Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 107 The Night Before
The possibility that there are multiple high-level mages in the enemy ranks cannot be ignored, even without any direct evidence.

What is the most powerful weapon against magicians?
To find the answer, we need to understand where the greatest threat to magicians lies.

It's not magical ability. Because no matter how powerful magic is, on the battlefield it's nothing more than a killing technique.

The most abundant thing in an army is the art of killing. Even if you stand still and let the mage kill you, how many people can he kill before his magic power is exhausted?

Were there many people killed with swords, bows, guns, and cannons?
How many were killed by swords, bows, guns, and cannons?
After repeatedly confronting the power of magic, the soldiers of the Senas Alliance gradually realized that the greatest threat to mages lay not in their magical abilities, but in their exceptional stealth.

You can eliminate visible enemies, but how do you eliminate invisible enemies?
Those with magical abilities have no external characteristics; they are no different from ordinary people in that they have an extra eye or a missing arm.

If there were any visible differences between magicians and ordinary people, it wouldn't be so difficult to discover those with magical potential from among the masses.

Therefore, every enemy could be a hidden magician; a naive young soldier could be one, or a weathered old man could be one.

They could disguise themselves as ordinary soldiers and launch a surprise attack on the enemy's frontline commander when the two sides clashed—in fact, this was the main combat mode of court mages during the Sovereign Wars.

They could also disguise themselves as enemy soldiers, swagger into enemy camps, and silently assassinate high-value targets—General Simmons, Marshal Ned's close friend and comrade-in-arms, died mysteriously from magic in this way.

In fact, if the Empire hadn't used this as propaganda, the Allied forces wouldn't even have known that General Simmons died from assassination; everyone thought it was a sudden stroke that caused Simmons' death.

So... what is the most powerful weapon against magicians?
The answer is quite simple:
The most powerful weapon against magicians.
It is another magician.

……

……

……

War, war, war.

War is tiresome, not only for soldiers but also for those in the rear.

Within a week of the start of the war, it became the talk of the town in Blue Ocean.

High-ranking officials talk about war, low-level clerks talk about war, rickshaw pullers talk about war, merchants talk about war, even prostitutes talk about war. All people talk about is war, war, and more war.

But a week later, the topic cooled down rapidly.

The citizens' attention returned to grain prices, firewood prices, and the private rumors of the ruling class; merchants began to discuss commodity trends again; the once deserted Harbor of Blue became bustling again; men met to talk about horse racing and whether they should donate for a military position to gain some credit; and women were chasing after the latest trendy clothes from the Republic of Palatine.

No one knows what kind of torment, battles, and suffering the soldiers on the front lines are going through.

On the outskirts of Ocean City, a grand ball is being held in the magnificent mansion of the Navarre family.

Although it was already night, the chandeliers hanging from the dome made the hall as bright as day, and the lights added a lot more romantic atmosphere than sunlight.

Madame Navarre skillfully decorated the hall, which was supported by twelve marble columns, with a profusion of flowers.

The air was filled with the scents of face powder and burning laurel candles, as well as a subtle floral fragrance.

Climbing roses, variegated geraniums, hydrangeas, oleanders... fresh flowers and brocade cleverly divide the space, leaving just enough room for guests to raise their glasses and chat, while also making the vast banquet hall feel spacious.

I really don't know how much effort Madame Navarre put into transforming the "Twelve Pillars" from its usual quiet and desolate stone hall into such a beautiful and pleasant place.

The melancholic and beautiful melody of "Lorena" echoed from the dome of the hall, where young people dressed in their finest attire were dancing gracefully on the dance floor.

Girls were everywhere: gorgeous gowns with hoops twirled, revealing glimpses of their beautiful, long legs; embroidered shawls were casually draped over their arms, yet they exposed their smooth, flawless shoulders; peacock feather fans adorned with gold were dangling from their wrists in fine silk.

As the song ended, the girls smiled, lifted their skirts, and curtsied slightly to say goodbye to their male partners, but refused to dance a second dance with the same man.

Anna Navarre sat alone on the sofa, lost in thought. Only when a man invited her to dance to the next song did a formulaic smile appear on her face.

The icy beauty suddenly came to life, and this stark contrast made the hearts of every man who came to ask her to dance clench.

Anna smiled and declined all the invitations. After the men left with regret, Miss Navarre quickly returned to her absent-minded state until the next inviter appeared.

Another Miss Navarre, Anna's sister, Catherine Navarre, walked back to Anna, her chic purple ballet shoes clicking on the stone floor.

