Mage? Spell Engineer!.

Chapter 451 The Meaning of Terror
The smell of blood made Caroline a little dizzy. In fact, what made her sad was not just the smell, but more the onlookers.

When the person to be executed is brought onto the stage, the onlookers begin to cheer and curse. When the neck of the person to be executed is stuck in the groove, the people's bloodthirsty excitement reaches its peak. The huge and noisy shouts will gradually subside until the head rolls to someone's feet and is held high and paraded through the streets.

This calming down may simply be the result of the public losing interest in the "performance" that has ended and going their separate ways.

What made Caroline feel uncomfortable was that these people reminded her of her final situation in the imperial capital. The fanaticism made her uneasy.

There were only a few people left standing in the square, including Caroline and other mages with a pale face. Rorschach remained calm, staring at the blood-stained blade, as if he was admiring a watchmaker's cross-border design work, which was also his last work.

"Let's go. If we stay too long, the guards will come to investigate. Then I'll have to work hard to convince them that you two won't endanger the friendly people of the Republic." Snow urged the group to leave.

Caroline also completely lost interest in revisiting the old place, and the four of them got on the carriage and left the square. At this time, the carriages of the Alchemy Department were much simpler and more low-key, without any decorations. The Star Tower logo was larger, but it was painted directly on the carriage with white paint. Only in this way would the people who were ready to make trouble on the streets and alleys retreat.

The carnival of lynching did not improve the public security in Valuwana. On the contrary, as a large number of adult men were withdrawn, the remaining hooligans could become more unscrupulous. Of course, if they were discovered by the guards, there would no longer be any regular trial procedures or prisons waiting for the offenders.

The carriage did not return to the Starlight Torch Tower, but stopped in front of a secluded mansion.

"Let's take you to another place to eat."

The owners of these detached mansions either fled or were executed, or were bought out by some "new riches" or requisitioned by groups that attended the National Assembly to use them as clubs.

At a time when supplies are scarce and the situation is even more tense, they are full of hidden gems, maintaining Valuana's consistent standards of appreciation in the fields of art, food, and wine.

On the second floor, the piano music was melodious, the waiters were neatly dressed and elegant, and the food they served was no less delicious than the sky restaurant in the Starlight Torch Tower. When they entered the private room, Rorschach saw that Kano had already taken a seat.

The first person the Archmage asked was Caroline: "I have been asking for your help before. Now I finally have the opportunity to go to the city. How do you feel?"

"You can still laugh." Caroline shook her head. "It's terrible. There are executions everywhere, and many onlookers know that the people being executed don't necessarily deserve to die. What they discuss in whispers is who offended whom, who belonged to which faction, and then was defeated. There is no order, no justice."

The legends in places like Bain, as well as what the National Assembly wanted to promote to the entire continent, were great changes, progress, equality, and other beautiful words. However, when Caroline was there, all she saw was terror, and almost everyone was using this terror to attack and fight each other.

"What do you think?" Kano finally turned to Rorschach.

The young man's statement was somewhat surprising: "I think the current situation is inevitable and necessary for the Republic."

He sat down and continued, "Before I left Valuana, the great changes promised to the people did not seem to be fulfilled. On the contrary, I still saw many people on the streets who did not look well fed and clothed, and the National Assembly was fighting each other. It is normal for the people to be angry about the status quo. They need to vent their anger in a straightforward and understandable way and try to change the status quo." "Then what is a must?"

"Only in this way can the Republic have enough strength to face the Empire." No matter how turbulent Valois and other places are, they must find a way to mobilize forcefully and do their utmost to mobilize forces, including conscription and allocation of supplies.

The biggest obstacle mentioned above is the original controllers of the population, the hoarders of materials and wealth. Some of them are willing to cooperate with the Republic and the National Guard, but there are many who are unwilling to do so. The simplest and most efficient way is to click.

The simpler and more brutal the process was, the more unjust, false and wrong cases would occur during the process. But obviously, Valois had no room to ease himself, let the various factions reconcile and compromise gently, and then unite against the outside world.

Just like a boxer in the ring, he has to accumulate strength and use all the muscles in his body to the maximum extent in order to face a bigger enemy. From the perspective of the grand narrative, the current "blood" and "horror", even if there are horrific things happening, are just side effects like capillary bursts and muscle spasms.

They can be ignored for the sake of victory.

The National Salvation Committee must be "terrible" enough, and the whole of Valois must be filled with terror, so that those who originally opposed it would cooperate and become "reasonable." It must be violent enough to break the logic of material circulation and enrichment in the past and break the old order. "Terror" and the enthusiasm of the people are "adrenaline for boxers."

"You really are...having the ease of a bystander, I am a little envious." Kano laughed out loud, but could not feel any joy.

Caroline felt that Rorschach's attitude was somewhat familiar. The young man at this moment was in a very similar state to the time when he talked to her after Chancellor Otto visited her.

Suddenly the door opened, and two unexpected people joined the conversation. The leader had a heavy and aggressive temperament. He continued: "The wizard is right. The Republic needs to be 'terrified', but it should be avoided. At least for now, we should find a way to end it with the least cost."

The man who came was Maxim, and the vicious, ugly fat man behind him was not a bodyguard, but Georges Jacques, the war commissioner of the National Salvation Committee, a crazy but loyal Valois vicious dog.

Maxim did not sit down or enjoy the food, but stated to the wizard in the room: "Now order has been initially established in various places, but blood is still shed. The gentleman just said it is right that we must complete mobilization in this way in the chaos, but it also means that many people are using the name of justice to collect money and do whatever they want. They eat the corpses of the old nobles and the fat of the people, and they turn some of it over and some of it into their own wealth."

"More importantly," Maxim sighed, "the newly rich who have made ill-gotten gains are actively seeking pardon and protection from the Committee and the National Assembly, polluting our ranks. They are using the current rampant terror to annihilate their personal enemies and use their newly acquired special identities to cover up their crimes."

If Maxim before the great reform was successful, he would have fiercely criticized this phenomenon in an impassioned tone, but a year later, he tiredly and helplessly stated a fact to the wizards.

Obviously the temperature in the mansion was not hot, but when Maxim finished speaking, Georges Jacques behind him could not help but take out his handkerchief to wipe his sweat.

The towel he used to wipe his sweat was very exquisite.

(End of this chapter)