"Ahem... I'm the emperor. First, congratulations. I'll have the Ceremonial Affairs Department bring you some gifts later. But with 160 academies... having you compete one academy at a time would take too long, wouldn't it?"
"It would," Annan murmured.
The Vice Dean and the others listened intently to the voice coming from the Parchment. Only a Ceremonial Affairs Department official glanced at Annan when he spoke.
"Hmm... I need a good idea. A decent idea. One that saves time. What could it be..."
"Why does he ramble so much?" It was like having three Bards telling stories in Annan's ear.
"Sorry... I'm not very good with this thing." The emperor sounded as though he were answering Annan. "Have you heard of the Lower Hive? I plan to hold it there. None of you know the place, so that's fair... except Montreal Royal Magic Academy. You can take it up with them."
"Anyway, they've placed some Golden Invitation Letters in the Lower Hive. Your task is to find them. The ten academies that bring back the most will compete in the final Champion Tournament."
"The Ceremonial Affairs Department is ready to send you down. Oh, and any Undercity Dweller who gets a Golden Invitation Letter will receive Citizenship. So you aren't just competing against one another. You're competing against them, too."
The Parchment fell silent.
"Let's go."
A Ceremonial Affairs Department official tore open a Magic Scroll, revealing the department's solemn avenue beyond the Portal.
They crossed the Portal and left the Manor for the Imperial Capital.
One hundred and sixty Portals stood along the broad, cleared street, which grew noisy as the academy teachers and students arrived.
Boris had returned from gathering information the night before with the names of the four academies they needed to watch most closely: Agate