Chapter 374: Mote Arrives, Specialized Research

After consulting the Tower Spirit, Xia Duo knew he had slept for an entire day again, but it was precisely because he had rested for a sufficiently long time that he was now full of vigor.

"Agent Xia Duo, Bishop Anbulier has sent word that Mote has returned."

Mote? Xia Duo thought for a long time. If not for the hint from Bishop Anbulier, he probably would have found it very difficult to recall that he had previously wanted to find a Cleric of the Lord of Death to utilize Goblin Undead to quickly develop his Territory.

Bishop Anbulier had introduced him to Priest Tusi, and Priest Tusi had directly given him a person, and that person was Mote, though Mote had not been present at the time.

This "at the time" was actually the day before yesterday on the Main Plane, with the time in between being the sleep Xia Duo had after returning from the Projection Plane; as for the time he spent in the Projection Plane, from the perspective of the Main Plane, it was almost negligible.

Taking out his schedule, Xia Duo wrote Mote's name on it and added a few notes behind it before leaving the Tower of Time.

……

Savile Town, Temple of the Lord of Radiance.

After an interval of "two days," Xia Duo arrived here once again. Having seen the pillars of light formed by the so-called Thirteen Holy Spirits and the origin of the Lord of Radiance in the Projection Plane, he was much more interested in the Temple than in the past.

However, he did not intend to inquire about the secrets of their god through the Temple; he planned to look for them at the Arcane Union the next time he went to Seventon.

As a (Xia Duo speculated) vested interest holder, there should be quite a few secrets about gods there, though he did not know what Permission Level would be required.

He was currently a Level 2 member of the Arcane Union, having to give the Arcane Union 50 Gold Coins for free every month. Although it did not look like much individually, it was not a small sum when calculated over the years.

He had to make full use of this status!

Thinking this way, Xia Duo had already followed a young acolyte in the Temple to a relatively secluded building behind the Temple, where Mote was already waiting.

"Greetings, Lord!" After the two met, Mote saluted first.

Xia Duo nodded while openly sizing up the other party. He had to admit that this Mote was quite different from the Priest Tusi he had met before.

Tusi looked almost inhuman, while this Mote was quite normal, though his eyes were somewhat dull, stubble had already sprouted on his bald head, and he was draped in a dusty outer robe that faintly smelled of mold.

However, Xia Duo never judged people by their appearance; as long as they could get things done, who cared what they looked like? It wasn't like he was taking a wife!

"Did Priest Tusi tell you about me?"

"He mentioned it. From now on, I am the Grave Keeper of your Territory, my Lord." Mote did not say much, getting straight to the point.

Being a Grave Keeper was, of course, not as simple as just watching the gate; one had to truly guard the graveyard, eliminate Negative Energy, and coordinate with the Positive Energy Baptism of a Cleric of the Lord of Radiance. This entire process was the essence of Netherese funeral rites.

As for other forms, they might have meaning in the eyes of believers, but for a Lord, especially for Xia Duo, they basically had little significance.

"Come with me!"

"Yes!"

Xia Duo brought Mote to the "Lucky Owen" docked at the port. He had not yet told Mote about his plan to create a large number of Goblin Undead; it would not be too late to talk about it once they reached the Territory.

It was rare to have a Divine Magic spellcaster, so he would take him back first.

Xia Duo knew that the current Daxia Territory could not possibly attract normal Arcane Spellcasters, so he could only start with Divine Magic spellcasters. They were spellcasters after all, so it was no loss!

Even Astral Mages could begin to be cultivated slowly.

He just didn't know if Mote and Laidun were willing to learn Magic, or if they could quickly understand and master it!

After arranging for Mote, Xia Duo told Captain Owen to set sail for Daxia Territory tomorrow, after which he returned to the Tower of Time.

Although the repairs to the Tower of Time were no longer so urgent, there were still some matters that required his personal handling; he would not feel at ease leaving without settling things here.

……

At the Material Requisition Office of the Tower of Time, Xia Duo had made an appointment to meet Saixili here in advance.

"Niya has already told me that the restoration project of the Tower of Time does not need to be so urgent for now, but finding new sources of wealth is an eternal theme. There is no better return than investing in a Mage!"

"But my Lord, Tilake is only a Primary Mage. I believe it is best for him to follow his mentor and train properly for a period of time at his current stage."

Just this sentence did not seem enough for Saixili, who then expressed the financial difficulties of the Tower of Time one after another, "The restoration project can be delayed, but it can never be avoided. If it were just one Tilake, it wouldn't matter, but my Lord, you have allowed all Primary Mages the right to open independent specialized research. Once this is opened up, not only will the consumption of materials increase, but the Intermediate Mages will also be affected!"

Although Saixili herself was a Primary Mage, it was precisely because of this that she did not think highly of Primary Mages; she knew very well what a Primary Mage could achieve.

The main source of profit for the Tower of Time was actually Intermediate Mages. Not just the Tower of Time, but other Mage Towers in Netheril basically started making profits from Intermediate Mages.

Primary Mages spent most of their time learning; where would they have the time and energy to produce? Even if they stopped deep study, the productivity of a Primary Mage was extremely limited.

"Sigh—"

Xia Duo could not help but sigh. The current situation of Netherese Mages was that they had to be researchers, producers, and finally, maintain a certain level of military force.

In Xia Duo's view, this was simply unacceptable. Although it was a fact, coming from Earth, he knew the importance of division of labor and cooperation, and the power of the collective was even more extraordinary.

Even in this magical world where individual power was superior, as long as no one had the ability to crush everyone else, the collective was still useful. Whether used for compromise or cooperation, it had a necessity for existence.

"If only the Tower of Time were larger!"

"My Lord, what did you say?"

"Nothing!"

Xia Duo naturally did not want to explain the difference between a small organization of dozens of people and a large organization of hundreds or thousands, only saying: "I am determined to push forward the independent specialized research for Primary Mages. However, for now, we can only accept Mage Tilake and see the specific results first."

He was actually very optimistic about Tilake's research project. Regarding the research on Permanent Magic, this might be able to lower the threshold for the production of Magic Items.

This was a huge competitive advantage.

Of course, to put it another way, it meant he could make a lot of money.

The research application submitted by Tilake had been read not only by Xia Duo but also by Aiboke, who had even praised Tilake for having the potential of an Advanced Arcanist, only that his foundation was slightly poor and he had been delayed by his mentor.

What else could Xia Duo say to this? There had always been a saying on Earth called liberating productive forces, and what he was doing now might just be that.

Living in such a world, who didn't have a few thoughts about changing it!

Having barely persuaded Saixili, Xia Duo hurriedly went to inspect the various levels of the Tower of Time before diving into the Library.

It was not that he couldn't force it through, but even if he became the true Tower Master, he could not ignore the thoughts of a key subordinate. In the real world, no one was a marionette.

Even the weak (in strength) could play an unexpected role.

Of course, essentially, Xia Duo was more willing to promote his own philosophy to form a community that combined both philosophy and interests.