Catherine's cheeks were flushed, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Dancing three songs in a row had made her body feel warm, and she breathed slightly, gently fanning herself with her hand.

“That Mr. Mitchell is so greedy! He held my hand even after the dance was over, I was almost scared to death. Humph, he won’t ask me to dance a second time.” Catherine excitedly sat down next to Anna and affectionately took her sister’s arm. “Don’t be so gloomy, Anna.”

Catherine's innocent, lively, and refreshing demeanor when she was with Anna captivated all the young men around her.

Anna was already considered a beauty, but she lost her luster sitting next to Catherine.

Anna inherited some of her father's strong features, while Catherine's appearance was a complete resemblance to Madame Navarre, even more radiant than Madame Navarre in her youth.

Catherine wore a light green dress, and Anna wore a blue dress. The two sisters outshone all the other girls present, and Catherine in particular outshone Anna.

"Sigh." Anna sighed, and subtly pinched Catherine's bottom lightly. "You little rascal, now you've got everyone's attention here. When you go dancing later, everyone else will bother me again."

Catherine chuckled and slapped Anna's hand away, saying nonchalantly, "Then why don't you go dance too?"

"I don't want to dance today."

“Good Anna, just dance one more time. It’s so rare to have a ball again. I’ve been so bored these past few days, and who knows when the next one will be.” Catherine shook Anna’s arm. “I really don’t understand why we can’t have balls when there’s a war. How are we supposed to meet young men if we don’t have balls? How are we supposed to get married if we don’t have the chance to meet young men? If we fight for more than ten years, won’t we all be old maids?”

“No, you definitely won’t become an old maid, I have faith in you…” Anna covered her face with her fan, her tone extremely helpless.

"Sigh, so many wonderful young men have gone to war. Without them, I don't feel the ball is as lively," Catherine sighed, looking dejected. "Captain Wilson went to war too. He's the best dancer, unlike my partner tonight who keeps stepping on my feet. Anna, what's so good about war? Why do they all have to go? Wouldn't it be better if they stayed in Hailan, and we hosted the ball, and they came to dance?"

Anna, having her secret thoughts exposed, became absent-minded again.

When Catherine saw Anna's expression, her eyes darted around, and she whispered in Anna's ear with a chuckle, "I know who she's thinking about!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Anna's face paled.

"Hmph, Mom doesn't know, but I know everything perfectly well." Catherine suppressed a laugh, put on a serious face, and imitated a deep, husky male voice to say, "I'm fine, I eat well, I sleep well, maybe I really am very lucky."

"Ah? Ah! You little rascal!" Anna blushed instantly, grabbing Catherine and asking, "You...you...you read my letter!?"

“I didn’t peek at your letter,” Catherine corrected smugly. “I only saw it because you left it on the dressing table.”

"Isn't that just peeping?" Anna was both angry and anxious when she heard the other person admit it without any shame.

Seeing her sister lose her composure, Catherine became even more smug. She continued to whisper in her ear, pressing her advantage: "I not only know about the letter, but I also know that you hid a sword in your closet... Oh dear, a scabbard made of gold, what a vulgar taste."

Anna's face turned completely red, like an apple, even her earlobes were turning red. She stammered, "You...you went through my closet?"

“Don’t we always change clothes? It’s normal for me to look at your closet.” Catherine quickly changed the subject, teasing her sister, “Never mind if I was peeking, just tell me who WM is? Using the full abbreviation… Humph, so cautious, he must be a stingy guy.”

"No way!" Anna became furious when she heard her sister say WM was stingy. Suddenly, realizing her outburst, she quickly covered it up, saying, "I don't need your permission!"

"Sigh, he's neglecting his own sister now that he has a lover. I'm so heartbroken." Catherine covered her mouth with her fan and chuckled.

"you……"

Anna was both anxious and embarrassed, but Catherine was extremely pleased.

To others who were secretly watching the sisters, the young girls were playing and frolicking, and nothing could be more beautiful than that; Catherine was becoming more and more radiant.

Suddenly the band started playing a cheerful prelude, and anyone could tell that the next piece would be a joyful and enthusiastic tune.

"Oh! It's 'Look! Sailor Johnny!'" Catherine exclaimed with delight, pulling Anna up from her chair. "Dance! Anna! Dance! Dance until you can't move! This song is a must-dance! It would be a shame not to! Come on!"

Once the intro starts, the man can invite the woman to dance.

The men who had been eyeing the Navarre sisters eagerly approached and invited the two ladies to dance.

Confident or reckless men rushed to invite Catherine, but most were turned down. Those who didn't invite Catherine felt there was too much competition... "Miss Anna is nice too," they thought.

