Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 324 If only it had happened earlier...

Cassandra walked slowly toward the podium, each step taken with utmost composure.

The platform, constructed from otherworldly materials, glowed faintly beneath her feet, as if responding to the terrifying energy contained within her.

The "time crystals" embedded on the edge of the podium began to flash rhythmically, perfectly synchronized with her heartbeat.

When she stood still, the entire "Hall of Falling Stars" fell into a deathly silence.

Thousands of wizards held their breath; an almost suffocating tension filled the air.

Ron activated "Hermit's Insight" and carefully observed the subtle reactions of the crowd below the stage.

The young wizards' eyes gleamed with excitement, like hungry beasts that had caught the scent of blood.

The senior scholars, on the other hand, looked worried, their clenched fists betraying their inner unease.

What caught his attention most were the changes in the observation station queue.

Those members who had long suffered from the corruption of the abyss were now exhibiting a kind of morbid excitement.

"It seems my earlier guess was correct," Ron thought to himself, analyzing this unusual phenomenon.

"The aftereffects of the Abyss's corruption caused them to resonate with a specific energy fluctuation emanating from Cassandra?"

"Colleagues."

Cassandra's voice echoed in the hall, her gentle tone a stark contrast to the conqueror's aura she had just displayed:
"The spoils I just showed you are just the tip of the iceberg of our true potential."

Her purple eyes swept over the crowd below the stage.

"To ensure the smooth progress of the conquest, the School Alliance will implement a series of new management systems."

The announcement of the first policy immediately caused a huge uproar:
"Mandatory Conscription System: All wizards who have reached the Moon-level or above are obligated to participate in the interdimensional conquest. This is no longer a personal choice, but a responsibility of civilization."

A heated discussion immediately erupted from the audience, with many traditional wizards showing displeasure.

But Cassandra did not give them a chance to object and went on to announce:

"Of course, taking into account the different areas of expertise of wizards, the recruitment system will be implemented in a flexible manner."

She unfolded the policy manual, which revealed detailed classifications:
"Combat wizards will directly participate in frontline combat and enjoy the highest right to the distribution of spoils."

Research-oriented wizards can choose to provide rear support, taking charge of the analysis and application of otherworldly technologies;
Administrative wizards were responsible for governing and developing resources in the conquered territories.

This meticulous division of labor significantly alleviated the concerns of many, especially those scholar-type wizards who were not skilled in combat.

Cassandra continued to explain:
"Considering the long-term development needs of the school of thought, we will retain a certain proportion of researchers to focus on traditional teaching work to ensure that the transmission of knowledge is not interrupted."

The second policy is also attracting attention:
"Military merit evaluation system: Traditional academic contributions will be calculated in parallel with conquest contributions. The contribution value of publishing a top-level paper will be equivalent to the military merit value of successfully conquering a small civilization."

She presented a complex scoring form:

"This system is not intended to diminish the value of academic research, but rather to fairly evaluate all forms of contribution."

After all, whether it's discovering new magical principles or opening up new resource sources for a school of thought, it all contributes to the progress of civilization.

The third policy involves the most crucial aspect: the distribution of benefits.
"Unified management of interdimensional resources: All resources obtained from conquest operations will be managed and distributed by the conquest faction, but the right to use them will be open to all members based on their contribution."

This explanation alleviated the concerns of many research-oriented wizards:
"Members who participate in the conquest will indeed receive priority in allocation, but these resources will not be monopolized."

Any wizard can apply for the opportunity to research and use it, but there will be differences in priority.

The last policy is the most controversial:

"Management System for Extraterrestrial Intelligent Creatures:"
We will establish a comprehensive classification and management system for extraterrestrial beings to ensure that every intelligent being can fulfill their value in the most suitable role.

She deliberately avoided using radical terms like "enslavement," opting instead for more euphemistic expressions:

"Those otherworldly creatures that demonstrate a cooperative attitude in battle will be granted the status of 'protected citizens' and will enjoy basic rights to survival and opportunities for development."

Those who resist to the end will be categorized as 'labor resources' and contribute to the construction of the academic alliance.

Most surprisingly, her arrangements for marginalized wizards:

"For wizards who are unable to participate in conquest operations or are unsuitable for advanced research, we will provide ample teaching and administrative positions."

She presented a detailed diagram of the social division of labor:
"Older wizards can focus on teaching and nurturing the next generation in a safe environment;"
Wizards in poor health can work in logistics and management.
Even the weaker wizards could hold low-level management positions in the completely conquered, safe planes.

The brilliance of this policy framework lies in the fact that it virtually eliminates all possible grounds for opposition:

Scholars who were worried about being forced to participate in the war now have the option of participating through research.

Traditionalists who worried that academic value would be diminished saw that academic contributions were still valued.
Ordinary wizards who were worried about resources being monopolized were given the opportunity to use them fairly.

Even those marginalized wizards who were completely unable to adapt to the new era were properly taken care of.

Whispers began to rise from the audience. An elderly man dressed in a traditional scholar's robe cleared his throat.

"Grand Wizard Cassandra, if I may be so bold, our 'defense strategy' has ensured that the wizarding civilization has continued to this day."

