The members of Gothic Doll left, and before they departed, they highly praised the collaboration, stating that every aspect had met their satisfaction.
"Although I'm a bit impatient, the promotional video might take some time before it can be broadcast on various platforms," Li Xun told Thilan before leaving.
"We need to prepare the stock in advance to avoid the awkward situation where the promotion is out, but there's nothing to sell."
"So, for now, we'll have to be patient~"
"Oh, by the way, the designers in our group really like you, Thilan. But they're not very good at socializing, so they asked me to give you some gifts."
With that, Li Xun clapped her hands and pulled out a box from the pile of luggage behind her.
"Inside is a set of magical attire, along with matching accessories and small components. It might not be the most powerful in terms of combat, but it's a masterpiece in terms of aesthetics."
She opened the box, revealing the neatly folded clothes inside.
The outfit was primarily black with hints of deep blue, inspired by butterflies. The edges were adorned with soft black butterfly wing patterns, with gradient blue accents wrapped in black. The skirt resembled overlapping butterfly wings, and it came with black stockings dotted with stars, long gloves with simulated butterflies on the back of the hands, and a vertical deep blue gemstone on the chest to provide and store the attire's magical energy. The shoulders featured intricate lace patterns.
"The attire has engraved patterns that can activate three effects: 'Butterfly Wings Unfurl,' 'Shadow Flicker,' and 'Flutter.'"
"'Butterfly Wings Unfurl' generates magical butterfly wings on the back of the attire, aiding in flight and reducing weight. 'Shadow Flicker' allows the wearer to briefly enter a ghostly state for one second, evading certain attacks. 'Flutter' provides a short burst of speed, increasing the wearer's speed by several times for 3-5 seconds, though the effect varies from person to person."
"Overall, it's rated as a Perfect Gold-Grade attire. While its defensive capabilities are average, it excels in speed enhancement, making it suitable for pathways that rely on quick attacks and high damage."
"Thank you," Thilan said sincerely. After all, she hadn't done much, yet she received such a precious gift.
"Alright, I'm actually more excited to see you wear it. Promise me that if you ever put it on, you'll send me a selfie or a video. Don't worry, I won't spread it around," Li Xun whispered in Thilan's ear, lightly pressing her shoulder.
Thilan took a step back and nodded, indicating that she understood.
"Alright, I'll be going now. See you later," Li Xun said, returning to her group and boarding the aircraft, which soon disappeared into the distant sky.
After completing the mission, Thilan spent another day reflecting on and summarizing the entire process, then wrote a report and submitted it to President Amorth.
"Good, very good. It seems you're improving quickly and gradually adapting to your current role," Amorth nodded as he read the report.
"This makes me feel confident in assigning you the next task."
He lightly tapped the armrest of his chair, deep in thought.
"It seems there's no reason to delay any further. Let's start today."
With that, he stood up, opened a safe in the bookcase behind him, and pulled out a thick stack of documents.
"To unite the entire academy, we must first remove some bad apples and long-standing irritants. You can probably guess who I'm talking about."
"That's right, it's the Indigo Cornflower club."
He flipped through the documents, which detailed the club's development, history, and the profiles and incidents of its current members.
"You might be wondering why the academy hasn't dealt with this club despite so many scandals."
"I am a bit curious," Thilan admitted.
"This is because, at Edess Academy, the responsibility for managing students largely falls on the student council. The academy administration can't directly intervene."
"First, Thilan, you need to understand where the academy's sponsorships and resources come from. They come from alumni and organizations closely affiliated with the academy."
"In return, they can easily send their children to the academy without undergoing overly strict entrance exams. About 35% of each year's new students come from such families. Do you see where I'm going with this? Let me continue."
Amorth leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk.
"This benefit, or privilege, is applied equally. In other words, if you contribute to the academy, you can easily send your children here."
"If the academy administration were to step in and expel these students, what would happen? It would break the long-standing tacit agreement and disrupt this implicit contract, causing panic and undermining trust."