Catherine quickly chose her dance partner, and before leaving, she whispered in Anna's ear, "Anna, sister, believe me, if a man writes you such a short letter, he definitely doesn't like you very much. The love letters I receive are always several pages long and even have perfume on them. It's not worth getting hung up on a guy who dismisses you with just a sentence. There are plenty of good young men out there! Come on, let's dance!" Anna, who was already somewhat lost and dejected, was shaken by these words and almost fell into a daze.

She didn't know what she said or who she had promised, but she was led into the dance floor by a man she didn't know.

Throughout the entire performance of "Look! That Sailor Johnny!", Anna, like a puppet, was only subconsciously cooperating with her partner's movements, making frequent mistakes and stepping on her partner's feet many times.

After the dance ended, Anna's dance partner politely escorted her back to her seat, not minding at all that Anna had stepped on him several times, and kindly invited Anna to dance again.

However, when he looked up and saw Anna's face, he found Miss Navarre with tears streaming down her face and sobbing uncontrollably.

Her dance partner was also a little flustered. He took out a handkerchief and handed it to Anna, but Anna did not accept it. She just buried her head in the fan, her shoulders still trembling uncontrollably, clearly still crying.

The dance partner felt somewhat confused and noticed the pointing and whispering gazes of others behind him, so he quickly said goodbye, leaving Anna alone in a corner of the hall.

Seeing that the atmosphere at the ball was already quite lively, Councilor Mead of Ocean City decided it was time to get down to business. He walked onto the dance floor and tapped his glass with a spoon.

The crisp sound of knocking echoed throughout the hall, and the lively ball fell silent in an instant as everyone waited quietly for Senator Mead to speak.

"Hailan hasn't been this lively in a long time," Congressman Mead said with a smile.

Everyone clapped and praised, and applause and cheers rang out in the hall.

After Senator Mead and the others quieted down, he continued, "Watching the children dance is like taking me back to my youth. We used to play much more wildly back then."

Another burst of even louder cheers erupted, and someone shouted, "Mr. Mead, jump!"

“If you want me to dance, you must be the most beautiful woman. But I must get down to business first.” Na. Be. Mead cleared his throat and began to speak loudly: “First of all, we must thank the hostess of this place, Mrs. Navarre! It is thanks to Mrs. Navarre’s generous sponsorship of this fundraising ball that we have the opportunity to reunite and that Hailan has regained its vitality.”

A round of applause broke out, and Madame Navarre smiled and nodded in response.

"The Tanilia Federation has shamelessly launched a sneak attack on us. At this very moment, our finest sons are fighting bravely on the islands to avenge our blood debt. Young people are sacrificing for us, and we hope to do what we can to help them."

Mead paused, then waved his arms enthusiastically as he spoke: "So now I ask you all, I ask you all to donate your jewelry. It's not me asking you to make sacrifices, it's me asking for your jewelry! No! It's Veneta asking you to make sacrifices, sacrifices that are insignificant compared to those of our warriors on the front lines."

How beautiful the earrings look on the ladies' earlobes! How lovely the bracelets on their smooth wrists! But this gold and jewels could be exchanged for food, ammunition, and medicine for our soldiers. Many of you here have sons, husbands, and brothers fighting on the front lines. If we donate our jewelry, they can shed less blood. Come on! Let me start!

The final part of Senator Mead's speech was engulfed by a storm of applause and cheers.

Each guest received an invitation explaining that this was a ball to raise funds for the front lines, and everyone had made preparations in advance before arriving.

Two servants carried a large silver tray. Mead removed his pure gold cufflinks and medals and placed them on the tray. He then walked up to Madame Navarre, laughing, and invited her to dance.

Mrs. Navarre smiled and gracefully removed her earrings, brooch, bracelet, and necklace, placed her hand on Senator Mead's hand, and walked onto the dance floor.

"Change the song!" Senator Mead shouted at the band, "Daniela Cooper!"

The cheerful, intense, bright, and captivating "Danila Koopol" cascades from the instrument like a waterfall.

Na.B. Mead clapped his hands twice and began to tap his feet and twirl his steps to the rhythm of the "Trepak Dance".

No one could have imagined that this nearly sixty-year-old man could actually dance so well, and dance such an intense and gorgeous Treppa.

But Mrs. Navarre, Mead's dance partner, danced even better than Mead.

The young people had never witnessed Madame Navarre's dancing skills, because she had never set foot on the dance floor again since her husband's death.

Tonight, these dancers have truly amazed everyone.

