industrial lord

Chapter 779 Ideological Revolution
The silence between the two young people was broken by a light and rhythmic knock on the door.

The sound gradually increased in volume, following the rhythm of currently popular music, and was exceptionally clear.

The latch behind the door was unlocked, and the carved oak door was carefully pushed open a crack. A bright and lively face peeked in, and bright eyes quickly scanned the room.

"Marlene, it really is you!" Miss Delden smiled as she pushed open the door, her light skirt swaying in the breeze, bringing with it a gentle wind mixed with the fragrance of flowers and a young girl's sweet scent. "I heard the waiter downstairs say that Earl Rank's car was parked outside, and I knew it was you."

She turned her gaze to Bastian, gave him an elegant nod, and said with a perfectly timed mischievous smile, "Sir Shu Yun Stiga is here too, what a coincidence."

Marlene was jolted out of her deep thoughts, a welcoming smile quickly spreading across her face. "I didn't expect to meet you here," she said happily. "When did you return to Coron City?"

“I just got back from the south the day before yesterday.” Emily winked playfully. “I went to your house to look for you, but you weren’t home.”

"Tomorrow afternoon, we are hosting a private salon at home, and we have invited a special scholar—Mr. Gottlieb."

"I hope you can come too."

Bastian and Marlene exchanged a glance. Such invitations were commonplace, and since they had nothing to do tomorrow anyway, they might as well go.

The name Gottlieb... Bastian thought for a long time, but couldn't find the name in his memory.

Marlene, who was in academic circles, had some recollection of the name, but only knew that such a person existed and had no idea of ​​any achievements.

“Please tell the Earl,” Marlene responded on behalf of the two, “that we will be there on time.”

The following afternoon, the back garden of the Earl of Delden's mansion was bustling with activity.

The rare autumn sunlight filtered through layers of oak leaves and white linen shade, casting dappled light on the slightly yellowing lawn.

Behind the curtains, on a long table covered with a snow-white lace tablecloth, a silver teapot, bone china teaware, and crystal cups shimmered in the shadows, and the air was filled with the aroma of black tea and pastries.

A dozen or so well-dressed young nobles chatted in small groups, their eyes all drawn to the rather luxurious gold-threaded wooden sofa in the center.

When Bastian and Marlene arrived together, the salon had already been open for a while.

Although Bastian was dressed in civilian clothes, he maintained the upright posture of a soldier, his sharp eyes sweeping across the entire room without making a sound.

He keenly noticed that not only were the guests present holding their breath, but also many simply dressed but focused figures were standing among the shadows of the trees outside the white gauze curtains.

Today's protagonist, Mr. Gottlieb, sat on the sofa in the middle. He was tall and burly, with a square face and some messy short hair.

"Friends!" he said, his voice not loud, but exceptionally clear, with a peculiar penetrating power, and the surroundings fell silent instantly.

Without any formalities, he went straight to the heart of the speech at today's salon: "We are gathered here not to lick our old wounds or to engage in empty talk about power struggles. We are standing at a turning point in history—on one side are the ruins of the old era, and on the other side is the dawn of a new era."

The words struck like a heavy hammer, hitting the hearts of everyone attending such a salon for the first time.

Marlene whispered to Bastian, "Many people like to scare people at the beginning of their speeches, but what comes next is the key."

Bastian nodded. After the defeat at Redwheel Village, this phrase became a common opening line for various speeches.

Gottlieb continued, "But today I say, no! We have not truly failed, but have merely awakened from a dream! Our nation's most precious treasure has never been lost—the Rhine spirit deeply ingrained in our blood!"

He incisively analyzed the reasons for the defeat, and said with some excitement: "What we were truly defeated by was not the swords of external enemies, but the enemy within our own hearts—that shameful selfishness that corrodes the soul!"

"When responsibility is replaced by calculation, when the nation becomes a tool for personal gain, the backbone of the nation is broken!"

"That was an era destined to end, for its foundations had long since decayed!"

Many young people gasped upon hearing this; these words were tantamount to insulting the priest by calling him bald, and everyone knew perfectly well who was being insulted.

Marlene glanced at Bastian discreetly.

As a junior officer in the Royal Knights, Bastian had the duty to arrest those who insulted the king and even the right to execute them on the spot.

There is only one exception: the clowns, who have the privilege of satirizing and directly pointing out the king's faults in their performances.

