[Time: Present]
[Location: Agrippa Grand Hall, Van Republic]
Captain Fritz pulled himself out of his thoughts. Whatever happened in Guidao City has already settled.
He looked at Richard Mayerhaus walking toward the podium—what mattered was not the past, but the future.
...
It takes thirteen steps to walk from the floor to the speaking platform, and Richard Mayerhaus took those thirteen steps with steady composure.
The murmurs beneath the grand arch disappeared in an instant, and in the semi-circular grand hall, all eyes focused on the figure in the purple robe at the center of the venue.
Richard Mayerhaus stood behind the lectern, slightly raised his head, and squinted at the representatives and envoys in the venue.
The representatives and envoys from Various Republics and foreign lands curiously scrutinized him, eager to see what kind of performance this new player on the stage of power would present.
