The boys from the archaeology departnt didn’t believe Aurora Sinclair’s story, so they secretly sent Seth Sterling and Danny Archer to tail her.
Classes got out late, so Aurora Sinclair went ho first to cook dinner for her juniors, and then got into the black sedan that ca to pick her up.
About ten minutes into the drive, Abel Lockwood suddenly spoke up. "Miss Sinclair, there’s a taxi that’s been following us. I’ll need to take a detour to shake them."
A short while later, the taxi driver glanced helplessly at his rearview mirror. "Kids, they spotted us. They’ve already shaken us off. Where do you want to go now?"
Seth Sterling glanced at the fare on the ter—over 300 yuan—and his heart bled. ’This is costing way too much.’
As they got out of the car, the driver even offered a word of encouragent. "Don’t lose heart, fellas! Where there’s a will, there’s a way."
"Please, sir, don’t say another word. I’m in so much pain..."
***
The first regular season match for the Conquest of Glory Pro League finally kicked off on a Saturday.
As fate would have it, the tournant draw pitted DAF against The West Peak Team for their first match. Joanna Monroe was already cracking her knuckles, eager to crush Jonas Lawson and his teammates in the arena.
When the DAF team vehicle pulled up outside the venue, the nearby DAF fans quickly sward it, holding up signs. Aurora Sinclair imdiately spotted Luna Jennings and Jean Quincy standing right at the front of the crowd, signs in hand.
The two had successfully integrated into the DAF fan community. Leveraging the various professional-level tactics they had perfected back when they were fans of Darius Lynch, they had successfully beco the heads of Master Rory’s fan club. Rumor had it that Master Rory’s entire fanbase was now under their managent.
Arthur Lockwood even specifically provided the two of them with funding for their fan activities.
"Lord Rory! Lord Rory! Invincible..."
Aurora Sinclair, wearing a baseball cap and a mask, followed Flynn Morgan out of the vehicle. She glanced over at them, and the DAF fans standing behind the two girls erupted in screams.
They’d long heard that the player behind Master Rory was a girl, and she was currently the only mber whose face they hadn’t seen.
Nowadays, nearly every fan of the Boxer class was also a fan of Master Rory. The endless stream of Boxer-thed rchandise had earned the league and DAF a hefty profit, making the other teams green with envy.
On top of that, Aurora Sinclair had missed the awards ceremony during the qualifiers. As a result, this first match of the regular season, DAF versus The West Peak Team, had beco a massive point of interest.
Not only did all the grandstand tickets on the official website sell out within two seconds, but even scalpers had no tickets to sell, regardless of the price. However, as mbers of Lord Rory’s personal entourage, Luna Jennings and Jean Quincy were happily breezing into the arena with their VIP floor-access tickets.
***
Backstage, the two teams ran into each other. Jonas Lawson from The West Peak Team greeted them loudly, only to be t with cold glares from Joanna Monroe and Faye Hughes.
But Jonas Lawson was thick-skinned and acted as if he hadn’t noticed, his eyes fixed on the small figure in their group who was also wearing a hat and mask.
DAF had done an excellent job of maintaining secrecy this ti. Apart from letting slip that a rookie nad "Master Rory" would be competing, no other details had been released about her.
"So this must be Master Rory?"
Faye Hughes shot back, her tone hostile. "What are you looking at, traitor?"
Flynn Morgan, also wearing a mask and hat, subtly shifted to block his view.
Jonas Lawson’s expression darkened. He glared at Faye. "By that logic, are you saying no one in the league is ever allowed to transfer teams?"
"You..." Faye Hughes was rendered speechless, so furious she looked ready to punch him just to let off steam.
Joanna Monroe grabbed her arm and pulled her along, her own face calm. "Don’t waste your breath on him. We’ll settle this in the arena!"
Her uncharacteristic composure sparked a flicker of doubt in Jonas Lawson’s mind.
’They’re so confident. Could it be that masked guy is also incredibly strong?’
The teams proceeded to their respective waiting areas. The competition stage was partially encircled by spectator seating, dominated on one side by a massive screen. The comntators’ desk was situated to the side of the screen.
On either side of the stage stood two fully transparent competition booths. Each booth housed six identical cloud-computing stations, and the surrounding glass was soundproof, allowing the players to concentrate on the match without being disturbed by the noise from the crowd.
