Chương 88: The Merchant Trial Underway

We stood side by side in four perfect lines of one hundred select individuals, our Leaders standing proudly at the front. The atmosphere in the central square of Kailume was electric, thick with tension and ambition. Surrounding us, the public watched with eager, whispering eyes. Then Faihzu, striking in his near-finest green and gold-accented silk, ascended the wooden stage, flanked by his new guards. He raised his hands for silence and spoke with a grand, theatrical voice.

"Honored guests and fellow agencies that have taken on my call! I am truly honored to welcome you all to one of the most important Merchant Trials in the western region! First place will receive 1500 osmium, priority escort contracts for the next full year, and exclusive high-value routes that can make or break an agency. Second place takes 600 osmium and strong secondary routes. Third gets 400 osmium, and even fourth will walk away with 50 osmium and potential valuable connections.

This is not just about coin as this is about prestige, reputation, and the future of your agencies!" He smiled widely, though something calculating lurked behind his eyes.

"There will be three tests. The first is an Individual Race. All 100 elites from each agency, excluding Leaders and Generals, will rush toward the mighty Kaihama River. You must swim 400 kilometers upstream against its incredibly strong current to reach the hill 500 meters above sea level, where we will await you eagerly. No combat between participants is allowed. This is a pure test of endurance and willpower in unwelcoming conditions."

(He did not tell anyone that he planned to use aggregate scoring system, if the top 22 were fast but the bottom 66 were slow, the average would drag the whole agency down. He kept that hidden for his own advantage.) The second test would be keeping a steel ball safe, which was the exact same size as the lost iridescent pearl he was obsessively seeking, either by robbing others or defending it. The final test would be the top ten from each agency fighting in a group duel inside a ring.

Anyone forced out "dies" and is eliminated. The overall average across all tests would decide the final ranking for each agency. With no questions asked, we were brought straight away to the test site of the first task. The River of Kailume was a monster. Its current was ferocious, pushing with the force of a thousand wild horses, churning white water that smashed violently against jagged rocks and created constant roaring turbulence.

The river roared like an enraged beast, waves crashing and swirling with merciless power. We stripped down to our pants and, with little explanation, jumped in at the same time. I was in the back with Xhife. The moment I hit the water I immediately fell behind. The last time I had swum against anything like this was when I was 8 years old in the Danubius. That was only about 6 years ago, but it felt like a lifetime. The current slammed into me like a living wall, trying to drag me downstream with brutal force.

For the first few minutes I struggled badly, getting swept back again and again, water filling my mouth and nose as I fought just to keep my head above the surface. My arms burned. My legs kicked desperately. Memories of that childhood swim flashed through my mind with it telling me how helpless I had felt back then. But I was no longer that scared child. I gritted my teeth and pushed harder. Slowly, I found my rhythm. I activated my Vestuto to get my lost positions back. I activated my Cor Flamma Vestuto.

The familiar red-orange flames roared around my body, feeding strength into my limbs. With powerful, frog-like kicks and strong arm pulls I began surging forward from the very back, cutting through the violent current like a blazing blade. The heat from my flames turned the water around me into steam, giving me extra propulsion. The other agencies' elites, who had started strong, saw me coming and started activating their own Vestutos one by one.

My group grew excited, seeing me surge ahead with reinvigorated might. They held onto my pace and followed like a determined pack, shouting encouragement through the roaring water. After 42 minutes I had brought the missing 42 guys from my group forward quickly. Our group finished last in the individual race, but it showed how strong the top 10 of the other three agencies truly were. The Giant Fierce Panda Agency was the fastest, Treasure Seeker second, and Safety Delivery third and us taking last place.

After the river race, Faihzu announced the next match on the wooden stage with a wide, calculating smile. The random draw had paired us against the Treasure Seeker Agency. Woushal stood there with his arrogant smirk, looking straight at Zhuofing.

"Oi neighbor," he called out in a mocking tone.

