How could Wilder possibly be that kind of person?
All that happened was one night that left Claire flushed and breathless; he hadn't done anything more excessive.
Could taking a few liberties really be called harassment?
Besides, was he, Wilder, the kind of man who would harass someone?
Alright, so Claire had fled in the middle of the night.
That wasn't important. What was important was that the arrival of the next day meant it was time to begin interviewing the eighty candidates who had applied from every department and level of his organization.
In the grand hall of the Royal Palace, Wilder was already seated on his throne, waiting. Claire walked in, holding a thick stack of papers. The moment she saw Wilder, her face turned as red as an apple. She shot him a look that was a mixture of shyness and indignation before walking forward. "Boss, the test papers are all printed. They're right here."
"I see. Just put them on the table. Have the candidates arrived?" Wilder's demeanor was now completely serious.
"They are waiting outside the palace."
"Mm," Wilder nodded. "Have them come in."
"Yes, sir."
Claire exited and, a short while later, returned to her position by Wilder's side. Then, people began to file in through the main doors. They looked somewhat nervous, and upon entering and seeing Wilder on the throne, they first bowed in respect before standing quietly to the side.
Once everyone had arrived, Wilder finally spoke. "Everyone, please be seated. Claire, distribute the test papers."
The content of the test was entirely of Wilder's own design. It wasn't that he couldn't have ordered his subordinates to create it, but he felt they wouldn't grasp the kind of paradigm-shifting concepts he wanted to introduce, nor could they create something to his satisfaction. The purpose of this test was to see if these people possessed forward-thinking minds, if they knew how to be flexible and progressive, and if they could accept ideas they had never encountered before.
Secondly, it was a test of their fundamental cultural knowledge. As long as they met the standards Wilder had in mind, he could then involve them in discussions and solicit their opinions on matters like how to establish the Talent Development Department and what specific details needed to be added.
Soon, the hall was filled with a tense yet silent atmosphere.
The eighty candidates each received the same test paper. They were seated more than two meters apart, eliminating any possibility of cheating. Of course, with Wilder presiding over the room, no one would dare attempt such a thing anyway.
The moment they received the papers, a portion of the candidates frowned.
The first question on the test was an essay question:
Question: Should the World Government exist?
The question sent a shockwave through each person's mind, though their external reactions varied. Some frowned, some remained completely placid, and some looked excited and invigorated.
There were only two possible answers—it should, or it shouldn't—but they couldn't just give an answer; they had to provide their reasoning.
For Wilder, the answer itself wasn't important. What mattered was the reasoning. Through the justifications provided by each individual, Wilder could judge whether they fit the profile he was looking for.
In truth, the question was treasonous to the highest degree. But no one present was foolish enough to leak the contents of the exam—not unless they had a death wish.
The soft scratching of pen tips on paper filled the hall as nearly everyone began to write.
Apart from the first soul-searching question, the subsequent problems were all practical questions designed to test their knowledge and abilities in various fields: arithmetic, literature, expression, strategy, and more.
There were also various trap questions, hypotheticals, and brain teasers.
Wilder sat on his throne, silently watching everyone write without saying a word.
Time ticked by.
Forty minutes was the time limit Wilder had set. Once the time was up, they had to stop. This was also part of the test, a measure of their reaction speed.
As soon as forty minutes had passed, Claire called out, "Pens down!"
Swish, swish, swish!
Instantly, everyone put down their pens. A few had already finished ahead of time.
Wilder looked down at the eighty individuals. His face was unreadable, but inwardly, he was quite satisfied. At least so far, all eighty of them had behaved with composure, which was an essential quality.
It made sense. After all, those with knowledge and the confidence to come to the Royal Palace for an interview were all here. Wilder knew that besides these eighty, there were many others with knowledge, but they lacked the courage or ambition to stand here. This meant they had already been eliminated in the first round.
Wilder looked at the crowd, his expression stern. The results were not yet decided, and there was no need for him to show any kindness or friendliness to these subordinates just yet.
"All candidates will now proceed to the auxiliary hall to await the results," Claire said, taking a gentle step forward.
"Yes."
After everyone had withdrawn, Claire collected all the test papers and handed them to Wilder.
She stood by his side to assist as Wilder began grading them one by one.
The answer to the first question was what Wilder valued most, which was why he had placed it first.
Picking up one of the papers, Wilder glanced at the name: Flint. Wilder had already seen his profile in the application form. He was a minor team leader in the Transport Department, one level above the lowest-ranking members, with ten people under his command.
Wilder silently read Flint's answer to the first question.
The answer was somewhat unexpected. He raised an eyebrow and continued reading with great interest.
The question was: Should the World Government exist?
And Flint's answer was that it both should and shouldn't.
An answer like that could typically leave one of two impressions on a superior: either the person was a slippery sycophant trying to play both sides, or... they were "Interesting. Acceptable. Not rigid."
Wilder momentarily set aside his initial impression of the answer and moved on to the reasoning.
A moment later, Wilder suddenly burst out laughing. "Mhahaha! This guy… he's a real talent!"
Flint's response was, in essence, the very answer Wilder had been looking for, which meant he was a person of extraordinary foresight.
His reasoning for "should and shouldn't" was as follows: It should exist because it currently exists and maintains the world's balance. If it were to disappear, the world would descend into unimaginable chaos. Piracy would reach unprecedented levels, and civilians would suffer even more. Therefore, to prevent the world from falling into such a state, it should exist.
It shouldn't exist because the World Government has become corrupt. It no longer possesses the power or fulfills the duties it was founded upon. A "thing" that holds a title of responsibility but does not act upon it is redundant and has no reason to exist.
But, if I must choose between 'should' and 'shouldn't' as my final answer, my answer is 'should.'
