Annan kept his composure under the gaze of the assembled academies, convinced he was being unfairly smeared.
The head of the Ceremonial Affairs Department had judged him unfairly. Annan agreed that money was meant to be spent, while Illymoyas only ever pinned her treasure beneath her wings.
But Isabel's uncle had moved on. "You survived a day in the Lower Hive. What do you think of its existence?"
Are you choosing a Champion or a minister? Annan wondered.
But if the Ceremonial Affairs Department was asking, did that mean the Imperial Capital intended to deal with the Lower Hive?
They answered in order. The captain of Montreal Royal Magic Academy spoke first. "The Lower Hive is a den of filth and vice, right on the Imperial Capital's doorstep. We should take control of it, and the Royal Magic Academy will be the staff that cleanses it!"
Montreal Royal Magic Academy had missed the point, but the Minister gave nothing away. The academies that followed answered how they would deal with the Lower Hive instead.
Their answers reflected their respective strengths. Pudding Castle Abbey proposed spreading the faith, Freya Holy Academy suggested relocating the people of the Lower Hive, and Habair Knights Academy finally refrained from calling for a bloody purge. It came close, though—the armored girl said every Lower Hive resident guilty of a crime should be hanged.
When it was Solz Magic Academy's turn, Annan wisely kept his mouth shut and let the nine academies before him finish. His answer was less lofty than theirs. "Some Underhive Dwellers have committed terrible crimes, but others have never done anything wrong... The Imperial Capital should take control of the Lower Hive. Punish the guilty, and send the good people to my territory."
"That's your solution? The rest of us are ready