Chapter 192: 192
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
Just as Juin thought she had gotten distracted and was about to give up on getting an answer, suddenly, she turned to him and said in a clear voice, "The purpose of the battle is not to make it hard for users of the other elements. It's actually to find the best users of each element."
Confused, Juin could only utter a single syllable. "Huh?"
"The elimination battle is not just about finding the strongest people to represent the Order in the Battle of the Underground Beings," Princess Cecile said before turning to look up at the beautiful moon up ahead. "Since you helped Arthur, I don't mind giving you some tips. Right from the start, the elimination battle has never been about looking for the strongest kids. Its purpose is to find out the strongest AND smartest kids among the batches. While strength is applauded, intelligence will get you further in life. A kid who is strong now might not be strong in the future, if he's too dumb to grab onto opportunities or to create his own spells…"
Juin nodded, finally understanding what she meant by finding "the best users of each element". "So, this elimination battle is to find out who can wield their powers best while in an unfavorable environment?"
The princess smiled and nodded. "Yes, that's true. A flame user like you, even if you lose, if you can last till the final round, you will be considered a top contender and member of the highest quality among your peers. Of course, of all elements, flames fare the worse here."
"But what if I want to win?" Juin asked. "I don't want to be second place or enter the semi-final; I want to win."
"It's good to have the confidence… but I have to be honest with you..." Princess Cecile said, "I don't know what's your strength is like, but based on precedents, the rate of a flame user actually winning in the elimination battle is really low, especially someone like you, who is new and is not battle tested yet… I assume?"
Hearing that, Juin felt a little depressed, and he slowly nodded. If he lost to someone else, then so be it, but he was unwilling to lose to Luca.
However, Princess Cecile then added, "Of course, it's not an impossible thing. After all, your teacher won at his first elimination battle. And there are others as well. Like I said, if you are smart enough, it's not an impossible thing to win."
"Wait, Mr. Tucker did?"
When she heard the surprised tone in his voice, Princess Cecile looked at him with an amused expression. "You didn't know how strong your teacher is?"
Juin shook his head. He then thought for a moment and nodded. "I know he's strong, but I don't know how strong he actually is…"
"Well, your teacher is not exactly a politically correct person, but he's still well respected and highly regarded by President Presley, so that should tell you something right?"
Juin thought about it before nodding slowly. "That's true… Oh, you mentioned others? Is there anything within this current batch, Your Highness?"
She thought for a while before nodding. "I remember during the last elimination battle, the winner was a wind user. Let's see…"
She tapped her cheek a couple of times, as if she were thinking hard about the person's name.
"Luca?" Juin offered with a sigh.
"Yes!" The princess put her palms together and nodded. "Luca Rockefeller. Ms. Lann's student."
A sad smile suddenly appeared on her face as she continued, "He was around the same age as my late younger brother, Tomas. And I recall that Tomas loved to play with him, and they got along quite well."
Looking up at the moon with a poignant expression, she continued, "If my brother were alive, he would be happy to see Luca…"
Not knowing what to say, Juin merely muttered out, "I'm sorry…"
Princess Cecile shook her head. "How are you feeling now? Much better?" she suddenly asked.
Juin nodded. "The tea really helps a lot… Just the scent alone is comforting…"
"Glad to know that…"
They then sat next to each other in silence for a long time as they watched the moon and enjoyed the artificial breeze of fresh air.
"What is it like on Earth, Mr. Juin?" Princess Cecile suddenly asked, without looking over at him. Her eyes still at the moon, she said, "I really want to see the other worlds…"
"Can't you join the Battle of the Underground Beings? Then you can go to the other worlds too…"
With a sigh, the princess shook her head slowly as she slowly lowered her head and looked into Juin's eyes. "When Atlas closed all but one of the portals to Earth, he inadvertently closed off all the portals to other worlds as well… And somehow, his action affected the stability of the portals that are opened after that.
