Chapter 16: Finally Here
The hotel had a central building of twenty floors and several smaller neighbouring buildings.
The central building contained the rooms and other related services. The smaller buildings housed a variety of utilities. A gym, a clinic, a restaurant, conference rooms, event halls and even a cinema house. It was like a small village.
"This is the gym." Pili said, gesturing to the building to the right of the restaurant. "We have state-of-the-art equipment available for you. Let's go in."
Breakfast had finished. The players were now on their tour of the hotel. Entering the gym, they saw that Pili was indeed right. Everything in the gym was gleaming and shiny. The equipment looked new and expensive. While they recognized some of the workout machines, most looked unfamiliar to them.
"You must regularly use some of these equipment." Pili said. The pros laughed and told him he was wrong. "But you all look like you're in shape. So how?"
"Most of us run. We can't risk injuring our hands doing something else." Chu Yunxiu explained. Pili understood immediately. Esports didn't require you to strengthen your body; it only required fast fingers.
"Then we should head somewhere more interesting." Murmurs of assent were given and the tour moved on. The hotel was truly large. All the areas were magnificent and classy. It was really suited to accommodate players and officials from all around the globe.
The group moved on to the cinema, where Pili assured them that the latest worldwide releases were available for viewing. The players made a few passing comments but it was obvious they weren't excited. The tour moved on again.
Pili took them round the entire hotel. They were happy to see the hotel was well-equipped and they commended the host country but the state of the hotel was of little relevance to them.
That nonchalance lasted until they got to the tour's final stop. The practice rooms.
Pili was surprised at the eagerness the players showed once they arrived at the practice rooms. Throughout the tour, they showed only a passive interest in all the places he took them to. But now? Now, they were trying to act calm but he could see the keenness in their expression.
Pili swallowed his laughter and said, "This is the conference room building. There are several conference rooms present and they have all been repurposed for the competition. Let's go in."
The lobby had a receptionist area like the main hotel building. Pili spoke to the receptionist and retrieved the key to their practice room. "It's this way." He said and led them towards one of the hallways branching off the lobby.
He stopped in front of a polished brown door. No one wondered if this was their practice room. It was very obvious. A banner, same as the one on their floor, that said "CHINA" with the Chinese flag printed on it, hung on top of the door.
Further down the hallway, they noticed another room with a banner similar to theirs. Denmark. The flag was very familiar to them; there was no need to think. Nonetheless, that wasn't important now. What was important was...
"Practice. Let's practice." Huang Shaotian said. Pili immediately put the key into the door and opened it. The sound of shuffling rang throughout the hallway as the pros entered the room and took in the sight. It was immediately obvious the room was previously a conference room. It was very similar to the conference room they had used for their meetings in Team Tiny Herb. Office-style floor, office-style blinds and office-style decorations.
Computers with keyboards in front of them were lined up on one central table in the middle of the room. On closer inspection, they noticed that each computer was labelled with the players' names. They wondered why until they looked even closer.
"Wait... " Fang Rui stared at the brand on the keyboard. "This is my keyboard."
The keyboard wasn't really his keyboard but they understood what he meant. Every pro player had a set of keyboard and mouse they were used to. While they could all use a standard keyboard and mouse, at this level of competition, specialized equipment was necessary.
As they all identified their computer stations, they noticed that the keyboard and the mouse was exactly the brand they used in China. Not similar to, but exactly the same brand.
"Did they import the keyboards just for us?" Sun Xiang asked.
"It...seems so." Zhou Zekai replied.
They began to discuss the planning and preparation that must have gone into the World Cup. Keyboards and mice specifically for esports were common nowadays. It would have been exceptionally easy for the host country to acquire some of the locally made esports equipment for the pro players for them to use in practice and competing. But Switzerland did not do that.
"They must have researched each player's keyboard and mouse preference and they imported them into the country. How impressive." Su Mucheng got to her station and ran her hand over the keyboard. A wave of familiarity ran through her as she lightly depressed the keys. It had been two days since she played Glory. She was eager to play again. And the fact that her preferred keyboard and mouse was sitting in front of her only heightened her eagerness.
She looked around and saw similar expressions on her teammates' faces. She chuckled lightly and turned to one of the accompanying officials. Everyone except Ye Xiu had their account cards held by the officials.
The official saw the attention on him and started distributing the cards. As he arrived in front each player, he handed them the God-level character that belonged to them.
To Wang Jiexi, he handed Vaccaria.
To Chu Yunxiu, Windy Rain.
Zhang Xinjie, Immovable Rock.
Zhou Zekai, Cloud Piercer.
Su Mucheng, Dancing Rain.
Fang Rui, Boundless Sea.
Sun Xiang, One Autumn Leaf.
Huang Shaotian, Troubling Rain.
Tang Hao, Demon Subduer.
Lu Xuan, Crying Devil.
Yu Wenzhou, Swooksaar.
Zhang Jiale, Dazzling Blossoms.
Xiao Shiqin, Life Extinguisher.
And to Ye Xiu, the best and the greatest of them all, he handed an ordinary practice account. He didn't even check the character of the account. It meant nothing to the person in front of him.
They gripped the account card in their hands. These small and nondescript cards were the means by which they would fight for their country. They left their country and travelled halfway around the world. The Worlds Invitational had been on their mind throughout their journey.
But it was now that they had their account cards in their hands that they truly felt like they had arrived.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
BlackClergy
BlackClergy Thank you for reading. Please vote and comment if you enjoyed the chapter. You can follow me on Instagram @ebonypriestess__ for any updates.
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