Angel’s eyes flickered slightly as he chanted an incantation, and a faint trace of Magic Power drifted toward the person across from him.
"Um... what did you just do?" The foreman froze for a moment.
"What did I do? I didn’t do anything." Angel flatly denied.
"It felt like you cast a spell on me."
"No, I didn’t. What kind of spell could I possibly cast on you?" Taking a deep breath, Angel said, "Let’s get back to our discussion. You’re right: learning is the priority. However, we can’t deny that silver coins are very important. With silver coins, you can buy Magic materials, and experiments can speed up the learning process. If controlled correctly, it’s actually beneficial for learning. This time, the subsidy provided is very high. Perhaps you should consider it carefully."
"Hmm... I’ll think about it." The foreman furrowed his brows, then smiled and said, "I don’t know why, but I suddenly find your suggestion quite intriguing. Even though, frankly, I still disagree. This is different from doing part-time work off-campus—people don’t want to get involved in too much trouble. Still, I’ll think it over carefully."
"Alright, please make sure to seriously consider it." Angel smiled and nodded.
As he left, Angel overheard the foreman muttering to himself, "Why am I interested in this suggestion? How strange."
"You cast a spell on him?" the demon asked Angel.
"Yes." Angel nodded. "Just a little bit of hypnotism to enhance his favorable opinion of me and the suggestion I made."
"But he still rejected it."
"Because of interests—hypnotism can’t overcome objective issues of personal gain." Thinking it over, Angel added, "Perhaps we should focus on addressing interests."
"You’re offering me the whole cake? Are you serious?" The short-statured materials vendor looked at Angel skeptically.
"Yes, of course—but not without cost." Angel replied earnestly. "First, you must mobilize all your resources to support me. Then, I require a share of all sales."
"Hmm... this sounds incredible. I have no problem with most of it, but... this is essentially a monopoly, right? Monopolies can generate substantial profits, but they also lead to opposition. How do you plan to deal with the backlash?"
"If we must suppress dissent, why not do it thoroughly? If we forcefully restore order, then our opponents will be nearly every Magic apprentice in the academy. If we succeed, they’ll all be defeated—and we’ll simply divide the spoils of the defeated."
The materials vendor stared blankly at Angel before cracking a smile and saying, "I agree. I’m very willing to support you, but on one condition: show me the hope of success. As long as you let me see a chance for success, I’ll do everything in my power. I have numerous people helping me distribute materials, and I can make them all support you. As for short-term support with silver coins, that’s guaranteed. But again, let me see hope."
"You will see it," Angel smiled and replied, then rushed off to another meeting.
"Hahaha, this idea is brilliant!" The demon shrieked with excitement. "You’re already starting to break taboos, using power for personal gain! We could sell off every bit of the New Vascular Council President’s authority before even taking office! However, we still need to resolve one fundamental problem: where do we start in convincing people that you might actually succeed?"
"Yes, so we target those who have nothing to lose—the most indifferent, the most downtrodden people," Angel replied.
Before long, Angel arrived at a garden on the eastern side of the academy.
Compared to the chaos elsewhere, this garden was relatively tranquil. There was only one person present.
A strikingly handsome Blood Elf youth, dressed in vintage clothing, was softly strumming a guitar. His technique was perhaps the most skillful Angel had ever seen, and his singing was melodious and captivating.
Every time he plucked the strings, beams of light drifted into the air, encircling him like joyful sprites dancing around him. The scene was indescribably beautiful.
Yet, the song carried an undertone of sorrow.
This was Ivan, the former Melody Magic Association Chairman, who was sabotaged by both the Midnight Mountain Peak Singing Association and the Midnight Mountain Foot Singing Association.
Angel stepped into the garden hesitantly, then took a step back to feign emotional impulsiveness before clapping: "Truly beautiful—it’s not just the music; the visuals are brimming with aesthetic charm. It’s incomparable to those Midnight Singing folks."
As he spoke, Angel had already seated himself beside Ivan.
Ivan paused his strumming and raised his head slightly to glance at Angel: "Who... are you?"
"Angel." Angel replied with a smile.
"Perhaps you should add something more to build rapport." The demon whispered softly, "People down on their luck need comfort the most."
So Angel added, "I’m a fan of your music."
"You’re a fan of my music?" Ivan seemed startled.
"Yes, of course. Everyone who’s heard your singing becomes a fan." Angel said, effortlessly lying without batting an eye.
"But you’ve been to the Midnight Singing Association?" Ivan lowered his gaze again, continuing to strum, his expression melancholic.
"Uh... actually, I haven’t."
"But you said they can’t compare to me."
"I don’t need to go to know they can’t compare."
"Hmm... you’re clever." Ivan pursed his lips and chuckled softly.
"Time’s running out, get to the point." The demon muttered quietly.
So Angel said, "I have a proposal. The Teaching Affairs Bureau is organizing a New Vascular Council, and I’m planning to become its President. When the time comes, I want the Midnight Singing Association—be it the Mountain Peak or Mountain Foot factions—to disappear permanently. The Melody Magic Association is the rightful lineage forever. I assure you, I have the determination and confidence to accomplish this. All I need is your support."
"How can I support you?" Ivan asked, glancing up again.
Angel replied earnestly, "Bring your followers and fight alongside me. Fight for music!"
For Angel, "bottom lines" are merely thresholds to be continuously surpassed.
"We could divide the school into twelve districts, then establish a mini-Vascular Council for each district..."
"So we’d have to deal with twelve councils simultaneously? No, scrap that. Think of another plan."
"We could divide by dormitory zones and have them resolve issues through duels instead..."
"Oh, a giant free-for-all? No. Next!"
"Or we could find the academy’s most respected student..."
"Please tell me who that is."
"I... I’ll need to look into it."
"So you don’t know. Next plan."
Alvis’s suggestions had been vetoed again and again, his scalp prickling with frustration, yet he could only keep proposing one half-baked idea after another—many of which even he felt were wildly unreliable.
Barnes continued relentlessly pressing him: "Maintaining order is the primary purpose of the Vein Council. Even without deducting subsidy funds, it’s a duty you should already be fulfilling. I want an actionable, effective plan."
While Alvis and the Teaching Affairs Bureau remained mired in helplessness, Angel continued to sprint headlong down the crooked path. Thıs text ıs hosted at N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
"I think the Magic Academy only needs one Poetry Society; the other twenty are just a waste of resources and should be abolished!"
"But abolishing the Poetry Society isn’t within the authority of the Vein Council..."
"And yet making the academy this chaotic wasn’t within the students’ authority either, was it? Didn’t stop them, though. I can cite ’maintaining academy order’ as an excuse to destroy all their promotional materials, conduct inspections during every event they hold, and ensure they can’t accomplish anything. All it takes is a single, anonymous report. Anyone can file it. Even me. Isn’t that right?"
"Brother, I admire you!" A hunchbacked Blood Elf Poetry Society Chairman gave Angel a thumbs-up.