Chapter 809

The grand auditorium of the Ves Institute was packed with scholars from all over. Every seat was occupied, and quite a few people could only stand in the aisles and along the second-floor galleries.

"Esteemed scholars, seekers of wisdom, welcome to the Ves Institute! Today, we gather here not for power, nor for wealth, but for the purest and noblest pursuit—the light of truth!"

On the platform, a young man spread his arms wide. His dark blue formal attire gleamed beneath the candlelight, his ears twitching lightly as he spoke with passion, and his eyes shining with boundless enthusiasm.

"Each of you here will use the torch of wisdom to illuminate the boundaries of human knowledge! Let us set aside regional prejudice and discard the divisions between schools, because here, before the truth, we share a single identity—explorers! May this grand gathering become a witness to the light of human reason!"

Thunderous applause immediately erupted beneath the platform.

The man smiled and gently pressed one hand downward. Once everyone had quieted, he continued his speech.

In a corner of the second-floor gallery, Coleridge leaned against a stone pillar. The view from here was excellent, making it convenient for her to search for her target.

At that moment, a mocking sneer played at the witch's lips.

From the young man's introduction, she had learned his identity—the lord of Arda, Paul Greiman.

But to her, this impassioned speech was nothing more than the clamor of ants. These mortals actually dared to speak so grandly about "truth"? Her icy-blue pupils narrowed slightly as she watched the scholars stirred by his speech, while several ice crystals unconsciously formed at her fingertips inside her sleeve.

How pathetic! she sneered inwardly. *A bunch of blind men who can't even sense the power of the elements, yet