Chapter 8: Ch8: Inscriptions
Inside the Academy Headmaster's office, an old man with a wrinkled face but piercing eyes sat on a luxurious mahogany chair. Standing in front of him was Mo Bai's class teacher, who didn't dare to sit in the presence of the man, whose aura was colder than ice.
"Speak. What is it?" the Headmaster said slowly, his voice icy and sharp, his gaze slicing through the teacher standing stiffly before him.
"There's an urgent matter, sir," the teacher said in a single breath, anxiety clearly threading his voice. "I received word that Mo Fan, Mo Bai, Mo Zun, Mo Liu, and Mo Ning fought against all the students except the top ten and took one Nia Stone from each of them. The guards didn't intervene since combat isn't forbidden within the Academy as long as abilities aren't used. As soon as they told me, I came straight to you."
"Oh?" The Headmaster's brow rose slightly, his usually indifferent face showing rare surprise, deepening the wrinkles across his forehead. "They fought and robbed every student except the top ten?"
Silence fell, heavy and suffocating.
The Headmaster sank into deep thought, and the teacher didn't dare make a sound, not even shifting his weight.
'Five kids robbing over two hundred others... Unprecedented in Academy history. And they're all from the Mo Faction. That complicates things.'
'There are pros and cons to this. On one hand, oppressed students will be provoked into training harder, pushing themselves to fight back and grow stronger—producing a tougher generation. On the other hand, this could stunt the growth of many. But... a single Nia Stone isn't a major loss for truly gifted students with two seals. Only about 20% of those with just one seal will be seriously affected—those with slave parents or orphans. Overall, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.'
'I'll leave them be. Let's see the results in a month. But I'll still send a letter to the Mo Faction leader. This might affect their faction's reputation. If he chooses not to act, I'll continue with the original plan—observe and assess in one month.'
After nearly two minutes of quiet, the Headmaster finally looked up, his expression once again unreadable.
"Leave them be. Don't take any action. I'll contact the Mo Faction and see what they decide."