The rules were very simple, and the fact that each side was picking a random number made the contest quite fair. Furthermore, a contest of speed was the most direct and straightforward way to decide a winner.
However, the adorkable Amy created a stark contrast with the prodigious Fitch. Even if Fitch were to secure victory in this contest, it wouldn’t do much to enhance his reputation. Instead, it would actually be rather embarrassing for him regardless of whether he won or not.
The rules had been proposed by Mag, and he was using his own daughter to prove his point. In response, Erma was sending out his disciple, Fitch, to compete in his stead.
If Erma were to take the stage and compete against a little four-year-old girl, he would truly become the joke of the entire scholarly world regardless of the outcome.
Erma looked at Byron, and solemnly said, “Seeing as everything has been decided, let’s begin the contest.”This debate of numerical systems had been raging on for far too long. Even though they currently still had the situation under control, those revolutionaries were gaining more and more traction, and more and more people were becoming interested in the decimal system as well a the so-called Mamy Multiplication Table.
That was not good news for them, so they had to end this farce as quickly as possible. If they could prove that Mag, who had proposed the multiplication table in the first place, was nothing but a scam artist, then the wind would undoubtedly be completely taken out of the revolutionaries’ sails.
Byron turned to Mag to gather his opinion. Mag nodded in response, so Byron replied, “Alright, let’s begin.”
Mag leaned down with a smile, and said to Amy, “Amy, you have to go and solve a multiplication problem now. Just use the method that I taught you, then yell out the answer loudly as soon as you solve it.”
“Alright, I’ll win for sure.” Amy nodded confidently. She had been doing multiplication problems for half an hour every day under Mag’s tutelage during this recent period of time.
“She’s just a little brat who’s barely learned how to walk; you’re telling me she can solve a two-digit multiplication problem? What a joke!” Earlton pursed his lips with disdain as he looked at Amy. He had absolute confidence in winning this bet. After all, Fitch’s speed solving skills were quite extraordinary even to him.
Furthermore, this boy had limitless potential, and as long as he continued to be obedient, the conservatives would push him to even greater heights.“I’m Fitch.” Fitch made his way over to Amy and bent down slightly before offering his hand in a gentlemanly manner.
“I’m Amy.” Amy looked up at Fitch, and also extended a little hand of her own.
However, her hand was grabbed by a larger hand midway.
Mag gently tucked Amy’s little hand down by her side before looking at Fitch with a smile. “I think this is going to be an interesting contest.”
“Because you’ll be losing to an opponent called Amy,” Amy added with a serious expression.
Fitch stood up straight again with a smile, and replied, “I always look forward to interesting contests, but I’ve never come up against an opponent who could push me.”
A middle-aged man strode forward as the emcee, and loudly announced, “Both contestants will be given the same problem comprising of a multiplication problem with two numbers, each of which will be picked out by each side. Once the answers have been derived, they’ll be converted into decimal and hexadecimal forms for cross-referencing purposes. The one who gets the correct answer first will be the winner!”
Someone had already carried tables, chairs, paper, and quills over to Amy and Fitch, both of who were sitting with a distance of around three meters between them with their backs facing each other.
Amy gently placed Ugly Duckling onto the table, and whispered, “Don’t go anywhere or make a fuss, Ugly Duckling; I’ll be done soon. Otherwise, I’m going to eat you!”
“Meow~”
Ugly Duckling lay down obediently on the table, and didn’t dare to move even a single whisker.
Fitch sat down at his table with a calm expression. Just his presence alone seemed to carry a calming quality, and with him participating in the contest, it appeared that victory was assured for the conservatives.
Mag also received a quill and a piece of paper. After a brief period of contemplation, he wrote down the number “56” before handing the piece of paper to the emcee.
Erma did the same thing at almost the exact same moment.
Soon, both numbers were converted into decimal and hexadecimal forms before being given to Amy and Fitch, and the contest officially commenced.
Amy looked at the two numbers on her sheet of paper with a blank expression as if she had been completely shell-shocked, not even picking up her quill.
Meanwhile, Fitch picked up his quill as soon as the numbers were revealed to him before scribbling up a series of complex formulae and equations that were extremely difficult to follow.
Erma looked at the two of them with a confident smile on his face. With Fitch’s abilities, it would take him no more than an hour to solve this question. By then, that little girl would’ve most likely given up and fallen asleep already.
She’s not even picking up her quill; is she conceding her loss already? What a shameless bastard that man is, getting his daughter to take the fall for him! All of the conservatives heaved sighs of relief. They’d initially been a little worried that Mag had educated a brilliant prodigy, but it appeared that their concerns were completely unnecessary.
There was most likely no one in this world more proficient in speed solving than Fitch. Even if there was someone like that, it definitely wouldn’t be this little four-year-old half-elf girl.
Why isn’t she picking up her quill?
The revolutionaries were also growing rather flustered. Their hearts had already leaped to their throats when Mag thrust his daughter into this contest, and now, it appeared that their worst fears were going to be realized. This little girl was clearly throwing the match!
Has Amy mastered two-digit multiplication already? Luna was also looking at Amy with a nervous expression. Even for her, it would take at least a day to solve a two-digit multiplication problem using the hexadecimal system.
Three months ago, Amy couldn’t even remember any numbers; how was it possible that she had mastered such a profound and difficult skill so quickly?
Luna turned her gaze toward Mag, and all of her concerns were immediately quelled at the sight of the confident smile on his face.
Three months ago, Amy couldn’t even count numbers properly, but she mastered one-digit multiplication in just two months. With Mr. Mag here, nothing is impossible! With that in mind, Luna felt a lot more assured.
The entire hall was completely silent aside from the scratching of Fitch’s feather quill. Time seemed to have slowed down, thereby further exacerbating the nervous energy in the air.
Less than half a minute had passed when Amy suddenly murmured to herself, “16*56=896. That’s my answer, 896.”
She then picked up her quill for the very first time, and carefully wrote down those three numbers.
She put down her quill and picked up Ugly Duckling as she smiled, and announced, “I’ve got the answer; you’ve already lost!”
