Chapter 397: I Thought of You as a Brother

"Anz, don't be angry anymore." As he led his still sullen-faced genius pharmacist friend out of the registration office, Yaheng barely held back his smile, comforting his childhood friend:

"They've already proven your innocence with the age detection array, and those officials have apologized to you. Hahaha, speaking of which, the expressions on those officials' faces when they saw your real age were really funny, didn't you see?"

"Yaheng." Hearing his mischievous friend's laughter, Anz's face grew even darker: "Those blind officials made me test my age twice, especially that first bastard who even doubted the array was functioning correctly."

"There's nothing you can do about it, who told you to look so old," Yaheng said helplessly, spreading his hands, "You saw it yourself, the two pharmacists who registered after you looked even younger than me, but what happened? After the array test, one was thirty-four and the other fifty-six."

"Do I really look that old now?" Anz subconsciously touched his beard, asking his childhood friend. Although he didn't care about his appearance, when it began affecting the efficiency of his work, he felt it necessary to pay attention.

"It's okay!" The young Yaheng chuckled, but in truth, he felt like he was walking with a father and son, which was a very strange feeling.

"How old do I really look? Like I'm in my forties or fifties?"

"Not that old, that official was just exaggerating. You look about the same age as my father."

"Oh, so you're saying I look about the same age as your uncle now?"

"Anz, let's drop it. Since I accompanied you to register, you should accompany me now. With your current state, you won't be able to calmly concoct potions anyway, might as well join me in line."

"Alright." Anz agreed without hesitation, having thought of something.

...When the two arrived at the bustling, noisy martial arts competition registration site and saw the six long lines of people in front of them, they were slightly stunned.

"The crowd is even bigger than yesterday; it looks like even if we wait until the last day of registration, the number won't decrease much." Yaheng sighed as he looked at the bustling crowd.

"Let's get in line quickly." Yaheng, having just sighed, was immediately dragged by Anz to the end of one of the long lines. They began the long, tedious wait.

As for cutting in line using their martial prowess? Setting aside their character, they wouldn't do such a thing. And even if they wanted to, were the two Gold-ranked cloud giants standing by just for show?

Powerful fighters in other parts of the city enjoyed many privileges, but here, everyone was equal. Even a fighter at the peak of the Gold rank had to stand honestly behind a rookie at the Bronze level. Anyone who tried to cut in line using their strength would have their eligibility for the contest revoked.

Yaheng, leading Anz to the line for their age group, had just settled in when a muscular giant in front of them, wearing armor and carrying a heavy sword on his back, turned around with a chuckle.

"Big brother, you also came to register your son?" The giant clapped the similarly looking young man beside him, speaking to Anz with a friendly tone.

"Yes!" Hearing the giant's question, Anz paused, then with a mischievous look at his friend who had been laughing all along, he nodded and began chatting with the giant as if he were Yaheng's father.

Seeing this unfold, Yaheng's brain crashed. He was stunned when the giant spoke, and after his best friend responded, he was dumbfounded.

After a few moments of stunned silence, Yaheng, seeing Anz getting along well with the giant, quickly turned red with anger, pulling at Anz's pharmacist robe: "Anz, I thought of you as a brother, and you want to be my father?"

"Hey, uncle, take a good look, where do I resemble him? He's definitely not my father," Yaheng yelled at the giant after shouting at his friend.

Yaheng's words left the giant slightly stunned, then his expression turned profoundly amused as he, a regular in adventurers' taverns, familiar with all sorts of crude jokes, imagined other less savory scenarios.

Such as marrying a beautiful widow and trying to get along with a son who was not his own, or perhaps adopting due to some inadequacy...

Yaheng's words were full of imaginative possibilities, so the giant let his thoughts wander, his face showing a nuanced smile. This forced Yaheng to explain again: "Uncle, this guy is as old as I am, how could he possibly be my father? He just looks older because he doesn't bother to groom himself."

"Ah!" Hearing the true situation did

 not match his assumptions, the giant's face showed disappointment, then he quickly apologized to the two young men: "Sorry, lads..."

"It's okay." The giant's straightforward apology made Yaheng also feel awkward to pursue the matter further, especially since the primary responsibility lay with his own best friend.

Just as Yaheng was about to take issue with his friend, a chariot with flaming wheels driven by a pegasus tore through the sky, heading straight for the officials at the registration site.

But before it got close, a cloud giant dispatched by Muria issued a warning, "Get down, go back and line up."

"Powerful cloud giant, I am a second-class viscount of the Rockman Kingdom..." A magnetic voice emanated from the carriage.

"According to the orders of Lady Muria, everyone must line up, nobles included." Seeing the pegasus chariot continuing forward, the cloud giant drew a spear from behind, poised to attack, "Get down."

"You dare attack me?" A voice tinged with anger came from the carriage.

"Idiot, think nobility is great? Get down and go to the back," the cloud giant hadn't made a move when, from beneath the carriage, a blade soared skyward.

With someone leading the attack, others followed suit, and in a moment, the arrogant noble's pegasus chariot was shattered, and he himself was spattered with blood, falling towards the ground...

As the "Golden Dragon Cup" martial arts competition registration continued amidst non-stop disturbances, Muria, busy with administrative duties, looked at the dozens of documents in front of her with a headache,

"Just in three days, there have been so many reports of demon sightings across the kingdom. Though they're only some low-level demons and magical beasts corrupted by demonic energy, they already signify many issues."

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