Chapter 103: Speculations

The Crown Prince, however, remained unfazed. He turned away from his brother and addressed the crowd once more. "I must apologize for disturbing you all," he said in a voice that was both gentle and commanding.

"Please, continue to enjoy the raven festival and observe the trial. This day is for you."

The crowd, already filled with admiration for the Crown Prince, now felt a pang of guilt for their initial excitement. They quickly bowed their heads in respect, murmuring apologies and thanking him for his kindness.

The comparison between the two brothers was inevitable in their minds. The Crown Prince, with his grace and humility, seemed the embodiment of everything they admired, while Prince Anish, though powerful, lacked the warmth that endeared his brother to the people.

As the Crown Prince moved to observe the trial, the whispers of comparison began to spread through the crowd. 

"See how the Crown Prince respects us, even though we are mere commoners."

"Indeed, he is truly the son of heaven. And look at how he carries himself—so humble, so dignified."

"And then there's Prince Anish... He's strong, but can you imagine him caring about us like the Crown Prince does?"

The thoughts circulated silently, but the respect for the Crown Prince was clear on every face.

Prince Anish, who was never one to miss the subtle shifts in public opinion, caught the murmurs and saw the looks exchanged among the crowd.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the adoration directed toward his brother.

He knew well that public opinion was a fickle thing—one day it could be with you, and the next, it could turn against you.

He allowed a small, bitter smile to cross his lips as he thought to himself, "Enjoy it while you can, dear brother. Public opinion is as transient as the wind.

Today, they adore you, but tomorrow, who knows? People are quick to forget, and even quicker to shift their loyalties. We shall see how long you can keep them on your side."

With these thoughts lingering in his mind, Prince Anish joined his brother in observing the trial, but the gleam in his eyes hinted at the plans forming within his mind.

As the trials continued on the mountain, Ruchir was still fast asleep, seemingly lost in the depths of a particularly peaceful dream.

His face was serene, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips as if he were floating in a world of blissful contentment.

Meanwhile, atop a small platform where Principal Yuan stood overseeing the proceedings, the old man couldn't help but let out a long, exasperated sigh.

"To be so carefree in the midst of such an important trial…" Principal Yuan muttered to himself, shaking his head. He looked at Ruchir with a mix of bemusement and frustration.

"This boy… He's either supremely trapped in the trial or blissfully unaware of the gravity of the situation."

"Perhaps it's a special cultivation technique to break the sloth array? Or maybe he's just… ummm, lets not use my brain cells more than that."

The Principal rubbed his temples as he pondered the situation, but he was quickly distracted by the murmuring of the crowd below, who had also noticed Ruchir's unusually tranquil state.

Among them was Garret, who had been battling his way down the mountain until this unexpected scene stopped him in his tracks.

His jaw dropped, and he blinked several times to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"What in the name of all that is holy… Is he seriously sleeping right now?" Garret whispered to himself before his voice rose in disbelief.

"He's supposed to be climbing the mountain, not taking a nap! Is this some kind of joke? Is he that lazy, or has he transcended to a new level of laziness? How did this guy even get here?!"

Garret's incredulous commentary quickly caught the attention of those around him, and it wasn't long before the crowd below started buzzing with their own theories about what was happening.

The speculations ranged from the innocent to the outright absurd, each one causing Garret's expression to become more comical as he listened.

A well-dressed merchant with a penchant for storytelling leaned in close to his companion and whispered with a tone of genuine curiosity, "I think this young man must be in deep meditation. Perhaps he's connected with the very essence of the mountain itself, preparing for a great breakthrough!"

Garret, overhearing this, raised an eyebrow so high it nearly disappeared into his hairline. He muttered under his breath, "Meditation? Really? Deep meditation, while snoring? Sure, let's go with that… Next, you'll be telling me he's communicating with ancient spirits in his sleep!"

