At 11:00 a. m. sharp, a huge temporary platform was set up in the central square of the Great Labyrinth City, and three huge posters were hung up.
Huge portraits of Rein Hansen, Suolaer Aoermo, and Luke Aoziben appeared before the public, with their major contributions and achievements listed at the bottom of the poster.
Rein's features are rather soft, and his cybernetic modifications have absolutely nothing to do with combat. He's like the kind of aloof NPC that only appears in university laboratories.
Suolaer's appearance is rather flamboyant, even somewhat aggressive, but his temperament is deep and reserved. Both radicalism and composure coexist in him and are perfectly blended.
As for Luke, the murderous aura of a battle-hardened soldier emanating from him was so intense that it could not be concealed. Although the portrait on the poster showed him wearing only a casual uniform, it was clear at a glance that he must have taken many lives.
A platform was erected, posters were ready, and an old man with black and white hair appeared on the platform.
As the mechanical structure operated, a microphone connected to a speaker extended from below the platform and stopped in front of him.
Facing hundreds of thousands of spectators, a simple megaphone structure was no longer suitable.
Although electricity has not been widely adopted in the World of Disorder, the Graycast Corridor has its own clever solutions for it.
The skilled craftsman achieved a similar amplification effect using Psionic Energy Circuit. After a few simple adjustments, the old man on the platform was able to project his voice to everyone nearby.
"Good afternoon, citizens of the Graycast Corridor. I am Felix, the Grand Artisan. Today, I will preside over the final election ceremony for the Grand Foundry Master. With you all as witnesses, a new Grand Foundry Master will be born in the Graycast Corridor."
"Here, as the Grand Artisan of the Graycast Corridor, I assure you that today's election is absolutely free of any fraud. Every step is fair, just, and transparent. I hope everyone will make a choice that aligns with their conscience."
"With less than an hour until the official start, please allow me to reiterate the rules of this election:"
"First, regarding the weighting of votes—the votes in this election will be divided into three different weightings based on the voter's contribution to the Great Labyrinth City. The professions belonging to the first weighting are..."
The square was quiet, with most people listening to the Grand Artisan named Felix repeat the rules for the last time.
However, a few people who knew the inside story would occasionally cast their gaze toward a small, secluded area at the edge of the square.
That's exactly where the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess is located.
The guards responsible for maintaining order during the election campaign had pre-arranged that area separately, which was the best they could do.
Felix's explanation lasted about five minutes, but there wasn't much to say. He simply covered all the potential problems that might arise because this was the first change of leadership among the Grand Foundry Master.
After explaining these points, Felix gestured to the crowd in the square that they were free to ask questions.
With so many spectators, only a very few could have this lucky opportunity. The Grand Artisan on the platform looked left and right, and finally chose a middle-aged man with a kind-looking face.
Please ask your question, and I will try my best to answer it according to the rules.
The middle-aged man was clearly surprised that he had actually been chosen, but he quickly adjusted to the intense gazes around him.
He then asked the question that countless people present were actually concerned about—
"Does a fourth candidate actually exist?"
The entire central square fell silent. Grand Artisan Felix smiled almost imperceptibly, gestured for the questioner to sit down, and then formally addressed the crowd:
"As this citizen said, there is actually a fourth candidate."
No matter how hard the players try to promote it, they will never be able to make Gray's news known to everyone.
After two days, two nights, and one morning of information dissemination, although most people already knew about this matter or had heard of it, there were still some who had never heard of it at all.
The entire square erupted in an uproar. Felix pressed his hand down and then explained:
The fourth candidate Gray Griss; some people who follow the news may have heard of him.
There was a buzz of discussion in the audience, but Felix was prepared.
He then pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it generously, and began to explain in detail:
" Gray Gries belongs to the merchant profession and has a medium- to long-distance trade route inherited from his master; he is indeed qualified to participate in this election."
About a year ago, during a trade mission, Gray Gris discovered the emerging power, the Second Holy See, located on the other side of the Wilderness of Chaos. He successfully facilitated the initial establishment of friendly relations between Graycast Corridor and the Second Church. For this achievement, he passed the first round of selection.
"More than half a year ago, Gray Griss went to the Second Holy See for the second time, establishing a defensive alliance with the Second Holy See on behalf of the Graycast Corridor, and returned with a delegation from the Second Holy See and a new technology that could effectively delay the onset of autophagy. Based on these two achievements, he passed the second round of selection."
"However, this mission did not go smoothly. At the time, the Blood Corpse in the Wilderness of Chaos were reviving. Because he failed to return on time, Gray Gris was presumed dead according to regulations. However, he was actually rescued by the Second Holy See and returned successfully a few months later, thus restoring his household registration."
At this point, some people in the square couldn't help but gasp in surprise. After all, in their minds, the only possible outcome of failing to return on time was death.
Anyone who manages to escape death like this once would have something to brag about for a lifetime.
Once the murmurs subsided somewhat, Felix continued:
"Several months ago, Gray Gris went to the Second Holy See for the third time. This time, his mission was to find a trade route that would directly connect the Graycast Corridor with the Second Holy See and to recalculate the round-trip time. However, he failed to return on time, so according to regulations, Gray Gris was once again declared dead."
Upon hearing this, almost everyone realized what kind of miracle Descent Gray.
Since Felix has explicitly acknowledged the existence of a fourth candidate, it means that the same miracle has happened twice—that lucky merchant named Gray has survived again!
Felix, now smiling, nodded slightly to the crowd and said:
"As you all guessed, we have confirmed that Gray Gris has survived a near-death experience and has achieved enough to pass the third round of selection."
Most importantly, he's on his way to the Great Labyrinth City.
"According to the laws of the Graycast Corridor, since Gray Griss is still alive, he is naturally qualified to run for the position of Grand Foundry Master."
"However, the rules set by the Grand Foundry Master will not change for him alone. Therefore, if he can arrive here before noon and walk onto the platform with the other three candidates, his qualification will be officially recognized. If he fails to arrive by the deadline... the Grand Foundry Master will be chosen from among the other three."
At this point, Felix pulled out a timer with a gold casing from his pocket, turned it on, looked at it, and smiled at everyone, saying:
There are at most five minutes until noon, let's...
Give the lucky ones a little patience.