"There's no need to explain the reasons for expelling students. Just the act itself would cause alarm, and when it comes to future sponsorships and investments, people would hesitate, wondering if they should invest in another academy instead."
"So, even if these students perform poorly, the academy administration can't easily intervene. At most, they can issue warnings, as other forms of punishment are limited. The academy can't physically punish or detain students—that's illegal and would trigger a public relations crisis."
"So, who maintains order and enforces the rules within the academy? That's where we come in. Even if we impose penalties, since we're students, any disputes that arise can be dismissed as 'kids being kids.' This minimizes the impact and gives the academy administration room to step in later if needed, rather than taking the lead and leaving no room for recovery."
"Now you probably understand why the academy administration doesn't intervene."
"Yes," Thilan nodded, though a new question immediately arose.
Why hadn't this old fox, Amorth, taken action himself?
"Judging by your expression, you seem to have some misconceptions about me," Amorth said, looking at the girl standing before his desk. He knew exactly what she was thinking.
"That's right. The arrogance of the Indigo Cornflower club, or rather their president, Sesaron, is partly due to my earlier tolerance, and partly due to historical reasons."
He sighed.
"When I was in my second year, I had just taken over the student council. The situation was dire. The previous president had led a united team to prepare for the Winter Festival Gala for three years, aiming for victory. Many talented individuals emerged during that time, and they gave it their all. It was a glorious period."
Amorth leaned back in his chair, reminiscing about the former president, who had been a shining figure.
"The former president was a charismatic individual. He always knew how to rally everyone with inspiring words, fostering unity and progress. He was like a sun piercing through the fog, inspiring hope and trust."
"That peak of excellence was arguably the pinnacle of Edess Academy's history. However—"
"On the final stage of the competition, everything came to a sudden halt."
"Themisia, the sudden rising star of Saint Ingo, single-handedly defeated the challenges from several academies, crushing everyone with undeniable strength."
"That year, during the Winter Festival night, she alone soared through the night sky, overlooking the entire venue."
"Failure. Unlike previous narrow defeats, this was a complete and utter defeat at the peak of their efforts and brilliance. It felt like a mockery and negation of all their hard work."
"The burning sun cooled, and bitterness and silence spread across the campus. The former student council president lost all motivation to handle affairs, and even during the handover, he was silent and withdrawn."
"When I took over, the entire student council was in a gray, lifeless state. The former president's trusted aides and talented individuals either graduated or left, disheartened and devoid of energy."
"Because of the former president's decline, I didn't receive much support or assistance. Establishing authority in the early stages was difficult, and we were short on manpower."
"Moreover, due to the prevailing gloom and disillusionment, the atmosphere on campus was oppressive. Our performance in various competitions and matches was poor, and we slipped from our previous third-place position, soon overtaken by Crystal Grid Academy, dropping to fourth."
"The situation was dire. If we didn't turn things around quickly, there was a risk of falling further. The pressure fell on me."
"Most of the senior students were heavily influenced by the former president. At the time, I had no choice but to seek help from freshmen to join the student council."
"That's when I met Sesaron, who had just entered her first year."
Amorth's mind drifted to the golden-haired girl who had just stepped onto campus, full of curiosity and freshness.
"She hated the lifeless atmosphere on campus and always wanted to stir things up. Once, she came to me with a proposal for a large off-campus event, hoping to liven things up."
"At the time, I didn't think much of it and agreed, approving a budget for the event."
"Although she invited many people, only a few showed up, mostly her close friends. During the event, they vented their frustrations about the campus atmosphere, mocking those who didn't know how to enjoy life, saying they had been brainwashed by the competition."
"Although the mocking and cursing weren't ideal, the atmosphere did become livelier. As the event was held several more times, it gradually spread across the campus, and some began to reflect on whether they should take the academy's reputation so seriously. Eventually, some joined Sesaron's club."
"The previous stagnant atmosphere was broken, and some students gradually regained their vitality. As seniors graduated and new students arrived, this atmosphere was further diluted, and the campus environment slowly returned to normal. Recreational activities could be held without worrying about the overall campus mood."
