"We still haven't received the final number of students participating from the western academies."
A bureaucrat flipped through several papers before placing them flat on the long mahogany table.
"Their representatives said they would send the list by tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? The festival begins in less than two weeks."
"They claimed they were busy."
"Busy doing what?"
"Preparing for the festival."
An academy official rubbed his forehead, staring across the table with tired eyes.
"That is the festival they are supposed to be preparing for."
The room fell silent for a moment. Someone quietly coughed near the back, and the meeting continued.
The main conference room of the Velorian Imperial Academy had been occupied since early morning. Representatives of the academy sat alongside bureaucrats from Parnonia, high-ranking delegates from the Main Church of Lumina, municipal clerks responsible for logistics, and administrative staff from participating institutions.
