Chapter 17 – What’s the Condition?
Jiang Ranran raised her phone, and on the screen was the live stream of the rebellious young player, Jiang Ge, from the team Jie Ao.
Through the camera, it was clear that the Jie Ao base had received four visitors. These four people could hardly be described in words.
One was a thin, lanky man with blonde hair and fair skin; another was a short, chubby Black man, who, standing next to Tangyuan, could easily be described as a willow swaying in the wind. There was also a man covered in body paint, who, from a distance, resembled an Avatar walking through the mortal world.
The leader of the group was the male fan who had made Microglow’s rookies suffer during the fan appreciation match. His attire was nothing special, but because of its ordinariness, it stood out among the more distinct individuals in the group.
“We are the LAP team, new to Jiangling. Please take care of us,” said the Asian man at the front.
What “take care“—he had clearly brought his team into someone else’s base, which was essentially challenging them.
However, Jie Ao’s captain, Zhou Heng, had an interest in this newcomer from the fan appreciation match and asked politely why they had come.
“We’d like to schedule a match,” the young man said, as casually as if commenting on the beautiful starlight tonight, suggesting a walk.
It’s worth noting that between teams, even a friendly match requires coordination from multiple parties to confirm. It’s not like a random encounter at the market where an old man asks for a game of mahjong on the spot.
“Our team’s training is already full for this week,” Zhou Heng explained. “If you want to schedule a match, you can coordinate with our team manager next week.” This was already an exception.
But the young man still wasn’t satisfied. “It’s just a starting game, no need to make it so complicated. It’s just like a regular training session.”
Zhou Heng, maintaining his composure as the team leader, explained, “You’re here with LAP, which means this is a team-to-team arrangement. It needs to follow the rules.”
In other words, if you come as a private individual, whether it’s for casual talk, boasting, or even a fight, you’re welcome. But if it’s a formal match, we need to follow the procedure.
The young man nodded, “Then, with this added, I wonder if it’s enough to make an impression.”
He opened his phone screen, and a slightly chubby middle-aged white man smiled shyly, speaking in broken Chinese: “Hello everyone, I’m Li Bai. I’m here to coach in China. My contract matters are entirely handled by…”
Just as Shao Zhan, returning from Weiguang, tuned into the live stream, he recognized the man immediately, though the angle was too off to see clearly. The person was none other than Erwin, the genius coach he had asked his German friends to find. However, he had no idea when Erwin had adopted the Chinese name “Li Bai,” reminiscent of the famous poet.
“A random match, best of three. If you can beat me, I’ll personally hand over Erwin’s work contract. What do you say?” Yang Sa said, with an unyielding tone.
It was a hard offer to refuse. The rise of European teams in recent years hadn’t escaped Jie Ao’s attention, but there were many legal issues involved, and one match couldn’t resolve everything.
“This is what Erwin himself said, and it’s already been posted on Twitter. If he goes back on his word, you can sue, and I’ll be a witness.” Yang Sa’s tone was flippant.
“What’s the condition?” Zhou Heng asked. While Erwin’s contract rights were tempting, they could be contacted through other channels. Ultimately, it wasn’t a scarce resource.
Yang Sa’s request was clearly unexpected: “A ticket to the Silver Emperor Cup next week.”
“That’s it?” Zhou Heng blurted out. He thought Yang Sa would ask for something extravagant, but all he wanted was a participation spot in a club-organized event.
This was far from the value of Erwin’s signing rights: “Are you sure?”
“You seem to be worried about me. You should think more about what to do if you lose.” Yang Sa said, reclining on a wide sofa, his legs crossed. Behind him, his friends of various colors sat casually.