Chapter 367: The Center of Attention
The first batch of Wizard Apprentices to be honored, totaling fifty-two individuals, received not only honor medals but also a reward of two thousand jin sule provided by the Mercenary Guild.
It could be said that for commoner apprentices like Andre-Green, two thousand jin sule was indeed a huge sum of money.
However, for Wizard Apprentices from affluent wizarding families like Vivian, two thousand jin sule was not much at all.
“Next, the person I’m about to invite is quite special.
In addition to the joint recommendation from White Coral Academy and the Mercenary Guild, during this period, we have also successively received nearly a hundred spontaneous recommendations from citizens of Turin City—”
“Jia Na, it’s finally your turn.”
Listening to Teresa Mensa’s description, Vivian, who had been fiddling with the medal in her hand, whispered a reminder to Jia Na.
“She not only stepped forward in Turin’s time of crisis, but she also rescued countless people from the swamp of plague. Her reputation precedes her, and her beauty and kindness are unparalleled.” At this moment, Jia Na, sitting below the stage, heard Teresa Mensa’s almost sickening speech.
Even with the Muscle Control talent to control her expression, the corners of her upturned lips still twitched uncontrollably.
“She is Miss Jia Na-Roland, known as the ‘Most Dazzling Jewel of Turin’, ‘Rose of the Magic Tower’, and ‘Heavenly Singer’!”
Clap, clap, clap, clap—
—
As soon as the words fell, a powerful tsunami-like applause and cheers loud enough to overturn the entire Turin City erupted from every corner of the Central Plaza.
As the center of this vortex of honor, Jia Na immediately put away her wandering thoughts of “when did I get so many titles” and slowly stood up with the most dignified posture, smiling as she walked onto the podium and stood beside Teresa Mensa, the president of the Mercenary Guild.
“It seems Miss Jia Na’s popularity is extraordinarily high——”
“Clap, clap, clap, clap—”
Although Teresa Mensa had anticipated that Jia Na’s appearance would push the entire commendation ceremony to a climax, she had not expected this climax to last so long—so long that no one cared about Teresa Mensa’s next words anymore.
“Sister, Miss Jia Na is out!”
Sean, who had secured a good spot near the podium early on, almost screamed himself hoarse the moment he saw Jia Na step onto the stage.
And Jenny, standing beside him, was also clapping her hands with great effort, even to the point where tears welled up in her eyes due to excessive excitement.
“Sister, Miss Jia Na is so beautiful! She’s like an angel!”
Her elegant posture, friendly smile, coupled with the moon-white Wizard robe custom-made for Jia Na by Tongling Group, and the lily-shaped gemstone necklace symbolizing peace worn around her neck, all highlighted Jia Na’s exceptional purity and beauty.
“As expected of Tongling Group’s designated spokesperson—this ensemble on Jia Na is just too beautiful—”
Looking at Jia Na, whose temperament was extraordinary on the podium, an uncontrollable envy and almost reverent admiration—all sorts of emotions—constantly filled Liji-Xiaosi’s eyes.
Just yesterday, Tongling Group, having received the news in advance, sent the custom-made “award ceremony exclusive” Wizard robe and the lily-shaped gemstone necklace symbolizing peace to Jia Na’s dormitory.
Tongling Group even offered to arrange a carriage to pick up and drop off Jia Na on the day of the commendation ceremony—however, this overly high-profile suggestion was rejected by Jia Na.
“Click—click—”
In addition to the continuous applause, a large number of reporters were frantically pressing their shutters, taking comprehensive photos of Jia Na from all angles.
“Everyone, please be quiet—”
Finally, under Teresa Mensa’s control of the situation, the enthusiastic applause, which had lasted for several minutes, gradually subsided.
However, the reporters vying for front-page headlines did not stop their actions, still pressing the camera shutter button to capture Jia Na’s best state at every moment.
“Master, we’ve already taken enough material today, shouldn’t we stop wasting film?”
Xi Lin, who had been promoted from intern reporter to official reporter, was holding a camera at this moment, constantly pressing the shutter towards Jia Na.
After taking dozens of decent photos, she turned her head to look at the senior reporter Matthew, who was still choosing angles to take photos.
“Why do you think the material you shoot will necessarily be the most outstanding among so many reporters?”
“But—”
Hearing Matthew’s answer without raising his head, Xi Lin’s words, which she originally wanted to say, felt like cotton stuck in her throat, unable to come out for a long time.
“I don’t believe I can’t get a front-page headline!”
After silently making a fierce resolution, Xi Lin hoisted the equipment onto her slender shoulders and squeezed hard towards a position where she could get a full-face shot of Jia Na.
And Matthew, who remained in place, continuously adjusted the camera position to ensure that the photos he would take next would all have the most perfect composition.
“Congratulations, Miss Jia Na, on receiving a reward of ten thousand jin sule jointly sponsored by the Mercenary Guild, Tongling Group, and Nightingale Opera Troupe, as well as a detached property located in the golden area of Turin City—”
“As expected, it’s a property reward. The Mercenary Guild is really generous this time!”
Although Liji-Xiaosi had already learned about this reward from various unofficial sources, she still felt a pang of intense envy when she heard it confirmed directly from Teresa Mensa’s mouth.
After all, for commoner apprentices like Liji-Xiaosi, owning a property within a Wizard Gathering Place was a very difficult thing.
In addition to financial pressure, the restrictions on property purchase quotas in the Turin Wizard Gathering Place were also an invisible barrier.
“Miss Jia Na, at this moment, do you have anything you would like to say to everyone?”
After receiving the golden medal with olive patterns from Teresa Mensa’s hand, Jia Na, who had intended to leave the stage directly, was gently pulled back by the other party.
But very quickly, Jia Na, with her rich experience in stage performances, naturally adjusted her expression, looked straight ahead, and gazed at the extremely enthusiastic faces below the stage.
“First of all, I am very honored to receive this special recognition.”
Character Special Talent: Heavenly Voice
Effect: Her voice is like a Heavenly Voice. All listeners will be enchanted to a certain extent, deepening their affection for the speaker.
Without deliberate embellishment, just Jia Na’s first sentence made the originally extremely noisy Central Plaza fall silent.
