The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　Or perhaps she had already registered for the competition, and leading the team was just a side job.

　Dark had intended to walk straight to the professors and ask them directly. But as soon as he reached the square, he was stopped by the third-year students and had no choice but to go with them.

　In any case, once we arrive in the City of Freedom, we'll know whether Professor Jones has signed up or not.

　In any case, Professor Lily, Professor Cazell, and Harvey have all signed up. Although Professor Mitia did not sign up, she will also be going to the City of Freedom. She will also be in charge of the spell barrier of the dueling arena and help guide the "Summoning Ritual".

　To Dark's surprise, Eudora was also by her side. Eudora hadn't indicated she wanted to participate at last night's "pledge rally." It seemed she was probably there to learn from Professor Mitia. Although Dark was pulled into the group of third-year students, her gaze kept drifting towards the professors.

　He saw Professor Cazell and Professor Harvey, as well as Ergane walking beside them, and Sherry and Lillian chatting and laughing with her.

　But he knew that Sherry hadn't signed up for the competition, and Sister Lillian was probably accompanying him as the school doctor—in reality, they were going to visit the City of Freedom!

　Looking further to the side, you can also see Hephaestus Doragon and Ophelia Brad.

　Dak didn't know if they had signed up, but the professor leading the team always needed a few assistants.

　Hephaestus and Ophelia would probably also like to go to the stadium to cheer on their children.

　In short, both Pandora and Witt signed up.

　Senior Pandora did not return to school, but there was a message that she would go directly to the City of Freedom.

　Witt Gaudé not only registered himself, but he also brought Robert along. While it's unclear what Robert will do at the World Cup, if it's just...

　In the preliminary rounds, he might find a few magic masters even less skilled than himself. (After all, the preliminary rounds have almost no entry requirements. And this time, the preliminary rounds have a new red dot system to guarantee a minimum score.)

　If he's lucky, even Robert might have a chance to win a game or two and earn some "god credit".

　That's probably the only benefit Darko can think of for participating in the World Cup.

　However, there are quite a few new faces among the students who signed up for the World Cup this time.

　It's clear that the changes from the early Age of Gods are also evident in this academy. Hopefully, we'll see more newcomers excel on the world stage.

　Dak's gaze gradually shifted from those familiar and unfamiliar faces, slowly blending into the student group.

　At 5:45, all participants had assembled.

　Professor Sylph waved her hand slightly, and a gust of wind rose from beneath their feet, carrying them out of the barrier, into the town, and to the station.

　At 5:55, everyone boarded the magic train.

　At six o'clock sharp, the magical train carrying students and professors headed towards the City of Freedom.

　The students sitting in the carriage were either talking in hushed tones or looking out the window. Some were excited, some were anxious, and some looked sleepy because they hadn't had enough sleep.

　Half an hour after we set off, fewer people started talking, and more people started sleeping with their heads up or buried in their sleep.

　Dark sat in the four-seater carriage, with Aurora next to him, and Diana and Rose opposite him. The little Guhuoniao was lying sprawled on the table.

　Thunder Chick and Flower Fairy clung to the window, gazing longingly at the scenery outside.

　Diana and Rose were reading, while Aurora was communicating with the fairies. Dark, on the other hand, had his eyes closed, channeling his spiritual power into magic cards, communicating heart-to-heart with the magical fairies.

　He discovered early on that doing so would help deepen the "bond".

　But now that he has developed a genuine affection for the magical spirits, he naturally doesn't like keeping them locked up in a "prison," so he rarely uses this method.

　However, with the World Cup just around the corner, deepening the "bond" is beneficial for improving teamwork.

　Traditional duelists improve their proficiency in controlling magical spirits through mechanical repetition, thereby developing a fighting synergy.

　But Darko took a different path from the very beginning. He hardly did any repetitive practice.

　This is what makes the Mind Magic system so excellent.

　Currently, deepening "bonds" and enhancing mental strength also helps increase the possibility of Mega Evolution for Pokémon-type Magical Pokémon.

　and so……

　This trip to the City of Freedom marks another moment of revelry for the "Cosmic Brain Monster"!

　The mages participating in the World Cup must all need a heart that is brave and fearless in the face of difficulties!

