Chapter 301: New Recruitment, Institutional Reform

"Alright, Dien, I didn't know you had the talent of a Bard?" Xia Duo patted Dien on the shoulder and said with a smile, "On the Magic Path, it's not just about how fast you walk, but how far you can go. Keep working hard!"

As the leader of the organization, Xia Duo certainly could not dampen the members' enthusiasm; instead, he had to offer more encouragement to let them see hope.

However, another matter could be considered!

Previously, he had limited the organization's development due to concerns about interference from the Mage Tower's upper echelons. Now that he himself had become part of the upper echelons, it was time for the organization to lift those restrictions.

After talking with the two about the past for a while, Xia Duo steered the topic toward the recruitment of new members for the organization:

"Dien, Sami, how many Ordinary Apprentices want to join us now?"

"Too many!"

Speaking of this, Dien looked excited, making one feel as if his fiery red hair might stand up from excitement. "You don't know how many people came looking for me after I returned from the celebration yesterday! People were coming to find me until midnight!"

As if to corroborate this, Sami also spoke of the scene when they returned last night, though naturally, he spoke more about those who had wanted to join earlier:

"Before the Midsummer Festival, we had already evaluated quite a few people. Whether driven by benefits or truly identifying with our philosophy, the 6 who performed the best were very active in every discussion meeting and were able to lead others to participate in the discussions."

Following this, Sami briefly stated the detailed information of these 6 people, and Dien also added to it from time to time.

As Xia Duo listened, he recalled what was already over a year ago for him. After listening, he nodded with satisfaction; after he left (to explore), Dien and the others had indeed maintained this small organization.

"I have an idea. Listen and see if it works. Since we have already become Official Mages—well, Dien should be there soon—I think we can set the organization's members as Official Mages, and those who haven't become Official Mages can become Probationary Members."

"Probationary Members?"

"Yes! You should have a feeling by now that a gap in the understanding of Magic that is too large will affect the effectiveness of the discussion meetings. I think we can conduct them in layers."

Next, Xia Duo stated the plan he had long since thought out—

"In the future, Probationary Members can attend the discussion meetings of Formal Members, and below the Probationary Members, we can further divide them into 'Development Targets' or call them 'Associate Members'. We can think of the specific name later, but in short, these Associate Members can attend the discussion meetings of the Probationary Members."

In fact, no matter how lofty an organization's ideals or philosophy may be, as long as it becomes an organization, it will naturally divide into classes—group leader and group member, president and member, senior and junior, and so on.

This was unavoidable, and Xia Duo had no intention of forcibly fabricating an organization where everyone was equal; if that were the case, it would be no different from having no organization at all.

He could now view an ordinary person and a Spellcaster equally, but Dien and the others might not be able to do so, even though they themselves had become Spellcasters from ordinary people.

In this world, Spellcasters possess a natural sense of class superiority. Of course, from another perspective, Spellcasters possess power that ordinary people do not; it is perfectly normal to have such status and perceptions.

Originally, Xia Duo created this small organization just to improve the current "academic atmosphere" and provide some convenience for himself to acquire Knowledge of Magic.

But now, the situation had changed. Changing the atmosphere was no longer the primary goal; Xia Duo wanted to strengthen the organization. Isn't it a matter of course for an organization created by oneself to be used for one's own purposes!

Xia Duo's plan left Dien and Sami deep in thought; they had indeed increasingly felt that they did not want to deal with those Ordinary Apprentices.

No matter how passionate the ideals were before, they cooled down once one became or was about to become an Official Mage.

Or rather, even the best ideals need to be driven by benefits.

As the organization grows and the number of Official Mages increases, they will gain more, rather than just wasting time with apprentices every day.

Regarding Xia Duo's proposal, the two quickly responded, "That's great! I agree (too)!"

Afterward, the three discussed the organization's regulations and adjusted some rules that were suitable in the past but were no longer appropriate, such as the requirement that everyone must agree for someone to join the organization.

As the organization expands, this rule will increasingly hinder the organization's development.

Of course, these regulations still need to be discussed with others before a final decision can be made; for now, Xia Duo was just giving them a heads-up in advance.

This also aligns with the organization's philosophy: cooperation, openness, sharing, and win-win.

"Alright, you two think about it slowly. If there are any other suggestions, we'll discuss them when we meet again. I have things to do, so I'm leaving. By the way, don't forget to supervise them while they work."

In the eyes of the Tower of Time, whether they are Official Apprentices or Ordinary Apprentices, they are essentially servants; not a single task they are supposed to do can be missed.

Xia Duo gave Dien and the other a few brief instructions and then left the Arcane Garden directly. He chose to ignore the Tower Spirit's words: "Mage Xia Duo, you have left your post; please return immediately."

A small organization wanting to develop and grow cannot hide this from Niya. It is best to discuss such matters in advance to avoid accidentally touching upon some taboo and being hunted down across the world.

Of course, it is also because the current Tower of Time is under Niya's command that he dares to do this; if it were Lord Epps, he would not dare to test the waters so casually.

Although he has not had much contact with Niya, from the limited contact he has had, Xia Duo considers himself to have a relatively good understanding of her personality!

She is indeed in the state of a young person who has just started out, rather than some unfathomable old monster.

……

"Mage Xia Duo!"

"Mage Xia Duo!"

"Ah! Lord Xia Duo!"

"Xia Duo, have time to grab a drink together? I'll introduce you to two friends!"

……

Xia Duo had only gone to the Public Level halfway through to collect his monthly quota after his Permission Level was raised, and people kept greeting him along the way.

There were Official Mages and apprentices, some he knew, but more he did not. Xia Duo responded to them one by one; for Official Mages, he exchanged a few pleasantries, and for apprentices, a nod was enough.

In the Elevator, Xia Duo couldn't help but complain, "It looks like I've become the 'star of the day' at the Tower of Time!"

Arriving at the top floor, although he hadn't contacted Niya in advance, both the door to the Reception Room and the door to the Study were opened for him.

Niya sat at the desk, her mind elsewhere; the pen in her hand had hung down onto the paper on the desk at some point, and the ink had bled into a patch.

"Niya." Xia Duo called out softly, but Niya seemed not to have heard at all, her eyes just flickering.

"Niya, Mentor Niya?"

The near-teasing voice made Niya unable to hold back any longer; she raised her head and glared at Xia Duo. "Why are you here? Is the Arcane Garden tidied up?"

What do you mean why am I here? I don't believe you wouldn't know that I left the Arcane Garden!

Of course, Xia Duo could not actually say this out loud; if he did, Niya might really turn hostile. "The Arcane Garden is already being tidied up; it will definitely be back in production within a week."

After finishing, Xia Duo pretended to ask casually: "Can't a Semi-plane like the Arcane Garden be directly controlled by the Tower Spirit?"

But Niya just stared at him, not saying a word for a long time. It wasn't until Xia Duo felt his scalp itching a bit that Niya said: "The Tower of Time's energy reserves are insufficient; we save where we can!"

"……"