It was the day of the Federal Competition. Today, it would be broadcast through the radio and the thing some inventors called television. Well, it was only in black and white though as they could not transmit images with color yet.

But it was enough to stir up the competitive spirit as well as showing to the rest of the powerhouses of the continent that Hinon Federation was capable of nurturing talents.

At this day, Charlene was escorted to the venue of the competition with her father using his car to get there.

She looked around to see many buildings standing high. It was probably more than a two-story building that she saw around her residence. She used to seeing them but she wondered how the human civilization could develop so fast.

She also wondered if she could at least see Father God. It was because many scientists were discussing that figure in human history who suddenly appeared and aided humans to the present day.

She also wondered about the Star Battle…

But all that had to be suspended as she would attend the Federal Competition. Charlene had registered herself with the consent of both of her parents. In fact, they even said to her to reconsider her decision.

She could only reply that she wanted to participate due to her own will.

“Haa…” Charlene used her hand to cover her opened mouth. She was a bit sleepy because she reviewed all the necessary material that would appear in the Federal Competition.

“Are you still sleepy, sweetie?” her mother asked in concern.

“A bit. But it will not hinder me.” Charlene replied with a hint of enthusiastic sound.

“We will arrive at the venue shortly.” Her father notified both her mother and her.

After a while, Charlene saw a large group of people on the side of the large road leading to a large building. That particular building was circular and could accommodate one hundred thousand people.

It was the building that would be used as the venue for the Federal Competition.

There was also a place where people could park their cars and that was where they were headed. After parking the car, Charlene and her parents went to the venue by walking.

“Dad, Mom, why is there a lot of people here?” Charlene did not know that the Federal Competition became so famous that people gathered for it.

“They wanted to see the most talented youth in the Hinon Federation.” Her father held her hand as they walked and replied to her question.

Charlene was surprised to hear that. She did not expect that so many people wanted to see the talented youth.

They walked for a while before they reached a queue. It was the queue for the entrance to the venue. There were two queues. One of which led to the spectator place where the viewer was placed while the other led to the competition venue.

Charlene and her parents were in the second queue. They managed to see many kinds of people.

Then they entered the venue after a while. Inside, they saw many youths with their parents discussing something.

They also saw some of the committee members who were talking to the families that gathered here. They came closer to listen in. It was actually the procedure of confirming the registration. Charlene and her parents listened attentively.

“Now that the explanation is done, please confirm your previous registration with this paper here!” the committee members then waved the paper to show the audience.

The paper was distributed and everyone there could see that it was indeed the confirmation of the previous registration. Then Charlene entered her necessary information as well as her registration form to be sure.

When the committee member saw Charlene and went to pick up the paper, she saw that there was also some information about the participant.

‘This is…’ a brief glance caused her heart to flutter. It was because she had heard about this child prodigy. How could she not? The entire newspaper and even the radio announced the new model for the mind through the collaboration of a child.

And right now, that child was in front of her. She did not know what kind of expression she made but she knew that the competition would become more interesting.

But she was also a professional and could maintain her expression. She smiled as she took the paper as if nothing had happened. But Charlene who was observant caught on the small shift of the eye from the committee member and knew that she probably saw her registration form.

Charlene did not mind it. It was just that she was used to people reacting to her being the prodigious girl.

 

-

 

The time for the competition drew near. The spectators were already in their place, preparing to watch the competition with fervent spirit.

This was also the first time that Hinon Federation carried out such an activity. It was basically promoted to all citizens of the federation.

The contestants were also preparing themselves as they also needed to cool their heads and calm their minds. They could not fail due to the trivial reason like being affected by their emotion, couldn’t they?

The inside of the circular building was also built circular following the foundation of the building structure. The spectators were on the outer ring of the circle while the center of the ring was the place where the participant would compete.

The violet sun reached the top of the head the moment the competition started. By then, the sound of the spectators overwhelmed the competition venue. Their excited cheering signaled the start of the competition as someone stood on the stage that everyone could see.

 

Around the stage, there were numerous tables with a certain red button atop it. There were also numerous tools and papers accompanying the button. That was the place where the participant would be placed.