Following this, there was another paragraph written on the page. It was this paragraph that made Wilder feel this man's thinking was a mirror of his own.
But if another power were to rise that could replace 'it,' then 'it' would no longer have any reason to exist.
The man's words were bold, but Wilder appreciated them immensely. At the very least, a person like this had room to grow intellectually.
Wilder didn't rush to a conclusion. He began to check the subsequent questions.
The results continued to bring Wilder small surprises.
This guy was good.
Although he didn't meet Wilder's expectations in every single area, for a person from this world, his performance was already remarkable.
Next, Wilder began grading the other papers. However, he didn't encounter another "ambiguous" answer like Flint's for the first question. All the others were definitively "should" or "shouldn't."
Among them, a few individuals left a very deep impression on Wilder, even deeper than Flint's.
This impression came not from the first question, but from the later sections that truly tested their practical knowledge.
In other words, this was a group of true "pragmatists"!
Of course, the others' knowledge wasn't poor either, but it was precisely because of the high overall standard that the excellence of these few stood out.
One of them was a man named Akira, a middle-aged man with round, frameless glasses and a naturally scholarly air. This man impressed Wilder the most.
He was a true scholar. His answers to all the questions could be described as perfect—well-organized, far-sighted, and filled with wisdom at every turn.
And yet, he was from the Science Department.
He mentioned that he had been a teacher before being recruited by Morass. He had started from the bottom and had now risen to a position in the main administrative office.
"As expected of a talented person. His brilliance can't be hidden, no matter where he is."
It took Wilder nearly half a day to finish grading all the papers. Overall, sixty people met his requirements or were at least satisfactory.
However, the remaining twenty were not without potential. Wilder decided to give them a chance, believing that under the right leadership, some people's mindsets could be gradually changed.
Therefore, all eighty candidates passed this test.
Wilder summoned a few of the most satisfactory individuals for a private, in-depth discussion. It was another form of testing, after which he expressed his satisfaction and his intention to entrust them with great responsibility.
Of course, the discussions were held one-on-one, and the content varied for each person.
After the talks, Wilder announced the establishment of the Talent Development Department. Akira was temporarily appointed as the department head, while the other five, including Flint, were appointed as temporary deputy heads. All these positions were provisional. A new arrangement would be made once the department was fully established. This was a probationary period for them.
Following this, Wilder held a small meeting with the six men, led by Akira.
The general purpose was to assign duties and solicit suggestions.
"You all have a basic understanding of the responsibilities of the Talent Development Department. The main purpose of this meeting is to discuss the finer details: how to build the department, and what structures and foundations need to be established and paid attention to."
Wilder glanced at the six men and smiled. "Please, speak freely."
"The Talent Development Department cannot function with just these few people," Akira said calmly, pushing up his glasses. "According to Your Majesty's original intention, this department is to become one of the most important in the nation, as vital as the military. Therefore, the number of talented personnel required will not be small. I propose we recruit more talent, starting from the civilian population."
Wilder smiled. This man did not disappoint. His thoughts and ideas mirrored his own.
"I have already issued an order regarding that. Tomorrow, a preliminary selection will be conducted through application forms. Akira, I'll leave this in your hands. You will be in charge of reviewing and grading the applications. I trust you know what kind of talent I am looking for."
Hearing this, Akira looked up at Wilder in surprise, then nodded with solemn earnestness. "I will not fail to live up to Your Majesty's trust."
"I propose we collect books from all over the world to serve as the foundation for the department. Within the department, we should establish a curriculum development team dedicated to researching educational materials, such as creating textbooks," another person spoke up.
Wilder looked at him, very pleased, and nodded in agreement. "I agree. You will be in charge of the curriculum development team. Once the team is formed, you are to contact the printing factory and have them assign some people to assist in producing the materials. In the future, when the country develops, we can cooperate with private printing factories that emerge."
"Yes, sir," the person who made the suggestion replied with a nod.
Then, Flint, who had been deep in thought, spoke up. "I propose that at the very beginning of curriculum design, we create a set of ideological guidance textbooks. All future education will be based on these guidelines, and they must be beneficial to the King and the country."
"Excellent. The six of you will discuss and create this. Submit it to me for review when you are finished," Wilder was extremely pleased with Flint's proposal.
He hadn't misjudged him. This man appeared quiet on the surface, but he was a firebrand at heart. His suggestion was bold, realistic, and directly addressed the hidden core issue.
After Flint finished, another person spoke. "The curriculum is the foundation of talent development and is of the utmost importance. In addition to basic literacy and arithmetic, I propose that we categorize the curriculum and add other subjects. I suggest we transfer personnel from various departments to participate in the creation of corresponding subject materials. Science, munitions, construction, medicine—all of these can be listed as subjects."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
"..."
Afterward, the six of them continued to offer various other suggestions.
The next day, as the application forms were being distributed to the civilians, Wilder convened another meeting. This time, not only were the eighty members of the initial Talent Development Department team present, but all department heads and senior officers were also in attendance.
"Each department will select ten people to participate in the construction and curriculum development of the Talent Development Department. The participants must possess professional skills and knowledge in their respective fields. The candidates will be recommended by the department heads, and the Talent Development Department will make the final selection."
Wilder looked at the crowd and said in a tone that brooked no argument, "All departments must fully cooperate with the Talent Development Department."
"Yes, sir!"
"Construction Department." Wilder's gaze shifted to the sleazy-looking old man in the crowd.
"Here," the old man stood up.
"What is the progress on the architectural plans?"
"Your Majesty, five general plans have been designed, but they still need to be refined."
"Speed up the progress. Deliver them to my secretary within five days. I will review them then."
"Yes, sir."