Progenitor Vampire: I Have Many Skills!-Chapter 668: A Martial Arts Tournament (2)

"Haha... I understand, Mr. Matthew. You come from the Dark Kingdom, right?"

"That’s correct."

"Do you happen to belong to the Lewis family of...?" The Governor didn’t finish his words, but Matthew understood.

The Lewis family, rulers of the Dark Kingdom, Emma’s family.

"You can think of me as a member of that family, although it’s not entirely true," he replied calmly.

"Hm? What does that mean?"

"This..." Matthew smiled sheepishly. "I don’t like to say it, but I am what you might call a bastard son. Although I was given the surname, I do not belong to the main branch, nor do I live with them."

"Oh." The governor realized he had touched on a sensitive subject, so he bowed his head in apology. "I’m sorry, Mr. Matthew. I didn’t mean to."

"It’s okay." Matthew shook his head. "It doesn’t bother me at all."

That was one of the identities he had created earlier. With his status as Lord of the Kingdom and Ava’s help, he was able to insert several stories about people who were not associated with him, but which he could use while traveling.

It was complicated, but it was one of the reasons he was able to uncover many traitors at the time. He deliberately allowed some of them to find out that he was the one creating fake ID and caught them before they could inform their leaders, which then triggered all the wars that now ravage the world.

"Is your intention in coming here to participate in the tournament?" After correcting his previous mistake, the governor spoke again.

But Matthew shook his head. "I didn’t intend to participate in the Martial Arts Tournament you are organizing. I just wanted to stay here and find some strong people to fight before continuing on my way. Coincidentally, the hotelier who served me told me about this tournament, so I came here to find out more about it," he said.

At that moment, he remembered that the hotelier had given him an invitation, so he took it out. "He gave me this."

The governor took the paper and nodded. "I see, it’s a direct invitation. It’s unusual for this to happen at this time of year, so I can assume that the man approved you. We won’t have much to say then. If you were invited by someone local, we must respect their decision and not investigate further." He smiled and returned the pass after stamping it.

"We can register you as soon as you like," he said.

"I still want some information about the tournament."

"Okay, I’ll explain it to you since we’re here."

The White Edge City Martial Arts Tournament has been held every year for about a million years. It has always been held on the anniversary of the city’s founding, so the city is practically celebrating its birthday.

The tournament has three phases. The first phase is the trial phase; everyone gathers near the Golden Ape Forest and is given a mission to hunt certain beasts and bring back their cores. Those who succeed pass the strengthening test and advance to the second phase.

This second phase is called "Dominate Your Tile." There are 32 combat tiles available for 32 people. Each tile can only be dominated by one person, and the rest have to challenge them to a fight to try to take it away from them.

Finally, among the 32 remaining, the playoffs are contested to determine the champion. This ensures that those who truly excel in martial arts become stronger, as they must face many fights.

The prizes...

Matthew wasn’t interested; he didn’t even listen to what they were saying at the time, because they obviously weren’t going to give him anything worthy of his attention.

"When does the first phase start?" Matthew asked.

"On Saturday, New Year’s Day. It’s our city’s anniversary."

"Very well." Matthew nodded. "Then I hope to be registered."

The governor smiled kindly. "Very well, Mr. Matthew. Then you will be informed when the time comes. I hope you have a pleasant stay in the city. Please carry this badge with you, so you will be recognized as a respectful foreigner."

"Thank you." Matthew took the badge and, as instructed, hung it on his chest. Then he left.

"Governor..."

"Go register him. He’s an interesting boy."

"Okay." The guard who had brought him smiled and ran off to do as he was told, leaving the room once again filled with the sounds of work.

-

After leaving there, Matthew walked slowly down the street. This city was the kind of city he expected to find in a fantasy world like this, after thinking that his first life had been on Earth and that this was his second (without remembering his life as Matthew Dietrich from 10 million years ago).

There was nothing futuristic, no crazy attempts to create impressive cities or grandiose things. The houses looked slightly square, but large, and their facades were simply decorated, with thick, rustic walls. They looked sturdy.

There was a huge contrast between this city and the peculiar Capital City of the Dark Kingdom. He still remembers the neon lights that surprised him in the Capital City; those blue lights remained etched in his memory.

This city had none of that; it was the most natural and normal thing he had ever seen, but it was beautiful. In its own way, it was charming.

The perfectly constructed pavilions lining the corners and adorning the streets reminded him a little of medieval China or Japan; they had similar peculiarities, such as those red roofs shaped like hats or triangles, and those spectacular gardens with ponds in the large mansions.

The city was divided by a river that looped around its interior and then flowed out the other side.

At that moment, he began to long for those beautiful, colorful streams he had seen on Earth, or before his father destroyed the sun.

The sun beating down on the rocks, turning the crystal-clear waters into a mirror, with fish jumping... it was a spectacular sight.

Instead, what met his gaze here was a different sight. The river was not illuminated by the sun; on the contrary, it was illuminated by a moon that seemed to shine with its own light—something false; the reality is that this moon illuminated with the light of distant stars, which was a really difficult task to accomplish when it was done—and where the water is like a nighttime mirror.

The crystal-clear water still allowed you to see its delicate fish leaping and jumping. He saw some unique things here.

Colorful fish of different shapes, somewhat peculiar.

As he stared intently at the river, thinking about everything he had experienced, a voice woke him up.

"It’s magnificent, isn’t it?" It was a woman’s voice.