The Duel Academy's family business is incomparably large, and many people know this - but how big is it, and how big is it...... I'm afraid there aren't many people who can say it perfectly.

Its inner circle is composed of three giant forces in East Asia, namely the Haima Group, the Angelis Foundation, and the Tiandi Image Society, and the outer circle is not only some forces in Asia, but also includes the Mackenzie Consortium on the other side of the ocean and some top forces in Europe.

Among the four inner courtyards of the core campus, Obelisk belongs to the Seahorse Group, the Angelis Consortium and the Seahorse Group jointly control the Twin Towers after paying some price, the tower group of Osirisi belongs to the Heaven and Earth Image Society, and the Banshan Fort of the Yellow Courtyard is the most mixed place here, although it does not look much different from the other three inner courtyards on the surface, but the dark personality that manipulated the Winged Dragon to kill all sides and create bloody horrors still casts a taboo shadow on its name...... No big force of the same level dared to fight the idea of the Yellow Courtyard, it was abandoned by default, and other small and medium-sized consortia or enterprises were allowed to plant people in it.

But this is not enough, it has been proved that no matter what world the human nature of seeking fame and fortune will not change, with the great success of the professional league in the past few years, seeing the influence it brings - especially the ability to absorb gold - businessmen like sharks smelling blood are eyeing this piece of cake, snatching their heads and trying to put their hands into this duel school that they see as Solomon's treasury.

But it's also understandable, because you can't understand how fascinating it is without a detailed understanding of how it works.

Students at the college have two options when they face graduation. The first is to go alone and go to individual events held around the world, which is a very ...... path It's very difficult to walk, unless you are extremely outstanding during your school years, such as Ryo Maruto, you won't get anyone's support, no sponsorship, no publicity, nothing, you can only pay for yourself, and strive to win the crown of a certain event in the struggle, so that you may be favored by some forces and control your future in a certain way.

It can be said that if you don't have a sincere love for dueling, or someone with a good family economic situation, you won't choose this path at all, and it is too difficult compared to another choice.

Another option is to sign a contract with the faction of their branch for at least five years, and after graduation, go directly to the dueling club they control and play in the professional league for it. Under this contract, they will be able to enjoy the wide attention that comes with the club and a minimum salary of £200 a week...... Because the league is a team competition, the lack of individual ability can also be compensated for by the strength of the collective, so as long as they do not play too badly, they can usually gradually get a gradual improvement in treatment after playing for the club for a few years, and it would be better if they could also win a championship honor for the club during this period, championship bonuses and internal rewards from the club...... and the gains of individual honor and collective honor, which are enough for them to wake up with a smile when they sleep, and it is not an exaggeration to say that they have reached the sky in one step. Therefore, the vast majority of students will not choose the first path, they are qualified and have the right to choose a more stable future, the exposure rate of individual competitions is much lower than that of large leagues, compared to the former, choosing to work in the league is undoubtedly cost-effective I don't know how many times.

This is the largest chain structure in the field of dueling at the moment - the fame and fortune of the league attracts people to invest in it and go crazy, they work hard to squeeze into the dueling academy, receive the top grassroots education of this era, and at the same time integrate into the complex background of the academy, become a part of the chariot of the forces behind it, and bring them honor and fresh blood, those forces ...... In other words, their dueling club will not let these students suffer from their "orthodox" background, and at the same time, they will be given not low treatment and will also be allowed to enjoy various benefits of being in the system, and the two sides can be said to take what they need and benefit each other in a win-win situation. This situation has further promoted the development of card duels in a certain way, and under the stimulus of honor and money, the development of various new tactics has sprung up like mushrooms after a rain, and the Central Committee of Duelists (DCC) controlled by Becas will be busy in the past few years, because they can no longer release new cards as before, and must pay more attention to how the effect of new cards will affect the current environment. A slight mistake by the duelists to discover a loophole may lead to a drastic change in the entire environment, the ban card table is fully effective as early as the second year of the league system, although the league in each division will be a little different, but it is the role of the reins in the end, so that the crazy speed of the first three years of the duel environment gradually back on track.

