Earth's Greatest Magus

Lucius's bold proclamation sent shockwaves through the room, eliciting a swift and vehement response from Grand Magus Sirin and Toleno, who had previously been engaged in heated arguments but now found themselves united against Lucius's audacious proposal. With Lucius's plan, he would effectively monopolize the top talents for his own hall, leaving the others with the less desirable acolytes to divide with.

"Lucius, you are new, but how dare you suggest such things!" Grand Magus Sirin's voice carried a note of indignation, her usually composed demeanor giving way to palpable anger.

"Don't be too arrogant just because the Zodiac king favors you," Toleno chimed in, his tone sharp with disapproval.

However, their impassioned responses seemed to only fuel Lucius's amusement. With a self-assured grin, he seemed unfazed by the backlash his proposal had incited, basking in the attention it garnered.

Grand Magus Sirin turned to the overseer, Grand Magus Sinure, seeking his intervention and support in quelling Lucius's brazen suggestion. To their surprise, the elder remained composed and unruffled, his calm demeanor serving as a stark contrast to the mounting tension in the room.

"Let us hear what Lucius has to say first," he said, his voice steady and authoritative. He turned to Lucius, addressing him directly. "This process that I made was not set in stone. If you have a better suggestion, I am sure we are willing to listen."

"Thank you," Lucius responded with a smile.

To the surprise of Emery and everyone else present, Lucius began to articulate his argument with a logical and reasoned approach.

He first expressed his frustration with the small quota limitation imposed by the alliance, emphasizing the irony that despite the entrance of over a hundred half-bloods into this year's academy, only 66 had shown interest in the half-blood halls. He pointed out that the remaining students had lost faith in the half-blood community and had turned towards other human factions for their future prospects.

With this premise established, Lucius argued that attempting to maintain fairness by restricting opportunities solely to the hall or instructor that the acolytes had initially chosen and came for would ultimately lead to more disappointment among them. He asserted that this approach would only serve to drive them towards the human halls.

To support his argument, Lucius presented evidence showing that half of the 66 half-blood acolytes had submitted applications for his top hall. Many of the 14 top candidates, including Rurik the Pyro Bison, acolytes from the bird and dragon bloodlines, and even the mythical monkey bloodline acolyte Yuebei, whom Instructor Harambe had taken an interest in, had applied to Lucius's top hall. This revelation left the seasoned veterans sighing in resignation, recognizing the weight of Lucius's arguments.

Lucius continued to make his case, challenging the notion that acolytes would not willingly accept lower-ranked halls if not chosen for the top ones.

"If I don't accept these talented individuals into my top hall, how can we be certain that they will accept your halls and not seek refuge in the human halls instead?"

He then turned his attention to Emery, his gaze sincere and compelling. "Our new instructor here is my good little brother, and I genuinely wish to assist him in recruiting talented acolytes to elevate his hall's status. But if we force these acolytes into his rank 120 halls, how many of them would willingly agree? And even if they did, it pains me to imagine our promising young talents being relegated to such a pitiful, low-tier facility."

Emery couldn't help but feel a sense of disgust at Lucius's words, finding them manipulative and self-serving. However, he maintained his composure, recognizing the political dynamics at play and the responses among the other instructors and the overseer.

Lucius's persuasive abilities were evident as he navigated the delicate dynamics of the meeting. He cleverly appealed to common concerns and threats to garner support for his agenda.

"I certainly wouldn't take all the best talent to myself, I am not unreasonable," he reassured the room.

He made it clear that he wouldn't interfere with acolytes who expressed attraction in a specific instructor. For instance, Elara Greenheart would remain with Grand Magus Sirin as the rank 6 bat bloodline, which has close relations with Tolano. He even offered to assist in persuading Yuebei, the monkey youth, to join Instructor Harambe's hall, believing it to be the best choice for the young acolyte's future. However, he cautioned against instructors like Harambe and Emery coveting too many acolytes, urging them to leave room for higher-ranked halls that offer direct benefits to these acolytes.

This arrangement seemed to benefit both Sirin and Toleno with larger shares of the talent pool, while Emery and Harambe would receive comparatively smaller allocations, if any at all.

Despite Lucius's seemingly genuine sentiments, convincing the grand magus was no easy feat. Each of them harbored their own reservations and concerns about the proposed allocation of talents.

Before they could voice their objections, however, their attention was drawn to Minister Kiyama, who had remained quiet until now. To their astonishment, he expressed his agreement with Lucius's proposals. This unexpected endorsement, coupled with the noticeable silence of Grand Magus Sinure, known for his wisdom and discernment, raised suspicions among the gathered instructors.

It hinted at a deeper level of coordination and influence within the higher echelons of authority, subtly shaping the opinions and decisions of the three instructors'.

"So what do you all think? can we agree on this?" Lucius inquired, breaking the tense silence that hung in the room like a heavy shroud.

Instructor Harambe seemed content with him already getting his chosen candidate, nodding in agreement with Lucius's plan. The other two grand magus remained unconvinced. Sensing their hesitation, Lucius made additional offers to sway their opinions.

He proposed adding one of them each of the twin dragon with Lucius assuring them that they would adhere to their agreements.

Emery's frustration simmered beneath the surface as he observed his fellow instructors acquiescing to Lucius's agenda. Sensing an opportunity to assert himself, Emery guided his gaze squarely at Lucius, determined not to be overlooked in the allocation of talents.

"My good brother, What about me?" Emery questioned, "You wouldn't leave me with none, would you?"

"Of course not," he retorted. "Which ones attraction you?"

Emery had initially intended to secure all eight of the wolf bloodlines, including the rank 6 wolves, for his hall. However, his thoughts were consumed by the mysterious girl, Shura Ouroboros, and he created a spontaneous decision.

"Nine of them," Emery proclaimed firmly, "That's what I want."

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