Chapter 92: The Expansion of the Mage Tower

The right policies are often derived in moments of calm, clarity, objectivity, and thoroughness. Moreover, decision-makers must possess both grassroots and mid-level experience, as well as a wealth of theoretical knowledge. Only by combining practice and theory can the most feasible measures be devised.

The administrative team had already been assembled, awaiting their first challenge. The staff at the Sunlight Tower was beginning to increase, and many elves were volunteering to apply at the City Hall and Treasury. After submitting their résumés, each department conducted reviews, then reported to the Chief Operating Officer of the Mage Tower, and finally, Patrick would approve them.

The responders at the Solar Sanctuary were neither too few nor too many, and all departments had begun to function normally. However, there was still a shortage of personnel. For example, the ranger unit on rotation lacked proper management, and the non-resident expeditionary force, led by Aurelia, only came to the Ghostlands during periods of high troll activity.

Patrick sent a message to his family, requesting that more relatives be dispatched to join his administrative team. The Cabron family, although they had their own independent mage tower and lands in Silvermoon City—located at the outer perimeter of the Sunstrider Tower, a prime location, and considered upper-middle class by Silvermoon standards—still had a considerable number of followers and affiliates.

This time, having acquired two excellent fiefs at once, the family could finally allow the talents it had cultivated over the years to flourish on these new lands.

His Majesty Anasterian granted approval for Patrick’s request to renovate the Sunlight Tower, and scholars dispatched by the royal family had already arrived at the Solar Sanctuary.

“Lord Patrick, I am Talonicus, the chief engineer scholar, responsible for this Sunlight Tower project. Here are the construction blueprints for your review.”

It was another familiar face. Patrick nodded in acknowledgment, and, given his current position, needed no further words.

Taking the blueprints, Patrick saw that the expansion of the Sunlight Tower was extensive, encompassing the entire C-shaped valley. Although the mage tower itself would not be raised in height, its width would increase significantly, with much more space added on the periphery.

Talonicus also introduced his team. Although their numbers were small, they were all skilled and efficient elves. Within the team, Talonicus himself was mainly responsible for drawing magical patterns, spell inscription, and the formation of magical arrays.

“No wonder you were known as the Demolition Man in the Tempest Keep,” Patrick thought to himself.

The external structure connected the whole valley, and outside the valley, magical defensive patterns were added. The mountains themselves were reshaped with spells such as Mud-to-Stone and Energy Shaping, fused perfectly with the inner tower. The exterior continued the elves’ favorite palette of white, gold, and red—the very colors Patrick favored in his previous life.

With Patrick’s approval, Talonicus and his team immediately began work. The scholars, adept in architecture, started to reshape the mountains, swiftly transforming them into the foundation for walls, while other engineering elves focused on channeling magical energy into the foundation. The engineering vehicles laid groundwork on the outside; once the mountain shaping was done, it would all merge into one.

After the external works were finished, three scholars carefully opened a magical chest filled with building materials for the mage tower. Unlike ordinary materials, those inside the magical chest were in liquid form.

Some scholars operated the engineering vehicles, while others guided arcane golems to craft magical arrays. Talonicus placed a spell scroll at the center of the array, which immediately enveloped the Sunlight Tower in a layer of magical barrier. The potent arcane energy projected into the sky, revealing the outlines of the mage tower as it would first appear. The powerful arcane constructs made Patrick feel as though the surrounding space had solidified.

Finally, Talonicus directed the infusion of the liquid materials. The fluid building substances flowed along the shapes and patterns, spreading slowly over the entire tower. The materials were tightly locked within, as if casting molten metal into a mold—all that remained was to wait for cooling and completion.

The magical array emitted a series of fluctuations; the liquid materials gradually formed and solidified. The first phase of expansion was finished. Immediately, the second phase began, much like the first—akin to casting, so that the Sunlight Tower appeared seamless, with no trace of additions.

Once the construction of the mage tower was complete, Talonicus began preparing to inscribe magical arrays and lay spell conduits inside. These were basic arrays: temperature regulation, reinforcement, and eternal durability. Between the tower walls and the renovated valley outside, four layers of arrays were placed: fortification, stability, physical resistance, and magical resistance. Patrick owed much to the generosity of His Majesty Anasterian—the Sunlight Tower was nearly a fortress.

The scholars worked diligently and energetically, showing none of Silvermoon City’s usual decadence. When Talonicus and his team relaxed with drinks in the evening, they were astonished by the vibrancy of the Solar Sanctuary: even at night, elves were still handling official business, as though time itself waited for no one.

What surprised them most was that all the officials in charge of municipal and financial affairs here were ordinary elves—none bore clan names or titles, and the magical energy in their bodies was not that of spellcasters. Having lived in Silvermoon for so long, they simply could not comprehend this.

“It’s because, like you, each elf has their own talents. I merely discovered and utilized them. In return, they have gained the money, status, and connections they desired,” Patrick explained to them.

The status of scholars in Silvermoon City was somewhat awkward. Because they were not high-level spellcasters, their service to the royal family brought only a slight increase in standing, but nothing more. When facing the council elders, whatever status they gained seemed a joke, utterly meaningless.

Such frustration and oppression were not easily accepted by all. Yet, what struck them here was that at the Solar Sanctuary, they received respect from nearly everyone. Even when resting and drinking at the taverns, people would praise their technical prowess and their expertise in architecture.

This was treatment they had never received; the praise, the respectful gazes, the expressions of admiration and hope—even Talonicus, the chief engineer, was moved deeply.

Sometimes Talonicus would think, “Councilor Patrick is quite different from the others—he values the complementarity of ability and authority.”

Patrick’s intentions were simple: to plant a seed in everyone’s heart, hoping one day it would grow into a towering tree.