A month of preparation wasn't very long for a project of this scale at all, but they had managed to flesh out a plan that didn't have the resolution of detail that plans from the Student Council normally would. However, it also made the preparations simpler, allowing them to complete them sooner than they otherwise would have.
"For now, let us begin with our daily report on the final status of all the preparations for the established operations our task force seeks to commit, starting with…" he first turned towards Sorenon, seated beside him. "Supply acquisition. Please provide a report for the acquisition of the various magic aptitude testing resources, the logistical resources, human capital, and our security resources."
Sorenon nodded as he stood up, shifting his spectacles as he opened up the report he had prepared for the entire task force. "Our supply acquisition progress has largely met the timeline and the targets that we have set. We have acquired the various premium magic aptitude evaluation kits that will allow us to test whether or not a person has magic aptitude with relative ease, much more so than the industry standard magic testing kits used in the National Magic Aptitude Test conducted each year by the government."
The people of the slums were entirely detached from the magic culture, unlike the people of the inner city. Most children in the inner city had already memorized and familiarized themselves with the concept of the magic aptitude test and the evaluation criteria in their excitement and desire to become mages. They even scoured the internet looking for resources to potentially improve their magic aptitude from an early age, although no such method that didn't also consume extremely valuable and pricey resources existed.
The people of the slums simply lacked the context for what to do in the regular magic aptitude test that Cæ has wisely imagined happening ahead of time and sought to avoid by going for pricey artifacts rather than merely enchanted items, which could help them instantly evaluate whether or not a person had magic aptitude.
He shifted to the next page. "We have secured transportation means through the Elendir Institute of Magic, making sure that we schedule and reserve its use a month ahead of time. We explored the various options to try to arrange rentals with private companies. However, none of these options met the security criteria that the director…"
He directed an acknowledging glance at Cæ. "…asked me to evaluate in private using the resources of the Elendir Institute of Magic."
Although Sorenon was young and inexperienced, Cæ had still sought to promote him as the vice-director of the task force. This was because, despite his young age, he was very studious, level-headed, and knowledgeable, and was surprisingly fit for a leadership role despite his age.
Additionally, Cæ trusted him to a measure, having spent a year in the older adolescent's company.
He also learned to read him very well.
If Sorenon had been compromised by a bribe and blackmail from the recalcitrant upper-class families of the Colohen Branch, Cæ was confident that he would be able to spot signs of it in the boy's body language and conduct.
However, that clearly hadn't happened as the young boy continued speaking with a calm and relaxed body.
This wasn't confirmation in and of itself had he been dealing with a potentially trained spy in espionage, but it was beyond the ability of an entirely normal adolescent boy who had lived a completely normal life prior to entering the Elendir Institute of Magic.
"Security measures, like the transportational means that we sought to achieve, have been entrusted to the Elendir Institute of Magic," Sorenon continued. "Some of our security measures do consist of apprentice mages working for the Elendir Institute of Magic, but others also consist of our fellow students in the senior program applying for an internal internship in the Elendir Institute of Magic. We have, as per established protocol in this task force, avoided students with an upper-class background."
Cæ was adamant to the very end about not allowing anybody with an upper-class background to enter the task force. Many suspected that he was just biased against people with an affluent background, but in truth, he had ample reason not to invite them and believe that they were a threat to the security of the operations.
"We have secured additional capital out of the budget that the Elendir Institute of Magic has deployed for this project for potential overhead costs and other unforeseen costs as well, and…" he turned towards Cæ with a tone of finality. "We have managed to secure the cooperation of Master Thiago Velmin of the Illusionary Magic course of the Senior Program for limited aid in our operations for our compelling and persuasion operations."
Cæ nodded with a serious expression. "Thank you, Sorenon. Then we have acquired almost everything we need. Our preparations are complete, and now all that is left is to execute operations exactly like the protocols we have established. I trust…"
His eyes sharpened with seriousness. "You have all memorized the protocols of the process? Due to the sheer urgency of the execution of this particular program, we don't have time to conduct thorough drills to ensure that all of us have completely hammered the protocols in our heads. We will go through all of these one last time today before we commence our operations tomorrow."
CLACK
Cæ pulled a prepared rolling board featuring a large printed sheet of a familiar flowchart.
