Chapter 593: Sanduer the Runner, Rewards and Punishments

"Mage Sanduer?"

Saixili frowned, recalling the man who, in her impression, lacked any real presence. Hearing Xia Duo mention him now, she couldn't help but think of another vexing matter. "My lord, what is wrong with Mage Sanduer?"

"Nothing much, it's just that I arranged to meet him today, but there has been no reply at all." Seeing Saixili's strange expression, Xia Duo asked his previous question again, adding, "At tomorrow's group meeting, will he oppose my plan?"

This time, Saixili was silent for a moment, as if thinking carefully or choosing her words. "My lord, I have had very little contact with Mage Sanduer, but there is one thing I can tell you for your reference."

"What is it?"

"You should be familiar with the Orc War two years ago, my lord. At that time, Niya was also ordered by the old lord to participate in the battle, and it was on the most brutal front line, used to stall the Orcs so the old lord could lead men on a surprise attack."

Hm? Xia Duo was somewhat surprised, not because of Lord Aipusi's surprise attack on the Orc nest—he had known that for a long time—but because Niya had participated in the battle, and on the front line at that.

He had never heard Niya mention it before; if he hadn't heard it from Saixili today, he didn't know when he would have found out.

At this moment, Saixili continued, "At that time, Mage Sanduer, as an Intermediate Mage, was also ordered to participate in the battle. But when the fighting on the front line was at its most intense and critical moment, and everyone was fighting for their lives, he wanted to run away!"

"Fortunately, Niya stunned him on the spot. Otherwise, if he had run, other Mages might have followed suit. Then, the morale of the ordinary soldiers fighting the Orcs with their flesh and blood would surely have plummeted, and it is not impossible that the front line would have collapsed directly."

By the end, Saixili's breathing was a bit rapid, and her face looked very ugly. Now that nearly two years had passed, one could imagine the dissatisfaction in her heart.

Listening to Saixili's account, Xia Duo gradually sketched out the image of a deserter. He knew that Official Mages on the battlefield were protected by specialized soldiers, and all they needed to do was strike at critical moments to reverse disadvantages within a certain range using Spells.

In reality, as long as the ordinary soldiers fighting directly did not break, it was very difficult for Mages to be harmed. That Sanduer could be this afraid was clearly beyond Xia Duo's expectations, so he couldn't help but ask another question:

"Is Sanduer from the Savile Territory?"

This question was critical. Nowadays, most Official Mages in the Tower of Time were locals from the Savile Territory, with only a very few from elsewhere. If this Sanduer was a local of the Savile Territory, his desertion was even more despicable.

Xia Duo's question made Saixili even more indignant. "He is from the Savile Territory, and at the time, his family was in the town. No, to be more precise, he had already sent his mistress and illegitimate child into the Tower of Time."

"……"

Xia Duo had nothing to say.

At this time, Saixili added, "Afterward, Mage Sanduer was not punished for this; on the contrary, the old lord even gave him a reward. Sometimes I even wish he had actually succeeded in running away, so there would be a reason to punish him."

Xia Duo was not surprised by this result. What Saixili had just recounted must have been heard from Niya, and the reason Niya told Saixili instead of others was likely just venting between close friends.

The actual situation on the battlefield was likely that Sanduer had the thought of running away but was seen through by Niya, who then stunned him. But because it was only a thought, he could not be punished. Conversely, Sanduer himself was an Intermediate Mage and had indeed contributed on the battlefield, so giving him a reward was in accordance with the rules.

Xia Duo could roughly imagine the frustration Niya felt when she told Saixili about this back then. As for whether Niya lied, Xia Duo did not doubt it, nor was there any need to.

Concepts like "distance does not separate kin" and "relatives cover for each other" were not unfamiliar to Xia Duo. Niya and he could indeed be considered "kin," while Sanduer could not even be considered "distant" to him.

They were just in the same Mage Tower, and furthermore, the other party was very likely to become a firm opponent of his transformation plan. What reason did he have to defend Sanduer?

It was just that Xia Duo's view was somewhat similar to Lord Aipusi's: as long as Sanduer had no actual violations, there was no need for punishment; at most, he would be marginalized.

Just as Xia Duo was pondering how to deal with Sanduer in the future, Saixili suddenly said, "My lord, I think it is very likely that he will oppose the transformation of the Tower of Time."

"Mm, I know."

Actually, Saixili had also been opposed just a moment ago, but Saixili's interests were highly aligned with the Tower of Time. As long as Xia Duo could explain the benefits of the transformation to the Tower of Time clearly, it was not difficult to persuade her.

In fact, Xia Duo had never considered the possibility that Saixili would oppose him. In reality, Saixili did oppose it, but her opposition was only that the plan was too radical and might have a serious impact on the Tower of Time's revenue and expenditure.

Sanduer, however, was a different story. The interests of ordinary Tower of Time members were not necessarily aligned with the Tower of Time, especially short-term interests.

There would always be people whose vision was very short-sighted, only able to see the small plot of land right in front of them; or perhaps, they saw things too clearly and were too shrewd, knowing that in the long run, their own importance would continue to decline.

As for which type Sanduer was, Xia Duo actually didn't care. He had already roughly discussed a bottom line for the transformation with Saixili, at least one that wouldn't make it difficult for most people to accept.

And in the subsequent meetings, he would make more practical adjustments based on the opinions of these Intermediate Mages who held significant influence in the Tower of Time, trying his best to push the transformation forward quickly and steadily.

……

"It's getting late, and I have an appointment with Mage Depake, so I'll be going."

Due to the unpredictable schedules of Mages, when Xia Duo arranged to meet these Mages, he did not arrange them in the same Reception Room, but rather arranged several Reception Rooms for several people.

In any case, there were quite a few Reception Rooms on the Public Level, and usually, Apprentices working on the Public Level would even go in to rest during their spare time. Of course, as long as Xia Duo or other Mages confirmed they wanted to use a certain room, the Tower Spirit would stop any Apprentices from entering.

Next, Xia Duo met with Depake, Warren, Huosite, Shande, and Leonard in turn.

Among them, Depake was the Personnel Supervisor of the Tower of Time, Warren was the External Affairs Director, Huosite was a friend of Aiboke, and as for Shande, he had good relationships with everyone.

But as Mages, the most critical thing was—they were all close to the Advanced Rank. Among them, Depake, Xia Duo even suspected he was already a High Mage.

One piece of evidence was that when Xia Duo checked the status of the Tower of Time, he discovered that someone had conducted a 5th-circle level Spell experiment not long ago, and it was none other than Depake.

It was just that regarding such matters, if others didn't speak of it, he couldn't very well ask proactively.

As for Leonard, although he was only a young and less experienced Intermediate Mage, due to his status, his influence in the Tower of Time was still quite heavy.

And Xia Duo had always been quite respectful toward Leonard, the main reason being that it was Leonard who brought him into the Tower of Time and gave him his "first pot of gold" in the Tower of Time (10 Learning Scroll exchange Permission Levels and an Official Apprentice status).

It could not be denied that that "first pot of gold" had a truly huge impact on Xia Duo.

If not for those Learning Scrolls, and if not for the convenience brought by the Official Apprentice status (free opportunities to ask questions in class), he might still be struggling at the Apprentice stage, painstakingly calculating for that little bit of paper and ink!

How could he have become the Arcanist Xia Duo of today!

Although there was Mu Yan's care behind that "first pot of gold," if Leonard had really wanted to renege, Xia Duo would have had no way to deal with him.

Xia Duo was, of course, more grateful to Mu Yan, but Leonard was indeed worthy of respect.