Program

"Mysterious, powerful, elusive. This is how people understand the Shadow Blade, and it's your positioning. To maintain this impression, you must speak as little as possible while showcasing your strength to people as much as possible..."

In the classroom, the Countess was lecturing Reno, who was clad in Shadow Armor, about what he needed to pay attention to. Of course, the Shadow Armor used here was made of gel-like self-forming printing material, not actual Shadow Armor, and there was a crimson cape behind him.

Listening to the Countess's explanation, Reno couldn't help but speak up, "The Shadow Blade is a dark warrior who manipulates energy in combat. Although they are very powerful, they are not muscle-bound men. Besides, Shadow Blades don't wear red capes; it's not conducive to their stealth operations..."

The Countess stopped teaching, "How do you know?"

Reno shrugged, "I'm a military academy student. Understanding the enemy is our basic requirement... We have specialized courses on the Divine Race."

"Shut up!" The Countess rudely interrupted him, "What the public needs to know is never the truth. They only care about what interests them. What you need to do is not present reality but bring joy."

"I'm an athlete, not a monkey!"

"To earn a million, you have to learn to be a monkey!" The Countess didn't mince her words and gave him a slap on the head.

Reno rubbed his head and replied helplessly, "Okay, a dark warrior with a red cape, that's quite imaginative."

Despite his reluctance, Reno had to accept the arrangements of the Countess.

Four hours later, it was the training time for the Silver Wing Angels.

Although Reno had trained in the Divine Radiance System in the training cabin for three years, there was still a significant difference between simulated training and actual usage.

Reno had to quickly adapt to this difference in order to unleash his full potential.

Spheer and Nora were his sparring partners. To provide him with enough pressure and challenge, they attacked him together.

Initially, Reno was always beaten badly. One was close combat, the other was long-range, and they pressed him so hard that he couldn't even catch his breath. But as Reno gradually adapted to the mechs, the power of the Silver Wing Angels became more difficult for Spheer and Nora to overcome.

Although they were two against one, they were still using old, worn-out mechs, far inferior to the Silver Wing Angels in terms of power index and other aspects.

Meeting a worthy opponent is the best way to improve strength, and both sides were making rapid progress in this process.

The opening time of the Red Scorpion League was half a month after the start of the vacation and lasted for about a month. Before that, Gade had already registered Reno. Using a fake identity, he was codenamed "Shadow" externally.

A few days later, Gade brought good news—he had contacted a television station.

Introducing oneself to the public through a program before the competition is a common way for athletes to promote themselves. Only by attracting enough viewers will they watch the competition and become fans, and having enough fans is the fundamental basis for attracting investment.

Here, the ranking in the league determines the number of supporters, but it's not the only factor.

Handsome appearance, witty remarks, unique style, successful packaging, and so on, are all indispensable elements.

If a player can become the focus of attention before the competition starts, it means they have already succeeded to a certain extent, and it remains to be seen how far they can go.

The television station contacted by Gade was a star-rated television station, and the program mainly targeted the Central Star Region. It wasn't too big, but it wasn't small either. For Reno, a newcomer, to get such an opportunity, it was entirely due to Gade's outstanding eloquence and deception.

That evening, at the Edgar TV station.

The television station was unusually lively today, crowded with mech athletes from all over.

They were dressed in all kinds of bizarre costumes, looking like they were attending a Halloween makeup party.

Reno once thought his Dark Warrior costume with a red cape would be too conspicuous, but after arriving here, he found that he had underestimated people's imagination—those who were eager to win the favor of the crowd dared to play with any kind of appearance, even snake-themed costumes.

"Remember, don't rush to show yourself, don't have too many body movements, speak briefly, powerfully, confidently, and passionately. Understand?" Countess Annette Beyer arranged Reno's clothes while reminding him of what to pay attention to.

Reno nodded to indicate that he remembered.

"Adam Duncan is Edgar's gold medal host, known for his sharp words and lack of mercy. To increase ratings, he may intentionally ask you some embarrassing questions. Don't be impulsive and don't fall into his verbal traps."

"Yes, I understand, ma'am."

The Countess smiled slightly, patting Reno's face, "You only have five minutes, make the most of it and don't disappoint me."

Reno nodded and looked back.

The program had already started, and the host, dressed in a magnificent suit, was passionately speaking on stage:

"My dear friends, welcome to Edgar, the peak moment of the program scene. I am Adam Duncan, your most loyal old friend! Oh yeah!" The host knelt down on both legs, greeted by a thunderous applause and loud cheers.

