Chapter 1573: Respecting Reality, Rational Part-time Work

Regarding the scene unfolding before him, Xia Duo had anticipated it before coming, but what he hadn't expected was that there would be so many in favor!

Aside from the dozen or so people who initiated the motion together with Jibusen, there were actually another dozen or so who, without prior warning and risking the danger of being liquidated afterward, made such a choice.

By contrast, the thirty-plus people who clearly opposed it appeared particularly prominent; whether they were deliberately speculating or simply ignorant, their ideological awareness was ultimately too poor.

To put it bluntly, it was that they perhaps did not identify with the philosophy of the Progress Society, or even if they did, they dared not pay the price for it at a critical moment!

As for those who abstained, Xia Duo found it difficult to judge their true thoughts for the time being; perhaps they believed the conditions for building a branch in the Territory were not yet mature, or perhaps they had other ideas.

Take Dien for example; although he had received Xia Duo's attitude regarding the construction of a Progress Society branch in the Territory from him beforehand, during the vote just now, he neither agreed nor opposed, which clearly showed he had his own judgment.

Xia Duo decided to talk to these people individually after the meeting.

As for now, let the meeting continue.

Before coming, Xia Duo had already considered that if the motion proposed by Jibusen and the others could pass, it would mean the ideology and philosophy of the Progress Society had already taken root in people's hearts, and he would let the Progress Society actively enter the Territory and participate in various affairs of the Territory, thereby rapidly spreading its influence.

If it could not, the plan to bring the Progress Society's philosophy into the Territory could not stop there, but would instead shift to the Territory inviting Progress Society members to enter the Territory and hold key positions.

The difference between the two lay in the positions and Permission Level; the former was far greater than the latter.

Although Xia Duo very much wanted to bring the Territory into a new realm of thought all at once, he also deeply understood the principles that "the economic base determines the superstructure" and "only when the granaries are full do people know etiquette"; the spread of any ideology must have its material foundation.

Furthermore, this ideology was built on the foundation of objective Reality, and it had to conform to the actual situation of Reality even more.

If it were forcibly promoted, it would inevitably degenerate into empty preaching, thereby evolving into a farce of alternative proselytizing.

The Progress Society was not a role-playing game Xia Duo created out of boredom, but a cradle of thought with which he truly and genuinely hoped to transform the world.

Today, four years later, the Progress Society is gradually moving toward maturity, and on many issues, it may not necessarily be shallower in its considerations than he is.

Therefore, as long as the Progress Society's original intention remains unchanged and its ideals do not alter, Xia Duo does not intend to overly interfere with the internal decision-making of the Progress Society.

Even now, if he were to raise an objection to the result of the vote just now, it would be very easy to re-vote and get a result completely opposite to the previous one, but he would not do that.

On one hand, perhaps the objective conditions for actively spreading the Progress Society's ideology are not yet mature; on the other hand, and perhaps more importantly, he does not want to treat the Progress Society as a puppet under his command that only knows how to obey orders timidly.

What he needs is a group, a large group, of like-minded people who are continuously advanced in both thought and practice; only in this way will the ideal of creating a new era and a new civilization not be an empty phrase.

As for the so-called "ideal kingdom," Xia Duo is also looking forward to it!

……

After a moment of commotion, Dien quickly read out the next motion:

"With the Enlightenment Book nearing completion, and under the premise that the Tower of Time is about to expand, the Academic Affairs Office is currently in urgent need of teaching staff. At the invitation of the person in charge of the Academic Affairs Office, Mage He Sai, the Progress Society will station more members into the Academic Affairs Office to become full-time Teachers. Does anyone have any objections?"

"I have an objection." This was the first time someone had spoken during the discussion phase of this meeting.

Many people turned their gazes toward Xia Duo, which to a certain extent also affected Dien. Regarding this, Xia Duo did not speak, but only sent a Sending to Dien to pay attention to controlling the atmosphere of the venue.

With Xia Duo's clear Indication, Dien immediately said: "In a collective meeting, everyone should speak freely; do not have any concerns!"

"I know that the Academic Affairs Office is short of people, and many of us serve as full-time Teachers in the Academic Affairs Office, but others also have their own things to be busy with. Rash adjustments will likely cause no small amount of chaos."

After this person finished speaking, someone immediately stood up to raise a different opinion, "I believe that others have their own things to be busy with, but as for saying that work adjustments will cause chaos, I don't believe it.

"Like many people, I also took establishing my own Independent Research Lab as my first choice after obtaining a Level 1 official title, but one must know that not everyone has the talent like Tilake or Daiwei.

"During this period, I have held concurrent posts in the Magic Technician Department, occasionally gone to the Academic Affairs Office to help with teaching, and even spent time in multiple Independent Research Labs. I clearly saw that compared to personnel shortages, part-time personnel are more likely to trigger chaos.

"Moreover, I have deeply realized the gap between myself and Tilake and Daiwei, and even more recognized the importance of being down-to-earth.

"Originally, I had decided to end my part-time work recently and go full-time in the Magic Technician Department, but now that the Academic Affairs Office is short of people, I am willing to join the Academic Affairs Office and become a full-time Teacher.

"After such stable work, I can also gain more time to attend study classes. By working hard to enrich myself at the current stage, there may not be no chance to catch up with Daiwei and the others in the future."

These words contained both his compromise with Reality and his expectations for the future, and to a large extent, they voiced the inner thoughts of many people present.

Although they were already the best among the Mages of the Tower of Time, there is always someone better than the best, and recognizing oneself and not making blind choices is also a kind of Wisdom.

Just as this New Mage named "Saisi" said, only by working hard to enrich oneself now is there a possibility of truly catching up.

……

Next, many more people expressed their views. Dien summarized these views and opinions and, combined with the motion, arrived at a new motion that most people approved of:

"Part-time work is a favor the Tower of Time grants to New Mages, but the issue of part-time work has already triggered many problems. As progressive Progress Society members, we need to fully consider the purpose of our part-time work and its impact, and not engage in meaningless part-time work."

Motions like this put up for discussion at a collective meeting mostly did not have specific methods, only Guidance in the general direction, because specific methods largely belonged to the Permission Level of the Tower of Time.

At present, the Progress Society had not yet fully merged with the management system of the Tower of Time.

"For this motion, those in favor please raise your hands!"

A great rustle went through the room; except for a very few who still insisted on their own views, the vast majority of people had already formed a consensus during the discussion just now, and this vote was more like going through the motions.

But form is sometimes also very important, especially within a normally functioning organization; form is order.

The so-called "having a just cause" and "do not say you were not warned" refer to the importance of this kind of form.

……

Next, Dien read out several more motions one after another. Except for the two sensitive motions at the very beginning, these subsequent motions all triggered heated discussions among the crowd.

Seeking common ground while reserving differences is an important principle within the Progress Society, but this does not mean unlimited tolerance. Before seeking common ground while reserving differences, there is often another sentence—

Adhere to ideals and beliefs, adhere to the basic line!

And this also gave birth to the important criterion of criticism and self-criticism.