First University, Jiuyou Academy.
Office Building, Room 101.
The spacious, dark room was utterly silent, making this already somber place feel even more oppressive. In the void all around, scattered points of light flickered faintly, throwing the conference table at the center of the room into sharper relief and making it seem ever more distant and insignificant.
The Dragon-shaped chandelier coiled above the oval conference table. Dozens of little sprites, carrying rags and brushes, silently darted between its intricate scales, polishing its body until it gleamed.
Beneath the chandelier, there were not dozens of high-backed chairs as usual, but only six scattered chairs.
One at each end, and two on either side.
First University's two Vice Principals sat at opposite ends of the table, while the deans of the four academies sat along the sides. None had come in person; they were all present as projections.
"Is this really a good idea? He's still just a child." Professor Emma had shed her usual aggressive air, and there was more than a trace of concern in her voice.
Her figure was slightly distorted beneath the Dragon-shaped chandelier's glow, making her appear somewhat slimmer.
"There's no such thing as good or bad... Misfortune is where fortune rests; fortune is where misfortune lurks." Though Old Yao was merely a projection, he still habitually clenched a pipe between his teeth. Invisible smoke curled upward with the projection's swaying, as though the light itself were rippling.
A broad newspaper lay open before him, obscuring most of his face and making his expression impossible to see clearly. Though projections were difficult to read in the first place.
On the newspaper, a huge bold headline stood out sharply: "Who Is 'the World'? Whose World? Who Will Save the World!" Even viewed from the back, one could seemingly