"Over the years, we, as well as the other countries on Atlantis, tried to create new portals, but the portals that were created previously all led to either dangerous places or unsuitable living environments for us Atlanteans… We got everything correct, but yet, our portals did not reach the worlds that we wanted. Anyway portals often work both ways. We can go in, the inhabitants from the other worlds can come into our world as well…"
She took a deep breath before continuing, "About 300 years ago, the royal family of another country opened up a portal, and the inhabitants that came into our world was a bloodthirsty group of animals who went on a rampage in our world. Thankfully, the portal was f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y closed not too long after, and only a small group of them managed to come through. Otherwise, the damage would be too hard to contain.
"That was the last time anyone in this world tried to open a portal. The cost of opening a portal was already too high, with lives of countless people being sacrificed, and after the last one, all the Atlantean royal families agreed to never open up a portal again."
As such, for her who was born a long time after the pact was made, she had never seen the other worlds other than from the books brought by the visitors from Earth. Every 5 years, they would bring new stories of the development of Earth, and it often fascinated her how advanced Earth was despite being so different from them.
As she explained everything to Juin, Juin felt bad for her. He could see that she was the adventurous type, and not just from her skin tone, which also told him that this princess went up to the surface quite often, but also from the way she spoke when she told him about the stories that she heard from the Earth visitors.
After she was done speaking, she chuckled wryly and said, "I don't know why I'm telling you all these…"
"It's fine…" Juin said as he stared at her blemish-free face with a smile.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Just as Juin thought she had gotten distracted and was about to give up on getting an answer, suddenly, she turned to him and said in a clear voice, "The purpose of the battle is not to make it hard for users of the other elements. It's actually to find the best users of each element."
Confused, Juin could only utter a single syllable. "Huh?"
"The elimination battle is not just about finding the strongest people to represent the Order in the Battle of the Underground Beings," Princess Cecile said before turning to look up at the beautiful moon up ahead. "Since you helped Arthur, I don't mind giving you some tips. Right from the start, the elimination battle has never been about looking for the strongest kids. Its purpose is to find out the strongest AND smartest kids among the batches. While strength is applauded, intelligence will get you further in life. A kid who is strong now might not be strong in the future, if he's too dumb to grab onto opportunities or to create his own spells…"
Juin nodded, finally understanding what she meant by finding "the best users of each element". "So, this elimination battle is to find out who can wield their powers best while in an unfavorable environment?"
The princess smiled and nodded. "Yes, that's true. A flame user like you, even if you lose, if you can last till the final round, you will be considered a top contender and member of the highest quality among your peers. Of course, of all elements, flames fare the worse here."
"But what if I want to win?" Juin asked. "I don't want to be second place or enter the semi-final; I want to win."
"It's good to have the confidence… but I have to be honest with you..." Princess Cecile said, "I don't know what's your strength is like, but based on precedents, the rate of a flame user actually winning in the elimination battle is really low, especially someone like you, who is new and is not battle tested yet… I assume?"
Hearing that, Juin felt a little depressed, and he slowly nodded. If he lost to someone else, then so be it, but he was unwilling to lose to Luca.
However, Princess Cecile then added, "Of course, it's not an impossible thing. After all, your teacher won at his first elimination battle. And there are others as well. Like I said, if you are smart enough, it's not an impossible thing to win."
"Wait, Mr. Tucker did?"
When she heard the surprised tone in his voice, Princess Cecile looked at him with an amused expression. "You didn't know how strong your teacher is?"
Juin shook his head. He then thought for a moment and nodded. "I know he's strong, but I don't know how strong he actually is…"
"Well, your teacher is not exactly a politically correct person, but he's still well respected and highly regarded by President Presley, so that should tell you something right?"
Juin thought about it before nodding slowly. "That's true… Oh, you mentioned others? Is there anything within this current batch, Your Highness?"
She thought for a while before nodding. "I remember during the last elimination battle, the winner was a wind user. Let's see…"
She tapped her cheek a couple of times, as if she were thinking hard about the person's name.
"Luca?" Juin offered with a sigh.
