Chapter 226: Preparation for the Auction Event
Six holographic white lights suddenly lit up above the conference table.
The lights hovered over six empty chairs positioned at the front of the conference room, directly opposite Ezra’s seat.
Park immediately straightened his posture.
Even his usual energetic smile became more restrained.
The atmosphere inside the room changed and the casual feeling from earlier disappeared.
One after another, human-shaped figures began materializing within the lights.
Three figures appeared on the left side.
Two appeared on the right, and the final figure occupied the seat at the center front.
His position alone made it obvious.
That must be the owner of the group.
Ezra silently observed the arrangement.
His eyes calmly studied the six holographic executives as their appearances became clearer.
Every one of them carried a different temperament.
Some looked approachable.
Others looked stern.
But all of them possessed the natural pressure that came from standing at the top of one of Britannia’s most powerful broadcasting organizations.
"Good day, my leaders of this wonderful group."
Park bowed respectfully.
His voice carried far more respect than it normally did.
The six executives nodded lightly.
"Park... how are you?"
The man seated on the right side spoke first, his voice sounding relaxed.
"I’m doing fine, sir."
Park smiled politely.
"Oh? I hope your family is doing well."
Another executive joined in.
"They’re doing fine."
Park replied.
The brief greetings continued for a few moments.
Only then did the attention of the executives slowly shift toward the young boy sitting quietly at the back of the conference room.
"Now, Park."
A female executive seated on the left side spoke.
Her voice immediately carried authority.
"Introduce us to the new rising inventor."
Her eyes landed on Ezra.
"Okay, Ma’am."
Park nodded, then he gestured toward Ezra.
"This is Ezra Ashenlocke. The creator of the Phantom Rolls."
Several executives carefully examined him.
Looking at him through videos and reports was one thing.
Meeting him directly was another.
"Looking at him up close through the call..."
One of the female executives spoke thoughtfully.
"He’s younger than I expected."
Her eyes lingered on Ezra.
"How old are you, child?"
She asked.
"I’m thirteen."
Ezra answered plainly, his voice remaining calm.
There wasn’t the slightest nervousness.
Park glanced sideways at him.
A trace of surprise appeared on his face.
Not only was Ezra maintaining his composure under the gaze of the BNC Executive Board...
He wasn’t showing any signs of pressure at all.
Park became even more impressed.
When Lara pressured him earlier, he remained calm.
Now he was speaking directly to some of the most influential people in Britannia and still looked completely relaxed.
Wow...
I guess the children of Ash really are built differently after surviving the Trial of Steel.
The thought surfaced naturally in his mind.
"Thirteen?"
The third male executive looked genuinely shocked.
"He’s too young."
His gaze shifted toward the other executives.
"Are we sure he’ll be able to stand in front of all those people and properly present his invention?"
The female executive seated closest to the owner frowned slightly.
The uncertainty in her voice was obvious.
The Auction wasn’t a small gathering.
It was one of the biggest stages in Britannia.
"Park." She looked toward him. "What do you think?"
Park immediately answered.
"Ma’am, Lara will personally train him for the presentation."
He glanced toward Ezra.
"And honestly..."
A smile appeared on his face.
"He seems like a confident child."
Several executives remained silent.
Some nodded.
Some didn’t.
"Have you forgotten?"
The owner finally spoke.
The moment he opened his mouth, the room naturally became quieter.
His fingers were interlocked before him.
His gaze remained fixed on Ezra.
"He’s one of the children personally acknowledged by the Duke House of Ashenlocke as part of their future."
His words carried weight.
The female executive still looked uncertain.
"But still..."
The owner raised a single hand.
She immediately stopped speaking, then he leaned slightly forward.
His attention focused entirely on Ezra.
"Ezra Ashenlocke. Do you know why the Board wanted to speak with you first?"
The question came calmly.
Without any hesitation...
"Because you want to see whether I’m truly capable of presenting my work."
Ezra answered calmly.
His reply came immediately, with no hesitation, nor thinking time, nor nervousness.
His dark eyes met the owner’s gaze directly.
The pressure that would’ve made most adults uncomfortable seemed completely absent to him.
The owner smiled.
"What brought you to that conclusion, Child of Ash?"
He asked.
"The Auction Event will become the biggest event your group has ever hosted."
Ezra replied.
One executive immediately interrupted.
"How are you so certain it’ll be that big?"
Ezra looked at him, then calmly answered.
"Because the Elder already answered the question herself."
He pointed toward the female executive who had doubted him earlier.
The woman’s eyebrows rose slightly.
"This event has already attracted major companies. Major industries. High-ranking representatives. Master craftsmen from different regions of Britannia. And Important nobles. The level of attention surrounding the Auction has already surpassed a normal event."
