The rich rewards truly made the finalists feel happy.
Sure, they were expecting to be handsomely rewarded for participating in this event, but they didn't expect to receive such abundant rewards.
Just the King Essence Soul reward made everything worth it. One has to know that even in modern times, king-level essence souls are rare. Only those in the Planar Traveler Realm or the Planetary Stages of Life Evolution could exchange for one.
The gap between a lord-level essence soul and a king-level essence soul was almost an uncrossable chasm. There's just no comparison, truly.
This, in addition to the free access to the cultivation technique depository of the federal army, almost drove those who hesitated to join mad with envy. Sure, those who didn't place high on the rankings will only get access to the first sections, but that's already better than nothing.
Don't forget that this reward also comes with an army position. So long as they accumulate enough merits, the federal army wouldn't prevent them from exchanging for the rest of their chosen techniques.
And this was all given to those who just made it into the final round. Those who competed for higher rankings received even richer rewards.
Aside from the Essence Soul, Cultivation Technique, and residence at the Law Communion Hall, the top 10 will also be given a Growth Artifact personally made by Cedric.
He already asked each one of them to submit their requests to him, saying that they shouldn't hold back and be as detailed as they could since whatever artifact he makes for them will accompany them for a very long time.
But even after he told them this and had given them enough time to think, some still said that they'd be fine with whatever, which certainly defeats the purpose of him asking for their opinion.
Well, there's nothing he could do about this. He could only try his best to satisfy these people. After all, this additional reward was something that he added himself. He didn't even inform the High Marshals about it.
"Let's see..."
Cedric was in the forge right now. He's sitting in front of his workbench with several stacks of blueprints laid out. His hands turned into a blur as he designed the artifacts he planned for the top rankers. He was already done with those who were undecided; he's just finalizing the design for those who had a preferred option.
"Christopher Miles asked for a defensive artifact. He said either an armor or a shield would do. I thought he'd ask for a new spear, but it turns out that the one he's using is a family heirloom and is already a growing artifact."
"Well, let's give him a full set of armor, one that will enhance his physical attributes and increase his explosive strength and endurance."
"Rachel Summers asked for a weapon. Because of her class, Psionic Master, she couldn't think of an exact image of a weapon that suits her perfectly."
"Hmm...based on her performance, she doesn't follow the typical fighting style of either warriors or mages. She mainly focuses on controlling matter and psychological forces; she's also decent at both melee and ranged combat."
"A psychic orb will do just fine," Cedric muttered to himself as his hands blurred on the blueprint. "This orb will function like play dough for her. It could turn into sharp or blunt objects with a single thought. It will also function as a focus for her psionic force, like wands to wizards and staffs to mages. This should give her finer control over her power."
He pretended to not hear the mental conversation they were having, and thank God he could skillfully control his expressions; otherwise, she might've caught on.
No, it's not like she didn't improve socially. Her strange behavior was due to an entirely different reason.
"Ugh, stop it, Cedric. Focus!"
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"Anyway, Isabella didn't have any requirements at all. She just merely told me to surprise her with whatever I could come up with."
"Whew! Girl, you're making this complicated for me."
"Whatever, I'll see what I can do."
Cedric got rid of any distracting thoughts and began taking out the materials he'd need to create the artifacts he promised.
Honestly, he could just ask either Rocky or Granitas to do this for him. While they might be golems, they also have other skills. However, he did say that he would personally create the artifacts for them, so he'll stick with it.
Otherwise, Acala might just feel mischevious and casually reveal his laziness in the description for each item. That would be bad for his reputation.
As Cedric worked on artifacts, he briefly scanned the continent and discovered that the finalists are currently perusing the federal depository, choosing their cultivation techniques according to their promised level of rewards.
He also discovered that Eon, the Law Communion Hall Grand Elder, had already finished the new residence for the finalists. Now, he's just connecting each one to allow the raw Concept Laws to flow within the residential chambers to have them ready for use.
Meanwhile, the High Marshals as well as the other important people of the federal army gathered in the meeting hall within the Federal Headquarters. Each one looked solemn and dignified; it's as if they were about to discuss something that would determine the future of humanity.
The meeting hall became silent. It's as if they're waiting for something to happen and wouldn't start unless the signal was given.
Cedric blinked, then concentrated his voice into a thin line and sent it there without leaving the forge or pausing his actions. His voice then echoed around the corners of the meeting hall.
"Go on with your discussion. I'll be listening."
And as it turns out, this was exactly what they were waiting for. Nobody minded the fact that Cedric didn't appear personally to say this; they just readily accepted it and proceeded with the meeting.
Raven Armstrong stood tall on the podium and announced:
"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe it's time for us to begin our plans to reclaim the Lost Continent."