Free Web NovelChapter 425: Chapter 422: The Empire’s Internal "Squirming
"The roads here are comparable to those near the Imperial Capital." Humboldt had been prepared for a bumpy ride, but he discovered that Rorschach’s vehicle had good suspension. Combined with the road network in the southern Bayern Kingdom, at least the main road from Munich to Kempson was quite flat and wide.
Rorschach didn’t take the Great Mage’s words as a compliment. "Master, I studied in the Imperial Capital for several years. Since when could the roads there compare to our new ones here?"
The capitals of kingdoms and empires, as preeminent cities, treat their main roads as part of their public face. Width and aesthetics are both considered, and they often use expensive stone slabs.
But Rorschach hadn’t been concerned with aesthetics. He prioritized flatness, durability, and ease of maintenance. He didn’t care if it was marble or some other stone; it wasn’t as good as concrete, and it was more expensive.
The roads were dark in color, a kind of "pseudo-asphalt" made from the vast amounts of tar and slag produced by the steel factories and coking plants. They continuously passed slow-moving ox-carts and teams of packhorses. Clearly, a road of this quality was a great waste on animal-drawn vehicles.
Master Humboldt finally realized that Rorschach’s desire to promote these vehicles was no empty boast. Otherwise, why build such expensive supporting infrastructure?
On the way, Rorschach was itching to ask Humboldt why the Prime Minister had come with him. To his surprise, the Great Mage brought it up himself. "You must be curious why the Prime Minister forwent an Airship and insisted on taking the Teleportation Array with me, aren’t you?"
"For safety?" Rorschach recalled the air disaster he had experienced on his first trip to Bayern.
Humboldt nodded. "Airships have been flying across the continent for a long time. While inherent risks have always existed, the merchant guilds and Casters who operate them have always worked hard to ensure their stability. In recent years, however, there has been a surge in accidents. They aren’t due to mechanical failures; investigations always point to human factors."
"I heard that some important figures in the Empire died in an Airship crash a while back. The Prime Minister might know something about it, which is why he asked me for help during my visit to the Imperial Capital."
Humboldt didn’t elaborate, but he remembered what Mr. Otto had said when he made the request: "If I were to take an Airship to Bayern, it would, in all likelihood, suffer an irreversible accident. That’s why I must ask for your help in finding a covert and safe way to enter Bayern."
Alexander von Humboldt didn’t press for details. He was unwilling to get too involved in the Empire’s affairs beyond agriculture. It just so happened that his next stop was also the Bayern Kingdom, and the Guild’s teleportation service perfectly met the Prime Minister’s needs. So, Humboldt used his authority as a Great Mage to help Mr. Otto.
The carriage created a relatively enclosed space. The three of them watched the scenery and the suspicious-looking people and animals flash past the side windows. This state of being detached from the environment created a sense of privacy, naturally encouraging people to divulge information they wouldn’t share in a more open setting.
This was why, for the nobility, a driver was as important as a personal servant or a butler and was required to be loyal. Not only did the driver hold the passengers’ lives in his hands, but he also had a pair of ears that those talking inside the carriage were most likely to forget.
Humboldt continued, "The Imperial Capital has been restless lately. The losses in the war have caused the various factions to attack one another. I’ve heard the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister are on bad terms, and the appointment of the New Marshal has also sparked controversy... And of all times, the Emperor insisted on seeing me, and I couldn’t refuse."
The Tower of Forest was a Mage Tower deeply involved with the Empire. It represented the Guild in extending goodwill to the Empire, playing the "good cop." Besides researching and assisting the Empire with its agriculture on the matter of food supply, it also occasionally treated the rulers for difficult and complicated illnesses.
This wasn’t entirely about flattery or currying favor. The Empire lacked a Church like the one in the Holy Kingdom. If a Great Noble fell ill, it could easily attract Evil Mages or cults to "heal" and then corrupt and control them. Therefore, Guild members had to occupy that role. Even if they couldn’t provide a cure, they had to make people give up on that idea.
The number of people in the Empire who could summon Master Humboldt could be counted on one hand. The reason the factions in the Imperial Capital were growing restless, and the reason for the frequent unnatural deaths, was twofold: the uncertainty of the war was one trigger, and the uncertainty of the Emperor’s health was another.
Judging by the fact that Helmut—a friend of the Crown Prince whose military achievements were dwarfed by a whole host of other generals—had been made Marshal, one faction had temporarily gained the upper hand.
Even if Humboldt were willing to tell Rorschach all of this, he could only do so using all the rhetorical devices and impressionistic language he had ever learned. His final assessment of the situation in the Imperial Capital was this: "Do you know how muscles are structured? A single muscle attached to the skeleton is a bundle of many fleshy fibers all running in the same direction."
"When we throw a punch at an enemy, all the fibers in our arm muscles are supposed to work together. But now, each has its own agenda. They frame each other, restrain each other... It’s like a spasm... No, some people and factions are like maggots on the flesh, writhing and squirming. Normally, they pretend to be part of the body, blending in to quietly suck its blood. Now, they are beginning to show their true forms."
"I was originally surprised to hear that the Empire Army had been defeated, but after my trip to the Imperial Capital, I understand now that it was inevitable."
As for the Emperor’s illness, Humboldt didn’t reveal a single word. He didn’t even specify who he had tried to treat, only telling Rorschach, "I merely prolonged the suffering of a noble patient in vain."
’The Emperor was suffering from a "Flesh-Rot Curse." An organ in his body had become diseased—a condition known as "cancer" in Rorschach’s Original World. Could it be cured? Using a standard Healing Spell would only cause the "Flesh-Rot Curse" to erupt. In fact, ordinary Healing Spells inherently increased the recipient’s risk of being "cursed."’
’The ancients speculated that Healing Spells angered the Death God, who would then inflict a virulent curse on those who defied the laws of life and death.’
’A more radical method might offer a cure. For example, using the mycelium discovered in the Black Forest. The approach was similar to curing consumption: find the lesion and replace it with a cultivated symbiotic fungal mass.’
’The lungs were one of the simplest organs. The Emperor’s diseased organ also had secretory functions, making it much more complex. But it wasn’t entirely impossible. The treatment would require obtaining the Emperor’s flesh and blood—especially his bone marrow—to be fused with and cultured in the fungus. Unfortunately, not a single leader in the court or the Empire dared to authorize a Caster to do such a thing.’
"That’s why I envy you. You’ve found a front-row seat while two giants are fighting." Humboldt said, gazing at the peaceful, idyllic countryside of Bayern.
The journey from Munich to Kempson wasn’t long, about 160 kilometers along the main route. It would take a horse-drawn carriage a full day, while a light cavalryman on a fast horse could make it between dawn and dusk. But on the new road, the vehicle could maintain a speed of about 40 kilometers per hour, taking less than half the time of a fast horse. The machine didn’t tire, and with three Casters inside, there was no need to worry about the consumption of Magic Power.
The vehicle stopped and the door opened. The relatively enclosed space was gone. The passengers stepped out of the carriage and back onto solid ground. Master Humboldt offered a reminder, "But Rorschach, these good days are about to end. The Prime Minister’s arrival in Bayern is the beginning."
