NOVPUBCatherine thought the names of the two human generals were a bit odd, but considering the diversity of species, it wasn't unusual for names to sound strange.
Ultimately, Catherine discarded the codename Cinderella and adopted the codename Changban Slope.
At Catherine's request, Lin Shen told her about some of Zhao Zilong's exploits, except for the most famous battle of all.
Before Lin Shen could elaborate on the general's achievements at Changban Slope, a servant knocked on the door.
The debate event had begun, and the servant guided them to the venue.
On the way, they saw people wearing various battle suits heading to the venue, making it nearly impossible to distinguish their species, except for those with distinctive features that couldn't be completely covered by battle suits. The effect was much like that of a masquerade ball.
Many seating areas were arranged inside the venue, not in rows of seats as in a conventional hall, but as separate small zones divided by sofas, with a semicircular stage at the very front of the room.
The servant led them to a curved sofa area and asked them to take a seat there.
Lin Shen noticed that many people were already seated, mostly not engaging with each other since everyone wore battle suits and were unrecognizable.
Only a few sociable individuals managed to strike up enthusiastic conversations with their neighbors, despite not being able to recognize who they were.
On the stage, there were several sofas separated by a coffee table.
Lin Shen surveyed the room but did not spot Mosaic.
"Which one is Long Yue?" Lin Shen asked Catherine, sitting next to him. If Long Yue was among them, his previous judgment would be flawed.
"So eager to catch a glimpse of that beauty?" Catherine dodged his question with one of her own.
"If I wanted to see a beauty, just looking at you would be enough; there'd be no need to come here." Lin Shen explained with a smile, "I'm just curious, whether someone who became Immortal at twenty really has 'Three Heads and Six Arms.'"
Catherine laughed, "How could such a beauty have the appearance of 'Three Heads and Six Arms?' Don't talk nonsense."
Pausing, Catherine continued, "Long Yue is the organizer of this debate event. She probably won't be hiding her face, after all, she needs to host it."
However, the person who emerged from behind the curtain on stage, dressed in princess-like battle suit attire, identified herself as Long Yue and then went on to explain the rules of the debate event and points that required attention.
The main points were that no physical confrontation was allowed during the debate, identities must be kept secret, inquiries into others' identities were prohibited, and everyone could speak anonymously on the theme of the event, expressing any thoughts freely but without using derogatory language.
The debate was divided into several parts, and Long Yue clearly articulated each segment from the stage.
Catherine was somewhat surprised, as her previous conversation with Long Yue about these matters didn't mention the latter would also be wearing a mask.
Moreover, the Long Yue on stage felt slightly odd to Catherine.
It wasn't just Catherine who found it strange; Lin Shen felt it too, because he didn't see Mosaic on Long Yue's person.
"Could it be that I'm mistaken, and Long Yue isn't the Fire Seed carrier? Could the videos I saw have been censored? But that doesn't make sense—surely not all the footage would be censored?" Lin Shen wondered.
While Catherine was puzzled, someone wearing a Minotaur-style battle suit approached their area and asked, "Excuse me, is anyone sitting here? May I join you?"
Catherine was about to decline, not used to sitting with strangers, but when she saw the secret hand gesture from the Minotaur, she paused.
"Nobody's here, suit yourself," Catherine said with an odd expression.
Upon recognizing the gesture, she knew who it was—no wonder she thought the Long Yue on stage seemed peculiar. It was actually a decoy; the real Long Yue was the Minotaur.
This was different than what Catherine had anticipated. She didn't understand Mai Yue's motives and silently frowned.
Thankfully, her battle suit completely concealed her face, and no one could see her expression.
The Minotaur sat down on the adjacent sofa, and the three of them were seated within the same small area, with no one else entering.
"My codename is Bull," Long Yue said, curiously eyeing Lin Shen beside her.
She knew the woman next to her was Catherine, but who was this man that Catherine brought to the debate event and personally escorted into the venue? Long Yue sensed something unusual.
She even speculated whether Catherine's idea for a masquerade debate had anything to do with this man.
"I am Zhao Zilong," Lin Shen introduced himself graciously.
Long Yue appeared to pause for a moment upon hearing the codename Lin Shen gave, though it wasn't quite noticeable.
"My codename is Changban Slope," Catherine declared her alias as well.
Long Yue looked from Catherine to Lin Shen and nodded, "Your codenames sound peculiar, I wonder what they mean?" Your next chapter is on Freewebnovel
"They are the names of two famous generals from ancient times in my homeland," Lin Shen explained, scrutinizing this individual claiming to be Bull.
He realized that this 'Bull' was indeed not a Bull at all, but the real organizer of this debate event, Long Yue.
No wonder he thought there was something off about not seeing Mosaic on Long Yue earlier. The real Long Yue was not on stage, he mused, intrigued by why she would present herself as a regular participant here.
"I see," Bull replied without further inquiry and turned to Catherine, "Changban... That name is a bit tricky to pronounce... I'll just call you Slope... What is your opinion on the topic of this event?"
"The cosmic races have evolved to a point where social stratification is firmly entrenched. The powerful clans will only gain more resources, accelerating their development and evolution, leading to an increase of exceptional talent emerging..." Normally, Catherine wouldn't bother answering such a question from anyone else, dismissing them as foolish.
However, when Long Yue posed the question, Catherine still elaborated a bit, not really focused on the topic and merely reciting some common platitudes.
"Brother Zilong, what do you think?" Long Yue listened intently, then shifted her gaze to Lin Shen.
"My view is the same as hers, the strong get stronger," Lin Shen replied, preoccupied with how to get his hands on the Fire Seed before him. 𝔫𝖔𝖛𝖕𝔲𝔟.𝔠𝖔𝖒
He hadn't expected that a visit to the Diman Tribe would lead him to encounter not one, but two Heaven Defying Bones' Fire Seeds.
