Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Frenzied Popularity and the Director’s Commission
Although Wang Ming had already told Shen Sui that there would be many spectators for this duel, Shen Sui was still taken aback when he arrived at the venue.
The certified duel only allows about twenty spectators to register for attendance, but more than a hundred people had gathered outside the venue, holding flags and light signs, their faces filled with anticipation and excitement.
You have to know, the entire Tianyi Academy only has three hundred students.
Although the density of this crowd was far less than that of the Tianyi Academy’s duel exam day, it was still unexpected for a regular certified duel to attract such a number of spectators.
"Hey, hey, hey! Feng Lindu is here! It’s Feng Lindu!"
Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted, and the whole crowd became noisy. Even though the security guards tried their best to stop them, they couldn’t resist the enthusiasm of the crowd.
Following these people’s gazes, Shen Sui saw a plainly dressed man with a weary smile waving at his fans.
"Go! Teach that arrogant woman from the Yang Family a good lesson in the finals!" someone in the crowd shouted.
Looking at the lively crowd, Shen Sui suddenly felt that he, the protagonist of this certified duel, was somewhat superfluous.
"Does Feng Lindu really have so many fans?" Shen Sui asked incredulously.
"Yeah. You have to know, in Class B competitions, it’s been a long time since a non-clan participant reached the finals. The spectators have been long weary of the clans, and finally, there’s Feng Lindu, who has a chance at winning, so they support him fiercely," Wang Ming said enviously, watching Feng Lindu surrounded by the crowd.
"I thought today’s audiences are more interested in overseas competitions," Shen Sui said, recalling the discussions he had seen in the tournament forums, many of which were about foreign leagues.
"If the local competitions are interesting, of course, the audience would prefer to support them," Wang Ming said, "After all, domestic competitions are more convenient to watch live. The experience of watching on-site and live streaming is entirely different."
Shen Sui could actually understand this mindset, wishing if only the national football team were more competent....
Wang Ming led Shen Sui through a small path, bypassing the crowd.
The buildings of Tianyi Academy are very exquisite, but unfortunately, because there is only one class of students at the moment, they appear somewhat sparse and deserted.
Shen Sui walked with Wang Ming through the corridor with full air conditioning, and he asked in confusion, "Isn’t Feng Lindu preparing for the finals? How did he become my certified duel coach?"
"Professional players are paid to register under Duel Academy. Many professional Life Card Masters from common families choose to register in Duel Academy, but of course, the academy doesn’t just take in any professional player," Wang Ming explained, "Since they’re registered, they are obligated to fulfill their duties as a coach when necessary. After the Exploration Bureau adopted the professional certification system, certified duels became part of the coach’s duties. It seems your luck is a bit off, drawing him as your coach."
"Alright. This is the place." Wang Ming arrived at the door of a duel classroom and knocked on the door, "You can go in now."
With that, he turned and left.
This is a duel classroom similar to the one used for the duel exam, with the duel stage on the podium and light-yellow desks and chairs below.
On the other side of the big door, security had not yet allowed in the reserved audience, but there were already people inside the classroom.
A white-haired old man wearing a plain gray shirt with sleeves and collar slightly faded from repeated washing.
"Hello, Shen Sui," the white-haired old man stood up upon seeing Shen Sui and extended his hand to him, "I am Wu Ziqin, the director of the Modu Exploration Bureau. It’s a pleasure to meet you."
Director of the Exploration Bureau, a big shot!
Shen Sui was slightly stunned and politely extended his hand as well.
"No need to be nervous," Wu Ziqin glanced at his watch and smiled, "I’m just a spectator today. There’s some time before the duel, and I have some things I want to discuss with you. I heard your Soul Card World is World No. 1?"
"Ah? Yes," Shen Sui wasn’t surprised that the other party knew his Soul Card World.
"I have several exploration missions for World No. 1, but I haven’t been able to find suitable candidates. I hope you can help the Exploration Bureau gather some intelligence in World No. 1," Wu Ziqin said, "Rest assured, these missions come with rewards. If you can collect relevant intelligence for us, for the next year, all your tournament winnings will be tax-free."
Saying this, Wu Ziqin took out a task contract, white paper with black writing, very official.
Shen Sui didn’t mind helping the authorities a bit, especially since Wu Ziqin’s attitude unexpectedly won him over.
If you want me to do something, first talk about the rewards, then the contributions.
"Whoa! A million?" Shen Sui picked up the contract, dumbfounded. Did he misread the numbers, "What is this?"
"An additional bonus after completing the mission," Wu Ziqin said, "Issued after the intelligence is verified and confirmed along with information from other Soul Cards in World No. 1. If your intelligence is detailed and accurate enough, I can apply for a higher bonus for you, but I hope you act within your capabilities, especially since the Souls in World No. 1 aren’t easy to survive."
Each year, the state’s exploration budget for the Soul Card World starts at three trillion. Part of it flows into the professional Life Card Master system as monthly stipends, another part is allocated to the Exploration Bureau for monitoring various Soul Card Worlds and seeking new technologies for conversion in these worlds, with the rest mostly invested in Soul Card technology conversion, thus cultivating a group of wealthy scientists.
"Alright.... What about this tax-free part?"
"That’s the compensation for taking on the mission. After all, you are not an internal staff, we can’t just make you work for free," Wu Ziqin explained gently, without any pretense of authority.
"It seems this intelligence is very important," Shen Sui said, "Otherwise, you wouldn’t come to me personally. Isn’t my coach also from World No. 1? Her Soul Card is quite strong there, why not ask her?"
"I don’t think she can mobilize Isabella to do the job," Wu Ziqin surprisingly knew Isabella’s name, "Of course, I’m not forcing you to accept this mission. Coming to you is rather like grasping at straws, but this intelligence is crucial for us. If not investigated thoroughly, World No. 1 might completely slip out of our control."
"Huh? Did something happen there?" Shen Sui wondered, "It’s been pretty peaceful lately."
Wu Ziqin displayed a bitter smile: "World No. 1 has never been peaceful. This time, there seem to be a series of major events occurring there, and we must understand the reasons behind them. After all, we’ve already sacrificed seventeen agents’ Soul Cards for this. That’s World No. 1, and few Soul Cards have survived from the entire Huaxia Exploration Bureau. In just one month, we lost half. First, several Soul Cards mysteriously died from the wrath of the Gods, and nearly ten Soul Cards died in a bloody war. But until now, we still haven’t figured out why the Gods were enraged or how the war started...."
Shen Sui suddenly had a bad premonition.
He opened the contract to take a look.
Task 1: Investigate the intelligence related to the destruction of the City of Sin.
Task 2: Investigate the intelligence related to the Error War in Paiyiga City.