Chapter 164: Gavin Out

The noisy venue instantly fell silent. Everyone listened intently as President Thomas announced the rankings for this round, as these standings would determine the final four contestants who would advance to the finals.

"Due to time constraints, I will only announce the top ten scores. As for the rest, the Alchemists' Guild will post a complete list shortly for everyone to view. Now, for the tenth place in this round—from the Radiant Alliance, Nancy, with 11 votes!"

As this name was announced, a vast section of princes and nobles in the stands erupted into cheers. They were Princess Nancy's "fan club." Having come to support her participation in the Alchemy Convention, these individuals naturally rushed over to cheer her on.

At the same time, numerous envoys from the various kingdoms and principalities of the Radiant Alliance seated on the VIP platform, along with the Left Chancellor of the Europa Empire standing in the second row, waved their arms in celebration for her.

Down on the floor, Nancy, standing beside Antony, seemed somewhat dissatisfied with the result. However, when she saw Antony casting a supportive and affectionate gaze her way, her heart melted with sweetness. She then smiled, waving to the cheering crowd in the stands to acknowledge their support.

"Ninth place—from the Dark Alliance, Layton, with 13 votes!"

A sudden roar of cheers and applause broke out among the crowd of the Dark Alliance.

...

As each name was called, even if the spectators were not related or close friends with the alchemist in question, the grandstands still erupted in celebration. After all, the judges for this round had been chosen from among thirty individuals in their midst. While this was only a tiny fraction, the crowd remained deeply invested in the outcome. This was the true benefit of the interaction between the Alchemists' Guild and the audience.

Right now, the most conflicted people were undoubtedly the contestants on the floor who had yet to hear their names called. Not hearing one's name could mean two things: either their score was exceptionally high and placed near the top, or their ranking fell outside the top ten entirely and would not be called at all.

Naturally, everyone believes they are the best, so most of them still harbored the hope that their rankings were in the top ten, just not yet announced.

However, as name after name was read off, these individuals grew increasingly uneasy. They were not arrogant enough to believe their scores could surpass those of the disciples of the three guild presidents. The closer it got to the end, the slimmer their chances became.

When the sixth place was announced, the alchemist who heard his name jumped high into the air and cheered loudly. Until that moment, he had been convinced he had missed the top ten, so hearing his name called now made him nearly delirious with joy.

Although Rowling felt quite confident, it was impossible for him to be completely without anxiety in such a setting. Since his name had not been called yet, he genuinely worried that Thomas might just keep reading straight through to the end without ever mentioning him, which would be a tragedy.

Similarly, most of the other contestants whose names remained uncalled shared Rowling's exact state of mind.

"Fifth place—"

At this announcement from Thomas, the hearts of everyone in the stands and all the alchemists on the floor leaped into their throats. If the fifth-place contestant had not been called yet, it meant that the remaining formidable alchemists were most likely locked in the final four. Whoever was named now would surely be devastated. Being just one step away from the final four yet failing to enter—the reward for fifth place was identical to that of tenth. A difference of a single rank was as vast as a chasm!

"The Dark Alliance—"

With these four words from Thomas, the alchemists of the Dark Alliance instantly grew tense. How could this awkward fifth place fall upon them?

"Gavin, with 21 votes!"

When Thomas uttered this name, an uproar swept through the entire arena. There were very few present who did not know that Gavin was the direct disciple of Cassinio, President of the Dark Alliance Alchemists' Guild. He had failed to make the final four!

This was undoubtedly an explosive piece of news. Historically, three of the four spots in the potion alchemy division's final four had always been monopolized by the direct disciples of the three guild presidents. As a result, most other participants in the convention could only harbor hopes of fighting for the remaining single spot. Yet, in this convention, a guild president's direct disciple had been completely eliminated.

The members of the Dark Alliance found it utterly unbelievable. They almost thought they had misheard. Gavin was widely rumored to be the most talented alchemist of the Dark Alliance Alchemists' Guild in recent generations. Yet, he had stumbled in this round and failed to even enter the final four. This was truly difficult to accept!

On the VIP platform, Cassinio's face turned livid. He cast a cold glance at the magical parchment in Thomas's hand recording the scores of the third round, his lips twitching slightly before he finally managed to keep silent.

At this moment, Thomas turned slightly, glanced at his counterpart, and lowered his voice. "Cassinio, you surely don't have any objections to this result, do you?"

Beside him, President Helen's gaze also fell upon Cassinio.

After a moment of silence, Cassinio, President of the Dark Alliance Alchemists' Guild, exhaled a heavy breath, his expression cold as he said, "Rest assured. Since the rules of this game were jointly formulated by the three of us, and there was no cheating in any of the stages, I, Cassinio, can afford to lose. Besides, we discussed these rankings earlier. I have no objections!"

Hearing him say this, Helen finally allowed the heavy stone in her heart to drop. Just moments ago, she had genuinely worried that Cassinio might make an irrational decision and stir up trouble. Fortunately, he had made the correct choice.

"Gavin, are you alright? Even though you didn't make the final four this time, there's always the next Alchemy Convention!" down on the field, Layton, a fellow alchemist from the Radiant Alliance, comforted Gavin upon seeing his dejected state.

Gavin offered a bitter, self-deprecating smile, sighed, and remained silent. As for waiting another decade to participate in the next Alchemy Convention, he didn't know if he still had the courage to persevere. Through all these conventions, he must be the only direct disciple of a president who failed to even reach the final four. He believed that for many years to come, he would be cited as a cautionary tale for future generations.

On the VIP platform, seeing that Cassinio had not caused any dramatic scenes, Thomas felt a wave of relief wash over him. He then raised his voice and shouted, "Everyone, quiet down!" Although his voice was not exceptionally loud, its penetrating power was immense. The voices of nearly thirty thousand people seemed unable to drown it out, and the clamor immediately subsided.

Thomas continued, "The fourth place for this round goes to—"

Hearing these words, the crowd instantly cast Gavin's misfortune to the back of their minds. After all, Thomas was about to announce the final four, and everyone was eager to see who exactly had squeezed Gavin out of the top tier!