Chapter 903
The Champion: Russell's Throne!
Chapter 903 The Champion: Russell's Throne!
During the Golden Grail Magic Plant Flying Competition, illusory golden sand appeared in mid-air, and as the sand landed in the seats, wizards appeared among them.
Locke's forehead automatically developed the innate magical eye of a three-eyed tiger cat, enhancing his perception as a second-circle wizard. This was clearly a common method of movement using golden magic found in the borderlands of light and shadow.
Unlike the Golden Dragon Clan, these people do not have an open source for their golden magic, so it is impossible to learn this method of movement by observing their magic.
In addition to these methods of moving the golden sand, wizards also travel in a semi-illusory golden griffin-shaped carriage. The moment the golden carriage hits the seat, it disappears instantly, and then the wizards who were originally sitting in the carriage appear in the seat.
These methods of transportation are truly unique and eye-opening.
At this moment, prominent officials from all over the Golden Dynasty were rushing here.
The teaching positions in the Golden Dynasty are half tied to bloodline due to the Golden Magic, and the other half require personal effort.
However, only the Golden People can rapidly improve their magic level and obtain corresponding teaching positions within this Golden Dynasty.
Overall, Locke observed that the boundary between darkness and light was normal, not much different from the Cloud Marsh Wetlands. However, because different grades of golden bloodlines could truly differentiate the speed of a wizard apprentice's golden magic, there existed an unspoken rule here where a wizard's future potential could be discerned based on the grade of their bloodline.
Overall, the family wizards here are not very powerful.
After all, all families and all wizarding academies serve the Golden Dynasty, which in this way unifies all the major wizarding families, individual wizards, and wizarding academies in the entire border region between darkness and light.
Not all wizarding academies here teach golden magic, but they are mostly encompassed by the official system of the Golden Dynasty.
Locke remembered that the official ranks here ranged from the first to the ninth rank, and wizards who could reach the seventh rank were already considered to be in a high position of power. The highest official rank of the head of a small wizarding academy was probably the fifth rank.
The headmaster of a wizarding organization like Lilith's Hut would likely only be a sixth or seventh-rank official before enrolling.
At this moment, there are many fourth-level officials, and even third-level officials, who have come here.
Locke felt a sense of déjà vu about the official systems of the Golden Dynasty at the boundary between light and darkness and the Pale Pilgrimage.
However, the official system in the border area between the dark and the light has been modernized and recognized by the White Wizard Association. Basically, the official positions of these officials are essentially just teaching positions for a group of wizard instructors. No one can have the life and death power that superiors once had over their subordinates.
Therefore, it only retains the form of the ancient system, without the true spirit of the ancient official system.
At that moment, the sound of some kind of golden chime suddenly came from afar, with one clear chime after another.
On the field, a wizard shouted, "My God, it's a second-tier official—the Champion Marquis—he's here!"
In the distance, in the sky above the arena, there was a phantom golden carriage. The carriage was extremely luxurious and precious, with every detail filled with incredible opulence.
Meanwhile, the carriage was pulled by an ancient golden dragon.
But upon closer inspection, Locke realized that it was merely an illusion created using golden magic and should not be taken seriously.
As the magnificent carriage arrived, a terrifying demonic pressure descended.
That's a magical pressure at the level of a third-ring throne!
The so-called champion who emerged from among them was none other than Russell, the wizard of the Three Rings Throne, a direct descendant of the Golden Dynasty's royal family.
The golden magic in the air automatically transformed into a golden staircase, allowing him to ascend the golden steps towards the audience area.
Unlike the other contestants who wore expressions of awe, Locke, seated in the competition area, wore a strange expression.
Because he himself had written a letter to the wizard Russell about half a year ago.
At that time, Bertrand Russell even replied to his letter.
Now it seems that this is truly a case of a newborn calf not being afraid of a tiger, and ignorance being bliss. It turns out that the Russell Throne's status in the border region between darkness and light is so high; he is actually a second-tier official in the border region between darkness and light!
He also held the title of Marquis of Champion.
Locke remembered that the official positions in the Golden Dynasty were now merely nominal, but the nobility system still held considerable value. According to the magic books he had read, legend had it that the nobility in the border region between darkness and light was crafted by golden magic, and all those who were granted nobility would receive the blessing of golden magic.
At this moment, the contestants in the seats next to Locke were all discussing.
A second-ring wizard from the Black Iron Mountain Wild Wizarding Grounds whispered, "That's Judge Russell, a man of great power and influence in the Golden Dynasty. One look from him could cost you your life, because you might break the law. It's said that no one in the entire border region between Darkness and Light dares to provoke him, and no wizard is so idle as to have a casual conversation with this judge."
