Micah gathered Rego, Art, Tineya, Dennis, Bunt, Bruder, and Ernest inside the Cube. Since the champion was secured, they didn't have to worry about them escaping, even if Bunt left them alone in the changing room.
Micah looked at his subordinates and made sure they were all listening.
"Art, I'll have you handle the champion and the challengers before, during, and after the matches."
"Yes, sir."
"Rego, fetch one or two of the clerks from the office if they're still there. They'll be in charge of collecting entry fees. One bronze for the general stands and two for front row seats or the grandstands."
"Yes, boss. On it!"
"Wait until I'm done."
Micah stopped Rego before he could take off. It was good that he was so enthusiastic, but he couldn't just leave in the middle of a meeting.
"Tineya, you're on standby."
"Okay~"
Tineya seemed a little disappointed that she wouldn't get to do anything. But only until she realized that she would have had to do something boring if Micah had given her an order similar to the ones he gave Art and Rego.
"Bunt, Bruder, you two will be in charge of the entrance and making sure people stay calm. Help the receivers with the entrance fee collection if necessary. Ernest, I'll rely on you for the bookmaking and all that."
"'Yes, boss.'"
"Oh, and if you encounter any trouble, holler for Tineya."
"'Yes, boss.'"
"Dennis, you'll be the emcee and judge. I trust you know what you need to do?"
"Yes, boss."
"Good. Here you have a mic."
Micah handed over a mic connected to speakers around the Cube.
"Any questions?"
Micah's subordinates looked at him without saying anything for a little while. But eventually, Dennis spoke up.
"How much liberty can I take with this?"
"As much as you need as long as it's successful. But keep in mind that the Cube and the matches that will be held regularly in the future will become the first stepping stone and the foundation of Wither's future development."
"'Yes, boss.'"
Micah directed his words to everyone, and they all responded. Just to fit in, Art also changed the way he called Micah.
"Great. Let's go to work."
Those words set everyone into motion.
After fetching the three guys who failed the daily quota, Art headed to the locker rooms, both to get them ready and to check on the designated champion. After entering the Cube and seeing the ring in the middle, those three had expressions of doubt and fear on their faces. But they didn't dare voice any questions and just followed meekly after Art.
Rego was out the door first since the sooner the receivers arrived, the sooner they could begin. Though, Micah wouldn't have minded if he took a little longer since it would help build anticipation amongst the crowd that had started gathering on the street outside the Cube.
Since Rego would soon return with the receivers, Bunt and Bruder began arranging the queue of people who were interested in what was going to happen. There weren't many at first, but after they opened the front doors fully and revealed what was inside the Cube, people began rushing to line up.
The ring and everything that was going on could only mean that there was going to be a fight. And based on the Cube and all the preparations, it probably wouldn't be just an ordinary street brawl.
Even ordinary street fights and tussles could attract great crowds in Vanitapolis since there was nothing else to do. Even the slight excitement of seeing two people beat up each other for a few minutes could attract several tens of people. The Cube and its promise of a grandiose fight naturally began attracting a lot more than that.
People longed for excitement, and that longing was amplified in Vanitapolis, Hell, where the residents were stuck with nothing to do for the end of time. Or until they repented for their sins and reincarnated, which, for most, was no different from an eternity in Hell.
The never-ending boredom usually led to overwhelming apathy among the residents. And many couldn't be bothered to do much more than sleep the days away, hopelessly waiting for something to change their fates. Some had even given up on waiting and willingly succumbed and gave up on keeping themselves intact.
But when a chance to relieve that boredom came along, people happily grasped it with all they were worth.
So, when Rego returned with two people and set up a reception right outside the door before stating that there was a limited amount of seats, no one batted an eye at having to pay pol to enter. If possible, they would have even paid more just to be able to guarantee a seat. However, the seats were sold on a first come, first serve basis. The people who had first displayed their curiosity and lined up were rewarded, and they took the opportunity to snag front-row seats and grandstand positions if they had enough pol.
Many still wanted to get inside, despite not having any pol left due to the underlings of Wither going around and grabbing pol from everyone they saw. However, they were quickly blocked by Bunt and Bruder. And when they caused a ruckus, the two bouncers and the rest of the line quickly shut them down. Someone not being able to afford to enter meant that someone who could afford it would get a seat, so the people in line helped the two bouncers get rid of the cheapskates or unfortunate fellows.
But those same people, who had been so cooperative, quickly turned rebellious when the Cube was filled to the brim, and the receptionists no longer accepted entrance fees.
Bunt and Bruder quickly went from having the crowd's support in getting rid of troublemakers to the crowd turning against them. Neither of them had absorbed enough pol to become so strong the crowd didn't dare cause a ruckus.
But before the troublemaking people wanting to get inside the Cube and spectate the match could cause a riot, Tineya left Micah's side and went to help Bunt and Bruder.
Tineya was quite famous, or infamous, in the town since she was the leader of one of the stronger groups of thugs. However, her reputation had taken a dive after Micah's victory over her. Since someone who had been in Hell for less than a day could beat her, many people assumed that she wasn't that strong. She was just relying on her notoriety to get underlings and pol.
However, those who believed the recent rumors of Tineya's apparent lack of strength quickly found out that those rumors were as far from the truth as possible.
Tineya didn't even bother trying to convince anyone with words. She went straight to using physical violence. It was a brutal method, brutally efficient.
After smashing a few troublemakers into the ground and turning them into sacks of meat, she threw the corpses to the side without even a second glance.
The crowd stiffened and quickly became orderly again after facing Tineya's violence and glare.