Not only the guests, but even the entrance to the hall was crowded with smiling servants. On one side were male servants, and on the other side were female servants; they had all come to see Congressman Mead and Mrs. Navarre dancing with great joy.

The men among the guests eagerly removed their rings, cufflinks, and medals, placing them on a tray before approaching the ladies they admired and inviting them to dance.

The invited ladies smiled and removed their earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and hairpins, placing them on a tray before walking onto the dance floor with the gentlemen.

In this atmosphere, no lady would refuse an invitation. Catherine happily accepted a man she had previously rejected, while the others could only sigh in regret.

Every time a donated item falls onto the tray, it is met with cheers and applause.

The dance floor gradually filled up, but no dancers were as captivating as Mead and Madame Navarre.

Anna began to feel lost and uneasy. While everyone's attention was focused on Mead, Anna quietly wiped away her tears.

She suddenly realized that she only had one pair of earrings on. It wasn't because she didn't have any jewelry, but because she wasn't in the mood to dress up that day, so she just casually put on a pair of earrings.

However, this is her home. She has played here since she was a child and knows every corner of this hall like the back of her hand.

Seeing that no one had invited her yet, Anna quietly slipped out of the crowd and left through a hidden door in the corner of the hall. She hurried back to her room, intending to retrieve some jewelry before returning.

But when she opened the wardrobe, she saw the sword Winters had given her, that very tacky gold-sheathed sword.

"If a man writes you such a short letter, he probably doesn't like you very much."

Catherine's words echoed in Anna's mind like the whispers of a devil.

Anna immediately burst into tears.

Anna sobbed as she picked up the golden sword: "Why did you do this to me? You said it was Father's keepsake, but it's all fake! You were lying! You never loved me!"

Anger and resentment filled her heart, and Anna slammed the "golden sword" to the ground. The uncontrollable urge to take revenge on that person tore at her heart. She picked up the "golden sword" and walked towards the banquet hall: "You gave it to me, and I'll return it to you. We're even!"

Anna walked and cried, the angrier she got, the more she cried. The music in the banquet hall grew louder and louder, and the hidden door was right in front of her. But as she was about to push the door open, Anna hesitated.

The first encounter at the banquet, the argument when she asked for a painting, the bickering and sweet wine in the guard's veranda, the sword lessons in the Parliament Square—one by one, the past events floated before her eyes, and that person's face began to blur.

She couldn't quite remember the person's features, but she remembered him clearly and missed him terribly.

Clutching the "golden sword," Anna huddled helplessly in a corner behind the hidden door, sobbing uncontrollably: "You bad thing... why did you do this to me... where are you?"

So where is Winters Montagne now?

He was at the triangular fortress in front of the city gate of Tacheng, the Venetians' stronghold closest to the city wall.

He carefully wiped his pistol clean, then sharpened the steel awl and sword to an unparalleled edge. Finally, he checked the gunpowder again to make sure it was not damp or separated.

After doing all of this, he still couldn't fall asleep.

Major Moritz, sitting next to him, was fast asleep amidst the soldier's loud snoring.

Winters couldn't sleep, so he put on a coat, got up, and went up to the top of the Triangle Fortress.

After continuous heightening work, the triangular fortress has reached the upper limit of its structural capacity, and is now the same height as the city wall.

Standing atop the triangular fortress now, one can see the city wall at eye level. To raise it any further, the base area would have to be increased, otherwise the rammed earth would collapse.

Interestingly, the garrison was not idle either. They built wooden watchtowers at the city gates, raised the city walls, and blocked the view from the triangular fortress.

The sentry on top of the triangular fort didn't recognize Winters' uniform at first, but after seeing his face, he hurriedly saluted.

Winters silently watched the city wall in the darkness, where two points of light shone, seemingly from the sentries smoking.

"Tomorrow, all of this will be over," he thought.

Long-distance relationships are killing us.jpg
Furthermore, the descriptions of the banquet in this chapter are not my original work; they are drawn from *War and Peace* and *Gone with the Wind*. They are not entirely identical, and some have been adapted.

Because I truly don't know what the banquet was like a hundred years ago... but Tolstoy and Margaret Mitchell certainly did.

Thank you to all the readers who voted for this book before, including Black Computer Accessories, The Most in Your Life, writersblock, Tianshui Beauty, Jiangshan Cold Ink, Flying Leaf r, Justice and Purity is Koala, Reader 161120205936216, Together with the World, Fighting Storm, Ami, and Reader 20190826203115410. Thank you also to Reader Tian Lens for the monthly ticket. Thank you everyone.

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(End of this chapter)