The sudden exclamation startled Fang Li, and he turned to look at the source of the voice.
The next moment, a face was imprinted in Fang Li's sight.
It was right in front of Fang Li, less than five centimeters away.
Fang Li couldn't help but be taken aback.
However, the other party seemed completely unconcerned and still had her face close to Fang Li's, speaking with great joy.
"I never expected to meet here of all places. What a pleasantly surprising encounter!"
The girl's tone carried an indescribable liveliness and cheerfulness, but it also had an unreserved and somewhat frivolous air. She didn't seem to care at all that she was meeting Fang Li for the first time. Driven solely by her interest, she displayed an unusual degree of familiarity with Fang Li.
Faced with this girl, another girl with brown skin stepped forward and admonished.
"Ernesta, what are you doing all of a sudden?"
In contrast to the girl in the white robe, the girl with brown skin appeared quite strict and meticulous in her personality. It was as if they were polar opposites. Not only was her personality not frivolous, but she also seemed rather earnest and serious.
In response, the girl called Ernesta continued to smile happily and said to the girl with brown skin, "Camilla, come over and take a look too. This is that Nii-chan from Jie Long, right? His name is Fang Li, I think."
"Fang Li?" The girl with brown skin, named Camilla, raised an eyebrow and then turned her gaze towards Fang Li, murmuring to herself, "So that's how it is. It's you?"
Shouldn't this be considered incredible?
Ernesta had a carefree personality, while Camilla was serious, yet both of them were currently looking at Fang Li with the same emotion.
It was scrutiny.
It was like they were treating a person as an object of observation or appraising a rare piece of artwork, both Ernesta and Camilla were scrutinizing Fang Li as if collecting some kind of information.
This wasn't a strange occurrence.
Because these two girls, right in front of Fang Li, were wearing the uniforms of Arlequint Research Institute.
In other words, both of these girls were students of Arlequint Research Institute.
They belonged to a school that primarily focused on research rather than combat, and they emphasized technique personnel over combatants.
The two girls in front of Fang Li were clearly technique personnel.
For people like them, perhaps, anyone they met could be considered an object of observation, right?
Furthermore, these two girls were not ordinary technique personnel.
"So that's how it is," Fang Li stepped back a few steps without saying anything, distancing himself from Ernesta.
He then smiled at both of them and casually said, "The representatives of the Pygmalion Faction and the Ferrovius Faction of Arlequint Research Institute unexpectedly appearing in the contestant area of the 'Phoenix Festa' is quite surprising."
Fang Li's words made Camilla fall silent, and at the same time, it earned him an admiring smile from Ernesta, who said, "What? Nii-chan, do you know us?"
"Shouldn't it be the case that anyone who doesn't know you is rare?" Fang Li gazed at Ernesta and said, "In the Arlequint Research Institute, which is teeming with factions, the Pygmalion Faction and the Ferrovius Faction are quite special. As representatives of these two factions, who wouldn't recognize you?"
In a way, Arlequint Research Institute was similar to Jie Long Seventh Academy.
Both schools had numerous factions within them.
The difference was that in Jie Long Seventh Academy, the factions were referred to as sects, primarily for martial arts training. In contrast, the factions in Arlequint Research Institute were mostly focused on research.
Among them, the Pygmalion Faction and the Ferrovius Faction were outstanding.
The Pygmalion Faction mainly focused on the development of puppets, i.e., humanoid robots, and their faction's philosophy aimed to eventually research puppets with autonomous capabilities comparable to humans.
The Ferrovius Faction, on the other hand, focused on Lux development, and their faction philosophy aimed to create highly versatile Lux devices that anyone could easily use.
Both of these factions wielded significant influence within the Arlequint Research Institute, with the Ferrovius Faction being the largest faction in the institute.
The representatives of these two factions were none other than Ernesta and Camilla.
– Ernesta-Kühne –
As the representative of the Pygmalion Faction, she was renowned for her keen observational skills and powerful analytical abilities. She was a world-class genius research expert. Her appearance had rapidly strengthened the previously weaker Pygmalion Faction, eventually making it a prominent force.
– Camilla-Pareto –
Representing the Ferrovius Faction, she was known for her meticulous work ethic and unwavering determination to uphold her faction's ideals.
She was also an outstanding research expert. The Lux devices developed by her team had been used by the previous year's "Phoenix Festa" champions in the finals, where they defeated Cecily and Zhao Hufeng, securing their victory.
With such accomplishments, these two individuals were certainly not unknown.
"Compared to you two, I don't consider myself a well-known character," Fang Li said with a smile as if he were talking about someone else. He addressed Ernesta and Camilla, "I wonder how you two came to know an insignificant individual like me, a nobody."
Camilla, for the moment, remained silent, but Ernesta couldn't help but smile mischievously. She once again brought her face close to Fang Li's, her crescent-shaped eyes twinkling, and she said a line.
"Well, well, don't say that. After all, we do know about the user who tamed Bo Xie, right?"
Fang Li immediately raised an eyebrow.
Did these two individuals also know about Bo Xie?
However, it wasn't all that surprising.
For a school like the Arlequint Research Institute, where technique personnel were prominent, someone like Bo Xie, who hadn't had a user for nearly a century and from whom very little Ogre Lux had been collected, should be an ideal research subject, right?
"I heard that Bo Xie has been circulating among various schools for nearly a century, and no technique team from any school has been able to thoroughly research the Ogre Lux, right?"
Ernesta's eyes began to sparkle, and she bent down, bringing her face closer to the sheath containing Bo Xie's activation body around Fang Li's waist. She exclaimed with great curiosity, "I really want to take a look, I really want to take a look."
Her eccentric personality and behavior made Fang Li furrow his brow involuntarily.
