Chapter 1644: Scheme [1]

Melania expected a lot worse.

The people she saw on a daily basis would've reacted to such a proposition completely differently.

If she offered to do anything to repay the favor she was given, then their minds would immediately go to places that would end in her exploitation.

August was different from them. She'd seen this from his behavior and the fact that her siblings liked him. Deciding to trust him was a leap of faith on her part, but she felt it was the least she could do after what he'd done for her.

So she said it. She said that she would give him everything if he asked for it.

And for him to just say that he wanted to be friends...

She wanted to laugh at herself for worrying in the first place.

It was easy for them to establish a friendship. Their personalities meshed well, especially when Melania put her guard down. Though they'd had different experiences in life, perhaps that was what allowed them to get along well from the start.

They wanted to learn from each other with a basis of respect. The lack of arrogance was all it took.

August originally meant to talk to Melania for just a bit before returning to Valerie and the rest, but they ended up getting to know each other for several minutes.

As their conversation continued, the two of them had their attention grabbed by a bell that sounded in the main room.

When they left to go look at it, they found the other thirteen also gathering. A stranger was standing at the door through which they entered, seemingly waiting for them to notice him.

Once they'd formed a small crowd, he opened his mouth and started talking.

"You may be wondering what happens next," he said, looking over them.

"For the sake of fairness, you will only be made aware of the actual challenges you face in the heir wars when you arrive in the arena. This holds true for the nobles as well. The only information you will be given beforehand is when you will be tested, and depending on the situation, who you will be facing."

The statement elicited many nods from the crowd of geniuses.

Knowing what the challenges actually were was a huge advantage.

If anyone was able to hold it, others wouldn't be able to compete in the slightest.

Honestly, August and most others didn't believe that nobles would follow the rules and regulations. They had too many opportunities to circumvent such things.

Giving them an inherent advantage over their competitors would ensure that a commoner didn't end up on the throne. It surely sounded like something the noble clans would do.

The "organization" that controlled the testing didn't belong to the Holy Clans or the nobles. They were only somewhat involved.

The main force controlling these matters was the Dragon Emperor's personal troop. They took care of the most important matters so that others couldn't interfere.

Still, their reputation couldn't pertain to every single individual.

There were sure to be people who were willing to provide information to those who could purchase it, but August and the rest just had to trust in the words of this man until they had seen it for themselves.

In the end, it would be quite obvious if it happened, wouldn't it?

Nevertheless, the man continued, unaware of their worries.

"I will now distribute your emblems. Using these, you can learn about when you specifically will be participating. It can automatically teleport you to the arena when the time comes, and, if you so wish, you can use it to view the leaderboard that will show you who is still in the competition and who is in the lead."

The man nodded knocked on the door behind him, leading another to enter the room.

He immediately scanned the geniuses before approaching them one by one, giving them their emblems.

August received his after most of the others since he was near the back of the crowd. As he gazed at it, he listened to the man's words.

"Please press your mana and a drop of blood into the emblem. It will be bound to you thereafter."

August frowned.

'My blood...?'

What was the purpose of that? A device like this could easily be bound using mana alone.

In fact, it was a far better way to identify someone than blood.

After all, one needed to draw blood before ever being able to examine it.

Mana existed naturally. Even those who hid their auras couldn't remain concealed when they actually used mana for anything.

An expert could recognize someone's mana from thousands of kilometers away. Each individual's signature was simply that distinguishable.

It also couldn't easily be replicated or forged.

As such, devices like these always used mana. Only less developed societies, like some of those in the lower universe, needed to use something like blood.

For Arulion to resort to these backwards methods...

'...the blood isn't for binding the emblem.'

It had an entirely different purpose.

'Let's stay cautious.'

August didn't immediately bind the emblem, waiting until he was alone to test it first. Melania, who was next to him, did the same.

She didn't know why, but she decided to trust August's actions and wait.

Nevertheless, as the rest of the geniuses bound their emblems, the man nodded.

"The next round will begin in two weeks. You can see if you are participating through your emblems. All other information you might find necessary will also be there."

It was a system that allowed geniuses to stay informed without needing to find people to inform them, which was convenient...

"That is all."

...and the man seemed to believe that it was better for them to learn the rest on their own. His only job was to deliver their emblems. Now that it was done, he was more than happy to leave.

"Ah..."

There was one more thing for him to say before he left.

"You can leave at any time, however, I would not recommend it. There are...quite a lot of people trying to find you right now."

They had become overnight celebrities, so naturally, there were crowds outside waiting for them to leave.

It made life inconvenient, but what were they meant to do?

They were all aiming for the Dragon Emperor position, so this kind of treatment was simply something they needed to get used to.

Some of them left and some others stayed.

Lucas and Ophelia went their own ways the second they had the opportunity. A few of the geniuses rode their coattails to make an escape without facing the crowd:

Valerie stayed with August, who stayed back in the room with Melania.

To him, leaving right now was just pointless.

He did have an artifact that would allow him to subvert everything waiting outside, but there were too many people around for him to ever think about using it.

So, as he waited for the crowds to die down after satisfying their excitement through Lucas and Ophelia, he started investigating his emblem.

There was a scheme hidden within, and he was going to get to the bottom of it.