Chapter 554: Demon Hunting Ceremony Announced
Weeks passed swiftly.
During this time, various news flooded the world.
Reports surfaced about pirates rising to fame or clashing with one another.
Tales spread of hunters achieving breakthroughs or magic pattern users crusading against formidable monsters.
Updates emerged about major forces, and more.
Amid this, the fervor over the orbs tied to the ultimate God Killer Equipment from the Mythical Beast Conference hadn't fully subsided.
Morgans' words drove many ordinary people to venture out to sea.
Later, Morgans declared in his newspaper that the era of magic had arrived, urging everyone to boldly chase their dreams.
He had proclaimed many grand eras before, Age of Gods, Age of Religion, Age of Hunters, Age of Magic Marks, and so on.
Each time he spoke, people devoured his newspapers with fervor.
They felt they were riding the wave of the times, witnessing its transformation.
Thus, many screamed with excitement and rushed to the seas.
However, some were distracted by other major news amid their fervor.
For instance, the World Government, through its Magic Pattern Association, an official anti-demon organization, joined forces with other demon-fighting groups to announce a Demon Hunting Ceremony.
The event would take place in Alabasta, in the first half of the Grand Line, and be broadcast live to the public.
This news sparked heated discussions.
Magic patterns were typically rare and mysterious.
The public's perception of magic pattern users remained stereotypical, with little understanding of their broader context.
They only knew it was a lucrative profession.
It was said that even an ordinary magic pattern user could easily spend tens of millions of Berries monthly.
For top-tier users, the ceiling was unimaginable to common folk.
Even with the world economy advancing rapidly, ordinary people hunting Sea Kings on sea-faring vessels, a popular new-era job for those unafraid, strong, and skilled in water, earned 200,000 Berries monthly.
This was a coveted income for many, yet it couldn't cover a magic pattern user's daily expenses.
Thus, the public was deeply curious about this enigmatic group, drawn by the allure of wealth.
Now, the Demon Hunting Ceremony, co-organized by the Magic Pattern Association and other anti-demon groups, captured public attention.
Though many magic pattern guilds appeared at the Mythical Beast Conference, their overall strength was relatively weak, fading into the background by the event's end.
Now, people eagerly anticipated this grand ceremony tailored for magic pattern users.
With nearly half a month until the Demon Hunting Ceremony, various forces were already on their way.
These included established magic pattern guilds, lone or grouped independent magic pattern users, and even illicit dark magic pattern guilds.
Some magic pattern users from pirate crews also joined.
The announcement never explicitly barred illegal or pirate magic users from participating.
The Magic Pattern Association, as host, only prohibited fights among magic pattern users before the ceremony began.
This ambiguous stance sparked much speculation among the perceptive people.
Yet, the public paid little heed to these nuances.
After all, events like the Swordsmanship Conference and Mythical Beast Conference were open to all.
This implicit tradition prepared people mentally.
The World Government wouldn't admit it, but it no longer mattered.
The Demon Hunting Ceremony drew many magic pattern users with its generous rewards, prompting numerous guilds to act.
Even illegal guilds and pirate magic users joined for the spectacle, reward or no.
At the Mythical Beast Conference, gods dominated, intimidating many magic pattern users.
Now, the Demon Hunting Ceremony was their domain, a professional match.
Gathered together, no one was convinced of another's superiority.
All aimed to rise to fame through this event.
Regular magic pattern guilds shared this ambition, especially with the global live broadcast.
Countries fortunate enough to secure magic mines and prosper wanted to showcase their strength.
They sought to display their nation's power at this ceremony.
However, to stand out, they had to surpass the World Government's magic pattern users.
Since the World Government initiated the ceremony, securing a high ranking was crucial to avoid lifelong embarrassment.
The Five Elders were confident in their officially trained magic pattern users.
Magic pattern users required resources, but with sufficient resources, they grew swiftly.
When it came to resources, the World Government had no fears.
Many anti-demon agency members shared this confidence.
It was a matter of who proved stronger.
Though the ceremony was grand on the seas, it didn't captivate the truly powerful from major forces as the Mythical Beast Conference had.
The World Government, alongside other anti-demon agencies, offered substantial rewards for the first Demon Hunting Ceremony through negotiated benefits.
The top prize included mining rights to an intermediate-level magic mine, a significant investment.
Yet, compared to the recent Mythical Beast Conference, this seemed modest.
To top-tier contestants, it was a low-stakes game, a minor skirmish.
Major forces viewed it as a platform for magic pattern user exchanges.
Many strong figures had no intention of attending.
Why travel to watch novices clash when they could view the live broadcast from home?
Moreover, even reliable combatants were preoccupied, guarding magic mines, nations, key institutions, and against demons or rival forces.
With so much to manage, few strong figures would attend to observe magic pattern users.
Most preferred watching from home.
While high-level interest was lukewarm, public enthusiasm was fervent.
As the Demon Hunting Ceremony approached, another significant event loomed for Kai.
Though some time remained before the ceremony, today was pivotal.
A new Avatar was about to be born.
(End of this chapter)