After finishing her words, she slightly raised her head, revealing a proud expression.

The entire venue fell into utter silence following her speech.

She possessed Level 9 Magic Power — the only person present with such a ranking. To be more precise... she was the only one who had surpassed Level 8 Magic Power. Apart from her, the highest-ranking in the magic power test results was Qili, the leader of the Silent Spellcasting Group, at Level 7. Even Barnes only reached Level 7.

It could be said that her brief words had managed to offend everyone present.

Well, at least she was the only one who could finish speaking while still holding her head high in arrogance.

Barnes forced an awkward smile and said, "Next."

Next? Who else? There was only Angel left.

"Angel, what do you plan to say?" murmured the demon. "I feel like they've already said everything — good or bad."

Angel braced his hands against the meeting room's table and slowly stood up, speaking softly, "Implementation. What we lack isn't plans or ideas, but feasible plans and actionable ideas."

Scanning the other contenders, Angel continued, "My suggestion is that no matter what philosophy we follow, implement it immediately. Whoever takes control of the situation will become the New Vascular Council President. Everyone here certainly thinks their plan is the best, but in reality, even if we all think a plan is great, it's useless. We're not aiming for uniform agreement; we want results. Enough talking. Let's act, shall we?"

For a moment, everyone in the meeting room stared at him wide-eyed. Some hadn't even processed what he was saying yet.

"This... Is this even a plan? This essentially doesn't propose any plan at all."

"Yeah, it's like he said nothing."

"If there isn't a unified plan, then..."

Suddenly, light applause echoed within the room.

Everyone's gaze turned to Barnes.

Barnes took a deep breath and smiled as she said, "I find this plan the most practical. That's right—whatever method you use, I only want results. No matter how bizarre the plan, as long as you can implement it, I'll recognize you. Until then, I won't grant anyone here the title of New Vascular Council President, nor will I provide subsidies or funding. All of these belong to the final victor. That's settled. I want to see your results."

The meeting room fell silent again, with most attendees staring in shock. Only Angel appeared completely calm.

...

The meeting didn't last long, only about an hour or so. It concluded by nine in the morning.

When the contenders left the meeting room, their expressions varied.

Some had a calm demeanor — for example, Angel.

Some seemed overwhelmed, uncertain where to begin — quite a few felt this way, given that most of the 'magical' plans lacked short-term viability.

Some appeared a bit bewildered — like Gegil, wondering: Should I distribute funds? If the subsidies aren't granted, whoever gives out funds would feel the pinch.

Others were visibly excited — such as Div, the leader of the Battle Mage Team. Don't ask me why; I have no idea what he was so thrilled about either.

Barnes left with the people from the Teaching Affairs Bureau. Meanwhile, the remaining nine contenders exchanged glances before all turned their attention to Angel.

Daniel, the president of the Law Society, asked, "So what's your plan exactly? We've all shared ours, except you. Perhaps you should also share yours."

"I've already stated my plan — whatever method works, that'll be my method," Angel replied before turning and striding away, leaving the group of contenders stunned on the spot.

The demon chased after Angel, asking, "What do you intend to do? Barnes has explicitly ruled out relying on force."

"Yes, she did say that," Angel replied as he marched forward step by step. "But that's because she assumes there are better alternatives."

"What do you mean? I don't understand."

"Once she realizes there are no other options, she'll naturally accept 'limited' use of force."

"Is that so? What if she doesn't?"

"Then that becomes a 'what-if' problem. I no longer have other choices. If I stop now, everyone will abandon me, and I'll completely lose my qualification to compete."

"But even if you resort to force, you don't have enough manpower."

"I'll deal with that problem when the time comes."

Angel was an extremely pragmatic person with strong execution capabilities. Yet beneath his pragmatism, he was also a gambler—a bold, reckless gambler.

...

It was still the same grassy field as last night, but now it was crowded with a large group of people who had gathered there early.

Each person wore a mage's robe, carried a magic wand, and had a red silk band tied to their arm. On the silk band, the number "6" was painted with yellow oil paint. Don't ask why "6," Angel came up with it randomly. All he needed was a way to identify his own people.

The key figures were all present, but the numbers didn't quite add up. Out of the promised 110 participants, only 80 had actually arrived.

With just one glance, Angel had a rough idea of the situation. Without asking further questions, he simply said, "Let's move."

"Move out!" His group shouted with vigor.

Move where?

To the administrative building. Yes, the administrative building.

"First, we must control the initial area, then secure it. The clearest demonstration of our power is undoubtedly the surroundings near the administrative building, right under Barnes' nose."

Thus, Angel led his team in a grand procession, appearing on the plaza in front of the administrative building.

Barnes, sipping tea in her office, looked out the window and nearly spat her tea out. She managed to swallow it with difficulty before quietly remarking, "Where did he get so many people?"

Downstairs from Barnes, Alvis, the former president of the Old Vascular Council, stood in his own office, squinting as he watched. "What is he planning to do?"

It wasn't just the two of them; the other contenders lingering in the administrative building were also puzzled as they observed the scene.

Quickly, Angel's team dispersed. They began posting notices on the bulletin boards around the area. The content was simple:

First, the administrative building and its surrounding areas had been taken over by Angel's "New Vascular Council Preparatory Group." Any provocative actions would be punishable accordingly. Second, the "New Vascular Council Preparatory Group" was recruiting new members; compensation to be discussed in person.

And then?

Things went smoothly at first, with Angel's team maintaining order and shouting down various violations. Since the Housekeeping Committee wasn't present, they handled the cleaning themselves. Their work was organized and disciplined—indeed resembling the operations of a legitimate "Vascular Council."

And then... troublemakers showed up, and they resorted to violence.

Yes, violence—right under Barnes' watchful eye.

Angel struck first, hurling a Fireball Technique, followed by the rest of his team rushing forward.

Soon, several instigators were "orderly" carried away, restoring the area to its former calm—as if the chaos of the past months had never occurred...

Watching this scene, the contenders were left completely dumbstruck.

A moment later, Div, the leader of the Battle Mage Team, screamed in excitement, "I told you my plan would work! Look! Just look! It solved everything instantly!"

"Has he gone mad? The supposed enforcers of school regulations are the ones breaking them now?" Qili stared in disbelief.

"Such a disgraceful approach," Aurora scoffed.

"Was that really necessary? We're all just magic apprentices after all..." England muttered under his breath.

At that moment, Alvis, the former president of the Old Vascular Council, was left utterly speechless.

Barnes, on the other hand, had already helplessly placed her hand against her forehead.

Could the Old Vascular Council have done the same?

Well... yes and no.

Why yes? Because in terms of individual magic proficiency, the Old Vascular Council was undoubtedly superior to Angel's team.

Why no? Because seasoned veterans typically wouldn't be willing to charge ahead recklessly.

That's the advantage of using newcomers.

In the crowd, Angel shouted loudly, "Whoever stops us, take them down!"

"Take them down!" His hyped-up team members roared in unison, their voices thunderous.

The current situation was akin to a tranquil fish pond. No matter how much the fish squabbled amongst themselves, at most they'd only create a few splashes. And then, someone suddenly threw in a bomb.

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