The following day
Mingze City experienced sothing that had never happened since the city’s establishnt.
Gossip and rumors spread like wildfire, leaping from street to street, alley to alley, until everyone seed to be bursting with a single tale.
It was not about the powerful clans, nor about the most beautiful fairy in the city, but about sothing strange.
Not about battle.
Not about
hunting.
Not about a famous auction.
Sothing that many would never have heard of before.
A ga.
A ga called football.
A ga played by twenty-two players chasing an object called a ball. Yet the bright eyes and the feverish excitent of those talking about it spoke volus.
Many could not believe their ears. So even questioned what they were hearing.
This strange ga had turned many into fanatics.
Walking down the street, pedestrians gathered at the corners, listening to a middle-aged man’s tale about the ga.
"The Blood River was cunning. They lowered their defense, allowing their enemies to show all their cards."
"In the beginning, they tested the Black Spider goalkeeper with a roaring shot. Even though it was just a test, it left many breathless."
"How did they test him?" one of the pedestrians asked, his eyes burning with curiosity.
"Oh boy. I’ll tell you." The middle-aged man’s eyes were shining. He took his jar and took a sip of his alcohol.
To soothe his throat, he looked at the crowd and began to weave the tale of the ga, adding embellishnts that made the crowd open their eyes wide.
He could see heads tilt, mouths part, and breaths held in suspense as he drew them into his world.
Many even released a sharp, sudden grasp as if they could almost reach out and touch the mont. Those passing by could not help but stop to listen to the over-exaggerated tale of the ga.
You would have thought he was describing sothing grand, sothing heavenly.
His storytelling made many wish they had gone to watch the match.
"Do you know what happened at the last minute?" he shouted, his voice echoing through the street.
"Old man, tell us quickly. You’re killing us with this suspense."
"Hahaha." The old man chuckled and rubbed his hands together. "...then it was the last corner of the ga."
"The last corner for everything to be over."
"Many had already risen to their feet. So thought the match was already a draw."
"But then..."
"They played the corner..."
"It was slow, not airborne, as everyone expected."
"And then..."
"And then...."
"And then what?!" a young woman shouted impatiently. She felt like slapping this shaless man at the back of the head.
She was the only one with such agitated motion. The feeling of getting close, close to reveal the major plot, to know the ending only to have it delayed was infuriating.
For a mont, the crowd was quiet, their jaws slightly dropped. Ready to react to the last part of the story.
"Be patient. I’m just allowing the story to fernt," the middle-aged storyteller replied with a shaless grin.
"I’ll give you ten high-grade spirit stones if you do not delay the story any longer," a young man dressed in an expensive silk robe announced suddenly.
Looking at the young man, everyone was stunned, but the storyteller did not miss a beat. "Ahhha. Very well." He laughed as he accepted the money.
With the money in hand, he cleared his throat. "When the corner was played, the Blood River did sothing no one expected. Instead of playing into the crowd..."
"Their player with a thunder shot was positioned at what was called the eighteen-yard box. And the corner was played to him."
"The boy showed why he was called the thunder shot. His leg roared like a raging dragon and struck the ball."
"Roar! The ball scread, flying at blinding speed toward the net, and bang!"
"The ball entered the net, shaking the arena to its core."
"From a goal down, a single player from the Blood River changed everything, scoring the last goal at the last second."
Listening to the ending, many were dazed. They could not believe their ears. Even without playing the ga, just listening to the story had already captivated them.
The young man who had paid ten high-grade spirit stones had eyes burning with fla. "I must watch the ga..."
"No, I must beco a player," he thought, his heart blazing with intent.
He left with long, purposeful strides.
Through the lower district and the middle district, scenes of many storytellers talking about the ga could be seen everywhere.
Before the ga, only the lower district had learned of football, but now the trend had shifted. People from the middle district had caught wind of it too.
Spies were dispatched to confirm the rumour.
Inside the headquarters of the Wolf Skull Gang, the gang leader sat with a solemn expression, his trusted aide seated before him.
"Leader, what should we do?" an ordinary-looking woman asked. "News of the ga has spread through the lower and middle districts. If this continues, it is only a matter of ti before it spreads through the city." She added.
"Apart from that, I hear that many workers have arrived at the Blood River hideout, and they will soon begin a massive construction," a voice announced. He was a young man in his mid-twenties.
"So are you saying we should pay that huge money just to join the ga?" Wolf Skull looked up and addressed his n.
To join the ga and be allowed to play in the arena, Mo Jian had demanded fifty Peak-Grade Spirit Stones.
When he demanded such a huge amount of money, everyone scoffed at his unreasonable demand. At the beginning, they thought no one would pay so much to participate in the ga.
But the final minute of the ga had overturned their understanding. Many cultivators of high rank could not help but jump for joy when they saw the last-minute goal.
Yet now, the reaction of the people made them realize the ga had won most of the audience’s hearts.
Their gang controlled many stores, gambling dens, and various businesses, but none could elevate their status in the city. Just as Mo Jian had stated, they were nothing more than a gang of the city.
Suddenly, the door to the room was pushed open, and a middle-aged man stepped in. Looking at him, everyone inside the room could not help but crease their brows.
"What is it?" Wolf Skull demanded in a flat voice.
"Boss, my n saw the Red Serpent going into the Arena." the man reported.
"What!"
Everyone widened their eyes. They had not expected the Red Serpent, who had gone against Mo Jian, to be the first person to pay such a huge amount of money.
"That snake!" Wolf Skull was furious and rose to his feet. "Let go. We are joining the ga." he declared.
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