…… In such a trend of the times, it is natural for those small and medium-sized forces to be crazy about the cake - with a good new blood replenishment, they can try to nurture a new club to participate in a certain league, with the current atmosphere of such a fanaticism about duels...... As long as its performance is not too bad, the income from broadcasting fees alone is enough for them to make a lot of money.

However, it is not so easy to profit from it, the best resources are always controlled in the hands of the core three, and the less inferior resources are obtained by European and American forces (of course, they also pay the price, and most of them have the seats of the school director), and the remaining soup is too small relative to the number of benefit distributors, which cannot satisfy the appetite of most people, so a kind of alternative storage zài - "branch school" was born that slightly deviated from the original intention of the establishment of the Duel Academy.

The island where Li Bai and the others are currently located cannot be called "Duel Academy" strictly speaking, it has an easy-to-understand name on the map, that is, "Core-Region"

, is the core hub of all campuses, so it's only natural to ...... There is a core hub, there will definitely be other regional deposits, the northern branch of the Duel Academy is one of such deposits, and it is also one of the products of the distribution of interests under the unspoken rules, there are many branches like them around the world, most of which are not comparable to the core campus in terms of teaching quality, students receive an accelerated education, and there is only one way out for them, that is, to play leagues for clubs that have an alliance relationship with their alma mater.

"So—" At the dinner table, Li Bai raised his voice, reminding his students of how important it was that he was about to sue them, "You'd better not believe any of the lies that you are going to make progress together under the banner of a friendly match. ”

"Why?" Kagurazaka stopped picking up vegetables and asked for some reason.

Fortunately, Li Bai's dishes are not as desperate as her crispy shortbreads, although she doesn't know many dishes, only 4 kinds of dishes, but the taste of these 4 dishes is quite good, it seems understandable to think about it...... Living alone for so long, how can she practice it, not to mention that Li Bai is a paranoid person, as long as she wants to, cooking is not difficult for her.

Otherwise, he would not have dared to stay for dinner.

"Because of hostility." Ryo Maruto also stopped his chopsticks, his mind was more mature than his peers, and even a little ahead of his time, according to Li Bai's previous description, he could almost imagine what kind of tense atmosphere the upcoming challenge would be.

"Compared to the students in those branches, we have a wider range of options, and even if we follow the same path, which is the league, we will have a better future than them...... The identity of the core area is no joke, although the water here is deep, the forces that can be contacted are the top in the world, and the treatment of cooperating with them is undoubtedly much higher than that of those branch students. ”

"In such a situation, what will the people at the branch school think of us......

“…… Eat one's heart out? Or is it...... Hostile? Kagurazaka's nonchalant attitude began to change gradually, and with this background in it, this challenge was probably not just about communication, and he could even smell some intrigue from it.

"Hostility can't be said, but unwillingness is bound to happen." Li Bai tapped the bowl with the chopsticks in his hand, and asked the two to continue listening to her, "So the fighting spirit of the opponent you have to face will be unbelievably high?" This is a rare opportunity to show your face, and if you have a brilliant appearance and be remembered for your name, even if you are from a branch school, you can have a bright future. ”

"Teacher, I still don't understand." Kagurazaka raised his hand, "Even if that's the case, can't we just fight as hard as we can...... There's no need to be like this, right? Fighting spirit or something...... After all, it's something that can't last long, how do I think we have a better chance of winning? ”

"Well, after all, the gap between hard and soft power is there, and no matter what, it is impossible for them to defeat us on the overall level." Ryo Maruto held his chin and analyzed.

Unfortunately, he is already a third-year student, so there is no way to participate in this challenge, which has always been the rule.

"What they are looking for is nothing more than a flash of light on a personal level, attracting those above......" Speaking of this, he glanced at Li Bai quickly, "...... attention. ”

"So Kagurazaka you're going to be more dangerous this time, and if I'm right, the teacher won't let you use the light path to fight in the challenge...... In other words, you have to take the mortal bones of your new group to fight. ”

“WTF？” Kagurazaka almost squirted the rice out of his mouth, he stared at Li Bai with wide eyes in horror, and immediately hugged his head and wailed when he saw her nodding and smiling at him.

