The arena clerk arrived with a proposed plan for recording the contest. The official report would list Yan’s condition, while the crowd watched from the stands. The clerk said only Registry staff could copy the measurements.
Ning read the plan at the assembly yard table. “If the public can watch the test, why can’t they see the readings as they’re made?”
“The ceremony needs to move quickly,” the clerk replied. “A crowd with papers may become disorderly.”
Bai had returned from the south orchard and stood beside the supplies map. “The Registry chose the site, the arts and the judges. If the evidence stays hidden, there is no way to check what happened.”
Qiu listened without interrupting. “What do you propose?”
Qinghe suggested a slate for each examination. A physician would announce pulse, channel response and any visible injury. The clerk would write the values before the next technique. The Registry could keep its own report, but it would not replace the public readings.
Qiu studied the plan. “The arena staff must keep order.”
One apprentice asked if she could copy the measurements for her teacher. The clerk said that only the Registry could copy the official slate. Ning asked whether the girl could write down numbers after hearing them announced.