"Seems we do not battle each other today but our Agencies will. Try not to embarrass yourself too much, Dirty Finger." Zhuofing's face darkened. He ignored the taunt at first, but Woushal kept laughing and bragging loudly about how well his team had performed in the river. Finally Zhuofing snapped. He turned to us, eyes blazing with anger, and roared: "Demolish this eyesore of an Agency! Leave nothing left in this challenge!

Show them what the Golden Tooth is made of and do not embarrass us any fur her at least never against trash like him!" Woushal laughed even louder and did the same for his team, pointing at us with a sneer. We fought 88 vs 88 on a vast open grass field of ten kilometers. Vestuto was allowed for the aggressor side, not the defenders, to encourage tactics over raw power. Before we started, Xihua quickly gathered us for a quick tactical meeting.

"I know them very well," Xihua said sharply, gathering us close before the fight. Her voice was cold and precise, her pipe still clenched between her teeth.

"Listen carefully. Woushi, the 20-year-old son of Woushal, uses Electric Eel Armor Vestuto, a Thunder attribute. Every time he takes damage, he recharges his Animo like a living battery onto his weapon for a direct discharge. He's dangerous in long fights since his weapon is very dangerous. Woupali, 19, has heavy Golemiere Armor Vestuto with insane leg strength, meaning he hits like facing a falling mountain.

Aifa the 22 years old lady has the Mirror Lotus Armor Vestuto and can fire lasers from any reflective plate she creates. Lingo 37 years old is a brutal Fire attribute user veteran of our trade with his burning claws Vestuto. And Qubul 23 years old, their dark horse, has Dark Wraith Sovereign Vestuto, which grants teleportation and the ability to control injured or unconscious people as puppets. Do not let any of them corner you hold your distance, if you can."

We nodded on the followed-up news, tension running high. We rushed forward to our positions. They Vestutoed immediately and attacked in coordinated waves, beating us back hard at first. Woushi's crackling the halberd that was his weapon of choice it flashed with violent thunder, forcing several of our men to retreat. Woupali's heavy steps shook the ground as he charged like a living battering ram. Lasers from Aifa's mirrors cut across the field, forcing us to dodge constantly.

But we showed unbreakable determination. Instead of hiding the steel ball underground or on our bodies where they expected, we placed it high on top of a tall tree canopy, hidden among thick leaves. They searched everywhere as they tore through our clothes, dug into the ground, and even shook some of our people violently, but they couldn't find it. As time ticked down, their eager arrogance quickly turned into profound nervousness.

Six minutes felt like an eternity as we fought desperately, buying time, taking hits, but never giving up the secret. When the time finally ran out and time was called, we revealed the ball still safe in the hidden tree. We had won. Woushal was furious. His face turned purple with rage as he stormed toward his team.

"You useless bunch of idiots! Especially you, my son. How could you not just form a unit of scouts and search with precision, instead of diving into total chaos with zero teamwork? I am very disappointed in all of you!" he screamed, his voice cracking with humiliation.

"How could you let a pathetic escort agency like this outsmart you with such an easily spottable hiding place?! I'll make sure you regret this for the rest of your miserable lives. Once we return from this overall mission, we will work on scouting and building quick-witted units to achieve better advancement in our operations!" His "educational talk" was full of yelling, threats, and vicious insults. Some of his men looked like they wanted the ground to swallow them.

Zhuofing laughed loudly at them, a deep, booming sound full of genuine satisfaction. He turned to us, eyes shining with pride.

"Well done," he said, voice thick with emotion.

"That's how the Golden Tooth fights. You made me proud today. All of you with beating him, haha what a good recovery from our Agency." In the next round, where the roles were switched, we used our Vestutos from the start just like they did, but we dominated even harder than they did because our teamwork was much better thanks to Xihua's commanding voice. The moment the signal sounded, our entire group activated. Flames, smoke, earth, and steel exploded across the field as we charged with renewed fury.