And Charlene went to her designated place. She felt a bit nervous as the cheering from the spectators affected her. But she calmed herself quickly as she regarded this as just another place to showcase her ability.

With that, her gaze changed to that of the one who could analyze things quickly and effectively. But the first thing she heard was not the competition but the opening words from the committee members.

The sound was delivered through the loudspeaker from the MC on the stage.

 

“Everyone, welcome to the first Federal Competition that Hinon Federation organizes to you the federation's citizens. Today we will be arranging for competition for children in the range of elementary school to high school students to see their intellect as well as their knowledge.

“Only those who are confident in their child will let them participate in this competition. Look at the tables over there everyone, it is the place where the participant will be competing!”

The committee member who became MC pointed toward the tables where the participants were standing, ready for the competition.

 

“Now, let us not wait any longer and introduce the most important figure in this competition. He is the one who has led the academics of the Hinon Federation for years, Mister Elio!”

Then someone stepped onto the stage. He was a middle-aged man with a mustache and a small goatee. His forehead was filled with wrinkles and some age spots around his cheeks. He wore a black formal suit with matching black long pants.

Then the figure which was Mister Elio grabbed the device that was used to help amplify his voice and started speaking.

“Today, I am honored to be one of the juries for the competition. As this is the first time this event is carried out, we can only do our best and see where the event will lead us. I don’t like to waste time so I will announce a few things.

“First, the competition is about a simple question and answer. As announced in the newspaper, radio and television, the competition will be carried out in the manner of answering the question provided by the committee.

“Second, there is a limited amount of time to answer each question. If no participant answers it then they will not get any points. Answering the question correctly will give you one point. The juries will decide whether the answer is correct or not based on the question. As for wrongly answering the question, they will be deducted one point.

“If the participant wants to answer the question, press the red button on your table and speak your answer with the device available just like me.

“Is that understandable?”

 

Mister Elio gave the simple rules regarding the competition as well as the type of competition. This gave the spectator the idea of how the competition would be carried out.

 

“If there is nothing more, we will start the competition. The jury will be seated…here.” Mister Elio walked to the edge of the stage near the backstage where there were chairs and a large table.

Along with Mister Elio, three more people were seated in the jury seat.

Only after Mister Elio sat down did the competition begin. The MC then announced the first question. It was actually from history subject.

“When the first Star Battle happened, what was used as the decisive victory against the invading dwarves' army?”

Just after the question was announced, someone already pressed the button. All the eyes then looked toward the one who caused this. It was because when someone pressed the button, a loud noise could be heard throughout the venue.

 

“Ahem, is this working? Oh, it is.” A girl’s voice could be heard through the loudspeaker.

Then the girl’s voice continued, “It is by directing the stampede of the giant beast toward the dwarven army’s camp!”

 

After that, the spectator directed their gazes toward the juries. They found that the juries were a bit surprised too. They did not expect that someone could answer it so fast. But they composed themselves and gave their reply.

“Correct answer!” even Mister Elio knew this part of history and also gave the affirmative.

 

The one who answered earlier was actually Charlene, her eyes were like the birds of prey, sharp and focused. She was now entered her focused state which gave her confidence. Furthermore, the first question was too easy.

It was because she reviewed the history of the human race numerous times that she could even form a chronological timeline if permission allowed.

Some people started to look at her but most of them thought that this was just a stroke of luck. Charlene’s parents who were on backstage had heard their child’s voice. They did not expect her to answer it so readily without an ounce of hesitation.

 

Then the next question came. This time it was about math. Only after the question was said that another loud noise could be heard! Someone had pressed the button. It turned out that it was the same person.

“The answer is 145!”

The juries were also nodding in agreement. What they did not expect was that the girl was accurate and efficient enough that she answered the question right after it finished.

“Correct!”

 

One more point was given to Charlene. She was focused enough that she had totally forgotten about the spectators or even the jury. Only her and the question that was said, that was all in her current world.

As for the other participants, they did not expect that a girl answered the question at such speed. Some of them started to look at Charlene’s table and did not expect that it was that famous girl.

One of them knew who Charlene was from the newspaper that released the academic journal about the mind and consciousness. Even though it was a bit advanced, he knew the gist of it. And the one name on it turned out to be a young girl.

