Free Web NovelChapter 369: Chapter 366: Adults Shouldn’t Be the Only Ones to Suffer
For a moment, the hall was silent. Mr. Haase asked, his voice trembling, "Then... is the source of this information reliable?"
Before the war, the "Small Expeditionary Force," positioned as a counterpart to the "Holy Crusade," was quite intimidating. The Holy Kingdom believed the Order Church would inevitably triumph the moment it took the field, even elevating the mission from "saving the country" to a movement to "reclaim lost lands."
In the past, a "Holy Crusade" had reclaimed the Holy City from the followers of the Formless God, and the Church and its believers had cleansed the southern continent of invading Alien Races and Demons. Now, hundreds of years later, it was time for a classic repeat: to re-establish the faith and authority of the Order Church in an Empire teeming with heretics and non-believers.
From the "patriotic Nobility" of Valuva to the devout believers in the Eternal City, they all prayed to their god and taunted their enemies in this very way.
Meanwhile, sentiments within the Empire were varied. Some believed the Church Army was just a backward force wielding primitive weapons, with few Divine Benefactors in their ranks. They were certain that the Empire’s own army, with its Military Mages and advanced weaponry, would surely crush the enemy.
There were even discussions about whether the Empire should conscript all registered Casters within its borders to test their loyalty. To the great annoyance of Casters, similar sentiments were being loudly trumpeted by the media.
So when Rorschach announced that the "Small Expeditionary Force" had been wiped out in a single battle, Haase could hardly believe it.
"I saw it with my own eyes," Rorschach added calmly.
Even though Rorschach had been meeting with Mr. Haase and Andre every day, Haase was still unshakably convinced by Rorschach’s certainty. He must have truly seen the outcome for himself. His earlier question had been more an expression of shock than doubt.
The meeting continued. Haase looked somewhat worried. "Since we began cooperating with the military, we have indeed secured a stable supply of sugar, and the Fanta factory’s new formula is about to hit the market." With the original syrup from the Holy Kingdom gone, business had to go on, especially since Haase hoped the Empire Army would purchase their purple soda for its mentally stimulating effects. freewebnoveℓ.com
He continued his report, "However, our other orders are falling short of expectations. The logistics department seems to think our canned goods are too expensive, and the fragile ceramic jars are a hassle to transport. They’ve taken a liking to this..."
At his gesture, the head of the Fanta food factory pulled a paper tube from his bag.
Rorschach took it. The paper tube was labeled "Thick Bean Soup Sausage," but it felt like a very firm solid, wrapped in waterproof wax paper. He opened it to find a compressed, yellowish-green, powdery paste. It appeared to be made from beans that had been boiled until soft, ground into a powder, and then compressed, with spices, animal fat, and... a generous amount of salt mixed in.
"Just put it in boiling water, and you’ll have a hot, fragrant, thick bean soup. You can also cook it with other ingredients. It’s selling quite well in the Bayern Kingdom right now. It’s cheap, has an authentic rustic flavor, and is acceptable to everyone from the cooks to the quartermasters."
’A good source of plant-based protein, too.’ Rorschach weighed the vegetarian "Sausage" in his hand and nodded. "Good work. Reward the inventor according to factory regulations. As for the other orders, don’t be anxious. I’m afraid this war won’t be ending anytime soon." The Empire’s strike against the Holy Knights had revealed the general staff’s strategy—concentrate forces to defeat the enemy swiftly and decisively.
According to the Empire’s assessment, despite lengthy preparations, its finances and supplies could only sustain the entire army for three months. Thus, they had to conquer the Kingdom within that time, or at the very least, take Valuva. All the while, they had to guard against interference from other powers.
Rorschach, however, wasn’t nearly so optimistic. He knew that even the most brilliant politicians and military geniuses can only decide when a war begins, never when it ends.
Mr. Haase continued, "But haven’t we hired too many workers? It’s fine for the winter, but I’m afraid a lot of that labor will have to return to agriculture in the spring, especially with the current tensions. Moreover, this round of expansion has swallowed up large tracts of farmland and pastures in Lansite and Kempson."