　Dark had a feeling that even if he didn't gain anything from this World Cup duel challenge, it wouldn't matter to him at all.

　The "taxes" paid by the "Cosmic Brain Beast" were enough for him to throw a huge party.

　A twelve-hour journey might be a bit long for people who are used to high-speed rail, but for people around the world... it's still a long time.

　The students' excitement and anxiety were quickly worn down by the long journey.

　The journey on the magical train gradually became tedious. It wasn't until lunchtime that the students seemed to suddenly come alive and headed to the cafeteria.

　Then the magic train finally left the last city before the City of Freedom and entered the boundless wilderness.

　Beside the magic train appeared the Magic Knights, a protective order formed by the Magic Alliance to guard the wilderness.

　The team consists entirely of mages, each of whom has undergone special combat training. They include both humans and demi-humans, forming a mixed group. However, they are not entirely affiliated with the Magic Alliance.

　The vast majority of magic knights are loyal to their respective countries and only come to the Magic Alliance to work.

　The main responsibility of the Magic Knights is to lead adventurers to eliminate monsters around the railway and protect the trains.

　After extensive publicity, the Magic Knights have become a new idol for young people in major media outlets and newspapers.

　More and more people want to become archmages.

　Compared to magicians, the entry requirements for archmages are actually not very high.

　Even those without much talent have the opportunity to learn how to use one-star and two-star magic cards.

　Generally, these low-star, low-level magic cards are not restricted by "mind locks" and can be used as soon as they are obtained.

　Therefore, magical techniques have the potential to become widespread in daily life. If you simply want to become a registered mage or a level 1 mage, you can always succeed through diligent study.

　Don't underestimate one-star and two-star magic cards just because they are low-level and weak. Some special magic cards have very useful functions.

　Applying those low-star magic cards to jobs outside of magic will definitely make the work of various professions more convenient and efficient.

　This will greatly enhance social productivity.

　Furthermore, with the arrival of the Age of Gods, a large number of ruins were unearthed, and plants and animals mutated, greatly increasing the resources needed to become a mage.

　One of the major problems in popularizing magic was the lack of resources. Mages needed to concentrate resources to train higher-level and more powerful mages to deal with the threat from the demons.

　However, as the number of available resources increases, the resource problem is naturally solved.

　The last hurdle to popularizing magic has also been removed.

　Principal Art was very enthusiastic about promoting this.

　I heard that she is already organizing various countries to open more civilian magic academies in their countries.

　This also serves another purpose: to discover and better identify talent. (These are the messages.)

　The more Dak listened, the more excited he became about the future.

　He also built the Magic City for scientific research purposes, in order to develop magic technology and benefit the people... Although his starting point may not be to benefit the people, the final result will most likely lead to benefiting the people.

　However, the society he envisioned also needed the support of widespread magic. Therefore, he supported Principal Arte's wishes and actions. "Speaking of which, the foundation of the Magic City should already be completed, but I haven't officially gone to inspect it yet."

　Darke's heart skipped a beat as he thought of something. "Let's set it for tomorrow then."

　The City of Magic isn't far from the City of Freedom; it's only a half-hour ride on the "Moon Goddess's Chariot," so a round trip will be quick and won't delay your participation in the World Cup opening ceremony.

　As dusk approached, the afterglow of the setting sun reddened the car windows.

　The magical train from St. Marian Academy to the City of Freedom finally arrived at its destination. Students and professors disembarked one after another and boarded the newly built City of Freedom train station.

　Then, in the blink of an eye, I found myself in a crowded place. A huge number of passengers arrived at the station at the same time.

　Human passengers from the Kingdom of Yunik still made up the majority. However, there were also quite a few demi-humans, clearly orcs, elves, dwarves, and goblins. These races, who used to argue and fight at the first sign of trouble, now resembled commuters getting off the subway, their haste making them oblivious to racial differences, completely disoriented just trying to find the station exit. Although the station walls clearly displayed exit routes in multiple languages, almost no one bothered to read the signs.

　The staff responsible for guiding passengers were so busy that they were often at their wits' end, and occasionally disputes would arise due to communication problems.

　This is when the security guards come in.

　In short, since you can't find the way, I'll help you find it. Just take him out, and that's it.

　After a while, Dak and the others finally emerged from the station exit. The students, who had been holding their breath, took a deep breath and were immediately stunned by the night view of the Free City.

