Chapter 1671 Tomorrow's Hope <TOC> Chapter 1673 Trom's Request
Translator: SumTLMan
Under the watchful gaze of countless eyes, a group of ten ascended to the peak of a mountain.
The palace atop this peak bore some resemblance to ancient temples, exuding an aura of time-worn elegance. Towering several tens of meters high, it radiated an awe-inspiring and majestic presence. The palace wasn’t decorated with extravagant paints. Instead, it featured the pure white of polished stone and silver-white metallic films embedded into the stone. Under the sunlight, it shimmered brilliantly.
Interestingly, the temple had no grand entrance. Its perimeter was constructed of stone pillars. Through the gaps between these pillars, one could clearly discern that the inside of the temple was, in fact, hollow and empty.
This implied that the temple wasn’t their final destination.
Where then, were they headed? Everyone’s gaze shifted to the pathway. They soon realized that this path led to a circular platform located directly in front of the temple.
Before, they could vaguely discern silhouettes in front of the temple. But now, upon closer examination, these so-called “figures” were revealed to be statues, each holding a candelabrum. They looked like devout worshippers and were aligned on both sides of the pathway.
The group exchanged glances. Then, as if on cue, they simultaneously took a step forward, embarking on this final leg of their journey.
As they progressed, the statues holding candelabra on both sides responded to their presence. Every time they passed a statue, the candelabrum it cradled would burst into roaring flames. Simultaneously, the statue would come to life, kneeling halfway as if welcoming the arrival of heroes.
One by one, each statue ignited its flame and knelt, forming a continuous line stretching to the very end.
This sight was deeply moving. The audience was visibly stirred, their emotions running high. The individuals in the midst of this event felt the impact even more profoundly.
“The atmosphere is brimming with a ceremonial aura. It seems we have truly entered the ritual phase,” remarked Suyatutai, observing the unfolding scene with an outward calm. Yet, despite his seemingly placid tone, his profound eyes sparkled with a dynamic flame, suggesting that beneath his calm exterior, an ocean of emotions churned.
Even Cherie, who had previously scoffed at the ceremony, remained silent at this moment, silently following the pace of the crowd, slowly ascending to the elevated stage.
The platform was similar to the previous plaza, being circular in shape with patterns adorned on its surface.
They had assumed that reaching this platform marked the end, but there was still no one to be seen. As they explored the round stage in puzzlement, a sudden disturbance emerged from its very center.
Following the sound, they beheld a large door breaking through spatial confines, gradually appearing at the central point.
The moment the door materialized, it swung open in response.
When the door opened, everyone heard the cacophony of shouts coming from beyond. Clearly, the other side of the door seemed to lead to outside the Boundless Arena.
As the crowd pondered what lay beyond the door, figures began to step through the open entrance.
All of these individuals were clad in the uniform of Sky Mechanical City, silver and white intertwined, exuding a unique sense of uniformity.
Any participant who had experienced the Novastar Competition would recognize them; they were the permanent judges of this Novastar Competition.
Initially, only apprentice-level judges appeared, but as time went on, the presence of formal wizards as judges also gradually emerged.
The circular stage seemed to be divided in half. The front half housed only the ten of them. The back half was filled with judges from Sky Mechanical City. The positions in which these judges stood were carefully arranged, with their distances from each other exuding a sense of ceremonial beauty. Each judge quietly observed the participants.
All the contestants, including Suyatutai, felt their emotions inexplicably fluctuating at this moment.
When they were climbing the long path up the mountain, under the gaze of thousands, they weren’t particularly moved.
Before ascending to the platform, during the awe-inspiring giant statue ceremony, they were stunned but still not particularly moved.
But now, standing on this elevated stage, listening to the shouts from outside the door and being observed by formal wizards whom they once considered unapproachable, their emotions surged inexplicably.
In the past, they would never dare to look directly at these formal wizards. But now, they are regarded with deep respect.
It’s as if, at this very moment, they have truly become the shining stars illuminating the sky of the Southern Region.
Their previous composure was gone, and the emotions of each person seemed to flutter like a long rainbow.
At this moment, from the central doorway of the raised platform, the last few individuals emerged.
From “Twilight’s Edge,” there was ‘Old Night’ Kemone, one of the eighteen Observers from the Crown Star Church, ‘Guardian of the Dead Sea’ Hydra, a member of the Research Institute, the ‘Water Ripple Witch’ Farina, and finally… Angel, who made the final entrance with Melanctha.
When everyone had entered, the grand doors closed behind them.
Melanctha stepped forward, her gaze slowly sweeping over everyone, “Welcome, top ten of the Novastar Competition.”
“The Philosopher, Phantom Moose…” Melanctha solemnly uttered each title. Then, she began to recite the closing remarks of the Novastar Competition.
While Melanctha was reading out the remarks, Angel was observing the surroundings.
It was his first time entering the Boundless Arena. Everything inside was almost identical to the outside, even the laws governing the flow of energy and the saturation of magic were indistinguishable from the external world.
Angel felt a bit emotional, realizing that the creator of the Boundless Arena had to not only be proficient in alchemy but also very skilled in understanding the laws and energy.
The alchemical resources needed for this place would probably require dozens or even hundreds of alchemists.
Only Sky Mechanical City in the entire Southern Region of the Wizarding World could boast such a number of alchemists. Other organizations, even if they wished to replicate the Boundless Arena, wouldn’t have the means to hire so many alchemists.
While Angel was lost in these thoughts, Melanctha finally finished her closing remarks.
After conducting a brief ceremony, Melanctha slowly said, “Now, it’s time for the award presentation.”
The award ceremony was the very reason everyone present had gathered today.
“The first reward,” she continued, “is one that all contestants advancing to the next round of the Novastar Competition will receive: the qualification to enter the Endless Corridor. However, depending on your ranking, the level of access you have in the corridor will vary.”
“For detailed access rights, you can refer to the cards that were previously handed to each of you. They contain all the pertinent information.”
Melanctha’s voice resonated not only across the main platform but also echoed around the various stone pillars.
The thing everyone was most looking forward to, and the reason they had participated in the Novastar Competition in the first place, was to gain the opportunity to train in the Endless Corridor. After hearing Melanctha’s words, everyone eagerly picked up their cards to check their specific access rights.
Nausica too began to inspect the information within her card. Just like checking bone card data, one only needed to cover it with their mental energy, and the relevant details would appear on the card.
140th Floor.
Joy flashed in Nausica’s eyes. She had previously learned that facing the 140th floor basically meant confronting challenges suitable for third level apprentices in their advanced stage. This meant that she could benefit from training in the Endless Corridor until she was on the brink of becoming a formal witch.
This was already quite impressive. As for what lies beyond becoming a witch, she felt there was no need to ponder over that just yet.
Chapter 1671 Tomorrow's Hope <TOC> Chapter 1673 Trom's Request