A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 229: The Prologue Begins

"You're right." Varon accepted his fate, examining the white "flesh" in the glass bottle for a moment before exclaiming in disgust, "Disgusting."

"Open it and put the bottle opening under your nose." Rorschach also had a bottle of potion and a letter of instruction in his hand, both written by Archmage Kober.

The obedient Varon did as he was told. Although he was prepared, he still didn't expect the process to be so strange: the clump of hyphae spread into his nasal cavity, making the young man feel itchy, and then very suddenly the clump of living things darted into his nose along the hyphae and crawled down.

"Ugh." The mass kept deforming. Varon could feel it wriggling, squeezing and moving inward through his upper respiratory tract. When it reached his trachea, he felt a suffocating sensation, which made him involuntarily let out a "hoarse" panting sound.

"It's really disgusting." Rorschach took a few steps back. Valon thought it was over, but he was shocked by a sharp pain in his chest, followed by a violent cough that spurted out a mouthful of blood.

To disinfect himself, Rorschach wrapped himself in air-sealed bubbles and set the blood-stained floor on fire.

This behavior successfully drew a warning from the tower spirit.

"Drink this and it will be over." Rorschach handed over the potion, and Varon, with tears streaming down his face, drank it with difficulty. He immediately felt refreshed and alive again.

"Done? I'm all better?" Varon straightened up, and the chest tightness that had been bothering him was indeed gone.

Rorschach could guess that the white mass gave him a sense of déjà vu, and it was definitely related to the life form left behind by the elven village, perhaps even broken off from Kober's new clone. This thought made him even more disgusted. But if it could function properly within Varang's body, that would be an extraordinary achievement.

"Congratulations, Mr. Varan." He clapped his hands perfunctorily. "I'll ask you again, what are your plans for the future?"

Now that Varen's life has been extended, his original plan to wait for death is obviously off: "I intend to use my savings to buy an estate, the farther away from the capital the better, to manage the land, hunt, and write poetry."

Are you Tao Yuanming of Valois? Luo Xia finally revealed his true colors: "Mr. Valois, how much savings do you have left? Don't misunderstand, I just wanted to tell you that treatment also has a fee. You should thank the Grand Mage of the Forest Tower."

Upon hearing the fee and the name of the Grand Master, Varan's legs went weak: "I still have about three thousand two hundred francs." This amount of money was enough for him to buy a small estate yesterday and earlier.

Unfortunately, times have changed. Luo Xia shook his head and explained the situation to the customer: "As you know, the Forest Tower is in the Empire, so we can only use Golden Eagle Coins for transactions."

"If you could have paid it off even if you were bankrupt yesterday, today, a look at the newspapers should make you realize that your assets have shrunk considerably!"

"Luckily, I'm not some kind of devil. I've already paid the Grand Mage's demands on your behalf, which means the debt has transferred to me. How to repay it is up to us. Otherwise, the gold will continue to depreciate, and you wouldn't want to be chased by a Grand Mage for debt, would you?"

Varang gritted his teeth: "Master Rorschach, you know perfectly well that I can no longer earn money in the capital, yet you want me to become a slave! I didn't sign any contract, and I doubt any court will support you in this matter."

Rorschach's expression changed, and he feigned anger: "Slave? He's just someone recovering from a serious illness. Can I expect him to plow the fields or do manual labor? Think about it. Without my help, no matter how much money you have, you'll just be waiting to die. At best, you can enjoy a beautiful view while you're struggling in pain."

The young man fell silent, finally resigned: "You were right. I shouldn't have suspected the person who saved my life twice. I'm sorry. Please believe that I will repay everything in the future."

Are you going to drag this out until Valois banknotes are completely worthless before you give me a stack to warm myself by the fire?

Luo Xia took out his business card, a prepared letter of recommendation, and an IOU: "Mr. Varan, you are currently unemployed and of course have no ability to repay, but you have experience as a general manager, and I need your help in some way."

"Go to Byrne, go to the 'Fonda' beverage factory. With my letter of introduction, someone will find you a job and let you realize your full potential."

Both Rorschach and Mr. Pierre are currently preoccupied with Byrne's affairs, and they can't allow the company to become a one-man show by Hassai. Considering that Valente was able to deceive so many people by voluntarily confessing about the mining company, Rorschach believes that such a person is worth employing.

Valen took everything, filled in the difference on the IOU, and signed his name: "When do we leave?"

"Leave immediately, or at the latest tomorrow."

"Now?"

Luo Xia nodded: "Leave the capital quickly while those who want your life are too busy to look for you. Those big shots can only worry about one thing right now."

This was, of course, a "meeting of dignitaries".

Necker's eyes were red, and he didn't stop writing in his office.

"My lord, we have searched the company, his home, and the ladies' residences, but we cannot find him. Should we ask the chief guard to issue an arrest warrant? I suspect that Varon may still be at the Magic Guild, which is where he was last seen."

"Forget it, let's not waste any more energy on that beast." Necker had realized that in the current situation, dragging this guy out would not help, and if those damned spellcasters wanted to protect him, the chief guard's intervention would be of no use.

Necker put away his pen, and his personal secretary hurriedly took the document away. He needed to convert the manuscript into a printed copy as quickly as possible, and then present a copy to His Majesty.

"Let's go to the venue."

The meeting of dignitaries was held in a side hall of the palace, with only about two hundred people in attendance.

The first group of archbishops to enter the church were all radiant and resolute. There were young servants of the gods and elderly wise men, all dressed in platinum robes and wearing bishop's crowns, except for the leader, Deplesi, who insisted on wearing a red robe and walked slowly in with a cane.

The clergy representatives were often travel-worn, mostly dressed simply, and had kind faces. They were the bridge between the noble and the lowly, and were on the front line of comforting the suffering of the oppressed.

All the archbishops naturally sat in the front row, slightly to the left, with the clergy representatives behind them. The cardinal ascended the high platform, where His Majesty the King, the prime minister, and the treasurer each had their own seats.

Following them were the sword-wielding nobles, led by His Highness the Prince. They were great lords, each segment of their names representing the history and glory of an ancient family. They always considered themselves the supreme rulers of the kingdom, with the king merely being the "King of Lords," and their leaders.

These people wore hats with rolled brims and feathers, and their robes and cloaks were made of silk and feathers. Swords were their privilege and their symbol.

Grand Duke Merovinga, who should have been among the sword-wielding nobles, was walking and laughing with the robed nobles, seemingly the core of their group.

These newly rich often paid a high price for the royal robes and titles bestowed upon them. Among them were high-ranking judges who touted their impartiality and independence, and loyal ministers who dedicated themselves to the Holy Kingdom and were willing to donate their wealth to His Majesty the King to obtain an official position. These people often did not have fiefdoms or inheritances, but that did not prevent them from enjoying the conveniences that came with their status.

Finally, a crack appeared in the hall, causing a commotion among the nobles, while the church representatives remained calm.

The newcomers were indeed mages. The leaders, Lionel Cano and Christian, possessed an aura no less imposing than any prince or grand duke. Their crimson robes fluttered in the fluctuations of space and time without wind. Behind them followed their assistant, the chairman of the Valuwa General Association of the Magic Guild.

Necker strode in, glanced briefly at the hall, and walked to the stage, shouting, "His Majesty is preoccupied with worldly affairs. With the King's permission, Lord Deplesi and I will temporarily represent His Majesty's will. Let us begin!"

The meeting of dignitaries was thus convened.

(End of this chapter)