Volume 8: The Sword Points to the Far East Chapter 252: War Ball League (I)
In this world full of unscientific magic and martial arts, inhuman aliens, and extraordinary people, the war ball, which was adapted from American football, has only been on the market for a year, and its popularity has swept through competitive sports including the traditional orc 100-man melee, human polo, and sea surfing, causing a great response in the Northern Federation.
With a few more years of development, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the Snow Wolf-style war ball could become popular all over the world.
It is not picky about the venue, the rules are simple, and the confrontation is fierce. Top personal strength and excellent teamwork can play a decisive role in winning or losing. Whether you pursue personal heroism or yearn for tacit teamwork, you can show your skills on the battlefield. At the beginning, when Isaac and Viscount Pope established the Valentine Station team, they had to recruit people everywhere. Later, heroes of all races came to sign up on their own...
In last year's first War Ball Day, only the Snow Wolf tribe's team could play games for the audience. This year's War Ball Day was different, as they could even organize a points-based league... On the afternoon of the first day, three rounds were scheduled, with each game lasting from one and a half to two hours (including the halftime break for selling lottery tickets, and time for substitutions during the game).
When the belated Revenge Moon entered the field, the two teams in the first group had already entered the intense second half.
Revenge Moon, who appeared in the highest and last row of the ordinary audience seats, curiously popped his head out from behind the crazy audience who were dancing and screaming excitedly, and was immediately shocked by the situation on the field.
The game on the field was between a team from the forest elves' city of Ananas and a team led by Earl Winston of the sea tribe.
In the official competition (which is the rule of the Warball League organizer led by the Robbins Knights), each team is only allowed to play two foreign players of different races. Most forest elves have thin arms and legs, so even if they put two of the strongest elephant orcs in, they will definitely suffer on the defensive line. So the brain trust of the Ananas City team, Evelyn, who was "led astray" by Xiao Yun, came up with a shady plan: borrow five blood elves from the Ice and Snow King City and add them to the forest elves' team - they are all elves, so who dares to say that snow elves and forest elves can't be considered a team? !
The snow elves who grew up in the extremely cold north, although they still maintain the style of the elves, they are definitely not inferior to the orcs even if they fight head-on!
As for your comment that it is ridiculous that the team is clearly named Forest Elf Ananas but has only four forest elves on the field, that is a matter of opinion... Didn't you see that the league organizers, including the Robins Knights, had to accept it with a pinch of their noses!
Anyway, Vengeance Moon, who knew nothing about war balls and war ball games, stood in the audience and looked down, with a lot of thoughts in his mind: five snow elves, four forest elves, and two elephant orcs wearing grass green armor, violently collided with nine sea creatures and two humans wearing sea blue armor, scrambling like crazy for a small oval ball - what the hell were they doing? !
The rules of the war ball game were simple and crude. In addition to not being allowed to hit people with fists or to use weapons to attack others, collisions, tackles, and knocking people away with arms, elbows, and knees were all allowed (everyone was wearing armor anyway). Revenge Moon had just confusedly identified the two sides on the field when he saw a snow elf roaring and jumping up, kicking the human player who had grabbed the ball and was about to run...
Vengeance Moon: “???”
This brutal and rude behavior stunned Revenge Moon.
As a fourth-level magician, Revenge Moon was a frequent guest of the human sage group at the Frank Feast in the Ice and Snow King City. He was not unaware of the tough character of the snow elves under their seemingly elegant and humble appearance... But he remembered that the snow elves were quite particular about respectability! Was it really okay to be so rude in public? !
Before Revenge Moon could think too much, the winger of the Sea Clan team who was protecting the running player rushed out and knocked down the snow elf who almost kicked his own foreign player. Several players collided with each other and rolled into a ball.
Neither the sea tribe nor the elves had good tempers, and Moon of Revenge was a little worried at the time whether these people would really start a fight... Then he saw that the players on both sides didn't care about anything else at all, and they all hurriedly got up and rushed towards the human players who were running with the ball.
The contestants of the sea clan were all octopuses, who had four more arms than other races. When they attacked with their claws and fangs, even the most capable and ruthless snow elves among the elves were helpless. Several snow elves who didn't have time to distance themselves were hugged by their long legs, fell to the ground in a mess, and rolled into a ball again.
“…” The Moon of Revenge’s face twitched.
