The people looked around, none knowing what to do. There were desks prepared with stacks of pages for them to write on. They mostly talked among themselves at first, seemingly trying to even think of the questions they would be asking.
After a few minutes, they started coming forward and writing the questions. The pages were passed along to a group of scholars at the bottom, who read through each question, vetting it for its uniqueness and demand, before sending it along to the old man that had been forced into the job of a moderator.
Soon, a stack of paper appeared at the hand of the old man, who turned around.
"I have my questions ready," he said. "Are you?"
The three nodded.
"Let us begin," the crown prince said, standing up from his seat. "Let me be the first one to answer their questions."
The prince walked up to the stage where a man waited for him to speak, so he could amplify his voice to the far reaches of the city. That was his only task.
