My avatar is becoming the final boss

Chapter 162 Growth, Bet, Violence (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

July 24, noon in Whale Garden.

Inside the crystal ball, Agubaru opened his eyes.

Looking through the glass out of the dormitory window, a blood-red sky came into view. Flying fish, carried by the sea breeze and bioluminescence, drifted across the sky in large swathes like a floating galaxy.

After a while, it turned its head to look into the bedroom.

Caesar sat at his desk, his eyes lowered, reading a book titled "The World's Strangest Things Yearbook".

"Abagu Lu...who exactly are you?"

Amidst the rustling sound of fingertips tracing the pages, the white-haired, blue-eyed boy suddenly spoke.

“What are you talking about?” Yagubaru said. “I am Shark, not ‘anyone’.”

Caesar did not speak.

Yagubaru blinked, quietly observing his expression.

It felt that Caesar was a different person today, reserved and calm. After all, the death of his closest person in such a cruel way, filled with resentment and tormented by helplessness, would cause even the weakest boy to undergo some changes in his temperament.

But that's not enough... If the third prince wants to live, he has to lose even more.

If, in the end, I were to bare my fangs to the world, would Caesar stand by my side and smash the Whale Garden to pieces with me? Agubaru wondered.

“Agubaru, you sent Ikar to steal the fragments, didn’t you?” Caesar said, turning the pages of the book. “The guard’s investigation records say that Ikar stole about twenty fragments of the Strange Tales… and all of these fragments have disappeared, vanished without a trace.”

He paused for a moment: "The only thing I can think of is that those fragments are hidden in your stomach."

It seems he's just naive, not stupid... Thinking this, Agubaru said frankly:

“I was just saying that if he has time, he can feed me instead of risking his life to do those things.”

"Then he..."

"Ikar chose to go and die."

“You said,” Caesar said softly, “that he did it to make me realize the truth, didn’t he?”

"Correct."

"Can I trust you, Agubaru?" Caesar asked after a moment of silence.

“You don’t need to think about this. If it weren’t for me, you would already be dead,” Agubaru said calmly. “The night before last, the Second Prince opened the protective barrier of the floating city and sent an assassin into your bedroom.”

"Where's the assassin?"

"He died. I threw him into the sea."

“Really?” Caesar asked. “Your goal is those fragments of strange tales in the Royal Court, right? You approached me, probably to obtain those fragments as well.”

"of course not."

Agubaru didn't seem to care and flicked its round tail.

It thought to itself, "My goal is to swallow the entire whale's inner chamber. These tiny fragments are beneath my notice."

Seeing that Caesar remained silent, it continued, "What are you thinking about?"

“I’ve been wondering why my father, who was always in the palace, contracted the Black Death. And… in the entire Whale Garden, only my father has contracted the Black Death, while no one else has shown similar symptoms.”

At this point, Caesar paused in turning the pages, his gaze lingering on a page from the "World's Strangest Events Almanac." This page detailed the generational phenomenon of the Black Death with text and illustrations.

He said softly, "It's just that I didn't want to believe it before."

“It was your two brothers,” Agubaru said. “They must have conspired with Bernardo Edward, the leader of the Black Death, to poison the king. They wanted to kill you while the king was bedridden so they could seize the throne.”

“But I never wanted to compete with my brothers for the throne from the very beginning,” Caesar said, enunciating each word clearly.

“It’s all out of your control,” Yagubaru said.

Caesar lowered his eyes and remained silent for a long time.

He said, “Aguru, come with me on a journey around the world. The world is full of all sorts of strange tales, even generational ones. You don’t need to covet the things in the Royal Court; that’s too dangerous.”

Agubaru paused, then said, "That sounds good. But do you really think you can travel the world?"

Caesar said seriously, "If I make things clear to my brothers and swear that I will not come back after leaving the Whale Garden, they should let me go out of consideration for our brotherhood... Even if Father likes me very much, seeing that I have been gone for so long, he should give up the idea of ​​letting me inherit the throne."

He paused for a moment, then said, "That way, Father won't be implicated either."

Yagubalu said helplessly, "This is just wishful thinking on your part. What makes them think you won't come back? And what makes them think you won't become even stronger after you return, strong enough to dominate the entire royal court?"

“No matter what you say, I’ve already done it,” Caesar said calmly. “While you were asleep, I sent a letter to my brothers using a ‘pigeon messenger’.”

