CHAPTER 19: EXAM RESULTS
In the 1,000-year history of Sanctuary City, only a few could be labeled as 'Gifted'. The presence of one not only provides hope but also strength.
Silence permeated across the Round Table hall as all the Elders began to ponder what Hermes' status as a Gifted One could mean to the City and their own personal interests.
Nodding his head, Simon Césaire spoke in a casual voice.
"Let's say your claim of him being a Gifted One is true, how can we verify he won't betray us later? This man is an outsider to the City. He has no connection or need to fight for us."
Arthur nodded his head in acknowledgment and declared out loud to everyone in the hall.
"I have no way of completely verifying his honor, however, I am willing to take responsibility if a situation like that does occur."
"Hm, if you put it like that then I can do nothing but stay quiet."
"Preposturious!"
Thomas spoke up in anger once more.
"What does your taking responsibility have anything to do with it?! Your reputation means nothing if the City is jeopardized!"
"I agree with his assessment. We cannot rashly accept him just yet. We need a more extensive background check on him before allowing big decisions like this to occur."
The man who voiced his agreement was Agnes Sinclair, a tycoon merchant who deals with mutant meat processing. Underneath the gilded turban and expensive fabric tunics was a white man with black hair in his fifties. He is one of the 5 holders of the Earthly seats.
Beneath his veil of wisdom and impartialness was the shrewdness of a businessman. The glint in his brown eyes reflected the greed inside his heart.
Arthur noticed this and squinted with a frowned expression as he looked at the person who spoke in agreement.
'It seems the ties between the Sinclair Processing Company and the Verdier family are much bigger than what I assessed previously...' He thought.
On the other side of the room, a woman with long blonde hair and fair skin for her age spoke in a crisp and smooth voice.
"Sigh, I know we haven't seen another human from outside in 500 years, but that doesn't mean there shouldn't be others out there that exist. If we keep trying to suppress him, he may not hold any regard for us once he becomes strong..."
The one who spoke was Leonardo's mother, Victoria Césaire. Another holder of the Earthly seats.
Nodding in agreement, Catherine Lysange with her curly-bobbed white hair spoke in a mottled and crisp voice.
"Lady Victoria is correct. So far, none of his actions are out of the ordinary. Miss Angelica has even formed a friendship with him and Captain Leonardo also vouched for his character. Antagonizing someone because you are paranoid is cowardly Thomas!"
"Old witch, you only say that to spite me!"
"What did you say?!"
The room temperature dropped. A sudden influx of pressure bore down on everyone in the room. This was especially so for the Earthly seatholders who were all ordinary humans; however, the one that felt the brunt of the force was Thomas de Verdier.
"Kah! Y-you!"
Catherine continued to exert her dominance as a higher dimensional being stubbornly.
"Catherine, cease this at once."
-Woosh!
The pressure disappeared violently as if a large storm blew over the entire room and blasted it away. Parviz's rank 8 dimensionality suppressed Catherine's cosmic force completely. In a show of force, he spoke in an authoritative voice to her.
"You have harmed the sanctity of this meeting. Do not let me warn you twice."
"Hmph."
Turning her head to the side in defiance, a hint of anger was seen in her eye as she gazed at the smug expression of Thomas who was clearly celebrating his victory over her while rubbing his head from the pain he felt earlier.
Ignoring the sparks flying between the two, Parviz de Verdier voiced his concerns to Arthur.
"I personally cannot trust him, however, let's assume for a second he does turn out to be fully human. If you say he is a Gifted One, won't his strength eventually supersede the Elders? How will we be able to control him once he becomes stronger?"
"Ha! There it is. Your true thoughts have come out, old man."
Dressed in a suit, a young man with black hair tied up into a ponytail and light blue eyes spoke mockingly. He held his head with his arms behind his neck, paying no mind to the looks everyone was giving him. The youngest Heavenly seat holder in history, Luke Ashford, Stage 8 Celestial.
It's said he is the closest to becoming a Stage 9 after Arthur. Just like Hermes, he was also a Gifted One. His lazy personality however made him apprehensive to going further up the later in strength.
Not hiding his smugness at all, Luke spoke mockingly while eyeing Parviz.
