Chapter 201: The Crown Trial (7)

A few minutes later, their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of several attendants carrying narrow trays. The contenders who had been talking among themselves gradually fell silent as the official began distributing small bronze tokens, each roughly the width of Misha’s thumb, with Ashmoor crown embossed on one side and a ring of tiny symbols engraved around the edges.

Misha accepted one from the attendant who approached their bench. It was surprisingly light, and she turned it between her fingers, examining the unfamiliar engravings while a second token was handed to Astrid. The bronze felt ordinary enough, although a faint trace of mana lingered beneath its surface.

"These are your Crown Tokens," the attendant explained, gesturing toward the objects in their hands. She was a middle-aged woman dressed in Ashmoor’s silver-and-blue administrative uniform, and her practiced manner suggested she had already delivered the same explanation several dozen times already.

"Your registration signatures have been bound to them. Each contender will also receive an issued pouch, which must be worn when the opening round begins."

Misha glanced toward the two pouches resting on the tray. They were made from sturdy dark fabric, with reinforced seams and short fastening straps that could be secured around the waist or attached to the clothing issued for the competition.

Considering the elaborate preparations she had witnessed outside, the scoring objects themselves seemed rather unimpressive.

"That’s it?" she asked, holding the token between two fingers. "We’re going to spend four hours fighting over these?"

"The Crown Tokens are the primary scoring objects for the opening round," the attendant replied without appearing offended. "Every registered contender begins with one token bearing their individual signature. Additional tokens may be acquired by defeating opponents, negotiating transfers that have been separated from their previous holders."

Misha turned the bronze disc over again, paying closer attention to the engraved symbols. There were ninety-six contenders, which meant the equal number of tokens would be circulating at the beginning of the competition. Unless the organizers intended to introduce additional tokens later, obtaining more than one would require taking something another participant already possessed.

The attendant continued, "Your initial Crown Token also determines your eligibility to remain in the field. If another contender successfully claims it, you will be withdrawn from the opening round, regardless of how many additional tokens you have collected. Any tokens registered under your possession at the moment of elimination will be transferred to the contender responsible for claiming your initial token."

Misha raised an eyebrow. "Wait. So if someone collects ten tokens and another contender steals their original one, the thief gets everything?"

"That is correct. Participants are therefore encouraged to consider both acquisition and retention when developing their strategies."

Misha resisted the urge to laugh. That was a remarkably polite way of telling them not to get robbed, although the implications were more interesting than the attendant’s professional tone suggested. A contender could spend hours collecting tokens, only to lose all their progress because someone managed to make the single bronze disc they had started with.

’So the more successful you are, the more tempting you become.’

She glanced at Astrid, who was already examining the symbols engraved around her own token. The girl appeared to have reached a similar conclusion, judging by the thoughtful crease forming between her brows.

"Captured tokens must remain physically carried by the contender claiming them," the attendant continued. "Storung them through subspace abilities, spatial inventories, or equivalent storage methods will invalidate their scoring registration until they are retrieved."

Misha’s fingers paused against the pouch. ’Ah. There goes that idea.’

Although she understood why they had to forbid it. They could have collected the tokens, thrown them inside, and continued fighting without worrying about someone cutting open her pouch or stealing them when her attention was elsewhere.

Naturally, the organizers had anticipated that.

"Does that mean we have to keep everything inside these pouches?" she asked, lifting the one she had received. "Or can we carry the tokens somewhere else?"

"You can carry them however you prefer, provided they remain within an eligible physical storage method," the attendant explained. "The issued pouches are merely recommended for convenience. You are free to conceal the tokens in your clothing."

Misha considered that answer for a moment before another possibility occurred to her. "What about leaving them somewhere? Say I collect a few tokens, hide them in a room, and come back before the round ends. Would that be allowed?"

"Yes, although I would strongly advise against it." The attendant adjusted the tray beneath her arm before elaborating. "Tokens hidden within the competition grounds may still be discovered and claimed by other contenders. If someone finds your collection, there is nothing preventing them from taking it."

"That might’ve worked years ago, but it’s much riskier now," Astrid added, looking up from her token. She rested one hand against the pouch on her lap. "There are Awakeners who can search an entire building for a particular object without physically entering every room. Something like that happened during last year’s Trial."

Misha turned toward her niece. "Someone found a hidden collection?"

Astrid nodded. "One contender gathered several coins and concealed them inside an abandoned building. He thought it would be safer than carrying everything around, especially because he expected other participants to target him once they realized how many he’d collected."

"And?"

"Someone with a detection ability located the collection." Astrid gave a small, rueful smile. "By the time that person returned, the hiding place was empty. He spent so much time searching for his coins that he didn’t collect enough replacements to qualify."

Misha looked down at the small bronze disc in her palm. ’Well, that’s embarrassing.’

Then again, she could understand the man’s reasoning. A hidden collection was theoretically safer than carrying everything into combat, especially if a contender planned to avoid unnecessary confrontations after securing enough tokens. Unfortunately, that strategy depended on nobody possessing an ability capable of locating the hiding place.

And in the Tower, there was almost always someone with an ability that ruined an otherwise reasonable plan.

"So keeping them close is probably safer,"Misha concluded. She slipped the token into its pouch, testing how easily she could reach inside without looking.

"Usually," Astrid agreed. "At least then you’ll know when someone tries to take them. You can defend what you’re carrying instead of discovering afterward that you’re hiding place has been emptied."

The attendant inclined her head. "Precisely. However, each contender is free to determine which strategy best suits their abilities."

Misha gave the pouch another experimental tug, and the fastening held. Good.

Astrid, meanwhile, appeared interested in a different aspect of the explanation. She looked toward the attendant and asked, "Since transfers are permitted, does that mean guild members can collect tokens on behalf of someone else?"

"Yes. There are no restrictions preventing participants from cooperating or transferring their acquired tokens to another registered contender." The attendant glanced briefly toward the doorway, where several guild-affiliated participants were receiving similar instructions. "However, every contender remains responsible for protecting their original token. Transferring additional tokens will not prevent elimination if that original token is claimed."

Misha’s attention sharpened. That explained the unusually high number of participants from certain guilds.

A guild could register several members, have them gather as many tokens as possible, then consolidate their collections under one particularly capable contender. Even if some members were eliminated along the way, the organization would still have a chance to advance its preferred representative into the next round.

For independent participants, things were considerably less convenient.

They could form temporary alliances, of course, but trusting a stranger with a collection of tokens was another matter entirely. Nothing in the rules seemed to prevent an ally from turning around and claiming everything for themselves.

Misha glanced toward Astrid. At least she had someone she trusted.

Unfortunately, the organizers had yet to explain how the contenders would be deployed, and she doubted they would be considerate enough to let everyone begin beside their chosen companions.

"The opening round will last for a maximum of four hours," the attendant continued, drawing their attention back to the explanation. "At its conclusion, fifty contenders will qualify for the next round based on their final registered token totals. Participants who have already been eliminated will not be considered, regardless of their previous scores."

Misha frowned slightly.

"What about ties?" she asked. "What happens if the 55th and the 51st contenders end up with the same number of tokens?"

"When contenders possess equal totals, priority will be given to the participant who acquired their final counted token earlier," the attendant explained. "The official scoring mechanism records the acquisition time of every token, so the results can be determined without requiring additional matches."

Misha nodded slowly. That was another detail worth remembering.

Waiting until the last moment to collect tokens could be dangerous, even if someone managed to gather enough to match another participant’s score. The rules rewarded speed without making reckless accumulation entirely safe.

’How interesting.’