Chapter 1420 - 556: The End of "Suspension" (Part 3)
Chapter 1420: Chapter 556: The End of "Suspension" (Part 3)
"He can easily put you on trial, disgracing you in front of the entire colony.
Yet he chose to give you an opportunity to become a hero, a chance to fight alongside him."
"That’s his magnanimity."
She gazed deeply at Hillas’s pale face:
"Now you are the technical director in the ’Spontaneous Fugue Rune Iteration Group’, a position significant enough to leave a remarkable mark in the history of colonial technology."
"I hope you’ll take good care of yourself."
After saying this, Ella turned and left, leaving Hillas alone, slumped in his chair in the office.
Her footsteps faded away, but the weight of the warning pressed on Hillas’s heart like a mountain.
He bowed deeply towards Ella’s departing figure, even though she could no longer see him.
.........
Time passed, and the day of the quarterly assessment arrived.
The three stars of Green Ring No. 2 rose in succession, bringing new light to this otherworldly colony.
In the conference hall, all members of the quarterly assessment committee were gathered.
On the table lay a detailed report hundreds of pages thick, with the cover embossed in gold lettering:
"Lecturer Ron Ralph’s First Quarter Work Assessment Report"
Vinard slowly opened the report’s first page, his mechanical eye scanning the dense data and evaluations.
[Teaching Results:
1. All twelve hybrid apprentices achieved breakthroughs in core skills, with an average increase of 47.3%;
2. Lira’s three-eye perception ability improved by two levels, nearing the level of an adult of the Three-eyed Race;
3. Three apprentices awakened new bloodline traits, adding valuable talent reserves to the colony.]
[Technical Contributions:
1. Successfully resolved the resentment ore vein pollution issue that plagued the colony for decades;
2. The pioneering ’Soul Symphony’ theory opened new directions in the field of spiritual energy processing;
3. The established purification system can generate enormous economic value, predicted to save the colony over one hundred thousand Magic Stones annually.]
Each member of the committee signed their names on the report.
The final assessment result was unsurprising.
As the evaluation ended, the crowd in the meeting hall gradually dispersed, and the large crystal round table returned to its quiet state.
Only Vinard and his chief disciple Alister remained, with the aftermath of earlier heated discussions lingering in the air.
Countless streams of data flickered and reorganized at an astonishing speed within the electronic eye of the Great Wizard.
He did not speak, merely gazing silently at the mine that had just quieted down from the disturbance.
There, silver-white glow was slowly rising from the depths, like the first light of dawn on the horizon.
It was the glow emitted by the purified Silent Mine Salt, gentle yet full of power.
Alister broke the silence, his voice tinged with a reverence yet to be fully digested:
"Master, Lecturer Ralph... shall we now discuss the specific contract for the ’Technical Partner’ with him?"
Vinard slowly turned around, his electronic voice revealing no emotions:
"Contract?"
He chuckled slightly, the laughter crisp like metal friction:
"Alister, you don’t tackle eagles with chains, you use the sky."
His gaze seemed to pierce through time and space, landing on the direction of that young figure.
In his heart, Ron had long surpassed the realm of talents who can be ’employed’ or ’bound’, becoming a precious ’variable’—a ’catalyst’ capable of breaking his century-long stalemate.
Vinard walked to the window, his mechanical hand gently caressing the crystal windowpane.
Through the transparent barrier, he could see the orderly operation of the entire colony:
Engineers busy at their posts, Wizard Apprentices undergoing routine training, and elders of the Three-eyed Race meditating in the Meditation Garden...
Everything was operating perfectly as he had designed.
Yet this very perfection brought him a profound weariness.
"Alister." Vinard’s voice became profound:
"Do you know what my greatest trouble is?"
The chief disciple respectfully awaited the master’s guidance.
"Order." Vinard sighed lightly:
"My path is of order, of logic, of constructions as precise as clockwork.
This path has empowered me, enabling me to build such a miracle of a colony."
The light in his electronic eye dimmed slightly:
"But it is also this order that has brought me into a bottleneck similar to yours—we both lack ’spirit’ and ’unexpectedness’."
Alister nodded in understanding.
As Vinard’s most prized disciple, he had inherited his master’s rigor and precision, yet faced the same innovation bottleneck.
"Remember, lower rulers use contracts to constrain behavior, but higher collaborators bind ambition with interests."
Vinard’s voice carried deep wisdom:
"What is Ron’s ambition? It is power, knowledge, a path to higher realms.
We don’t need to give him a contract; we just need to lay this path... at his feet."
He turned to face Alister:
"He is now like a gourmet with a ravenous appetite.
Don’t talk to him about kitchen ownership; let him first taste the top-tier feast we can offer.
Once he is accustomed to this taste, he will find a way to become one of the kitchen’s owners."
Alister’s heart stirred, immediately understanding his master’s intent.
This strategy was superior to any contract.
Not forcing the other party to make a commitment, merely letting them experience the sweet taste of cooperation.
Once someone has tasted the finest delicacies, who would want to return to simple fare?
"Go." Vinard instructed Alister:
"Give Ron everything the ’excellent’ evaluation can grant without reservation.
Let him move into the best laboratory, see our most core data, let him... enter the ’Magic Pool’."
In conclusion, Vinard’s words even rarely carried a poetic note:
"Once a person has touched the stars with their own hands, they can no longer endure returning to the ground."
.........
The next morning, just after Ron finished his morning exercises, Alister promptly appeared at his dormitory door.
The technical director, known for his rigor, was particularly refreshed today.
His deep blue robe was impeccably pressed, and even his usually stern expression held a hint of gentle warmth.
"Lecturer Ralph, congratulations on receiving this quarter’s excellent evaluation."
Alister’s opening line carried sincere respect:
"According to the colony’s regulations, I am here today to transfer a series of permissions and resources you can enjoy as a ’Technical Partner’."