“…… Isn't this a toss for people!? ”

"It's not a toss." Li Bai said very seriously, "This is to exercise your ability to control your thinking, I am correcting Maruto's weaknesses, and your confused thinking is of course also the target of correction." All you need now is an opportunity to turn what you've received from me over the past three months into strength. ”

"At that point, the crux that has plagued you for years must be gone, the habit of imitating other people's constructions and ideas."

"Okay...... But I would like to make a request. Hearing Li Bai's words, knowing that the other party was doing this for his good, Kagurazaka no longer had any resistance, but he still took the opportunity to put forward a condition.

“？” Li Bai raised his eyebrows, "What a request." ”

"Uh...... I hope that when I play, the teacher can be there to watch......"

"Are you crazy!?" Ryo Maruto interrupted him in surprise, "What if the identity of the teacher is discovered!" ”

Being reminded like this, Kagurazaka immediately realized that he had said the wrong thing, obviously, no matter what the reason, Li Bai hid here incognito and definitely didn't want to be discovered, and during the challenge, there was no guarantee that someone would recognize her, if something that led to an unpredictable result because of her own request......

Just as Kagurazaka was about to open his mouth to withdraw his request, the white-haired girl waved her hand at them: "It's okay, I haven't seen that kind of lively scene in person for a long time, so let's take it for breath." ”

"Don't worry...... There's no way they'll recognize who I am. She smiled slyly at the two students who were looking at her worriedly.

"I promise."

……

-Osiris's Canteen Restaurant-

“Aunikei！” Maruto Shoqi rushed all the way, stopped in front of Yucheng Shidai, and didn't even have time to catch his breath before he took out a piece of paper and handed it to him, "Take a look...... This one! ”

"What's this?" With half a fried shrimp still in his mouth, Juyo took the paper and looked at it fixedly, "From the Duel Academy...... Northern Campus's Friendship Challenge? What is this for? ”

"Challenge Challenge...... It's written so clearly, and you still ask, I see that your IQ is no different from the arthropod in your mouth! The voice of the lion wizard "BOW" appeared beside him, and he looked angry with hatred that iron could not be made of steel.

"What is the Challenge?" Shiyo swallowed the fried shrimp in his mouth and looked at Sho Maruto with an innocent expression, "Could it be ...... Draw bread? ”

"......" Whether it is a lion wizard or Sho Maruto, at this time, he can only reach out (claw) to cover his face, and then show a smile like crying.

"You're DIO, you're DIO enough." The Lion Wizard decided not to have any opinion on the understanding of the ten generations, "Well, you just need to know that there is a big wave of zombies approaching......"

Just as the whole island is boiling a little because of the upcoming event, the protagonist of the time they are talking about is gradually approaching them.

In the vast Pacific Ocean, a medium-sized passenger liner is breaking through the wind and waves and heading towards the location of Dueling Island, filled with student representatives from the Northern Branch, who will do their best to win honor for their alma mater and themselves.

On the foredeck of the liner stood a figure that looked like a girl.

Although it was already night, Lilith did not plan to return to the cabin to stay with her companions, she had secretly drunk some wine at dinner, and needed a blow here to help her wake up.

Lilith had long, burgundy hair, tied in a ponytail with a green ribbon, she had been holding a thick, large book in the crook of her arm, her fair face was a little red, and her blue eyes looked at the gloomy and undulating ocean, not knowing what to think.

According to her usual lazy personality, she will definitely choose to go back to her room and sleep with her head covered at this time, but today is not an ordinary day, so she thinks...... You should make yourself look a little more energetic.

After all, she will be 16 years old in less than 5 hours.

She was a little homesick.

Located in a place that even the most modern astronomical observers can't explore...... home.

――――――――――――――

Thanks to Misaki the bee for the evaluation votes, thanks to Dragoon 00 and Goemon for the tip.

[Note 1] Draw Bread: A kind of bread also sold at the Duel Academy card office, there is a large box with a length of 2 meters and a width of 1.5 meters, and most of the bread in such a large box is unfilled, ordinary whole wheat bread, and only the luckiest and most lucky people can draw bread with an omelette.

[Note 2] Li Bai tried to draw bread 14 times, trying to draw the omelette filling, but all failed.