Rivers of the Night-Chapter 282: First Round Changes [1050 GT Bonus]
Chapter 282: First Round Changes [1050 GT Bonus]
Theron didn’t react much to the sudden interruption. He also wasn’t surprised when the host eagerly turned to face Faustin like a dog wagging its tail.
What the Sangun could do in this sort of competition was nigh endless as the host.
Instead, Theron simply turned to one of the sky boxes high above, his gaze vaguely trailing over the form of Saularon and the old woman she stood respectfully behind.
He had noticed this old woman from the start precisely because she was so hard to notice. She wasn’t an assassin, but instead, her control had reached the very peak, far beyond what even Dean Pennel could fathom.
Theron had learned quite a bit from a casual showing by Dean Pennel, and it made him wonder just what this old woman could teach him.
The reason why he was staring at her now, though, wasn’t because of this, but instead because of her composure. She, too, didn’t react to the interruption.
If Theron could realize that this was already a case of the Sangun overstepping their bounds, how could the representative of the Black Clan not? He wasn’t the only intelligent person in the world.
“I would like to challenge the notion of this First Year of the Nightingale Empire representing both the academic and military streams. He should choose one path and stick to it. If it were just a matter of putting out the best of the best, I, too, could participate in both the military and academic streams.
“The point of these gatherings is to display the future potential of our Empires and receive the grace of the Black Clan in return. The future of an Empire is not built on just one person, which is why we select eight. Arbitrarily cutting that number down to seven is ridiculous. The Nightingale Empire should have to admit that they simply do not have enough talents to fill all of their spots.
“If they are inferior, they should just accept that and greet said inferiority with the grace of a loser.”
The crowd seemed already at the edge of their seats. They hadn’t thought they would receive such a good show before the battles of wit even began.
As for the host, his smile had faded somewhat into an awkward one, and he seemed like an ant on a frying pan, not quite knowing where to look or what to do with his hands.
“This… My parents named me Mello. I’m not known for my ability to deal with confrontation, and I certainly do not have the authority to make such a decision,” he said, turning to the sky boxes and bowing deeply. “This humble host will have to ask the noble guests for their input.”
Everyone looked to the sky boxes above, and interestingly enough, no one but Elder Kelyne Black herself noticed that Theron was already looking toward her, as though he already knew how the little play before him was going to work out.
For some reason, she found herself smiling a little. She would usually be irritated, but there was something about the boy she quite liked. Though, it helped that her assumptions about Theron placed him in rare air.
That was when she opened her lips to speak words that were quite unexpected.
“What do you think, young man?” ƒгeewёbnovel.com
She was so far away, and yet her voice projected without nearly the same help Mello had needed. Mello was very obviously using some Sound Mana Runes to bolster his voice, but there wasn’t any obvious fluctuation coming from Elder Kelyne at all.
Theron tilted his head slightly and smiled.
“Can we make this the first round? I do not want to waste my words on rules that have long since been decided.”
Elder Kelyne had just surprised many with her response, but this time it was her turn to be surprised.
While it seemed like a simple request, or even just an opportunistic dig at Faustin, it underlaid a suffocating sort of confidence.
If Theron had just answered normally, so long as his response was decent enough, Kelyne could bend the situation in their favor because, as Theron had said, there was precedent already set. You couldn’t just change the rules on a whim because you felt like it.
But if Theron asked to turn it into a sanctioned debate and have it replace the questions for the first round, then he was essentially opening himself up to being scrutinized down to the letter.
While Faustin’s opening was quite rude, it wasn’t like his argument had no leg to stand on, and if it was turned into a debate, Theron wouldn’t be able to rely on the precedent of the rules having already existed either. He would have to argue the merit of Faustin’s words themselves.
This was something that could easily go horribly wrong, and it was honestly Theron asking Kelyne Black to take a risk on him as well.
The elder didn’t know Theron very well. It was hard to tell if Theron understood the implications of his words or not. Being a genius in cultivation didn’t mean you were also a genius in politics.
However, Theron’s next words silenced her doubts instantly.
“Like this, we can debate the merits of the words rather than trying to rely on external pressure to win points. Last I checked, this is a debate amongst First Years of the academic stream, not a stomping ground for the Sangun to flex their prowess as hosts. Isn’t that so?”
Theron looked away from Elder Kelyne, and for the first time, actually looked at Faustin, his gentle demeanor and smile underlining a confidence that made the latter feel a pressure on his very soul.
Right at this moment, Theron was probably the shortest on the stage outside of Sura of the Firewing Clan. And yet, his gentle, soothing voice seemed to forge him into a looming mountain.
Faustin suddenly found himself hesitating, but that was when Elder Kelyne responded, leaving him no choice.
“I can accept this change.”