I've learned about some alien civilizations that chose aggressive expansion, and most of them have already disappeared into the annals of history.

The old man's name was Edgar Black, and he was one of the theoretical researchers at the Crystal Spire.

His voice trembled, but his tone carried an undeniable firmness.

Cassandra turned to him:
“Edgar has raised a very good question. Indeed, the conservative strategy has allowed us to survive until now, which is an undeniable achievement.”

She waved her right hand lightly, and a huge multi-dimensional map projection immediately appeared in the air.

“But, Researcher Edgar, do you think ‘survival’ and ‘prosperity’ are the same thing?”

The map begins to show the development trajectory of the wizarding civilization over the past few eras, a slow and steady upward curve.

Then, the projection shows a comparison of the development speed of other known civilizations.

"Look at this red line. This is the development trajectory of our wizarding civilization. It's stable, predictable, and reassuring."

Cassandra's finger traced the blue curve representing wizarding civilization in the air:
"And these are the development data of other civilizations I encountered during my conquest of other worlds."

Dozens of curves of different colors appeared in the projection, most of which showed a steep upward trend.

Some civilizations developed at a rate ten times faster than wizard civilizations, and some even a hundred times faster.

Edgar's face turned pale:

"But...but rapid development often means instability, and greater risks..."

"You're right."

Cassandra nodded in agreement, but then immediately changed the subject:
"But Edgar, have you ever thought about this?"

When other civilizations have surpassed us by a great deal of power, does our 'stability' still have any meaning?

If a civilization far more powerful than us decides to conquer us, our tens of thousands of years of accumulated strength might just be a joke in their eyes.

Just then, a young witch suddenly spoke up, questioning:
"Grand Wizard Cassandra, conquest means conflict, it means death."

The spoils and policies you've shown are indeed impressive, but at what cost?

Who knows, we ourselves might become the next victims? None of us are nearly as strong as you.”

Ron carefully observed the questioner's micro-expressions and magical fluctuations.

To his surprise, the witch was unusually calm.

Although her words carried a questioning tone, her heart rate, the flow of magic, and even the reaction of her pupils revealed an almost transcendent calmness.

"This doesn't seem like the physiological reaction a truly angry or worried person would have..."

Ron noted this anomaly in his mind and began to pay attention to the state of the other questioners.

Cassandra's expression turned serious when faced with this pointed question:

“Mentor Fular, your question touches on the core controversy of the conquest policy.”

I will not shy away from this issue, because honesty is the foundation of our discussion.

Her purple eyes were filled with deep pain:

"Yes, some lives were indeed lost during the conquest, and in the early explorations, the vast majority were probably ours."

Cassandra's voice trembled slightly:
“But Professor Fular, I would like to ask you to consider another issue.”

In these years of our 'peaceful' development, how many wizards have died in the abyss?
How many scholars, lacking sufficiently advanced treatment techniques, are beyond saving?

She waved her hand, displaying a set of stunning statistics:

"Since the Fourth Age, 4847 official wizards have died while exploring the Abyss."

Researchers who died in experimental accidents: 1923.

Scholars who died from various terminal illnesses and the aftereffects of erosion: 4651.

This does not include permanent disabilities caused by magical overload, mental pollution, or other reasons.

A subtle change occurred in Instructor Flar's expression, but Ron noticed that her physiological responses remained unusually stable. "These deaths are the price of our 'peace policy'."

Cassandra continued:

"If we had obtained the life rewriting technology of 'decoding civilization' a thousand years earlier, those scholars who died of terminal illnesses would still be alive today."

"If we had mastered the time manipulation techniques of the 'Reaper Civilization' five hundred years earlier, those unexpected events during the Abyss explorations could have been reversed."

Her voice became even more agitated:
"Professor Flar, please tell me, which is more appropriate: to let 4847 wizards slowly die in the abyss, or to sacrifice 500 warriors in a rapid conquest to obtain the technology of salvation?"

This comparison silenced the audience.

The power of numbers is brutal; it transforms abstract controversies into concrete comparisons of lives.

But Ron keenly noticed that the magical fluctuations of the few "skeptics" in the front row showed a subtle coordination.

Although they play different roles, their energy frequencies share a certain resonant characteristic.

"These people were likely arranged in advance..."

He became secretly wary and began to observe the design of the entire speech more carefully.

Cassandra continued her argument:

"I know some people worry that conquest will change our nature."

This concern is valid; I've had the same struggles myself.

Her expression became complex and profound:
"But in the process of conquering other worlds, I saw a more brutal truth. In this universe, there are no true 'outsiders'."

The projection changed again, revealing several dim nodes marked "vanished civilizations".

These nodes no longer emit light, leaving only dim afterimages, like tombstones in the universe.

"The 'Peace Alliance' in the fourth quadrant is a collection of civilizations with peace and cooperation as its core values."

Cassandra's voice became like a eulogy:
"They established a perfect democratic system, where every decision is subject to countless discussions and votes."

They believed that war was a symbol of barbarity and that force was a manifestation of ignorance.

The final moments of this alliance were shown in the projection:
The beautiful crystal city collapsed instantly, surrounded by twisted tentacles, and countless lives vanished in despair.

