A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 426 Welcoming Passersby

The carriage was not as convenient as the magic-powered vehicle. The horses needed to rest, and the caravan was on high alert as they traveled at night. Everyone's guns were loaded, but the tense nerves did not trigger any further nerve chains, and the journey was quite safe.

He walked from the afternoon until dawn the next day. The prime minister found the road between the two places to be exceptionally smooth, and since his carriage was spacious and comfortable enough, he simply took a nap.

When he woke up, the edges of the forest and fields were already turning a pale white. A cool breeze blew in through the open doors and windows, waking the old man. He asked the guard driving alongside him, "Thank you for your hard work. Were there any unusual situations on the road?"

"It's nothing, sir. Except for a few strange birds that just flew by; they were quite large."

The prime minister couldn't understand why birds would arouse the guards' suspicion: "Birds?"

"And it was quite fast. But it didn't hover or linger above us."

"Perhaps the flock of geese warmed up faster this year?" Otto considered for a moment before his secretary handed him a hand warmer and boiled eggs. Otto gave two to a guard: "Eat these, and you'll have the strength."

"Thank you, sir."

Apart from the prime minister's carriage, the rest of the convoy kept a low profile. In addition to carrying goods, several carriages were temporarily rented for guards and servants to rest in shifts. This convoy traveled day and night, the prime minister's plan being to launch a surprise attack on the sorcerer.

The road conditions were good enough that the Prime Minister could rest on the road and now get back to work. He even considered switching to an inconspicuous car for a secret visit to Kempson and its steel mill.

However, as they approached Kempson, the convoy stopped, and a guard with egg yolk on his beard knocked on the window, looking very nervous.

"What's going on?"

There's a large group of people ahead.

"Is this a city defense checkpoint?" The prime minister wanted his secretary to go and negotiate, but the guards insisted that the prime minister inspect it himself. The secretary opened a crack in the carriage's front door and window, peeked inside, and then reported with a strange expression, "There are a lot of people, a really lot of people. Your Excellency, please take a look yourself before making a decision."

Both of them said so, so even the prime minister had to watch it, though he didn't understand what kind of situation it was. Even his secretary was unsure what to do.

Then he saw

"Welcome, welcome, a warm welcome!" The roadside was already filled with enthusiastic crowds, waving artificial flowers in vibrant colors. Although standing on the roadside so early in the morning was unpleasant, the combination of paid leave from the factory, daily wages for extras, and free breakfast made people drag their families and friends out of bed to earn extra money.

Rorschach's road construction was naturally driven by self-interest; he prioritized connecting the new Kempson town and the steel mill area. Of course, there were reasons for the slower pace of construction in the old town: the planned routes had many buildings, making demolition difficult, relocation costs high, and community outreach challenging.

The secretary continued to observe: "The crowds on both sides seem to be cheering. They're not blocking the road. Shall we continue?"

The Chancellor did not reply immediately; his attention was drawn to the banner spanning the road. Two large balloons flanked the banner, from which hung a long red cloth with a large slogan in white lettering on a red background: "Welcome to Imperial Chancellor Otto and his entourage to our city!" In the lower right corner, smaller print read: "Announcement from Kempson New District and Kempson Steel Plant." The balloons also displayed the Kempson city emblem and the company logo.

The prime minister was shocked: My whereabouts have been exposed? And a welcoming party has been arranged. Going to Kempson was a sudden decision, even traveling at night. This scene could not help but surprise him and his entourage.

Among the welcoming party, the leader was Mr. Bart, the rotating chairman of the autonomous committee, the temporary resident mage of Kempson, and the military mage of the 2nd Infantry Division of the 3rd Army Corps. He was wearing a robe and a bow tie.

"How's my appearance?" he couldn't help but ask Andrei.

Andrei scrutinized him carefully: "Lord Bart, everything is fine. Your arrangements are perfect, there's no need to be nervous." He was somewhat surprised that this young master, who used to laze around in his mage tower, could organize activities so efficiently and effectively, mobilizing the residents of the new city at the most inopportune time and with the fastest speed.