"To avoid repeating the past and to eliminate the negative atmosphere from the former president's era, I later deliberately obscured the former president's achievements. Now, aside from a few lines in the academy's historical archives, you won't find any videos of that president—whether it's his inspiring speeches or recordings of various events."
"The academy's records have been sealed, and while there are external reports, they are vague and have little influence. Moreover, since he was a failure, few people pay attention."
"After saying all this, you probably understand why I didn't deal with Sesaron earlier."
"In my second year, just maintaining the normal operation of the student council was extremely difficult. At the time, Sesaron was also a member of the student council and brought in many new members."
"In my third year, I gradually filled the student council's functions and began to gain control over the campus. However, the competitive pressure from other academies was also growing. To prevent our ranking from slipping further, I actively urged club presidents to train and nurture new talent."
"In my fourth year, the academy's ranking finally stabilized, and the pressure on me greatly decreased. By then, Sesaron had clashed with other student council members and was transferred out of the council. To prepare for the Winter Festival Gala, I decided not to provoke her, planning to deal with her after the competition."
"Now, a new year has begun, and the Winter Festival Gala is long over. It seems like it's time to deal with Sesaron, but due to instructions from the academy's board of directors, a highly talented girl has stepped forward to take my place."
"So, should I handle it myself, or should I give you the opportunity to quickly establish your authority and familiarize yourself with the qualities needed for this position?"
Thilan sighed. After going around in circles, it turned out the reason was partly because of her.
She nodded.
"I understand your intentions, President, but I've never dealt with something like this before. Can you tell me how to handle it?"
"Good. I was afraid you'd jump in without asking and make a mess of things."
Amorth smiled slightly, then picked up his coffee.
"There are many ways to deal with Sesaron. You could simply order her to disband the club, expose her misdeeds to ruin her reputation, or take a softer approach and persuade her to reform. All of these can achieve the goal."
"However, the key is whether these methods will succeed and whether you can handle the consequences."
"Of course, the student council can forcibly disband the club, but without a convincing reason, it would undermine our authority and invite suspicion from students and complaints from parents."
"Exposing her misdeeds might shake her, but it's not fatal and could provoke a fierce retaliation. If not handled carefully, it could lead to major trouble."
"A softer approach, even if it fails, won't cause much harm, but the downside is that it's almost impossible to succeed."
"Does it seem tricky? The obvious methods don't seem to work."
Amorth began to teach Thilan the art of dealing with such situations.
"But what if you have other advantages? For example, immense prestige. If everyone in the academy respects and trusts you, even if she dislikes your proposal, neither she nor her supporters would want to oppose you. Without support, she would be isolated and forced to accept your arrangements."
"Of course, this is the ideal scenario. Building such prestige isn't easy, but I want to show you that having high prestige makes handling internal conflicts much easier, and many issues won't escalate."
"People will accept your arrangements as a matter of course, not as an insult, but as an honor."
"Schemes and tricks might seem powerful, but they have significant drawbacks. Not only do they require a lot of energy and planning, but if exposed, they can severely damage your reputation and future prospects."
"The most reliable path is to build prestige and credibility through real achievements, using them to clear obstacles. Combine this with appropriate diplomacy to unite people around you."
"As for diplomacy and understanding people, I don't need to teach you that. What you lack now is establishing authority."
"During your time guiding the Hat and Dagger club, they became your loyal supporters, giving you some influence. However, it's not enough to subdue Sesaron."
"Now you have two paths. One is to continue earning the respect of other clubs on campus, expanding your influence. The other is to dismantle the key pillars supporting Sesaron within the Indigo Cornflower club. Once the voices supporting her disappear, she will become weaker and more willing to submit."
"Of course, you can pursue both paths simultaneously, depending on your energy and capabilities."
In the student council office, the current and future student council presidents engaged in a new round of knowledge transfer. Under the old fox's guidance, the once-naive girl began to understand the complexities of power struggles. While she might not use these tactics, knowing more would help her survive in the competitive arena ahead.