The knockout round of 32 was scheduled to last several days, so after his first-day victory, Russell was granted a few days of rest. Being his first time in Northgate, he was unfamiliar with the city and could only meditate in his hotel room.
Ding dong.
The message alert from his phone made him open his eyes. "Who would be looking for me at this time?" he wondered aloud. "Misty again? More materials?" It was no wonder he had such thoughts—since arriving in Northgate, she was the only person he'd had any real contact with. His classmates were staying in the same hotel, so they'd just knock on his door if they needed him.
He picked up the phone and saw an unfamiliar number. He answered.
"Hello, is this Mr. Russell?"
"Speaking. And you are?"
"My name is Mr. Shaw. I'm in charge of admissions for Imperial University. You can just call me Shaw."
Imperial University? Russell was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood. They were trying to recruit him.
"Hello, Mr. Shaw. What can I do for you?" Although he'd guessed the man's intention, he decided to play dumb.
"Nothing complicated, really," Shaw said, clearly delighted by Russell's receptive tone. "I just wanted to ask if you might be interested in studying at Imperial University. Don't worry—scholarships and other benefits can certainly be arranged for you."
Russell shook his head silently. Too insincere, he thought. He can't even be bothered to make me a proper offer. The man had only mentioned a vague scholarship without any details about the specific amount or subsequent training plans. Russell certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to agree to that. More importantly, he'd basically already decided to choose Northgate University. If he went there, he could become Director Blake Whitmore's disciple. When you're out in the world, what's the use of fighting skill alone? What matters is power and background.
But he wouldn't reject the offer directly.
"Mr. Shaw," he said tactfully, "I'd prefer to discuss these things after the Riverview Province Unified Examination is over."
Shaw, naturally unaware of Russell's relationship with Director Blake, assumed the boy was waiting for a better offer. His call was just to make first contact anyway. If Russell had agreed on impulse after hearing Imperial University's name, that would have been a bonus.
"Understood," Shaw said smoothly. "Then I won't bother you any further. If you change your mind, you can contact me at any time through this number."
"Thank you, Mr. Shaw."
Russell looked at the phone after hanging up, and just as he was about to set it aside, it rang again.
Again? Russell wasn't surprised. It was impossible that only Imperial University would think of recruiting him early. He answered.
Before he could even speak, the person on the other end started talking like a machine gun.
"Hello, Russell? This is Mr. Stern from Northgate University. The school already knows about your relationship with Director Blake. Don't worry—you'll get everything you need. Don't listen to the sweet talk from other schools!"
Russell listened to Stern's rapid-fire words, a dark expression crossing his face. It took him several seconds to process all the information.
"Someone from Imperial University called me just now," he said simply.
"Those little poachers from Imperial University!" Stern's voice came through gritted teeth. "Don't worry, Russell. I'll report this to the university immediately. We absolutely will not treat you unfairly!"
Stern had reacted quickly, realizing exactly why Imperial University had called. It was a close call—if he hadn't been fast enough, they might have stolen his university's prized recruit.
Seeing that Stern understood his meaning, Russell didn't elaborate further.
"Mr. Stern, I hope you can help me tell everyone that I won't be considering any early admission offers before the end of the unified examination."
"Leave it to me," Stern said, relief evident in his voice. He'd been afraid that as a young man, Russell wouldn't be able to control himself when faced with high offers from other schools. But now that Russell had made it clear he didn't want to deal with such things, there would be no problem at all. However, he didn't consider that if Russell's performance in the finals was even more eye-catching, other schools might really have to raise their prices to try and snatch him away. Director Blake wasn't the only Master Cardmaker in the Daming Federation, after all.
"That's it then, Mr. Stern. I have something else to do."
"Of course. I won't bother you anymore."
Looking at the phone in his hand, Stern's eyes blazed with determination. You want to snatch someone from Northgate University? Not a chance! The next moment, he made another call.
"Hello, Dean..."
Russell tossed his phone aside and breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally, I can get some rest."
But in the next moment...
Ring, Ring, Ring!
The phone rang again. Is this ever going to end? he thought, picking up the phone with barely suppressed annoyance. To his surprise, it wasn't another university representative—it was from one of the corporate groups watching the tournament.
Russell listened to the representative's chattering in silence, then cut him off.
"Thank you for your interest, but I don't want to make any decisions before the provincial unified examination is over."
He hung up without waiting for a response.
The corporate representative stared at his phone, disappointed. "Didn't succeed," he sighed. He'd called hoping to sign a cooperation agreement with Russell right away, which would save them considerable costs in the long run. Fortunately, Russell wasn't the only genius in the tournament. A cunning smile appeared on the representative's face as he dialed another number.
"Hello? Is this Mr. Shane?"
After that call, Russell never received any other harassing calls. He assumed Stern had played a role in stopping them.
He spent the two days of rest quite happily, either meditating or "playing" with Kiss-Shot.
In the battle arena, Russell glanced at the remaining sixteen players. Under the current circumstances, it was impossible for any weak competitors to have made it this far. Russell's opponent in the round of 16 was also an old acquaintance—Cole Kong, who was also from New Metro.
This should be interesting, Russell thought, a slight smile playing at his lips.
End of Chapter 82
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