Chapter 2: Harpist Academy (11)
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Ding! You have gained 15,000 Godhood Value points. Your journey to godhood is 6% complete.
Lin Nan just earned 15,000 Godhood Value points from the recent test evaluation. Not a fortune, but hey, it’s better than nothing!
He initially planned to team up with Trissa to hit all ten testing grounds. With that strategy, boosting their godhood journey to 10% should be a piece of cake.
But then, out of nowhere, Edith barged in and paired up with Trissa—talk about bad timing!
Everyone had something to say about Edith. This young girl clearly had a high level of talent, which explained her smugness, even looking down on senior Trissa.
Plus, her current boyfriend, Konglif, was Trissa’s childhood friend. Ouch! That’s a crushing blow for any girl.
Trissa was subtly showing signs of self-doubt and emotional turmoil, though the others missed it.
Not Adeline, though—she was a pro at sensing such things and quickly leaned in on her tippy toes to whisper to Lin Nan.
“Don’t worry, Adeline, I won’t let you lose the bet.”
Lin Nan was protective like a big brother.
Even if Trissa wasn’t from the Cold Wind City’s direct line, she had always respected him. Since arriving in the imperial capital, she had gone above and beyond to take care of him. So, in every sense, she was like a loyal subordinate.
Therefore, Lin Nan wasn’t about to sit back and let Edith overshadow Trissa with her sudden glow-up.
Besides, it’s not like Edith was the only one to snag an “SS” rating—what’s the big deal?
“Wait a second!”
As the judges were about to call the next graduate for testing, Lin Nan’s cold voice stopped them in their tracks.
Everyone in the testing area was now staring at him, utterly bewildered.
What was going on?
The three judges had felt the peculiar playing style of the foreign girl but were still unsure of her strength, leading to a bit of trepidation.
The head female judge said, “If you have objections regarding the evaluation results, you may appeal to the Academy Examination Committee. However, the current assessment is final.”
The judges were fairly polite about it. If it had been anyone else, they’d likely have called in the guards to whisk the troublemaker away.
Only then did Edith notice the imposing figure looming behind Trissa. A tall woman, half her face covered, yet stunningly beautiful, with no marks on her forehead that would indicate she had even a drop of demon bl**d.
“Ha! Just a foreigner, what qualifications do you have to speak on the demon harpist exam?” Edith scoffed unapologetically.
Seeing Edith daring to challenge Lin Nan was the last straw for Trissa.
“Edith, you might want to know—before you arrived, this Lin… uh, Ms. Lin’s testing evaluation was also an SS-grade!”
Trissa’s words stunned not just Edith but everyone tuning in through the magic screens and loudspeakers.
According to their narrow perceptions, only nobles could practice as harpists, let alone a foreigner mingling with demons!
But here was this beautiful foreign girl, pulling off harp skills and snagging an evaluation equal to genius Edith!
Could this be true? Was Trissa just bluffing to save face?
Black and Betty were genuinely worried, thinking Trissa might crumble under pressure, but once they saw the calm expressions on the three female judges, they realized Trissa was speaking the truth.
Edith thought she’d shine with her “SS” rating well above the other graduates.
But unexpected competition from a foreigner with the same rating was infuriating.
She was the one-and-only genius—how dare anyone keep up with her?
“I can’t let this go! I have to show her who’s faster!”
At that moment, Lin Nan, with an unbothered expression, finally spoke his second sentence, “I’m all for it, but I’d like a change of rules.”
Change the rules? What rules?
Lin Nan’s statement caught everyone’s attention again.
Although the camera usually switched every minute or two, they weren’t going to miss this juicy moment, thanks to the director’s insistence on sticking with it.
What kind of foolery was this? If they missed the hot topic, what would they even broadcast?
While this was a tech the Mage Academy had just developed, making it mainstream in the empire would take ages.
But learning how to grab the spotlight was essential for leading the next wave of magical live-streaming.
Edith snickered, “What can a mere foreigner bring to the table? Go ahead, surprise me.”
Lin Nan said, “It’s boring to just throw three identical white balls.”
Edith’s expression flickered but quickly returned to a steady facade.
Lin Nan ignored her and randomly pulled three people from the audience.
The three faces turned as pale as ghosts, recalling the scene just moments ago where they were groveling for forgiveness—this woman was ruthless, and the memory was fresh!
“Ahhh, we didn’t say anything!”
“Yeah, yeah, we respect everyone now! No more blabbering, promise!”
“Seriously, we’re good people now!”
Lin Nan replied, unimpressed, “You three are here to assist with our competition, got it?”
“Oh, is that what’s happening? You scared us there!”
“Understood! Whatever you need!”
Lin Nan directed, “You three, go collect various sizes of pebbles, dirt, or anything you can throw and come back to me when ready.”
The three female judges exchanged glances, utterly shocked that they were being sidelined as the test coordinators.
“Ahem, do we consent to you randomly changing the rules for another round?”
Lin Nan casually responded, “Your agreement doesn’t affect the upcoming evaluations.”
She pointed at the floating imaging crystal, “I’m sure all the viewers have their own scales of judgment, right?”
Lin Nan faintly heard cheers and gasps from outside, coinciding with Edith earning her “SS” rating. It struck her that this must be a magical method of broadcasting the live situation indoors—similar to modern-day streaming.
Her actions had stirred up the audience into a frenzy of cheers.
Word soon reached the academy authorities; perhaps fearing that the audience would riot if not presented with what they wanted, the three judges quickly received instructions from above.
They temporarily handed over control to the white-clad masked woman.
Little did anyone realize that a few more eyes were watching closely in the testing area—the three people digging for stones in the garden were now under scrutiny.
Lin Nan concluded, “The one competing isn’t me; it’s Trissa.”
The crowd erupted in shock! Didn’t Trissa just lose to Edith? Why would she still take the stage?
