Chapter 117

Chapter 117

The rumbling trains continuously brought people from all directions to the imperial capital, and the entire city began its midsummer revelry in this scorching season.

Only a limited number of people could enter the main tournament grounds, while the majority gathered in nearby taverns and teahouses, chatting about the changes over the years as they awaited the results from the matches.

Gambling was also prevalent during this period. The common forms included dice games and coin tosses, while the more upscale options involved animal pits and horse racing. Ning Chan had only banned animal pits, as he hadn’t yet had time to regulate the others.

After all, animal pits in this era sometimes pitted not just animals but also humans against each other, resulting in excessively bloody and violent scenes that left a poor impression.

However, for those who wanted to showcase strength and beauty or vent their pent-up aggression, there was still an outlet—official boxing arenas. Here, everything followed the rules, with matches ending "at first blood," ensuring no one was beaten to death.

Interestingly, after the boxing arena was built, the first to gain fame weren’t the boxers but the referees.

Sometimes, boxers would fight fiercely without a clear winner, but when facing these referees, they had no choice but to concede. After all, the referees here were all veterans from the elite field battalions, capable of taking on ten opponents single-handedly on the battlefield. Their work here was just off-duty moonlighting.

Besides referees, some star boxers also had retired soldiers behind them. Though they might be older or no longer in peak physical condition, their combat experience was vast, giving them plenty of time to study how to fight.

In fact, to make the fights more visually appealing without crossing ethical boundaries, they developed many theatrical moves based on real combat. The audience below would get riled up, hearts pounding with the dramatic twists and turns of the matches, while the fighters on stage could spit out bloodied saliva, wipe their noses, and still sell a near-fatal spectacle.

To prevent war-seasoned fighters from losing control in such settings—or worse, using military-trained skills against ordinary people—there were restrictions on who could participate in boxing matches: no one from the military was allowed.

Because of this, some of the most formidable fighters chose to become referees or coaches, as such official endorsements were permitted.

So, if one ever saw a boxer attacking a referee only to be flatlined by one referee’s fist, there was no need to be surprised. In these times, one couldn’t be a referee without some serious skills.

With the authorities taking charge of the competitions, another matter was put on the agenda: sportsbook operations.

Back when dealing with the Paradise District scandal, Ning Chan and his team had witnessed people gambling on beast fights. With limited entertainment options nowadays, any activity involving competition or struggle would inevitably attract betting. The authorities could ban it, but what people did in private was beyond control.

Gambling was something that, even in later eras, remained repeatedly banned yet repeatedly resurfacing, with far more tricks than in the present.

With just a deck of cards, people could gamble in countless ways—comparing high and low, playing "Chasing the Dragon," "21 Points"... the rules were endless. And to cheat, even the shuffling methods could bamboozle spectators.

Originally, seeing how little entertainment people had, Ning Chan had considered introducing playing cards and mahjong. But considering these were not basic necessities and might distract people from more pressing matters, he set them aside for a more opportune time.

However, Ning Chan, still focused on sportsbook operations at the moment, had no idea this opportunity would come so soon. Just three months later, state-sanctioned mahjong halls were officially launched.

Back in his childhood, Ning Chan had helped his father buy welfare lottery tickets, then scratched off the tickets himself.

Unfortunately, neither his father nor he had any luck in gambling. For them, earning their keep at the mahjong table might have been more realistic than buying lottery tickets—at least the former relied somewhat on skill.

With the competitions in full swing, everyone was placing odds on the champions, making it inevitable that some would turn it into a betting opportunity. Rather than letting people run wild in private, it was better for the authorities to take charge to prevent things from spiraling out of control.

Moreover, Ning Chan knew that sports betting existed openly in later eras. Just look at the World Cup—even those who didn’t watch soccer would place bets for fun.

However, as sports betting flourished, certain circles became increasingly murky. The worst offenders were likely soccer matches—paid-off refs, unfair penalties, match-fixing... turning passionate fans from love to hatred, wishing they had tomatoes to pelt rather than cheers.

What the future held for this world’s sports events, Ning Chan couldn’t predict. But at least while he was around, he hoped things could be as fair and just as possible.