Bastian felt Marlene looking at him, a helpless smile playing on his lips, and said in a low voice, "Have you forgotten whose house this is?"

Marlene immediately realized that Earl Delden was the vice-principal of the Royal Knights, and his wife was His Majesty Rudolf's aunt.

This is where things get complicated.

After analyzing past failures, Gottlieb turned his burning gaze to the future: "Where is the way out? Not on the border, not at the negotiating table."

"The real solution lies deep within the souls of our next generation!"

"To save this country, to save our own bright path, is a complete, ideological revolution!"

"This is a reshaping of the soul!"

"We must build a sacred furnace to isolate our children from the stench of corruption and forge them into entirely new, pure Rhine people!" "We must cultivate an unwavering will, an instinct to place the nation above the individual!"

"Individual dignity and freedom can only be truly realized in the noble cause of serving the nation's self-salvation and rejuvenation!"

……

The more Bastian listened, the more serious his expression became.

These words were even more treasonous than the earlier mockery of the king's mistakes, because there was no king in sight along the way.

but……

Bastian felt as if a scale had been placed before him, with the teachings of loyalty to the king on one side and the desire to rebuild the country and achieve victory on the other.

Like many others around him, he began to ponder, and only the sound of the speech could be heard inside and outside the curtain.

Finally, Gottlieb elevated his ideas to their highest point, saying with increasing fervor, "Fellow countrymen! Remember, 'the motherland' is not merely a border on a map."

"The motherland is the visible kingdom on this sacred land where the eternal moral order is established!"

"To love one's country is to love the noble order itself!"

"In our struggle for the revival of the Rhine, we are not only saving ourselves, but also protecting the flame of the spirit for all mankind!"

"Stop complaining, stop standing by!" he appealed to everyone. "Every citizen with the Rhine in their heart—let us all become partners in this ideological revolution!"

"We are not futilely rebuilding the collapsed old walls, but laying the foundation for a magnificent spiritual temple, the dome of which will ultimately be supported by the free and noble souls of children!"

"Arise, indomitable Rhine spirits! Go and fulfill your historical mission!"

"Use thought and character, not swords; for the rebirth and purification of the nation, not barbaric conquest."

"On this vast battlefield of the spirit, we will ultimately win the final victory that belongs to the Rhine and to the whole world!"

The speech came to an abrupt end.

The garden fell into a vacuum-like silence, as if the air itself had been frozen by that spiritual power.

Immediately, a volcanic eruption of applause and cheers swept in.

Many young people's faces were filled with excitement and the thrill of finding their direction, and their eyes sparkled with a new light.

Just as the commotion subsided, a smartly dressed officer entered from behind the curtain, walked through the crowd, and went straight to the sofa in the center.

He held a silver tray in his hand, on which lay a pocket watch that looked very old-fashioned and was made of yellow metal.

Under the watchful eyes of many, the officer bowed deeply to Gottlieb and whispered something close to him.

A hint of surprise flashed across Gottlieb's face, and his expression became extremely serious.

He reached out his hands and carefully picked up the heavy pocket watch.

Bastian and the others' pupils suddenly contracted; they instantly recognized the officer—Baron Tony, commander of the Grand Duke of Wessen's guard!

Last year at the Redwheel Village fortress, Tony escorted Maria with reinforcements and supplies to provide support. Bastian has seen him before and wouldn't mistake him for someone else.

Bastian stood up without thinking, his movement so quick that he knocked over the chair.

At the same time, several equally perceptive young nobles also stepped out from behind the curtain with grave expressions.

They all realized at that moment that Archduke Wessen had been listening to Gottlieb's speech outside.

Not far away, outside the back gate of the garden, a familiar yet lonely, tall figure, surrounded by several attendants in dark uniforms, was boarding a black van that was unmarked but exceptionally sturdy.

The car door closed, and the car quickly disappeared at the end of the riverside road, leaving only a wisp of dust behind.

Bastian quickly glanced around the garden, his heart sinking.

His sharp eyes caught sight of several influential nobles in the Rhine Alliance, including Marlene's grandfather, Earl Rank, as well as his own father, who had just listened to the speech outside the curtain.

They didn't leave; they remained where they were, exchanging opinions in hushed tones and engaging in some minor arguments, before finally walking together into the curtained area.

The salon presentations have concluded; the discussion session will now begin.

The young nobles rose to greet the elders.

Gottlieb was initially surprised, but then he felt the pocket watch in his hand and knew what was going on.

(End of this chapter)