When the applause subsided, Adam Duncan waved his hands and jumped up, loudly saying, "As you can see, the annual Mech Madness Night is about to begin again. After ten days of busy registration and selection, the major leagues are all ready to go! Some leagues are even so eager to get started that they've already started early, but the real show is yet to come. Over the next fifty-plus days, we will see mech masters from all over the universe gathering here to fight for the honor of various major leagues. So who will be the true hero of this Mech Madness? Maybe it's you... maybe it's you... maybe it's you... or them!"

After counting down in front of the audience, Adam Duncan suddenly turned around and pointed behind him. With a row of dazzling lights illuminating, the mecha pilots filed out.

Among them were champions who had once won championships in competitions, with loud reputations and strong appeal; some were veterans who had been galloping on the Shigwani battlefield for many years, with rich experience; and there were also newcomers like Reno, full of dreams and aspirations.

They stood in the arena, striking various poses, subject to everyone's scrutiny.

Amidst such a group, Reno watched the people around him posing for attention, feeling a strange sense of annoyance.

He hated this!

Reno always believed that a true mecha pilot should compete on the battlefield with their own strength, rather than seeking praise and attention through fancy appearances and pandering to the crowd; victory should be achieved through iron and blood, not through the flattery of television programs.

But he had no way out. Reality was like a cruel machine, crushing all your dreams, leaving them fragmented, scarred, shattered, and worthless.

This detestable emotion surrounded him, making him feel extremely uncomfortable, his mind drifting away, the host's voice sounding distant as if from afar...

Until a sudden call brought him back to reality.

"Now, let us welcome from the Messenger Galaxy... Shadow!"

Amidst the host's hysterical shouting, the spotlight shone on Reno, the intense light causing him to instinctively shield his eyes with his hand.

"Look, our dark warrior seems not accustomed to exposure in the light. As a warrior who walks in darkness, this may be challenging for him."

Laughter.

"Come on, buddy, over here!" Adam Duncan waved his hand.

Reno walked over and sat opposite Duncan.

"So, Mr. Shadow, before I ask you a question, could you please remove the mask from your face and let everyone see your true appearance?"

"Sorry, sir, I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Why?"

"Because..." Reno thought for a moment before answering, "I don't want them to see my face."

"Oh God!" The countess backstage covered her face. "I wanted him to say, 'A true dark warrior never lets others see his face, when you see his face, you're already dead.' Or maybe, 'You can't see me, only darkness.' But what did he say? 'I don't want them to see my face'... Damn it, who told him to say that!"

"Don't get upset," Gad comforted the countess. "He's just nervous."

"I have a bad feeling about this," the countess said.

The conversation between Reno and the host onstage continued.

Adam Duncan laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke: "You don't want them to see your face? This is really interesting. I mean, if you don't like being exposed to the public eye, why did you choose to come here? Just to show off your new clothes?"

Laughter.

It must be admitted that as a top host, Adam Duncan was quite professional.

Clearly, Reno hadn't expected Adam Duncan to ask him that.

He hesitated for a moment before saying, "To make people remember me."

This answer almost made the countess faint.

Adam Duncan was also surprised, his mouth wide open.

He looked at Reno and smiled, "This is very interesting. We know that every mecha pilot wants to be remembered by the public, but not many can achieve that. As far as I can see, hiding your appearance and name is not a good idea."

"As long as I achieve victory," Reno couldn't help but say.

"You think you can win?"

"Yes."

"Looks like you're very confident in yourself. May I ask how long you've been practicing mecha?"

"Three years."

"Three years?"

Adam Duncan laughed as if he had heard the funniest thing ever: "What did I just hear? A guy who has only practiced mecha for three years actually wants to be remembered by winning in the mecha league."

The whole room burst into laughter.

Then Adam Duncan said solemnly, "Maybe I should give you some advice, young man. If you want to attract attention, you've done it. But it doesn't work; people won't see you differently because of that. Every day, many people try to attract the public's attention with big words, but without exception, they fail. Arrogance without strength is like a sandcastle on the beach, blown away with one puff."

He made a gesture of blowing air, closing and opening his right hand as if something flew away from his fingertips.

Then he said, "Shigwani is a paradise for the strong, where every mecha pilot has at least seven or eight years of rich experience and comprehensive skills. Here, only the most outstanding talents can go all the way, not daydreamers!"

This remark elicited applause and cheers throughout the hall.

Adam Duncan successfully turned Reno into a clown through his brilliant performance.

Looking at him, Reno replied, "They may be excellent mecha pilots, but they are not warriors."