"So that's how it is..."
"Fifth-rank observers. Fifth rank."
"The Sage Emperor has cast his gaze upon them, and they're soaring straight into the clouds!"
Once everyone understood, the office immediately filled with exclamations and sighs.
Those who had only just chosen to resign, in particular, had eyes brimming with regret.
Most of the people here were insignificant eighth- or ninth-rank officials.
Never mind anything else-even spending a lifetime working their way up to the fifth rank was probably impossible.
But in an understaffed department with everything waiting to be built from scratch, the chance to be appointed directly to the fifth rank would only exist at the beginning.
It was just like how every founding emperor was surrounded by ministers and generals.
Yet they had chosen to leave when they were needed. Getting those positions afterward would be difficult, and they might very well have to start from scratch.
"Please leave, everyone. I have other matters to discuss." Lin Ke said little else and directly dismissed those who had not chosen to stay.
Whether it was to care for their parents, raise their children, pursue their own interests, or some other reason, choosing to leave meant choosing to leave.
There were no second chances.
These people naturally understood what Lin Ke meant, so they could only leave one after another.
A short while later, only thirteen people remained: three women and ten men.
These people would form the core of the Great Wilderness Council Lin Ke was establishing.
"Everyone, why don't we sit down to talk?"
Lin Ke looked around, feeling that the Great Wilderness Council's premises should not have been built and furnished this way.
Everyone had an individual office, but there seemed to be no meeting room.
This was not the fault of the Works Department. Most