His voice remained flat.
Yet every word sounded logical, with every sentence flowing naturally.
The executives listened quietly.
Ezra continued.
"So, I reached my earlier conclusion."
He looked toward the owner.
"As executives of such a large group, you don’t want a situation where I collapse under pressure and ruin the presentation myself."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"And if I fail..."
He pointed toward the owner.
"The investment your group has already made into this Auction Event will be viewed as a failure."
Several executives blinked.
Ezra wasn’t finished.
"And also the projected profit you calculated before contacting me would disappear."
The room became silent.
Completely silent.
Even Park stopped breathing for a moment.
The confidence of the boy sitting before them felt strange.
Not arrogance.
Not recklessness.
But straight up confidence.
The kind built from understanding what he was talking about.
Damn.
Park wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead.
This kid is really on a completely different level.
"Well..."
One of the male executives smiled.
"I think he’s capable enough."
He nodded.
"Capable enough to survive the Scholar’s Bombardment."
Several others nodded.
"I agree."
"The confidence is there."
"He should manage."
More voices joined in.
The atmosphere became noticeably lighter.
Only then did the owner ask another question.
"Do you know what the Scholar’s Bombardment is, Ezra?"
"No."
Ezra shook his head.
The answer was honest.
The female executive immediately looked toward Park.
"You haven’t explained that yet?"
Her expression wasn’t pleased.
Park quickly bowed.
"I’m sorry, Ma’am. I planned on briefing him tomorrow."
"It’s alright."
The owner waved casually.
"He can explain it now."
Park immediately nodded.
Then he turned toward Ezra.
"Ezra, the Scholar’s Bombardment, also known as the Value Scale Session, is one of the most important parts of an invention presentation."
His expression became serious.
"It is the moment where master craftsmen, scholars, researchers, and industry representatives begin asking questions."
He paused.
"But most of those questions aren’t friendly."
Ezra listened attentively.
"They’ll point out flaws. They’ll criticize. They’ll highlight disadvantages. And they’ll attack weak points."
Park gestured with his hands.
"If the inventor isn’t able to give satisfying answers, or properly explain why a question doesn’t affect the invention the way it was presented, then the value of the invention will begin to fall."
Park demonstrated with his hands as he spoke.
His right hand slowly moved downward through the air.
The executives watched quietly while Ezra remained focused on him.
"The market is ruthless."
Park’s expression became more serious.
"The moment people begin doubting an invention, its value starts dropping. Companies begin pulling back. Buyers start looking for reasons not to spend money."
He continued moving his hand lower.
"And there have been cases where inventors completely failed during the Scholar’s Bombardment."
His voice slowed slightly.
"They couldn’t answer properly. They just kept panicking and contradicted themselves. At the end of the day, they lost control of the presentation."
Park shook his head.
"The result was simple. The value of their invention collapsed."
His hand stopped near the table.
"In some cases, inventions that were expected to change industries became practically worthless within a few hours."
Lucy quietly listened from her seat near the entrance.
Even she could feel the pressure of such a situation.
Presenting an invention wasn’t simply standing in front of people and talking.
It was a battlefield.
A battlefield fought with knowledge, confidence, and words.
"But..."
Park raised his hand again.
This time it moved upward.
"If you’re able to stand your ground. If you’re able to answer every criticism and if you’re able to prove your invention’s value."
His hand continued rising.
"Then the opposite happens."
A smile appeared on his face.
"The value climbs, the attention continues to grow, the demand increases, and your invention can surpass even its original estimated worth."
Park picked up the Zphone resting on the conference table.
Several holographic windows appeared above it.
His fingers moved across the screen a few times.
Then he dragged one of the windows outward with a smooth motion.
A larger holographic image appeared before everyone.
The image displayed Britannia’s public stock market projections.
Right at the center...
The Phantom Rolls.
Ezra’s eyes immediately landed on the data.
Rows of numbers.
Projected values.
Public interest statistics.
Market expectation indexes.
And most importantly...
The estimated worth.
The rising arrow beside the invention was impossible to ignore.
So, my invention has already reached that point.
Ezra silently observed the information.
The projected value had already crossed into the One Thousand Dals range.
Even though his face remained calm, he understood what that meant.
The expectations surrounding the Phantom Rolls were no longer ordinary.
The invention had already become a main target.
"The higher the expectation value..."
Ezra looked away from the holographic display and toward Park.
"The harsher the questions become."
His voice remained flat.
Park immediately pointed at him.
"Correct."
He gave a thumbs-up.
"Exactly correct."
A grin appeared on his face.
