Pillar of Yita

The livestream was still engulfed in a heated discussion until suddenly, someone asked:

”Hold on, is anyone calculating the points?”

”Points, what points?”

”The average score, the effective scores of the two teams.”

”What’s there to calculate, there’s no way it could...”

Most people suddenly fell silent.

Everyone typing in front of their screens suddenly seemed possessed, simultaneously pulling out paper—or opening calculation software. They quickly jotted down on light screens, on scratch paper:

Ignore the highest score for both teams.

In the first round, Elite scored 91 points, Raganrok scored 80.5 points.

In the third round, Elite scored 92.4 points, Raganrok scored 97.3 points.

In the fourth round, Elite scored 90 points, Raganrok scored 97.7 points.

At this point, people instinctively paused their pens, most raising their heads slowly to gaze at the scores on the screen with incredulous expressions. This was a simple calculation, simple enough for many to quickly deduce the answer through mental math:

Ignoring the highest score of 96.1 points, Elite’s scores are 91, 92.4, and 90 points, resulting in a final effective score of 91.1 points. Meanwhile, Raganrok’s scores, ignoring the highest score of 98.6 points, are 80.5, 97.3, and 97.7, averaging 91.8 points.

When these two sets of numbers came together, many instinctively felt bewildered——

As if their thinking had suddenly become sluggish, causing them to unintentionally overlook an important fact——what do these two losses ultimately mean for Elite?

Truthfully speaking, under this difficulty level, aside from the final result, Elite’s scores were impressive. Yet all this couldn’t bridge the chasm between the two cold numbers.

91.1 and 91.8.

Just a difference of one decimal point, yet at this moment, it was enough to rewrite all results.

Even if this result is so incredible.

Did Raganrok eliminate Elite?

It was like a bombshell exploded in the livestream, scattering all bullet comments, leaving silence in its wake. The commentator opened his mouth several times, but it was a guest who cleared his throat, smoothing over the situation:

”Truly... a bit unexpected...”

But it’s more than just unexpected.

The Stray Horse was actually the first to calculate the result, but he didn’t announce it in his own livestream——

He wasn’t physically at the competition site.

Nor was he in Fanric.

He was simply amidst a forested area, silently setting down his quill and looking wistfully at the crystal image——at Fang Hong standing amidst the crowd. There, the young man was looking up at the scoreboard with a mature smile, lightly breathing a sigh of relief.

For some reason.

The Stray Horse recalled Elpaxin’s competition.

He was the first among everyone to understand this point, who was truly the one creating miracles?

Fanric, the square was gradually quieting down.

The group from Eis were also looking up at this scene, exchanging glances with disbelief.

”Did they really win?”

They kept asking around.

”How is this possible, they weren’t that strong when we competed!”

”This is too cunning, they held back!”

But within the team.

Only that tall young man, cradling the Omnipotent Plugin, was watching the projection in the sky——completely still.

There, amidst the drifting light and shadow, the beauty of Alchemy was unfolding poetically——simplified to its extreme formula——yet complicated to its extreme process, their final crystallization, like a sparkling supreme crown.

Extreme value.

But it wasn’t a coincidence.

He suddenly took bold steps forward.

”Captain?”

Leaving behind a crowd of puzzled people

...

In the private box, a pin-drop silence pervaded.

Phales quietly glanced at the light pages, flipping them open one by one, covering and uncovering them again. He lifted his head, eyes filled with a sense of strangeness and disbelief.

”So, can someone tell me this is just a coincidence?” A senior craftsman watched this scene, shaking his head with a smile he couldn’t hold back.

In front of him was also a piece of paper.

On the thin form, it clearly stated:

First round of sea selection competition, Engraved Array, score 98.5.

Second round of sea selection competition, Purification of Materials, score 98.5.

...

All the way to the second round of pre-selection, Plugin Creation, score 98.5.

Identical numbers made him look over multiple times to ensure he wasn’t mistaken. Not only him, but in the big private box, it was silent except for the sound of pages turning——no one announced the result of the game outside.

People seemed to forget about this matter.

The Old Speaker also had a piece of paper in front of him, looking at it and shaking his head with a smile:

”This little guy is truly an all-rounder.”

On that paper, it was written:

Quarterfinals, Crystal Creation, score 98.6.

Pointing at that score, he couldn’t stop himself from smiling and asking: ”Everyone, guess what this extra 0.1 point is about?”

His snowy white eyebrows gathered into an arched shape, teasingly saying: ”The young man is quite alert——”

The crowd burst into laughter.

——But it’s a pity his mind couldn’t turn quick enough.

Ande looked towards the sky, reminding himself in his heart that he absolutely couldn’t admit that this was his jinxed student——but as he turned to look, Phales was twirling his pointed beard, giving him a peculiar look.

”Do you believe it’s a coincidence?” The Dwarf Guild President turned and asked the others.

”Unless he’s the illegitimate child of the Goddess of Luck.”

Amongst the followers of Modaira in the hall, they were instantly furious: ”Damn, saying that will make the Deity curse you!”