A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 372 Your Majesty, what is the motherland?

A passionate speech echoed from the classroom. Luo Xia and Andrei walked over one after the other; a young lecturer was reading a special letter to the boys.

"Your Majesty, please withdraw your rebuttal regarding the formation of the National Guard, for you will make the people believe that the King is no longer the King of the Valois people, but the King of exiles and enemies."

"Since the birth of the nation of Valois, countless people have made tremendous efforts and sacrifices for it, continuing to this day. Whether the sacrifices are made in the name of God, or for glory or family, for wealth or land, all people can only unite as the oppressed in the struggle against a common enemy."

"Therefore, the motherland is not a fantasy in hymns, nor an imagination in words, but a beauty nurtured by bloodshed and terror, the homeland that sustains the Valois people."

"It is always the motherland that bestows authority upon you and her successive rulers, and the form of the motherland is determined by struggle. This is why I have dared not refer to her as a 'kingdom.' I urge you to remember that it is not the leader of the struggle that determines its outcome, but the object of the struggle!"

"Struggle means disappointment with the past and hope for the future."

"If you do not change your stance, continue to stand on the side of a weakened power, continue to expect external forces to intervene and change your situation, and allow people to shift their focus from disappointment with the past and hope for the future to despair in the present, then the struggle will take the most brutal and tragic form: a more thorough and profound transformation!"

This is actually a letter written by the Lord Minister of the Interior to Charles XVI!

As the kingdom's three existing legions struggled to hold off the imperial army, the northern blades gradually approached the capital, plunging the entire kingdom into immense turmoil once again. Except for Charles XVI, who was confined to the palace.

He could only exert his influence over the royalists to sway the situation, and he firmly believed that the worsening of the war would only benefit him—if the Church army won, the monarchy would be rebuilt along with the rise of the Church's authority; if they lost, it wouldn't matter, as the Emperor had already promised Charles to restore "the dignity of being king," and his wife was a distant relative of the Emperor. In short, they were all family.

Therefore, when members of parliament led by "Rock" Maxim pushed for national salvation, especially the formation of the National Guard, Charles XVI did everything he could to obstruct it.

Even his Minister of the Interior couldn't stand it anymore and, risking the king's (no longer fatal) wrath and dismissal, wrote this letter of admonition.

Then, after asking for a hammer and getting one, he was fired by the furious Charlie Sixteen.

Former Home Secretary Roland, following the example of "alchemist master" Necker, also published the letter, causing a huge uproar centered in Valuana and even affecting Byrne.

Now, the teenagers below the stage also heard the contents of the letter, and the reader's voice was passionate and earnest.

The students are listening to the lecture, and the students are thinking.

They also have a homeland, and Bain has a king.

Snap-Snap-Snap!

Slow applause began from the doorway. Startled, the speaker put away his notes and stammered, "This is a history class, and the students are all interested in the current war. I happen to have some news related to Valuwana."

Warfare can be reported in newspapers, with the Empire's mouthpieces proclaiming the army's relentless victories. It's quite intriguing that this lecturer chose to read such a difficult-to-obtain letter, one that wouldn't be allowed to circulate within the Empire, to impulsive young people.

Idealism is the crystallization of intellect, virtue, and conscience; it is not the exclusive property of any particular group or region.

The lecturer was somewhat uneasy. He knew that Rorschach was very close to the royal family of Byrne and was afraid that Rorschach was good at making connections and scrutinizing.

But Luo Xia smiled and said, "Students, you are lucky to have such a teacher." After saying that, he left the classroom, not forgetting to close the door behind him: "But please close the door when discussing such sensitive matters."

Although it's winter, the entire school is heated! The parts of the school closest to the heat source are stuffy and hot, so they have to keep the doors open. And that's not all; Rorschach also wants to provide heating for the newly built residential buildings.

After all, everyone works in steel mills and coal chemical plants! If Rorschach could still freeze, he might as well find a piece of coal and die of cold.

The one who had the most objections to the "Housing Project" was Jansen. Although this leather-clad man used to lead a mobile construction crew, the turbulent times made it a wise choice for him and the other dwarves to sign long-term contracts with quality employers.

He could have just built it, but the dwarves' nature made them very opposed to adding a heating function to the power plant.

For example, the high-pressure steam coming out of the waste heat boiler travels through low-alloy high-pressure resistant pipes. Lacking rare earth elements from his previous life, Rorschach experimented with alchemy materials one by one, eventually creating a batch of high-pressure resistant pipes.

Those without significant defects after flaw detection were sent to Lanster, while those with minor flaws did not need to be recycled. Rorschach used magic to shape and reinforce them before using them on the main heating line. Compared to the synthetic ammonia production line with pressures of hundreds of atmospheres, pressurized steam was much easier.

In Jason's eyes, these high-temperature resistant and impact-resistant "super steels" should have been used to make incredibly cool armor, but instead they became thick pipes with a diameter taller than him.

"It's nothing. We were already expecting to spend that much money, so consider it as a technical reserve." Luo Xia said calmly.

"Technology reserves?" Jason immediately understood the meaning of the phrase: "What are we reserving for?" He slammed his hand on the steel pipe, making a loud banging sound, clearly frustrated: "It's not like we're building cannons. Cannons, cannons, cannons!"

"If a single shell can travel hundreds of kilometers, it's not bad compared to magic, right?" Rorschach hugged himself to indicate the caliber: "Of course, it doesn't necessarily have to be a bulky, clunky thing."

Jason shook his head: "That's magic!"

"Alright, go get the money and get to work. The construction can't be delayed while I'm gone. After spring, there will be more rain and the construction conditions won't be as good."

After assigning the task, Rorschach embarked on his journey back to Lanster, while Goz on his shoulder tirelessly tried to stick wheat seedlings into his master's hair.

With more and more checkpoints blocking the way, Rorschach simply hung his permit on his mount—it was just parchment, after all. Even so, there were still several lines of guards that would intercept and check his vehicle.

The forest path became clearer once we entered the mountainous forest between the two cities. A few dark figures occasionally flashed by against the backdrop of bare branches and evergreen trees.

Rorschach knew that it was the "Air Cavalry." The royal family treasured this force and had always wanted to expand it, but Rorschach refused because the Tower Spirits' computing power was strained.

With more people now accessing the "Spell Cloud," Rorschach needs to adjust and upload more spells, making upgrading it an urgent issue. That's why he's eager to return to Lanster.

A rustling sound came from the left side of the forest, and Rorschach used [Mirror Flower Water Moon] to conceal himself. On the other side of the road, Byrne's light cavalry and the vanguard soldiers responsible for clearing the mountain appeared first, followed by the main force.

This legion, which avoided the main roads, had to pass through the forest, and the column stretched out extremely long. Rorschach could fly over it, but his horse would surely be startled, so he could only patiently wait for the column to pass.

Among them, Rorschach spotted a familiar figure, riding a chariot taller than ordinary warhorses, swaggering along with the army.

(End of this chapter)