Grandmaster Amory sighed at the youth's brash behavior before continuing forward.
"Anyway. What was I saying? Yes!
You can always create a plan for yourself. And if it works out for you, well done! But be prepared to act spontaneously if it fails. After you have your Plan A and Plan B, Plan C should always revolve around having no plan at all. And you need to find a way for Plan C to work for you.
You may think that what I say doesn't apply to you because you still have plenty of time for yourself. But you need to understand that time is fleeting. There may be second chances in life. But they are not for everyone.
You'll blink one day and find out that you are too old to do anything you wanted to do for your whole life. Most of us, most of the time, get only one shot at doing something. So remember my words next time you feel like passing up an opportunity just because you feel like there's soon to be another."
***
'This old man is distributing gold with his words but most of them won't get it.'
Eren sighed as he looked at the crowd below. He understood Amory's speech more deeply than the rest. That's because he knew exactly what he was talking about. After all, he was one of the rare few who got a second chance in life.
Amory didn't feel like he was wasting his breath speaking to the younger generation. Unlike the butcher, the teacher in Amory expected the best from his students. And that mindset allowed Amory to make a deep impression on his audience.
"A ranker's life is longer than a mortal's. But our suffering is also greater than theirs. So can we call ourselves superior beings to mortals?
When life is long, our struggles get stretched out. Our experiences get stretched out. Compared to us, mortals live short lives and manage to feel every emotion and experience we feel and go through. And in the end, we all have to call it quits. So isn't it better to live a mortal life?
I'd say the answer depends on how you carve out a path for yourself from the valleys of misery as a ranker. Mind you, becoming a Grandmaster or even a Sage is not the only measurement of success in a ranker's life. There are other scales as well that are too broad to put into words.
I'll wrap up with this– don't feel entitled to anything you struggle for. Because once you make it to the point of making it, you will start appreciating the struggle that almost broke you. You need that appreciation to make sense of your life."
A long silence ensued when Amory finished speaking. The array on which he was standing dimmed down when he didn't speak for a certain period. It was a while before someone somewhere in the audience clapped.
That clap was followed by another bunch of claps before it turned into applause. The old man smiled before raising his hand and releasing a powerful violet flame from his palm.
The violet flame turned white before taking the shape of a white raven. A mythical bird looked down upon the sea of people and crowed at them harshly before dispersing into thin air.
Almost everyone in the audience got goosebumps after an A-ranked entity manifested his powers for them. They clapped even louder to express their joy. Several rankers began calling Amory their teacher and decided to seek his recognition in the future.
The Grandmaster's speech was over. And now it was the guild master's turn to say a few words. Eren started walking towards the array Amory was standing in earlier. And the latter started walking towards the back of the platform. The two met in the middle.
"You did well, old man."
Eren said to Amory privately before walking past him. The old man chuckled and nodded without turning back. Amory believed that what Eren said to him just now was genuine praise and not just a formality. And for some reason, Amory thought that a few words of appreciation from Eren were much more significant than all the applause he received from everyone combined.
Eren stopped inside the array and stood motionlessly for a while with his hands behind his back. His stance made him look like a typical army veteran except for the normal clothes he was wearing.
Everyone in the audience was looking forward to Argo's concert at this point. And Eren was just an Adept ranker despite being the guild master of the White Raven guild. So, some fringe elements in the audience started demanding the start of the concert already.
It could be said that Argo was partly to blame for the audience's reaction. The demon had done a fantastic job advertising his content. The impact of the advertising was so massive that the celebration became less about Amory's breakthrough and more about Argo's concert.
"Mister Guild Master, step aside. This isn't your time to garner attention for yourself."
"Damn right. Don't ride on Grandmaster Amory's clout, Eren Idril. Nobody wants to hear your sales pitch for your guild."
"So what if you are a guild master? Come down this instant and let the concert I paid for start already. Or else…"
Eren didn't mind that he was being told to go back or come down the stage. He smiled and relaxed his stance. Driving fingers through his hair, he massaged his neck a bit. A Sativa Stick was conjured from thin air before it was lit. Taking a long drag of his smoke, the butcher spoke calmly and sinisterly.
"If anyone dares to make any further noise while I speak, I'll just ban them permanently from ever stepping foot in the city of White Raven. And I won't take responsibility for what happens to them once I kick them out of my city.
I hear Grim Pillar Town is a fun place. Wonder what it takes to become its permanent resident?"
As he said that, the butcher let his aura spread throughout the surroundings. And suddenly, the audience started experiencing silence even more deafening than before when Amory was speaking.
