"The Sage's Private Competition."
"Champion's prize: a custom One System, Ten Thousand Minds Machine 10.2 Personal Edition. Cash rewards for each round advanced. Reach the top eight for an epic one-handed sword or catalyst. Top four can pick a spell tome or swordsmanship manual."
"Damn, that's a haul. The host's loaded," Traveler Aether said, gawking at the poster.
"Haha, you new to Inazuma, kid?" a scholar beside him asked, also eyeing the notice.
"Yeah, been here about six months," Aether replied honestly.
"This competition's run by Lord Reisen Riou, Inazuma's Retainer Chronicler. Better known as the Distant Wisdom, greatest scholar around," the scholar said, practically vibrating with zeal. "The One System, Ten Thousand Minds Machine? His invention. A godsend for scholars."
The guy's cult-like fervor caught Aether off guard.
But in Inazuma, this was par for the course. That's the clout Reisen held among scholars.
Unlike Sumeru's scholar rotation, Reisen was Inazuma's research pioneer and guide. His creations, like the Machine, were their lifeline.
In this environment, unless you were a genius who could stay true to yourself amidst vast knowledge, you'd get swept up, brainwashed into a devout Reisen follower.
Reisen, though, was clueless about this. Inazuma's faith energy was handled by Narukami herself. He got more faith than before but didn't care much, so he had no idea about his fanbase.
"So, what's this 'Sage's Private Competition' about? What's the contest?" Aether asked, drooling over the rewards.
"Details are at Hanamiita's One System, Ten Thousand Minds Machine," the scholar said, pointing to faint fine print at the poster's bottom.
"Since you're an outsider, I'll let you in on it: the contest started the moment this was posted. First test is eyesight. That's special ink, only visible at certain angles."
"Or, if you're a Vision-holder, Elemental Sight works too. Perk for the gifted."
Aether scratched his head. "No Vision, but I can use Elemental Sight."
He activated it, and sure enough, the fine print appeared.
"Alright, you saw it. I'm off to Hanamiita to check the rules," the scholar said, scurrying away.
Aether rubbed his chin, pensive.
The contest felt weird, but he decided to check it out. An Inazuma-official event shouldn't be too shady, right?
He headed to Hanamiita and saw the One System, Ten Thousand Minds Machine. Mind-blowing, especially after hearing its capabilities. He needed one.
"The Sage's Private Competition prelims have three conditions."
"'The Sage's Invitation': The Sage scattered 1,000 invites across Inazuma City and Hanamiita. Random styles, found by luck or skill to advance."
"'The Sage's Query': The Sage set up puzzles. Top 500 solvers advance, testing knowledge."
"'The Sage's Vision': The Sage opened a small domain with monsters. Beat them through strength, smarts, or teamwork. Top 256 pass the prelims."
"Then the main event, 'The Sage's Debate.' Pick your ideology, compete in three debate rounds to reach the top 32. This tests true insight."
"You spot flaws in your and your opponent's arguments, fix yours, or attack theirs."
"Semifinals, 'The Sage's Vast Knowledge,' three rounds for top 16, 8, and 4."
"Finals, 'The Sage's Great Power,' crowns the champion, runner-up, and third."
The contest spanned a while.
Prelims got a month and a half. Main event, two weeks. Semifinals, one week.
The finals? Just a name so far, no details.
Scholars and samurai who got the scoop from the Machine started prepping. Aether couldn't resist jumping in.
Word was, once news spread, Narukami Island would be swamped with competitors.
The organizers didn't seem to care about locals' head start, and Aether wondered how they'd balance it.
"Whatever, not my problem. Gotta find an invite," Aether thought, then felt something underfoot.
On a whim, he picked up the "trash."
It burst into white smoke, transforming into something ornate.
"Sage's Private Competition Invite. Congratulations, Traveler Aether, you're qualified."
No way. After double-checking, Aether confirmed it was legit. Jackpot.
A tanuki scurried up, muttering, "Oh no, screwed up, lost an invite…"
"Hey, tanuki youkai, looking for this?" Aether waved the invite.
The tanuki, shocked someone saw through its disguise, froze, then checked the invite. Its face fell—it was already activated.
"Fine, you activated it. Keep it," the tanuki grumbled, scampering off.
These tanuki were borrowed by Reisen from Ioroi to hide some invites with their youkai tricks.
They only handled a portion, though.