The long and grueling examination process for the sons of merchants seeking entry into the bureaucracy had finally concluded. The great hall, once filled with the rustling of papers and the scratching of quills, now stood quiet, its stone walls bearing witness to weeks of relentless scrutiny.
Alpheo, the overseer of the examination, stood at the head of the hall, a stack of neatly organized results in his hands. Out of the 220 who had attempted the rigorous tests, only 200 remained eligible. Twenty aspirants had been excluded, their lack of skill in reading, comprehension, and writing betraying them in the unforgiving rigor of the process.