Just then, Camilla spoke up.
"Enough, Ernesta, stop doing things that would raise suspicion."
Camilla said this and looked at Fang Li with an indifferent expression. She continued, "While I am indeed interested in collecting data on a mysterious entity like Bo Xie, it is, after all, an Ogre Lux, and its nature is fundamentally different from the ideals of our Ferrovius Faction. I don't have much interest in it."
...
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With Camilla's words, the atmosphere in the vicinity suddenly became somewhat tense.
"Ca~mi~lla~," Ernesta puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction, sounding somewhat angry. "What are you doing, saying something like that?"
"I merely stated the facts," Camilla said matter-of-factly. "The Ferrovius Faction's philosophy is to universalize armed Lux, creating Lux devices that anyone can use. But Ogre Lux, in contrast, possesses immense power but lacks versatility. Only those with a high compatibility rating can use them, and it also carries the risk of being discarded. I cannot approve of such weaponry, no matter how powerful it may be."
"But in terms of a research subject, that Ogre Lux is of the highest level, isn't it?" Ernesta giggled as she spoke. "No research facility has fully analyzed it, not even the Integrated Enterprise Foundation. Don't you think that as researchers, achieving something that no one else can is the greatest accomplishment?"
"…I don't deny that, which is why I mentioned my interest in collecting data solely related to the weaponry," Camilla sighed. "However, it is still an Ogre Lux, which doesn't align with our Ferrovius Faction's ideals."
These two genius research experts from the Arlequint Research Institute continued their discussion as if Fang Li were not present at all. Their nonchalant attitude could rival even Fang Li's laid-back demeanor.
At this point, Fang Li merely smirked and decided to leave them be. He turned around and prepared to exit.
But in that fleeting moment, Ernesta's voice reached Fang Li's ears.
"By the way, Nii-Chan, we're also participating in the 'Phoenix Festa.'"
These words made Fang Li halt in his tracks.
If anyone else heard these words, they would undoubtedly be surprised, right?
After all, researchers like Ernesta and Camilla were not supposed to participate in the Festa personally.
The Arlequint Research Institute was divided into research classes and practical classes. The former focused on researching techniques, while the latter engaged in combat practice.
For students from the research classes to participate directly in the "Phoenix Festa" would indeed be surprising.
However, Fang Li was not surprised at all because he already knew what was going on.
"I assume you've understood that this year's 'Phoenix Festa' allows proxy participation?" Camilla gazed at Fang Li's retreating figure and continued, "We will use our creations to represent us in the competition— Ernesta's puppet and my Lux."
In other words, Ernesta had developed a puppet suitable for combat competitions, and they were using these creations as their proxies in the tournament.
Camilla, on the other hand, provided Lux to power these puppets.
In this manner, Ernesta and Camilla had entered the "Phoenix Festa," explaining their presence in the contestant area.
"If you happen to encounter my creations, please treat them well," Ernesta said with an innocent smile on her face. However, her smile no longer appeared as guileless as before. It now held a deep and profound feeling.
Then, Ernesta added, "At that time, let us observe just how capable the user of Bo Xie truly is."
Leaving these words behind, Ernesta happily bounced away, leaving the corridor.
Camilla nodded slightly at Fang Li, acknowledging their encounter, and followed Ernesta's departure.
Sensing their aura fading away, Fang Li couldn't help but chuckle.
Whether it was Ernesta or Camilla, they had simply expressed their thoughts openly, without any malice or ill intent.
However, it was a pity that even if both sides were participating in the "Phoenix Festa," friction was likely to arise sooner or later, regardless of their intentions.
"Puppets as opponents?" Fang Li mumbled before he added. "Interesting".
With that, Fang Li quickened his pace and slowly walked away.
At this moment, Fang Li still had no idea that his encounter with Ernesta and Camilla's creations would come sooner than he had imagined.
…
The preliminary matches did not all take place at the Sirius Dome. Instead, they were held on different stages based on the groupings. Only the teams that garnered special attention would compete in the Sirius Dome.
Fang Li and Cecily's match was scheduled to be in the Sirius Dome.
Of course, this was not because Fang Li was particularly renowned. It was because Cecily had been the runner-up in the previous "Phoenix Festa," which earned her the privilege of competing in the Sirius Dome.
Furthermore, Fang Li and Cecily's match was the first one scheduled for today.
…
The main stage, Sirius Dome.
The resounding cheers echoed through the sky, igniting the passion of the spectators. Around the entire stage, ceremonial cannons boomed, releasing shimmering confetti from above, creating a spectacular scene.
Inside the live broadcasting room, two females were transmitting their voices through microphones to reach the audience.
"Hello, everyone. This is the first match venue, Sirius Dome, of the 24th 'Phoenix Festa.' I am your live broadcaster, Yanase Miiko, and providing commentary for you all is Ms. Pham Thi Tram, a Jie Long Seventh Institute graduate and a former runner-up of the 'Phoenix Festa.'"
"Hello, everyone."
Two figures appeared simultaneously on the large space window suspended above the stage, both dressed in uniform attire, waving toward the camera lens.
"Before we begin the match, let's explain the rules. Although we say this, all judgments are monitored in real-time by the school emblems. Just remember that when the emblems of both contestants on a team are destroyed, or if one loses consciousness and concedes, the match is declared over. At that time, the emblems will announce the victors."
"After all, the students' emblems contain data processing chips, equivalent to each person carrying a referee with them."
"That's right. So, all we need to do is look forward to the exciting matches that the contestants will bring us, and everything will be fine."
"I can't wait to see the contestants enter the stage; it's making me impatient."
"So, let's get started with the first round of matches today!"
As the live broadcast continued, two massive column-like platforms ascended from the ground on either side of the stage.
...
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