After some time...
Astarion and five others exited the Silverleaf restaurant and stepped into the midday sun, leaving their companions behind. Some of them looked as though they had just won the lottery, while others appeared more cautious.
"Do you think this could be a trap of some kind? Caelum aside, if the Goldheart family intervenes as a whole, there won't be much we can do," Chinov, from the Baramdor beast tamer family, cautioned.
Astarion snorted. Speaking in a low tone, he addressed the group. "If there's one thing I know about the Goldhearts, it's that their senile old fools don't like playing underhanded tricks. They won't change their philosophy just for a mere Caelum. It's not like we're trying to kill him or anything."
"So you're saying all of this is just Caelum acting independently? You think there's something wrong with his head after that coma?" Chinov asked, seeking reassurance.
"Who knows? There are many strange diseases in this world, and some of them go beyond the physical body and affect the mind…"
After walking some distance from the Silverleaf restaurant, an unsuspecting old man approached the group.
He addressed Astarion directly. "Young Master, I heard what happened. I must say, I did not expect Caelum to be such a foolish young man. What instructions do you have for me?"
A sinister expression crossed Astarion's face.
"Do you know what we must be most worried about right now?" he asked.
"What is it, Young Master?"
"It's the Goldheart family reneging on the bet," Astarion said as if he had deduced one of the great mysteries of the world. "We must prevent that from happening. Instruct our channels to spread the news of the bet throughout the entire city!"
After all, the Goldhearts "owned" the City Colosseum, even if they did not directly operate it.
The old man's expression shifted to one of enlightenment. "Young Master is truly wise—hitting two birds with one stone like this. Not only will Caelum be unable to show his face in public after this, but the Goldheart family will also find it impossible to renege if we blow this matter up."
"You've deduced correctly. Good job," Astarion said with a smug expression.
And so, Astarion and the Olof family unknowingly began doing Caelum's work for him.
Back in the restaurant...
The chatter had grown slightly louder than before. Caelum and Lyra were now left alone.
Some of Astarion's previous companions had their own reasons for not "exploiting" the opportunity presented by Caelum. These individuals returned to their previous table and continued eating their lunch in peace.
Although some, like Rovena, wanted to get to know Caelum better, he assured them that he would arrange another meeting later. He explained that today was dedicated to spending time with his sister.
This made Lyra very happy, even though she was undeniably worried about what was going to happen next.
"Are you really going to be okay, big brother?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern.
"Naturally," Caelum replied offhandedly. "Just focus on enjoying yourself and leave the fighting to me."
Lyra pursed her lips. She felt that she would need to 'educate' her big brother later so he wouldn't do these kinds of foolish things again.
Even now, she could tell that Caelum was the topic of discussion at nearly every table in the restaurant. And from what she could gather, the discussions weren't very flattering.
'Just what is he planning?' she thought. After spending the last few hours with him, she had determined that there was nothing wrong with his mind. Still, he occasionally said and did strange things.
As Caelum continued enjoying his lunch amidst the tranquil chatter of the Silverleaf restaurant, Astarion and his group had arrived at the City Colosseum.
Everyone in the vicinity—be it mortals or cultivators—only needed a single glance to recognize that these were important figures. Many even knew their exact identities.
In this world, where there was no television, internet, or Olympics, cultivators were celebrities.
Which cultivators were friends? Who were enemies? Who might become Dao Companions? Who had died? Who had killed whom?
Gossip like this served as the primary source of entertainment for many.
Knowing the identities of Astarion's group, everyone quickly gave way, fearing they might accidentally offend one of these big shots. They watched as the group headed toward the Betting Office.
"That's four young masters going into the Betting Office together. This is going to be good!" someone remarked.
Apart from Astarion's two cronies, the other four figures had some fame since they came from prominent families.
"Are they going to fight each other? I wonder what the conflict is. Could it be that they're in love with the same woman?" The senseless gossip and speculations had already begun.
But then, another stranger approached to 'enlighten' them.
"By the Heavens! Fellow Daoists, you STILL do not know the latest hot news?" he asked eagerly.
"What news, fellow Daoist? I just returned and don't know anything."
"Yeah! Spill the tea, what's going on?" the other one chimed in.
"Apparently, these noble young masters are here because Young Master Caelum Goldheart was foolish enough to challenge them to a fight… I suggest you buy a ticket and make yourself comfortable in the Colosseum. You definitely don't want to miss what happens next."
The Olof family's propaganda had already started running in full force.
Inside the Betting Office…
"Do you think that we will perhaps be prevented from registering the bet here?" Chinov asked in a low voice.
Astarion's patience was wearing thin from constantly hearing this pessimist's concerns.
With a strained smile, he replied, "Brother Chinov, we're about to find out for sure. Have some patience."
It was Caelum who had instructed them to go to the Betting Offices. He had said that as long as they told the people in charge that they wanted to fight and bet against him, everything would be handled.
Although Astarion himself was skeptical about the Goldhearts allowing such folly to proceed effortlessly, he decided to follow Caelum's words for now.
"I want to book a fight. It will be me against Caelum Goldheart. We will be betting spirit stones," Astarion announced.
The clerk looked up upon hearing Astarion's words.
"You are Young Master Astarion from the Olof family, correct? Welcome. We've been expecting you…"
These words brought a small sense of discomfort to everyone in the group, but they still went ahead with registering the bets, even though Caelum was not present. The fights would be starting soon.
Obviously, as Caelum mentioned, the bets weren't fair. Take Astarion for example: if he won, he would only receive a hundred grade-1 spirit stones, but if he lost, he would have to pay ten thousand.
Whether by coincidence or not, the terms of the betting were exactly the same as Caelum's previous bet with Boros.
Chinov grew increasingly uneasy. Unlike Astarion, he was only participating in this bet because he desperately needed extra spirit stones for an event he was attending later that night. He had no desire to offend Caelum.
But now, his confidence was dwindling. He wasn't sure if he would win any spirit stones at all. And if he lost…
'If I lose, my cultivation journey is as good as over,' he thought absentmindedly. It must be remembered that not all parents were like Elara.
The group of six waited with a hint of nervousness for things to get started. The seats of the Colosseum were rapidly filling up. There were separate sections for cultivators and mortals who wanted to spectate.
The crowd was abuzz with excitement, eagerly anticipating Caelum's arrival so the fights could begin.
Meanwhile, the main star of the show, Caelum, was just finishing his sumptuous lunch.
'Aah… the food in this world is really something else,' he thought, savoring the last bite.
He then turned to Lyra, who was nervously sitting across from him.
"Let's go to the Colosseum, shall we?" he said happily.