"Yes!" The princess put her palms together and nodded. "Luca Rockefeller. Ms. Lann's student."
A sad smile suddenly appeared on her face as she continued, "He was around the same age as my late younger brother, Tomas. And I recall that Tomas loved to play with him, and they got along quite well."
Looking up at the moon with a poignant expression, she continued, "If my brother were alive, he would be happy to see Luca…"
Not knowing what to say, Juin merely muttered out, "I'm sorry…"
Princess Cecile shook her head. "How are you feeling now? Much better?" she suddenly asked.
Juin nodded. "The tea really helps a lot… Just the scent alone is comforting…"
"Glad to know that…"
They then sat next to each other in silence for a long time as they watched the moon and enjoyed the artificial breeze of fresh air.
"What is it like on Earth, Mr. Juin?" Princess Cecile suddenly asked, without looking over at him. Her eyes still at the moon, she said, "I really want to see the other worlds…"
"Can't you join the Battle of the Underground Beings? Then you can go to the other worlds too…"
With a sigh, the princess shook her head slowly as she slowly lowered her head and looked into Juin's eyes. "When Atlas closed all but one of the portals to Earth, he inadvertently closed off all the portals to other worlds as well… And somehow, his action affected the stability of the portals that are opened after that.
"Over the years, we, as well as the other countries on Atlantis, tried to create new portals, but the portals that were created previously all led to either dangerous places or unsuitable living environments for us Atlanteans… We got everything correct, but yet, our portals did not reach the worlds that we wanted. Anyway portals often work both ways. We can go in, the inhabitants from the other worlds can come into our world as well…"
She took a deep breath before continuing, "About 300 years ago, the royal family of another country opened up a portal, and the inhabitants that came into our world was a bloodthirsty group of animals who went on a rampage in our world. Thankfully, the portal was f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y closed not too long after, and only a small group of them managed to come through. Otherwise, the damage would be too hard to contain.
"That was the last time anyone in this world tried to open a portal. The cost of opening a portal was already too high, with lives of countless people being sacrificed, and after the last one, all the Atlantean royal families agreed to never open up a portal again."
As such, for her who was born a long time after the pact was made, she had never seen the other worlds other than from the books brought by the visitors from Earth. Every 5 years, they would bring new stories of the development of Earth, and it often fascinated her how advanced Earth was despite being so different from them.
As she explained everything to Juin, Juin felt bad for her. He could see that she was the adventurous type, and not just from her skin tone, which also told him that this princess went up to the surface quite often, but also from the way she spoke when she told him about the stories that she heard from the Earth visitors.
After she was done speaking, she chuckled wryly and said, "I don't know why I'm telling you all these…"
"It's fine…" Juin said as he stared at her blemish-free face with a smile.
Just as Juin thought she had gotten distracted and was about to give up on getting an answer, suddenly, she turned to him and said in a clear voice, "The purpose of the battle is not to make it hard for users of the other elements. It's actually to find the best users of each element." Confused, Juin could only utter a single syllable. "Huh?" "The elimination battle is not just about finding the strongest people to represent the Order in the Battle of the Underground Beings," Princess Cecile said before turning to look up at the beautiful moon up ahead. "Since you helped Arthur, I don't mind giving you some tips. Right from the start, the elimination battle has never been about looking for the strongest kids. Its purpose is to find out the strongest AND smartest kids among the batches. While strength is applauded, intelligence will get you further in life. A kid who is strong now might not be strong in the future, if he's too dumb to grab onto opportunities or to create his own spells" Juin nodded, finally understanding what she meant by finding "the best users of each element". "So, this elimination battle is to find out who can wield their powers best while in an unfavorable environment?" The princess smiled and nodded. "Yes, that's true. A flame user like you, even if you lose, if you can last till the final round, you will be considered a top contender and member of the highest quality among your peers. Of course, of all elements, flames fare the worse here." "But what if I want to win?" Juin asked. "I don't want to be second place or enter the semi-final; I want