Chapter 142: Bets
Even after an impressive and easy 3-0 win, Colzen Academy really didn't garner that much attention because first of all, the first day didn't even have 30% of the total audience of the second day onwards
Second, most of those who attended to watch the first day of matches were just here for fun and they don't believe even for a single moment that these losers participating on the first day would make a great run in the knockout stages.
Except for those who closely observed the Colzen Academy matches of course.
After an easy 3-0 win in the first match, around 700 people in total were convinced that Colzen might be the real deal as they closely watched the potential and prowess of the said academy, feeling that it was a wise decision to come to the arena and watch the first day of matches.
Then came the second match which ended in the same way, an easy 3-0 victory for Colzen Academy, becoming the final nail in the coffin as the 700 people thanked the gods and their lucky stars for giving them this opportunity to strike it rich.
The representatives who didn't get to fight in the first match, Ian Izanagi, Kiin Wujin, and Harry Copperfield, showed the same level of skills as the other representatives making the 700 people watching believe that there wasn't a single weak link in the Colzen roster.
Due to this, the 700 people realized that Colzen Academy wasn't playing around this year and that their grand displays were actually backed by strong representatives, far stronger than their previous ones.
Thus, with 128 academies qualifying including Colzen Academy, the darkest horse in the hearts of the 700 people, the curtains closed on the first day of the matches.
Since their matches ended early, the Colzen representatives along with the happy companion students gloriously returned to their shabby accommodation, happy with the fact that starting tomorrow, they would be moved into accommodations fit for a knockout stage academy.
As for Shye, he was invited by Maia and Shirley to check out the streets of Valenzia City and since he wasn't able to explore this part of the city during his first Adventurer Academy Competition, he naturally agreed.
Bright night lights illuminated the lively streets of Valenzia City as Shye, Maia, and Shirley admired the enormous size, fine architecture, and intricate designs of each building igniting the flames of determination in the hearts of the three young adventurers.
Every single person who had been to Valenzia City desired to stay in this vast and elegant city filled with towering buildings, wide but clean streets and alleys, the most prominent shops, headquarters of renowned adventurer guilds, and every form of entertainment one could possibly imagine.
However, even the most talented of rookie adventurers had to toil like mules if they wanted to settle down here.
Being the sons and daughters of famous adventurers slightly helps but it was nothing but a small boon.
Everyone can visit but only the strongest, richest, and most famous adventurers get to enjoy the luxuries of this premium city every single day.
Naturally, Shye, Maia, and Shirley were among the young hopefuls who were dreaming of settling down here in the future.
As they happily walked on the vibrant streets, Shye saw a restaurant serving luxurious seafood.
Hungry and craving for some, he decided to eat at the restaurant and treat the two girls beside him.
"Hey, Maia, Shirley, wanna eat some seafood?" Shye asked with a beaming smile on his face.
"S-Seafood? Big brother, aren't restaurants here too expensive?"
"Y-Yeah…I don't think we should…"
Deep inside, the two girls naturally wanted to try eating at such a fancy and prominent seafood restaurant chain.
However, as children who at one point suffered due to financial problems, Shirley and Maia naturally voiced their rejections, not feeling that eating out at such luxurious restaurants was worth it given their current standing as student adventurers.
"Don't worry! My treat, we won't be able to return here for a long time so let's relish the experience okay?"
Shye said as he grabbed the hands of the two girls and pulled them to enter the restaurant.
After being warmly welcomed by the restaurant staff, Shye casually chose a good seat for the three of them and sat down before looking at the menu and ordering what the two girls wanted along with some of his preferences for a total of 1200 silver coins (Also equivalent to 12 gold coins)
While waiting for the food, Shye noticed that the two girls were feeling quite uneasy so he started a casual conversation to calm them down.
Fortunately, after a while of casual conversations, Maia and Shirley gradually calmed down. Then, after a few more minutes, their food finally arrived.
The waiter skillfully arranged various plates of different sizes and designs on the table, containing diverse kinds of seafood dishes such as crabs, shrimps, squid, rare fishes, and many others, making the three young adventurers have the urge to drool.
They knew better than to look stupid though so they waited for the waiter to finish arranging the array of dishes on the table first before picking up their cutleries and digging in.
As the three of them took their first bite, their facial expressions turned into one of bliss as they tasted the mouth-watering flavor of each dish seeping through every corner of their taste buds.
"Hey, brother, have you already placed your bets on who's gonna be in the top 8 in this year's Adventurer Academy competition?"
"Well, it's actually easy to bet on Eusford, Aslan, and Freia adventurer academies but the payout is just way too low. Aside from those three, betting on other academies who made it to the top 8 in the past was just too risky…"
"Aih…That's my problem as well…Aside from the top three, the last five spots in the top 8 are just way too hard to predict. Although the payout was alright, the usual top 16 academies were just too close in terms of strength and achievements so it's hard to predict who among them would make it…"
"Haaah…Tell me about it…To make things worse, we only have until 10 AM tomorrow to lock in our bets for the top 8…"
While enjoying his meal, Shye overheard the conversation of the two adventurers eating at a table behind him.
'Bets huh?'