Chapter 174: Nightlight
Afterward, Ace slightly modified the words the mirror image had spoken and relayed them to the crowd. Finally, he concluded:
“Our High Tower Territory is officially established.”
“From today on, I am the Lifetime Archon, the future Lord of the High Tower, the Mentor of all Wizards, Ace the Torch-Bearer.”
“The territory will establish a Temporary Administration Office starting today. Does anyone wish to recommend themselves?”
Betty’s father, the former Chief Magistrate, had prepared long ago. He asked Betty to cast the Lesser Spell Leap on him. He leaped out from the crowd, taking several consecutive jumps, and landed right in front of Ace. Splat!
He misjudged his balance, stepped on a small pebble, and fell face-first in front of Ace in an undignified sprawl.
Betty, seeing her father’s distorted posture, closed her eyes in despair. The crowd, previously buzzing with discussion and eagerness, was also dumbfounded. The atmosphere instantly became somewhat heavy.
Ace looked at the middle-aged man whose entrance was rather unique. He used Mana to help him up and chanted an incantation:
“Swiftly Restore, Fresh and Clean!”
The former Chief Magistrate of the fortress looked ashen, his expression filled with despair. His body was in intense pain, but how could it compare to the pain in his heart?
He had intended to be the first to rush to Lord Ace and recommend himself. He had a bellyful of strategies he wanted to share. But now, his future in the territory—power, status—was drifting away from him.
In this instant, he almost wanted to commit suicide. He felt no different from being dead.
With Ace’s Mana, the severe pain in the former Chief Magistrate’s body gradually subsided, and the dirt covering him vanished.
Although Ace found it somewhat amusing, he did not laugh. Instead, he said solemnly:
“I have seen your enthusiasm. I never judge a person’s ability based on irrelevant matters. Now, please introduce yourself.”
There is a saying from his past life: Buying horse bones with a thousand gold. Regardless of what this person was like, Ace planned to use him. If he was capable, he would be given heavy responsibilities. If he was incompetent, he would be given a titular position.
In short, fully mobilize everyone’s enthusiasm, making everyone feel that even this could lead to important responsibilities, so I can do it too.
And use this incident to repeatedly promote Lord Ace’s enlightened, unconventional recruitment policy and his thirst for talent!
Just as several thoughts flashed through Ace’s mind, the former Chief Magistrate of the fortress, who had landed in a face-plant, had adjusted his state. He bowed solemnly to Ace. Crack!
“Please rise. You can stand straight and introduce yourself slowly.”
Ace looked at the middle-aged man who remained frozen after a 90-degree bow and spoke gently.
“I… I’m sorry. I threw out my back and can’t move!”
The former Chief Magistrate struggled, but still couldn’t move. His golden hair was a bit messy, and tears of regret, pain, and despair flowed from his blue eyes!
Why? Why is it like this? Is my path in the High Tower Territory destined to end before it even begins?
The former Chief Magistrate roared in despair inwardly. He tried to stand straight, but it only hurt more.
Ace had no good solution for this either. He said gently to him:
“Why don’t you rest first? We can talk later when you feel better?”
At this moment, Betty had rushed to the front of the crowd. Supporting her father, she pleaded with Ace, speaking rapidly like a machine gun:
“I am very sorry, Lord Torch-Bearer. This is my father.
He was the former Chief Magistrate of the fortress, has rich experience in administration, and has thoroughly studied your masterpiece Intensive Farming. He is usually very serious and earnest. This was truly an accident. Can you give him a chance?”
Ace listened to Betty’s rapid-fire speech with a smile. Looking closely at the two, their features, hair color, and eye color were indeed similar. He said:
“Why not? We cannot negate a person because of one or two unintentional mistakes!
Every talent is the most precious wealth of our territory, and also the most precious gift bestowed upon me by heaven. You rest first. Don’t rush. We can talk in detail later.”
Seeing Ace so amiable, the ambition and impulse in the hearts of the others present began to sprout. One by one, they surged around Ace, eager to introduce themselves.
By sunset, Ace had roughly grasped the situation of the crowd. Most of them were Citizens, coming from almost all walks of life, and many indeed possessed specialized skills.
This was normal. The criteria Ace used when distributing the Grimoires selected mostly people from Citizen families. Their innate physical constitution and education level were good. A good family environment would shape a relatively good personality. These were all invisible bonus points.
Therefore, Ace had now harvested a group of capable and skilled city-state Citizens. They would serve as Reserve Citizens of the territory, filling the Temporary Administration Office and contributing to the construction and development of the High Tower Territory.
After Ace had gained a basic understanding of everyone, the former Chief Magistrate finally felt a little better. Supported insistently by Betty, he slowly walked toward Ace.
“Respected Lifetime Archon, Lord Torch-Bearer, I am the former Chief Magistrate of the Northern March Fortress. My name is Leon. I have observed the cultivated land outside the settlement. If Your Lordship appoints me as the Magistrate of the Temporary Administration Office, I would do this…”
Ace listened as Leon began to speak somewhat haltingly, but as he discussed the governance of the territory, his eyes shone brightly, and he exuded extraordinary confidence.
Many of the ideas he expressed coincided with Ace’s own. Ace discussed with him for a long time and found that this middle-aged man, who had made such a comical entrance, was surprisingly talented in territory governance.
Ace interrupted the discussion and said seriously to Leon:
“Very good. Leon, was it? If you are willing, you are now the Temporary Chief Magistrate of the Territory Temporary Administration Office. Later, come to my mud hut. I will give you a guideline I used for constructing my estate in the past. You can refer to it to build our town.
The key point is what I told you: assimilate the local barbarians, make them speak the common language, and then build a stable, prosperous town, and eventually a city, to continuously provide excellent reserve Wizard Apprentice talent for the future High Tower. This is your administrative goal.”
Leon, over 40 years old, was very invigorated. He answered loudly:
“I am willing, Your Excellency the Lifetime Archon! I will definitely build this place into a prosperous city, continuously providing excellent talent for the High Tower.”
Then, lowering his voice, he continued to Ace:
“If I may ask, our territory is called High Tower. Has Your Lordship thought of names for this future city and the nearby river?”
Ace looked at him, finding this person quite interesting, and asked:
“Do you have good names in mind?”
Leon tried to straighten his aching back. Supporting himself on Betty, who was pouting but also distressed for him, he said:
“This small town, which is also the future city, will provide an endless stream of new power for the High Tower.
Your Lordship is the Torch-Bearer, and the new powers are the tinder, the future torches in the dark night. Why not call this small town Nightlight Town, and the future city Nightlight City?
This nameless river nourishes our small town. Why not call it the River of Luminous Light?”
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