“You’re so stupid,” Yagubaru said. “I don’t think they’ll let you go even if you explain it clearly.”

"how could be?"

“How about we make a bet?” Agubaru sighed. “The eldest and second princes will soon send another batch of assassins, most likely tonight.”

Caesar was silent for a moment, then looked up and said, "Okay, I'll bet you."

"What if they refuse to let you go?"

“Ikar is dead, and Father has been tortured to such an extent… If I leave here on my own initiative, and my brothers still won’t let me go, then…” Xizel paused, lowered his head, and his snow-white hair covered his face.

"Then we'll see...we'll see."

He muttered to himself, a shadowy glint flashing in his eyes.

Yagubaru was taken aback, gulped down two mouthfuls of seawater, and thought to himself, "Are you going to become a corrupted elementary school student too?"

Caesar pulled a bird feather from the "World's Most Strange Things Almanac".

He leaned back in his chair, his eyes lowered, staring silently at the fiery red bird feathers, the edges of which trembled with a few embers.

"What use are the phoenix feathers anyway?" Agubaru asked. "Li Qingping wouldn't expect a single bird feather to save you, would he?"

Caesar said casually, "Li Qingping once told me that the 'Phoenix' is different from other common wonders; it can be upgraded."

"Promotion?"

"Ah."

"Upgraded from a common-level to a generational-level rare fragment?"

“Yes,” Caesar said. “Li Qingping said that only he knew about this and told me not to tell anyone else.” He paused. “Li Qingping also said that he would give me the Phoenix when that day comes.”

"Li Qingping is so generous, giving away a generational wonder like that so easily."

"if not?"

"Shark doesn't understand anything, all Shark wants to eat. After Li Qingping gives you the Phoenix, can Shark eat it?" "Why do you want to eat everything?"

The little shark pouted: "Your butler's here. We can't talk anymore."

It had just pricked up its ears and heard footsteps coming from the corridor outside the bedroom. The footsteps belonged to Caesar's new butler, "Shiva".

Just then, a soft knocking sounded on the door.

"Your Highness, the celebration begins," Shiva said in a deep voice.

"coming."

Caesar tucked the phoenix feather into his sleeve, then picked up the crystal ball and walked towards the door, pushing it open.

Shiva glanced at the crystal ball, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but didn't.

Caesar left the castle with the butler and stood on the edge of the island. Countless flying fish swept overhead, and the sea breeze blew in from the bottom of the miniature garden.

He took a deep breath of the fresh air, lowered his eyes, and looked down at the scene of the whale garden.

Under the fiery sunlight, the miniature garden presents a beautiful and warm scene.

During the summer festival, the scattered islands on the sea slowly floated and merged, forming a complete continent. At this moment, the inhabitants of the various islands, like rivers flowing into the sea, continuously gathered towards the central island.

The central island was packed with people. Looking down from above, the crowds were so dense that they resembled a swarm of ants migrating from tree branches.

The butler, Shiva, stood with his hands behind his back and turned his head to look at Caesar.

He suggested using the "floating staircase" to give him a ride, but Caesar shook his head, summoned the Book of Wonders, took out the Generational Wonder—"The Christmas Sleigh," and crushed it.

An orange light flashed, and a long cry echoed through the air. Soon after, two elk dragged a red sled, bringing with them a thick blanket of snow as they galloped down from beneath the blood-red sky.

It finally stopped at the edge of the island, bowing its head and awaiting Caesar's instructions.

“In that case, Your Highness, please be careful,” Shiva cautioned.

"it is good."

Caesar spoke expressionlessly, then boarded the Christmas sleigh with the crystal ball in his arms. The reindeer walked on air and slowly descended towards the island in the middle of the sea.

Before long, they landed on the central island.

The crowds moving through the streets and alleys were like a flowing melody. A shout or two came from a roadside stall, and turning around, one could see fishermen selling strange fish caught from the sea. People sang and danced, arm in arm under the blood-red sky, drinking and reciting poetry.

Amidst the melodious sound of bagpipes, someone used a pole to raise a fishing net sprinkled with spices and bait. Attracted by the sight of flying fish swimming under the sky, the fish surged towards the town, scattering their fluorescent glow like a heavy snowfall.

The Christmas sleigh hovered in mid-air, and Caesar held a crystal ball, his long white hair swaying in the breeze.

