The knock came precisely ten minutes before the gathering. Silver had already finished dressing and was waiting for the clearly deliberately late Sander.

Unlike the Silver everyone remembered, he didn’t spend an hour choosing clothes to impress anyone.

The Academy candidates were being evaluated not attending a banquet. He was wearing a fitted black jacket, dark trousers, and combat boots. Simple and practical clothing.

The knock came again.

"Young Master," Sander’s voice came.

Silver opened the door. The servant immediately bowed.

"The Patriarch has ordered all qualified descendants to assemble in the training hall."

Silver nodded.

"I’m coming."

As they walked through the estate, Silver found himself observing Ruddington Manor more carefully than before.

The place was enormous. Several interconnected buildings surrounded a central courtyard. Training grounds occupied nearly half the estate. Even among the wealthy families of Delta-3 Sanctuary, the Ruddingtons stood at the top.

Which made sense. In the modern era, contractor families had effectively replaced old-world nobility. Money still mattered but strength mattered more.

A Rank 15 contractor could influence an entire Sanctuary. An Academy graduate could elevate a family for generations. And a powerful Contractor? That was the foundation upon which families rose and fell.

As they approached the training hall, voices became audible. Lots of them. The younger generation had already gathered.

Silver stepped through the doors. The hall was massive. Unlike ceremonial halls designed for appearances, this one existed for practical purposes. Everywhere he looked were training platforms, combat arenas, soul measurement devices, and testing equipment.

The future contractors of the family were evaluated here. Several dozen people already occupied the room and conversations filled the air.

Silver immediately noticed something unusual but also expected. The natural divide had already been formed. They stood in clusters and groups, alliances having already been formed.

The younger generation naturally divided itself according to talent and status. The most gifted stood near the center while the average remained around the edges.

Silver’s appearance caused several heads to turn. As expected whispers followed but he ignored them.

Then his gaze stopped.

"..."

’Well. This is new. What in the world is she doing here?’

Standing near the front was Cruella and beside her was Lucian Ruddington, his newly contracted cousin. He had a soul capacity of seven clearly talented among the newly awakened.

His cousin wore a pleased smile while Cruella wore a modest one. Both stood slightly closer than ordinary acquaintances. Cruella never stood that close to anyone publicly, even her admirers.

Silver immediately understood what was going on. The answer arrived seconds later.

A relative nearby spoke quietly.

"Did you hear?"

"About the engagement?"

"Of course."

"They announced it this morning."

Silver nearly laughed. The absolute timing was just diabolical.

The novel never mentioned this. Then again the novel never knew another person would occupy the obsessive Silver’s body.

Also, his warning had changed things. Cruella never entered the red zone and never obtained the fire elemental. She hadn’t experienced the events that originally pushed her toward certain allies.

The future was shifting, piece by piece.

As Silver found a place near the side, several more conversations reached him.

"Apparently she got a wind elemental."

"A rare one too."

"Her luck is unbelievable."

"That’s why the Patriarch likes her."

Silver nodded inwardly. That part tracked, even without the fire elemental beast, she’d still managed to obtain something exceptional.

Every heroine in the novel greatest cheat had never been talent, it was the absurd reality-defying luck. The sort that allowed someone to stumble into opportunities others searched for years to find.

A wind elemental.

It wasn’t as powerful as the fire elemental from the novel but still exceptional.

Meanwhile, the hall suddenly quieted. The Patriarch had arrived. The old man entered accompanied by several family elders. Everyone straightened immediately.

Silver followed suit.

The Patriarch’s sharp and cold gaze swept across the room, calculating. It was like a ruler examining assets not his grandchildren. Silver noticed the difference now more than ever.

The old man stopped near the front.

"Today marks an important occasion."

His voice carried effortlessly. The room fell completely silent.

"Several among you have completed your first integrations. A smaller number have demonstrated talent worthy of further investment."

The Patriarch paused then continued.

"Fewer still have qualified for Academy recommendation."

Everyone listened because this wasn’t merely about admission resources followed by recommendations.

The old man’s gaze lingered briefly on several people.

Cruella then went to Lucian, then others then moved.

"The Academy does not care for your surname."

That was a lie but a useful one.

"They care about results."

A much truer statement.

"The strong advance while the weak stagnate and the talented rise."

The room remained silent. The speech continued for several minutes longer. Nothing surprising just the usual. About strength, discipline, responsibility, and family honor, just the usual themes.

Then the actual process began. Three letters were brought in on a small tray by George.

"The Academy has sent three recommendation letters to every major family in the Delta-3. As usual, you will be undergoing a simple test for the letters."

He calmly said and picked the letters from the tray. George bowed and stepped back.

"Before we start, there is one letter that will be given to someone special. Cruella step forward."

Silver lost his breath almost stumbling. His assumption came true. They were really a cannon fodder family. Just because she got engaged she’s now part of the family and got a special pass.

He wanted to shout that an engagement could be broken at anytime but he didn’t want to destroy his chances of getting the letter. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

He could only watch in absolute rage as she was personally handed the free pass by the Patriarch that the most talented always got.

The Patriarch signaled toward one of the training platforms.

"The remaining candidates will demonstrate their capabilities."

A simple and direct method. This was a contractor family and results mattered. One after another, candidates stepped forward. They did combat demonstrations, soul synchronization tests, and control assessments.

Nothing excessively complicated. The Academy would perform its own evaluations anyway. This merely determined internal ranking.