The seats in the view deck were separated by tables, just like they were in the Soiree. At the very front, watching the center of the arena in full view, were the Conglomerate representatives: Gabriel, Cedric, and the three others.
They took the entire front row, as they had their own company with them, who were all presumably part of their respective conglomerates.
The table Jot'un was waving him over was just behind that exact table. And curiously enough, sitting opposite him was none other than Yuna Montgomery.
Their eyes met as he walked closer, and she immediately tapped the chair beside her, prompting him to take a seat near her.
"Thanks," she said to him.
"?"
"For the gift, dummy. I really appreciate you creating that by hand. It shows how much you care," she said, leaning her head on her hand.
Michael rubbed his slightly reddish nose. "Of course." He wanted to say that this should have been natural, for she deserved only the best. But he couldn't quite get those corny words out of his mouth.
"Keo, have you done the thing?" Jot'un asked, interjecting the moment between the two reincarnators.
Michael nodded. "Yep. Don't worry about it," he assured the worrisome Jot'un. "I have my people already working on it behind the scenes. Just enjoy the show. That's the best way to catch them off guard."
Yuna turned to him, her inquisitive eyes trying to discern the nature of their conversation.
He looked away. He didn't want to involve her in the matters regarding Ersatz just yet.
"Ah, the prodigious historian."
Michael turned forwards, seeing Gabriel Vanderbilt turned towards him. Their tables were very near each other.
"I told my family about you last night. And they are very interested in meeting you over a cup of tea."
Even though Gabriel's voice wasn't that loud, his voice travelled throughout the entire room. Their eyes were glued to their interaction. Were they witnessing the moment that a historian joined the leagues of conglomerates?
But instead of celebrating at the opportunity like most people would, Michael's reaction was quite lukewarm.
"I appreciate that. But do they want to meet with me or my professor?"
Gabriel staggered. He couldn't find the right words for a few seconds.
"I apologize. You're right. Professor Lichtenstein's presence is widely coveted in our circle. We heard he was visiting New Sparta, but he is nowhere to be seen."
"He's off studying a new artifact," he lied.
"Ah… he is infamous for his disregard for anything except for artifacts. But no matter. Our offer still stands. Becoming acquainted with you is still a high honor that I would deeply appreciate."
Michael scoffed to himself. He wasn't in the mood to visit the Vanderbilt Estate yet. "No thanks."
Gabriel nodded. "I understand. But… Can I ask just one question? Why are you still wearing your mask?"
He was the only one still wearing the mask from last night. A mighty lion with a proud mane.
"I don't want to show my face," he said truthfully. The Ersatz could be here in this colosseum. After knowing that they had a Stronghold hidden here in New Sparta, he was almost a hundred percent certain that their spies were somewhere around here, watching the spectacle amongst civilians.
And just to be sure, he even changed his own facial structure behind the mask just in case. Of course, with his defenses, they wouldn't even be able to get anywhere close to him, but he had to be safe.
"Ah, well that's a shame. I'm sure there are lots of eligible ladies who would want to see your face—"
Neytiri elbowed him in the ribs, before winking to Yuna.
"Instead of worrying about others, you should worry about the Archery Competition. It's about to start," Neytiri said, pointing at the center of the colosseum.
Michael peered through the viewing deck, seeing a large open field at the bottom of the staircase-like sitting area.
The Purveiyor Werewolf Tribe stood at the center, their Chieftain making some announcements to the crowd. Michael couldn't hear anything from all the tumultuous screaming of hundreds of thousands of spectators around the colosseum.
Thankfully, he had his Drone. He deployed one of his Mini Drones to listen in on the Chieftain.
The rules were simple:
The Werewolf Tribes and their human allies will be going through a single elimination tournament bracket. The seeding for the fights was completely random and drawn by each tribe's Chieftain ahead of time.
And just like discussed during the Soiree, the Conglomerates will send their own representatives in the tournament to test the level of capability within the competition.
This was what got the crowd going, as this was the first they'd heard of this new addition.
The competitors, on the other hand, felt more pressure. If they got the short end of the stick and matched with the conglomerates, they could get eliminated from the first round! Even the winner favorites had to cross their fingers for that to not happen.
"Our representatives are strong, but there are some great contenders out there," said Cedric. "Those Legacies have a great chance of giving us a run for our money."
"Would you like to bet on that?" Gabriel asked with a smile.
Cedric shook his head. In his heart, he knew they would win. He was just being nice.
Then, Gabriel turned towards Michael. "How about you, Keo? Do you have a Werewolf Tribe that you'll cheer on?"
Michael nodded. "The Brownbloods."
Curious by his answer, the five conglomerates peered down and searched the tribes.
"Hmm… I'm not familiar with them," Cedric said. "They are not… strong in Archery. And I don't think they've allied themselves with anyone competent with the bow."
"They have," Michael responded. "The Reborn company."
Question marks appeared above their heads. Even the people eavesdropping on their conversation were left confused. The Reborn company? They seemed to have heard of that name somewhere.
"And you're confident that the Reborn company will shore up the weaknesses of the Brownblood Werewolves? Why"
Keo turned towards Cedric. "Because I'm in the Reborn company."