　In preparation for the World Cup, Liberty City has invested heavily in urban development. In particular, the maintenance of nighttime security and the organization of nighttime entertainment have given the city the potential to become a "city of the night."

　At night, the streets are ablaze with lights and bustling activity.

　The station exit was lined with horse-drawn carriages of varying quality, much like the rickshaws in Dak's memory.

　team.

　The students were drawn to the luxurious carriages, which resembled princesses' rides, and many girls were eager to try them out.

　But soon a welcoming party from St. Mary's College came from the side, holding up signs.

　Their schedule for tonight was already booked.

　St. Maryann's College has booked a hotel in the main city of the Free City for tonight's stay.

　After registering and taking attendance at the hotel, the professors would let them out. However, they were only allowed to wander around the busy street where the hotel was located.

　That was the busiest neighborhood in Liberty City, where you could buy almost anything you wanted in Liberty City.

　Tomorrow, they will be taken to the city center of Duel City and put up in a newly built hotel in Duel City.

　However, once Darke arrived here, it was time for him to part ways with them.

　After reporting to Professor Jones, he took Aurora, Diana, and Rose and boarded a luxurious carriage to the city lord's mansion.

　Soon, they arrived at the city lord's mansion.

　The mansion was bustling with noise, as if a banquet was being held.

　With a few inquiries, Dak learned that the city lord's mansion had been hosting banquets every night to entertain important figures from all over the continent who came to watch the competition.

　This World Cup is not only the largest event in recent years, but also a performance that will surely be recorded in history.

　Those important figures, sensing the allure of being recorded in history books, traveled great distances just to have their names inscribed in those books.

　“Since Aunt Suna is busy, let’s take care of ourselves.” Dark smiled slightly, then went to the guest room to put down his luggage before leaving the city lord’s mansion with the three girls.

　Tonight is my first time in the city of freedom, so I'll focus on relaxing.

　They also arrived at the busiest street and bumped into the students of St. Mary's College. Everyone chatted and laughed, playing around, with laughter and joy filling the air.

　Passing by a clothing store, Dak went inside to buy children's clothes for his little aunt, dressing her up beautifully.

　Although the little Guhuoniao is capable of transforming into a human, it is mischievous by nature and has no desire to take human form.

　However, little girls are like this: as long as you dress them up in pretty princess dresses and little red shoes, and make them look super cute, you can restrain their nature and turn them into humans.

　Dark looked at the little Guhuoniao after she put on her beautiful clothes. Sure enough, she became reserved, and Dark couldn't help but smile knowingly.

　Dealing with a little girl is a piece of cake for Darkdemon!

Chapter 1483 The World Cup Duel Challenge Grand Opening (4k)

　Shopping, buying clothes, and having dinner together.

　Dak casually continued doing the above-mentioned things with the girls until nine o'clock in the evening before returning to the city lord's mansion.

　The banquet in the manor had ended, and Lord Suna Montilfali was waiting in the reception room.

　Dak and his companions went straight to the reception room to greet the city lord. But as soon as they opened the door, someone rushed at them.

　Dark instinctively assumed a defensive stance, but the figure flashed past him and then embraced Aurora.

　It turned out to be Nix, who had returned to the City of Freedom ahead of schedule.

　The temple in the City of Freedom has been completed, and Nix descended as a true god, reaping a huge wave of faith.

　The reason it went so smoothly was because she was not a god who appeared out of thin air.

　The evil calamities that occurred around Christmas have become widely known after a month or two of fermentation.

　Through manipulation of public opinion, Nix has become the true god who destroys evil gods and protects the city of freedom.

　Coupled with her hybrid human and snake-like appearance during public appearances, she quickly became a guardian deity in the hearts of the mixed-race people within just a few days.

　It is said that there are even mixed-race people crowdfunding to build a giant serpent god statue in the largest square in the Free City.

　But the temple's flourishing development has brought hardship to Nix.

　She knew absolutely nothing about those mystical things; all she wanted was to finish this unpleasant job as quickly as possible and fly back to Aurora's side.

　Dark sat down in the reception room and curiously inquired about the temple. Lord Suna Montilfali then began to recount the story with a touch of pride. "This world, after all, still believes in God."