"You should be more worried about me superseding your entire bloodline than that newcomer kid."
"You Da-"
Before Thomas can voice his fury, Luke interrupts him once more.
"Besides, while we argue over some kid, the Mars' Cosmic Force shield is getting weaker and weaker. It won't take long before the seal breaks."
"..."
Silence once again took over the room. It was as if someone tossed a bucket of cold water over their heads. The one who broke the silence was Simon Césaire who asked in a concerned and solemnly serious voice.
"How much time do we have left?"
Luke sat in silence for a minute before formulating his next sentence.
"10 years at most... but it might be less, I can't say for certain."
No one spoke for a while. Parviz looked over at the young elder to ask in confirmation.
"How did the Xulu respond to these changes? There is no way Vel'kus doesn't already know what's happening. Do the recent changes in Mutants becoming harder to kill have anything to do with this development?"
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This time, Arthur was the one who replied in a deep voice.
"The reconnaissance team that we sent last week had completely disappeared. Before we lost contact with them, they said that nothing was out of the ordinary with how the Xulu operated. Their movements have been silent since that incident 20 years ago."
Before anyone could interrupt, Arthur continued.
"However, they did message us saying it was concerning how none of the usual Mutant nests in their vicinity were active at all. It's as if they had all been completely exterminated or became dormant."
"..."
With their heads down, the elders all contemplated the future of the City. No one knew what these developments would mean and how to solve them.
"I'll prepare a team to do some ecological testing of the soil. Although the situation hasn't completely developed, we still need to prepare."
Breaking the silence was another noble Elder in a buttoned-up shirt and trousers. His brown eyes and jet-black hair reflected a man in his middle ages. His chiseled jawline gave him a refined and handsome look. His name is Lawrence Lysange, one of the 5 Earthly seatholders.
Nodding her head, Victoria looked towards him and spoke in a mellow tone.
"I'll send over some people as well. We need to make sure nothing happens to our food reserves in the coming years. It's already hard enough for the citizens..."
"Alright, let's get back to the main topic at hand and issue a vote to end the matter."
The person who spoke was a woman in her 70s. With her dyed long and wavy black hair, the thin amounts of wrinkles on her face made her look far younger than she was in actuality. This was Cicilia Fitzroy, the longest-serving member of the Ten Elder Counsel. One of the 5 Earthly seatholders.
Although she is a normal human and her body has many clear signs of aging, her natural health allowed her to live for far longer than most Celestials. Many citizens call her the Undying Witch and envy her vigor.
Dressed in a comfortable robe, she spoke in a bored and crisp motherly tone.
"Those who are in favor of allowing Arthur to take the new Cadet, Hermes Wilson as his disciple, raise your hands."
Simon, Victoria, Lawrence, as well as Catherine all raised their hands. Other than the obvious ones like Parviz, Thomas, and Agnes Sinclair who had already voiced their opinions against the subject, the one who surprised everyone the most was a man named Joseph Hastings.
He was a man in his 60s and the second oldest serving member in the Counsel, a Stage 7 Celestial. Wearing a normal cloth tunic, he was called the Humble Hermit, a man who always dresses in clothing unfit for his status and enjoyed living modestly.
Everyone except for Arthur and Luke looked at him directly in confusion, not understanding his decision to vote against Hermes' discipleship.
Noticing their gazes, he used his right arm to stroke his long black beard. With a hint of innocence in his eyes, he voiced his concerns.
"Although I do not believe the young man will betray us, I think granting him the honor of being the next Commander in Chief of the Guardian Regiments should require more work to get to. It would look unfair to the other cadets if we just declare him as such."
Both Arthur and Luke nodded their heads in agreement. Continuing in a mellow and soothing voice, Joseph let the elders hear his next sentence slowly.
"I suggest we postpone this decision until the young man has acquired enough merit points. We can still allow Arthur to teach him and watch over his behavior. As you have all heard, a catastrophe may be imminent in the coming years. We cannot allow an unpolished gem like that one to remain hidden beneath the sand."
From the get-go, Arthur never expected the Elders to agree to his request. He only hoped to direct the conversation in a way to make them accept his appeal with a few strings attached.
