Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 436 Faction Struggle
"The Spellcasters' Union is an ally of our Spark City. If the City Lord allows them to establish a branch in the northern border, I believe we should inform them of the alien enemies in the [Central Continent] as soon as possible." Reiner spoke in a cold and rigid tone, his voice tinged with the strange sound of grinding metal. "After all, they are very likely to be the first allies we can win over in the future. The mage bands entrenched in the Evil Moon Mountains will be an even more powerful ally in defending against the enemy."

The words "more powerful" immediately pricked Pierce's nerves. He raised an eyebrow and, in a rare display of disagreement with his "old colleague," said, "Strong reinforcements? They were able to achieve their current success by counterattacking north of Evil Moon Mountain thanks to the anti-magic weapons we provided. Mr. Butler, do you really think those flashy battle mages can compare to the loyal elite soldiers under your command?"

The two city lords' direct subordinates suddenly started arguing, causing the entire conference hall to feel a bit awkward for a moment. Fortunately, Chief Advisor Asdaren stepped in to mediate. "Our strength is undoubtedly superior to those traditional and conservative mage warbands, but they are not completely without advantages. At least in terms of flexibility and mobility..."

Those scout mages who have been walking on the line between life and death for many years and have rich experience in fighting against demons are indeed comparable to the top special operations soldiers in a sense. Even the blood warriors under Harvey himself dare not claim victory easily.

"As for flexibility and maneuverability, we are not inferior to those battle mages after being equipped with military off-road magic motorcycles, right?" Vaughn, the commander of the 1st Battalion of the Northern Army and also the captain of the special operations team, rarely spoke up and tried to clear his name.

Hearing this, Chris couldn't help but interrupt, "There are always terrains and areas that the magic car can't reach, and you can't fly like them..."

"I... I'm just giving an example. Besides... not everyone in the Federation's Mage Chapter is high-ranking, but as for magic bikes, every member of our special forces team is equipped with a fully equipped one."

Chris was suddenly speechless, closed his mouth and looked up at the sky.

When Harvey came back to his senses from using Shadow Disintegration to refine steel, he noticed that the atmosphere in the meeting room was a bit tense. He quickly clapped his hands and said, "Let's adjourn for now. We've been arguing all morning. Let's eat something here and then continue the discussion."

The attendants received his instructions and came in one after another pushing food carts from outside the conference hall, bringing portions of freshly baked snacks, fruits and tea to the table. Some people filled their stomachs, while others went to the balcony to smoke cigarettes. The tense atmosphere immediately eased.

Ever since Harvey revealed to the officials that the Federation requested to set up a branch in Spark City, the atmosphere in the work meetings in recent days has been subtly off.

Harvey could clearly see that his officials were already divided into factions. The administrative department headed by Reiner was moderate and conservative. They followed Harvey's consistent concept of talent introduction and believed that as long as they were not hostile forces, all organizations that could be used for their own benefit should maintain good alliance relations. In the close cooperation and exchanges, they subtly used "sugar-coated bullets" to slowly and thoroughly assimilate the other party into their own camp.

Advanced magic technology, alchemical creations that transcend the times, a comfortable and convenient living environment, generous remuneration and welfare benefits...all these things in Spark City that are different from the outside world can be used as bargaining chips to attract talents and labor. Compared with the real and harmful weapons of the Northern Army, the "sugar-coated bullets" held by the Administrative Office are the weapons that most people are truly completely unable to resist.

This gentle and tolerant attitude towards the outside world naturally attracted the favor of a group of alchemists such as Chris, who came from the Alchemy Exploration Society and had deep roots in the Federation. Therefore, when the Executive Office implemented a certain measure, the Alchemy Laboratory was always the first to stand on their side.

The Northern Army, represented by Pierce, along with the Defense Forces and the Police Department, were radically xenophobic. The army itself was a tightly knit armed organization, and its officers, many of them hailing from the wastelands, refugees from the South, or untouchables, naturally rejected the privileged elite, whether ordinary Southern nobles or arrogant Union spellcasters. The necromancers, traditionally discriminated against by orthodox spellcasters, naturally sided with the army, a fact that surprised Harvey greatly. The fact that spellcasters in Spark City were actually teaming up with mortal soldiers was truly bizarre.

However, it is completely understandable. After all, the Magic Academy where the necromancers are located currently dominates the teaching work of the Territory Spellcaster Academy. This group of discriminated people naturally do not want the Federation to gain a foothold in Spark City and squeeze out the interests and voice of their faction.

Unfortunately, the radicals, led by the military, have spent more time dealing with others with guns, but their understanding of personnel relations and current political situations is far inferior to that of the Executive Office. Asdalen and Duncan, the only ones who can mediate, follow the city lord's lead and watch from the sidelines most of the time. During passionate debates at the meeting, the radicals are often refuted by the conservatives and retreat step by step, and finally have to end up holding their anger.

As long as Harvey doesn't make the final decision, today's scene will probably be similar to the previous one, just another one-sided debate.

It is normal for factional struggles to exist in a large political organization. Harvey had witnessed this many times as early as when the Spellcaster Forum was established. Even in virtual "Internet forums", there would be situations where factions would form groups to exclude others due to conflicting positions and ideas, not to mention reality.

This is also a simple means for those in power to check and balance the power of their subordinates, without being too permissive or biased towards one side.

However, things are different now. The information that the exploration team encountered masked aliens when expanding northward made Harvey feel nervous as if he was attacked from both sides, but he didn't know the true strength of the enemy. He didn't know when the secular nobles and the church in the south would withdraw their forces and start to cause trouble again for him, the wizard lord who occupied a large area of Saint Valen's territory.

In this special period, Harvey felt that it was natural to let the "warmongers" gain the upper hand, which would be more beneficial to the situation.

……

After a brief recess, Harvey returned to his seat, took a sip from his teacup, cleared his throat, and said seriously, "Regarding the question of whether or not to allow the Federation to establish a branch in Spark City..."

The highlight of today's debate began right from the start. All the officials involved immediately sat up straight, tilted their heads and stared intently at the highest authority in the territory.

"I believe the Federation's traditional branch operation model is too outdated and not conducive to developing a close cooperative relationship with us... I plan to establish a new [New Federation] in Spark City, abandoning the past practice of only accepting orthodox spellcasters. Alchemical beings, bloodline warriors, alchemists, marginalized spellcasting factions, and even alien races that maintain friendly relations with us should all be included and treated equally."

(End of this chapter)