Chapter 212: Chapter 211: Jiang Chen, One Vote

By the time Jiang Chen returned to the Alchemy Master Guild, it was already the next morning.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Jiang Chen strolled leisurely toward the Assembly Hall, not bothering to go to the Steward Hall.

The Alchemy Master Guild was incredibly lenient with its Alchemists, never restricting them.

That was the best part about it.

If there was work, you did it. If not, you went home to sleep.

Basically, all the Alchemists were busy with their own affairs—researching Alchemy Skills, Cultivation... The amount of time spent on official business was pitifully small.

An entire year’s worth of duties could be saved up and finished in a single day.

Thus, it was not uncommon for some Alchemists to spend years traveling abroad.

When he got back to the Assembly Hall, he found he was the only one there. He sat and waited for a long time as the Stewards and Elders trickled in sluggishly, one by one, dawdling as they came.

And these were the Alchemists who had actually remained at the Alchemy Master Guild.

Shen Mi and Qiu Baxiong arrived last, making a point to show off their status.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Morning!"

Shen Mi and Qiu Baxiong greeted the crowd.

They had done their homework last night, and from the looks of it, they believed today’s vote was a foregone conclusion.

Brimming with confidence, they walked with their backs straight and chests puffed out.

Qiu Baxiong even paused for a moment in front of Jiang Chen, hesitated, but ultimately returned to his seat without a word of greeting.

Everyone had more or less arrived.

Those who weren’t present were Alchemists out traveling, so their votes were effectively void.

CLAP! CLAP!

As the eldest, Shen Mi clapped his hands.

He announced loudly, "Everyone, today we elect the new President."

"Everyone who needed to be here has arrived."

"So then, let’s just get straight to the voting."

Qiu Baxiong was the first to agree.

"I agree!"

It seemed no one had any objections.

With Chairman Qin dead, there were only three people running in the election anyway.

Jiang Chen, Shen Mi, and Qiu Baxiong.

Everyone else could only vote.

But this was also their only power.

Especially at a time like this, wielding that power wisely was a crucial lesson.

Who they voted for would affect their future prospects and changes in their status.

It was possible that if a Steward cast the wrong vote, they could be demoted to a regular member.

In past presidential elections, if you ended up with a black-hearted, petty President, that sort of thing was all too common.

Everyone was carefully contemplating their vote for the day.

Jiang Chen finally nodded as well. "Fine, let’s vote."

The presidential election used a secret ballot.

Each person would write a single name on a slip of paper.

Shen Mi spoke again, virtually running the whole show.

Though he wasn’t President yet, he was already acting like one.

As the most senior member, he was considered the most likely candidate to become President, even more so than Qiu Baxiong.

"The vote will be a secret ballot, as always. This is to prevent any ill-intentioned, losing candidates from seeking revenge afterward."

As he spoke, he glanced over at Jiang Chen.

The implication was clear: he was saying Jiang Chen was the type to retaliate after a loss.

Jiang Chen scoffed at the insinuation.

He didn’t deign to reply.

But Shen Mi continued, "The candidates for this election are myself, Shen Mi; Vice President Qiu Baxiong; and Steward Jiang Chen."

"There are three candidates in total. Each person may only vote for one."

Immediately, someone wrote the three candidates’ names in black letters on a brightly polished crystal pane in the hall.

"Let the voting begin. The results will be tallied on the crystal pane."

With Shen Mi’s announcement, the voting officially began.

Everyone took their slip of paper and began to write a name.

Some, however, hesitated as they wrote, seemingly unable to make a decision.

Jiang Chen himself simply folded his arms and leaned back comfortably in his chair. As a candidate, he didn’t need to vote.

All he could do was wait for the results.

Shen Mi and Qiu Baxiong, however, let their eyes dart around, watching the others’ hands.

But everyone was cunning and made sure not to let anyone see what they wrote.

Silently, they wrote down the name of their chosen President.

Meanwhile, a guard holding a box stood to the side, waiting to collect the slips of paper.

"Is everyone finished writing?"

"Good. Seeing as you’re all done, we will now collect the ballots."

The guard carried the box past each Steward and Elder.

The Elders and Stewards then dropped their folded slips into the box.

Everything went extremely smoothly.

Shen Mi and Qiu Baxiong looked at each other and smiled.

They both knew that their efforts in pulling strings last night would secure one of them the presidency.

The guard carrying the box walked over to the crystal pane.

The guard who had previously written the candidates’ names began to pull out the slips one by one.

He took the first slip and read it without hesitation.

"Jiang Chen, one vote."

What?

The very first slip he grabbed was for Jiang Chen.

Shen Mi and Qiu Baxiong were momentarily stunned.

They thought they must have misheard.

Qiu Baxiong shouted, "Hey, read that again."

The guard looked at the slip again, confused. After confirming what was written, he repeated, "Jiang Chen, one vote."

It was Jiang Chen again. That’s right, he hadn’t misread it.

Qiu Baxiong nearly leaped to his feet.

There was no doubt about it. It was Jiang Chen.

He looked at Shen Mi, whose eyes were wide with shock. This was not the result they wanted at all.

But surely the guard wouldn’t misread it.

Shen Mi waved a hand. "Continue."

The guard made a tally mark next to Jiang Chen’s name, indicating one vote.

Then, he drew a second slip.

"Jiang Chen, one vote." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

He read it out, and it was Jiang Chen again.

Shen Mi and Qiu Baxiong shot to their feet, unable to sit still any longer.

"Are you sure you’re not misreading it?" one of them demanded angrily.

The guard was utterly baffled. He was reading the characters on the slip verbatim. He was a literate man; a few simple names were hardly a challenge for him.

"There’s no mistake. If you don’t believe me, Vice President Shen, take a look for yourself."

Frustrated, he showed the slip to Shen Mi and Qiu Baxiong before adding another tally mark next to Jiang Chen’s name.

Shen Mi’s and Qiu Baxiong’s faces turned ashen.

Something wasn’t right.

They had worked all night, yet the scales of fortune were still tipping in Jiang Chen’s favor.

Suddenly, they were as frantic as ants on a hot pan.

Just then, Jiang Chen suddenly spoke up, his voice light. "Don’t panic. Sit down."

"It’s just a vote. All that matters is the result, so why the rush?"

He was puzzled. A vote was about the outcome, not the process. He couldn’t understand why these two old men were in such a state when even he wasn’t concerned.

"Jiang Chen, one vote!"

The guard’s voice rang out again.

That was the third one, and it was still Jiang Chen.

Three consecutive votes for Jiang Chen, with not a single one for Shen Mi or Qiu Baxiong. Things were starting to get strange.

"Jiang Chen, one vote."

Following that, the guard read out a continuous stream of "Jiang Chen," leaving Shen Mi and Qiu Baxiong trembling with rage, their faces pale.

In the blink of an eye, over thirty percent of the votes had been counted, and every single one was for Jiang Chen. That’s right, all of them. It was just that bizarre.