A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 435 is not about demanding the yellow robe.

Bart and Caroline might have different ideas, but most people in the meeting room would probably follow Rorschach's lead, including the unfortunate Varen.

Rorschach simply asked the question, and the "question stem" showed no bias. If he had said "the royal family that has given us great support and help," most people would have chosen Byrne; if Rorschach had described the empire as "great," they would have been loyal subjects of the empire; if he had mentioned "the progressive Valois," they would have sided with Valois. I advise Mr. Rorschach to be cautious, but it's not entirely unacceptable.

Hase was the first to figure out the taste; the correct answer is the last option!

Is Rorschach going to declare himself king? Should I advise my lord to go further?

Hases will do the math. According to statistics, the number of people and the amount of material resources affected by their group have reached an extreme level, even more terrifying than the trade associations of the past.

It wasn't that Luo Xia used any tricks or plundering methods. Integrating the Glass Guild and the Metallurgical Association was just the beginning. Even if other guilds weren't "ruthlessly eliminated," their production capacity and ability to mobilize material resources had already been far surpassed by the new type of enterprise. It was Luo Xia who expanded the scale, making the original market seem incredibly small and insignificant.

This situation was something the princes and kings of that time could not have foreseen, and now they are unwilling to face the power of "material things," taking pride in bloodline and legitimacy.

It's not impossible that a "business tycoon" could emerge from a group that controls almost all of the nation's steel production, intervenes in half of the nation's grain production, and directly or indirectly manages one-third of the population through autonomous committees, particularly the group with the highest proportion of workers and the highest expected level of education.

Moreover, he is very young and a powerful spellcaster.

Thinking of this, Mr. Hassai's breathing quickened. He began to imagine what position he could attain tomorrow if he could sit at the table today? What kind of ministerial post could he be qualified for? Or should he follow the custom from Valois and be called a certain commissioner?

That's a misconception on the part of businessmen. Rorschach isn't the kind of person who waits for his subordinates to present him with a yellow robe, puts it on, and then laughs and says, "You've ruined me." He wants to discuss this openly and honestly at the meeting, to clearly explain the future direction and make it clear to everyone what to do next.

The purpose of posing the question is to gauge the public's thoughts and attitudes.

Before anyone could voice their opinion, Rorschach told them about the Prime Minister's "small constituency reform." When they heard the Prime Minister promise a separate constituency centered around Kempson-Lanster, the others' eyes lit up. This was understandable; a "special district" was ultimately a temporary arrangement, and there was always the risk of the King changing his mind at any time.

If the "special zone" were to become a constituency, the situation would be very different. It would be recognized by the empire and legally and legitimately established.

"The Prime Minister promised me that our southwestern constituency could be recognized as a free state by the Empire. But he seems to have misunderstood something. I have no intention of running for office, so what's the point of telling me? Therefore, the purpose of this meeting today is to convey the Prime Minister's words and ask what you all think."

"Some of you are already members of the self-governing committee, and some of you are sure to be elected in the future. So let me ask you what you think: would you be willing to represent us and occasionally go to the capital to hold meetings?"

It turned out that the Empire had been chosen. Mr. Hasse was both disappointed and pleased, but now he thought the Free State plan was quite good. Hmm, very good.

Varen remained unfazed; he was simply certain of his earlier suspicions—the Byrne royal family was in for trouble!

Is becoming a free state something that can be decided with a single word from the prime minister? To achieve this, obstacles must be overcome, and the biggest obstacle in the kingdom is, of course, the royal family!

Others also realized that the royal family was an obstacle; they secretly glanced at the "kingdom's famous prince consort," but Bart was just grinning foolishly.

That's fine then. Since the Prince Consort has no objections, why should we worry about the Ludwig family?

The meeting room was instantly filled with a cheerful atmosphere again.

"But will the royal family agree?" someone asked. This brought the majority of people to a consensus.

