Chapter 582: Transformation of Identities

“Lanxiang, what does it mean?” Asked Oliver in confusion. He was familiar with the different languages and cultures in many different countries in the alternate dimensions, but he was helpless in front of Lucien’s made-up words.

Lucien said solemnly and sincerely, “Although such schools are based on the apprentice system, they are undoubtedly a brand-new form on their own. The students do not depend on anybody else, and they will be paid after they enter the alchemical workshops, except that their wages are lower and their contracts are longer. Therefore, I have created a brand-new term for them – Lanxiang ¹ . It’s a name for such schools that contains the meaning of dream.”

“What’s your opinion?”

With his eyes closed, Atlant said with a smile, “I strongly agree with the idea to promote generic schools and vocational schools, but there is one problem. In the apprentice system, as long as you raise an apprentice, the apprentice will have to work for the alchemical workshop for free for ten years. All you need to prove is accommodation and food. However, this Lanxiang… Lanxiang demands the alchemical workshop to pay for the education in advance and for the apprentices’ work after their graduation. I don’t think they will take it willingly unless the Congress and the kingdoms browbeat them.”

“Mr. Atlant, times have changed. The apprentice system in the past can no longer meet the demand of the current alchemical workshops. I don’t think you need me to explain it. It can be seen by the fact that the apprentices of the Congress almost all became students in schools.”

“I’ll talk to the few companies I have shares in and ask them to invest in the first Lanxiang. In a couple of years, when their cost is lowered and their market is expanded under the support of incessant professional workers, the other alchemical workshops will probably be still short of hands. The early investment from the companies on their education will be retrieved from the profits they make.”

Lucien made the gesture that he was not forcing anybody to do anything. It was always difficult to make other people pay money. Thankfully, he was no longer the young man who lobbied for environmental protection. Right now, he had become a member of the Highest Council who had his own forces and his wealth. He could totally leave other people behind and set an example for them to follow.

Also, the actual cost wouldn’t be too much. He could ask Natasha to allocate a redundant abbey to him as the school, and issue tasks with his arcana points to make the sorcerers and the graduated apprentices teach. Also, starting from the second year, he would arrange for the students in the school to work in the alchemical workshops as ‘interns’ in their spare time, so that part of his early investment could be recovered.

Seeing Lucien’s attitude, Atlant and the other sorcerers who were still skeptical were relieved. He nodded in a smile, “Indeed. Time has changed. The old stuff should be buried in the past. I suggest that the Highest Council vote regarding ‘Lanxiang’. We will encourage the alchemical workshop to invest but won’t force them to. Evans, if you want to build any, count me in.”

Douglas clapped his hands softly. “I agree with the idea, too. The Allyn Telephone and Telegram Company and other corporations owned by the Congress will invest first as examples.”

Since the investment was not forced, all the members of the Highest Council raised their hands. The atmosphere was rather harmonious.

“There’s one other problem. Is the support of the Congress and the governments enough to popularize the generic schools? Will the students be out of jobs after their graduation? It must be noted that the apprentice system can almost meet the demands of everybody except for the alchemical workshops. Also, unlike the students of ‘Lanxiang’, they won’t be built to fit in a certain alchemical workshop. If they spend a huge fortune only to discover that their life has not improved at all, it’s possible that they will hate us and rejoin the embrace of the God of Truth. That’s against our wish.” Atlant was good at figuring out what people might think.

Lucien smiled, “Mr. Atlant, the change of time is a chain reaction. When the number of alchemical workers grow, the social wealth increases, and the alchemical items that shorten the distance among cities are invented, the whole social structure will definitely go through qualitative changes. Perhaps, one job will be subdivided into many professional jobs, and many things unimaginable in the past will appear. But of course, we will control the scale of the generic education. It will have to suit our wealth and social condition.”

“Then, I have no objection. Evans, you are not reckless at all.” Atlant did not know much about social development, but his old partner, ‘Master of Transformation’, was an excellent historian. She agreed with Lucien’s prediction that social labor would be further divided. After talking to Atlant silently, she made him drop his suspicion.

The discussion about the generic schools went on for a while. Under the glorious banner of striking the faith of the Church, the Highest Council passed the motion, albeit stressing that it must not overstep the line.