"When the 'Lame Ones' invaded, they were still debating whether the entire civilization should flee."

By the time the meeting ended, the entire alliance had been completely incorporated into the 'domain' of that ancient being.

Hundreds of countries and trillions of lives have vanished into the annals of history because of excessive 'democracy'.

A middle-aged wizard in the audience asked in a trembling voice:
"But... but we can acquire knowledge through exchange, why must we choose war?"

This time, the questioner's emotional reaction seemed more genuine, and Ron could sense his true fear and confusion.

Cassandra turned to him, her eyes showing understanding:

“Mentor Harvis, your idea is absolutely correct in an ideal situation.”

Diplomacy and negotiation are indeed more civilized ways of acquiring knowledge, and I prefer to choose this method.

She paused for a moment, then her tone became serious:

"But the question is, Professor Havis, when the other party is simply unwilling to engage in dialogue with you as an equal, is your diplomacy still effective?"

The projection displayed a scene of another civilization's demise:

The "Republic of Scholars" in the seventh quadrant focuses on the accumulation and research of knowledge, and their library houses the wisdom of a hundred centuries.

When the 'Mechanical Federation' launched its attack, they dispatched their best diplomats, bringing with them their most valuable knowledge as bargaining chips.

In the scene, a group of scholars dressed in magnificent robes stand in front of the mechanical legion, holding glittering knowledge crystals in their hands.

"What was the Mechanical Federation's response?"

Cassandra's voice took on a sarcastic tone:
"They killed all the diplomats, seized the knowledge crystals, and then continued their attack."

Because in their logic, if you can obtain everything through conquest, why exchange for only half?

Upon hearing this example, Professor Havis opened his mouth, but ultimately refuted it without uttering any words of rebuttal.

"This is the reality we face."

Cassandra continued:

"In this brutal universe, only civilizations that are powerful enough are qualified to talk about morality and diplomacy."

The kindness of the weak is often just a joke in the eyes of the strong.

She paused for a moment, then scanned everyone in the room:

"In this situation, conquest is not greed, but self-defense."

The purpose is not to satisfy our lust for power, but more importantly, to protect ourselves.

This personalized argument clearly generated a strong emotional resonance.

Cassandra's choice of words when giving examples was extremely clever.

She consistently avoided mentioning specific atrocities committed during the conquest, instead focusing on "rejected requests" and "unfair exchanges."

This rhetorical technique makes the act of conquest appear as a forced defensive reaction rather than an active act of aggression.

“There’s something even more important.”

Cassandra continued her argument, shifting the focus back to the governance costs of conquest:

"We are not meant to be pure destroyers, but rather integrators."

The projection displays the current state of the conquered civilizations under her rule:

The city is well-organized, production is orderly, and people of all ethnicities work in their respective suitable positions.

Although there are obvious differences in level, the scene looks relatively harmonious.

"Look at how these former 'enemies' are doing now?"

They have a stable food supply, suitable jobs, and basic safety guarantees.

Their knowledge and culture have been preserved and developed.

She specifically pointed out some details in the picture:
"This is the artisan district of the original 'Crystal Civilization,' where they continue to make traditional artworks, only now they have better materials and tools."

There are technicians from the 'Mechanical Federation' there; with our support, they've developed even more advanced equipment.

"Conquest does not mean destruction, but optimization."

Cassandra's voice was full of confidence:

"We will integrate the strengths of different civilizations to create a more efficient and powerful integrated system."

But Ron’s “superhuman ability to recognize” allowed him to see some subtle details in the image.

At the edge of the image, some huge surveillance devices and armed guards are faintly visible, suggesting that this "harmony" is maintained by force.

"The great wizard's rhetoric skills are indeed superb."

Ron calmly analyzed the situation in his mind:
She packaged conquest as salvation, enslavement as integration, and coercion as cooperation.

But the most ingenious part is that the examples she provides might be partially true, which makes the lie even more believable.

The audience burst into warm applause.

Just as the applause began, Ron noticed some subtle details.

Yutel's ethereal projection flickered slightly below the stage, the unstable light revealing the old professor's inner unease.

The tacit understanding they had built allowed Ron to interpret this signal: Keep your own thoughts in mind!
Cassandra, however, acted as if she hadn't seen anything and continued to display detailed risk analysis charts:
"This is the framework for our conquest strategy, whose core principles are 'gradual expansion' and 'safety margin control'."

The chart shows a careful and systematic plan:

"We will not rashly attack civilizations that are beyond our capabilities, nor will we launch operations on multiple fronts simultaneously."

Every conquest operation undergoes a detailed assessment of strength and a calculation of risks.

She pointed to a key indicator in the chart:
"Our safety standards are: the success rate of any conquest operation must exceed 80%, and the casualty rate must be kept below 30%."

Only targets that meet these conditions will be included in the conquest plan.

Cassandra's tone became more confidential, as if she were revealing important information:

"Our intelligence network has conducted in-depth investigations into the surrounding civilizations."

Our analysis revealed that most powerful civilizations are either experiencing developmental bottlenecks or facing internal conflicts.

(End of this chapter)