Free Web NovelChapter 354: Chapter 351: Let’s See Who Gets Anxious First
"But this alone isn’t enough." Rorschach considered further. ’There’s no guarantee that even if they yield today, they won’t go back and passively resist or incite others to oppose our work.’
Rorschach had Andre record the following instructions: "When we take over the workshops, we need to manage the masters and apprentices properly. Most importantly, give them better compensation. At the same time, remind them that if they don’t follow our arrangements, they’ll be conscripted into the army.
"For these actions, have the Royal Family send a special representative to cooperate with us. Our ’lowly’ Gold Coins and gentle persuasion might not be as effective as their noble emblems and uniforms."
In short, it was a carrot-and-stick approach: make the low- and mid-level apprentices and skilled masters "voluntarily" comply. That way, even if the workshop masters at the top tried to make trouble, they couldn’t stir up any real waves. This strategy had already proven effective when they crushed the Glass Guild.
"I’ll go in person when we move the blast furnaces. When we consolidate them into the Steel Factory, we’ll also need to build an accompanying coking plant. Is Mr. Jansen still around?"
Coal gas and coke are essential for steelmaking. However, Rorschach had recently been wondering if it would be safer to proactively capture a Fire Elemental Creature and persuade or hire it as a heat source, rather than building a portal to the Fire Elemental Plane.
"Master Jansen is still here. By the way, he wanted me to ask when you’re going to build the Mage Tower."
’I haven’t even started on the blueprints!’ "Hmm... that will have to be put on hold. The factory construction takes priority. Have the engineering team participate in the site selection and construction for the Steel Factory and coking plant." He was desperately short on civil engineers; Jansen was the best one he currently had.
"Our stockpile of solid Transmuting Dust needs to be maintained; we’ll need it as an energy source when we dispatch the Demonic Puppets. By the way, have we received the final payment for the equipment and Transmuting Dust we provided to those ’Sky Knights’?"
"We have. But which account should I log it under?" It didn’t seem right to file this "high-end equipment" under the "Fanta" food factory or the "Basif" dye and synthetic ammonia plant.
"Then use the money to open a dedicated workshop. Assign a permanent staff, and make that young fellow named... Gao Pei the chief engineer." Rorschach dictated as he walked, much to Andre’s distress. He had to take notes on the move, his pen practically smoking as it flew across the page.
They stepped out of the office building, and the massive factory complex, still under construction, came into view once more. The once-lush green hills and clear waters were gone, and Andre thought he could detect the faint, lingering scent of ammonia in the air.
He followed Rorschach up a small hill that had yet to be leveled. Andre couldn’t help but ask, "Teacher, why don’t we provide more Alchemy Equipment?"
"Hmm?"
This wasn’t a sudden whim; Andre had given it serious thought and calculation. "Although a Transmutation Dust Extractor is expensive to build, the current Basif plant and the future Steel Factory... their construction costs are no small sum either.
"I have a thought, though it may not be fully developed. If we want to quickly arm the Bayern Kingdom’s army, building more Extractors and ramping up the production of Alchemy Weapons seems like the better option.
"Since we can produce portable Transmuting Dust, even ordinary people could use most Scrolls or more powerful Alchemy Weapons."
If he were still back in the Alchemy Department at the Tower of Stars, Andre would have assumed all Alchemy Weapons were prohibitively expensive. And before becoming a Magic Apprentice, he had only ever heard that the Scrolls and Potions sold by the Magic Guild cost a fortune.
However, outfitting the "Sky Knights" had shown him that Rorschach possessed the technology to mass-produce cheap Scrolls. While their effects were far inferior to Scrolls personally inscribed by a Mage on Ancient Sheepskin Paper, their sheer volume and low cost were unbeatable. Furthermore, the Transmuting Dust they produced lowered the barrier to entry and boosted the power output.
Rorschach looked out from the small hill at the results of his recent efforts and explained to Andre, "Everything you’ve said is correct."
The Apprentice listened intently, certain that his teacher was about to add a "but."
"But arming a small, specialized aerial reconnaissance unit is the absolute limit of what we can do right now. In fact, our actions are tantamount to dancing on the Aurora Elder Council’s red line.
