43 Into the Ruins

"The name's Zhen Hai, First Young Master of the Zhen Clan. Pleased to meet you." Zhen Hai proceeded to grab Sullivan's offered hand and firmly shake it.

"Strong grip. Would make a good digger," Sullivan commented. As the two broke off their handshake, one could see a mutual respect for each other's firmness.

'Title drop and firm grasp that's almost forceful...thin line between pride and arrogance,' Zhen Liu observed.

Zhen Yue shook Sullivan's hand next. Her grip was delicate, elegant and somewhat firm.

"Zhen Yu-*ahem* Pardon me, Luna Zhen. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"No need to do the name switch around for my sake, I've worked with Roaring Tiders before. Honored to meet you, Zhen Yue."

'Polite to a fault in line with a cool demeanor...elegance thy name is thee.'

"And you must be the infamous Fourth Young Master. Not everyday someone gets to crash their own funeral, must've been hell to plan for," Sullivan casually joked as he shook Zhen Liu's hand. Zhen Liu made sure to match his grip, as to not seem impolite.

"Well I can't take all the credit," Zhen Liu replied with a smile, "Someone had to fail to kill me first."

Sullivan noticed the bracelet on Zhen Liu's arm and was about to ask if that piece of bling was the rumored aether puppet, when the voice of Orgo interrupted him.

"ATTENTION TEAMS! PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE STARTING LINE! ANY GROUP THAT FAILS TO MAKE IT TO THE LINE IN THE NEXT TWENTY SECONDS... WON'T BE DISQUALIFIED, BUT THEY WILL BE AT A DISADVANTAGE!"

"Huh?"

Everyone was a bit confused as Orgo's announcement, what with the previous years being a lottery start system where everyone's starting point was different, but this wasn't like previous years. Not wanting to be at a disadvantage with their peers, the teams made their way to the aforementioned starting line.

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On a raised platform, away from the crowd, a group of four Aether Grandmasters were observing the young disciples make their way to the entrance of the wandering ruin. These four grandmasters were visually distinct from one another, making it clear that none of them belonged to the same faction.

One was an elderly fellow, dressed in flowing blue robes and hints of tattoos peeking out of the edges around his neck and sleeves. While he looked to be the oldest of the lot, his eyes radiated a type of power that came with age.

Another was a middle-aged man with an impeccable mustache, dressed in a three piece suit and wielding an ornate cane. If one were to look at the cane closely, they would notice a seam at the point where the head and body met.

The third was a middle-aged woman dressed in a rather fashionable yet unusually colorful dress. The faint smell of poppy, camellias and chrysanthemums could be found emanating from her clothes.

And last but not least, was a giant of a man, covered head to toe in scars, wielding a giant hammer.

These four were none other than Zhen Shi, Jacob Wolfe, Telana Corrada and Grand Miner Orgo, respectively. These four were the leaders of the four major factions of Stone Claw City, and the sponsors of the event.

While Grand Miner Orgo was busy standing and directing the attendees, the three other faction leaders were sitting in specially designated chairs and busy trading "polite" barbs with one another.

"Huh...I do believe there's significantly more attendees this year than in years prior. Wonder why that is," Zhen Shi commented while scratching at his chin,"it's like there's something incredibly valuable up for the taking today."

"I must thank you again, Patriarch Wolfe," Telana began to say in a sweet voice, "It takes a generous man to open up such a valuable resource so that it may end up in more...capable hands."

Jacob let out a small snort.

"I should be the ones thanking you lot. Now I don't have to expend so much effort and manpower in acquiring all that these ruins have to offer."

"Planning to cheat again like last time?"

"Not my fault your disciples were so easy to ambush."

"At least we won't have to worry about Hellfire moss in everyone's lungs."

"Says the guy who lined the tunnels with explosives."

"You-"

"Oye, you three done bickering yet?," Orgo interrupted, "The youngins are just about ready to go."

"Right, time to fire off the signal." Zhen Shi lifted himself off his seat and began to make his way to the platform's edge.

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The participants waited with bated breath as they stood at the starting line. It was tradition that the sponsors of the event would give a small speech before signalling for it to begin. Granted, the participants would usually be much closer to their assigned entrances.

The three other grandmasters made their way to the edge of the platform until they were standing side by side with Grand Miner Orgo. Aside from the city lord, these four were the most powerful warrior in all of Stone Claw City and possibly the region. It was rather awe-inspiring seeing them stand next to each other like this.

"Greetings young warriors and welcome! To this year's Prospector's Challenge!," Zhen Shi began to say, "Now normally, the four of us would give a small speech about what kind of dangers you'll be expecting to find in the tunnels, however..."

"Due to the unusual nature of this year's competition, we figured it'd be prudent to just skip the formalities," Telana followed up.

"Our scouts indicate that the ruins are quite large and that despite the single entryway, the way in is a bit...random," Jacob explained, "meaning..."

"FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE! GO!" Orgo fired an art into the air, causing an echoing bang to sound off.

The crowd was momentarily shocked before getting their wits together and rushing towards the door.

Evidently, a lot of early fighting occured at this moment, despite the actual competition not starting until they get through the door!

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While the other participants were more less moving and fighting as a unit, the Zhen Clan was a bit less...cohesive.

"Alright! Time to make the family proud!," Zhen Hai exclaimed moments before rushing forward on his own, "make sure to keep up, slowpokes!"

"Hey wait, Zhen Hai!," Zhen Yue called out. Unfortunately, Zhen Hai was a bit too far ahead for his own good.

"We should probably catch up with him before he gets too far ahead," Sullivan suggested, "Do y'all know any movement arts?"

"I do but..."

"No worries y'all," Zhen Liu said as he began to channel aether into his bracelet, "We won't have to expend so much stamina so early."