But everyone couldn't help but chuckle. Although Alchemists were usually not poor enough to rival a country, being a Life Profession, they had never seen one in such a dire state.

Only Tianlan clenched her silver teeth in anger, wanting desperately to go and argue. However, she had barely taken a step before the Elf Girl yanked her back and gave her a fierce glare.

So, the little girl from France could only reluctantly let it go.

The judges were also somewhat at a loss for a reaction, and the Dwarf chief judge touched his pointed beard and said, "In that case, let's make an exception and provide the tools from our side—"

But he was interrupted by the Immortal Worm before he could finish: "Wait, Mr. Judge, if I remember correctly, the competition rules state that participants cannot use equipment other than their own."

The Dwarf chief judge was momentarily speechless. This fat man stirring trouble again and again was really annoying, and he couldn't help but glare at him and said, "Then what do you suggest?"

"It's not about what I suggest," the Immortal Worm had been waiting here and answered, "but rather player D12 must use his own equipment, that's the rule."

"It's his own and his team's equipment." Hudi walked over and corrected him.

The Immortal Worm wasn't in a hurry and replied, "Alright, my apologies. I spoke too soon. But isn't Mr. Rags this 'friend's' teammate—don't cheat, the eyes of the public are watching."

Hudi actually had this in mind, but after hearing the fat man's threat, he couldn't help but hesitate.

The crowd emitted a low buzz of disapproval, this time directed at the Immortal Worm. They weren't blind; they could clearly see the fat man causing trouble without reason.

But the Immortal Worm, thick-skinned, dismissed it and even appeared smug.

Just as the situation was becoming deadlocked, a sudden voice rang out: "I have gloves!"

The crowd all turned their heads, especially a surprised Fang Hong, who then realized that it was Luo Yu, who was standing behind Atira. The tall young man stepped forward and added, "I am his teammate. I had registered before entering the inn; it can be checked. So, can Xiaya use my equipment?"

The chief judge's eyes brightened and he quickly glanced at Mazak nearby. After getting a confirming nod, he quickly agreed, "If that is the case, naturally, he can."

The people turned their gaze towards the Immortal Worm, who look rather gloomy. Clearly, he had not expected that Fang Hong, despite his destitute appearance, actually had a teammate. But the rules were the rules, and he could only reluctantly nod.

Luo Yu then, under everyone's watchful eyes, opened his backpack and took out a pair of lavish Control Gauntlets.

The gauntlets were golden, made of brass. The upper part was a streamlined metal shield, while the lower part was dense with tubes and gears. The shell was gilded with intricate carvings of lush foliage, each piece protruding, collectively arching over an empty dial. The dial was engraved with "XII, Soar, 173, 1, 12," indicating the craftsman's identity and the manufacture date.

The entire gauntlet looked like an artifact from the Victorian Era.

"This is..." Hudi's eyes widened.

Someone in the crowd shouted before him, "It's the Emerald Bird Workshop's fourth-generation Omnimeter!" The Immortal Worm flinched when he saw the gauntlet, the fat on his face trembling.

The Control Gauntlets had undergone three generations of improvements. The previous model was the old rail-style gauntlets, which had been phased out for years. The current mainstream were the Magic Buoy-style gauntlets, among which the products from Emerald Bird Workshop were the best. The fourth-generation Omnimeter was the latest model, and its price had always been high on the market.

These Control Gauntlets directed the attitude of the Flexible Construct through the orientation of Magic Buoys, touted as the most sensitive, complex, and precise control gauntlets because the Magic Buoys could vector-point, hence the name Omnimeter.

Luo Yu carefully lifted the gauntlet and handed it over.

Fang Hong looked at him, a bit puzzled: "Luo Yu, how come you have artisan's gloves?"

But Luo Yu didn't answer his question, instead whispering, "Help me give that annoying fat guy a good lesson."

The two seemed to be whispering, but the latter enunciated each word so clearly that those around could hear everything clearly. Laughter spread among the onlookers, and the Immortal Worm was livid: "I protest, he's insulting me!"

But the Dwarf chief judge raised an eyebrow. "Protest denied, the other party isn't a participant."

Thus, the laughter grew louder.

The Immortal Worm's face fluctuated between shades of green and white, unable to counter Luo Yu, he darkly glanced at Fang Hong.

Fang Hong was also stunned for a moment, not expecting the usually serious Luo Yu to have such a side. He glanced at the fat man and nodded: "I assure you, he will forever remember your gloves."

"Great words, little deeds!" the Immortal Worm sneered.

Fang Hong took the gauntlets, turned around, and looked at him.

"I'm asking one last time, contestant B3, do you really want me to change these gauntlets and fight you?" As he spoke, the greenness of the young man vanished, and he seemed as majestic as a mountain.

If this were in Kapuka—

Those craftsmen would have known at that moment, someone was about to be in trouble.

All was silent.

Luo Yu and Tianlan also looked at Fang Hong, somewhat surprised.

Not to mention the Immortal Worm, who initially couldn't respond, barely gathered himself, wiped the sweat off and said somewhat strangely, "Don't bluster here; I'm going to make you lose face soon."

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