Taking into account the stamina of both the Pokémon and the trainers, the championship final adopted a best-of-five format.
Although this was only a small competition that Carl and the Navigator Guild had put together in a few days, Carl did not cut corners on things like spectator stands or projected livestream screens that allowed people to watch the match from every angle.
The Navigator Guild could handle the viewing platform themselves.
Carl left that part to the players. As for facilities like the projected livestream screens, which required Elysium's assistance, he borrowed Elysium's permissions to set them up.
Finally, with Macchiato's sowhat amateur but passionate comntary added in, the championship battle actually looked quite respectable.
But once the finals began, Carl's attention, and even the Saintess's, was forced back to the main world.
The reason was simple. Oath's official team had suddenly chosen this exact mont to announce the final story direction for Version 2.0.
Because Mio was also watching the match this ti, Carl managed to sneak into the Version 2.0 discussion eting through his connection with Anan.
"After consultations between us and the four major parties, the Holy Nation, the Empire, and the Free Alliance, it has been decided that Oath Version 2.0's main storyline will center on the Abyssal Knights."
The Academy Director did not waste ti with pleasantries. He announced Oath's Version 2.0 plan right from the start.
But from that one sentence, Carl still picked up on sothing important.
The relationship between the three major powers, the Holy Nation, the Empire, and the Free Alliance, and Oath's official team was not one of master and servant. It was closer to a partnership.
It was just that Oath's official team currently controlled all Savior-related resources. Because of that, no matter what conditions they proposed, the three great nations had no choice but to grit their teeth and cooperate.
Today was one such example. The originally planned Empire-focused Version 2.0 had been temporarily changed into a version centered on the Abyssal Knights.
Of course, this did not an all the content Oath had prepared for the Empire route would be scrapped.
Things like new maps and new gaplay chanics only needed minor adjustnts to fit the Abyssal Knights the.
So at that mont, Carl was most concerned about the Empire's attitude. His gaze turned toward Migard, commander of the Hunter Knights.
What made Carl realize sothing was wrong was the fact that Commander Migard showed no dissatisfaction at all.
That ant Oath's official team had offered the Empire enough benefits to make them accept the fact that Version 2.0's main resources would be given to the Holy Nation.
"In exchange, although the identities and appearances of the City of Glory's NPCs will remain unchanged, the people behind them will be entirely replaced by Imperial personnel," the Academy Director said, informing everyone of one of the benefits the Empire had received.
"Our Empire will dispatch its finest soldiers to replace those weak refugees of yours. While satisfying the Saviors' various preferences and interests, they will also accurately identify which Saviors are traitors."
Migard, commander of the Hunter Knights, directly added the reason Oath's official team wanted to replace all the NPCs in the City of Glory.
Currently, the NPCs in the City of Glory were all being played by patients from the Holy Nation. They had co here to seek treatnt, so they endlessly tolerated and endured the players' various behaviors.
This included cases where they encountered Villager Players. Those NPCs would simply turn a blind eye and smile as the Villager Players ransacked their "hos."
But once they were replaced by Imperial soldiers, the situation would be completely different.
The smallest problem was that the NPCs' combat power would rise significantly.
The bigger problem was that these Imperial soldiers would strictly follow every rule issued by Oath's official team.
They would prohibit all contact and communication with Villager Players, refusing to acknowledge them at all.
Then, using the appearances and identities of the City of Glory NPCs who had finally built so rapport with the players, they could slander the Villager Players, and might even secretly attack them.
"Isn't that the sa as handing the City of Glory over to the Empire?" the Saintess imdiately stood up and objected.
"The Holy Nation has already agreed to this decision. Compared to the City of Glory, the situation at the Abyssal Frontier, or more bluntly, the Abyssal Knights, requires the Saviors' support far more urgently."
The Academy Director then turned his gaze toward Anan, who had remained silent the entire ti.
Carl really had not expected Oath's official team to be so good at playing every side.
To put it plainly, this Version 2.0 decision handed the City of Glory over to the Empire. It was likely that the NPCs for many new maps and towns in future updates would also be handled by the Empire.
What the Holy Nation gained in return was the chance for the Abyssal Knights to receive a large influx of Savior reinforcents, easing the crisis of disasters and plagues at the border.
It was a three-way deal where everyone seed to benefit.
The Empire gained plenty of opportunities to interact with players and build goodwill, allowing them to produce large quantities of antidotes.
The Holy Nation gained the players' combat power.
And Oath's official team gained Anan, and possibly the entire Abyssal Knights, as an overwhelmingly powerful main banner character lineup that could dominate all of Version 2.0.
So everyone won.
But who lost?
The answer was the Saintess.
"And Saintess Lilesta, after our discussions with the Holy Nation, the final decision has been made. Starting today, you will be dismissed and stripped of your status and position as Saintess."
The Academy Director announced the final judgnt against the Saintess in front of everyone.
This was also within Carl's expectations.
The main problem was that the Saintess was too straightforward. Her plan to infiltrate Netherworld Village and report players to force the entire situation to explode could indeed help her achieve her goal.
But that was the kind of plan she should have kept to herself and executed in secret.
She absolutely should not have announced it in public during a mont of emotional agitation.
