Chapter 2314: Inspiring the Human Heart

Hearing Xia Duo's reminder, Depake immediately regained his focus, and in an almost instant, his will accommodated the Arcane Fire, after which he relied on instinct to expand it; the micro magic net expanded for the first time immediately displayed powerful potential.

The element turbulence that had leaked out within the laboratory due to the shattering and rioting of the magic net was brought under control within a very short time, and even further smoothed out.

Subsequently, Xia Duo also spread his own magic net toward every corner of the laboratory, and soon, the laboratory returned to calm; of course, this was merely a superficial appearance, as the shattered magic net had yet to be repaired, and once the two Arcanists left, this place would return to a state of riot.

"Mage Depake, congratulations on your successful advancement!"

The protection array that had almost completely isolated the magic net was shut down, and one by one, the Advanced Rank mages stepped forward to offer their congratulations to Depake; Xia Duo also nodded with a smile, welcoming Depake as a fellow traveler on the path of the Arcane.

From here on, as long as Depake did not die, he could eventually grind his way to becoming a Great Arcanist!

This was the best shortcut to becoming a Great Arcanist; Xia Duo did not know exactly how many people in all of Netheril were stuck as level 10 mages waiting to become Arcanists, but he knew that Depake had been waiting for this day for seven or eight years.

Of course, earlier it was due to an inability to level up, and later, it was only after receiving Xia Duo's systematic guidance that the idea of advancing to Arcanist was rekindled, and the path of advancement was not all smooth sailing.

But to be able to successfully advance at this age (over 50), one had to say there was still a bit of luck involved!

……

As everyone left the Advanced Laboratory, the Tower Spirit's broadcast also rang out at the right moment—

"Advanced Rank Mage Depake has successfully advanced to Arcanist; let us congratulate him together as he steps onto the true path of the Arcane, and we hope that everyone will have this day."

Throughout the Floating City, the Official Mages who were testing the steam cars stopped their work almost in unison and looked toward the direction of the Tower of Time in the Research Zone, their eyes filled with respect and longing.

Compared to the Apprentices who still did not know the immensity of heaven and earth and were shouting that they too would become Arcanists, these Official Mages understood the difficulty of advancing to Arcanist.

Not to mention those profound compulsory courses; after all, now that there was the Inheritance Ritual and the Spirit Thought Network, it was still possible to achieve it if one found a way.

But there was no shortcut for the step of perceiving the soul; it required spending a massive amount of time to train, not to mention the time required for those compulsory courses.

If this were in the past, it would have been impossible to become an Arcanist without ten years of preparation. (10 years also includes the time before level 10, but if one had not been exposed to advancement-related courses before level 10 and was merely a spellcasting craftsman who purely learned spells, then it might truly require another 10 years.)

Even now, they dared not guarantee that they would definitely be able to become Arcanists.

It was just that the development of the Tower of Time was plain for all to see; these Official Mages might never have even dreamed of becoming Official Mages in the past, so now, even for the rank of Arcanist, they dared to harbor some hope.

Consequently, they, who had already been very attentive to this Locomotive Design Competition, threw themselves into it heart and soul; after all, this competition contained a shortcut to advancement.

The Inheritance Ritual, the Spirit Thought Network, and even an independent Laboratory—which of these was not a shortcut to advancement? In the past, even Arcanists might not have been able to enjoy them, but now every one of them had the opportunity to experience them.

On the contrary, those Apprentices, who already felt immense pressure competing with Official Mages, felt their originally tense spirits relax all at once upon hearing that someone had successfully advanced to Arcanist.

Although they also wanted the rewards for the competition winners, their confidence was worn away bit by bit, and some simply gave up on the competition to focus on the courses of the Apprentice stage.

One could not call these people cowardly; one could only say that everyone had their own plans. After all, there were only a few winners in the competition, and compared to the large total number of participants, they could be completely ignored.

In a competition where the vast majority were destined to be mere spectators, choosing to give up could be considered a rational choice.

Of course, there were those who gave up, and naturally, there were those who persisted, and more chose to persist. Some of these people had grasped the essence of the Locomotive Design Competition: there was no absolute chasm between an Apprentice and an Official Mage.

Everyone was competing in a brand-new field, and an Apprentice might not necessarily be unable to defeat an Official Mage.

Others held onto a fluke mentality, thinking "what if I win?", while others continued to participate in the competition in the spirit of "participation is what matters."

But regardless, it was a fact that because of Depake's advancement to Arcanist, the number of participants in the Locomotive Design Competition had decreased by nearly half.

It was not just the Apprentices; even among the Official Mages, some chose to give up because they felt they had no hope of achieving a good ranking and did not want to waste time, or they simply treated the competition as entertainment, and now that there were more important things to do, the entertainment was no longer so important.

……

That evening, Xia Duo held a celebratory banquet for Depake at Hengchun Square; besides the members of the Tower of Time, Depake's relatives from his hometown in the Savile Territory were also brought to the Floating City to enjoy the joyful moment together.

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But there were exceptions to the joy; Depake's younger brother—an old man who looked much older than Depake—did not have a pleasant expression toward Depake throughout the entire event.

Only afterward did Xia Duo learn that Depake had not returned for a very long time, especially in recent years, as he had been busy with the affairs of the Tower of Time or matters of advancement, and had not shown his face even once.

During the Orc Tide in previous years, Depake had not returned even for such a major event; it was only because the old man's eldest son had volunteered to join the Territory Guard that the family was able to enter Savile Town in advance to take refuge.

And this had also caused the old man's eldest son, that is, Depake's eldest nephew, to lose half an arm, and it was his important right arm at that.

This matter had always been kept in the old man's heart, so even though Depake had become an Arcanist at this moment, he did not have the slightest pleasant expression.

Originally, they had not enjoyed any benefits when Depake became an Advanced Rank Mage, so what did it matter if he became an Arcanist now? At most, it just sounded better when spoken aloud.

But his son with half an arm missing was right there; how could there be any logic in an Arcanist's own nephew needing to risk his own life just so his family could obtain protection!

Xia Duo did not interfere too much with the arrangements for Depake's family, but he still had Aiboke tactfully remind Depake to pay attention to his relationship with his family.

People who did not value their family would not be heavily used by Xia Duo, even if the other party was an Arcanist!

This was not only a requirement of civilization, but to a certain extent, it was also the foundation of civilization's existence; Xia Duo did not quite dare to use a person who had no ties whatsoever.

That was why he was so active in presiding over territory weddings, and he even viewed the unions between members of the Tower of Time and ordinary people as a classic example.

In his view, family made people stable and could inspire the human heart to the greatest extent; of course, from another perspective, family was also a form of binding, and when the concept of family took root in people's hearts, those who acted recklessly would have one more layer of consideration.

This was, in reality, the construction of spiritual civilization; if one was an observer of civilized order, one would only gain freedom and liberation from it, but if one was a destroyer of civilized order, one could only reap regret and bitterness.