbeaten legend was already broken long ago, wasn’t it?”
It took Shalem a moment to realize that Angel was actually referring to Hilary. While Jiebo could certainly be called the strongest apprentice, he had a natural nemesis in Hilary.
Against anyone else, Hilary might not exhibit such overwhelming strength. However, when she faced Jiebo, it was nothing short of a massacre.
“I suppose Jiebo would be praying he doesn’t run into Hilary,” Shalem chuckled.
Angel shook his head: “I don’t see it that way.”
While Hilary’s abilities do restrain Jiebo, it seems that Jiebo is quite concerned about Hilary. Angel has encountered Jiebo multiple times, and each time, Jiebo mentions Hilary. It’s not out of fear; rather, there’s a subtle sense of anticipation.
By the time they bring up Jiebo, the competition has already entered its final two-minute countdown.
Both Shadow Goose Silkvine and Wisp Yuridia have taken their positions on the field.
Leon looked at Silkvine and asked Angel, “By the way, I heard your conversation earlier; do you know Shadow Goose?”
Shalem also looked over curiously, waiting for Angel’s response.
Angel: “I’ve met her a few times, but I’m not familiar with her.”
Angel didn’t seem to be hiding anything, so Leon continued: “You seem to be quite concerned about her. Could it be…”
Angel shook his head again: “What concerns me is not her; looking at her just reminds me of someone else.”
A figure flashed through his mind: a woman dressed in a deep-blue uniform with white trim, slightly overweight, but with piercing eyes.
“When I returned to the Old Land Continent, I took a ship called the ‘Cloud Conch’ back. The deputy captain on board at the time was named Helen, a very responsible and competent woman. Later, she was brought to Summer Dew Ridge by Silkvine and is likely an extraordinary individual by now, I suppose?”
Chapter 1549 The Group’s Combat Achievements <TOC> Chapter 1551 Shalem's Expectations