A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 223 The big ship turns the rudder

Cano slammed the file on the table, and Pascal reached for it, but the master glared at him and pulled his hand back.

"Shouldn't you explain to your teacher first?" Cano wasn't really going to interrogate him, but rather wanted to discuss a solution with Pascal before the public inquiry began.

This investigation team came with great force, gathering and compiling a thick stack of incriminating materials.

Fortunately, Cano was not someone who only knew how to bury himself in research. He successfully received a warning through his connections, and there was also an unexpected person—the former head of the investigation team, Gerard de Villefort—who "saved" him.

This gave the Archmage room to maneuver. In the report, Rorschach was described as a spy who came to the Holy Kingdom to cause trouble. Some busybodies analyzed his teachings word by word and demanded that Rorschach be held responsible for the "leakage of magical knowledge and power".

"We regret to see that the wisdom accumulated by generations of monks, the fruits of our pride, and the result of our great intellectual and financial investment, are being generously passed on to the common people by this dubious person from the empire."

"Some dangerous technologies have flowed into secular society without control, and some dangerous ideas have spread from higher normal colleges without prevention. Although the school board members from the guild foresaw the above negative impacts and gave Master Rorschach a serious warning, he still persisted in these activities, and his attitude and the consequences were extremely bad."

Pascal, on the other hand, exposed the organization of the night school and dug up various past offenses. The mage who wrote the report said the following:

"We are deeply concerned that if the authorities discover that our chief professor's students were involved in a conspiracy, it will send the wrong signal to the royal palace, causing serious misunderstandings and potentially alarming His Majesty the King. We hope you can clarify the position of the Magic Guild and all the mages of Valuwa."

After Kano finished reading the text, Rorschach almost burst out laughing. The rhetoric sounded so familiar. Rorschach was somewhat surprised; who wrote this? Was the spellcaster being overly concerned with Charlie Sixteen's inner thoughts?

"So how am I supposed to explain this to you?" Cano asked Pascal, tapping the table.

The senior apprentice adopted a "I'm not pretending anymore, I'm laying my cards on the table" attitude, but just as he was about to admit it, Luo Xia interrupted him:

"I think this document is very pointed. It only contains evidence that a senior student organized night school, but it implies that he was engaged in other activities that violated the laws of the kingdom."

Cano nodded: "Continue."

"This only raises suspicions about the stance of the monks who initiated and organized the investigation; are they...?"

"Alright, alright, I want to ask you what your stance is and whether you can hold your ground at the interpellation session. Don't let those guys intimidate you." Cano interrupted Rorschach's speech.

Pascal and Rorschach both nodded: "Please rest assured."

"Alright, I'm here behind you. We'll go to the Magic Guild together this afternoon."

Kano was merely giving the two men a heads-up; he didn't want to see his students trembling with fear at the slightest question from the person on stage. After they left, Kano had to attend another meeting, one far more important than the afternoon's questioning session.

He continuously cast spells to seal off his office, ensuring that no one could eavesdrop or break in, then placed the mage badge on his chest and leaned back in his chair.

Kano realized the illusion connecting the thirteen archmages. A new meeting had begun, which would determine Kano's stance at the afternoon's inquiry and the future of the guild.

The other archmages had all arrived, and their attention was focused on Kano.

"You're late, Cano. And you were the one who initiated this today." Feuerbach of the Arcane Tower was always rather strict.

"I apologize, please allow me to explain that my lateness is also related to this topic. At the beginning of the meeting, I would like to ask the Archmage of the Arcane Tower, how is the progress of our last discussion?"

Feuerbach paused for a moment before speaking: "The Empire's troop movements have decreased recently, and we are still quietly waiting for the right opportunity."

"Recently, I've been thinking, has the guild's policy in the Empire really been successful? You've been so vigilant about His Majesty the Emperor's decision to establish a magic academy, but I've seen it done. Like everyone here, I initially looked down on its teaching quality, until I actually accepted a mage from the academy."

Such criticism caused a huge uproar, and another master from the Empire was somewhat angry: "Master Cano, you haven't even stated your own issue yet."

Kano continued, "My argument is based on the above considerations. We have clearly recognized the future threats and are trying to maintain our position by weakening the empire."

"But I need to remind everyone that the flow of magical knowledge can no longer be stopped. The guild's monopoly has long since gone bankrupt. We cannot change the choices of many mages, nor can we take back all the knowledge that has already been spread."

"Moreover, even if we don't share the secrets of the ether, wise people among ordinary people have built universities, and non-magical knowledge has accumulated to an astonishing level. People who don't know magic will also gain the power to change the world."

"So what are you trying to say?"

"Times have changed! Ladies and gentlemen, just as after the collapse of the old empire, we faced the Church of Order and broke the tradition of mages hiding their knowledge from one another to establish the Magic Guild, why can't we gradually impart knowledge to more people, to more descendants of merchants and commoners, as long as they have the ability to cast spells, just like the Imperial Academy did."

"Impossible! Mage Cano, you warned everyone that the guild can no longer monopolize magic, and your solution is to accelerate this process?"

The opponents seemed to have heard a joke.

"Indeed, if we are passive and stand against this trend, I think the guild will only decline as the monopoly goes bankrupt. If we take the initiative, then we will have the opportunity to transform the monopoly based on bloodline into a more vibrant legacy."

The magic guilds were able to become transnational organizations after the destruction of the old empire because they were built on the foundation of the nobility. Guilds were often used by the nobility as a counterweight to the church. Lords who wanted to be independent of the will of God needed magic guilds to oppose the Church of Order.

Cano only vaguely foresaw a "more dynamic group" than families and feudal lords. They were still very weak at the moment, but Rorschach's activities made Cano start to think about whether the guild should bet on them and transform the guild into a more powerful organizational form than it is now.

"So this is your reason for supporting the Alchemy Department and its subordinate trading companies? To turn spellcasters into artisans and merchants?"

"Then why aren't you ashamed when mages become nobles? Besides, among us here are descendants of merchants, and beside me is a powerful craftsman." Kano's gaze fell on the representative of the Thunderstorm Tower.

The other party echoed, "Although the specific measures need to be carefully considered, I agree with Mage Cano's judgment. In my opinion, the cooperation of magic guilds in participating in secular higher education is a beneficial attempt. We cannot sit idly by and watch the church and big merchants influence and control so many intelligent minds."

These words drew agreement from the archmage of Istani: "As everyone knows, we have always done it this way." Istani's trade was prosperous, and its guilds were far ahead of the guilds on the continent.

At this point, the empire's archmage reserved his opinion, while the representative of the magic tower at the southern tip of the continent agreed with Kano's guiding principles.

(End of this chapter)