"Don’t worry. Basif’s new factory will soon be mass-producing fertilizer. As for the families who’ve just started at the factories, how are the census numbers on their children coming along?"
"Some people are resistant, especially the newly freed serfs. They think we have designs on their children."
"Well, they’re not wrong. We *do* have designs on their children." Rorschach slapped the table. "But not to send them to the factories—to send them to school!" The failure of the Valois Higher Normal School in the Holy Kingdom had become a thorn in Rorschach’s side. Now that he was calling the shots, he had to take up that cause once more.
A merchant must always weigh the costs and benefits. Haase was alarmed. "But there are too many families! If we have to build new schools on top of that, we’ll need to invest even more. While Fanta and Basif have positive cash flow, the investment in the Steel Factory is enormous. You’ve already solved the housing problem, surely there’s no need to build schools, too?"
The former vice-chairman, however, had a different opinion. He was overjoyed. "The Guild originally had its own schools to educate our children and provide apprentices with centralized training in literacy and basic Skills. After the new factories were founded, the seven remaining workshops could no longer support them. We were planning to raise the funds to maintain them ourselves, but now that Lord Rorschach has expressed this desire, we can expand on the foundations of the old schools."
"Excellent, that’s a viable method. We will definitely have to expand enrollment later on, separating students into different educational levels by age."
Seeing Rorschach’s resolve, Haase decided not to object directly or mention money again. Instead, he raised a different question: "How many students do you wish to enroll?"
"The more, the better. But the children of our own employees can have their tuition reduced or waived."
"If that’s the case, any reasonably well-off family in Kempson, and even in the surrounding towns, will send their children here. The schools will need a lot of teachers." In the Empire, the education system consisted of public academies, equivalent to primary schools, with limited enrollment; universities for higher education; and filling the gap in the middle were the Guild schools.
If Rorschach were to establish an expanded version of the Guild school system, other middle-class families would surely be eager to enroll their children. Since the Empire lacked the Church’s Monasteries, the only way to bridge the educational gap between public academies and universities was to hire expensive private tutors.
"So, where are we going to find that many teachers?" freewebnovel.cσ๓
’Trying to establish a teachers’ college like the Holy Kingdom’s would take forever.’ Of course, Rorschach planned to tap into the versatile resource of university students. "Isn’t that an easy fix?" he said. "Just the other day, Andre was complaining to me about not having enough literate staff for bookkeeping and R&D experiments. All of those roles require well-educated people, don’t they?"
"Which means their asking price will also be very high," Mr. Haase pointed out.
’Asking price? Since when do university students get to name their price?’ A wicked idea began to bubble up in Rorschach’s mind. "Don’t Munich and Wertz have plenty of universities? Those students spend all day studying poetry and music, while right outside their campus walls, people are starving and cold. Beyond the Kingdom’s borders, war rages on. I find that... improper.
"Mr. Haase, let’s make a proposal to His Majesty together! We will require that all students nearing graduation must participate in a work program at a business enterprise. This will test their ability to convert their studies into practical skills. We’ll call it a practical study program.
"The term won’t need to be long. If the company deems a student competent, they will issue a certificate of internship. They could also sign an employment contract on the spot. If they are found incompetent and can’t get their diploma or degree, then send them to me... I mean, then they’ll be conscripted to the front lines to defend Bayern!
"Another very important point: to prevent unscrupulous companies from exploiting the students, or students from obtaining certificates through dishonest means, the Kingdom must carefully vet which businesses are qualified to serve as internship posts and issue said certificates.
"Only premium enterprises like ours will be authorized to issue internship certificates! So, Mr. Haase, will you be the one to propose this to His Majesty, or should I write the letter?"
Haase, utterly dumbfounded, immediately waved his hands in refusal. "You should do it... An idea this... magnificent... must bear your name."
After the meeting, Rorschach asked Andre to stay behind. "We need to test every child who enrolls for Magic Talent. We’ll have to develop a convenient and accurate process to do so."
