Soon, the discussion shifted towards something else entirely. It was still centered around the gala, but this time, William and Vaelric were talking about the women they had picked up and the fun night they had enjoyed.

The conversation shifted towards Ryaen as they were curious about the dark-skinned guy with dreadlocks and whether there had been any developments, but Ryaen simply said it was none of their business and said nothing more. If she wanted to have discussions like these, she would simply go meet the girls; Vaelra and Darissa.

A few hours passed in the blink of an eye as they did nothing but discuss other small things. Although they were tempted to leave and explore before the grand competition tomorrow, they decided to continue waiting for FatelessPen. It wasn’t like they could just summon the guy anytime they wanted. For all they knew, he could be giving the news to other students, and it simply wasn’t their turn yet.

As they were having these thoughts, the doorbell chimed.

"I will get it," Ryaen spoke as she rose, heading towards the door. Upon opening it, FatelessPen walked in with a smile on his face.

"It seems you guys have been waiting anxiously for me," he mused as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Not really," Asher replied with a small smile.

FatelessPen’s eyes turned towards Asher as he spoke. "Nice entertainment yesterday," he said, giving him a thumbs-up and openly approving of Asher’s brutality.

Asher shook his head, choosing not to say anything and allowing FatelessPen to say what he had come to say. Seeing Asher not reply, FatelessPen shook his head as he began to speak.

"Okay, information time," his tone was flat, but at those words, expressions changed. "There is nothing major at the moment. After all, the rules of the Inter-Empire Competition will be given to you before it begins, so don’t expect that from me." He paused for a moment before continuing, "But, a tri-articulated bus will be sent to this hotel by 7 a.m. sharp tomorrow morning, meaning that by 7 a.m., you are supposed to be downstairs and waiting. The bus is going to take every student of the Star Academy to the competition location. If you are late, you will be left behind, and you can’t come later on your own." He paused for a moment as though allowing Asher and the rest to understand what he was saying.

"Everyone who is watching live is expected to be there before your arrival, so expect the place to be packed to the utmost brim, and expect everyone to be there. This is your chance to carve your names into everyone’s minds," he continued. "Don’t expect only Nobles to be there, expect commoners too, and expect both Nobles and commoners to scream. Expect them to chant, expect them to boo at you, and also expect them to throw eggs or tomatoes. Or, if they are lenient and kind, they will merely throw curses at you if they lose their money, so prepare your mindsets. You will feel the pressure in your bones," he advised in a calm tone. After all, this wasn’t the first Inter-Empire Competition he was attending.

Ryaen, Asher, Finch, William, and Vaelric listened with rapt attention.

Asher had a bit of knowledge regarding what FatelessPen was talking about. He had been a football (soccer) fan back on Earth, and as a rich guy, he had obviously watched a few matches live. The most packed stadiums held only around one hundred thousand to one hundred and fifty thousand people, yet players still felt the pressure in the air, and even spectators like him felt it. And this number was nothing compared to two million people; the difference was insane.

But the funniest part was the fact that people were allowed to throw tomatoes and eggs at the students. Although it might sound stupid for this to be approved, Asher understood that if a student couldn’t dodge or block an egg or tomato being thrown at them, then they weren’t supposed to participate in the first place.

Seeing that they were listening, FatelessPen continued, "Although I don’t need to say this again at this stage, I advise you to be in your peak condition. Whatever women or men you are hooking up with should have ended at the gala yesterday. Even alcohol, not even a sip." He paused for a moment before adding again, "Then come in clothes that will allow you to fight. You might not be given time to change or anything like that and could be thrown straight into chaos," he stated in finality.

He stared at them for a moment, then sighed. Although he would love to place a bet, there was simply no fun in it. FatelessPen wondered how the betting organizations would react if he bet ten billion platinum coins on Asher. Would they even be able to pay out such a ridiculous sum? Would they even accept his bet in the first place?

"Any questions?" he asked as he ended his thoughts.

Asher thought for a moment before he spoke. "I’ve always been curious about how this live broadcast works. Will cameras from the Thalvorn Empire follow us around, or are there nano-cameras scattered throughout the battlefield and such?" His question was genuine.

FatelessPen thought for a moment, then spoke. "Personally, I’m not sure myself, as I can’t be bothered to check out the mechanism. But I know that every Empire sold some type of orb to every family or individual. These orbs are automatically connected to whatever is feeding the live actions and footage. It could be cameras, as you said, or it could be an ability. As I said, I don’t really know, nor am I bothered enough to find out," he explained.

"But these orbs are activated by sending one’s Astra energy into them. They record it like an Astra energy imprint, like your fingerprints, just like how your Star Academy room door functions. Once the Inter-Empire Competition begins, people will see a type of heads-up display, similar to the ones you see at the Logistics and Missions Operations Hall. Through it, they can watch and hear whatever you do and say from wherever they are."

Asher and everyone else thought for a moment. The explanation seemed to make sense and was detailed despite FatelessPen claiming he had no knowledge of how it worked.

"Wait, what about the unawakened who have no Astra energy?" William immediately asked as it occurred to him.

"Every Empire sells a specific type of ring that accompanies the orbs. You just need to request however many you need when purchasing the orb. Through the ring, the heads-up display, video, and sound can be projected," FatelessPen answered smoothly.

"I see," William answered.

Although none of them said it aloud, they believed it was some form of technology and ability combined that allowed for such worldwide streaming without any live-feed delay, glitches, or other issues.

"Anything else?" FatelessPen asked as he prepared to leave. There was no need for him to remain here.

Everyone shook their heads in reply as they had nothing else to ask.

"See you tomorrow then," FatelessPen spoke before turning and walking away without a shred of hesitation. He phased through the door and vanished.

Silence sliced through the room for a moment as everyone sat with their thoughts focused on tomorrow.