The apprentice had never realized that it was Master Bart who led these refugees to a new home and helped them find a new place to live. This young man was even more trusted than Rorschach in the new district. When Rorschach promoted fertilizer and agricultural machinery to the refugees who chose to clear land, it was precisely because he valued his friend's reputation among the refugees.

Furthermore, resettlement and relocation, maintaining order—Bart has already honed enough skills that launching today's "welcome ceremony" is overkill.

"Nervous? You Valois! This is the prime minister of our empire, the greatest and most outstanding one! I am about to meet him in person."

In Andrei's mind, such an evaluation should belong to Deplesi, but of course he would never argue with a mage who wanted to meet his idol.

As the convoy approached and stopped, Bart was filled with renewed anxiety: "The convoy has stopped. Should we go and greet them? But what if it's not the Prime Minister's convoy? Wouldn't it be awkward if I rushed up to them?"

As soon as the prime minister set off, the clerk of the Baldorom Trading Company, who had been keeping an eye on the palace gates, immediately sent a telegram. In other words, even while the prime minister was still waiting for his secretary to buy food for the road, Rorschach and the others knew he was about to depart, although they did not know the prime minister's destination.

However, the prime minister's team hired a local coachman as a guide, who drove the lead carriage and led them onto a new road. At this point, Rorschach was certain that the convoy was heading his way.

As dawn broke, the flock of large birds that the guards saw were the Sky Knights squadron flying overhead and following them discreetly among the forest canopy. If they hadn't reached a large open area after daybreak, the guards probably wouldn't have noticed them.

It was the air knights who dispelled Bart's doubts. The short female captain landed carrying the third-generation maneuvering device and reported to Bart: "Sir, they are indeed the prime minister's convoy. They set off from the palace, purchased food in Munich once, took two short rests along the way, and made a major rest in town. They traveled the entire route along the new main road."

"Thank you for your hard work, Tanya. There's food at the rear. You can lead your team to rest." Tanya's eyes were very large, and Bart could see that they were already bloodshot.

"yes!"

After receiving confirmation, Bart clapped his hands several times and shouted, "Everyone—put your strength in! Shout louder! Shout it out loud! Show the Prime Minister of the Empire the spirit of the Kempsons!" The phrase "energy-life force-soul" was borrowed from Rorschach. Now Bart greatly admired Rorschach. How did he know that the artificial flowers made of silk and paper could be used in this way one day?

Seeing that everyone wasn't shouting enough, Bart added, "If you shout until your voice is hoarse, you can take three bottles of soda home!"

Okay, that's loud enough.

It's cliché, but it's lively, giving the other world a little shockwave of formalism.

Bart was ecstatic. He mounted his horse and strode to the front of the caravan. Amidst the cheers, he had to shout at the top of his lungs, "Your Excellency, welcome to Kempson!"

The carriage window opened, and the secretary retrieved the [Spirit Armor] scroll, poured in alchemical potion, and applied the first layer of protection to the prime minister. Simultaneously, she prepared the shield scroll to activate it at any moment. After all this was done, the carriage slowly moved forward, receiving the welcome of the crowd.

The cheers were deafening. A month earlier, the refugees would have gnashed their teeth at one of the leaders of this enemy nation, but now, they were "New Kempsons," residents with a new sense of identity and belonging. Whether it was the Imperial Chancellor or the new Consul of Valois, it didn't matter—as long as they were paid and fed, they would be warmly welcomed, and they could also watch the spectacle and see how many heads and mouths the big shots had.

The empire displaced them, and Valois did not protect them; only Kempson gave them back what they had lost, and even better than before.

Beneath his thick, white eyebrows, the prime minister's eyes peered past the obstructive receptionist, constantly observing the people on both sides of the road.

Regardless of whether they were monitoring my actions, the speed at which they relayed the message, mobilized so many people in such a short time, and the excellent order, morale, and physical condition of the crowd were astonishing. The Chancellor smiled and waved to these people, while his evaluation of Rorschach and his assessment of Byrne's war potential continued to rise.

(End of this chapter)