Approximately three thousand students are standing under the morning sun, listening to the opening speech by Abbot Everson, who's standing on the second floor balcony of the middle tower, the balcony of his own office. Xiao wondered if Abbot Everson is trying to looking like the Lord of Creation they're worshiping. His stark white hair was kept long and dropped to his chest, similar to the statue in the main hall, and the Abbot is wearing white and gold. Who knows, maybe he is trying to mimick the statue.
Xiao isn't particularly religious, but many said she should be grateful to the Lord since she's blessed with the ability to use magic very well.
The speech itself was an hour long, and students didn't dare to fall asleep because anyone who did would be disqualified from the competition. The speech was followed by a song, and then the Abbot blessed the students with a prayer.
