A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 102 Imperial Council

In his hotel room, Rorschach opened the *Marin News*. Aside from news of reduced grain production, a large portion of the article was about parliament:

In the past few days, we could still see the follow-up investigation announcements regarding the attacks on the Imperial Palace and the Parliament Building. The focus now is on the Empire's financial audit of the previous year and the budget for this year.

This year's budget was originally scheduled to be released in late November last year, but due to the inability of the parliamentarians of the various states to reach an agreement, they are still fighting and exchanging opinions fiercely in the parliament building, and in fact, the new year has already passed.

Generally speaking, the former Kingdom of Marin, now the core area of ​​the imperial capital, and other states and provinces in the east and north of the empire demanded a significant increase in the budget, while the councilors of the western and southern regions of the empire, where commerce and handicrafts were developed, strongly opposed it.

According to the Marin News, the increased Imperial budget will be mainly used to build a more comprehensive social security system, to support the newly passed Employees Insurance Act and other related legislation, and to cover military spending.

It appears that the opponents of this budget have become a stumbling block to the imperial guarantee system.

However, the Marin News played a word game:

The increase in guaranteed spending in the budget was proposed by the southwestern states, just as they spearheaded the proposal and passage of a series of insurance bills; while the eastern and northern regions, which are demanding a significant increase in the budget, aim to increase military spending.

Increased military spending and external expansion were consistent demands of the military nobility, whose birthplaces and fiefdoms were all within the sphere of influence of the northern part of the empire and the Kingdom of Marin. The commercial states, on the other hand, believed they should bear heavier taxes and suffer trade losses due to the war.

In the past, the Kingdom of Marin and its allies in the council were the majority, but this time the opposition was strong. And subtly, the true master of the empire—His Majesty the Emperor—had not yet shown any inclination, sitting quietly in the palace for the first time, waiting for the officials to make a decision, which made some of the more perceptive councilors waver.

The silence from the palace has sparked speculation, with newspaper commentators carefully choosing their words and subtly speculating whether His Majesty is expressing dissatisfaction with the imperial military nobility.

"They're still arguing, thankfully." The budget hasn't passed, so the money hasn't arrived, so a fight can't break out. Or, to put it another way, if they can still argue openly, then a fight is unlikely.

Rorschach started reading the business newspaper. He skipped the long sections on GG, investment information, and indecent posters, and went straight to the commodity trading price section.

Rorschach spread out paper and pen to copy and compare.

"Grain prices have risen significantly, cloth prices haven't risen, steel prices have risen slightly, and coal prices have risen quite significantly." Luo Xia noted that apart from grain prices rising due to reduced production and coal prices rising seasonally, other military-related commodity prices remained stable.

The empire was not really preparing for war.

After calming down, Luo Xia's thoughts became clearer: at worst, he could use the teleportation array to escape. He didn't believe that the esteemed Archmage Kano would stand by and watch him die. He could even leave the Holy Kingdom and go to Istani to avoid trouble.

For a long time, as a transcontinental force, the Magic Guild and the Magic Tower have adhered to the principle of "magic without borders," resolutely protecting mages persecuted by the church and secular power, and requiring members of the Arcane Senate not to pledge allegiance to any king or emperor.

This is why the Archmage Granor's previous actions of flattering the royal family, offering land to the Holy Kingdom, and demanding titles were despised by his peers.

Well, especially Master Cano, who practically wore his disdain on his face when they attended banquets together. From then on, Cano never called him "Master Granor" again, only the exaggerated "Count Granor".

The escape should go smoothly then. After putting these things away, Luo Xia decided to board the flight back to the Tower of Stars.

Buying tickets, registering, and boarding the airship—Rorschach is now very familiar with these procedures.

The behemoth slowly raised its bow from the platform and plunged into the clouds towards the Southern Holy Kingdom.

A classic castle stands on the east side of the hill. Although it was mainly designed and built for military purposes, the interior of the fortress is still made as comfortable as possible for its inhabitants.

Because it was the emperor's temporary residence during the winter.

As Lionel Cano said at the banquet, the ruler of the empire was so valiant that even in front of a warm fireplace, his posture remained as meticulous as his hair and mustache.

The other adult before the fireplace, however, did not sit upright but leaned back in his chair. He had this privilege—the privilege of the Imperial Chancellor. Beside them stood two other men of imposing stature: His Majesty the Emperor's Imperial Army Marshal and the Military Secretary under the Chancellor.

This was an informal royal meeting.

In the context of the empire's power structure, generally speaking, the smaller the scope of a meeting, the more significant the matter being decided.

"The blood-stained boys are making a ruckus again, especially those with military merit, those without, and the second sons who have received land and want more. Your Majesty, I think it's time. In one year, the first batch of military merit estates will have to pay taxes normally."

The Prime Minister was always worried about the excessive intensity of the Imperial Army. The Emperor and the Empire needed soldiers who were eager for war, and he and the Marshal needed to ensure that this desire could be transformed into controllable combat power.

Controllability is crucial, especially after the establishment of the Imperial Diet and the increasing number of military-trained members. The Imperial Army cannot afford a second brain.

The fact that some members of parliament began advocating for war before His Majesty the Emperor issued the decree is a dangerous sign.

"Otto," the Emperor called the Chancellor by name, "the Empire's finances are in good shape now, thanks in no small part to you. I mean, the Empire can extend the tax exemption policy; don't mistreat these loyal soldiers."

"His Majesty."

The emperor waved his hand to interrupt the prime minister: "I have followed your suggestion and temporarily suppressed the calls for a budget increase. What I am concerned about now is the progress of that plan."

The prime minister could only send the state secretary forward and order him to read the report:

"The 'Termination Law' project is progressing smoothly. It has completed three theoretical verification experiments and one prototype operation experiment. In a sudden crisis of special power, it successfully suppressed the city's magic power for 27 seconds."

It is expected that, as planned, high-power, long-term operation will be achieved by the beginning of this year.

"Is this how the Prime Minister reports to me?" the Emperor said, somewhat displeased. "A military secretary should be more efficient! Can't you reliably suppress magic and divine spells?"

"Yes!" The secretary, a newly promoted civil servant, unconsciously imitated the demeanor of a soldier in his reply.

"When can we be deployed to the war?"

The secretary quickly scrolled down to read the report and then said, "If the plan proceeds smoothly, the miniaturized deployment will be completed by the end of this year, and a mobile deployment can be attempted early next year."

The Emperor tapped the oak armrest, pondering for a long time: "Otto, convey to the councilors of the core regions and the Grand Duke of Württemberg that this year's budget should be tightened. However, the funds for the plans must be invested more quickly to ensure progress."

The Imperial Army, especially the Southern Army, needs to be reformed. Isn't it time for my military and magic academies to reap the rewards? Fill the command chain with those awesome lads and eliminate the influence of the Southern Duchy.

"Oh yes, food, the issue that concerns my subjects most. We must ensure that food prices remain stable." As the emperor spoke, the prime minister and the military secretary were taking notes rapidly.

In response to the reduced production, the prime minister has already implemented emergency measures, and follow-up actions are also in place: "Your Majesty, this is my plan: we can import flour from Istani and collect grain as tax from the northern estates and some southern states."

"Yes." The emperor glanced at the proposal handed to him by the prime minister and signed it with peace of mind.

"As you wish, Your Majesty." The prime minister rose and led the other two ministers to take their leave.

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(End of this chapter)