Those who made it to the imperial capital through regional qualifiers would be treated equally here. Unlike in the past, where people were merely encouraged in their lifestyles, here these things became mandatory.

Food, lodging, and transportation were all managed within the athletes’ compound, entirely under official control, with no outside contact allowed.

In later eras, competitions would include potion screenings. Though it was unclear whether such substances existed now or how to test for them, for this first large-scale event, caution and formality were paramount.

Even without such substances, there was always the risk of someone plotting to kneecap or kill a rising star—whether mildly or severely, as long as it prevented them from winning or even competing.

With the authorities keeping them on lockdown now, the chances of accidents before the matches were slashed to near-zero.

After learning of the authorities' emphasis on this matter, those who still wanted to stir up trouble had no choice but to hold back. Well, the meals in the Royal City Sports Village were quite lavish—better than what they could cook at home.

Harvey was in heaven. He had never eaten so many delicious things before. If only Pa Bo could come in, or if he could take some out for Pa Bo to try.

Eyeing those cute little pastries, he made up his mind to take a few pieces with him when he left.

Harvey wasn't the only one with such thoughts. Every time they came to the dining hall, they wished they could eat endlessly.

However, not everyone dared to eat so freely. Athletes like Harvey, who specialized in throwing or weightlifting, didn’t sweat gaining weight. But for those in running, long jump, or high jump, gaining ten or eight pounds would make it hard to stay light and agile.

Thus, the dining hall was divided into two factions: one group glumly poked at their plates of vegetables and boiled meat, occasionally indulging in something richer only to fret over the scale and suffer through extra training. The other group ate with grinning, grease-smudged faces, then happily added more training.

Either way, getting flabby wasn’t an option—getting a bit more muscular was fine.

Rapid physical changes in a short time would hinder their performance, weakening their control over their bodies.

Now, the athletes who had adapted to the local weather and competition venue were ready to take the stage. Their names and profiles had entered the public eye with the launch of the official betting boards.

All bets had to be placed no later than one hour before the match began. Once the deadline passed, no further bets were allowed.

Harvey’s name also appeared on the betting board, though he didn’t have many supporters. Compared to his low-key training, others had far more fame—especially the Royal City team, competing on home ground with the advantage of capital training. Their supporters far outnumbered this country boy’s.

After taking in the buzz from the tower, Ning Chan checked the time and headed to the stadium with Kane. Today was the opening ceremony—they couldn’t miss it.

With limited technology, Ning Chan couldn’t pull out all the stops. The lighting and stage effects of later eras were beyond his reach now. At most, he could light up the sky with fireworks in the evening to liven things up.

Ning Chan had seen those grand, spectacular opening ceremonies on TV, but the others hadn’t. What they saw was plenty impressive.

The opening act was a large-scale performance by hundreds. To the beat of fierce drums, they watched as young men in military-green uniforms stood in perfect formation, throwing punches in perfect sync.

Every raised arm, every kick, and the synchronized shouts of “Ha!” had the audience straightening up in their seats.

A plainly dressed middle-aged man excitedly pointed at someone in the crowd, shouting to the person beside him, “That one in the front is my son! Haha, his punches are so sharp!”

A few seats ahead, a wealthy merchant tutted at the noise behind him, raising his binoculars and loudly telling his wife, “Our daughter looks great too! Moves like a pro—could knock out two of me!”

His wife lowered her binoculars to glare at him. What kind of way was that to talk about their daughter? If someone overheard and thought she was too fierce, it might hurt her marriage prospects.

But seeing her husband’s excitement, she raised an eyebrow and lifted her binoculars again. Things were different now—if any man was too intimidated by their daughter’s strength to marry her, then she wouldn’t want her to marry him anyway. Their daughter was outstanding enough to inherit the family business and pick a couple of handsome, obedient boys for herself later.

There were plenty of proud parents like them. The young performers in the opening act were all selected from academies, and the routines they performed were learned during military training.

Out of all the students nationwide, not just anyone could qualify for this performance. Being chosen for the selection process alone proved their academic excellence, and appearing here marked them as the cream of the crop. They deserved their parents’ pride.

If the opening act was meant to showcase the vigor of youth in a disciplined, traditional manner, the second performance was something entirely fresh and novel.