"How did they suddenly change their minds when everything was going so well?"
Lie Yi, Blaise, Morella, and the others reacted far more strongly than Roland himself.
They had all planned to celebrate properly once the results were announced.
None of them had expected someone to throw a wrench in the works halfway through.
"How can something like the Arcane Star Award ever be guaranteed?" Roland said helplessly. "Don't go making things up."
"Don't think we don't know how that committee operates... forget it. There's no point talking about that now. Let's discuss what we should do next.
"I heard the Elements School started stirring things up. Several Grand Mages and alternate committee members voted for Professor Xiagengsi, bringing quite a few others along with them."
"Professor Xiagengsi... I've heard of him...
"The Ingenious Automaton he created really did achieve a breakthrough in artificial intelligence. It's a top-tier achievement that qualifies for the Arcane Star Award.
"Although the Arcane Star Award doesn't distinguish between basic and applied disciplines, generally speaking, when two achievements are on the same level, it still favors applied disciplines."
"There's nothing we can do about that. Those things are tangible, after all. Their value is clear right away, whereas runes lie at the foundational level. Their usefulness still has to be demonstrated through practical applications."
"I don't think that's fair. Basic disciplines are the true foundation, with an impact lasting hundreds or thousands of years. Applied disciplines merely build upon them."
"What can you do about it? When choosing the best actor, you can't give the award to the stage, can you?"
"If only we could hurry up and produce an award-worthy practical application ourselves."
"You still wouldn't be the one getting it. Grand Mage Watson's Wish would be a more likely candidate."
As the discussion