Arena Three, Noon
The crowd arrived early. Much earlier than they should have.
And despite the bigger venue, it was still the same people from yesterday's spectacle who filled it out before the exam had even started.
No newcomers were allowed. That had been a unanimous decision by the master mechanics.
Not because they wanted to hoard knowledge or play favorites—no, it was because no one wanted to deal with questions.
Questions like, "How did he do that?" or "What technique was that called?" or the dreaded "Where can I learn to make something like that?"
No one had answers. No one wanted to pretend they did. So the solution was simple. Only allow people who have already accepted their ignorance.
Strangely enough, this meant the entire mecha manufacturing faculty got the day off. Mostly because none of them returned to their classrooms yesterday.
