Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 234 New Visitor

"Someone within the Federation... revealed my true identity to the church?"

Harvey perked up, subconsciously straightened up and stared at the text message coming from the crystal screen of the magic brain, and fell into deep thought.

Although the three leaders of the Federation, led by Mr. "Scorching Lord", had directly promised him that they would keep it confidential and allow Harvey to publish his research papers anonymously.

But in the magical duel that took place in Alayeh, no matter how hard Harvey tried to conceal his disguise, as long as some high-ranking and privileged people within the Federation wanted to investigate, they would still be able to trace back his true identity.

However, Harvey is not very afraid of his identity being exposed. By now, he has laid out a series of arrangements and openly placed himself in the position of "real agent" of the Spellcaster Forum. He no longer needs to hide for the safety of his life and property.

This is also the main reason why he used the identity of Observer Neumann to invite high-level spellcasters who were not from the Federation to contact him offline. What he urgently needed now was someone who could help him solve the troubles from within the Federation and the Church of Light. He needed an "extraordinary bodyguard" who was tough and acted without scruples.

As the "agents" and "favored ones" of Observer Neumann, these two high-level spellcasters in front of him are undoubtedly the most suitable candidates for bodyguards.

Kel'Thuzad: Thank you and Mr. Eye of Illusion for resolving the troubles from the Church for me ahead of time. This is undoubtedly a great help to me...

[Astrologer: We are also acting under the instructions of Mr. Observer, but... we are not quite clear about his true purpose in arranging this meeting, and what he needs us to do?]

Harvey stared at the crystal board and smiled slightly, then raised his hand to type quickly.

Kel'Thuzad: It's simple. You've already completed part of your mission. As you know, I'm just a research-based spellcaster. After being fortunate enough to become a cooperative agent between the Forum and the Federation, my personal safety... is vulnerable to certain threats. Therefore, Mr. Neumann wants to seek some appropriate security guarantees for me.

"Astrologer" and "Eye of Illusion" sat in front of the magic brain instrument and looked at each other, both with expressions of sudden enlightenment.

"It turns out that Mr. Observer guided us here to assign us a task... to serve as bodyguards for Mr. Kel'Thuzad." Jin sighed softly, feeling both amused and helpless.

Melissa nodded in agreement. "Well, I thought it would be an unacceptable price, but it's so simple. It seems that when we helped him solve the problem with the church investigation team, we accidentally fulfilled our responsibilities."

Kel'Thuzad: But I must inform you with regret that I cannot allow you to enter my private laboratory at the moment. This is a cooperation secret that must be maintained as an agent. Therefore, you will have to stay in Jackdaw Town for a while. When the time is right, I will arrange to meet with you...

Jin frowned and said, "If he doesn't meet with us, how can we complete the task of protecting his personal safety?"

Melissa said thoughtfully, "It's probably because there are some parts of the cooperation agreement between the Forum and the Federation that need to be kept strictly confidential. We shouldn't delve too deeply into it. We should just complete the protection work we are responsible for, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble and anger Mr. Observer."

At present, it seems that the main troubles faced by this "agent" are still from the conservative factions within the Federation, as well as various overt and covert difficulties and attacks from the church. As long as the two of them stay secretly in Jackdaw Town and closely monitor all suspicious threats from the south, they should have completed the task instructed by Mr. Observer.

[Astrologer: We understand what you mean. We will stay in Jackdaw Town from now on. If there is any emergency, you can contact us at any time. We will meet again when the time is right...]

……

Harvey turned off the magic brain instrument with satisfaction, sat at the desk and thought for a moment, then raised his hand to call the guards who had been guarding the door and gave them some instructions.

Yurio, the newly appointed Inspector of the Frontier Territory Police Department, hurried to the lord's castle in a neat dark gray uniform.

Harvey was busy correcting work documents. Without even looking up, he said, "Sit down first and wait for me for a moment."

Yurio walked to the sofa and sat down stiffly, subconsciously raising his mechanical arm to straighten the collar of his uniform, then placed his hands flat on his legs, looking straight ahead and sitting upright.

"Are you used to your mechanical prosthesis? Have there been any malfunctions? Have you had regular maintenance as required?" Harvey suddenly asked, giving Yurio a fright.

He had thought that the lord had called him here to ask him to report on his work after being promoted to a full-time superintendent, but he had not expected that the first thing he asked was about his adaptation to his prosthetic limbs. This immediately ruined all the speeches Yurio had prepared in his mind.

"Thank you, Lord, for your concern... Uh, well, I'm adapting very well. There haven't been any... any problems at all, either at work or in my daily life. I've also been following your instructions, going to the repair department for regular maintenance and adjustments every month. I'm also responsible for supervising the regular maintenance of the prosthetics of other officers who have received prosthetic limbs..."

Harvey chuckled and waved his hand to calm him down. He asked gently, "I heard that Mr. Chris, the head of the Alchemy Department, still frequently comes to the police station to harass... uh, socialize and chat with you. Does this affect your daily work?"

Yurio was stunned for a moment, then said awkwardly, "Mr. Chris does visit the police department quite often... He even offered to disassemble our prosthetic limbs and adjust the parts for us! But everyone kept in mind the confidentiality regulations and politely declined."

Harvey couldn't help but burst into laughter. After a long while, he regained his composure and said, "Okay, now I have a special mission for you. This matter is a little different from the work of the Territorial Police Department. I need..."

