Chapter 728: The Egoist and the Idealistic Influence

If Xia Duo wanted to be a slave owner, he would be one right now; to him, a transmigrator, his territory's residents were no different from slaves—give them something to eat, give them something to wear, and then have them work themselves to the bone.

But he was not satisfied with being a slave owner; one must have some pursuits in life, and now that an opportunity to create a civilization was laid before him, he had to try it no matter what!

"I agree!" a clear and pure voice rang out behind Xia Duo.

He didn't need to turn around to know who it was, and immediately following that was another voice, slightly aged but very spirited and vigorous, "I agree as well!"

It was Aiboke; although his tone was not as certain and approving, at least the attitude was there.

After that came Depake and the members of the Progress Society; everyone in the venue surrounding Xia Duo had already expressed their stance.

However, what followed was an approval that exceeded Xia Duo's expectations, yet was also within reason—

Before the other Intermediate Mages could speak, Sanduer immediately said loudly, "I agree as well!"

Sanduer was not a staunch idealist who would disregard everything to protect the old interests of the Intermediate Mages; in fact, he was more like an opportunist, an egoist, and a short-sighted person.

When he saw that obstruction had become impossible, he immediately chose the most correct course of action.

For a moment, Xia Duo didn't know how to evaluate such a person; perhaps when the Tower of Time encountered foreign enemies in the future, this guy would be the first to run away or surrender!

As for the other Intermediate Mages, they were hesitant, and in the end, only a few expressed approval; although the others did not explicitly express opposition, they engaged in invisible resistance through silence.

However, at this point, the attitude of a few Intermediate Mages was no longer important; having one more High Mage supporter was enough to make up for the losses brought about by losing these people.

Or rather, once the general trend was reversed, they could only be swept along and participate in it.

And before this, even as a High Mage and Arcanist, Xia Duo had to compromise with them. Otherwise, the Tower of Time grinding to a halt at any moment was truly no joke.

……

"Sorry, I interrupted your celebration!"

Afterwards, once the crowd had dispersed, Xia Duo expressed his apologies to Depake in front of Niya and Aiboke.

Depake waved his hand, his attitude very easygoing, "Mage Xia Duo, no need to apologize; I was also coaxed here by two Apprentices. If you ask me, rather than wasting time on some celebration, it would be more useful to go read some books!"

Xia Duo casually echoed his sentiment, and the matter was considered passed.

At this moment, Aiboke, who had endured for a long time, finally couldn't hold it in anymore; he stared at Xia Duo, his eyes seemingly filled with anger, "Xia Duo, why did you suddenly decide to take in the low-rank Mages? Are you planning to cultivate those low-rank Mages just like you cultivate Apprentices?"

His earlier approval of Xia Duo's proposal was mostly for Niya's sake; in fact, he strongly disapproved. Actively cultivating Apprentices was one thing, as cultivating Apprentices didn't cost much money after all.

But the cost of actively cultivating low-rank Mages was too high, and it would easily bankrupt the Tower of Time.

At the same time, Depake also showed an expression of great interest; his earlier expression of approval was mainly out of gratitude to Xia Duo and support for Niya, but as a High Mage, he could completely go back on his word.

If Xia Duo's explanation could not satisfy him.

Only Niya, out of the most simple trust, helped soothe Aiboke before Xia Duo could even open his mouth in the face of Aiboke's questioning:

"Uncle Aiboke, don't be agitated; I believe that Xia Duo doing this is definitely beneficial to the Tower of Time!"

If there were other aspects where Aiboke might not trust Xia Duo, he did not doubt him at all when it came to the common interests of the Tower of Time.

Hearing Niya's words, Aiboke gradually calmed down, but he was still somewhat dissatisfied with Xia Duo's act of announcing it without notifying them in advance, "You should have discussed it with us beforehand!"

"Yes, it was my lack of consideration."

Facing the questioning of an elder, what else could Xia Duo say! However, he did not regret it; although it was somewhat rash, this kind of thing required decisiveness.

At least on the surface, all the High Mages agreed, the low-rank Mages actively supported it, and only a portion of the low-rank Mages had unclear attitudes; the transformation had already gained the approval of the majority.

Only a few details needed to be handled, and wasn't he dealing with them right now?

Xia Duo looked at Aiboke's stern face and couldn't help but smile, "Aiboke, uh, since Niya calls you Uncle Aiboke, I'll call you Uncle as well!"

As the sworn brother of his father-in-law, it was only right to call you Uncle, but since you are an uncle, you can't fail to support your nephew, right!

"Uncle Aiboke, this matter was indeed my fault for not discussing it with you beforehand. However, regarding the matter itself, I don't think I did anything wrong!"

Hearing Xia Duo call him Uncle for the first time, Aiboke's expression softened, and his tone relaxed, "Continue."

"Before explaining this, I want to ask Uncle Aiboke, and of course, I also want to ask Niya and Mage Depake: in your minds, what does the most ideal state of the Tower of Time look like?"

"The most ideal state?"

Xia Duo's question triggered Aiboke's contemplation; he had thought about this question countless times. If it were before Xia Duo, the most ideal Tower of Time in his mind would be to reach the level of the Seven Towers, but after Xia Duo, he wasn't sure.

Xia Duo had painted a prospect for him that he had never thought of—a situation where everyone was a Mage; in that case, what would the Tower of Time be like?

And what would be the relationship between the Tower of Time and the territory?

Aiboke couldn't imagine it, but it certainly wouldn't be the current relationship between the Seven Towers or any other Mage Tower and its territory!

"What exactly are you trying to say? You must know that it is impossible for everyone to become a Mage! If everyone were a Mage, then who would do the work that ordinary people do now?"

"There will always be people willing to do it!"

Xia Duo didn't explicitly say that Mages would do it, but Aiboke could clearly hear Xia Duo's subtext and couldn't help but shake his head repeatedly, "This is too crazy!"

"No, this is not crazy at all! The current Tower of Time is a small Mage society. Do those people cooking in the kitchen not have spellcasting abilities? Do those working in the Arcane Garden not have spellcasting abilities?"

"That's different, they are just Apprentices!"

"Apprentices?"

Xia Duo couldn't help but sneer, "Then, how do you explain those low-rank Mages under the Intermediate Mages who are no different from servants!"

When it comes down to it, some people think on one hand that Spellcasters are superior and shouldn't do the work of ordinary people, while on the other hand, they don't treat low-rank Spellcasters as human beings, exploiting them even more ruthlessly than they do ordinary people.

As long as one accepts that Spellcasters are also human, and also ordinary people, it is not difficult to accept the scene of universal Mages.

In fact, most people do not have a natural mindset of being superior; it is more shaped by the environment, and coupled with the support of power, they eventually become like that.

Xia Duo is not trying to create absolute equality; he just hopes to give the vast majority of ordinary people a chance. As long as individual Wisdom does not transcend everything, the power of the collective is still the most powerful.

Looking at the silent Aiboke and Depake, Xia Duo sighed slightly in his heart; it seemed that trying to influence them with ideals was temporarily unfeasible. It was better to start from a realistic perspective; perhaps this was the most persuasive way.