With the help of Luke's mention of the seal weakening, the elders had already lost interest in suppressing Hermes completely, allowing Joseph to swoop in and provide a compromise between the two parties.
The plan worked, as all the elders voted in favor of the new proposal. Although Thomas de Verdier wanted to continue debating the issue, seeing that Parviz, the man who governed his entire family, voted in agreement, he could do nothing but suppress his displeasure and go along with the unanimous vote.
Seeing this, Cecilia nodded her head and spoke in a crisp and mellow tone, but one filled with courage and authority.
"Alright, since everyone agrees, the Counsel is Adjourned. Let us meet again in a few hours to discuss how to handle the grain supplies and the problems encountered at the iron mines."
...
In a small apartment, light streamed in from an open balcony as Hermes sat in his rocking chair, gazing at the hustle and bustle of the markets and the busy stone bridges of the cityscape below.
The city outside the balcony was nestled within a desert ravine, reflecting the sun's rays off the stone domes of the homes and buildings, casting everything in a deep yellow and orange hue.
As the sun descended, the heavenly light grew more distinct in each reflection, creating a twilight atmosphere. Hermes had relished this view since he first arrived at the apartment.
-Vrrrrr!
Startling him out of his wonderment, a loud vibration emanated from his thigh. It was the tablet that Angelica had provided for him until he had saved enough money to buy his own. Looking down at the device, he saw the notification he received.
[Exam Results Confirmed.]
With a smirk on his face, he tapped on the popup and a page sprang forward displaying his results.
===
[Name: Hermes Wilson]
[Rank: 2nd Place]
[Accepted Regiment: Guardian Cadet]
[Physique Result: S]
[Cosmic Force Affinity Result: A+]
[Knowledge Result: C+]
===
Hermes sighed in relief. Although he knew from Angelica that he would be fine, he was still somewhat worried about his results.
'Second place huh... I wonder who the first-place position went to.'
Scrolling down to the rankings page, he was able to see the list ranking all the cadets who were accepted in the same batch of examinees as him.
===
[Cadet Rankings]
[1st Place: Elizabeth Lysange]
[2nd Place: Hermes Wilson]
[3rd Place: Charles de Verdier]
[4th Place: Noah Césaire]
[5th Place: Kevin Rodriguez]
.
.
.
===
Looking at the names, he was not surprised by the first-place holder. Angelica had already told him to watch out for Elizabeth as she was known for her competitive nature. As the next heir to the Lysange family, there was no way she wasn't strong.
Lucky for him, although they were from the same batch, she was tested with another group at a different time than him, saving him the trouble of having to compete against her directly.
What surprised him the most however was how far Kevin, the friend he made during the exams had made it. He was very proud of him for making it all the way to 5th place.
Hermes was not dumb enough to take these results objectively, however. He knew that just because someone scored a lot lower than the others during the exams, didn't mean that would stay that way forever.
There are probably many who will eventually, with enough training, surpass many of the nobles in strength, character, and merits. Although talent may matter when it comes to how fast one evolves their dimensionality, the Elysian Monoliths do not discriminate against anyone. Even talented individuals could die when taking the dreamscape challenge.
What mattered most was your skill, critical thinking skills, and your experience as a fighter. Your mastery over the abilities granted to you is what will keep you alive in this world the longest.
Breaking the smirk on his face, he was alerted to a new notification as his eyes shifted to where the popup came from. Clicking it, a message appeared.
[To all new recruits, arrive at the Guardian Regiment Barracks tomorrow at 6:00 in the morning. Be sure to bring some of your belongings as you will be assigned a dorm to live in. Boot Camp will start officially the following day.]
"..."
A frown replaced his previously gleeful expression. He had completely forgotten that he had enlisted in what is basically the military... Based on what he knew from Earth, his days will now be marked with constant training, Drill Sergeants yelling in his ears, and crappy meals.
Letting out a sigh, he tried to comfort himself in a meek voice.
"At least they'll provide me with free housing..."
What was meant to be comfort turned into sadness as he remembered that he now had to let go of the apartment he had now grown fond of.
END OF CHAPTER