"The bigger the opportunity, the more people want a piece of it."
The owner leaned back comfortably in his chair. His fingers rested against the armrest.
"It’s an underhanded tactic."
His voice carried experience.
"The greedy ones love using it."
His gaze shifted toward Ezra.
"If they want your invention but don’t want to pay its proper value, they’ll attack it during the Scholar’s Bombardment."
The owner crossed one leg over the other.
"If you choke or become nervous or if you fail to answer properly."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"They’ll use that opportunity to devalue your invention."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"And once the value falls...They’ll come to buy it. For far less than it’s actually worth."
The room became quiet.
Lucy frowned slightly.
The whole thing sounded shameless.
But she wasn’t surprised.
Money makes people do many things.
The owner suddenly rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"But..."
His eyes settled on Ezra.
A curious look appeared on his face.
"I do wonder about something."
The executives looked toward him.
Even Park became interested.
The owner continued.
"You’re a Lowline member of the Ashenlocke Family."
He paused.
"But you’re also becoming an important figure within the Duke House. And next year, you’ll be attending the Royal Academy."
His gaze became sharper.
"So, tell me. Are you planning to sign a contract with one of the major companies?"
His fingers lightly tapped the armrest.
"Or are you planning to sell your invention entirely?"
The question lingered in the room.
Even the executives became curious.
Everyone wanted to know.
After all...
The Phantom Rolls had already attracted enormous attention.
Several major companies would undoubtedly be willing to spend heavily to acquire it.
Park himself looked toward Ezra.
Waiting.
Lucy also looked at him.
Waiting.
Even she didn’t know what her master was planning to do with his invention.
The executives looked at him.
Waiting.
Then...
"I’ll reserve my comment on that."
Ezra answered plainly.
The room became silent.
His answer revealed absolutely nothing.
Park blinked.
The executives exchanged glances.
One second passed.
Two seconds passed.
Then...
"Hahaha..."
The owner suddenly laughed.
The sound wasn’t loud, but it carried genuine amusement.
"Hahaha..."
A few of the executives also smiled.
The owner shook his head lightly.
"You’re an interesting one."
He tapped the table once.
His attention shifted toward Park.
"Make sure everything is properly prepared."
His voice returned to business.
"I won’t be attending personally."
His gaze moved back toward Ezra.
"But I’ll be watching."
A faint smile appeared.
Then he added...
"Good luck, young inventor."
The holographic image dissolved into particles of light.
The owner’s figure disappeared.
One by one, the remaining executives also began ending the call.
"Good luck."
One executive waved.
"I’ll be looking forward to the presentation."
Another smiled.
"Don’t disappoint us."
A third added jokingly.
"Thank you, Sirs and Ma’ams."
Ezra bowed politely.
Even though his tone remained flat as always, the gesture itself was respectful.
Soon...
The final holographic figure disappeared.
The conference room returned to normal.
The meeting was over.
Park remained standing for a moment.
Then...
"Ahhhhh..."
He released a long breath.
His shoulders relaxed.
The tension visibly left his body.
"I was nervous."
He laughed awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head.
"Especially when she asked why I hadn’t explained the Scholar’s Bombardment yet."
The thought alone made him sweat again.
Those executives were far scarier when they were disappointed.
Before Ezra could reply...
"MASTER!"
Lucy suddenly rushed over.
She had been sitting quietly near the entrance throughout the entire meeting.
Now that it was over, she practically ran toward him.
"They were scary!"
She grabbed both of Ezra’s shoulders.
Then began shaking him lightly.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
"How were you able to stay so relaxed?"
Her eyes were full of disbelief.
The pressure in the room had been enormous.
Even she had felt nervous just watching.
Yet Ezra had spoken to the executives as if he were talking to ordinary people.
Ezra narrowed his eyes.
Then he calmly removed her hands from his shoulders.
"Haven’t we already experienced worse?"
His answer came immediately.
Flat.
Simple and direct.
Lucy pouted.
"I know..." She folded her arms. "But this is different."
Her expression became thoughtful.
"This is a completely different field."
She pointed toward where the executives had been sitting moments ago.
"Being questioned by powerful people is different from fighting someone in front of a crowd until one side dies."
She spoke casually.
As if discussing the weather.
As if fighting to the death was a perfectly normal comparison.
The room fell silent.
"Ehn?"
Park stared at her.
His expression froze.
The confusion on his face couldn’t have been clearer.
He slowly turned toward Ezra.
Then back toward Lucy.
Then toward Ezra again.
His brain was struggling to process what she had just said.
Why did she make fighting to the death sound normal?
More importantly...
Why is Ezra looking like he’s completely unbothered by what she just said?