"If we did as you suggest—if we started mass-producing Scrolls and Alchemy Weapons and distributing Transmuting Dust, allowing any decently trained commoner to defeat a Low Tier Mage with Magic... believe me, we’d be dragged before the Owl Arbitration Court in an instant.
"There was once a Great Mage from the Tower of Forest who was stripped of his Casting Ability for severe academic misconduct. They did it by destroying a specific region of his brain." Rorschach mimed plunging something into an eye socket and scrambling the frontal lobe, a gesture that made Andre shudder.
"That’s why we’re currently making firearms, ammunition, and bombs, along with other products that can be manufactured using conventional techniques. These things are less likely to draw the Elder Council’s attention. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
"So far, we’re merely using Magic and alchemy technology to make production faster and our products a little better. The Alchemy Department of the Tower of Stars has been doing that for ages in the Holy Kingdom, so the Guilds can’t say a word to stop us."
Before the other Mages and the Elder Council realize the performance and output of the Rorschach Factory’s products are increasing exponentially, they’ll be lulled into thinking it’s no big deal. At the very least, representatives from the Guild’s Tower of Secret Techniques have already visited and confirmed that Rorschach’s actions "do not threaten the interests of mages as a whole."
"Teacher, you said ’so far’?" Andre, aptly nicknamed Little Watson, had a knack for catching the important details.
Rorschach nodded. "Of course I’ve considered your idea, but the time isn’t right. The war has only just begun, and the Magic Guild still has the leeway to maintain its detached neutrality."
He continued his analysis. "But the Empire has Mages in its battle ranks! These Casters, loyal to the Emperor, are joining the war. In the past, the Holy Kingdom relied on the Church to create a balance of Extraordinary Power, but that pillar of support is about to crumble."
As one of the instigators of this decline, Rorschach knew perfectly well that after the "Church Calamity," the Order Church’s power in the Holy Kingdom was a shadow of its former self. When the National Assembly was established, a schism had even occurred between the Bishops and the local Priests. In short, the Church in the Holy Kingdom was now in a state of chaos and disarray.
Moreover, he was certain the Empire had countermeasures against Holy Knights.
"Next, regardless of what the Magic Guild wants, Valois will do everything in its power to conscript Casters to fight the Empire. Mages affiliated with the Guild will have to consider the fact that their assets within the Kingdom are about to be destroyed or plundered by the Empire, even if they themselves remain unharmed. freewēbnoveℓ.com
"Other Mages, influenced by progressive ideologies, will develop a sense of identity with the concept of a ’homeland.’ They will go to war for that idea, fighting side by side with their countrymen.
"In short, the Magic Guild’s ’neutrality’ is doomed to fail. If the Holy Kingdom and the Empire both go all-in, that will include the Mages from both sides. When that happens, more and more Magic and Alchemy Weapons will inevitably appear on the battlefield as each side strives to defeat the other.
"So we can’t be hasty. We must wait for the moment when Valois or the Empire’s Magic Guilds officially pick a side and enter the fray. Only then can we start openly manufacturing and selling Scroll Potions and Alchemy Weapons." Rorschach needed to wait and see who would get desperate first. He could only fish in troubled waters once someone else stirred them up.
"Then what is the Bayern Kingdom’s position?" Andre still considered the Holy Kingdom under Valois his home. He didn’t want to see the Kingdom completely conquered by the Empire, and Bayern’s current uncommitted stance gave him a sliver of hope.
"As long as it serves to defend the sovereignty of the Bayern Kingdom, the army must have the courage and resolve to point its guns northward." Rorschach repeated Prince Otto’s words, then added, "This is a position the Tower of Secret Techniques also approves of."
The day before the representatives from the various Guilds toured the factory, the representative from the Silver Association had already met with Rorschach. Rorschach recognized the man; he had seen him before within the Tower of Secret Techniques.
This is what the man had said: "We will provide you with an interest-free loan of fifty thousand Golden Eagle Coins, paid in installments, to fulfill the promise the Guild once made to you—to support you in establishing your personal Mage Tower."
