Chapter 227: The Treasure Hunt Concludes
Fortunately, they obtained the Occupied Treasure without any damage and safely escaped danger. Although they were admonished, they could still continue to participate in the treasure hunt.
Of course, the treasure hunt didn't last much longer.
But in a place like this, simply wandering around could net hundreds of millions in resources, so Mo Fan naturally wouldn't leave just yet.
Aileen was the same.
So, they continued their search, but Mo Fan never mentioned the matter of the Occupied Treasure.
He had already gained a lot, and it wasn't appropriate to announce his good fortune when he should be quietly getting rich.
Of course, after that, they acquired another six hundred million in resources, and then the treasure hunt concluded.
When the treasure hunt entered the ranking compilation phase, Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue immediately began their closed-door cultivation.
The second round of the World Academy Competition ended, leading to the final decisive battle, which was relatively simple and brutal.
The students would compete against each other to determine the final champion, with the top three receiving incredibly generous rewards.
The Great Xia Team successfully advanced in the treasure hunt competition; Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue alone had already acquired enough resources, not to mention the others.
And the treasure designated as the Battlefield Treasure in this session was not unearthed by any National Government Team, which was good news for every country.
As the World Academy Competition was in full swing, with the whole world watching which country and which student would triumph, a faith-like election was also held in the Acropolis of Athens, the capital of Greece.
The position of the Parthenon Temple Goddess had been vacant for a long time. The Parthenon Temple, having lost its healing divine power and suffering a decline in prestige in recent years, hoped to quickly cultivate a new Goddess who would be beloved by the people and make the Parthenon Temple a source of pride for the entire world!
Immediately after the treasure hunt ended, it was precisely the Parthenon Temple's grand election.
This election was only the first round, and it would select four of the most beloved Holy Maidens from the candidates. Although the Parthenon Temple's elections had never been open to the public, countless devout male and female believers still waited faithfully at the foot of the divine mountain for the results, firmly believing that the candidate who had bestowed blessings upon them would win and be the choice of all...
The election results were announced at sunset. The Holy Maidens who were elected were Andrea, who had the highest popular vote; Panijia, who was a few years older; Asha蕊雅, the most respected disciple of the previous generation's Great Sage; and Ye Xin Xia, who made people all over the world drop their jaws, as it was unknown how she became a candidate, and even more unknown how she achieved fourth place in popularity.
Mo Fan was aware of Xin Xia's situation.
Xin Xia was also worried, and Mo Fan simply told her not to be afraid, as he was there for her.
And then, during the interlude of the World Academy Competition, another world-shattering piece of news suddenly spread!
When it reached Venice, it made the entire City boil with excitement!
That was the death of Holy Maiden Andrea.
Of course, although this matter shocked the world, it did not directly affect the World Academy Tournament.
The grand finals were still being prepared.
The format of the grand decisive battle was different from the previous elimination matches. Although it was still a team battle, countries could substitute players during the confrontation.
The total number of people on the field remained ten, but once a student was eliminated or defeated, the academies of each country could immediately send a student into the field, maintaining a five-person team.
There were limits to substitutions; each country was only allowed three substitutions, which meant that a total of 8 players from both sides would participate in the grand decisive battle. This greatly tested the overall strength of a country's students, as for a team with ten academy members, 8 players participating meant that almost everyone would be on the field.
This was the most effective combat method to test the strength of each country, while also allowing for many different combinations and pairings, testing each country's application and coordination of different magic elements.
And as the final decisive battle of the World Academy Tournament opened, the matter of Andrea gradually faded from people's minds. The small taverns throughout Venice hung portraits of the members of each country's academy, listing the students' strength rankings.
This strength ranking was naturally measured by their performance in the previous elimination and treasure hunt rounds. Unsurprisingly, Mo Fan was ranked first by these busybodies.
Because Mo Fan's two Summoning beasts alone were an almost insurmountable benchmark among the students!
Coupled with Mo Fan's overwhelmingly powerful Fire Element, there was no doubt about this ranking whatsoever.
As for those ranked lower, Mo Fan had no interest in knowing, because he was already almost entirely aware of them.
And what they had to do next was wait for the day of the finals.
Mo Fan's income, apart from purchasing resources for Mu Ningxue, was not used for himself.
Because he planned to double his money significantly!
Egypt, this dark horse, was undoubtedly a huge asset for him.
Early in the morning, Venice's ancient and majestic bells rang out, awakening the people of this Mediterranean City from their peaceful dreams.
After the bells, there was a series of Italian Renaissance-style music, clear and melodious. Listening to these melodies made the air feel exceptionally fresh.
At the hour, the grand decisive battle's opening ceremony officially began. Eight countries that performed outstandingly in the Battlefield Treasure Hunt stood in rows in the center of an incredibly vast and spectacular Venetian Colosseum. Eight colors, eight races, surrounded, embraced, and cheered by tens of thousands of people.
Eight teams, totaling around one hundred people. Although there were also very excellent students among the eliminated National Government Teams, eliminated meant eliminated. In terms of future prestige and social influence, they could not compare to the hundred people currently on the field.
Strength is something that, in different situations, environments, and against different opponents, often varies little. In such circumstances, opportunity and glory often completely outdistance rivals of the same level.
On the opening day, there would be a total of four matches. Basically, all eight countries would be showcased on this day, and then tomorrow's matches, also four, would be determined based on the win-loss relationships.
There was no elimination per se, but the true champion country would ultimately be determined by the win-loss relationships!
Before the matches began, Feng Li naturally spoke about some matters.
Since the World Academy Competition is the only openly held large-scale magical duel globally, it naturally relates to the allocation of rare resources that are difficult to divide equally but must be distributed.
With demons rampant and humans confined to Cities, resources are extremely limited. For certain rare but crucial resources, powerful nations cannot simply seize them through hegemony; they need a suitable reason, a seemingly fair, just, and civilized method.
This method is to let the strength of the academy students speak for itself—this is the original origin of the World Academy Competition!
Rankings are very important; they affect whether rare resources can be obtained and influence the distribution of international resources. Even if a country gains one more A-grade magic stone mine, the magical energy can allow that country to build one more City or a large fortress. If it obtains another awakened stone mountain, the annual mining output can allow that country to produce tens of thousands of mages. Regardless of what level these mages ultimately cultivate to, they will greatly enhance the country's strength!
And Great Xia's previous results were not good, but even so, the entire Great Xia has persevered to this day amidst an environment surrounded on all sides by demon races, tribes, and empires!
The reason it has been able to do so is by relying on the sacrifices of a large number of mages. This is also the main reason why Mo Fan still strives for first place, even though the reward for second place would be more important to him personally.