Chapter 796 I“ve Los
“H-how is that possible?!”
The entire hall burst into an uproar as everyone looked on with incredulity at the elated Amy, as well as the stack of untouched paper on the table.
During this short span of time, Amy hadn’t touched her quill even once, and when she finally did pick it up, it was only so she could write down her answer. That was simply incredible to everyone.
Some of the scholars present had researched calculating two-digit multiplication problems using the decimal system. However, they wouldn’t be able to solve such a question in half an hour, let alone half a minute.
Fitch was scribbling furiously on the sheet of paper before him when his quill suddenly faltered. He turned back to look at the beaming Amy with a hint of surprise on his face.
Luna’s eyes widened as she stared at Amy with disbelief in her eyes. Not only had Amy actually solved the question, she had done so in what felt like the blink of an eye.
Amy was a child who would never lie, and Mag had a propensity of constantly creating miracles. As such, she was almost blindly confident that Amy had calculated the correct answer. After all, no matter how implausible or absurd something seemed, it wouldn’t be strange for Mag and Amy to be able to achieve it.
“How could she possibly have solved a two-digit multiplication problem in such a short time?! Besides, she didn’t even make any calculations; she must’ve just blurted out a random answer!” Earlton rose to his feet as he glowered at Mag with a cold expression, and interrogated, “Do you think we’re all idiots? This is indeed a contest of speed, but the correct answer has to be reached first!”
Everyone was still reeling from shock when they were enlightened by Earlton’s words. Just as he had said, it was completely impossible to solve a two-digit multiplication problem in half an hour, especially when zero calculations had been made during this process.
As such, the only possibility was that Amy was lying, and that she hadn’t actually calculated the correct answer. Instead, she had merely blurted out a random number, and was trying to somehow swindle a victory.
The smiles on the faces of the revolutionaries gradually congealed as they turned their eyes toward Amy and Mag. If that was indeed true, then their actions would bring disgrace to all of the revolutionaries present.
“In the decimal system, this is only to be expected. If Amy didn’t have to waste time meticulously writing down that answer in the end, she would’ve been able to calculate the answer in her mind within 10 seconds.” Mag’s expression remained completely unflustered as he looked back at Earlton, and said, “In any case, Amy has already confirmed her answer. If you have any doubts, you can wait until he’s also got an answer, then ask him to convert it into decimal form for comparison.”
The entire hall fell silent once again. No one had expected Mag to give such a calm and straightforward response.
Earlton’s eyes were flashing with a hint of bewilderment as he looked at Mag. He could tell that Mag didn’t seem to be lying, so how could he possibly be so confident?
Byron stood up, and said, “Seeing as one side is expressing doubts regarding the answer, I suggest our two sides each task one more person with the same calculation. That way, we’ll have more answers for confirmation.”
Earlton was about to issue another retort when Erma raised a hand to stop him, and nodded as he said, “We’ll do as you say, Master Byron. Don’t be so quick to jump to conclusions, Earlton. Fitch, you keep doing what you’re doing. Leeroy will be the one calculating the problem from my side, and his answer will be used as the final answer for cross-referencing and comparison.”
Earlton sat down with a dark expression before aiming a cold glare at Mag.
“Lister will be responsible for calculation on our side, and his answer will also be our final answer.” Byron nodded in response before turning to Lister.
“Yes.” Lister nodded before beginning his calculations.
Leeroy had also received a quill and a stack of paper. He hesitated momentarily before exchanging a glance with Erma, and then also set about making his calculations.
“This is indeed becoming rather interesting.” A smile appeared on Fitch’s face as he turned around to continue his work as well. His quill was scribbling even more furiously over the sheet of paper, even to the extent that the tip of his quill was barely traceable to the naked eye.
“Father, why don’t they believe me?” Amy asked as she looked up at Mag with a perplexed look on her little face.
“Because you’re so much better than them that they’re unable to comprehend it. If you want them to believe, then you have to shatter their outlook on the world and force them to embrace a new world; that’s not an easy task,” Mag replied in a quiet voice. Even though he had expected this dissent from the conservatives, it was still a little disappointing for him to see them continue to be so stubborn and dogmatic.
“If Father had competed instead of me, they’d be even more shocked.” Amy nodded in response.
“That’s true.” A smile appeared on Mag’s face. With his eidetic memory, answers to normal multiplication questions were directly accessible in his mind, so he wouldn’t even need to calculate at all.
Thus, Fitch continued to calculate along with Lister and Leeroy, and the atmosphere within the hall became quite tense once again.
The outcome of this contest would determine the result of this debate, and, more importantly, whether the decimal system would receive widespread implementation.
No one would’ve dreamed that this monumental task would fall on the shoulders of a little four-year-old girl, and this startling turn of events had caught everyone off guard.
Meanwhile, Mag was carrying Amy in his arms as he made a lap around the hall, appreciating the beautiful mosaics on the walls and telling Amy about the history of the Norland Continent.
Alex didn’t actually know much about the church’s history, but Mag could roughly glean the story through the introductory annotations on the wall mosaics. Even though these annotations had to be taken with a grain of salt due to the fact that they were naturally all praising the church as a glorious entity of righteousness, the story told still reflected a representation of the church that had survived through the dark ages.
Faith was the best remedy for those suffering from despair amid the endless darkness. It was like an undying flame that was present in the heart of every human being, uniting them as one and making them so powerful a race that even the giant dragons had to be wary of them.
The church’s power was forcibly reduced before it could abuse that power. At least this way, the church’s glorious image remains eternal in everyone’s hearts. Mag looked at the wall mosaics with furrowed brows as he thought to himself, It has to be said that Andre really is a wise king. However, he’s not even willing to tolerate the church; how can he tolerate his two sons doing so many heinous things behind his back?
“I’ve got an answer.”
Right at this moment, Fitch’s words cut off Mag’s train of thought, and he turned to face him with Amy in his arms.
Everyone in the hall turned their attention to Fitch in unison with tense, expectant eyes.
However, Fitch only had eyes for Amy as he calmly said, “I took the liberty of converting my answer into decimal form, and it’s 896. I’ve lost.”