Swords, magic, and martial arts

Miles, who had been carried by Rhodes in a magic ball the whole way, hadn't woken up. Rhodes didn't know whether to admire his own control over magic or Miles's.

They soon arrived at the city gate. Entering the city required queuing and passing through an inspection. Baron slapped Miles on the shoulder, startling him awake from his dream.

"How did I get here?" Miles asked, still a little dazed.

"Had a nightmare?" Rhodes said seriously. "We're about to enter the city."

"Shouldn't I be in bed at the tavern?" Miles asked again.

"We carried you here," Baron said. "No matter how we called you, you wouldn't wake up. Your nightmare just happened to be very timely."

"Is that so?" Miles looked at Rhodes and the others with some doubt.

"Don't think about that anymore. It's our turn now. Let's hurry up and finish registering so we can go back and rest," Rod said.

"Okay." Miles didn't press the matter further.

After being searched by the Bayview City Guard and warned not to cause trouble in the city, Rhodes and his men successfully entered Bayview City.

Quentin had previously warned them that they couldn't bring weapons into the cities of Fish Kingdom, nor could they use magic or divine arts within the city. If they were caught carrying weapons by the city guards, they would be imprisoned for a period of time, and the consequences of using magic would be even more severe.

In large cities like Bayview, several mages are specifically assigned to monitor the city for magical fluctuations. If someone uses magic, they will immediately sense it and report it with magic. The city guards will then rush to that location to arrest the marked person.

These measures have ensured good security in the cities of the Kingdom of Fish, unlike other countries where bloodshed is common.

Compared to the major cities in the Kingdom of Nord that Rhodes had visited before, Bayview City felt much more comfortable. After observing for a while, Rhodes realized that it was because there were many plants and flowers in Bayview City, which made the city more comfortable.

Rhodes found a passerby and asked him where to register for the tournament. Afterward, the group followed the directions given by the passerby.

After arriving at a tall building, they went inside and started queuing again. Just like when entering the city, there were several queues at the same time, and Rhodes and his companions chose one that looked less crowded.

"This place is great in every way, except there are always long lines," Baron complained.

"There are only this many talented people during this competition; usually it's not so bad," Miles said.

"It's all because we were waiting for you. If we had come a little earlier, there wouldn't have been so many people," Hammer said from the side.

Rhodes got a little bored while waiting, so he took out the manual for the Mighty Vajra Leg from his system space and started reading it. He decided to study it for the next few days.

Like Iron Head Kung Fu, the manual for Mighty Vajra Leg also has a path for the circulation of internal energy. Rhodes had an idea: what would happen if I used magic power and internal energy to create energy that circulated along this path?

He stood still, gathering his magic and inner strength in his legs. A very small portion of his magic and inner strength fused together. Rhode tried to separate this fused energy from the unequal energy, but found that only a very small portion of this fused energy remained fused, while the rest separated again.

It seems that the total amount of magic power and internal energy fused together is related to the total amount of internal energy or magic power. If magic power and internal energy are mixed in a certain proportion, the fusion proportion should also be the same. Rhodes came to this conclusion after thinking about it.

"Stop daydreaming, it's time to move forward," Miles reminded him, standing behind Rod.

Rhodes snapped out of his daze and walked forward with the group. Around them were people who also wanted to sign up for the team competition of the tournament.

Team competitions always have the most participants in every tournament. Although there are also archery, javelin, and lance competitions, team competitions have the lowest entry requirements. Archery and javelin competitions require a certain level of skill, as does the lance competition. However, lance competitions also require participants to have a horse and a complete set of armor and shield. As for the lances, they all use round-headed wooden lances provided by Duke Orn. ​​Despite this, people still lose their lives in every tournament.

Some fell off their horses, their feet got tangled in the stirrups, and they were dragged to their deaths. Others were kicked in vital areas by startled warhorses and died instantly. Most of the victims died because wooden lances, carrying tremendous force, pierced through their cheap armor and fragile bodies.

Rhodes observed his "opponents" around him and felt that they were just ordinary farmers who didn't seem to know how to fight at all. The expressions on their faces made them seem like they were just there to join in the fun.

"It's our turn," Baron said.

Rhodes sized up the official in charge of team registration in front of him. He was a young man who looked very honest. He handed Baron five identical wooden plaques with the number 1339 and a sunflower pattern on them. This should be the family crest of Duke Eugen and the same pattern on the flag flying over Gulfstream.

"Your team number is 1339. The first match is on the morning of September 1st. There are two matches each day, with one hundred teams in each match, but only one team can enter the finals. Your match is on the afternoon of September 6th. As for more detailed competition rules, you can check the notice board at the entrance," the young official said.

"Next group!" shouted the city guard next to the young official.

A team battle of 500 people, only the team that can stand up at the end can advance. Rhodes felt a little excited just thinking about it.

Upon reaching the notice board at the entrance, everyone stopped to read the rules written on it.

The notice board was written in the common language of the mainland, which all five people could understand. Before Rhodes transmigrated, when the original owner lived in that big manor, the old butler taught him how to read and write, and this knowledge was retained after Rhodes transmigrated.

Besides the use of the blunt sword provided by Duke Orn, which Rhodes already knew, there were many other precautions to take in the team competition of the tournament. For example, a player who falls to the ground for five seconds is eliminated and cannot get up again to participate in the battle.

During the competition, a group of mages will be watching the situation on the field. Each mage's mental energy will cover an area. If someone falls to the ground for more than five seconds, they will use the power of a magic circle to protect that person, and then find an opportunity to move them off the field without disturbing others.

The Gulfstream City tournament is very safe with a low mortality rate, and there are no registration fees, plus the champion's prize money is very high, which is why many people come to join in the fun. The capital of the Roman Empire holds a real sword tournament every fifteen years, which is said to be no different from a slaughterhouse, so although those who register are given gold coins, very few people actually participate.

"Let's go back," Rhodes said after reading the rules. He couldn't wait to get back to his experiments.

"I agree." Miles yawned.

"What did you do yesterday? Did you go out to find some pretty girls like last time?" Baron asked curiously.

"How could that be? I practiced the animal hide scroll Rod gave me yesterday, and before I knew it, I hadn't slept all night. I had just lain down in bed when he came knocking on the door," Miles explained.

……