The snow elf whose legs were hugged simply supported himself on the ground with his hands, swung his legs like sickles, and kicked away the sea player who tried to rush over and suppress him with his weight. Then he rolled over and jumped up, continuing to chase the human player who was running with the ball.
The octopus tribe, with well-developed upper limb strength and six arms, is the most powerful defensive line, but their weakness is also obvious, that is, they are not fast enough. The interception formed by the sea players can only delay the snow elves for a while, and they can only stare blankly after being thrown off.
The snow elves caught up and grabbed the seams on the back of the armor. The human players had to hold the ball tightly and roll out of bounds to keep their team's ball. (If the ball goes out of bounds, it can be restarted. If it is not out of bounds and is taken away by the forest elves, then it becomes the elves' ball and they can immediately launch a counterattack.)
"Out of bounds, Winston's ball!" The adventurer who was acting as the referee yelled at Yin Bei (if anyone else was to be the referee, he would be flat on the ground if he was accidentally touched by a player), and the audience who bet on Ananas' team immediately cheered.
In terms of kick-offs and melees, not many could get past the octopus tribe... Although the elves tried their best to intercept, the sea tribe players still passed the ball safely to the human players, who then ran with the ball again; when the human players continued to run under the cover of the sea tribe players, half of the spectators cheered desperately, while the other half were so anxious that they were jumping up and down.
"Hurry up and grab the ball!"
"Quickly stop that guy!!"
"Knock him down! Kill him!!"
"..." Vengeance Moon silently looked at the audience in the nearby audience who were shouting "Kill him"... So, the human race cheered for the elves and encouraged them to "kill" their own people, is it really okay? !
"Team Winston advances eight meters!"
"Team Winston advances twelve meters!"
"The Winston team has advanced nine meters! Only twenty-two meters away from the end zone!!"
The excited voice of the adventurer who served as
Revenge Moon covered his ears with his hands. He really hated such noisy occasions. But maybe it was because of the atmosphere, or because he was moved by the fierce collisions and desperate efforts of the players on the field, he didn't have the idea of leaving to hide. Instead, he became more and more concerned about the whereabouts of the oval ball on the field...
The Sea Tribe Winston team advanced to the 22-meter touchdown zone of the Forest Elf Ananas team. This distance, which was usually easily covered, became an extremely brutal battleground in the following game. Not only did the Snow Elves and the two Elephant Tribe foreign players form a human wall shoulder to shoulder to block the pass and kick, but even the four small Forest Elves stepped forward...
Facing the elves, the sea tribe had no speed advantage. They had only two ways to score a goal, either to force a breakthrough with the ball head-on, or to rely on the human players to run with the ball. After playing the first half of the game, the elves also knew the problems of these six-armed monsters. A female snow elf and a male forest elf simply ignored others and closely guarded the two human foreign players of the sea tribe.
Uh... I don't know if it's because the Snow Wolf Tribe never divided the teams into male and female teams when playing war ball. After the war ball became popular, the various races didn't think of dividing the competition into male and female teams... Anyway, most races in this world (including the professional human race) don't believe that women are necessarily weaker than men or that females are necessarily not as strong as males, so Xiao Yun didn't correct this.
The human foreign aid who was being marked could not get the ball, so the sea tribe could only choose to break through head-on, advancing one meter and two meters at a time with difficulty.
As the small oval ball was gradually brought to the end zone, the confrontation between the two players became more intense, and the cheers from the audience became louder and louder. Being such an environment, watching the two sides struggling with all their might on the field, the Moon of Revenge unknowingly put down his hands that were covering his ears, and although he did not cheer for either side out loud, he clenched his fists unconsciously.
The "22-meter Hell" lasted for ten minutes. When a player from the Sea Clan, under the cover of his teammates, held the ball with four arms, pushed away the human wall formed by the Snow Elves and the Elephants with two arms, overwhelmed others, and slammed the ball into the ground in the touchdown zone over the opponent's head, the entire stadium erupted in thunderous cheers...
"Damn it!" The female snow elf warrior gave up on guarding the human runner and rushed over to jump onto the sea creature's shoulder to grab the ball, but her two fists were no match for six hands... She was so angry that she took off her helmet and threw it to the ground.
Under the helmet with a mask is a face that is still delicate and gorgeous even though it is covered with dust and sweat. It is also extremely beautiful and aggressive. She has silver hair, snow-white skin, red pupils, murderous eyes, and small and plump red lips. She is Selena, the old friend of the Snow Wolf Clan and the Snow Elf Lieutenant.