Locke: "..."
This……
Another wizard from Oldvine Village, named Leon Newman, looked up at Russell's throne with adoration.
"But this wizard possesses near-perfect magic and is a pioneer on the path to truth."
Ancient Vine Village and Black Iron Mountain Wilderness are two wizarding lands bordering the border between Darkness and Light. Even today, the wizards of these two lower-level wizarding lands still hold a deep reverence for the border between Darkness and Light.
For them, entering the Golden Cup at the boundary between day and night is like a pilgrimage, or a way to realize their life's ideals.
The wizards from the Fission Plains, the Tianjiang Riverbank, the Qionghua Enclave, and the Spiral Basin were relatively taciturn. For them, their worship of the throne wizard before them was simply because he was a throne wizard.
At this moment, Leon Newman, the wizard sitting in front of Locke, suddenly turned to Locke and said, "Wizard Augustine, I haven't heard much about you in our Ancient Vine Village before. However, before the competition, I've learned a bit about you. Although your work, the Great Roaring Dragon Sparrow, has a great advantage in this competition, I am a wizard from Ancient Vine Village. We wizards from Ancient Vine Village may not be good at other things, but we will not admit defeat before the battle even begins."
Wizard Leon Newman looked at Locke, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.
"I will use my creation, the Flying Gourd, to win the final championship. We'll wait and see."
The second-ring wizard from Black Iron Mountain sitting next to him hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
He wanted to make bold statements like the villagers of Guteng Township, but after thinking about it, he gave up, because he felt the gap was too big.
The wizards of the Black Iron Mountain Wild Wizard Land are quite pragmatic and have no confidence in competing with the Great Roaring Dragon Sparrow. If they were to make such a bold statement now, they would probably only become a laughing stock.
There were many high-ranking officials of the Golden Dynasty here, as well as audience members from the lower-level wizarding academies under the Golden Dynasty. If he were to lose face and go home, what would he do?
In particular, the Golden Dynasty was a high-level wizarding territory in his eyes, a sacred place in his heart.
His every word and action represented the face of the wizards of Black Iron Mountain at the boundary between darkness and light.
Locke glanced at the contestants below. Most of them avoided his gaze, not daring to meet his eyes. Clearly, they had already given up before the competition and only wanted a ranking, having long since given up hope of winning the championship.
There are also a few wizards, like Leon Newman, whose eyes are full of challenge.
Even the two wizards from the Black Iron Mountain Wilderness, who seem not to be competing with me, are actually outwardly gentle but inwardly strong, and are secretly vying with me.
Of course, some participating wizards didn't even come in person; they just had their students or disciples send their entries over. Clearly, these people weren't paying attention to this aspect.
Locke rested his chin on his hand, looking down at the contestants who were deliberately sitting below him, with no one else in the same row as him.
These people all harbor a subtle hostility towards me. They don't see me as an enemy, but rather as the biggest boss in this competition.
As long as they exist, they know in their hearts that they have no chance of winning the championship.
Because of his presence, three wizards had already withdrawn from the competition before it even started. In the eyes of many wizards who were unaware of the inside story, even the genius breeder from the Mamluk Rift Valley did not withdraw because he was tricked by the dark wizard, but because he was scared away by him.
Therefore, he became the target of everyone's criticism in this match!
But so what?
From the very first day he entered Golden Crown Mountain, he had been resented by many wizards outside the gates of Golden Crown Mountain. Those people hoped every day that he could go down so that they could enter Golden Crown Mountain.
No matter what I do, I can't change the outcome.
Just like now.
But that's alright.
Because I came here to participate in the competition and win the championship, not to play house.
If we're going to win the championship, we have to beat everyone here.
At this moment, at the highest point of the stands, the champion wizard Russell walked into the stands. Whether it was the staff of the Golden Cup tournament committee or the wizard Bruce and his witch secretary, everyone stood up and bowed to this wizard of the Third Ring Throne.
Every wizard of the Third Ring Throne has made some kind of lasting contribution to wizarding civilization.
Otherwise, they could not have become the Three Rings Throne.
Therefore, even the wizards from the Land of Dragonfall, such as Bruce, did not show the arrogance one would show to the staff of the Golden Cup tournament committee, but instead bowed to the Russell Throne.
Because this is a tribute to the truth.
We salute every wizard who silently strives for the truth.
To despise the throne is to despise oneself.
Russell's throne vanished from their sight in an instant, reappearing a moment later between Wizard Bruce and the Sun Ring Wizard Director of the Golden Cup Tournament Committee.