Jackdaw Town is a small border town located in the northernmost part of Saint Valen. There is only one decent hotel in the town, and the accommodation business is only slightly better during the golden autumn hunting season.

The high-quality beast furs and the fun of mountain hunting can still attract some small nobles or manor owners from the surrounding areas to come for vacation and entertainment.

Melissa and Kim, who were always used to enjoying life, had no choice but to rent the most comfortable suite on the second floor of the "Winter Frost Flower" Hotel in the town for a long time, so that they could observe the town's most lively main street and small square from the living room window.

The Federation's branch in Jackdaw Town and the church of the Church of Light are located on both sides of the main street.

"Compared to Erisburg and Jinhui City, this place is simply a completely remote and poor place. Even the small nobles who own fiefdoms around here seem to be a bit rough and poor..." Jin held a glass of beer and leaned against the window facing the street and chuckled softly.

Melissa sat at the desk in the living room, concentrating on reading some newly appeared academic documents in the Magic Encyclopedia with the help of her Magic Brain instrument. Without looking up, she replied, "Compared to those noisy and bustling royal capitals, I prefer quiet and less crowded places. This is a good place to live permanently. Since I got the Magic Brain instrument, no matter where I live in the Southern Territory, I will never miss out on the latest news and important information from the magical world..."

The more prosperous and comfortable a city one lives in, the more constraints and restrictions a spellcaster faces. The branches and churches of the Federation and the Church are densely distributed throughout the kingdom south of the Divine Spine Mountains. If one acts a little radically, he or she will easily be targeted by both parties and have to endure various harassment and investigations from time to time.

Moreover, not all spellcasters enjoy dealing with the secular power vortex of nobles, wealthy businessmen and the southern countries. That would greatly affect their practice of magic and pursuit of truth.

As the two were chatting and discussing the issue of the spellcaster's entry into the world, there was a sudden knock on the hotel door.

"Who is it?" Melissa immediately put away the magic brain device vigilantly, stood up and walked to the door and asked in a low voice.

Jin also put away his nonchalant expression, looked at Melissa, and quickly made eye contact.

Could it be that the Federation stationed in the town noticed their identity?
That shouldn't be the case... Travelers like them, dressed elegantly and spending lavishly, were generally mistaken by the locals as young nobles out for hunting, and moreover, as a noble couple traveling alone and not wanting to be disturbed...

The church was even more out of the question. After being here for a few days, they discovered that the church members in Jackdaw Town had always been reclusive and rarely active in the town.

"My two distinguished guests are the personal attendant of a gentleman named Kel'Thuzad, and he has come to visit you..." the waiter of the hotel said outside the door.

Melissa raised her eyebrows, winked at Jin who was standing by the window, and then opened the door.

The hotel waiter bowed slightly, then turned and left, revealing a tall and straight young man standing behind him.

"Good afternoon, everyone. I am Mr. Kel'Thuzad's retainer, and I have been ordered to deliver a message... Please call me Yurio."

Melissa gave a slightly cold, polite smile, stepped aside to let Yurio into the room, and asked cautiously, "We have other direct ways to contact Mr. Kel'Thuzad. Why did he send you alone to deliver the message?"

Yurio looked around the room and found a thin, gaunt young man standing by the window. He looked to be in his early thirties and was a perfect match for the veiled young woman in front of him.

However, his expression seemed somewhat unfriendly, with one hand behind his back, and a pair of bright eyes staring straight at him, revealing a dangerous look like a wild beast.

Yurio quickly placed the suitcase he had been carrying on the coffee table and explained as he unfastened it, "Mr. Kel'Thuzad instructed me to bring you an alchemical device he designed and built. He also instructed me to demonstrate it to you in person. Therefore, I can't show it directly to you through the contact information..."

"Alchemical device? Show it to us in person?" Melissa's curiosity was piqued. She quickly walked to the coffee table. "Mr. Kel'Thuzad didn't tell us in advance. What exactly is this..."

She suddenly stopped talking in the middle of her words and stared blankly at the item in the box - it was a mechanical prosthesis with an exquisite structure and beautiful metallic lines throughout...

Yurio then slowly continued, "Mr. Kel'Thuzad learned that your teacher had been severely injured in an accident and was disabled. Even natural healing magic and alchemical potions could not restore his limbs... Therefore, he would like to ask if you are willing to allow your teacher to undergo prosthetic limb transplant surgery..."

Jin stepped forward quickly, interrupting Yurio in a trembling voice. "No... Impossible. Alchemical prostheses simply cannot be transplanted into a living person. This is common knowledge among most spellcasters. The Exploration Society has never made any progress in this research. Those experimental recipients who were forced to undergo the surgery eventually had to endure the torture of amputation again, and many have died as a result!"

Melissa also whispered, "Yes, I've discussed this with Benoit before. After the surgery, the transplant recipient will quickly experience rejection, and the wound where the prosthetic limb is connected will become irreversibly ulcerated. The pain caused will be several times more severe than when the original limb was lost..."

Yurio didn't argue or explain. Instead, he slowly stood up from the sofa, took off the leather gloves on his hands, unbuttoned his long-sleeved dress coat, and then gently rolled up the cuff of his right arm, revealing a mechanical prosthesis with a brassy metallic luster and strange patterns on the surface.

(End of this chapter)