The following day, the streets of Frostpire overflowed with crowds of dragons from the neighboring kingdoms.
Due to the distance between the kingdoms, the travelers who had come to watch the competition had no choice but to stay overnight. Yes, they had wings and could return if they wanted, but it was such a hassle, especially since the competition was for four days. Even an Emperor-tier dragon would be drained from flying back and forth like that.
Therefore, they decided to check into the inns in Frostpire. Ever since it was announced that Frostpire would be hosting the next competition, the local inn owners had expanded their buildings to accommodate more rooms while making the inns more conducive for other elementals.
However, despite these efforts, the inns were packed beyond capacity, and travelers had resorted to sleeping on the floors, in alleyways, or even renting storage rooms for outrageous fees. It was so bad that some had to rent out local family homes, offering huge sums of monster cores as payment.
In the dragon realm, there were only three forms of currency: gold, monster cores, and diamonds. Just like in the fiction books, dragons were highly avaricious and had an innate craving for shiny objects.
However, despite their cravings, the currency that held the most value was undoubtedly monster cores, as they were essential to their livelihood and what made them powerful.
Offered such precious treasures, homeowners were more than happy to lease their homes.
Even then, it was not enough, as several dragons were still left homeless. King Dracos Frostpire had no choice but to build makeshift buildings made out of ice and brick in a span of hours to accommodate the stray dragons.
Accommodation wasn't the only problem that Frostpire faced. Several fights broke out between the dragon elementals, especially between the fire and water dragons, and the ice and lightning dragons.
Fortunately, the king, having witnessed other competitions in the past, had already foreseen all of this. With the security measures in place, it was rather easy to throw all the troublemakers into the cells of Frostpire, which were mostly empty.
"A win-win," King Dracos chuckled as he glanced at the bustling city from the balcony of his towering ice castle, which seemed to stretch past the clouds of the dragon realm.
The reason why King Dracos Frostpire believed this was a win-win situation was that the prison cells were another form of accommodation. And if the troublemakers wanted to free themselves, they'd have to pay a bail fee in one of the three currencies.
Although it inconvenienced the citizens of Frostpire, it couldn't be denied that this was also an opportunity to generate revenue.
Since today's match would be held at noon, and although it was still morning, some dragons were already heading towards the grand coliseum, their boisterous voices mingling with each other.
"Did you see what happened yesterday?" an elderly man with frost-colored scales asked. "That boy, Kawl—he nearly skewered the Windfall prince like a frozen kebab!"
"Aye, and that was after the prince had already surrendered," another chimed in, shaking his head in disbelief. "The lad's brutal, no doubt about it. But what's even scarier is his control. He stopped that attack within a hair's breadth of piercing the prince's heart."
Across the square, a group of younger warriors was engaged in a heated debate.
"I'm telling you, the real showdown hasn't even begun," a young man with lightning-colored scales argued. "Kawl is strong, sure, but he hasn't faced our prince yet."
"Hah! You Lightning Drakes are all the same," a Frost Dragon scoffed. "Always acting like your element is superior. I bet if Nox and your prince fought, your so-called genius would be frozen stiff before he could even react."
"Watch your tongue, snowflake," the Lightning Drake growled, sparks crackling along his arms. He was about to engage in a fight but noticed a Frost Dragon in blue military armor grinning at him as if daring him to continue.
The Lightning Drake had no choice but to grit his teeth and, while cursing under his breath, walked away from the scene.
As midday approached, the coliseum was once again packed to the brim. Since Nox and the others weren't participating today, they had decided to sit with the Frostpire citizens to observe the match and study the battle styles of those who could potentially be their opponents in the next round.
The next fight was between the fire dragons of Inferno Kingdom and the water dragons of Sea kingdom.
"Who do you think will win, brother?" Zara asked, looking at her brother. Nox, who was sitting between them, also paid attention to Drake, who had a serious expression on his face.
Aside from knowing that the lightning, light, fire, and shadow dragons were the powerhouses in this competition, Nox didn't really know much about the other kingdoms participating. He wanted to use this opportunity to learn more about them.
Drake barely took a second before he spoke in a confident voice. "I think it will be the fire dragons. As much as I don't want to admit it, the water dragons don't stand a chance."
"Why do you say so?" Nox asked. "Is it because they're the current reigning champions and have a lot of resources?"
"That is a major factor, but I believe it's mostly because of the strength of Ignis Valkor." As soon as that name was mentioned, a serious expression appeared on Drake's face. He was not the only one; even the faces of the others turned grim.
Nox narrowed his eyes.
"Ignis Valkor is a force of nature," Drake began. "They say he was born in the heart of a volcano, that fire runs through his veins instead of blood."
"Furthermore, I've heard rumors that unlike the normal fire dragons, his flame is unique, much more powerful. They call it the purple starlight flame. It's the first of its kind, and it burns with the intensity of the stars, capable of both destruction and enlightenment."
Drake paused, then looked at the monarch's resting area. "They say that in a few years, the purple starlight flame will surpass even the fire dragon monarch's hellfire flames."
"A flame that is capable of both destruction and enlightenment?" Nox mumbled under his breath as he leaned back in his seat, a wicked plan forming in his mind.
"Also, let's not forget about his trusty partner, Elise," Drake warned in a serious voice. "You guys should watch out for her as well. She's just as dangerous as Valkor."
At that moment, Toren said in a deep voice, "The match is about to start."