Even there was a photo for the related topic and he saw the photo. It was actually that girl!

‘How am I supposed to compete against such a prodigy!?’ the young man asked himself. He was actually a bit slower than Charlene but that decided his situation.

‘From the looks of it, she is knowledgeable in math and history. Is she also knowledgeable in another study?’ the young man thought of this possibility and denied it. It was because he had never seen anyone who could master a multitude of subjects.

The competition continued in that manner.

When the MC gave the question, as soon as it was finished, Charlene would just push the button and said the answer. It happened so often that people started to get lost in the feeling until…

“What caused the humans to be able to tame giant beasts such as Rex and Pterosaur?”

A loud noise came from Charlene’s table as soon as the question was done. She said, “It is because of the assistance of the mixture of the one called Mur. It is a mixture of several herbs as well as a small amount of the one known as iron ore. This mixture is used to confuse the sense of the giant beasts as well as make it easier for them to follow instructions…”

“Wait!”

Suddenly someone shouted. It was because the one who shouted was actually one of the participants.

 

Charlene stopped her words. It was because there was no rule that the contestant could not interrupt. But this also meant that the one who interrupted had to give the answer instead. At least that was how Charlene understood it.

“Your answer is wrong! The reason is because of the strength of the human race themselves. Mur is only an assisting mixture.”

The spectator was astonished. They were a bit confused as they did not know much about this as a new generation of humans. So they cast their glance at the jury.

But the jury did not say anything and only looked at the participants.

 

Charlene gave a sigh before she replied “Your answer is only half right. Strength is indeed needed to subdue and tame the Rex but for other people to be able to do it, they need the Mur mixture. It is the cause of the sudden development of the Rex Rider and the Pterosaur Rider more than fifty years ago. It is the breakthrough that allowed the human race to consistently tame those giant beasts. Do you understand?”

Her eyes stared directly at the one who raised the issue. She could not believe there were such people present as a competition participant.

‘This fool, do you even understand the question properly?’ the young man also admonished that participant in his head. He also did not expect that such person could even raise their objection like that.

The juries were surprised that the prodigious girl turned out to understand the matter's main issue. And her answer was detailed enough that people could understand the issue and the solution from that.

“Since her answer is correct, she will get another point to her. As for that participant, we will not give him the point. You all understand the reason right?” Mister Elio said to the spectator.

 

Of course, some of them did not understand but the kind people told them the legitimate reason. So the spectator understood that Charlene answered the question first correctly thus she gained another point. As for that participant, his answer was not even better than hers. So he could not get the point.

Every time the question was asked, Charlene would answer it correctly. So much so that the spectator could only see it as the show between Charlene and the MC.

As she was answering the question correctly, her points had grown to two digits while the other was still at zero points. This was an overwhelming performance by Charlene alone but even the juries could not stop it.

 

“Then the last question…” the MC suddenly got a request from Mister Elio and provided the final question. It was because everyone on the scene as well as the one in front of the television knew that Charlene was the winner of the competition already.

“What will be the future of our human race? This is unlike previous questions which have already set answers. This question is purely to test the vision of the participant so depending on their answer, the juries can give them points.”

 

At this moment, loud noises came from several tables and Charlene stopped herself from answering immediately.

“The human race will once again be united under the banner of the Hinon Federation. Through that, the development of all aspects will also be a done matter!” one of the participants who could not get a chance to answer revealed his answer immediately.

“We will reach an even greater height than our predecessor by developing ourselves as well as the dwarves. This is crucial because the dwarves have decided to live among us after all.” Another answer.

“We will be able to develop something that could bring humans to the path of transcendence.” The young man answered.

 

One after another answers were given. Each was good in its own way. Overall, they wished for the human race to develop better and at least reunite against outside enemies in the Star Battle.

But the jury noticed that Charlene was silent. She did not give her answer like the others. This piqued their interest.

“And the young lady over there. What is your answer?” Mister Elio spoke through the device that channeled his voice to the loudspeaker.

Charlene’s eyes gleamed for a moment before she grabbed the device that let her voice to reach even the spectator.