MM Racing Chapter 122: Preparations [1]
Chapter 122: Preparations [1]
The next day. Sun rays fell on the busy streets of Arhal City.
Even though it was early morning, the entire city had long since awoken.
The hum of mana-powered vehicles filled the streets, and glowing screens on nearby buildings flashed the morning news. Life had returned to normal.
Inside the Golden Scale Academy, in a large hall, a middle-aged man with purple hair stood on the stage.
Before him, several people sat in scattered seats. Some were young. Some were old. At first glance, they looked unorganized, but there was a pattern.
The people who sat on those chairs were all [Mythril] rankers. Seraphina was one of them.
The purple-haired man was Damon Cross. One of thirteen [Origin] rankers of humanity.
Even though he looked middle-aged, his age was over two hundred years. In front of his presence, all twenty [Mythril] rankers in the room kept their silence.
Damon looked at them and began.
"Do you know why the Council did not cancel the information about the last incident?"
"Can any of you guess why the Council did not stop the selections?"
He paused, letting his questions sink in.
"The answer for both questions is the same... Because there is no need to."
Damon smiled and continued.
"Last night, as soon as I arrived, I naturally checked the borderlands and found something very interesting."
All the [Mythril] rankers leaned forward. Seraphina was no exception. They looked at Damon, curious about what he had to say.
Seeing that his words had caught everyone’s attention, Damon smiled and said,
"In the wraith base, all the wraiths were dead. Including their [Commander] rank wraith as well."
"The strange thing is... no one had a single injury on their bodies. Their faces showed no sign of struggle or pain. They were just dead."
The room grew quieter.
"And coincidentally, in this city, a mana disruption occurred."
Damon’s eyes swept across the room.
"I do not believe it was just a coincidence. I imagine many of you share my sentiment."
"So, that means there might be a third party involved. And of course, we cannot ignore the chance that those wraiths willingly gave up their lives to confuse us."
Damon and the [Mythril] rankers exchanged a few speculations and doubts.
In the corner, Seraphina sat silently. Inwardly, she was dumbfounded.
’What the hell?’
Unlike the others, she knew it was just a coincidence.
After all, the culprit was Cael, and he did not have the ability to fight wraiths. The dead wraiths had nothing to do with him.
It was really just a coincidence.
As she pondered, the doors opened.
Aldric Grace, the city protector of Arhal City and father of Elara Grace, entered after a respectful knock.
Following him were two others, both [Adamant] rankers.
"Sorry, we are late."
Aldric said respectfully.
"Surveying the entire city took longer than expected."
As the city protector, he was naturally very grateful that an [Origin] ranker was lending his aid.
Only the gods knew how terrified Aldric actually was.
Damon waved a hand.
"No worries, no worries."
He then continued,
"Now that everyone is here, let us talk about how the selections will work."
....
On the other side of the academy, Cael walked along the path, looking around.
Beside him was Edwin.
Yesterday, Edwin had gone to explore the academy with Aria and Brania, but compared to the festive vibe they had described, everything was nearly silent now.
Sure, it was still morning, but the roads were almost empty.
Cael turned his head toward Edwin and asked,
"Are you sure this is the correct route?"
Edwin nodded.
"Very sure."
Cael sighed and followed Edwin’s lead. They were heading to the cafeteria. Soon, both entered the building.
Edwin gave a smug look and said,
"Told you I knew the route."
Cael shook his head and smiled.
The cafeteria buzzed with quiet conversations. Students sat in small groups, some discussing the previous night’s chaos, others nervously speculating about the selections.
Plates clattered. Chairs scraped. Everything was back to normal, even if the mood was tense.
They ordered breakfast and started making small talk, though most of the talking was done by Edwin.
"Do you think the selections will be postponed?"
Cael paused mid-bite, about to answer, when a voice chimed in.
"No, they will not. The selections will go on as scheduled."
The speaker was none other than Elara Grace.
Cael turned his head and saw her sitting at a table opposite them.
Before he could say anything, Edwin asked,
"How do you know? You sound quite sure."
Elara smiled.
"My father is the city protector of Arhal City, so of course, I know information that has not yet reached the public."
Edwin smiled.
"Sounds like you are very proud of your father."
Elara nodded.
"Because I am."
Cael looked between them and asked,
"Do you two know each other?"
Edwin shook his head.
"Not really. Yesterday, Elara acted as a guide for us."
Cael inwardly nodded.
’No wonder.’
Then Elara asked,
"Why did you not come out yesterday?"
Cael slightly released his aura, just enough to show he was [Gold 1] and said,
"I was focusing on a breakthrough yesterday."
Elara nodded. "I see."
Meanwhile, Edwin gave Cael a shocked look.
"Congratulations. I did not notice your rank until you released your aura."
Actually, Cael’s rank was [Gold 3], but since he had completed the perfect mana vessel, he had gained a new innate ability from the technique: concealing one’s own mana.
Seraphina had been the one to tell him about the technique’s innate ability.
Of course, not all techniques have innate abilities; only those integrated into one’s body do.
No one could sense Cael’s rank unless he willed it, including [Origin] rankers.
Because his perfect mana vessel was not a normal one, his Mana Sovereignty had made it far purer than others who practiced the same technique.
Suddenly, an announcement echoed through every corner of the Golden Scale Academy.
"Attention. Students from various academies, please gather at the main stadium. Students from Golden Scale, please lead the guests to the stadium."