Chapter 49. NET {8}:- Second Phase Of The Tournament.

Chapter 49. NET {8}:- Second Phase Of The Tournament.

Seeing that Orion remained standing at the entrance instead of coming closer, the tournament official spoke with a deep and commanding voice.

"Come closer, Prince Galdur; I'm tournament official, Ganesha. Please, come forward."

Orion swallowed a huge gulp of saliva.

He could see that Ganesha was trying to act like a scary official, so Orion decided to play along by acting like an intimidated ten-year-old elf while walking slowly toward Ganesha.

Just like the male tournament official Orion spoke to after he defeated the Blaze rats, Ganesha was also a tournament official.

So far, since the tournament started, Orion could see that the officials were not limited to the elders alone.

There were also some younger elves who were officials, like Ganesha and Hilda.

Meanwhile, as Orion drew closer to Ganesha, he could see that the room began to darken.

The darkness deepened around him and Ganesha's eyes seemed to bore into Orion's soul, causing Orion to feel a shiver down his spine.

At least, that was what Orion wanted Ganesha to see.

In actuality, Orion wasn't bothered or scared by the little magic trick Ganesha was performing.

He just had to act this way to see how things would play out in the end.

Seeing that Orion was now close to him, Ganesha asked his first question, his voice remaining firm. "Tell me, Prince Galdur, what starts with a letter 't' is filled with tea, and ends with a 't'?"

After hearing the question, Orion's mind raced to answer, but before he could respond, Ganesha added. "You have thirty seconds to reply, Prince. And to make it more... interesting;" an evil smile appeared on Ganesha's face when he said this, "I shall cast a spell to focus your thoughts."

With a swift gesture, Ganesha cast the spell, and Orion was suddenly assaulted by the loud, clanging sounds of bells and the relentless ticking of a clock. The cacophony filled his ears, making it difficult for him to think straight.

"You have fifteen seconds left, Prince Galdur. And you haven't answered the question. What starts with the letter "t", is filled with tea, and ends with a "t"?"

Orion's heart raced as he struggled to think of an answer. The sounds grew louder and more intense with every passing second, but Orion was determined not to give up.

He swiftly calmed his mind to replay Ganesha's question again before looking into Ganesha's eyes.

"You have five seconds left, Your Highness," Ganesha's evil smirk widened even more. "What starts with the letter "t", is filled with tea, and ends with a "t"?" He repeated the question for the last time but to his surprise, Orion replied.

"A teapot."

Hearing this, Ganesha's lips widened into a smile.

"Yes, I am." Orion nodded his head as he made himself ready to answer any question Ganesha had for him.

"Good. Now, we will start with history. Before the war ended two decades ago, our kingdom had a lot of weaknesses. What was the greatest weakness Queen Evelyn Elfrida discovered about us and how did she help us to overcome this weakness?"

Orion took a deep breath before opening his mouth to speak. "The Queen discovered that our weakness was not our physical vulnerability to dark magic or our historical conflict with other kingdoms. Instead, we tended to isolate ourselves from the world, to hide behind our forest and our magic.

The Queen made our people realize that our strength lay not only in our ancient tradition but also in our ability to adapt, forge alliances, and learn from others. She also revealed the fact that our isolation could lead to the kingdom's stagnation and decline, making us vulnerable to the very threat we sought to avoid.

To overcome our weakness, the Queen allied with the orc tribe and we've learned a lot from them, which aided us in the war against other kingdoms who tried to subdue us."

Ganesha's eyes widened in surprise when he heard everything Orion had to say.

He had expected Orion to give a simple and brief answer of what occurred during a period of the kingdom's history.

It had been over two decades, so it wouldn't be surprising to see that the current young generation knew little to nothing about this particular history of the kingdom, but to Ganesha's surprise, Orion had shown his deep understanding of his kingdom's history and the huge role his beloved mother played in it as well.

"Well said, Your Highness, but are you familiar with this elven proverb? 'The roots of a tree are not seen, but they hold great power'."

"Yes."

"Good. Could you tell me what this proverb means?"

"It reminds us that true power and strength often lies beneath the surface, unseen by the naked eye."

"As a future king of the kingdom, what hidden strengths do you believe will shape the future of our kingdom?" Ganesha asked.

"I believe the resilience of our people and the wisdom of our elders are the hidden strengths that will help shape the kingdom's future."

Ganesha liked the confidence Orion showed while answering all of his questions and his impression of the prince had increased beyond his wildest imagination.

"Splendid, Your Highness. You have three more questions. I need you to interpret this saying. 'The moonlight is brightest in the darkest night'. What does it mean to you?"

"It means that even in the most challenging times, our people's resilience and hope will shine brightest."

"What does it mean to you to be an elf, and how will you preserve our unique heritage in a changing world?"

"Being an elf means embracing our connection to nature and honoring our history. I will preserve our heritage by adapting our customs to thrive in a changing world, ensuring our unique spirit endures."

"Your final question, what message of hope would you offer to those among our elven people who feel overshadowed by their peers, struggling to find their place and doubting their own worth?"

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A/N:- Thank you so much for the golden tickets, gifts and power stones. You guys are the best.