Chapter 97: Blackfire

……

"OH! My god, lucky Amo, are you planning to keep this damn luck of yours all the way to the finals?"

William Jacques held his head in his hands, feeling despair: "First round, opponent's armor breaks, then three full rounds of no combat! Shit, I think you must have been kissed by the goddess of luck this month. Unbelievable, I must be dreaming right now."

The two coaches present, along with the other students, were all looking at Li Mochen as if he were not human.

The latter just shrugged, indicating his innocence.

It had been over a month since he made his wish to the 'Divine Sky Spirit Luck Purple Gold Pagoda' in the Primordial Dome Realm, and by today it should have long expired.

So this was most likely the work of the Nathan Sports Group—Li Mochen didn't know how they managed it, but he could only hope that the Nathan Group's people did it legally and didn't harm his opponents.

Li Mochen didn't wait long; a coach sent by Louise Linden to gather information soon returned with the answer.

"This Isolt was poached by a school on the West Coast two days ago. They not only offered him the best scholarship but also promised to recommend him for admission to Stanford."

At that, the group began to buzz with discussion again.

"How is that possible? This guy is already in eleventh grade, right? What can they do with him after poaching him? Compete for two semesters?"

"I heard Isolt is quite talented in swordsmanship, but only average in cultivation talent, so he's still only Level 4."

"Not sure, but I guess they always have their reasons."

"Look at this guy's dogshit luck, and I was hoping to see him make a fool of himself today."

"It's a good thing for the club, though. Our chances of accumulating team battle points are getting better."

William Jacques didn't speak this time; he directly touched Li Mochen's hand. The latter shuddered and shot him a sharp look: "What are you doing?"

"Rubbing off some luck."

William replied frankly: "The coach said my opponent this time is about my strength, and it's a fifty-fifty match."

Li Mochen curled his lip, then slung his sword bag over his back and walked familiarly toward the podium. Just as he reported to the tournament committee staff and was about to leave, a group of people carrying cameras and microphones surrounded him.

"Excuse me, are you Andre? I'm a reporter from the Atlanta Sports Weekly. Could you spare some time for an interview?"

"Hello, Andre, I'm from the Atlanta Daily Telegraph. I'd like to ask, how do you feel about your good luck? According to what we've gathered, after your surprisingly lucky victory in the first round, you haven't stepped onto the platform for three rounds, right? Either you got a bye, or your opponents had accidents?"

"Just one more round and you'll enter the top sixty-four. Andre, do you think your luck will continue?"

"I hear your schoolmates call you 'Lucky Andre,' is that right?"

Li Mochen showed no surprise; Carl Holton had already mentioned it. The Nathan Sports Group would arrange promotional resources for him at the right time and generate public attention by creating controversy.

And for this situation, Carl Holton had taught him how to respond—

Li Mochen put on a straight face and faced the reporters: "Sorry, I don't have time for individual interviews. Since you're asking, I'll say a few words here. First, my first round was no accident; I defeated my opponent through my own strength, and the Nathan Sports Group's armor didn't malfunction. Second, I don't think the following rounds were luck; no matter who the opponent is, I'm confident I can beat them. In fact, I believe those two opponents were no match for me. I am determined to win this city MOS championship."

William Jacques happened to be nearby and, upon hearing this, let out a 'whoa' of incredulous amazement.

This BUDDY of his really knew how to shock with his words; he could brag without batting an eye. William almost believed him.

The reporters were also momentarily stunned, then burst into an uproar.

……

"So, you don't have to fight this round either?"

An hour later, outside Ghost City in the Dark World, Elisa spoke in disbelief: "My god, I really feel like you must be the goddess of luck's illegitimate son."

She and Li Mochen were sitting in a modified Varyag armored off-road vehicle. They were in the driver and passenger seats, with Qi Tai and Brent Goodman as bodyguards in the back.

The vehicle was rented at a high price, not only to accommodate Li Mochen's two attendants but also to carry more supplies and loot.

This Varyag 'Berserker' had a top speed of 290 kilometers per hour, with superb mobility and defense. It could float ten kilometers in the air and withstand attacks from two Level 11 magical creatures without damage. It also had a cargo capacity of seven tons and was equipped with a heavy magical machine gun on top.

"It has nothing to do with luck; someone must have done something off the field."

Li Mochen looked out the window casually: "The Nathan Sports Group wants me to defeat James Lanster, last year's Atlanta High School MOS individual runner-up. Before that, they want to hype up my 'luck.'"

"I get it!"

Elisa's face lit up with understanding: "So, next week's match, you might win without fighting again?"

"I don't know, maybe?"

Li Mochen shrugged and asked back: "Elisa, do you think I need to care? I'm more curious about where you plan to go today."

Elisa pressed the accelerator speechlessly. Li Mochen's words were infuriating, but she knew he wasn't really arrogant.

"We're going to the Blackfire Wasteland this time, the place I mentioned before. That's where the real money is."

Actually, she had planned this since last week. With Li Mochen now possessing the 'Holy Thunder Judgment' and top-tier armor, she felt confident.

And with the two bodyguards in the back seat, she felt even more at ease. She thought that no matter how bad things got, they had backup. Their current strength was equivalent to a small hunting party; as long as they didn't provoke too powerful magical creatures, safety wasn't a concern.

Behind Elisa, Qi Tai and Brent Goodman exchanged glances, their eyes showing caution.

The Blackfire Wasteland—that was no good place. It was the largest gathering ground for magical creatures around Ghost City, and legend had it that even demons appeared there.

But after a moment's hesitation, Qi Tai suppressed the urge to advise against it. It was out of confidence in his own strength; he and Brent together were capable of entering the outskirts of the Blackfire Wasteland. And the armored off-road vehicle they were riding in was sturdy enough.