"Please prepare for the next round of attack!" The adventurer acting as the referee shouted to Yin Bei, reminding the elves to return to the center line.
Lieutenant Selina quickly bent down to pick up her helmet, and strode toward the center of the field, shouting to her panting teammates: "Fight hard! We're only one goal behind, we still have time!!"
"yes!"
Second Lieutenant Selina, who joined the Ananas team for fun, became the captain right after she arrived... There was nothing she could do about it. It wasn't that the forest elves were not as strong as the snow elves, but the slender forest elves really couldn't lead the charge on the field. Moreover, the Snow Wolf-style war ball cut out long-distance passes and kicks (advancing more than ten meters would be counted as ten meters), so the traditional American football quarterback didn't play a big role on the field...
In the VIP room, at least half of the human nobles stretched their necks because Selina angrily threw her helmet.
Whether in attack or defense, Lieutenant Selina was extremely sharp, like a sharp sword, and she attracted the attention of the human nobles...
"This elf captain is very good, but it's a pity that he is an elf, otherwise I could find a way to sign him to my team." Prince Morris' eyes were blazing. "He is as graceful as a leopard, as sharp as a knife, and has a body that is agile and flexible, and has strength above the standard. If he hadn't been restrained by the sea people, he would have definitely shined."
"Yes, the sea tribe is very good at defense, and it is not easy to score points from them. Before being overtaken by the sea tribe, he was able to quickly gather his emotions and mobilize his teammates. Such a captain is the backbone of the court." The Duke's son also said regretfully.
Viscount Pope, who was sitting next to him, smiled and said nothing. He was indeed envious of the captain of the team, but there was no need to keep an eye on the officer in the Elf King's army. He could just slowly look for him among the adventurers. Although there were few snow elves who came out to adventure, they were not completely non-existent. Was he afraid that he would not be able to find him by staying in an adventure city like Valentine?
In the next game, Selina tried her best to charge forward and try to equalize the score. However, the Sea Tribe also knew that they could only win by strictly defending the remaining time. They replaced two speed-type Sea Tribe players and cooperated with the human players to fully defend the four forest elves. The others kept a close eye on the five snow elves, completely ignoring the two elephant tribe players who were useless in the offense. They dragged the game to the end and did not let the Ananas team advance the ball within 30 meters of the touchdown zone...
After the referee announced that the Sea Tribe's Winston team had won by one goal, Earl Winston and his son rushed out of the VIP room, hugged their own players, jumped and shouted, and even the two human foreign players hugged and kissed Master Winston tightly.
Paper scraps rained down in the audience. Although the audience who bought tickets for the Ananas team felt very sorry, the tickets were not very expensive anyway, so they did not care about the elves losing the game.
Amid the thunderous cheers from the audience and the falling lottery tickets, Revenge Moon, who had unknowingly walked to the front row of the audience to watch the game, suddenly came to his senses, quickly lowered his raised arm, and tightly pursed his lips to prevent himself from yelling and shouting like an ignorant young man.
The defeated Ananas team and Winston team lined up, bowed, and returned to the lounge silently.
Hailin was sweating profusely, holding the helmet in his hands and breathing tiredly. This fierce competition was a big burden for the forest elf. Although he was wearing armor, he felt pain all over his body after playing the whole game.
"...I'm so tired!" As Hailin walked into the players' tunnel and the cheers from outside died down, she couldn't help but grin and said, "It still hurts. The number 10 player on the opposite side bumped into me just now. He might have cracked my ribs!"
Lieutenant Selina looked back at him with amusement: "Kai was supposed to come here, didn't you take his cornerback position?"
"How can Kai's small body withstand such an intense competition? If he had come, he would have been knocked away by those six-armed monsters just now. Unlike me, I can still get up and continue fighting." Hailin said immediately.
None of the snow elves spoke, only Hailin's three forest elves glared at him with disgust.
General Crest also came to the war ball day this year. During the game, he stayed in the players' lounge and watched the field with concern. As soon as the players covered in sweat and dust came in, the elf general, whose chin was still not sharp, immediately stood up and encouraged everyone with a serious face: "Everyone played well. It's rare to win four balls from the sea tribe. The Valentine team can't do that either."
The elves and the two elephants: "..."
Just... no matter how unambitious they are, they are not to the extent of using Valentine's team for consolation...
