Chapter 229 No One Can Take Away My Bookstore
When William and the others found Zoey, she was still sitting on the bed, looking somewhat dazed, but it was clear she had returned to her normal state.
"Alice, do you think she has been traumatized or shocked by something?" Alice stared at Zoey for a while. Zoey's eyes seemed a bit lost, as if she were pondering some profound thoughts.
William subtly gestured to Alice not to disturb Zoey.
"She might be in a meditative state, possibly on the verge of breaking through her current power level," William speculated.
Having the Warrior God Constitution, Zoey hadn't really met a worthy opponent before. Whenever she engaged in combat, it was basically a one-sided overpowering.
But after her previous battle with Seraphina, where she was completely drained and fainted, her fight with Kyle exhausted her soul energy due to the Cosmic Palm.
Now that her energy has been restored, it's only natural for her to experience a breakthrough in strength.
The two waited in the room for over half an hour. Suddenly, a sharp glint burst from Zoey's eyes, and her surrounding aura surged before quickly retracting.
"Do you need something?" Zoey looked at William and Alice.
William replied, "Isn't the competition for the mystical site supposed to have two participants? I won't be entering, but I'll have Alice represent me."
"Alright, she can work as a temp, $200 for the day." Zoey thought this wage was quite reasonable, considering their salaries weren't that high. As a Director, she only earned $8,000 a month after all.
Alice didn't really care about the salary; she wasn't short of money to begin with. After saving Powell, he essentially gave her most of his wealth. Now, she truly is a little rich lady.
After Zoey stepped outside, she concentrated her inner energy into her palm, shouted, and called out, "Ha!"
Following her shout, a dark handprint suddenly appeared in the void, thunderously crashing down. The ground in front of her exploded, sending white stone debris and dust flying everywhere.
Once everything settled, a half-meter-deep handprint remained.
William slightly narrowed his eyes. Was this a mini version of the Cosmic Palm?
It seemed that Zoey had grasped the essence of the Cosmic Palm and had evolved her own technique.
The move left Alice utterly astonished.
It's important to understand that the boulders on this mountain are incredibly hard.
For an average person, even if they were to strike the ground with an iron rod, the most they would achieve would be a few sparks. Zoey's sudden attack from thin air was completely unexpected and virtually impossible to defend against.
Who could withstand such a palm strike?
However, William saw it differently.
The palm technique he taught Zoey had the power to devastate, especially for the current Soulmancers. Moreover, whenever Zoey executed it, she would deplete nearly all her energy.
By adjusting it to this current level, although the power is much diminished, it's just right.
She truly is a genius!
William couldn't help but wonder, what kind of achievements would Zoey reach if she took him as her master?
Alice was just too slow-witted.
Now that Zoey had agreed to let Alice work as a "temporary member", Alice had the right to represent the 13th Bureau in the battle for the mystical realm.
Together, they went to report to Kyle.
When Kyle saw the two young ladies before him and understood their intent, he couldn't help but caution them, "During the competition, remember to control your power."
"I know," Zoey replied. "I promise not to take any lives."
"That'll suffice," Kyle mumbled.
Considering the power of Zoey's recent palm strike, if it were to land on someone, there's no telling how many would perish. Hearing her promise not to kill, Kyle felt a chill run down his spine.
"Miss Turner, the same goes for you," Kyle warned. He had seen the aftermath on the mountain, especially the part where an arcane pulse had sliced off half of a peak. Just glimpsing at the cleave's sharpness was terrifying.
Such a fierce arcane pulse from someone so young, surely not even a legendary swordsman could match her.
If Alice were to wield her sword and slash down, even Kyle wasn't confident he could block it.
After all, it's a divine sword with its own consciousness, far surpassing Kyle's magical relic. He wondered what kind of fortuitous encounter Alice had to acquire such a formidable weapon.
"Me?" Alice murmured timidly. "I'm just average in strength."
Average? That kind of power is called average?
Kyle said with a hint of resignation, "Just make sure you don't take any lives. It's just a competition for a mystical realm, after all. The 13th Bureau is already dominant; you don't need to prove yourselves anymore. There's genuinely no need to further display your power."
Zoey responded, "Understood! When does the competition begin?"
"Tomorrow at noon. There are ten mystical realms in total. The one you from the 13th Bureau are eyeing is Arcane Village at the foot of Mount Olympus. Only the Lancaster and Nostradamus families will be contesting it with you," Kyle explained. "I presume you won't be vying for any of the other locations?"
"Send me a photo of the places up for contention this time." While Zoey sometimes seemed a bit clueless when handling matters, she also had her team of strategists. She figured sending a photo to the group chat should be straightforward.
The 13th Bureau is a national entity after all, and they are also one of the hosts for this competition, so sharing a photo is entirely reasonable.
Kyle then handed over detailed information about Arcane Village to Zoey, who took a picture with her phone.
To her surprise, many seemed to be contending for Hudson University.
Alice glanced at the photo and frowned.
Both Sofia and Bryant were listed as competitors for her bookstore, Cozy Book Haven!
"Grand Mage, I purchased Cozy Book Haven with my money," Alice said, clearly irritated. "Why are they trying to claim the place I bought?"
Kyle looked at the chart and explained, "According to ancient traditions in the Soulmancer world, mystical realms belong to the strongest. However, to prevent excessive bloodshed over these disputes, the 13th Bureau established a rule: whoever discovers such a realm first claims it."
"But now, with the world's energy being revitalized, and in order to prevent harm to ordinary citizens, this competition has been set up. Even though you bought Cozy Book Haven, since they've registered to compete for it and you're here, it seems a battle is inevitable."
"Bryant!" Alice huffed, "Then I'll fight for Cozy Book Haven."
Kyle narrowed his eyes slightly, asking, "So you mean, the 13th Bureau is contesting for two locations?"
Alice retorted, "Why not? That bookstore is rightfully mine! Does it mean that if they win a match, I'll have to surrender Cozy Book Haven to them?"
"Not exactly," Kyle explained. "According to the rules, you can compete for as many mystical realms as you wish, even all of them. However, each organization can only send two representatives. You want both Arcane Village and Hudson University. Do you think you can handle both battles?" Kyle chuckled, "While both of you are formidable, from what I've heard, Sofia is a demigod. After battling her, do you think you can then take on the Lancaster and Nostradamus families without suffering a loss?"
Kyle was well aware of Zoey and Alice's abilities, but the power of a demigod wasn't to be taken lightly. Aiming for two mystical realms seemed ambitious.
"I don't care about any demigod; that bookstore is mine!" Alice was adamant. She wouldn't give up the bookstore no matter what. "Let's do this: Zoey will compete for Arcane Village, and I'll fight for my bookstore. That should work, right?"
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