It was like a celebrity telling her own agency, "I'm taking my fans with , and we're burning this whole company down."
No matter how generous Oath's official team was, there was no way they could tolerate the Saintess doing sothing like that.
Besides, based on Carl's interactions with them, Oath's official team was extrely petty. That made them even less likely to forgive the Saintess's actions.
"Dismiss and strip of my Saintess status? No, you... you can't do this! I'm a limited character supported by millions of Saviors. Have you forgotten that?"
The Saintess could hardly believe that Oath's official team had actually decided to remove her.
The reason she had dared to use the reporting tactic to pressure the officials was because she was the absolute main featured character of the 1.X versions.
At least at this stage, she was the face of Oath. When players ntioned Oath, she was the most popular character they thought of first.
"I don't know how many Saviors have spent huge amounts of money and Contract Stones on ! How can you strip of my status as the Saintess?"
"You have no right to dismiss !"
The emotional side of the Saintess's personality was on full display at that mont.
Carl really wanted to rush forward and tell her to calm down, but he knew that even if he did, it would be useless. It might even make the situation worse.
Originally, if this scene had been recorded and uploaded online, it could have triggered a massive PR disaster, one no weaker than certain infamous ga-community controversies.
Unfortunately, Carl discovered that from the mont they entered the council chamber, all recording functions had been blocked.
Elysium had personally blocked them.
Even at this point, you're still trying to keep both sides balanced? You little troublemaker.
However, Elysium usually did everything it could to help Carl.
One could only say that as the first ga to enter this territory, Oath's speed of making money and expanding its popularity was simply too fast.
And to say sothing rather funny, Carl even felt that if this scene really had been recorded and posted online, there would probably still be a large number of extrely loyal Oath defenders rushing to explain it away.
They would say things like, "This was maliciously recorded," "It's obviously fake," "You don't even understand the plot and you're already attacking it," and so on.
Regardless, the Saintess's punishnt continued.
"You... you wouldn't risk provoking the wrath of so many Saviors just to delete , right?"
The Saintess still clung to a sliver of hope, imagining she could use player outrage as leverage against the developers.
Unfortunately, the Saintess had still not realized her true position as a product.
Her life had been written and arranged by the ga writers long ago.
Her appearance had been sculpted by the ga modelers.
Her power had likewise been granted by the ga's balance designers.
An arranged life. A fabricated identity and appearance. Borrowed power.
Everything that made up the character known as the Saintess did not truly belong to her.
A noble Saintess?
That was all an illusion.
She was only a mass-produced product.
And as a product, there were naturally countless backup replacents.
"Delete you? No. This is a replacent. You are the second defective product we created. The first one does not need to be replaced for now, since the damage is limited. But your behavior has already threatened the foundation of Oath."
The Academy Director's tone was cold and absolute.
"So from today onward, your younger sister, the Second Saintess Mira, will inherit your identity, your na, and your position as a banner character. She will et the players as the First Saintess, Lilesta."
"It works perfectly. Version 2.0 can release a limited Support form for you. As for you, from today onward, you are officially dismissed by both the Holy Nation and Oath."
"Actually, dismissed may be too gentle a word."
"Saintess Lilesta, from today onward, you are officially discarded. There is no longer a place for you in the world of Oath. Hand over your Combat Rating and Character Core."
The Character Core was the card that symbolized extraordinary power, the sa kind of card Elysium had originally bestowed upon Carl and the banner characters.
Carl's Character Core was Paradise Illusion.
This object was not only the source of a banner character's extraordinary power.
It was also the only standard by which a banner character maintained their emotional connection with the players. In a sense, it was the very existence of the banner character itself.
To put it simply, all the fan counts the Saintess had accumulated in Oath, including ta Players, True Love Players, Fanatics, and more, were tied to that core.
The emotional connections of all the players who deeply loved the Saintess were stored within her Character Core.
Once the Saintess handed over her Character Core, she would truly no longer be Oath 1.X's main featured character.
She would no longer be the "Five-Star Limited Magister, Noble Saintess Lilesta."
"No, I won't give it to you! This is the only thing that belongs to ! The Saviors' love and support are mine! I earned them through my own hard work!"
Naturally, the Saintess was unwilling to hand it over.
After all, that thing likely represented the very aning of her existence.
Just as the card stated:
ta Players: 4.01 million.
True Love Players: 5.01 million.
Fanatics: 1,760.
This was everything the Saintess had.
The only real thing she possessed.
The love of the players.
"Although it is a little regrettable to 'kill' a character created by our own company, Migard, Anan, you may proceed. Strip her of her Character Core," the Academy Director ordered coldly.
Anan stood in place, unmoved.
Even Migard, commander of the Hunter Knights, showed an extrely complicated expression when she saw this.
It was difficult not to see her own possible future in the Saintess's fate.
But this was also a necessary thod for Oath's official team to establish authority over these banner characters, the products they had created.
Finally, Migard drew her sword and slowly walked toward the Saintess.
"If you must bla soone, bla yourself for turning against your own creators."
Just as Migard was about to take down the Saintess, Carl appeared directly in front of her.
He stood between Migard and the Saintess.
"If I stayed hidden now, even I'd have trouble respecting myself."
Carl's gaze swept over everyone present.
(To be continued.)
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)
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