"All our protocols begin with the supply preparatory phase." Cæ pointed at the very first step in the flowchart of protocols. "All needed supplies need to be docked in the booked storage and transport trucks of the Elendir Institute of Magic in the specified order and manner. The very next set is, of course…"
His finger shifted down to the next box in the next set of protocols. "…Personnel mobilization. Whether they are members of the task force, interns, or personnel of the Elendir Institute of Magic, they need to report on stand-by at the specified time and the human resource management team will need to ensure that all personnel are on time and where they need to be in the protective gear that they will need to be in."
Several students of the mentioned team nodded. "We will be sure to adhere to protocols, sir."
"With all supplies docked and prepared and all personnel stand-by, we will commence the talent acquisition operations at my discretion," Cæ continued which a serious tone. "We will follow established routes to the very first district and set up a base camp in scouted locations prior. And this, of course, is where the most important protocols will need to be followed."
His eyes narrowed with severity.
"Security protocols are the first to be executed upon our arrival at the chosen location. Our personnel will form a security perimeter around the temporary makeshift base, ensuring security. Only after the surroundings have been secured will the base erection phase follow through, as our logistics teams will begin unloading the specified magic aptitude testing kits. The scouting teams and associated teams will equip themselves with the specified supplies. And only after all the supplies have been equipped and team formations have been adopted will the talent testing operations commence."
Given how few personnel they had relative to how large the slums were and how scarce the magic talent was, they would need to spend a lot of time testing people's magic aptitude just to get very few people with the needed talent to possibly be admitted to the Elendir Institute of Magic. Cæ had thus decided to avoid excessive procedural delays when they fleshed out the plans and protocols for the operations.
"The testing operation is the most important part of our operations," Cæ remarked as he swept his gaze across the many members of the task force leaning forward on the table, paying close attention to the final recap of their mission protocols. "We will need to be quick and efficient. Our targets will be limited to persons between the ages of sixteen and twenty-four. We cannot afford to spend too much time per person. The structural nature of our protocols is a door-to-door testing protocol structure. The testing strategy is very simple: a transaction."
Cæ shrugged. "The Elendir Institute of Magic has given us lots of capital to fund these operations, so we will gratefully use it. You will not spend ten minutes explaining what this program is for simply because we can't afford to waste all this time speaking to each and every single person simply because ninety-nine percent of said people will not be who we are looking for."
After all, the talent needed to get into the Elendir Institute of Magic was so high that they knew that they would have a failure rate of more than ninety-nine percent. Thus, it was not worth wasting ten minutes of their precious time on each and every single person.
"Of course," Cæ added. "You do not need to be unpleasant. As per protocol, a brief ten-second explanation of our basic objective and the opportunity that it presents to them will suffice. The test itself will be very basic and will only require ten seconds of their time to discern their magic talent, thus it doesn't cost them much. Many of the residents of the slums will understand the significance of the opportunity and will accept it. However, there will be those who simply don't care for the opportunity. For these people, there is a very simple solution."
He directed a quick, sweeping gaze at all of them.
"A small offering of one leenar."
The students stirred with a humbled expression at that point.
A bribe of a single leenar in the inner city was virtually worthless. And yet, the fact that the director of the program, a former member of the slums, had opted for this amount for a transaction meant that the people of the slums were willing to take even one leenar seriously.
Several snickers emerged from some of the students before they stiffened nervously under Cæ's heavy gaze.
"…Is there something funny about the words I uttered?" Cæ's tone was chillingly calm.
"N-No."
"S-Sorry, sir."
Cæ heaved a sigh before his gaze returned to the flowchart before him. "And then, there are the records. Each result needs to be documented scrupulously and rigorously. Their appearance and name need to be registered for future operations in the slums so that future teams can avoid redundancies. And most importantly…"
His eyes sharpened with seriousness. "Those whose talent meets the criteria will need to be documented extra carefully. Not just documented, but they will need to be compelled to join the Elendir Institute of Magic. And this…"
His tone grew pointed. "…Is the complicated part. You can bribe them to do something as elementary as placing their hands on a magic aptitude testing, but you can't bribe them to do something as life-changing as shifting from the slums to the Elendir Institute of Magic with just a handful of leenars. As I pointed out to all of you at the very start of all of this, the largest hurdle you will face in compelling the talented people of the slums is to earn their trust."
He knew from his time in the slums that they didn't trust easily.
The offer is revolutionizing their life and allowing them to live in nothing short of luxury compared to their current life?
That would reek of a scam and an attempt to traffic and enslave them.
That was why Cæ had carved out many protocols that were designed to overcome their immense paranoia and distrust and retain as much of the talent they found as possible.
And soon, it would be time to execute them.