Chapter 23: Assigning Work

Arriving in a new environment, filled with both longing and anxiety for the future, Xia Duo could not fall asleep for a long time. Yet, compared to his days at the Old Neil Inn, Xia Duo felt incredibly at ease in the Mage Tower.

No one had a conflict of interest with him; the competition between Apprentices was more like that between students, without the notion that one could only profit by bringing others down.

The Mage Tower was a place of order, which was what Xia Duo was most satisfied with; it reminded him of the world before he transmigrated.

With various thoughts swirling, in a daze, Xia Duo did not even know when he had fallen asleep.

……

The next day, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Xia Duo suddenly threw off his blanket and jumped out of bed. "Tower Spirit, request: current time!"

"Apprentice Xia Duo, current time: 4:05."

Hearing that it was not yet time to "start work," Xia Duo breathed a sigh of relief. Wanting to sleep a bit more but worrying about missing the time, he took out the dictionary he had organized last night, which only had the first two letters and couldn't even be called a semi-finished product.

Borrowing the faint light of dawn, he began to read aloud and memorize.

When he grew tired of reading, he would take his wooden cup to the Wei Sheng Jian to scoop some water from the swirling pool to drink, moisten his throat, and then continue reading.

Xia Duo swore that even back when he took the college entrance exam, he had never been this diligent!

Truly, the environment can change a person!

……

While reading and memorizing, Xia Duo forgot the time, and it wasn't until the light in the room suddenly became bright that he realized the "wake-up prompt" had arrived.

The time was now 5:00 AM. Counting the "sleep prompt" at around 9:00 PM, the rest time planned by the Mage Tower for Apprentices was exactly 8 hours, which also matched the daily rest duration of an average Mage.

Of course, a plan is a plan, and reality is another matter; at the very least, Xia Duo had witnessed the Apprentices "fighting through the night" last night.

Xia Duo hurriedly packed his things, putting everything easy to carry into the inner pockets of his Mage robe, especially the portion of the dictionary he had organized last night; he even put that bottle of low-quality ink into his inner pocket.

Finally, he cupped a handful of water to splash his face haphazardly and then headed out.

Before opening the door, Xia Duo thought he should be quite early, as he had woken up before the "wake-up light" turned on and hadn't delayed much afterward, but when he arrived at the first-floor dining hall, he realized he was already considered late.

Some Apprentices had already taken the egg rolls and cheese meant for breakfast and left, while others were quickly finishing their food and finding a corner in the first-floor hall to read on their own. Because Xia Duo had just joined the Mage Tower and did not yet know how his subsequent work would be arranged, he could only follow suit, quickly finish his food, and go to the hall to wait.

He waited while silently reading and memorizing Netherese text.

During this time, the "nameless" Apprentices who had arrived yesterday also came over, but after they finished eating, they had nothing to do and began chatting in the hall, making the originally somewhat quiet hall exceptionally noisy.

Xia Duo couldn't help but frown. He had the mind to stop them, but since no one else stepped up, he was unwilling to be the first bird to stick its head out, instead using this noisy environment to train his focus.

This was one of the core elements of a Mage's Spellcasting; if one's focus was insufficient, even if one could cast a Spell, the probability of the Spell going out of control would far exceed that of someone with stronger focus.

Xia Duo came from the modern era, where all kinds of information temptations were varied and numerous; his focus was already somewhat inferior compared to the pure native Apprentices, and Xia Duo had already realized this point.

……

At 5:30, a middle-aged Mage arrived at the hall, and the entire hall instantly fell silent. The Apprentices who had not been assigned work all crowded around, and Xia Duo was no exception.

"Alright, 45 Apprentices left yesterday, and 26 new ones have joined. Involving the daily operation of this Mage Tower, the work of some of the original Apprentices will also be adjusted. Below, I will announce some jobs; those interested, please raise your hands to indicate. Those with experience will be prioritized."

It was unknown if a Spell had been cast, but this middle-aged Mage's voice was exceptionally loud, and his voice Echoed throughout the entire hall.

Xia Duo was thinking about what kind of work he could adapt to; it would be best if it were the kind of work that had free time now and then, so he could study Netherese text during his spare time.

But as for how it would actually turn out, he could only think about it; in the end, the decision rested with that middle-aged Mage in front.

"Arcane Garden, 5 people needed. Those with experience in farming or caring for plants are prioritized!"

As soon as the words fell, seven or eight hands were raised. Xia Duo thought for a moment and also raised his hand; farming and caring for plants should have quite a bit of free time, and Xia Duo also had some experience.

Before transmigrating, Xia Duo had grown daffodils, asparagus ferns, and cacti, and had also raised fish, so he should count as having experience. Moreover, living in Huaxia, he had passively absorbed quite a bit of agricultural Knowledge through osmosis, so Xia Duo considered himself capable of adapting to this work.

The middle-aged Mage casually pointed at 5 people, including Xia Duo, called them to one side, and then continued: "Processing Spellcasting materials, 16 people needed! Those with relevant experience are prioritized."

Whoosh, good heavens, except for Xia Duo and the others who had already been called to the side, almost everyone else raised their hands.

The middle-aged Mage called those who didn't raise their hands to one side and continued to ask: "Cooking in the kitchen, 5 people needed."

He crossed off 5 people.

"Material Department, 5 people needed, requires a foundation in writing and arithmetic."

He crossed off another 5 people.

Afterward, he did not ask people to raise their hands, but instead crossed off the 16 people for processing Spellcasting materials; the rest were all cleaning staff, whether it was cleaning the interior of the Mage Tower or going to the laundry room to wash clothes, it all counted.

Xiao Nier was picked back and forth, and in the end, became a cleaning staff member.

……

After the work was assigned, the middle-aged Mage had everyone register their names and left a record. Afterward, he let all the Apprentices arrange their own work, only saying one sentence: those whose attendance did not meet the standard at the end of the month would have their wages deducted.

Xia Duo noticed that when this middle-aged Mage was about to leave, his gaze deliberately lingered on him for a few seconds, as if he were looking at the name embroidered on his chest.

He didn't know if it was good or bad.

……

The Arcane Garden was located on the second floor of the Mage Tower and was a fairly large plain. Among the 4 Apprentices heading to the Arcane Garden with Xia Duo, one was an Official Apprentice with a "name" just like him.

Along the way, this Apprentice named Sami was quite talkative, almost overturning Xia Duo's impression of the Mage Tower Apprentices again. However, judging from the way Sami was subtly probing into Xia Duo's background, the Mage Tower Apprentices were not as "oblivious to the world outside" as Xia Duo had previously thought.

That was fine too; if they were all really like robots, thinking about it was truly a bit terrifying.

"By the way, Sami, have you worked in the Arcane Garden before? What do you usually do there?" Xia Duo asked.

"Never been there, but my younger brother once worked in the Arcane Garden. The work there isn't complicated; usually, it's only tiring for one or two days a week, and the rest of the days are generally just clearing weeds, pests, and the like."