…
After settling on the terms of the bet, Izroth and Tox chose Astratis to personally oversee it and declare the winner.
The terms of the bet were simple. One, it would only last up until one kilometer in the direction they were currently headed. Two, there had to be at least 200 lifeforms present.
As long as both conditions were met, it would be considered Izroth’s victory. However, if neither condition was fulfilled, then Tox would emerge as the winner of the bet.
If there were any changes in circumstance along the way for whatever reason, then the bet would be voided and the wagered items kept by their rightful owners.
In addition, if either party performed an act that intentionally sabotaged the bet, it would automatically be regarded as their loss.
Izroth nor Tox had any problem with these rules.
Of course, neither party was worried about the other going back on their bet. With so many witnesses present and Astratis overlooking the manner, who dared be so shameless as to go back on their word?
The group proceeded onward in their journey and it was not long until they reached the 100-meter mark into the Celestial Battlegrounds. But, even being 100 meters further in, Tox did not detect any lifeforms.
200 meters…
300 meters…
At this point, with his ability, Tox had covered a total of 600 meters ahead of them. Yet, there were still no signs of anyone or anything present.
Tox looked over at Izroth, expecting to see an expression of panic on his face; however, Izroth maintained a calm outer appearance.
Seeing this caused Tox to scoff under his breath. He could not help to think that he had made a bet with a crazy man! Wouldn’t such a thing ruin his reputation?
“Hmph, let’s see how much longer you can keep up that facade.” Tox internalized.
400 meters…
500 meters…
600 meters…
Without slowing their pace, the group had traveled a distance of 600 meters from where they entered the Celestial Battlegrounds. This meant that Tox had scanned a vast area of 900 meters!
In his eyes, there was no longer any need to continue this bet—he was already the victor.
At first, due to Izroth’s calm demeanor, Tox was a bit apprehensive for the first couple of hundred meters. After all, although the chance was small, there still existed the possibility that the lifeforms Izroth mentioned could somewhat avoid his detection.
But, after passing the 300-meter mark, Tox’s apprehensive faded. And, by the time they arrived at the 600-meter mark, it had long since disappeared entirely.
“How much longer will we have to continue to play along with this charade?” Neri remarked, unable to hide the displeasure in her voice.
“I agree. In this case, it’s clear who is the victor and who is the loser. It can’t be that he’s hoping to get lucky and have 200 people appear out of nowhere, right?” Argosima commented in a similar tone.
Although most of the celestials remained silent, naturally, they agreed with Neri and Argosima. They felt that Tox had been more than patient and lenient when he accepted the 1,000-meter rule so that the other party could not make any excuses.
Those who initially had a good impression of Izroth started to change their perspective of him. For a brief moment, there were even those who were secretly excited that the person Astratis spoke so highly of would display his skills. But, alas, they could only shake their heads and sigh.
At this distance, Izroth’s detection range would have to be not double, but more than triple that of Tox’s! Of course, no one was foolish enough to keep holding out hope for some kind of miracle. In their eyes, if Izroth at least admitted his defeat and owned up to his mistake, they could still find a way to respect his courage.
Sychia slightly furrowed her brows as she glanced over at Izroth. In truth, even she was beginning to have some doubts.
Though she had not known him for long, the Thousand Blossom Maiden did not see Izroth as the type to seek attention using such an unscrupulous approach. Therefore, she was confused and conflicted. Had she mistakenly placed her confidence in the wrong person?
“Just what is he hoping to accomplish? I can not understand him at all…” Sychia thought to herself as she released a faint sigh.
In the end, Sychia still held out hope that she did not make the wrong choice. If not for Izroth, her life would have still been in danger. And, she would have had to slowly watch as the last bit of hope to save her master slipped through her fingers.
For the sake of that hope, Sychia decided to remove her remaining doubts. She also made up her mind that even if Izroth turned out to be wrong, she would apologize in his place. This way, at the very least, she could begin to repay him for the path of hope he had carved for her.
Izroth noticed the fluctuation of emotions around him; however, he remained indifferent. That being said, how could he let such a prime opportunity pass him by?
“If anyone else wants to join the bet, I am willing to wager one Young Wing against anything of equal value. Naturally, the original rules will remain in place.” Izroth stated.
“?!” The celestials were shocked by Izroth’s bold statement. Making one losing bet was not enough. Now, he wanted to bet against everyone here? Where did he get such a bold attitude?!
“If you doubt whether I can afford to pay or not-” Izroth interlocked his fingers as more than twenty Young Wings materialized in his arms.
“I hope this can put you at ease. Of course, if you are afraid or lacking in means to bet, it can’t be helped. I, Izroth, will not think any less of you.” Izroth said with a carefree smile.
The celestials were temporarily dumbfounded as Izroth took out more than twenty Young Wings. How did one person manage to get their hands on so many Young Wings of the Ambrosia Tree?!
No, more importantly, was he looking down on them?!
That carefree smile was obvious not one understanding, but rather of mockery! Wasn’t he basically saying that if they dared not bet, they were either too poor or too scared?! How would their pride as celestials let them tolerate this insult?!
Besides, this was a chance to earn a free Young Wing! Who would not take up such a sure-win bet?
“I am willing to bet a Golden Plum Seed!”
“I will wager a Blazing Griffin Feather!”
“I’ll bet two- No, three items!”
“I also…”
Besides a few who were more cautious by nature, almost every celestial present joined in on the bet!
Izroth had those who wanted to participate hand their items over to Astratis in case their memory “failed” them later.
The celestials were offended by Izroth’s suggestion; however, it was not as though he were asking them to hand their items over to him for safekeeping. If it was Astratis, then they did not mind entertaining Izroth a little longer.
In the end, among the twenty celestials, excluding Astratis, a total of 17 placed their bets with Izroth. With some individuals betting two or three times for a larger return, there were exactly 38 items handed over to Astratis.
As for the Young Wings in Izroth’s possession, naturally, no one was worried that he would go back on his word. With so many celestials taking part in the bet, did he dare to deny them when it came time to pay debts?
Astratis could only sigh as he witnessed what unfolded. However, a part of him was grateful to Izroth.
The group’s nerves had been high for a while and only further increased after they stepped foot into the Celestial Battlegrounds. But, after the first bet was made and Izroth drew attention towards himself, those nerves had vanished.
It was not that the group dropped their guard, but that their nerves had settled after being caught up in something they saw as being completely unorthodox and outrageous.
As for whether Izroth did so on purpose, Astratis doubt he put so much thought into it. Nevertheless, that did not change the outcome.
…
Soon after the second round of bets concluded, the group reached the 650-meter mark.
Immediately upon doing so, a frown formed on Tox’s face.
“There are some life signatures up ahead,” Tox mentioned.
When those words left his mouth, the heart of every celestial who had just made a bet against Izroth not long ago dropped.
Sensing this, Tox shook his head and clarified, “But, there are no more than twenty, let alone 200.”
Upon hearing that, the celestials breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, they thought the bet was lost in only a handful of steps!
“Can you tell if they belong to hostiles?” Astratis inquired.
“Judging from the pattern of their life signature, several of them seem to be of the ancient races. The rest, however, are merely harmless mortals.” Tox confirmed.
“Then, we will proceed with-“
“Wait—something’s not right!” Tox exclaimed abruptly as his eyes widened in shock.