***
「VIP Floor Seats」
Zeke Quincy looked on in surprise as Team PL’s manager quietly led several of his team’s main players over.
’Team PL doesn’t have a match today, yet their entire roster is here to watch DAF’s ga. Is Aurora really that famous now?’
Jean Quincy had sharp eyes and spotted Ethan Lowell imdiately. She shot to her feet, her face lighting up with a delighted surprise as she called out, "Ethan..."
Ethan Lowell turned at the sound of his na and changed direction, walking over. Spotting one of Master Rory’s fan shirts on the seat next to Luna Jennings, he said bluntly, "Give one of those."
Luna Jennings asked with a mischievous grin, "I’ve got matching hats and masks too. You want the full set?"
By the ti Ethan Lowell returned to his seat, his arms were full of Master Rory’s fan gear. His teammates imdiately started teasing him, collectively divvying up his haul.
Seeing this, the mbers of The West Peak Team who weren’t playing felt a surge of resentnt. ’She’s just a rookie, isn’t she? What’s all the fuss about? Just wait. We’ll see how The West Peak Team crushes DAF in a bit.’
At the host’s introduction, the six mbers of DAF Team erged from their waiting area and took the stage, flanking the host on one side, with the six mbers of The West Peak Team on the other.
The host then asked the two team captains to say a few words to each other.
The captain of The West Peak Team was Todd Warren, forrly of Team PL. He had a straightforward and bold personality, and he declared bluntly, "This year, West Peak will be the champions!"
In the audience, The West Peak Team’s fans erupted in frantic screams. Today was effectively their ho ga, as most of the fans in attendance were theirs, and their cheers completely filled the venue.
When it was the DAF captain’s turn to speak, the din was so overwhelming that Flynn Morgan’s voice was completely inaudible. The DAF fans in the crowd grew frantic, screaming for quiet at the top of their lungs.
But it was no use. The West Peak fans were doing it on purpose, trying to build hype and vocally dominate DAF.
The host tried several tis to regain control of the crowd, but to no avail. Jonas Lawson simply chuckled. "Can’t be helped. Our fans are just very enthusiastic."
In the end, only the host heard a clear and forceful voice cut through the noise: "DAF will return to the pinnacle of glory!"
The host froze. She had heard all sorts of pre-ga declarations, but none had ever shaken her quite like this. It felt as if DAF was truly poised for a legendary coback.
***
The two teams bowed to each other and headed for their respective competition booths.
The arena finally fell silent. As the players powered on their computers and logged into their accounts, the giant screen behind the stage began to display their in-ga nas in a specific order.
Everyone knew that the last na to appear in the sequence was always the team’s core player.
DAF’s fans all assud Master Rory would be the grand finale, but to their surprise, her na appeared third in the lineup. She was followed by the Mage, Scrappy’s Tail, and then the Poison Master, Joanna...
"Holy shit! If neither Lord Rory nor Joanna are the final reveal, does that an the last player is an even bigger deal?"
The DAF fans held their breath, their eyes glued to the screen as they waited for the last player’s na to appear.
Divine Archer: Windwalker.
"Who’s that?" a younger fan asked, a look of confusion on their face.
Suddenly, soone shot to their feet and yelled, their voice filled with excitent, "Windwalker? As in, White’s partner from all those years ago—"
And who didn’t know the na White?
He was a god-tier player, a legend who was still revered in the circles of old-school Conquest of Glory fans.
The veteran fans started to roar. The entire DAF section of the crowd was on its feet, screaming their lungs out.
Their excitent was palpable.
The West Peak fans were mostly younger and had no idea what that na signified.
They were a little contemptuous, thinking DAF was just digging up so washed-up player.
The mont it registered, the ga comntators and analysts at the desk beca even more ecstatic than the DAF fans. One of them yelled a single, voice-cracking phrase into his microphone—a shout that brought countless veteran fans watching the livestream to tears.
DAF had kept them waiting for far too long.
The crowd began to chant the na that had once intimidated the entire league: White.
Team PL’s manager, Felix Lowe, ran right up to Gideon Lockwood and thumped him on the chest.
"You guys are unbelievable... Talk about keeping a secret! Give it to straight—is White actually playing?"
But Gideon Lockwood just gave him a mysterious smile. "Team secret. No comnt."
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