“I would like to say something else.” Lucien discovered that he was more and more like a leader. “I suggest we regulate the alchemical workshops in terms of overwork and child labor. The alchemical workshops must not overly exploit the workers, which will push more people to join the Church. It will be best if the working time is limited to ten hours every day. Children can be hired as workers, but their work should be settled according to their age…”

Because of simplification and promotion problems, the alchemical workshops were still underdeveloped, and the workers were in relatively good health. Therefore, Lucien believed that regulations should be made before the alchemical workshops enjoyed the benefit of exploiting workers. It would be much easier this way.

As for child labor, it was only a helpless compromise. Due to the lack of a good charity system, many orphans needed a job in order to survive. He could not pursue his dream without bothering the actual circumstances, which would only hurt them.

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“I don’t think we need to talk about such trivia in the Highest Council.” ‘Absolute Defense’ Ataman stopped Lucien from talking on. “Regulating the alchemical workshops and better treatment for workers are suitable for our goal to renovate the image of sorcerers, but all we need to do is to propose the idea. Leave the details to the Affair Committee.”

Oliver also interjected, “Evans, you are now also a member of the Highest Council. You can ask the Affair Committee to draft a law according to your idea first and then show it to everyone. There’s no need to discuss the specific clauses right now. Everybody’s time is precious.”

Lucien nodded slightly, hinting that he was still adapting himself to his new identity. He was no longer a specific executor of orders, but a proposer, reviewer, decision-maker supervisor.

However, after hearing Oliver’s words, Lucien remembered how he lobbied against the pollution problem again. In order for the Affair Committee to pass a similar regulation, he visited and talked to so many big shots. In the end, he had to introduce his opinion in the conference room of the Affair Committee and accept their questions. He was not even involved in their decision-making process but could only wait for a result. However, right now, Oliver asked him to let the Affair Committee draft a regulation as if it were not important at all.

“Is this the feeling of standing on top of all the sorcerers…” Lucien remarked with mixed feelings.

In the Highest Council, the chairman of the Affair Committee was the grand arcanist who supervised Allyn and got changed every five years. The vice-chairmen were Oliver, Ataman and the Sun King, who were good at battles or handling affairs. They would lead the external operations or exploration in the alternate dimensions.

Since the regulation of the alchemical workshop did not involve any immediate loss, the other members of the Highest Council did not object to it. They discussed more about the control of their territory, the construction of the three strongholds and the number of airships.

Lucien did not know much about them and simply listened. After all, even the seemingly clumsy airships were absolutely different from what he imagined. Although they were slow, many magic circles and divine power circles had been established on them, making them air fortresses. General attacks could not damage them at all. They had the advantages that planes did not.

As for the large planes, it was unnecessary for the senior-rank sorcerers, and for those below the senior rank, magic steam trains were a better option to connect more places with railroads.

Without him knowing it, the meeting approached the end. Lucien spoke again, “Everybody, right now, the highest honor in every field of magic belongs to different organizations and countries instead of the Congress, which is highly irregular. Since the most glorious title of arcana and magic is the grand arcanist granted by the Congress, the highest honor should also be a prize issued by the Congress. Also, since the arcana is developing faster and faster with more and more achievements, our standard should be more strict. Not only must the laureates have historic accomplishments, but they also need to have their own theoretical explanation on them.”

“If the Congress agrees to set up such a prize, I would like to sponsor it with one third of my dividends to encourage the development of arcana and magic.”

After he became a legendary sorcerer, most of the materials he needed were too precious to be bought and had to be exchanged with other items. Therefore, dividends were actually not that important for Lucien. He might as well use them to make up for his notoriety as the head-crushing devil.

“You would like to offer one third of your dividends?” Douglas looked at Lucien, surprised.

Because the Allyn Telephone and Telegram Company was still in the phase of infrastructural construction, Lucien’s dividends were more than ten thousand Thales. One third of them were almost a huge sum of sponsorship.

Lucien nodded solemnly. “Yes. That’s my wish.”

“What about you? Do you have any objection?” Douglas looked at other people, mainly Hathaway, Atlant and Hellen.

Hathaway replied briefly, “It’s not bad that the Congress sets up a prize.”

They did not need to spend their own money after all, and the standard was so high that probably nobody would win the prize in decades. So, other people did not object to it now that Douglas was tempted.

Douglas chuckled, “Now that everybody agrees, we will set up the prize that contains eleven schools. As for the name, it will be named as Lucien Evans Prize, subdivided into Evans Prize in Elements, Evans Prize in Astrology, etc. The reward will be a level-eight perfect magic item.”