64: Chapter 64 Community of Interests

Qin Ce looked at the faces filled with disdain, confusion, or even anger, and slowly raised his hand, making a gesture to request to speak.

Surprisingly, the training ground gradually fell silent.

Everyone wanted to hear what this Qin Ce—who had always been strong-willed and never bowed his head—could possibly say after setting himself against everyone else.

Qin Ce didn't speak immediately. He first took a deep breath, then bowed slightly—a gesture of etiquette that placed his posture very low from the start.

"What you all said is right." His voice wasn't loud, but it spread clearly through the silence. "Rationality, the big picture, the optimal solution... none of these are wrong. My choice to go to Yuntai Town is indeed selfish and disregards the big picture when viewed from those angles."

He paused, looked up, and his gaze swept across the crowd.

"But I envy you."

These words left everyone stunned.

"I envy that you have families and parents who can shield you from the wind and rain." Qin Ce continued, his tone as calm as if he were narrating someone else's story. "As for me, I am just a commoner, the umbrella for a very fragile little home. I have been that umbrella since the day my father died in the line of duty with the Yuntai Town Guard."

The meeting room went completely silent.

Even the electronic beeps of the instruments seemed to fade.

"When the storm comes," Qin Ce looked at those young faces, "I think everyone under an umbrella hopes the one above them will stand firm, resolute, and steady. They don't want the umbrella itself to be thinking: 'Which way should I tilt to keep myself a little drier?'"

He stopped for a moment and asked a question that was very soft, yet carried the weight of a thousand pounds.

"No one under an umbrella wants to be treated like that, right?"

Silence.

No one answered, but everyone's eyes wavered slightly.

"My mother and sister are the same," Qin Ce's voice was very soft. "They wouldn't want their only hope, the only umbrella in their home, to choose to go elsewhere to avoid the rain and grow under the guise of 'safety' or 'benefit' when the beast tide comes, leaving them outside."

"If they are soaked and washed away by the rain, even if this umbrella turns into a sky-canopy that can block out all disasters, would it still have any meaning?"

He looked around the room, and his tone suddenly shifted.

"And, for the sake of argument—from the most utilitarian perspective—is my choice really a bad thing for you?"

Everyone was taken aback.

Qin Ce pointed to the golden Inner City marker on the projected map. "As everyone knows, there are only two slots for the Inner City. Senior Jiang has taken one, and there is one left."

His gaze swept over the captains of the top-ranked squads.

"If I chose it, that slot would be mine. But if I give it up now—who will that slot go to? It will be passed down to the next person in line."

He paused and added:

"In other words, because I am going to Yuntai Town, one of you will be able to take the Inner City slot that originally belonged to me."

"My 'selfishness' has traded for an 'opportunity' for one of you."

"And everyone will move one step forward to a higher position because of this change!"

"So, looking at it from this perspective—" A faint curve appeared at the corner of Qin Ce's mouth. "Our interests are actually aligned, aren't they?"

Dead silence.

Then came the sound of sharp intakes of breath as realization dawned.

That's right!

If Qin Ce didn't go to the Inner City, wouldn't the vacated slot be their chance?!

The people who were still accusing Qin Ce of being "selfish" moments ago now had different looks in their eyes. From anger to confusion, and then to... a certain subtle joy.

Before, they only saw Qin Ce "disregarding the big picture," but they didn't realize that this act of "disregarding the big picture" had actually cleared a path for them!

"I... I agree with Qin Ce going to Yuntai Town!" Zhao Rui of the Gale Squad was the first to raise his hand—he was in third place, and if Qin Ce gave it up, the last Inner City slot would be his!

"I agree too!" The Mountain Squad Captain followed immediately after.

"Agreed!"

"Supported!"

More and more people raised their hands. Those previously disdainful looks had now turned into "understanding" and "support."

Qin Ce watched this scene with no ripple of emotion in his heart.

He knew these people weren't supporting his "choice," but rather the "benefits" his choice brought.

But it didn't matter.

All he wanted was the result—the result of being able to go to Yuntai Town.

At the edge of the crowd, Jiang Ruowei, the only one unaffected by the interests at stake, stood in place, unmoving.

She looked at Qin Ce, then at the classmates who were raising their hands in "support," as Qin Ce's words from earlier echoed repeatedly in her mind.

"Umbrella... shielding from the wind and rain..."

She suddenly thought of her own family.

She thought of her grandfather, who sat deep within the palace courtyards of the Capital—white-haired yet still majestic, the pillar of the Jiang Family, the Anchor of the Federation, and an Epic-rank Beast Tamer.

He should have been the existence that protected the younger generation of the family.

Yet, on the day she turned eighteen, he had set her engagement to the direct descendant of another great family in a tone that allowed no room for doubt.

"This is for the future of the Jiang Family," her grandfather had said at the time, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather. "You need a husband worthy of you, and the Jiang Family needs stronger allies."

At that moment, she felt that the "umbrella" that had always been held over her head had suddenly turned into a "Mountain" pressing down on her.

An umbrella should shield those below it from the rain, not treat them as bargaining chips.

She thought she had understood this truth long ago.

But just now, she had used "rationality," "the big picture," and "the optimal solution" to criticize Qin Ce.

When did she... become someone who thought just like her grandfather?

The reason she had noticed Qin Ce and proposed that bet was precisely because of that "different" aura he carried, wasn't it? Not utilitarian, not compromising, not playing by the rules—like a sword piercing straight through the dark clouds.

And now, she had wanted to shove this sword into the scabbard of "rationality"?

Jiang Ruowei suddenly felt her face grow hot.

She took a deep breath, pushed through the crowd in front of her, and walked to the center of the field.

"Teacher Wei," her voice wasn't loud, but it caused all the chatter to stop instantly, "I also agree with Qin Ce going to Yuntai Town."

She paused and looked at Qin Ce. Her eyes were complex, but they held a trace of determination that wasn't there before.

"Furthermore, please think of a way, Teacher, to help him secure that Defense Zone. If any procedures or guarantees are needed... I will provide them."

These words caused another uproar throughout the field.

Jiang Ruowei... not only agreed, but was going to help?

Wei Ming looked at these two students, then at the surrounding trainees who had completely shifted their attitudes, and finally let out a long sigh.

"Alright." He took out his special teacher's permission card and performed a few operations on the squad tablet. "Qin Ce, I'll grant you the permission to apply for a transfer. But I can't guarantee whether the military will approve it or where you'll be assigned."

"Thank you, Teacher." Qin Ce nodded and accepted the permission.

...