This time there was no holding back. We moved like a coordinated storm, Xihua's Phantasmal Incense smoke covering the field, creating chaos and openings everywhere. I surged forward in my Cor Flamma Vestuto, flames roaring around me as I cut through their lines with blazing sword-axe combos signaling them a direct frontal attack, which was a ruse that was created to hold their vision and most eyes on the straight line. We quickly discovered their hidden carrier who was holding the item.

A man air-walking between the trees with the steel ball while using a fake strawman on the ground to distract us was the best they could pull off. But we weren't fooled for long; our scout group informed Xihua of the situation, and she ordered her brother to catch the carrier. With that operation tasked at the very last minute, Xhife forced the carrier in a specific direction, pushing him further and further away from their site toward ours.

I branch-hopped high into the canopy with everything I had, my flames trailing behind me like a comet. I slashed at him, forcing him to open his closed hands for the first time, and Xhife snatched the steel ball before he could react. The carrier tried to get it right back, but the man's shocked face was priceless as I dropped back down to the ground. Thanks to Xhife's fast thinking, he had thrown the ball to me while being chased, leaving the carrier completely unaware until time was called. We had won, again.

The celebration was wild and emotional. My teammates cheered loudly, slapping each other on the back, hugging, and shouting with pure joy and relief after such a hard-fought victory. Xhife ran over and clapped me on the shoulder, laughing.

"You madman! When you made that last jump to force him out, I thought you were going to miss the timing, but our teamwork was exceptional!" Xihua allowed herself a rare proud smile, nodding at us both. Even Zhuofing looked visibly moved, his usual stern expression breaking into a wide, satisfied grin on his aged face. Woushal, on the other hand, was again absolutely furious. He did not want to lose to his rival again, no matter the cost. His face turned a deep, ugly purple as he stormed toward his team.

"You worthless pieces of trash!" he screamed, his voice cracking with humiliation and rage.

"How could you lose to these nobodies AGAIN?!! I trained you. Tactics, use them! I fed you! And this is how you repay me, by losing to people who can't even make a financial profit anymore?!" He grabbed his own son by the collar and shook him violently.

"Pathetic! All of you! I'll make sure you regret this failure for the rest of your miserable lives, you can all count on it!" His anger-filled talk was nothing short of a meltdown, full of yelling, threats, and vicious insults that left his men looking like broken, ashamed toys trying to hide beneath the sand. Some stared at the ground, while others flinched with every bombarding word. Zhuofing threw his head back and laughed loudly, a deep, booming sound full of genuine satisfaction and pride.

He turned to us, eyes shining with rare warmth over the meltdown of his rival.

"Look at you bastards…" he said, voice thick with emotion.

"You actually did it. You took those arrogant pricks down and made them choke on their own pride. This… this is the Golden Tooth I've been waiting to see again. You fought like true warriors today. I'm damn proud of every single one of you even if we wont get first place this alone right here is good enough." The joy and relief in our group was palpable. After everything we had been through, the brutal trial, the banner, and the previous battles, this victory felt like a real turning point.

We had proven something today. On the other hand the Giant Fierce Panda Agency also won their match easily, and overwhelmingly. They finished both their offensive and defensive rounds in under 5 minutes, showing absolute dominance in both power and coordination. The Safety Delivery Agency had zero chance against them and was crushed completely.

And so, with the scores tallied, our final opponent was decided: Every outsider would most likely count them as the favorites to win first place: the Giant Fierce Panda Agency. They were the strongest of them all, having won all the trials with comfortable scoring positions. A heavy, respectful silence fell over our group as we realized who we would face in the final. Zhuofing's face was serious, but his eyes still burned with that unyielding spark just trying to defy the heavens and try to snatch first place.

"This is it," he said quietly, looking at each of us.

"The real test. Show them what we're made of." Xhife gripped his staff tighter beside me.

"We've come too far to lose now. Even if they emit a true, overwhelming presence, we should not give them an easy victory. We must bare our fangs at them." I nodded, feeling the familiar fire rise in my chest.

"Let's make them remember us."