Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 582: Castle Banquet
The King's Castle was brightly lit at night, with the Royal Guards stationed closely around the building, and teams of waiters and servants busily moving around.

The banquet hall on the first floor of the castle was bustling with people. Hundreds of magic stone lamps emitting soft light hung from the ceiling, replacing candles and torches for lighting. A variety of wines and exquisite delicacies complemented each other on the long dining table... Spellcasters from the Federation were all dressed in formal attire, gathered in groups of three or five, some chatting in low voices, while others commenting on the various scenes of tonight's banquet.

Compared to boring formal meetings, Harvey felt that a social banquet with eating and chatting could quickly bring the union mages and the kingdom's top leaders closer together. After all, the war was imminent, and instead of letting them split into two factions and confront each other in a formal way, it would be better to warm up the atmosphere first so that it would be easier to communicate after they got to know each other.

Regardless of their faction, spellcasters are generally self-disciplined, and not many of them prefer drinking and pleasure... Despite this, facing the banquet carefully prepared by the "Imperial Chef Team", these unprecedented delicacies and fine wines served made them unable to help but reach out again and again, and taste them with great interest.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk. Using potion ingredients to brew fine wine, I bet no one but you can do it." Fel picked up the wine glass handed to him by the waiter, drank it all in one gulp with a rather heroic attitude, smacking his lips and praising it. "I didn't expect that a spellcaster like me would also be naive at times."

Harvey shrugged, waved his hand to reject the Son of Flame's invitation to drink, and smiled, "They all say that Spark City is the second magical capital, the new Alayeh rising in the North. What do you think of this?"

"A conservative and old-fashioned place like Alayeh can't compare to this place." Fel picked up a piece of candied fruit flesh and put it into his mouth, smiling with narrowed eyes. "If those magical politicians in Alayeh asked me to rush back at all hours to report on my work, I would just call them bullshit!"

He paused, then leaned over to Harvey's ear and whispered, "Chief Gallagher personally gave us the green light to rush to the North to join your new federation as individuals. Is it because the northern aliens are about to make a big move?"

"Yes, we are about to launch a military operation against them, and we will need to rely on your Mage Corps in many areas."

Stormwalker, who had been listening intently, quickly asked, "What exactly do you want us to do? I heard that His Majesty has a full complement of battle mages under his command. Do we just need to cooperate with them?"

The Son of Flame seemed to have gathered a lot of inside information before arriving. Upon hearing this, he curled his lips and said, "As for your mortal soldiers wielding magical weapons, I do admire their fighting prowess and discipline, but your mage regiment is a bit less impressive... I heard that they're all just a bunch of research mages who bravely took on this, right?"

Harvey smiled bitterly and said, "I've got you all the answers. It's true. Most of the people in my Magic Academy and Spellcasting School are former mages. Asking them to control airships and fight against the lizardmen is a bit much."

These words subtly praised the Federation's mage corps, instantly bringing a smile to Feier's face. He said cheerfully, "Don't worry, among the over a hundred battle mages we've dispatched this time, there are a full ten of them at the high level. The rest of the mid-level mages are also veterans of many battles and will definitely not lag behind."

He rubbed his palms together excitedly, his eyes fixed on his lips as he murmured eagerly, "I've long wanted to see the magical weapons you've developed. Besides the Gun of Annihilation, you must have quite a few new gadgets, right? Magic-powered cannons, long-range beam weapons, and something that can kill enemies with one shot... what's it called? A magic sniper rifle?"

Harvey waved his hand helplessly and chuckled, "At the special military operations conference tomorrow, you'll witness with your own eyes the various weapons that will be deployed... Before then, I think it's best to familiarize you with the combat methods of those alien enemies, as well as their peculiar individual traits."

He then waved his hand, calling over Vaughn, the Orc officer who had been following him nearby, and introduced him, "Come meet my capable subordinate, Colonel Vaughn... and the first commander of this military operation." An Orc? The two Union Battle Mages exchanged a strange glance.

The Son of Fire unabashedly pulled Harvey aside and frowned, saying, "My dear friend, don't you have any other high-level spellcasters at your disposal? Wolf Walker, Eye of Illusion, and Astrologer—those three are renowned figures in the North."

"But none of them have experience leading armies in battle. Furthermore, the organizational structures of spellcasters and mortal armies are very different. The soldiers' combat coordination and tactical deployment require an experienced commander to oversee the situation."

Harvey was well aware of his old friend's doubts and concerns. As an orthodox wizard accustomed to the superior status of spellcasters, it was naturally impossible for him to casually obey the orders of a strange alien officer. In addition, he was frank and direct in his dealings with things. Unless Harvey personally accepted the title of commander-in-chief, it would be difficult for anyone else to be convinced immediately.

Vaughn, standing aside, was already filled with dissatisfaction... This Union mage from the Southern Territory not only considered himself a friend of His Majesty, but also acted in an extremely rude and impolite manner, and had no due respect or self-awareness for His Majesty. Now, he even dared to openly oppose His Majesty's will in front of him.

He endured it again and again, but finally couldn't bear it anymore and pressed the hilt of the sword with one hand. He stepped forward and said gloomily, "Mr. Fell, are you questioning His Majesty's arrangements in public?"

Fell raised his eyebrows and chuckled, saying, "Bloodline Warrior, I'm talking to the lord you're loyal to. It's not your turn to interrupt."

Vaughn's face froze, and he could no longer conceal his anger. He was about to explode when he looked up and saw His Majesty giving him a silent look. Suddenly, a gentle voice echoed in his mind, "Don't bother with this guy. I'll find a way to convince him to obey your command. Back off..."

Even if Vaughn was an extraordinary warrior who had awakened a high-level bloodline, if he only relied on fists and close combat without using lethal weapons, he would not be a match for the Son of Fire... Harvey had some judgment on this and quickly stopped the two from provoking each other.

After Vaughn angrily retreated, he turned to the Son of Fire and said sternly, "I personally appointed the commander of the operation. Mr. Fair, please, for my sake, don't make things too difficult for him."

The Son of Flame spread his hands and said indifferently, "For your sake, I will give him due respect. However, his command ability and combat strength... still need to be verified. Apart from you, I will not easily put my life in the hands of others."

Stormwalker on the side shook his head and smiled bitterly when he heard this, and gave Harvey an apologetic look.

(End of this chapter)