Chapter 274: Contest begins Part2

On the first day of the contest, the entire royal city was in complete and utter mayhem.

Since blacksmithing was the primary occupation and means of survival for the dwarves, anyone and everyone who had the slightest talent in smithing was present.

Dwarves from remote and distant villages, some from even the neighboring countries had traveled night and day and arrived promptly in anticipation of this contest.

Not just dwarves but other races including elves, orcs, fairies, and several spirit beasts were present.

A huge crowd had gathered in the central square and everyone was eager to witness and learn about the next batch of chosen disciples.

These chosen disciples would be personally groomed by the blacksmith grandmasters and with proper training for a few decades, these few disciples would have the best chance of becoming the next batch of smithing grandmasters.

So not only was the contest in itself a huge opportunity but also it was important to pay attention to these rising stars.

Particularly to those disciples who are close to the finish line but not quite there.

It was easier to sponsor and form relationships with these young apprentices and trainees than to forge a relationship with an already chosen disciple.

And this was extremely important.

When the strength and power of the two parties are similar, the victor of the battle is most definitely determined by the weapons and armors.

No one dared to underestimate the importance of this craftsmanship. The sheer strength of the weaponry can even make a huge clan rise and fall.

Tang Yue and Charlotte were not in the least prepared for such a big crowd and felt extremely suffocated.

Especially Charlotte, since she had never experienced anything like this in her life.

She was after all one of the Crown's personal General's daughter, hailing from a noble elven family.

So her head immediately started spinning and she began hyperventilating.

"Do you want to go back?" Tang Yue worriedly asked.

Charlotte hesitated, biting her lips in frustration. She really couldn't stand this crowd, but she also wanted to witness how Tang Yue performed. 

So how could she possibly go back?

She decided to bite the bullet and vigorously nodded her head. "Nope. I am staying right here." She smiled and gave Tang Yue a thumbs up.

Tang Yue chuckled. "The central square is even more crowded. So why don't you wait right here."

"I will go ahead and register myself and be back in a jiffy."

"Ok. I will wait here then." Charlotte agreed with the plan.

Since Xander aka the little kid gave an excuse that he was not feeling too good, it was just Charlotte and Tang Yue who had come to the event today.

They even left the two beast pets in the smithy itself, considering that it will be too troublesome for them in the crowd.

Tang Yue, however, was not someone too picky. She easily adapted herself to most situations and swam through the crowd without any effort.

She hurriedly approached the registration desk and showed her 2-star blacksmith emblem.

The dwarf handling the registration affairs didn't pay much attention to her and simply handed her another scarlet emblem in return.

He didn't even look up and glance at Tang Yue. The entire participant crowd was crawling with 2-star blacksmiths, so there was absolutely nothing special about her participation.

He might not have glanced at Tang Yue, but there were a few other pairs of eyes searching the crowd eagerly for her presence.

On the other end of the central square, atop the royal palace courtyard overlooking the entire area, a tall and slender elven figure sat amidst the dwarven royals and a couple of blacksmith grandmasters.

Xavier was extremely bored sitting alone all by himself. He hated coming to events like this and witnessing a bunch of noobs battling it out.

Although he was not quite there yet, Xavier was almost a grandmaster himself in rune crafting.

So technically he could talk to the other dwarven blacksmith grandmasters and improve his knowledge and their knowledge by discussing something productive.

Unfortunately, that was not really possible. 

Though the dwarves were extremely hospitable and respectful and welcomed him with open arms to witness the event, they weren't the least bit interested in talking about anything pertaining to smithing to him. 

The dwarves always tended to maintain a knowledge barrier between themselves and the elves.

So why was Xavier still sitting there even though it was a waste of his time?

Of course, this was all because of a certain someone's direct command!!!

So left with no other choice, Xavier could only sigh and frown as he sat amidst the stone faced dwarves.

Damn it. At least let me have a couple of beauties in my arms. He cried inside.

But the atmosphere was extremely austere and did not leave any space for him to enjoy himself.

Apart from him, there was also one other person who was not particularly enjoying this contest and didn't quite belong in this setting.

Three green robed figures fully covered themselves and moved around in the crowd in a very inconspicuous manner.

"How are you so sure that she will be here?" The goblin Gale asked the person standing next to him.

That person, however, didn't respond to him. Rather the other goblin standing next to him, Ginko, answered.

"Isn't she here to learn spirit smithing? Where else would she be?"

Seeing that the overly cautious and analytic Ginko himself was quite sure about this location, Gale didn't question him any further.

He silently waited along with his companions for the target to reveal herself in one way or the other.

And after that small pause of silence, the third companion finally spoke up.

"I know that slut very well. She will be somewhere here for sure." 

Tang Xi sneered in contempt, as she pulled back her hood and revealed her beautiful face.

"I am here, my dear sister." She hissed under her breath.