Well, this is not discrimination, but the human race is indeed at a disadvantage in battles that emphasize head-on combat and strength, especially for a weak team like the Valentine team - if it were a team like Prince Maurice or the Duke's Son, who are willing to spend money and have "all-round kings", it would be about the same.
"Everyone, thank you for your hard work!" Xiao Yun came over with a smile, "General Crest, Lieutenant Selina, everyone, pack up your things and go to the VIP room to watch the next game."
Second Lieutenant Selina had met Xiao Yun many times, and was more familiar with him than Hailin. She immediately stepped forward and rubbed Xiao Yun's head, who was about the same height as her: "What do you mean by going to the VIP room? Do you want us to give up the players' lounge? If I lose the game, I will lose face in front of you, right?"
"That's impossible! All the teams that have just finished playing are invited to the VIP area. We have specially arranged big rooms for all the teams!" Xiao Yun quickly waved his hands and slapped Selina's rude claws.
Second Lieutenant Selina grabbed Xiao Yun and grabbed his neck, stroking his head even harder. The already hot-tempered Snow Elf warrior was now filled with rage: "You are so good, Ayun. You keep saying we are friends, but you arranged for us to fight a group of six-armed octopuses? Don't you feel guilty? Are you worthy of Evelyn? This is a battle of honor for Ananas!"
"Be gentle, be gentle, your scalp is going to go bald! Oh, we are drawn into groups for the points tournament, and it's not a single game that determines the winner. We still have to play tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, so there's a chance to make it back!"
Revenge Moon asked the audience about the game schedule, and knowing that there was another game in half an hour, he hurriedly left and went to the delicatessen in front of the stadium to buy lunch.
When he came back with the paper bag of food, he found that there were many more people in the audience, in groups of two, wearing uniform clothes, selling lottery tickets for the next game to the audience...
After learning about how to buy football betting lottery tickets and the odds, Revenge Moon froze.
He was not an ordinary person who had difficulty in adding and subtracting two-digit numbers. The math level of spellcasters in this world was definitely the highest. After asking about the lottery prices and odds, looking at the boxes filled with small pieces of paper in the lottery group, and then glancing at the circular audience seats filled with people even on the steps of the passage, and the VIP area where lottery tickets were settled with gold coins, Revenge Moon could imagine how much money the organizer could make by organizing such a game...
The image of the local lord in his mind suddenly became extremely complicated...
"What kind of person is this Isaac Robbins?" The fourth-level black magician shouted in his heart.
Isaac, who had been busy at the pig farm and had just come to watch the second game, opened the door of the VIP room where his teacher was with a smile on his face.
"teacher!"
"Isaac, you're back just in time." Xiao Yun jumped up from the sofa, strode towards the disciple, and said enthusiastically, "Come here, I have a task for you. Come and explain the league system to our snow elf friends."
Xiao Yun was talking, but his hands were moving without slowing down at all... He pulled Isaac to his original position, forced him to sit down, and tilted his head to look at Lieutenant Selina with flaming eyes. "Selina, this is my disciple Isaac Robbins, the organizer and top person in charge of the War Ball League. No one knows more about the league's affairs than him. If you have any questions, feel free to ask him."
Isaac: “???”
The snow elf lieutenant, with flaming eyes, immediately glared at Isaac with a murderous look on his face.
"Then I'll go check the ticket sales situation of the lottery team. Mr. Sean, please come and help as well." Xiao Yun said this in a serious and upright manner, and strode out without waiting for Mr. Sean's response.
Mr. Sean was not as undignified as him. He stood up, bowed slightly to Selina, nodded gently to Isaac, and finally looked at General Crest and touched his chest politely before leaving the room leisurely.
In the spacious VIP room, only the helpless General Crest, the murderous Lieutenant Selina, and the innocent Isaac were left.
Isaac: “…”
Teacher, you...I...
At the corner of the corridor, Edward poked his head out and took a look. Seeing Xiao Yun and Mr. Sean leaving the room one after another and walking out of the corridor quickly, he turned to Alex and said, "I told you, Mr. Yun is so warm and friendly to Isaac all of a sudden, just like he treats Miss Lola. There must be something wrong!"
Alex was a little confused: "This...are we just going to ignore Isaac?"
Edward took a step back and made a gesture of invitation towards the closed door of the VIP room: "If you want to accompany him, of course there is no problem, please."
"--Mr. Ayun would never make things too difficult for Isaac. Let's not disturb Isaac from doing his work." Ali hesitated for only two seconds and then made a resolute decision.
