Chapter 582: Chapter 07: Storm in a Teapot (2)
"What exactly do you all want to do?"
"We’ve had enough of you! We want freedom! We demand the resignation of the Vein Council President! Yes, you! Step down! We want a truly fair election, not a so-called election where only Vein Council members can vote! We demand the Vein Council withdraw from the dormitory area! Also, the Vein Council’s subsidies must be reduced. Why should you get the highest subsidies in the entire academy?"
The words were almost screamed out. Immediately, thunderous applause erupted, and the magic apprentices encircling the Vein Council cheered wildly.
"Step down! Step down! Step down! Step down!"
The chants grew louder and louder, wave after wave.
Leading the protest was a Blood Elf with short black hair tinged slightly red. He wore a blue robe and had a thick, golden necklace—a magical artifact, perhaps—around his neck. He looked extremely sharp and capable.
He stood atop the sculpture by the administrative building entrance.
"Gegil!" The President, whose face had turned an ashen shade, shouted the magic apprentice’s name, roaring, "The affairs of the Vein Council are none of your business! Get out of here immediately!"
"Ha! This academy is run by student autonomy, isn’t it? If I don’t have the say, does everyone here collectively have the say? Or would you prefer to bring out the Magic Council’s Masters to explain to us what exactly ’student autonomy’ means?"
"Yeah! Go ahead and explain! Explain it!" The magic apprentices at the scene jeered uproariously, shouting and gesticulating, creating a massive commotion.
The President’s face turned alternately red and pale from anger: "You!"
"Today, you must give us an answer! The Vein Council has become the common enemy of the academy’s students and must undergo restructuring! As the President, you must step down—immediately!"
"Who is this guy?" Angel whispered to Mosharili beside him.
"The President of the Mysterious Research Association, Gegil," Mosharili whispered back. "The Mysterious Research Association studies forbidden magic, you see."
"You mean the kind of magic that’s not yet based on solid foundational theory?"
"Yes, exactly. Very dangerous stuff—nobody knows what might come out of it. A few years ago, they were preparing for an experiment right in the plaza. The magic array was already drawn out, but the President led people to destroy it and even penalized him. Ever since then, he’s been at odds with the Vein Council. Everyone following him now is someone who’s been offended by the Vein Council."
"The Vein Council sure has offended a lot of people... So what’s he trying to do now? Students don’t have the right to remove the Vein Council President, do they?"
"Who knows? Maybe he just wants to humiliate the Vein Council." Mosharili shrugged.
"Listen here, Alvis!" Gegil pointed at the President from atop the sculpture and shouted, "Don’t think that holding out stubbornly will let you get away with this! Your Vein Council only has two hundred people total! If you refuse to meet my demands, we will forcibly expel every single Vein Council member! Not only will we stop you from performing your duties, but you won’t even be able to return to the dormitories! The Vein Council will become a mere hollow name. Everyone who insists on siding with you will face consequences for refusing to stand with the majority of the students!"
At this, the President wasn’t the only one turning green—every single Vein Council member’s face darkened as they collectively gasped.
"Good thing I don’t live in the dorms," Angel muttered under his breath.
"But I do..." Mosharili’s large eyes widened in shock, tears welling up in her eyes. "I’ve only just joined! I’m still not an official member... I haven’t even gotten a single subsidy yet."
Angel turned his face slightly to glance silently at Mosharili.
"Alright then, we don’t want to drag this out too long. If you take months to think it over, we won’t be able to wait. Let’s keep it simple with a little game." Jumping down from the sculpture by the entrance, Gegil pushed through the crowd step by step until he was face-to-face with the President. With a sly grin, he said, "Let’s duel. If I lose, I’ll leave immediately and never bother the Vein Council again. But if you lose... you’ll step down. How about it?"
The President’s eye twitched slightly as he glared intensely at Gegil.
Angel sneaked a glance at the badge on the President’s chest: five-level Magic Power.
He then snuck another glance at the badge on Gegil’s chest: six-level Magic Power.
The difference between six-level Magic Power and five-level Magic Power? Roughly thirty percent.
Angel discreetly edged closer to the President and whispered, "President, I can beat him."
"You can?" The President looked over at Angel.
"Yes." With his back to Gegil, Angel discreetly showed his own badge, which displayed six-level Magic Power.
Most magic apprentices were accustomed to wearing their badges on their chests. The President was at five-level, Gegil was at six-level, and Mosharili, as a freshman, was at three-level. But Angel rarely wore his badge—he found it annoying.
Eyeing the aggressive Gegil, the President tilted his face slightly and whispered, "Are you sure? How confident are you?"
"Very confident. I don’t think he stands a chance against me."
"I heard he researches those mysterious magics."
"I study them too. My mentor, Amos Mage, particularly loves mysterious magic."
"Alright, got it."
"But there’s a tiny issue."
"Speak."
Lowering his voice, Angel whispered in the President’s ear, "Subsidy..."
After speaking, he leaned back slightly and stared blankly at the President.
Hearing the word "subsidy," the President paused for a moment and looked Angel over again. However, he had no choice but to grit his teeth in the current situation and say, "I’ll arrange for it—two hundred okay? That’s all I can do. This issue won’t make it onto the report; I’ll have to scrape it from somewhere else to give you. To put it bluntly, it’s coming from me personally."