Hajin stood without answering, pushed both hands into his pockets, then walked toward the desk beneath the weight of three expectant stares that had already decided he would embarrass the machine.
He kept his expression flat because Elise already looked ready to celebrate whatever impossible number appeared.
'A high rank would be useful,' he thought, stopping in front of the device, 'but being memorable to every guild office in the kingdom would not.'
He removed one hand from his pocket, then placed his palm against the transparent orb.
The crystal vibrated against his skin while the blue line inside it moved toward the center of his hand.
"Remember that the device only reads what you give it," Allen said, with quiet focus replacing his earlier amazement, "if you hold back, the result will be skewed."
"I am not going to hold back," Hajin muttered, knowing the answer was not entirely true.
