First Time In Europe

Qi Ce listened as he opened the virtual stadium. Over time, the virtual stadium expanded as his popularity grew. Originally, the stadium was surrounded only by barbed wire, but now it has additional, albeit simple, stands resembling stone steps next to the school's large field. A few fans were scattered around.(T/N: How is dat possible?)

These fans resembled those in a football game; they would only react to the happenings on the field as if they were dummies.

Perhaps the stadium's upgrade reflected Qi Ce's rising popularity.

Qi Ce wasn't sure what the actual significance was, but watching the stadium slowly expand gave him a sense of accomplishment. He wondered if the stadium could one day become a top-tier, modern stadium like the Bernabéu as he continued to progress toward becoming a world-class star.

Returning to the locker room, Qi Ce took out his language book and set it to English for study. A wave of vocabulary that he only half understood flooded his mind, and he opened his mouth to speak. Compared to his previously broken Chinese English, his fluency had improved significantly. Daily life in English-speaking countries would now pose no problem.

After running out of football coins in one go, Qi Ce later completed some small tasks to earn more. He learned from this experience and decided to keep some football coins on hand for future needs.

Now, Qi Ce's skill rating is well above 94, with slight improvements in strength and ball control. The other attributes were on an upward trajectory, though there was no significant overall growth.

This was expected since, despite playing most matches with the Shanghai East Asia team and not neglecting training, Qi Ce's ability was still sufficient even for the Super League. The lower level of the matches he played in did not provide much opportunity for improvement. In games and in reality, even the most talented players won't see significant attribute growth if they continuously play in lower-level leagues.

The connection between the game and Qi Ce's real-life abilities was well understood by Xu Genbao, who had already recognized that Qi Ce's potential surpassed the limitations of Chinese football leagues. This realization prompted the idea of sending him to Europe.

Qi Ce also shared this hope of going to Europe, not only for the opportunity to play in European matches but also to improve his attributes.

Back in reality, Zhou Feng tested Qi Ce's English proficiency on the plane and was surprised by the results. With Qi Ce's English proficiency, he could easily live independently in English-speaking countries.

Initially, Zhou Feng doubted Qi Ce's claim of his English proficiency. How had he achieved such a level? Qi Ce was not yet sixteen and had been at the training base since the age of twelve or thirteen. Even though he had taken English classes, his level of fluency was impressive.

Qi Ce's skills weren't limited to football; he also demonstrated talent in language, which was a natural advantage for a player going abroad.

"Work hard and impress everyone," Zhou Feng said with a smile, patting Qi Ce on the shoulder. He expressed this sentiment in English, concluding the small language test.

Qi Ce nodded. So far, Zhou Feng, who became Qi Ce's agent, has only symbolically charged Qi Ce's parents a small fee, amounting to a few thousand yuan—enough to cover the cost of the plane ticket for the trip. Zhou Feng paid for everything else.

When Qi Ce asked about this arrangement, Zhou Feng explained it was an initial investment. Qi Ce's future development would bring a return, and the money would come from Zhou Feng's registered agency, so he didn't have to pay out of pocket.

The plane ride was monotonous. While the first flight experience might have been exciting, the journey was long, with the same view of blue sky and white clouds outside.

Luckily, Qi Ce had the virtual stadium, where he practiced passing and receiving the ball for several hours, helping to pass the time.

In Germany, in Black Forest, Frankfurt, at Frankfurt International Airport, the busiest aviation hub in Germany and one of the top five busiest airports in Europe, Qi Ce was just one of the hundreds of flights arriving daily.

No one was waiting for Qi Ce in this distant European city. Besides Zhou Feng and the flight attendant who greeted him, no one recognized him.

After making a passionate decision, it was time to face the reality of the challenge.

As they disembarked, Qi Ce and Zhou Feng merged into the crowd.

Though there had been many Chinese passengers on the plane heading to Europe, as people dispersed through the passage, Qi Ce realized he was now in Europe. The familiar sound of Mandarin Chinese was replaced by the rhythmic and continuous English or German language, and the surrounding signs and logos were in English characters.

"Let's go get your luggage," Zhou Feng said, and Qi Ce followed.

Zhou Feng watched quietly from behind, giving Qi Ce time to absorb the new environment.

Qi Ce took a deep breath and followed Zhou Feng through the crowd, marking the start of his first European journey.

At the intersection, a black Mercedes-Benz S-Class car was parked. It seemed to be Zhou Feng's business car for work in Europe.

"Hello, Qi Ce, my name is Wu Jiawen, and I'm Mr. Zhou's assistant. If Mr. Zhou is busy with work, I will handle your affairs," said the young assistant under 30 years old, who greeted Qi Ce and gave him a business card.

Zhou Feng introduced Wu Jiawen, a recent graduate from the University of Amsterdam who loves football. Though the agency team had only four members, Zhou Feng seemed pleased with their work.

Qi Ce nodded. Though he didn't know much about being an agent, he trusted Zhou Feng, who had managed to get him to Europe. His team members must be competent.

"Shall we head straight to our destination?" asked Qi Ce.

"How about it? Can we go directly today?" Zhou Feng asked Qi Ce.

"Sure," Qi Ce replied confidently. He believed his abilities were not yet Bundesliga-level, but in a youth team, he would stand out as an exceptional player. He felt confident about the trial.

"Then let's go!" Zhou Feng said.

"Our destination this time is Mainz," Zhou Feng stated as they drove. "I know you want to play as soon as possible, but after evaluating the options, we found Mainz to be the most suitable team for three reasons."

Before departing, Qi Ce had considered going to the Netherlands or Belgium, where there were no age restrictions for players. He felt confident that he could start playing soon. However, Zhou Feng ultimately decided they would go to Germany.

"Of course, I've explained this to you, but there's new information." Zhou Feng held up three fingers. "Belgian clubs have tight budgets, and 300,000 euros is too expensive for them. Alkmaar in the Netherlands agreed to the price but decided to hold off on the plan after hearing from their scouts. A young Chinese player was too much of a gamble for them, so that's one reason."

"Second, German clubs are willing to pay that price and let you try, which is crucial."

Zhou Feng paused and looked at Wu Jiawen. "Xiao Wu, you can explain the rest. This was your idea."

"Okay, Mr. Zhou," Wu Jiawen agreed.

Wu Jiawen put forward a proposal that caught Qi Ce's interest. During his studies in the Netherlands, Wu Jiawen made some achievements in football due to his interest in the sport. He played a key role in Sun Xiang's trial with Eindhoven last year and his official signing in January this year. This deal pleased Zhou Feng.

If possible, Wu Jiawen planned to arrange for Qi Ce to be loaned to some Dutch teams to ensure he could play in official matches soon.

It might be in the Eredivisie or the Dutch second division. Wu Jiawen would try his best to find a team where Qi Ce could play. This would be a challenging project since finding a team that trusted a young Chinese player from a less-established football background would be difficult.(T/N: Ngl)

Nonetheless, the primary premise of their discussion was that Qi Ce must successfully join Mainz.