The fateful day was finally here. One by one, the heads of delegations were guided to their respective seats. A few seemed nervous, but most chatted with their escort. It took some effort for Cornelia to observe other delegations while maintaining a conversation with the general. Rodrigo was in an especially good mood today. Though the princess shared the same eagerness to hear the long-awaited Draw, the general’s silly and out-of-place jokes had started to wear her out. She glanced at Dietrich, seeking his support. But unfortunately, the young knight was too preoccupied watching scholars’ preparations for the Draw.

There was no disarray among them. Each person in the Tower knew exactly what was required of them and moved accordingly. If anything, the delegation members looked more awkward, even though every last one of them had been carefully selected for this mission. It wasn’t that they lacked anything, but rather that their dignity and preparation paled in comparison with the ant-like discipline and commitment of the Tower scholars. This thought made Cornelia feel somewhat uneasy.

Waking up early, she went for a walk long before breakfast. It was a rare chance to see the Navigation Tower firsthand. Living quarters and guest rooms were concentrated on the lower floors, while the top was for scholars only. The welcoming and farewell banquets were held on the middle floor, right above the flying buttresses. And though Cornelia was intrigued to investigate the elevator system and the Underground Library more closely, the lack of time made her go outside to look at the Unity - famous bas-reliefs decorated the base of the Tower in an endless circle. Figures of humans, carved in stone according to various traditions of all eight kingdoms, showed scenes of people arriving and exploring the new world, and their joined efforts in the Retaliation War.

While examining the monument’s multiple details, the princess met another early bird - vizier Dalim Cheda, the head of Vardana’s delegation, and his guard. The middle-aged man with wheatish skin, black hair and a neat beard slowly walked around the Tower’s base. He found an interesting detail and was sharing his opinion with a guard when Cornelia approached them. She didn’t want to interrupt their conversation, so both parties exchanged greetings and continued as they were. Now sitting across the round hall, they exchanged smiles when they noticed each other. Vardana was residing in the prosperous South-East, and though there was a high chance to be moved to a less fortunate territory, Dalim was calm.

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A servant passing by with refreshments finally got General Rodrigo distracted. The princess took her chance to switch to Dietrich.

“You seem to be even more curious about the surroundings than I am. Didn’t you visit the Tower with the previous delegation?”

“I did,” Dietrich reluctantly averted his gaze from the scholars. “But I was a squire at the time. I wasn’t present at the Draw itself.”

“Hmm... Then I guess you can’t tell how long it will take. I get the feeling though, the preparations and ceremonies occupy most of its time.”

Her prediction turned out to be true. While members of delegations entertained themselves with drinks and conversations, an hour passed. It wouldn’t be difficult to have everything prepared in advance with their discipline, so Cornelia got a feeling that a long and unnecessary waiting was some kind of a test. She glanced at the central chair - her Holiness Imara, the head of the Tower's scholars, had arrived just a few minutes ago. All other rows of seats on both sides of her were occupied long ago. The woman lowered her hood, revealing long gray hair braided in the kolese style. Despite a few wrinkles on her sepia skin, she looked beautiful and young. Only the skin on her hands revealed her true age.

With a gesture full of dignity, the woman announced the start of the Draw ceremony.

Eyes of all present in the room were drawn to the navigation mechanism in the center of the Tower. Cornelia was expecting to hear creaking sounds from all the gears and clock-like hands, but the metal construction moved soundlessly in the air. Only the air movement and people's breathing were breaking the silence.

Finally, the mechanism started to slow down. The herald stepped forward and announced:

“Vardana kingdom moves from the South-East to the South,” once the man started talking, two scholars started moving the figures on the wall map, duplicating the results immediately.

“Varman kingdom moves from the South to the North.”

Every announcement made people inside the Tower fill with tension and anxiousness.

“Kushane kingdom moves from the North to the South-West. Kean kingdom moves from the South-West to the South-East.”

The herald went silent. Cornelia was looking at the complex mechanism, waiting for it to start moving again at any second. The herald slowly took a handkerchief from his vestment and lightly applied it to his forehead. Then unhurriedly put the handkerchief away. But the Navigation mechanism remained quiet and unmoved. Suppressing any extraneous noise that could reflect emotions, the herald announced with a clear and calm voice:

“This concludes the end of the Draw.”