A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 234 Protection

"Someone's following me!" Necker realized something was wrong while he was drinking tea. He felt like more than one gaze was sweeping over him, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

Necker slammed the money on the table and stood up. Sure enough, two men dressed like sans-culottes followed him.

This is the most bustling street in the capital. What geisha would dare to sit in a teahouse here and spend money!

Necker thanked the stalker for his poor business acumen, which allowed him to hail a horse-drawn carriage.

"Master, to the Istani embassy."

However, while it's easy to hail a taxi on bustling streets, it also means the roads are crowded and busy. The carriages aren't fast, and when they see that the target intends to run away, the plainclothes security team members immediately give chase, jogging all the way and almost catching up.

The car paused briefly to avoid oncoming traffic as it turned a corner, and was successfully intercepted by security personnel.

"We need your cooperation in apprehending the fugitive!" However, all that remained in the carriage was a coat, a felt hat, and a handful of scattered copper coins for the fare.

The sheriff grabbed the coat and coins, demanding of the driver, "Where is he?!"

"Let me in, let me in!" Panting, Necker burst into the Starlight Torch Tower, having now removed his fake beard. After his plot to go to the embassy failed, he immediately thought of a dark corner of the area beyond the reach of His Majesty the King, and it was nearby.

The waiter prepared to turn the visitor away: "Sir, we are not open to the public at the moment."

"Kano is inside, isn't he? Give this to him, but you're not allowed to look." Necker folded his business card and handed it to the waiter. The title on it hadn't been changed yet; it still read "Royal Palace Treasurer."

"No need, please let this gentleman in." Kano's voice rang out, and the waiter at the restaurant entrance made way for Necker.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Cano greeted the disgraced former minister while eating brunch. "According to my intelligence, Charles wants to invite you back."

"If I go back now, I'll only end up in His Majesty's dark prison, but given time, what awaits me is my former office and everything else."

"You still want to make a comeback?" Necker's idea shocked Cano, who almost choked on his wine.

"Public opinion!" Necker spread his hands. "You should see the public opinion my report has caused. My background makes those commoners and merchants feel close to me. Look at the newspapers now, listen to the rumors in the teahouses, everyone regards me as a hero! Once the Estates-General convenes, only my return to office can quell the resentment of the Third Estate. Even if Charles XVI does not realize this, I believe the Prime Minister will understand."

"A hero who bankrupts countless people?" Cano, who did not speculate, did not suffer much loss, and his assets were not limited to Valuine. Otherwise, he might have taught the boastful man in front of him a lesson.

"It wasn't me! It was Varan who first set everything off, it all came from the Magic Guild. And that independent proposal for the currency issuing agency. Master Cano, every time you voted for me, you still messed everything up."

"You sheltered that damned brat, didn't you? Where is he? I want to see him and ask you for the same protection. Once I'm back in my position, I will repay you and the Magic Guild with all my might." If we were to judge by Rorschach's words, the former treasurer was trying to take advantage of his position.

Cano was unfazed by the rudeness, saying as he ate, "The involvement of Varan and mining companies was unexpected." Cano's response was equally unexpected for Necker; the use and protection of Varan and the proposal for independent regulation of monetary institutions were all related to someone behind Cano.

"I'll call him over for you; he's in the research building downstairs." Cano suddenly wanted to see how Rorschach would behave towards the minister.

After a while, Necker, having finished his bread, was greeted by the "culprit" in the Archmage's mouth—Rorschach.

This was a very young man, reminiscent of the despicable Varan, holding a stack of documents, his face blank and innocent.

"Teacher, you were looking for me? And Mr. Necker? You didn't defect abroad? You could have hidden in the embassy if you hadn't been so lucky."

"How did you know I wanted to stay at the Istani embassy temporarily?" Necker believed Cano's story from that one sentence; this guy was indeed a cunning rascal!

Ignoring the constipated look on Kano's face, Rorschach handed him the documents: "Philip and Simon's papers are revised. Would you like to take a look?"

"If you think it's acceptable, then let them submit it. Just make sure there are no formatting errors." Kano was too lazy to look at his apprentices' academic garbage, even though it was high-quality academic garbage produced under Rorschach's guidance.

"it is good."

At this point, the two mages' attention finally returned to the visitor, and Necker asked the intermediate mage, "Where is Varan?"

"Anyway, it's not here." Rorschach raised an eyebrow, displeased with Necker's attitude. You're down on your luck, yet you still dare to act so arrogantly on a mage's turf? Who gave you the courage? He sat down next to Master Kano and confronted Necker.

Necker could only accept the reality that Valon had escaped: "That ungrateful gambler got off easy. But I will not leave Valois, I will not leave the capital! I beg you to provide me with safe haven."

Seeing that Cano had entered "eating and observing mode," Luo Xia figured he was handing over control of the conversation to him: "What's in it for us?"

"A new currency issuing institution! It's tentatively called the Mint. It's being run by Grand Duke Merovingian in conjunction with nobles and major bankers. When you made the suggestion, you probably didn't want to see the church and guilds all being sidelined, right? But even if you participate, you'll still need guidance from professionals."

"A professional. You?"

"That's right, it's me!"

Rorschach shook his head and took the bread basket that Necker had been rummaging through back to Cano. "No, you're wrong, Mr. Necker. We weren't sent away." He took out a paper from his hand: "Master Cano's apprentice, full name Philippe de Merovinga. We can speak directly with the head chef."

"You, you've already conspired."

Before the meeting of dignitaries, Carnot was worried that the proposals for the new coin would not pass (in fact, strictly speaking, every proposal was rejected). He had already spoken with Grand Duke Merovic, and whether or not he spoke at the meeting, he would try to get others to promote the independence of the right to mint coins.

Damn it, damn it. Necker regretted not visiting the Magic Guild the moment the mining company collapsed, but he had been blinded by rage.

"However, you're not entirely wrong. Our guild does need guidance from professionals, and you happen to be a talent in the field of finance."

Although the entire kingdom was teetering on the brink of collapse due to the rapid devaluation of the gold, the Magic Guild's subsidiaries were mostly engaged in manufacturing. The mages still had orders, and as long as the guild connected with its mainland branches to provide them with a certain amount of metal currency, they could maintain normal operations.

Inspired by Rorschach's trip to Byrne, Kano believed it was necessary to change the ambiguous power and responsibility relationship and property rights between mages, guilds, and their subordinate enterprises. He proposed that guilds/magic towers register enterprises, internally allowing them to hold shares in and control the trading companies of magic guilds, externally influencing the kingdom's monetary policy, and integrating the productivity controlled by magic guilds within Valuva.

Necker could serve as an advisor and offer advice; it is worthwhile to provide him with protection.

(End of this chapter)