Treasure-hunting: Into the Unknown

"Why? I never said that!" Polly said, shaking her head frantically in denial.

"Really? If you didn't hope he could win, why did you go to their farmyard in the morning, then? Didn't you go there because of Harley?" Pollard teased with a sly grin.

"What?" gasped Polly, shocked. "How did you know that?" Polly felt tricked. She had never expected Pollard to find out.

"Because I went there too," he replied matter-of-factly.

"I didn't go there for him! I went there to..." Polly dithered, frantically searching for an excuse. To her dismay, she could think of no suitable reason.

"Polly, do you have a crush on Harley?" Joan asked kindly, tuning into the conversation.

"Stop being ridiculous! I am not going to continue this stupid conversation," Polly seethed, standing up and storming out of their booth. Her face glowed red with anger and embarrassment as she looked for a quiet place from which she could watch the contest alone.

"It seems that Polly really does have a crush on Harley," said Joan wisely. As a woman, she could understand Polly's feelings.

"I am not surprised. She is an outstanding weapon refiner. I would even go so far as to say she is one of the best refiners in the Devil Kingdom, and perhaps even in the entire Supernal Continent. There is no doubt that she has inherited our father's talent. But Harley turned out to be even more talented than her, so naturally she is attracted to him. She wants to know how talented he really is, and the more curious she becomes, the more she will get attached to him," Pollard explained. He seemed very confident in his understanding of Polly's feelings.

"Sounds like you are very experienced in women," Joan snorted, teasing him.

"Yeah, because I used to have the same feelings for you! Don't you remember? When I first started at the Shura College, your strength was superior to mine. By the way, I'm planning to talk to the leader of the Phoenix Pavilion about our marriage as soon as the King Level contest ends. I will ask her for permission to marry you," Pollard said earnestly.

"No! I forbid you to do so!" she said, blushing immediately. She hadn't expected him to announce about his proposal now, like this. However, in a few seconds, she had regained her previous composure.

"Why not?" Pollard asked, confused. Her refusal was a blow to his conceit. He had been confident that his affection for Joan was mutual, and that it was about time they got married. There was no social impediment to overcome, either, because they came from families of equal status.

"The reason is irrelevant. All you need to know is that you cannot do it. I forbid it. Besides, our leader wouldn't give me permission to marry you anyway, especially not at such a critical moment," Joan replied, avoiding Pollard's gaze.

"How can you be so sure? The only way to find ou

o the contest. The match they had all been looking forward to was likely to end with no fighting at all.

Every single person's eyes were fixed on the incense stick. With every minute, it shortened. Soon, only a small stub remained.

"I don't think he'll come," Brandon said, smiling grimly. Although he maintained his professional facade, he was overjoyed to be able to complete his mission without as much as lifting a single finger.

"I'm so sorry for being late!" Suddenly, a shadow appeared in the far right corner of the arena.

The crowd murmured excitedly as they recognized Zachary. It was typical of him to make such a dramatic, last-minute entrance.

Naturally, Brandon was furious. "How could he come?!" he grumbled under his breath, glaring at Zachary.

Meanwhile, Katrina, along with the disciples of the Celestial College, as well as Pollard, Polly and Joan all let out a sigh of relief.

As Zachary and Brandon prepared for battle, the sound of a gong rumbled through the arena. The final match of the weapon refining contest had officially began.

"Now that the final match has begun, there is no need for me to hide any longer. I will show you what true refining genius is!" Brandon seemed to have finally shown his true colors. He looked extremely arrogant. Almost immediately, strong King Level martial energy suddenly surged outwards from his body. It had already reached the premium stage.

Within a second or so, a number of energy fires had spread around Brandon, rippling like waves, interlaced with each other and lengthening rapidly. Soon, these energy fires had formed a pattern not unlike a magic array, sparkling and mesmerizing.

"Weapon Refining Array!" exclaimed a few people in the audience.

As soon as they realized what it was, the entire audience exploded, cheering and shouting with excitement. This uproar did not cease and raged on for a while.