to win." "It's good to have the confidence but I have to be honest with you..." Princess Cecile said, "I don't know what's your strength is like, but based on precedents, the rate of a flame user actually winning in the elimination battle is really low, especially someone like you, who is new and is not battle tested yet I assume?" Hearing that, Juin felt a little depressed, and he slowly nodded. If he lost to someone else, then so be it, but he was unwilling to lose to Luca. However, Princess Cecile then added, "Of course, it's not an impossible thing. After all, your teacher won at his first elimination battle. And there are others as well. Like I said, if you are smart enough, it's not an impossible thing to win." "Wait, Mr. Tucker did?" When she heard the surprised tone in his voice, Princess Cecile looked at him with an amused expression. "You didn't know how strong your teacher is?" Juin shook his head. He then thought for a moment and nodded. "I know he's strong, but I don't know how strong he actually is" "Well, your teacher is not exactly a politically correct person, but he's still well respected and highly regarded by President Presley, so that should tell you something right?" Juin thought about it before nodding slowly. "That's true Oh, you mentioned others? Is there anything within this current batch, Your Highness?" She thought for a while before nodding. "I remember during the last elimination battle, the winner was a wind user. Let's see" She tapped her cheek a couple of times, as if she were thinking hard about the person's name. "Luca?" Juin offered with a sigh. "Yes!" The princess put her palms together and nodded. "Luca Rockefeller. Ms. Lann's student." A sad smile suddenly appeared on her face as she continued, "He was around the same age asmy late younger brother, Tomas. And I recall that Tomas loved to play with him, and they got along quite well." Looking up at the moon with a poignant expression, she continued, "If my brother were alive, he would be happy to see Luca" Not knowing what to say, Juin merely muttered out, "I'm sorry" Princess Cecile shook her head. "How are you feeling now? Much better?" she suddenly asked. Juin nodded. "The tea really helps a lot Just the scent alone is comforting" "Glad to know that" They then sat next to each other in silence for a long time as they watched the moon and enjoyed the artificial breeze of fresh air. "What is it like on Earth, Mr. Juin?" Princess Cecile suddenly asked, without looking over at him. Her eyes still at the moon, she said, "I really want to see the other worlds" "Can't you join the Battle of the Underground Beings? Then you can go to the other worlds too" With a sigh, the princess shook her head slowly as she slowly lowered her head and looked into Juin's eyes. "When Atlas closed all but one of the portals to Earth, he inadvertently closed off all the portals to other worlds as well And somehow, his action affected the stability of the portals that are opened after that. "Over the years, we, as well as the other countries on Atlantis, tried to create new portals, but the portals that were created previously all led to either dangerous places or unsuitable living environments for us Atlanteans We got everything correct, but yet, our portals did not reach the worlds that we wanted. Anyway portals often work both ways. We can go in, the inhabitants from the other worlds can come into our world as well" She took a deep breath before continuing, "About 300 years ago, the royal family of another country opened up a portal, and the inhabitants that came into our world was a bloodthirsty group of animals who went on a rampage in our world. Thankfully, the portal was f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y closed not too long after, and only a small group of them managed to come through. Otherwise, the damage would be too hard to contain. "That was the last time anyone in this world tried to open a portal. The cost of opening a portal was already too high, with lives of countless people being sacrificed, and after the last one, all the Atlantean royal families agreed to never open up a portal again." As such, for her who was born a long time after the pact was made, she had never seen the other worlds other than from the books brought by the visitors from Earth. Every 5 years, they would bring new stories of the development of Earth, and it often fascinated her how advanced Earth was despite being so different from them. As she explained everything to Juin, Juin felt bad for her. He could see that she was the adventurous type, and not just from her skin tone, which also told him that this princess went up to the surface quite often, but also from the way she spoke when she told him about the stories that she heard from the Earth visitors. After she was done speaking, she chuckled wryly and said, "I don't know why I'm telling you all these" "It's fine" Juin said as he stared at her blemish-free face with a smile.
