Elder Ling picked a grassy spot under a tree for everyone to mentally prepare themselves for the competition, while Cain read the minds of the people around him to find the best option for a snack before the matches.
The most popular answer seemed to be chewy peanut butter rice cakes from a stall not far from where they would be competing, and it was already busy, so Cain flagged down a local kid who was offering guide services and reservations at local restaurants to pick up an order for them.
"Are you partial to those ones? There is another place not far from here that has really good ones as well." The local suggested.
"I just heard that they were good. How much for three dozen?" Cain asked.
"Four silver coins for the large ones, One silver for the small ones, with the delivery fee." The boy answered.
"Here's five coins. Get three dozen of the large ones to us before the ladies finish meditating." Cain instructed, and the boy took off through the crowd.
"That's a lot of money for a snack." Elder Ling whispered.
"It will be fine. He said they are large, so we should have enough for later as well. Having extra snacks helps make friends in the crowd as well." Cain chuckled, knowing that it was a favorite tactic of Luna as well, to simply give snacks to new people that she liked as a peace offering.
It wasn't long before the boy returned with a large bag slung over his shoulder. If those were all snack cakes, Cain had made a minor miscalculation.
The large rice cakes turned out to be actual cakes, the size of a skillet, made of chewy puffed rice.
"Thanks for your business, sir." The boy called after Cain received the pile of puffed rice and goodness, then headed out to look for more customers.
"Here, take half and cut as many as you need up for your disciples. We will be sharing these for a while." Cain told Elder Ling, who only chuckled at his excess as she accepted half of the cakes.
Splitting two of them was enough for her ten disciples, while Cain split one between his followers, and then hid the rest from Luna, who would get too distracted by the presence of food to do anything productive if he didn't.
"Alright everyone, the food is ready, and then we will head back to the arena. Each team can bring an Elder to coach them, so the Outer Disciples will all enter through the competitor's side and wait in the bleachers for our teams to be called. The Inner Disciples will meet with Elder Janice, who is already in line for general admission." Elder Ling informed the group as she started handing out rice cakes.
"Oh, chewy. Alright, now I'm ready to have a good fight." Luna mumbled with her mouth stuffed full.
"See boys, that's the attitude you should have. Don't worry about the big Sects, just focus on your own preparations." An Elder passing by with his group of Outer Disciples said.
"No pressure at all, right Elder? Even if they lost, at least they're still pretty." One of the disciples joked, sparing a wink for the ladies of the Lotus Blossom Sect.
"I can make you pretty as well if you'd like?" Cain offered very seriously.
"Pardon? I don't think I heard that correctly, Elder." The boy responded, unsure if he had heard Cain correctly.
"I am well trained in Mystic Surgery, I am sure I could make you look quite lovely. None of these beauties needed the help, but if you want an edge on the competition, let me know." Cain replied, making the Lotus Blossom Sect chuckle.
"I think I will pass, noble surgeon." The boy said hurriedly, then backed away to the edge of his group, much to their amusement.
"Perhaps we can catch up later. I would be interested in what would lead a Dark Surgeon away from the Assassin Sects and into such odd company." The passing Elder told Cain with a bow and then led his disciples away.
"Can you really do that?" Elder Ling asked, wondering just how many strange things Cain really knew.
"I could make you look just like Tena if you wanted, or I could take a decade off your appearance and make you a young lady again. I might not be able to fool the bone detection scans, but it would fool anyone else." Cain agreed.
"I don't think that the ladies would take that youthful of an Elder seriously. But before we reach Immortality, time can catch up with us in unpleasant ways." Elder Ling told him.
"We can chat about it at the arena, but we should get going before we get caught in the crowd and don't have time to get to our seats." Cain sighed.
That was the worst part of these events, just trying to find somewhere to sit. No matter where Cain went, the venue was never large enough for the crowds that it drew. It was like some sort of universal law.
Especially in a world like this, where the technology level was so much lower than Cain was used to. In the other world, the Transfers had brought their own technological innovation with them, but in this world, it seemed that many of the little conveniences had been missed. That might have to do with the energy of the world as well. Cain was used to everyone using Mana, so perhaps this energy wasn't as versatile in its base form, so they couldn't make magical stoves and the like.
At least they had proper plumbing in the city, even if the water source was questionable and Cain avoided using it for anything other than washing.
The Outer Disciple Arena's competitors' entrance was moving much more smoothly than expected, with the teams just showing their tokens and the guard letting them pass without challenge.
Elder Ling dropped off the Inner Sect Disciples with the other Elder from the Sect and returned just in time to meet them, nodding politely to the Guard as she rejoined her Disciples.
"Do you see that? The five-girl team from the Forbidden Treasure Sect? Talk about an odd gathering. Two of them are just small children, but they all passed the power testing to register." Someone was saying in the crowd.
"Don't underestimate them. I met with a Sect that held the same name on a world called Earth, and they were all monstrously talented. The rumor is that that branch had a Divine patron who helped guide their path, but they were Dual Cultivators, and not Mystic Cultivators like these ones seem to be.
Or perhaps not all of them. That tall one looks like a Sword Cultivator, and one of them has the feeling of a Dragon Monk. You know, the longer I look at them, the stranger they are." Another Elder answered.
"Well, you couldn't keep your disciples nature hidden forever." Elder Ling shrugged as she also heard the soft conversation, almost hidden under all the other voices in the crowd.
"They will all understand the genius of having a balanced fighting group very soon. I am more interested in what they are going to do about it. With this level of variety, there shouldn't be any hard counters to them, so everyone will have to find a way to fight through them." Cain laughed softly.
The Sects next to them looked over in confusion and concern, hearing that Cain had brought an unconventional group to the match, and then they saw the girls. Two big blondes, one of which was a Lycan, but the other one seemed to be the Sword Cultivator that the others had mentioned, along with a skinny brunette who was certainly a Mage Cultivator, a true rarity in this and most Immortal Realm worlds. But it was the two children that caught everyone's attention.
They clearly weren't weak, but none of the others could identify their specialty the way that the man in the crowd had done earlier.
"Alright, let's find some seats. Somewhere with shade would be good. I don't want anyone getting a sunburn." Cain decided, which made Elder Ling laugh.
"Then I hope you brought an umbrella. There is never any shade in these arenas." The Elder replied solemnly.
They entered the stadium from under the bleachers and Cain inspected their seating options. The Competitors sat facing the south, so the sun would be on them all afternoon, but the seats were set in tiers, with a large division between sections.
"If we take a spot near the wall, we can set an awning over the Disciples. That will take us all out of direct sunlight at least, and lower the temperature. Once this place fills, it will get uncomfortably warm. At least I know an ability to filter the air and keep the smell of unwashed bodies down." Cain told Elder Ling, indicating his preferred spot.
"Let's not draw that much attention just yet. Save it as a psychological technique if you make the finals. We will take the very top row, furthest from the stages. That is away from the worst of the crowd and will get more natural airflow, along with some shade from the overhead awnings, though the design keeps them from sheltering most of the competitors." Elder Ling decided, then led their troupe up to the top of the arena, well away from the groups that were crowding as close as possible to get the best views of the fights.
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