Chapter 600: Don't Guess, Seeds of Change

"Huh?!"

Niya was shocked and immediately cast 【Identify】 to examine it carefully. Only after a long while did she interrupt the spell, saying with some relief, "It really is like that. Fortunately, you discovered it in time, otherwise the spellbook might have been damaged!"

"The subsequent bridging experiment will need to be recalculated and adjusted, but it's not a big problem. However, what was going on with you just now? How could you not even notice this?" Xia Duo finally couldn't help but ask.

In fact, from the very beginning, he had felt that Niya's state was a bit strange, but since Niya didn't say anything, he couldn't ask too much. Fortunately, spellcasting requires entering a focused state, and Niya hadn't made any mistakes during the spellcasting phase.

Otherwise, Xia Duo would have felt like crying. If he encountered this situation again next time, he must ask clearly in advance; even if he didn't ask, he would have to find an excuse to postpone the experiment.

Regarding Xia Duo's question, Niya didn't know how to explain it either. Was she supposed to say that after finishing the spellcasting, she was thinking about how to reproduce? How could she possibly say such a thing out loud?

Thus, she could only use the great technique of changing the subject, "Let's not talk about this. What do you think about the decrease in the oscillation amplitude of the earth element in the second bridging?"

Of course, he would go back and sit down to think about it! Xia Duo complained inwardly. It was impossible for him to stand here and give a conclusion immediately. It would require repeated calculations and even additional spell experiments to figure out the specific reasons.

Regarding this, he could only say, "I think we should stop here for today. I feel like you probably need to rest."

These words made Niya feel very embarrassed and annoyed, so she quickly followed Xia Duo's lead, "Mm, then let's stop here for today. I have opened the corresponding permissions for this laboratory to you. You can come here to conduct bridging experiments yourself when I'm not here, or of course, you can wait for me to return."

Xia Duo was silent for a moment, then nodded, "Alright, then I'll head back first. It's getting late, get some rest early!"

He was still somewhat disappointed that Niya was unwilling to disclose the reason for her abnormal state, but everyone had their own privacy, and he didn't want to pry into Niya's privacy. They both needed to respect each other; he just hoped it wouldn't affect the experiment next time.

Returning to his residence, Xia Duo patiently studied the anomalies of the bridging experiment for a while longer, and only went to bed to rest when his sleepiness grew heavy.

……

Early the next morning, Xia Duo arrived at the Teleportation Room early. Niya was leaving today, and Xia Duo came to see her off. Although it was just watching her step into the Teleportation Array, in human interactions, sometimes, formality is also essential.

However, just after Niya entered the Temporary Access Key for Giles Tower and activated the Teleportation Array, in the extremely short time waiting for the array to respond, she suddenly said to Xia Duo:

"When I come back next time, let's have a child!"

As soon as the words fell, a white light flashed, and Niya had already disappeared from the teleportation platform, leaving only Xia Duo standing there in a daze.

Have a child? Niya said to have a child?

He simply couldn't believe his ears that Niya would actually say such a thing, but the fact was just that, and Xia Duo had to believe it.

Although he didn't know why Niya would say that, Xia Duo ultimately didn't "call" her to ask directly. He just wildly guessed various possibilities himself.

Until the afternoon, when Xia Duo went to the Public Level to meet with members of the Progress Society, he was still thinking about this question, his heart in a mess. Having been married for so long, to say he had no desire for Niya's body at all would be purely self-deception.

But Xia Duo had long since transcended ordinary physiological desires; "thinking" about it was one thing, and "doing" it was another.

Whether it was the past him or the current him, he believed that such things were best when they happened naturally. Although his relationship with Niya was much closer now, it hadn't reached the point of having children together.

Xia Duo thought about it and still felt he couldn't accept such a thing, at least for now.

Thus, before stepping into the meeting room, he sent a message to Niya, the gist of which was asking why Niya said that, and tactfully expressing his resistance.

……

Meanwhile, Seventon, Giles Tower.

Niya, who was looking up literature in the Library, suddenly received a message from the Tower of Time through her essential link with the Tower Spirit of the Tower of Time. Just after reading it, Niya's face turned red and then white.

Feelings of embarrassment, anger, and grievance welled up in her heart, but she bit her lip firmly. As if thinking of something, she gave a light hum and sent a reply to Xia Duo.

On the other side, Xia Duo had just stepped into the meeting room when his footsteps couldn't help but pause. The Tower Spirit sent him a notification; Niya had replied to his message, the gist of which was one sentence—

I never said such a thing, how could you think that?

Niya's denial was within Xia Duo's expectations, but at the same time, a thought of regret for asking flashed through his mind. It was human nature, after all, and this thought was quickly suppressed by him.

Not going to provoke Niya again, Xia Duo walked straight toward the main seat of the meeting room. He had an appointment to meet people from the Progress Society here today to discuss a series of issues regarding the transformation of the Tower of Time; this was serious business.

This was still the same large meeting room from yesterday's collective meeting, but there were far more people here today than yesterday. In addition to Official Mages, the members of the Progress Society also included many Apprentices.

Or rather, it was the Apprentices who occupied the majority.

Xia Duo had no intention of forcibly fabricating an organization where everyone was equal. The Progress Society was actually divided into several levels—

For example, 【Formal Member】, including Xia Duo, Dien, Sami, and Tilake, were all Official Mages;

【Probationary Member】 referred to Apprentices who were only one step away from Ascending Ring to become Official Mages. If necessary, they could quickly become Official Mages by using st Circle Learning Scrolls in a short time.

But this was unnecessary. The people selected to join the Progress Society didn't just aim to muddle through with the title of Official Mage; the most reasonable approach was to upgrade step-by-step, and in the future, they might have a chance to strive for the possibility of becoming an Advanced Arcanist.

Below 【Formal Member】 and 【Probationary Member】 were 【Associate Member】, or rather, the Development Targets of the Progress Society who had already joined the Progress Society.

And below 【Associate Member】 were more people who had the intention to lean toward the Progress Society but had not been recognized and accepted by the Progress Society. They could be called "Active Member". Strictly speaking, at this level, they were not yet considered members of the Progress Society.

However, the Tower of Time was undergoing a transformation, and the Apprentice Management Office was about to be established, so Xia Duo had also called these Active Members over.

……

The meeting room, which had been very spacious for the Official Mages' meeting yesterday, was packed full of Progress Society members today. Xia Duo didn't even need to count them; the Progress Society Permission Level specifically set in the Tower of Time made statistics very simple.

There were 8 Formal Members, 5 Probationary Members, and 24 Associate Members. As for Active Members, there were even more, exceeding the sum of the previous levels, totaling 54 people.

Looking at these thriving seeds of change, Xia Duo couldn't help but feel ambitious.