"Valen, come and give a report to everyone." Rorschach invited Mr. Unlucky to make his appearance. The Valuwana socialite (stamen) was indeed good-looking, and her pale face gave her a sickly "aristocratic" air. Her image caught the eye of the glass factory's female manager.

Varen's report, however, was somber, and the previously cheerful group's smiles vanished:

"The Empire has effectively deepened its control over the southern states through this war. Most members of the Duma River Alliance have sided with the Empire and have been subject to additional war taxes, causing the trade environment of the Kingdom of Bain to continue to deteriorate."

According to incomplete statistics, textile exports decreased by 41%, glass exports ceased, beverage exports ceased, and iron ore imports decreased by 12%.

"Aside from our related steel, processed food and primary metal products, the only sectors that saw growth were wool and cotton."

"However, the increase in wool exports and the decrease in exports of finished products such as yarn and blankets indicate that the processing and manufacturing process is shifting to other regions of the Empire. Based on the popular orders in Baldorom, it can be inferred that the raw material customers are mostly factories in the north. Cotton, on the other hand, is a transshipment trade between southern Valois, Bain, and the Empire."

In other words, Byrne's influence over the southern states has greatly diminished, while the Empire has consolidated the southern markets and abolished the unreasonable transaction and transit taxes imposed by other southern states on the northern regions. Byrne's manufacturing industry, outside of Rorschach's related industries, has lost its previous distorted advantage.

This means that regions that rely heavily on traditional handicrafts will likely have a tough year.

Unfortunately, spring planting and conscription led to a shortage of labor supply. The combined pressure caused a wave of defaults and bankruptcies in workshops in the Munich and Nurem regions, even giving the Arcane Tower behind the Banking Association a headache.

"First, we must be aware of the crisis. Our current prosperity is built on the foundation of war, and the proportion of trade volume coming from the Imperial Army is increasing, which is not a good thing." Rorschach glanced at Caroline and continued:

Ultimately, our workers should be able to enjoy what they produce, so that our people can live a prosperous life.

"As one side rises and the other falls, the people who are loyal to the monarchy and the old system will change their minds, and everyone will yearn for a better life. To win them over, we must do better and gain their support. Our neighbor, the Kingdom of Valois—oh, now a republic—is an example."

"Therefore, don't just focus on those few seats in the legislature. Doing your job well and making the Special Administrative Region develop better is the only way to have the confidence to promote the 'land of the king'. That's all I wanted to say."

After the meeting, two voices rang out: "Rorschach, can we talk privately?" It was Caroline and Bart. Caroline immediately said, "Then you two talk first. Rorschach, I'll wait for you at the mage tower."

So first, Bart and Rorschach were alone. Rorschach spoke first: "Sorry, Bart, when I used Valois as an example at the meeting, I didn't mean to send all of Ludwig's people to the guillotine." The guillotine hasn't been introduced to Byrne yet.

"It's alright, I don't mind." Bart truly didn't mind; his eyes gleamed. "Actually, the Chancellor and I talked about it a while ago, and then I thought, you see, in the northern constituency of Würzburg, Amelia and I have a pretty good reputation, right?"

Is it really appropriate for you to boast like that? It feels very strange. But that's true, Rorschach could only say, "Yes, yes, yes."

"If a princess whose wedding was witnessed and blessed by the entire city were to run for office, would she be very popular in Würzburg? If the royal family were to fall, her status could still garner favor from royal supporters."

Rorschach hesitated, "You're right, but there's a prerequisite: if both the king and the prince..." No country in this world grants electoral rights to the other half of the population, though there are queens. The princess is the last hope for the royalists, provided that only princesses remain in the royal family.

"I know, Amelia and I are the same kind of people. I would do anything for Amelia, even if she doesn't know it," Bart said firmly.

"You want to be a 'mad dog' too, kid?" Rorschach thought he was getting a little carried away.

(End of this chapter)