A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 213 The Idea King Meets the General Manager

Kano immediately understood what Rorschach meant, but after thinking for a moment, he shook his head: "No, no. We don't need to take on this mess." In the commercially developed southern part of the continent, there were also magic towers that issued their own metal currency, and because of its advanced technology and low content of other metals, it was widely welcomed by the coastal city-states.

But things are different now. Valois has entered the era of paper money. In Carnot's view, whoever issues the paper money must bear its credit. Currently, however, there is no credit! The original one-to-one exchange rate for gold francs has now fallen to one and two-thirds to one, and that's without a large-scale bank run.

"That's why I said it won't work if the Magic Guild intervenes; even if they issue it, it won't be recognized. But I don't think His Majesty is only asking us spellcasters and merchants for money, right? Those fat priests, those nobles who party every night."

If other forces were brought together to strip Charles XVI of his happy printing press, it would essentially mean separating the right to issue currency from the royal family and subjecting it to a balance of power among various parties.

"We're not saying we want to kick His Majesty out, but rather, drawing on the ideas I saw in Byrne, could we each establish or control banks, including a Royal Bank, and then organize these banks into a guild that monopolizes issuance rights?"

This was just an idea. Rorschach didn't understand economics or finance, but he believed that once he presented the initial idea, Cano would adopt it and then persuade other important figures in social circles, and finally, real industry experts would refine the plan.

In this way, the world where only His Majesty the King was injured was completed.

"But I'm afraid there's no chance to unite all forces, compromise, and make a treaty." Rorschach had already vaguely figured out what was troubling Cano, so he deliberately provoked him.

As expected, Master Kano smirked and affirmed, "There really is such an opportunity. I have already received notification that I will represent the Tower of Stars and the Tower of Primordial Earth at the 'Distinguished Meeting'."

"Taling could guess that His Majesty the King was going to beg from us with his head held high, and that Deplesi and Necker would call out to him first, one on each side."

However, Kano didn't explain to the Empire's Idea King why the Master could represent both towers or the specifics of the "Distinguished Meeting," and Rorschach didn't press the matter further.

"Then I'll take my leave, teacher."

Kano nodded, thinking to Rorschach before he left, "Don't neglect your study of magic lately; you need to understand the very foundation of us spellcasters."

"Yes."

Although Rorschach agreed, he was no different from Cano, still preoccupied with his own mundane affairs. After dealing with the informal verbal investigation, Rorschach didn't bother with the follow-up; he was in a hurry to make a trip to "Hercules".

For some reason, the kingdom was experiencing a period of austerity across all industries, forcing people to reminisce about how to tighten their belts and make ends meet. Mr. Pierre was no exception; the revenue from his beverage factory was slowly shrinking.

Byrne's "Fonda" is already profitable and can generate some cash, but no kingdom will stand idly by while a large amount of precious metals flow out, so the amount of cash it can bring back to the headquarters is limited.

Rorschach's solution was simple: move out of Valuana!

"Move out! That means investing in a new factory again." Pierre thought the mage had some profound insights, but he didn't expect him to be creating a problem for himself.

"Listen to me," Rorschach reassured the businessman with dark circles under his eyes. "We've already absorbed enough cash from the stock market, and now going against the tide is a way to expand our market share at a lower cost."

This is a common counter-cyclical expansion: "And you should remember what I said."

"You mean," Mr. Pierre recalled the rumors Rorschach had mentioned during the development of canned goods, that the storm of war was about to sweep in from north to south, and that as a businessman, one must not only know how to "avoid the rain" but also how to "sell umbrellas."

"Our King will soon be forced to convene a general meeting, and the capital will certainly not have many peaceful days left. We need to move to the northwest corner of the kingdom, to a region with a three-tiered autonomous council, and to a place near a harbor and waterway, so that we can transport our products out and temporarily shift our focus away from this troubled place."

"But the tax rate is higher in those areas." Pierre began to seriously consider the suggestion: "The Magic Guild may not be able to cover everything." The radiation range of each tower is ultimately limited, and besides, he was only a member of the "Tower of Stars" faction.

"Why can't you rely on yourself? Mr. Pierre, you or your nephew Antoine should use the size of the trading company to sit in the conference hall, spend some money to wear a respectable robe, and become the mayor of your small town."

Rorschach was like the devil whispering, stirring up Pierre Newsingen's desire for the next peak in his life.

The businessman, who had worked like an ox, was persuaded. He wanted to experience the thrill of being on top, bowing and calling others "Sir" every day. He thought that he or his nephew could also stand up for themselves.

"Alright, Master Rorschach, you're always right, I trust you."

The matter of rebuilding the École Normale Supérieure was brought up again by Rocha, but Pierre politely declined, pointing out that the École Normale Supérieure might be shut down again by the court or the Senate after its reconstruction.

Rorschach knew the answer was, of course, "yes." That's just how these people are; they won't allow others to do what they themselves can do, and they certainly won't allow others to do what they themselves wouldn't do. What if the school turned out even better than before? Wouldn't that be a disgrace to the royal family and the Senate?

He couldn't make things difficult for Pierre, and besides, the beverage factory was operating day and night and couldn't provide a venue, so Pierre agreed to raise funds from the bosses.

Leaving the beverage factory, Rorschach felt a little down. It was getting late, so he bought some bread along the street and ate it as he walked, eventually reaching a familiar neighborhood. Then, relying on his memory, he went to the textile factory "school".

With the roar of the steam whistle, women with flushed faces filed out, having finished their day's work and clearing out a large factory building for the night school.

Rorschach stood at the door for a while. Everyone who had gone out left, and on the other side of the crowd, two people carrying paper textbooks and newspapers were revealed. Pascal and Andrei were facing Rorschach.

"Professor Rorschach!" Andrei was clearly in much better spirits than when he was working the night shift, while Pascal was still listless.

However, Pascal noticed that Rorschach didn't seem to be in much of a mood either, and patted him on the shoulder with a smile: "What's wrong? Didn't you sleep well or were you worn out by the investigators? Want me to buy you a bottle of purple soda?"

Luo Xia shook his head. He had voiced Mr. Pierre's concerns. It seemed that the bosses had similar thoughts and would no longer invest in high-level teachers who would be wasting their money.

"There will be a way. Don't take this too seriously. It's not our fault." As soon as he finished speaking, his senior brother and Luo Xia noticed the commotion on the street at the same time.

"Cough cough cough!" A gentleman and a beautiful woman were strolling along the river when suddenly the young gentleman coughed incessantly, and blood not only soaked his handkerchief but also stained his white gloves red.

"Ah!" The lady screamed and nearly fainted, then she began to rage: "You sickly brat! Get away from me!" The lady's handbag hit the poor young man on the head, causing him to cough up blood and fall to the ground.

The lady then took out a spray bottle, sprayed herself with perfume, and escaped in the luxurious carriage that followed behind.

The sick young gentleman lay on the ground, exposed to the cold wind from the shore, and all passersby gave him a wide berth.

"This," Rorschach said, adding an "air filter" to himself and Pascal before taking a few steps forward to check the situation.

Oh, it's an old acquaintance, Varang, the general manager of the mining company.

"Help me, cough cough!"

Sorry I'm in a rush, the acknowledgments will be combined for tomorrow, thank you for reading!

(End of this chapter)