Ronan had not expected the atmosphere in the venue to be this sensitive, turning him into the center of attention the moment he arrived. Then again, that was only natural. After all, he had been the focal point and core of every problem in the Inner World lately.
He was rather dissatisfied with that state of affairs.
Fortunately, some habits from hosting the auction not long ago still lingered. He raised a hand as well and greeted everyone in a seemingly familiar tone:
"Sorry, something came up and made me late..."
At that moment, the official host, Abner, demonstrated his usefulness. Smiling, he chose a not entirely neutral form of address. "Everyone knows why Professor Ronan arrived late. It truly was beyond his control..."
"Who says so? Didn't he get through it just fine?" someone said in a sarcastic tone. It seemed aimed at Abner, yet also slightly provocative toward Ronan. In short, it was the sort of remark that irritated both sides.
"Shausedo. He's always been a snide bastard," Blood Demon promptly reminded him from beside him. "He carries the title of Deputy Secretary-General of the Association, but he's actually closer to the capital side."
"I know. Always talking out of both sides of his mouth." Ronan also knew that this fashion-world figure had never gotten along with the Martial Emperor. Last time at the Appraisal Meeting, he had not played a very helpful role either.
Ronan was focused only on identifying people and did not care about anything else. Abner, meanwhile, acted as though he had heard nothing and signaled for the Secretary-General behind him to step forward.
"Roman?"
Romanus neither spoke nor showed any particular expression. He merely sent Ronan the draft meeting minutes prepared earlier through the conference system.
Ronan looked up at this Extraordinary Species