A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 356 The Beginning of the Plains of Despair

"Congratulations, you have mastered this magic." Rorschach applauded sincerely—for himself and for the Tower Spirit.

Andrei felt no joy; a lingering sense of doubt remained: Had he truly mastered it?

Instead of blindly following Rorschach's advice, Andrei decided to take the initiative to verify. He released the [Frost Ray] again, but the ray's distance was not far enough and the temperature was not low enough; it was still the same as before.

Rorschach calmly deflected the apprentice's spell, revealing a satisfied smile: "You can try to draw the incantation again, and then cast the spell like me." He slowly demonstrated the trait values ​​of the "Ability Deprivation" and "Ray" attributes to Andrei. After Andrei did as he was told, he instantly unleashed a ray far exceeding the power of his first spell.

However, in Luo Xia's eyes, Andre's three spellcastings were not as good as his own, nor as good as the prototype spells he recorded with the tower spirit.

When a mage acts as an intermediary for the tower spirit's spellcasting, he is like a megaphone, converting the spell signals fed back to him by the tower spirit into actual spells. However, people like Andre have less intrinsic magic power and lower spellcasting skills, so the effectiveness of their spells is still diminished.

It seems that the caster's strength still affects the spell's power. Luo Xia silently noted the result, but what was certain was that the tower spirit's assistance lowered the threshold for casting spells.

"Let's go. Today we'll go check out the new steel plant, arrange its construction, and confirm the recruitment situation." Rorschach urged Andre onto the prepared carriage. Bain's coal-producing region is further south of Lanster, near the border of Salo and the Holy Kingdom.

Luo Xia took Andre away from the Tower Spirits. His purpose was not only to inspect the new factory, but also to test whether spatial distance would cause a significant delay in auxiliary spellcasting.

It is standard practice to locate steel plants in coal-producing areas, with imported or self-mined iron ore transported by waterways. If steelmaking is the core business, the plant should ideally be built near the iron ore deposits, with the coal produced being coked and then transported to the steel plant. However, in Rorschach's plan, coal is also a raw material for other materials such as aromatic organic compounds and water gas. It is more efficient to mine and refine coal locally and then export higher value-added products.

The only downside is its proximity to the border. Of course, the once-powerful Holy Kingdom didn't choose to take on Bain, a relatively "hard nut to crack," especially since its army is now retreating and has lost the arrogance it had at the start of the war.

Today, only fear fills the Valois newspapers, and the people have turned their anger 180 degrees toward the National Assembly that once made such bold promises.

"Gentlemen, the deserters from the Battle of Salo have returned to Valuwana and are awaiting justice. However, we still do not know whether the disastrous defeat was caused by the soldiers' mutiny or the commander's incompetence."

"The only two things that are certain are: the remaining generals of the Second Army Corps have refused to accept the National Assembly's orders, and the Imperial army is being mobilized on a massive scale, with their boots and gun barrels pointed at our homeland."

"I deeply regret the defeat in the war. I submitted my resignation to His Majesty this morning, and this cabinet will be dissolved!"

Amidst the stunned silence of the crowd, the speaker calmly read out his briefing on the situation and his resignation. This speaker, as the leader of the National Assembly—equivalent to the prime minister of Istani—was responsible to the other ministers, but he was supposed to be accountable to the National Assembly and the Kingdom.

Then the speaker resigned, decisively and shamelessly.

As the delegates came to their senses, blood rushed to their heads, and they began to scream, shout, and argue, blaming each other as cowards and the party responsible for the defeat.

Maxim saw everything. He and the club members played a key role in the great changes, but now the majority of the public's attention and influence are the former "big shots," such as the former Duke Merovingian who changed his name to "Equality," as well as wealthy merchants and judges. He and the other club members are just young lawyers and journalists who have become disobedient "pawns."

The National Assembly invented the concepts of "active citizen" and "passive citizen," determining a citizen's right to vote and run for office based on gender and property. Because Maxim insisted on advocating for the poor in the third class, he was also marginalized.

However, the kingdom has reached a difficult moment, and the club should step up!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

At his signal, the supporters of the Rock removed their left shoes and tapped the table with their hard heels. Since the Speaker had resigned, no one stopped them. Their tapping was synchronized, a rhythmic sound like the marching footsteps of an enemy army, which soon drew the attention of all the delegates.

Both the so-called "radicals" and "moderates" have now stopped arguing and are looking at the "rock" at the center of the knocking.

Maxim gestured for the tapping to stop and began his speech: "Citizens! The most active citizens of Valois!" He said the last sentence with a mocking tone.

"Because here, on the front lines, a series of shameful things have happened, and we, along with those aristocratic generals, have personally plunged our country into danger. Yet what I see is you all still engaging in pointless arguments! We must recognize the urgency of the situation and respond appropriately!"

"What do you suggest we do? The other cities in the kingdom are in chaos, and the legions stationed on the mainland cannot leave. Otherwise, the entire kingdom will descend into chaos before the imperialists even set foot in!" a representative questioned.

Due to the kingdom's turmoil, many cities reduced their tax payments to the capital and acted independently. Many poor people even followed Valuwana's example by storming the city hall, but the National Assembly has now declared their actions illegal. The National Assembly had hoped a victory would unite the kingdom; clearly, launching a war has backfired.

Maxim earnestly proposed measures:

He admitted defeat to the people and declared a state of emergency nationwide; he issued an ultimatum to all parts of the country, calling on local armed forces to voluntarily assemble in the capital to defend the homeland; he abolished discrimination against "passive citizens" and armed all citizens willing to defend the kingdom, regardless of their social status.

"Impossible! The facts of the past few months have shown us that sans-culottes who get guns will only burn, kill, and plunder the propertied class!"

"You'd rather hand over your wealth to the invaders than believe the third class will defend their homeland? You're always exploiting the anger and unease of the people to achieve your own ends, but it's time for the citizens to decide for themselves the fate of Valois and fight for themselves and for their homeland!" Maxim didn't want to criticize them any further; he wanted to reach a consensus as soon as possible, to mobilize the National Assembly and the entire population of Valois.

The arguments at the meeting should be put aside, the financial numbers game should be suspended, and Valois should fight a bloody war against the Empire with all its people and resources.

Is it too late? A final trace of worry lingered in Maxim's resolute eyes.

However, another force was gathering at the border, which might buy Maxim's time—they rushed from monasteries, churches, and the Knights' headquarters to the fields in the north of the kingdom to set up camp and reorganize.

Holy oil burned, and hymns echoed beneath the banner of glory as acolytes dressed the warriors in gleaming armor. They were paladins, long reunited after being scattered throughout the lands since the Holy War, forming an unparalleled cavalry division.

Joseph had aged considerably, but his voice, amplified by divine magic, carried far and wide, echoing across the desolate fields since the onset of winter: "Lord's most loyal, most resilient, and most powerful warriors, take up arms to defend the Lord's kingdom and glory!"

"More importantly, protect the Lamb of the Lord. No matter how far they stray, please don't forget that they are our brothers and sisters, some of them are our closest relatives, and they are our fellow countrymen."

Although the paladins still wield swords and lances, under the illumination of the Lord of Order, everyone will surely use melee weapons to reap the lives of the invading enemies.

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(End of this chapter)