At this moment, Queen Kalilena descended the movable staircase and stood at the center of the entire island, her magnificent and elegant dress fluttering in the wind, making her the center of the world.

The island's commoners respectfully stepped back, making room for her.

Kalilena smiled slightly and took out an orange-patterned mystery card from the Mystery Catalogue.

“What is that?” Agubaru asked.

“A wonder of an era, the Colosseum in ancient Rome,” Caesar said. “Once a year, during the summer festival, my father would release a wonder on the central island, building an amphitheater... and then the seven members of the royal court would begin an exhibition match in the amphitheater. This was the most lively day in the entire Whale Garden, with everyone rushing to the amphitheater to watch the match.”

He paused for a moment, then said, "Because my father is ill, my mother will be performing the 'Colosseum' in his place this year."

At that moment, Kalyana crushed the "Ancient Roman Colosseum" in her hand.

The orange light flashed and disappeared in an instant, and the earth trembled and roared. Countless thick Roman columns burst forth from the ground, and arches and steps covered with bronze carvings piled up in layers.

Ultimately, they intertwine to form a colossal, unparalleled circular building.

Amidst the swirling dust, the core area of ​​the Colosseum gradually took shape. Iron railings rumbled up beneath the stands.

The fluorescent light scattered by the flying fish fell like snowflakes onto the stone stands, while the blood-red sunlight poured down through the gaps in the Colosseum's dome, casting a halo over this magnificent and ancient battlefield.

The cheers from the crowd surged and roared, the colossal shadow that blotted out the sky encompassing the clamor of the summer festival.

Agubaru opened his shark-like eyes, looked around from inside the crystal ball, and sighed:
"So there's something like this in the world-class wonders?"

Caesar, unfazed, explained, "Generational Wonders come in many forms and aren't necessarily all combat-type Wonder fragments like the Royal Court Team. For example, 'The Holy Grail' is a healing Wonder, while 'The Colosseum' is an architectural Wonder."

"Shark understands."

Agubaru licked his fangs, his appetite whetted, thinking to himself that a wide variety of food was a good thing.

Kalilena placed her hands in front of her abdomen. Stepping onto the floating stairs, amidst the cheers of the crowd, she slowly descended to the royal stands, then turned to look at Caesar on the Christmas sleigh and waved to him.

Caesar spurred the Christmas sleigh and flew towards the royal grandstand, landing beside Kalilena.

He dismounted from the sleigh, put the Christmas sleigh back into the book of wonders, and then sat down beside the Queen with the crystal ball in his arms.

“Mother, I’m here,” he said.

“Good boy,” Karelina said, “Why did you bring the Nobel Shark again?”

“This is a gift from my father, and I want to keep it with me.” Xizel paused. “What about my brother?”

"They're coming."

Karelina looked up at the sky.

Following her gaze, Agubaru looked up and saw the eldest prince, Lorenzo, and the second prince, Cosimo. They were dressed in magnificent swallowtail robes and walked step by step up the silvery-white floating staircase.

Behind them followed the seven members of the Royal Court team, led by Ruth and Li Qingping. As usual, only Li Qingping was wearing a black suit, while the others wore the Royal Court team's uniform robes.

As the royal team and the two princes appeared, an unprecedented roar erupted from the crowd surging into the arena. The deafening noise nearly drowned out the entire world.

Lorenzo smiled and waved to them; Cosimo had a stern face and his hands behind his back.

The two walked slowly and finally landed below the royal stands. They took a deep look at Caesar and then sat down to the left of the Queen.

Caesar ignored them and simply stared silently at the dome.

Li Qingping crushed the card. A flash of silver light appeared and disappeared, and the phoenix expanded in mid-air, transforming into a radiant giant bird that carried the seven members of the Royal Court team into the arena.

A scorching rain poured down from above, adorning their dignified figures.

Amidst the overwhelming screams and cheers, Caesar suddenly spoke.

“Mother,” he turned to look at Kalilena and said in a low voice, “after the exhibition match between the royal court teams is over, may my second brother and I also have an exhibition match?”

Karelina was slightly taken aback, thinking she had misheard.

“Caesar, you…” she murmured as she met Caesar’s gaze.

“I’m serious,” Caesar said expressionlessly. “This way, everyone can enjoy watching, right?”

　I'm asking for monthly votes at the beginning of the month. There will be another update later!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)