Chapter 359 - 260: City Lord, You Wouldn’t Want to Be Defeated by the Devils, Would You?

Chapter 359: Chapter 260: City Lord, You Wouldn’t Want to Be Defeated by the Devils, Would You?

People often say "friendship first, competition second," but that’s rarely how things actually play out.

Otherwise, various competitions wouldn’t be plagued by endless chaos like rampant drug use, targeted rule changes, corrupt associations, and biased referees.

The supporters of competing teams are also rife with conflict. Online taunts and flame wars are the mild stuff; it often escalates to real-life confrontations.

The temptation of victory is simply too great.

So, since it’s impossible for everyone to just get along, it’s better to crank the competitive tension up to the max.

As everyone knows, competitions based on countries and races may not necessarily have a higher level of skill than those based on individuals or clubs, but they are definitely more intense.

What Zog was thinking about now was how to elevate the stakes of this world virtual sports tournament.

On Earth, there had always been few esports competitions organized by country. One reason was popularity; most games were only popular in certain regions. Another was that game updates were controlled by companies—and not just one company—making it impossible to guarantee fairness or jointly organize a tournament.

Coincidentally, neither of these two problems was an issue for Zog.

Because of the Divine Remains Network’s unique nature, it required no infrastructure. Anyone who could use Magic or had a device could get online.

All the games were under his claw. Even if they weren’t developed by the Zog Group, they had to use his engine and platform, which was as good as being under his control.

Besides, as a Red Dragon, Zog could guarantee he wouldn’t favor any single country.

His updates would be perfectly and absolutely fair!

Now all he needed was a pretext to make everyone take this tournament seriously.

A hefty prize pool and the humiliation of the pedestal could only motivate the participating players. How could he motivate the nobles and those in power?

After several days of thought, Zog finally cooked up a plan that should work.

Since Red Alert’s backstory was a war between humans and Devils, why not set up a major villain for the competition as well?

Zog opened his email and began writing to the Devils, who had only recently begun to enjoy a smooth network connection.

"To the esteemed Asmodis,

"I hope this message finds you well. I trust the network in Hell is convenient to use, and I wonder if the Devils under your command have had a chance to try the game Red Alert.

"I am writing today to invite you to send Hell’s most skilled Devils at this game to participate in the tournament currently being held on the Continent.

"It is often said that competitive sports are the wars of peacetime. As Hell and the Main Plane have just established diplomatic relations, the Devils need to demonstrate their strength to the residents of Feilin. People respect the strong.

"This tournament is the perfect opportunity for the Devils to show their prowess in a peaceful manner. Should your contestants achieve outstanding results, they will surely win precious respect and admiration.

"I hope you will consider dispatching contestants to participate in the regional team qualifiers in Feilin. Detailed registration information can be found in the attachment..."

After finishing the first email and sending it to the Lord of Hell, he immediately started a new one.

"To His Holiness the Pope,

"Greetings.

"I am not sure if you are aware, but my group is currently hosting a video game tournament. I personally believe this is an excellent opportunity for exchange between Feilin and Hell.

"As you know, competitive tournaments are grand events that can halt wars and foster communication between all races. Furthermore, games have the unique advantage of not requiring physical confrontation, allowing us to make friends through competition and build peace together.

"I have recently been in contact with Asmodis and learned that many gaming enthusiasts in Hell hope to participate in this grand event and establish exchanges with the nations of Feilin in this peaceful manner.

"I hope the Church will lend its support to this tournament and urge the various nations to take this rare opportunity for exchange seriously..."

Send.

Because the Zog Group was now a "loyal friend" of the Church, his email could be sent directly to the Pope and would be given a certain degree of priority.

Soon, Zog received a reply from the Pope.

The Church gave high praise to Zog’s method of using a tournament to establish exchange and promised to urge all nations to take the competition seriously. They were to compete to the best of their ability and with great sportsmanship in their contests against the Devils.

An email from Asmodis arrived soon after.

The Lord of Hell was also very interested in the tournament and agreed without hesitation to send a team to participate in the qualifiers.

After all, helping the Devils establish a dialogue with Feilin was a promise Zog had made long ago.

After such a long silence, a game related to Devils had finally appeared—and one where they were portrayed as the villainous faction, no less. Asmodis had begun to think Zog had forgotten his promise.

He repeatedly asked Zog for clarification: was the team he sent supposed to focus on entertainment and exchange, or should they prioritize skill and strive for victory?

Zog, in turn, repeatedly emphasized that they had to win.

"I want every Devil who enters this competition to remember: from the moment you step onto that stage, your only goal is the championship!"

Having done all this, Zog called for Elsa.

"We’re adjusting the promotional direction for our game tournament."

He said, handing Elsa a few headlines.

"They’re Coming! The Vicious Devils of Hell!"

"A Formidable Foe Approaches! Can the Nations’ Contestants Stop the Devils in the Qualifiers?"

"Hey Kings, You Don’t Want to Lose to Devils, Do You?"

"Who Will Defend the Honor of Feilin!"

...

A whole bunch of sensational-looking titles.

"Promote it along these lines, and keep a close eye on the regional qualifiers," Zog added. "If a Devil Squad actually breaks through in any region, give it special coverage."

"Should we report it as a tragic, narrow defeat, or as a humiliating loss?" Elsa asked, getting right to the point.

"The humiliating direction, of course," Zog replied. "They’ve been playing the game for several years longer than the Devils. Wouldn’t losing to them be embarrassing?"