"Damn, even Azmarin City is developed to this extent?" Hal marveled at the skyscrapers with immaculate architecture, the lavish and wide red-brick streets, the neat residential area with rather identical houses, and the divine, savory smell that wafted out of the various restaurants.
Aeloria was among the top ten cities of the Arcanum Imperium, so Hal expected Azmarin to be less developed.
However, not to the extent he imagined.
If he hadn’t lived in Aeloria long enough, he wouldn’t have been able to notice the subtle differences—the slightly cheaper materials used in the buildings, for example, and the less tall skyscrapers.
The street lights also weren’t as bright, though he couldn’t deny that Azmarin’s red-brick roads surpassed Aeloria’s.
What excited Hal the most were the hung banners of varying hues and the festive atmosphere.
It seemed that Azmarin, being one of the more famous cities for Arcanists and aspirants of the profession, took the Manaforge Initiate Competition far more seriously than Hal had imagined, even though all the participants were Novice Arcanists.
While the more prominent Arcanist Competitions were probably grander, the vibrancy of the current event had already exceeded Hal’s expectations, making him even more excited than before.
"Hahaha! Isn’t this city great or what, Loki?"
After appreciating Azmarin City for an hour and a half, Hal finally settled at one of the hotels that cost a whopping one silver coin and twenty copper coins per night for the cheapest rooms, with an additional fee of thirty copper coins per small companion.
This was the first time he dared rent such accommodation.
His current accommodation wasn’t much larger than the ones he had rented before in run-down inns in towns and more developed villages, but it was certainly far cleaner and better furnished.
At least the walls were smoothed and generously painted in the hotel’s colors...
There was also ample space for Loki to run and roll around.
Lying down with a relieved sigh after arriving at his destination on time, Hal turned and looked at the little one settled a few meters beside him.
Little Loki wasn’t so tiny anymore and had already reached thigh height when standing on all four legs...
He then changed positions again and stared at the ceiling, slowly drifting off to sleep.
Joker shall debut at the Manaforge Initiate Competition’s Preliminaries tomorrow.
Hours passed, and the majestic sun once again took up its daily celestial duties, gradually illuminating the world.
A few rays gently caressed Hal’s eyelids, waking him.
It wasn’t too hard for him to rise, as excitement coursed through his body at the thought of the upcoming competition, filling him with endless energy.
He hopped out of bed the next moment and immediately went to the bathroom to shower and brush his teeth.
The preliminaries didn’t start until the tenth hour, and it was only the sixth, so Hal decided to have a light breakfast at the hotel’s canteen before heading out for a light workout session at the Flexpecto Patronum Fitness Center, Azmarin Branch.
He couldn’t afford to tire himself out too much, or the overexertion might affect his focus.
Hal finished everything by around the eighth hour and returned to his hotel room to prepare for the competition.
"Loki, behave while I’m gone, alright?"
Thirty minutes later, he headed to the Imperial Arcanist Guild to report his arrival and finalize his registration, making sure to don his jester mask in one of the secluded alleys beforehand.
The Azmarin Headquarters was surprisingly grander than the one in Aeloria, perhaps because it was a famous base of operations for Adept Arcanists and even a few Masters.
After taking a moment to appreciate the guild’s interior, he proceeded to the counter and confirmed his registration as Joker.
The receptionist then informed him about the five waiting rooms.
He could choose any of them and wait for one of the competition marshals to guide them through the next steps.
The lobby alone already had a festive and slightly competitive atmosphere, as a few of the Arcanists finalizing their registration glanced at him from time to time, sizing him up.
Many of them were masked like him, so he didn’t stand out at all.
Hal was just one of the many unknown and likely insignificant competitors to the confident few.
After all, the seeded ones didn’t need to show up for the preliminaries.
He soon arrived at one of the waiting rooms.
Entering through the only door of the farthest one, heads momentarily turned his way as the other competitors inwardly assessed him.
Most lingered no longer than a second before returning to what they had been doing.
There wasn’t much to do except meditate to heighten their focus, though, and Hal did the same after choosing one of the empty seats.
"Hoh, everyone’s fired up..."
He could sense that the atmosphere was stiff yet extremely competitive.
Around twenty minutes later, a competition marshal entered and ascended the slightly elevated platform at the front of the room before speaking:
"Novice Arcanists, we appreciate your passion and are glad and grateful that you’ve traveled from the farthest corners of the empire to showcase your skills, despite the overwhelming odds of victory. Such is the attitude of masters, and I’m sure that, in a few years, a majority of you will be one of the pillars holding up the Imperium."
The bespectacled middle-aged man then paused for a while to offer a sincere bow before continuing.
"The preliminaries will begin in half an hour, and I shall explain the rules in advance.
Sadly, giving each of you individual rooms is impossible, so instead, everyone will be assigned their soundproof partition at one of the designated function halls, giving everyone ample space to do everything they need.
Worry not, as everyone will be under the same conditions.
Everything will be fair game, and your skills alone shall determine whether you advance to the main event at the Azmarin Public Square.
The theme for the preliminaries is a common-tier, earring-type accessory artifact, and you will be given ten minutes to decide what you want to craft, followed by another ten minutes to write down the materials you require.
The Imperial Arcanist Guild shall provide everything."