The wizard Bruce addressed the throne of Russell: “Your Majesty, I am the wizard Bruce of the Windbound Sanctuary. It is an honor to meet you.”
"The White Wizarding Guild of the Fallen Lands is eager to cooperate with the White Wizarding Guild of the Boundary Between Light and Darkness to combat the increasingly aggressive Starfield Sea."
Russell said, "Our differences with the Starfield Sea aren't that significant. It's simply that some people want more benefits, while others feel that some people don't deserve so many benefits; they are the ones who do."
"It's just internal strife."
"No need to say more. I heard that before the competition, a magical plant that could potentially win the championship appeared, what's its name? The Great Roaring Dragon Sparrow?"
Wizard Bruce laughed and said, “Indeed. Your Majesty, that is an excellent flying magical plant. I never realized that there were flying magical plants that were so suitable for conversion into flying machines. Whether it is the instantaneous explosive power, the flight speed, or the carrying capacity, yesterday I even witnessed a scene in front of me where twenty-six flying magical plants lifted up a huge magical creature together.”
“Impressive.”
Russell said, "Hmm. Since you've put it that way, Bruce, it seems there's some truth to it. Speaking of which, I have some connection with this young wizard who developed the Great Roaring Dragon Sparrow."
Bruce the Wizard's pupils contracted slightly.
"what?"
Bertrand Russell said, “He once consulted me about golden foxtail grass and green foxtail grass. Later, he published an article in the Second Ring Road, First District journal because of this.”
Bruce the wizard's face twitched, because even for a Sun Ring wizard, the Second Ring, First District Journal was something to be proud of.
"I think it's because of his humility that I like to give him pointers," said Russell. "Although I am the Throne Wizard and he is like an ant to me, I still like to promote such humble young talents."
Sweat beaded on Bruce the Wizard's forehead as he addressed the Russell Throne: "I understand, Your Majesty."
Bruce bowed to the Russell Throne and sat back down in his seat, sweating profusely, clearly realizing that some of his earlier actions had offended the high-ring wizards.
No, does the Starfield Sea really put that much pressure on the Boundary Between Darkness and Light and the Land of Dragonfall?
The determination of the White Wizarding Associations of the two Wizarding Lands to increase their voice in the Eastern Frontier Council is so strong.
They no longer allowed him, a mere Sun Ring Wizard, to show the slightest negligence.
Bruce the Wizard's heart sank slightly; these things were too far removed from him.
Even if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up.
But there were some things he couldn't help but care about, namely, that Russell's Throne said he knew the wizard from the Cloud Marsh Wetlands.
He originally wanted to take a gamble: Locke might not win the championship, or even if he did, he could still use his unfamiliarity with the place to negotiate a lower price.
But now that the Russell Throne has made its stance clear, he can no longer bully others as the Sun Ring Wizard.
Throne Russell glanced at Wizard Bruce, but he wasn't angry. Wizards in Dragonfall were more like merchants, always looking for opportunities to suppress their rivals and lower prices. Therefore, Throne Russell knew that this wizard was simply a test of Dragonfall's strength as they probed the border between the Dark and the Light.
He was merely an object of manipulation by the high-ring wizard.
After all, he was sent by a high-ringed wizard from the Land of Dragonfall.
A high-ring wizard would obviously be able to make judgments about which type of wizard to choose to go to the border between the light and the dark, and what purpose they could achieve.
The Crowned Champion, Lord Russell, announced: "Every Golden Grail is highly valued by the Golden Dynasty. Therefore, the Grand Chancellor of the Golden Dynasty specially sent me here to observe the ceremony. All of you young talents have traveled a long way to participate in the Golden Grail. Today, there will surely be a wonderful match on this field, which will be watched by all the wizards of the border between light and darkness."
In the audience, Locke overheard the wizards whispering among themselves.
"The Golden Dynasty no longer has a High Priest, so the Grand Chancellor is the highest-ranking official, right?"
"Probably similar to the most influential dean in the most prestigious wizarding university in our wizarding lands..."
"That's about right... but it seems the Grand Chancellor of the Golden Dynasty also holds the position of President of the White Wizard Association here."
Russell’s throne spoke again.
"I now declare the Gold Grail Tournament officially open."
"The conditions for completing the competition are simple. After the referee announces the start, fly along the chain-like suspension path in the sky, and the first person to reach the destination is the champion. Along the way, a large number of flying magical creatures will break free of their chains and attack you."
"But I believe that the flying magical plants cultivated by the breeders themselves will be even better."
The next chapter will be released tomorrow during the day.
(End of this chapter)