Chapter 73: Shocking
“The name is…” Simira glanced at the list on the table, then smiled and said.
“Arena, is it? Well then, I’m going to pose a question.”
As soon as the words fell, the staff immediately brought a series of items, and then Simira said.
“In front of you, there is a potted withered flower, deep within its soil lies a crystal ball containing a seed of the withered flower. Your task is to try to keep the withered flower in a fresh state while retrieving the seed from the crystal ball.”
Upon hearing this, some audience members below couldn’t help but express their dissatisfaction. This was too difficult, it was almost like making things difficult for this beautiful and elegant lady. Of course, most of those who voiced such sentiments were male.
Arena’s brow gradually furrowed, not because she was displeased with Simira, but because the task was simply too difficult. Compared to the other tasks, Arena felt hers was terrifying by several levels.
Tyr, who had been watching from below, couldn’t help but furrow his brows, giving Simira a displeased look.
“This old man must have realized that Arena is an elf,” Tyr murmured to himself. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have posed such a targeted question. It’s impossible for Arena to be so unlucky among over four hundred magicians.
Meanwhile, Dragon Slayer also played the Magic Sound Stone outside the arena.
“Hey, Tyr, I reckon that old geezer Simira has figured out Arena’s identity.”
“I think so too, but why doesn’t he expose it?”
“Obviously, he doesn’t want to cause any commotion, or perhaps he wants to have her all to himself in private later. After all, wind elves are the epitome of desire for many men.”
“He’s already so old, who knows if he’s even capable. Why are you talking to me about this?” Tyr became agitated, almost shaking the magic Sound stone loose. After taking a deep breath, he continued.
“But I have a feeling, um, by the way, where are you now? Why is it so noisy?”
“Me?” Dragon Slayer held the Magic Sound Stone and looked around at the audience, who had cleared a space of two meters around her, and couldn’t help but answer.
“I’ve been watching your competition from the sidelines. The people of the Gabriel Continent are indeed friendly. As soon as I arrived, they made room for me without hesitation.”
“Are you sure they’re not afraid of your fists?” Tyr said, shaking his head before continuing.
“I feel like the other judges have all figured it out, they just haven’t exposed it. Simira naturally wouldn’t want to be the one to stick her neck out.”
“So, in order to make the little elf withdraw, Simira presented such a high-difficulty question?”
“Probably.”
“Then your plan to enter the ‘Avalon’ program with a recommendation letter is likely going to fail.”
“The important thing is to participate, but I’ll remember this Simira character.”
“What do you want to do to a Sanctum Mage?”
“Nothing, I’ll just remember him.”
“What’s wrong, Miss Arena?” Simira asked, smiling warmly at Arena who still hadn’t made a move. However, this didn’t ease the mind of the wind elf. Behind her, the nine mages also furrowed their brows, pondering over the solution to this problem. But like Arena, they found themselves stuck in a deadlock.
“To keep the withered flower in a fresh state and retrieve the withered flower seed from the crystal ball…” Arena murmured to herself.
“But the withered flower is extremely allergic to living organisms. It usually withers automatically upon contact with roots, and the crystal ball is beneath the roots…”
“And the crystal ball is also quite hard. Using force will inevitably shake the roots, causing the withered flower to wither…”
What to do, what to do? Arena appeared in front of so many humans for the first time, and now her mind was in chaos. She might even nervously make mistakes on simple arithmetic problems, let alone this high-difficulty task.
Simira maintained a smile on the judging stand, while the other three judges also shifted their attention slightly in this direction. Although they knew this task was too difficult, the contestant was still a wind elf. In truth, they weren’t very keen on letting someone from a different race win. At this moment, Simira’s stern expression somewhat reflected the sentiments of the other judges.
“What should I do, what should I do…” Arena looked at the withered flower, her mind filled with various thoughts. Tyr had promised to let her go after the competition, but if she couldn’t even pass the second round, how could she face leaving with any dignity? Even her family back in the Elven Empire would feel ashamed.
“But how, how can I keep the withered flower from withering…” Arena suddenly froze, looking at the withered flower in front of her, gradually calming down. She muttered to herself with a pensive expression, “Wait a minute…”
She suddenly recalled the conversation she had with Tyr in the inn not long ago.
“Sir, I always feel that the etiquette and interpersonal relationships in your human empire are so complicated. Although this way I can gradually integrate into society, is it really necessary to learn so much?”
“Well… how should I put it?” Tyr pondered, supporting his chin for a moment before replying.
“You just need to know that basically, everything they do is for their own benefit. If you consider everything from the perspective of self-interest, it won’t be so complicated.”
“Self-interest?”
“That’s right. Interpersonal relationships are about getting better help when you need it. Etiquette can create a good impression on others. Even in war, the starting point is self-interest. Simplifying complexity is the key. Do you understand what I mean?”
“I don’t understand…”
“Um, then let’s start with etiquette.”
Arena suddenly remembered, and her mind was suddenly awakened as if by an injection of clarity. Her eyes gleamed with renewed vigor as she looked at the withered flower in front of her, muttering to herself.
“Simplify complexity, simplify complexity.”
The judges below noticed the change in the wind elf and couldn’t help but turn their attention to her. Even Simira stopped smiling. She recognized that look—it was the same expression people had when they discovered a new continent.
“Simplify complexity… Yes!” Arena’s mind seemed to be illuminated by a flash, and without hesitation, her body moved. She lifted the potted plant with her right hand and made a grabbing motion with her left.
Everyone in the audience was puzzled, wondering what Arena was going to do. Even the judges furrowed their brows. According to Simira, to extract the withered flower seed, one should first continuously activate the withered flower with Healing Magic, then release Detoxification Magic to paralyze its roots. After that, precision is needed to insert the crystal into the soil using Triple Speed Magic, without shaking the roots. Then, using Double Force Magic, shatter the crystal. At the same time, release Crystal Shield Magic to prevent the crystal from shattering and injuring the roots. If the practitioner is a water mage, they can also use their basic magic to moisturize the withered flower, preventing it from withering suddenly. And all of this must be done in one go, preferably within five seconds, as the longer it takes, the more likely it is to fail.
However, Arena surprised everyone by lifting the potted plant over her head with her right hand, completely defying expectations. With Double Force Magic added to her left hand, she forcefully smashed the bottom of the pot, causing a small hole to crack open.
“What?!” Simira couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, and even the other judges widened their eyes. The audience below was even more bewildered. Under everyone’s gaze, Arena effortlessly used her finger to scoop out the crystal ball hidden at the bottom of the pot through the hole, leaving a small distance from the roots of the withered flower above the soil.
Arena placed the potted plant back down, then used the heat from a basic Fireball spell to melt a small hole in the crystal ball. Finally, she poured out the withered flower seed hidden inside. Taking a deep breath, she smiled at everyone in the audience and said.
“I got it.”
Thank you.