As a senior financial miser, Old Harry had a depressed expression at this time.

In the view of Old Harry, Phil spent almost twenty gold coins to hold this billiards competition, promotional expenses, bonuses, and the cost of renting the arena. However, if these twenty gold coins are spent, they can’t make a penny. This transaction is a huge loss!

So when Phil asked Old Harry for money, Old Harry always looked unwilling to be stingy.

"Young master, we have spent a lot of money on this competition, enough to customize a Breoni mage robe for you!" Old Harry said in a nagging manner.

"You didn't want me to spend money on luxury goods before. Every time I said I would buy another new Breoni robe, you would stop it." Phil said with a smile.

"That's different. Although Breoni's mage is expensive, it can be worn on you when you buy it. However, if we hold this billiards game, we will give the money to others, and in the end we can't even lose a mage robe." Old Harry said with a bitter look on his face.

"What do you know? We spend money to organize the game to expand the influence of billiards. And isn't President Keating of the Magic Academy going to sue me? We have to do some preparations in advance!" Phil smiled and continued: "After this game, billiards are no longer a game, but a real competitive sport!"

...

At the Ashes City Arena, the latest event announcement was hung in front of the door, which immediately attracted a large group of people to stop and watch.

"There is a new event announcement. I don't know which two magicians are going to compete this time."

"I hope I can see a competition of advanced magicians this time. Last week, three consecutive days were a contest between junior magicians. It was so boring!"

"If you are a junior magician, don't buy tickets to see it. Unless you have been resentful for a long time and both sides are really fighting hard, you will have some insight."

"Hey, look at it. There will be three days next week, and it will be a billiards game!"

"I've heard of that competition. It seems that many people participate in it. The champion can get a prize of five gold coins!"

"The prize for five gold coins is really a lot. But wasn't that competition held in the billiards hall? Why did you come to the arena?"

"This is said that the sixteen-to-eight competitions, eight-to-eight competitions, semi-finals and finals will be held in the arena for a total of three days."

"The billiards are not as interesting as magicians fighting. I think no one will spend money to buy tickets to watch a billiards game? If you have that money, it's better to go to the billiards hall and score a few shots by yourself, and you can still enjoy your hands!"

"You are right. Look at others playing, it's not as interesting as playing by yourself. What's more, you have to spend money to buy tickets when entering the arena! I'm afraid it's not a brain to arrange the billiards game in the arena?"

"The notice said that billiards are not sold for billiards, all games are free to watch!"

"If it's free, maybe I'll really go and take a look."

"Even if it's free, I'm too lazy to watch it, and it's a waste of time."

"It also says that there are lottery events on site. After each game, if you draw three lucky people from the audience, you will get a billiard hall membership card worth 10 silver coins. After the whole day's game, you will get an additional billiard hall membership card worth 50 silver coins!"

"There are prizes, so I have to come and have a look."

Everyone was interested in learning that in addition to free, there were also lottery activities.

...

It was the 16th to 8th game day of the billiards championship.

There are ten minutes left before the game begins, but the gates to the arena are closed.

The guard at the door blocked the audience outside the door and said, "I'm sorry, sirs, it's full inside!"

"Ten minutes ago, I saw someone entering! There are a thousand spectators in this arena. Why is it full so quickly?" someone asked in confusion.

"The last group of people just entered, and there are indeed no seats in it now. Today's billiards game does not charge tickets, so it was soon full." The guard said.

"How can that be? We have to go to the lottery! Otherwise, you can just let me in, I can stand." Someone said.

"The lottery will be held according to the seat number after a while. Even if I put you in, you still can't participate in the lottery." The guard at the door spread his hands helplessly and continued: "This billiards competition will be held for three days, otherwise you will come early tomorrow and there will definitely be seats!"

...

In the arena, warehouse manager Tom, as the last group of spectators entering the arena, was lucky enough to find a seat in the back row.

"So many people! All the seats are full!" Tom looked around in surprise and found that the entire arena was full.

This arena can accommodate 1,000 spectators, but it is rarely full. Usually, magicians compete, if two junior magicians compete, there are more than one hundred spectators; if two intermediate magicians compete, there will be about 300 spectators.

In Tom's impression, two senior magicians competed in the arena last time, and only two-thirds of the audience seats in the arena were sitting, with at most seven hundred people. But today's billiards game was full, and there was not even an empty seat!

"Although you don't have tickets, it's just a billiards game. How come there are so many people!" Tom murmured to himself, and then he looked at the pool table placed in the arena and found that the pool table, which was bigger than the double bed, seemed particularly small at this time.

"It seems a bit far away, I can't see clearly! But it doesn't matter, as long as I can win the prize."

...

Free things have always been popular, but what is more popular than free is that there are additional gifts in addition to free.

If the billiards are simply not charged for ticket fees, they can only attract some real enthusiasts or idle people who do nothing, while the lottery can attract those who do not pay attention to billiards to the arena.

In the arena, Phil's eyes swept to the audience around him and said with a smug look: "Harry, look, we have so many audiences!"

"It's not just for the lottery. We won't be able to charge tickets, but we're also going to draw. We're losing a lot." Old Harry murmured in a low voice.

"Harry, we are building momentum! This is our first time to hold a billiards competition. If there is no audience, there will be no audience in the future. So we must create a very hot atmosphere so that our competition can be held the next session." Phil explained.

"The next session is going to be held!" Old Harry's expression seemed to be cutting his flesh.

—————
Chapter completed!