"Come in."

A calm, familiar female voice came from within.

Allen pushed the door open.

The office was at least three times larger than his one at the Seven Towers Alliance. Outside an enormous, curved, floor-to-ceiling window was a magnificent vista where the sea met the sky, an boundless azure ocean, and the picturesque silhouettes of floating islands in the distance.

The interior furnishings were no longer in the pragmatic style of before; every single item silently declared its owner’s status.

The desk was crafted from a rare, black wood that emitted a faint, pleasant fragrance. On its corner sat a pot of glowing flowers from another plane, pulsing faintly in time with the tides of Magic Power.

The incense that permeated the air soothed even Allen’s thoughts.

Details. It was all in the details.

The owner of this office was no longer the "Senior Observer" from years ago who had to rely on verbal pressure to gain an advantage.

Eleanor stood before the floor-to-ceiling window and slowly turned around.

Time seemed to have left few marks on her face. She still wore a smart, gray business suit, a badge with the Probe and Star-Ring emblem of the Plane Exploration and Development Association pinned to her chest.

The difference was an additional ring of deep blue markings around the outer edge of the badge, signifying a Second-level Wizard.

Their gazes met.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

There was no overt hostility, yet it was more intense than the fiercest clash of swords.

She was re-evaluating the "investment" she hadn’t seen in twenty years; he was recalibrating his view of the "creditor" after two decades.

Finally, Eleanor was the first to break the silence. A perfectly measured smile appeared on her face as she proactively extended a hand.

"It’s been twenty years, Mr. Allen. You are far more outstanding than I ever anticipated."

Allen stepped forward and shook her hand.

The pressure of her grip was moderate—neither distant nor overly enthusiastic.

"Please, have a seat." Eleanor gestured for Allen to sit in the chair opposite her desk and personally poured him a cup of tea.

The tea was a strange golden color and gave off a faint glow, as if the cup held a handful of flowing Star Sand.

"Golden Memory Tea. It’s a special seaweed that can only be harvested three thousand meters deep in the seas of the Great Library Plane. It helps stabilize one’s Sea of Spirit."

Allen accepted the cup. Its walls felt warm and smooth to the touch. He spoke calmly, "Promoted to group leader. Congratulations."

"The same to you."

Eleanor sat back down in her seat, her hands folded on the desk. Her posture was identical to twenty years ago, but her aura was completely different.

"To advance to a Second-level Wizard in less than twenty years... among the Official Wizards currently registered with the Association, your promotion speed ranks in the top fifty of all time."

She looked at Allen, her gaze sharp. "Do you know what being in the top fifty means?"

"It means my valuation has gone up again."

Allen’s unexpected answer made the curve of Eleanor’s lips widen slightly, and she let out a soft laugh.

"Correct. In our department, your file is now designated as a special asset, marked with a red star for ’Highest Priority’."

Allen took a sip of the tea. A cool sensation instantly flooded his mind, and the speed of his thought processes seemed to quicken slightly.

He raised his eyes and replied courteously, "You’ve been promoted as well, Lady Eleanor."

This statement was both a congratulations and a probe.

Eleanor seemed to see right through him and responded frankly, without evasion:

"The Association has a dedicated promotion support system for Wizards in administrative roles. When your work performance—or rather, the value you create for the Association—reaches a certain threshold, the Association will directly provide you with all the resources needed for promotion: knowledge, materials, mentor guidance, and everything else you can imagine."

She leaned forward slightly, her gaze holding an undisguised frankness.

"Three years ago, based on my overall performance, the Association provided me with a full set of resources for my promotion. Of all the ’potential stocks’ I’ve personally signed, you are one of the investments with the highest expected rate of return."

"So, in a sense—I have you to thank, Mr. Allen."

Allen understood the message Eleanor was conveying.

’The Plane Exploration and Development Association... truly something else! To think they could treat "promotion," the ultimate goal countless Wizards dream of, as an "employee benefit" to be handed out, completely removing the need to struggle for it. An organization capable of this must have resource reserves and a structural framework far beyond the imagination of an ordinary Wizard. More importantly, this closed loop of "You create value for me → I make you stronger → so you can create more value for me" was a binding method far more secure than any Magic Contract. It made you willingly slave away for the system, because your personal future was now deeply intertwined with the system’s interests.’

