BXBX NOVEL Chapter 83 Blast Out
That was all she needed. After receiving the governor's endorsing signal, Adalia carefully lifted the ladle to the tip of the pole. She could feel everyone staring at her, so after she took a deep breath, she slowly poured down the water down the throat of the bamboo pole.
A thick mist of anxiety saturated the open space. Every single one watched with eager eyes, and nervous minds as the water trickled down the ladle into the pole. There was no telling what would happen next. Their minds struggled to keep up with the plot, eagerly anticipating what would happen next.
In accordance with the increasing volume of water, the pitch rose as well, signaling that the water inside the bamboo pole was about to overflow. Adalia's sensitive ears picked this up since she was the closest person to the experiment. She didn't know what she was supposed to do at this point, so, she simply kept pouring. Unknown to the poor clueless girl, she was about to receive the shock of her life.
With the time of the plot twist drawing close, the doors of expectation began to open wider and wider in the minds of everyone present. The entire room seemed to hold their breath as they waited for even the slightest sign of what was to come. They were not disappointed.
What they were waiting for finally came. There was no sign, there was not even the tiniest indication of what was to come. In spite of the fact that they were all aware that something superficial and magnanimous was about to happen, they were still taken completely unawares.
With the chilling suddenness of a natural disaster, and with the cold stealth of nature's slickest predators, the result of Xzavier's display crept up on them. Just as the water level in the bamboo pole was about to overflow, the bucket burst open! Shattered in several irreparable pieces, the way and manner with which the bucket had burst open had the likeness of a detonating atomic bomb, but on a much smaller scale.
Being the closet one to the carnage, and being the one whose heart was the most fixated on Xzavier's display of power, Adalia very nearly had a heart attack when the bucket exploded suddenly, and without warning. She remembered the way Xzavier had launched similar explosions in their battle against the orcs. This PTSD from that sight further augmented her fear. So, without even knowing it, her mouth opened, and from the depth of her soul, she screamed out in fright! She almost doubled over in panic if not for Xzavier's sturdy hands gripping her tightly on her waist.
The others weren't left out. They all had their share of the cake that was shock. Everyone felt the same equal amount of terror and surprise, but outwardly, it seemed like some were more shocked than others. Dale and Laddie who had been the chief doubters, found their hopes of Xzavier's failure dashed to pieces along with the obliterated, sturdy bucket. Plastered on their faces was the type of look of surprise that one only got to see once in a lifetime. They were well and truly flabbergasted. There was no hiding it.
Within them, the insides churned as a result of the internal conflict raging within them as they were forced to admit that they had been wrong. For cocky, self-confident men like them who had never known doubt, defeat or loss, all their adult lives, this was a teachable moment for them. It was a lesson that life truly had more to offer, and most times, it almost always comes through mediums that one would never suspect.
The rest of them including the governor and his daughter drank in the scene with a mixture of shock, and a giddiness that was born from having witnessed a thrilling scene. As the novelty of the surprise slowly dissipated, the hungry look in their eyes suggested that they wanted more!
They thought that what Adalia had just done was a mere teaser of what was to come! They thought that Xzavier would step in at the last moment with some powerful display of power and dazzle them all with the finishing move.
While the others dealt with their individual reactions, Laddie pored over every single detail of Xzavier's performance, from the beginning, up till the very moment when it had manifested. At the end of the old man's analysis, he was still shocked to the bones!
Magic was his specialty, and yet, there hadn't been a single shred of magic involved in the process. If there was, he would have detected it. No matter how the old man tried to look at it, he found himself getting more and more bedazzled by the second! To do this without even using a little bit of magic would be practically impossible. It was truly an outstanding feat.
Another thing Laddie noticed was how Xzavier had cunningly remained aloof from his own performance. It was a clever move on his own end to remove every suspicions of foul play. Laddie was the one who had brought up the bamboo pole using magic, so its credibility couldn't be questioned. It was also the same Laddie who had had stuck it down the bucket using his own hands! Looking back now, the old man realized that Xzavier hadn't even done a single thing!
Adalia was the last piece of the puzzle. The old man tried to find an opening there, but that also proved to be a real bust. If Xzavier had poured the water himself, the old man would have suspected that he had maybe tampered with the water by leaving traces of magic there. But it was Adalia who had been the instrument of the hour.
He knew that the young girl well enough to know that she knew very little about magic. In fact, she possessed very little affinity for the craft. Also, the old man could vouch that the servant girl wouldn't do anything to compromise her position in the Governor's household by aiding and abetting a stranger to defraud her employer.
Laddie was bewildered. No matter how he tried to look at it, he couldn't point a finger at any loop hole, especially since he himself had contributed to over fifty percent of the whole performance. So, unwillingly, he had been a willing participant in lending credence to the authenticity of Xzavier's performance. When the story of what had happened here would be recounted in the future, people would say 'The senior mage himself had provided the materials, so it has got to be legit.'
It dawned on Laddie that Xzavier had used him, and in the most subtle way. It was a cold, calculated move. And because he had been clouded by his own doubts, he hadn't been able to see it coming. No doubt, the old man knew that this was all far from being a coincidence. In fact it was a well scripted performance that had been executed deftly, leaving absolutely no room for doubt and no holes in the plot.
Utterly outmaneuvered, the old man resigned to the fact that there was absolutely nothing he could disprove. He once again sighed inwardly, Xzavier had proven to be a forward thinker. This entire thing had altered his scope of the world. At his advanced age, he didn't think this was even possible. This disturbed him greatly, and belittled his seemingly profound wisdom.
Of the entire group, the quickest mind to regain its composure was that of the Governor's. This was due to so many reasons, but it was mainly because he was a politician. And even from the dawn of time, from the the earliest civilizations, to the time of the Roman who initiated and perfected the parliaments system, politics has always demanded a certain level of guile and emotional manipulation.
So, for an experienced politician like the governor who was adept at masking his true emotions, hiding his true feelings was second nature to him. Despite the fact he was shocked to the same degree and on the same level as Laddie,, he still somehow managed to keep his reactions in check. Of course, much like everyone else, he was astounded, but he didn't let it show too much. In fact, he was the only one who remained objectively sane about the performance. While the others were still swimming in the pool of shock and disbelief, the calm, but authoritative voice of the governor came, breaking the spell of silence.
"Xzavier, is there anyone else who has the ability to destroy the bucket in this same manner?"
Xzavier wasn't quick to answer. But eventually, he nodded in affirmation, further uplifting the governor's spirits.
The governor, with his face frozen in a mask of serene calm, he coolly nodded back at Xzavier, as if he would have been indifferent about it if she answer had been different from what he had been expecting. He lifted his head towards Adalia who for some odd reason, was very much still on top of Xzavier's shoulders.