A scholarly-looking man, who had clearly studied the mystical arts, adjusted his spectacles and confidently declared, "No, no, that's not it. He must be testing a rare and powerful sleep cultivation technique. They say some martial artists can cultivate while dreaming, enhancing their strength tenfold!"

Garret's eyes widened at this, and he couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter. "A sleep cultivation technique? Well, if that's true, then I've been missing out on years of training while I was awake like a fool! Why didn't anyone tell me I could have been leveling up in my sleep all this time?"

A group of young, impressionable students, eager to impress with their 'insight,' began excitedly chattering among themselves. One of them piped up, "What if… What if he's actually not human? Maybe he's a spirit beast in disguise, and he's just recharging his energy! They say spirit beasts need lots of sleep, right?"

Garret's face went through a series of contortions as he tried to process this idea. Finally, he burst out laughing, almost doubling over in the process. "A spirit beast in disguise? As a human? And he's recharging? That's a new one! What's next, are you going to tell me he's actually a baby dragon taking a nap before revealing his true form? Oh, this is rich!"

An older, more cynical man, who had clearly seen his share of strange things in the world, grumbled loudly, "It's obvious, isn't it? This is all just an elaborate trick to make us think he's sleeping! He's probably plotting something, waiting for the perfect moment to strike while we're all distracted!"

Garret's laughter came to a sudden halt as he looked at the man with a mix of shock and amusement. "A trick? Seriously? Do you really think he's plotting world domination while snoring peacefully? You've got to be kidding me! I've seen some paranoid people, but this takes the cake!"

The variety of theories being thrown around left Garret in a state of amused disbelief. Each new idea seemed more ridiculous than the last, and he couldn't help but feel like he was stuck in some bizarre alternate reality where logic had completely flown out the window.

As the crowd continued to speculate wildly, Principal Yuan glanced down at them with a look of mild irritation. He could hear the murmurs and, more importantly, Garret's loud commentary. With a slight clearing of his throat, he decided to put an end to the nonsense.

"Enough of this foolishness!" Principal Yuan's voice boomed, silencing the crowd. "This young man is undergoing a trial of his own, and we shall not interfere with it. Whether he is asleep, meditating, or plotting world domination in his dreams is none of your concern!"

Garret, now thoroughly entertained by the entire situation, shrugged and muttered, "Well, at least someone's taking this seriously… But seriously, Ruchir, if you're planning to wake up anytime soon, that would be great."

As the crowd buzzed with wild theories about Ruchir's apparent nap on the mountain, both Prince Anish Bluefield and the Crown Prince watched the spectacle with mild amusement from their respective positions below. Standing side by side but separated by a gulf of rivalry, they exchanged a glance, their expressions carefully neutral but their eyes hinting at the ongoing political chess game between them.

"This has to be the infamous 'Laziness Trial,'" Anish said in a low, mocking tone, just loud enough for his brother to hear. "A trial meant to test whether one can overcome the urge to do nothing at all. Clearly, this boy has failed miserably."

The Crown Prince, ever the diplomat, allowed a small, knowing smile to curve his lips. "Or perhaps, dear brother, this is a clever tactic. In politics, as in trials, sometimes the most effective strategy is to conserve one's energy until the crucial moment. He might be conserving his strength for a sudden burst of brilliance."

Anish raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. "Ah, yes. Just like how you conserve your strength by delegating all the hard work to your ministers while taking the credit."

The Crown Prince chuckled softly, not rising to the bait. "And you, brother, always eager to throw yourself into the thick of things, end up expending energy on battles that could have been avoided. Efficiency is the key to longevity in our line of work."

The two princes shared a moment of silent understanding, their mockery of Ruchir merely a veiled exchange of their ongoing power struggle. As they turned their attention back to the trials, each man's mind was already calculating the next move in the delicate game of politics that played out far beyond the mountain's steps.

And with that, the crowd's attention slowly shifted back to the ongoing trials, leaving Garret shaking his head, a wide grin still plastered across his face . The bizarre episode would be one he'd remember—and laugh about—for a long time to come.