"It seems I need to reacquaint myself with the Association," Allen said, setting down his teacup. Inside was the priceless specialty from the Great Library Plane, the so-called "Golden Memory Tea."

"I’ve been waiting a long time for you to say that. Countless people would kill for this opportunity, but unfortunately, the Association has no need for mediocrity."

Eleanor tapped a finger lightly on the tabletop, and a massive screen of light unfolded silently between them.

The first thing to appear was a pyramid-shaped organizational chart of the Association.

"The Association is one of the executive bodies directly under the Gate of Truth, and also its most important ’blood-forming department.’ To put it simply, the scholars are responsible for exploring the truths of the world, and we are responsible for converting those truths into tangible benefits. We then use those benefits to support more scholars."

The organizational hierarchy was clearly listed: Clerk (Apprentice-level) → Observer (First-level Wizard) → Investigator (Second-level Wizard) → Executor (Morning Star Wizard) → Round Table Councilor of the Gate of Truth (Moonlight Mage).

As Allen expected, the apex of this organization was a great Wizard at the Moonlight Mage level.

Next were the Association’s six core business sectors: [Planar Exploration], [New Resource Development], [Ancient Civilization Ruin Exploration], [High-Risk Anomaly Investigation and Elimination], [Planar Disaster Relief], and [Cross-Planar Strategic Goods Trade].

In addition, some astonishing statistics followed.

Allen’s eyes swept over them quickly.

[...Currently, the Association is simultaneously conducting development and exploration projects at various stages across seventy-three material planes.]

[...Registered Wizards on staff: 8,247. Among them, approximately 6,000 are First-level Wizards, approximately 2,000 are Second-level Wizards, and there are sixteen Morning Star Level Wizards.]

[...The President of the Association is a member of the Gate of Truth’s Round Table Council, a Moonlight Mage, His Excellency Augustus Valentine.]

The sheer volume of information was enough to make any ordinary Wizard dizzy, but Eleanor’s presentation was concise and efficient, without a single wasted word.

Allen noticed that among the six sectors, "Ruin Exploration" and "High-Risk Anomaly Investigation" had the fewest missions, but they were marked with the highest risk and reward factors.

As for the "Cross-Planar Strategic Goods Trade" sector, the contents of the annual profit column had been redacted.

Clearly, it would be an absurdly high number.

"The scale of the Association has indeed exceeded my expectations," Allen said calmly, retracting his gaze.

This was the truth. Even by the standards of what he had seen under his mentor, the Association’s sheer size was staggering.

"It seems my choice back then wasn’t wrong. So, now that I understand the full picture..."

Allen’s gaze shifted from the screen of light and settled back on Eleanor’s face.

"I think we can talk specifics now."

"Regarding the agreement between myself and the Association—the old contract was signed based on the evaluation of a First-level Wizard with an uncertain future."

"Now, things have changed."

The curve of Eleanor’s lips tilted upward slightly.

It was as if she had been waiting for him to say just that.

The action itself was the best answer: she had not only anticipated that Allen would demand a renegotiation, but she had even prepared a counter-proposal well in advance.

"Things have indeed changed."

From a hidden compartment beneath her desk, she retrieved a beautifully bound silver scroll that had been prepared long ago, pushing it gently across to Allen.

"They’ve changed for the better." She leaned forward slightly, her gaze a curious and highly persuasive mixture of business-like precision and personal admiration. "At least, for both of us."

"Mr. Allen, the Association respects every irreplaceable talent. Especially... a Level 2 War Alchemy Wizard who has been tested by two decades of battle."

Her fingers tapped lightly on the new contract scroll, making a crisp sound.

"I believe that after you have carefully read this new agreement, you will not regret signing that old contract twenty years ago."

She paused, then added a profound statement, laced with a certainty born from absolute confidence.

"In fact... after your twenty-year service period is over, you won’t even want to leave."