A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 452 Commendation

The opening remarks that left War Commissioner George Jacques sweating profusely were merely an impromptu speech by Maxim, inspired by the mages' conversation. The two men had come to meet with the people of the Tower of Stars, their primary objective being to ascertain what had transpired at the Moncado Fortress in Condi.

Over the past few days, the National Assembly has been working to investigate what caused such a large-scale loss of personnel in the National Guard.

They finally heard a description different from that of the soldiers and ordinary officers: the black mist filling the sky was necromancy, and that an evil god had been involved in the process. They also learned that the Imperial airships had actually played a role in reversing the situation and saving most people.

Of course, none of the above information could be easily leaked, so the club's mansion became the ideal place to secretly meet with the mages.

After listening to Kano's account, Maxim cautiously asked, "So, similar incidents will not happen again in the near future?" This was a concern for both committee members and the National Salvation Committee; they hoped for a positive answer and that the nightmare of Moncado Fortress would not be repeated.

Upon hearing this, Kano and the others in the audience shook their heads. The archmage told them a fact that was hard to accept: "Since decades ago, the activities of an evil god called the Earth Mother have become increasingly frequent. Both mages and the church have made many efforts to suppress her resurgence. Last year, her large-scale invasion of reality from the continent of Feloren to Istani was thwarted, and we thought her activities had come to an end."

"Now it seems that if the intensity of the war continues to escalate, it's hard to say whether the battlefield will trigger activities related to Him. Death and destruction, even if only symbolically, when these misfortunes occur widely, will give Him strength. There's also the issue of underground faiths going out of control when the situation worsens."

After receiving the bad news, Maxim remained silent for a moment before pleading with the Archmage: "From your description, the Empire has developed technology to block divine power. Can the Tower of Stars or the Guilds overcome it and give the Republic a means of defense against evil gods? If the research is difficult, the Committee is willing to allocate funds to you."

Snow suddenly put down his wine glass and said, "Committee member, there's no need to issue bad checks. You just need to urge the National Assembly and the Finance Office to settle the payments as soon as possible."

Since Rorschach left, the number of alchemy mining machines in the department has increased dramatically to 16. Their purpose is the same as the machines under Rorschach's command: to be put into production. The various enterprises under the Magic Guild have cooperated as much as possible during Valuwa's crisis.

It was precisely because of the workers working in three shifts and the machines running day and night that the National Guard, which was undergoing a massive expansion, was able to have enough guns and ammunition, and that Valois's most relied-upon artillery could be deployed in large numbers.

The National Salvation Committee's recruitment process was extremely forceful, essentially involving direct apportionment of funds to businesses, followed by the issuance of special bonds—essentially IOUs. Of course, the businesses under the guild weren't going to be polite either, readily transferring a portion of the bonds to raw material suppliers and employees as payment for goods and wages.

Perhaps these new little pieces of paper represent a new economic disaster in the future, but who cares now? Let's win first. Only when we win will those bonds closely related to the war have value and be redeemed.

Maxim was taken aback by the creditor's representative's casual remark, but George Jacques immediately chimed in: "This is not within the scope of today's discussion."

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward. To this day, the relationship between the leaders of Valois and the mages is like this: they are all tied to the Republic, yet fraught with tension. Both the National Assembly and the media, which are attacking like mad dogs, maintain a tacit understanding:

Carefully avoid discussing the mage community and anything related to magic.

Guilds and the Mage Tower are like the elephants in the room. The only saving grace is that the "elephants" support the Republic.

Luo Xia didn't know what the point of Cano inviting him to such a private meeting was, but he just ate and ate. The authentic Valuwanan cuisine was so delicious, and in terms of cooking techniques and variety, it was far superior to the same old apples and sausages.

In fact, the two of them, and even the entire committee, had already been informed, and the purpose of their face-to-face meeting with the Grand Master was to confirm the details. The conversation also led to their second purpose for coming:

The two spellcasters are commended for risking their lives to delay the necromancer's high-level magic.

Because of their status, the committee chose not to publicly commend them, and the truth of the matter will also be kept secret to avoid complicating the relationship between the general public and the monks.

The propaganda machine and the National Guard command only emphasized that "two heroic citizens" played a key role in thwarting the enemy's plot.

Georges Jacques produced two commendation orders: "After extensive inquiries, we have learned that two courageous citizens played a crucial role in exposing the Empire's evil rituals, and therefore the committee will commend them. Are you both present?"

The archmage nodded, then used the [Communication] spell to notify Pascal and Paul outside the door. When the two entered, they were still being helped in by the alchemy department's older brother, their bodies wrapped in bandages—clearly, the damage caused by the eighth-circle spell couldn't be easily resolved with healing spells.

The two fellow disciples were also burdened with a certain misfortune—if they had been transferred later, they would have had the opportunity to receive treatment from Druyaz, and perhaps they wouldn't have suffered today and would have recovered on the spot.

Although they looked a bit miserable, they were all in good spirits. Pascal, seeing his old acquaintances from the club for the first time in a long time, naturally greeted them.

Although both are core members of the Mountain School, Pascal's temperament is completely different from the other two. He is still young, with the clarity of a youth. For similar characters, the Mountain School only needs one representative.

"So it's our elder, 'Apprentice Thor'!" George Jacques joked. "If you were to return to the council hall, you'd be more suited to be a war commissioner than me, since I've never been on the battlefield. You, on the other hand, have already earned proof of your bravery; the people and we, the Mountain Faction, welcome a great hero with the Tricolor Medal."

Pascal calmly replied, "I'm not sure if I'm good at fighting, but I'm pretty sure I'm not good at verbal sparring." Rather than saying he was bad at it, it was more like he disliked it.

"What a pity." There was no trace of regret on Georges Jacques's face.

In the presence of all the spellcasters, Maxim read out the commendation order and personally pinned the Tricolor Medal on the chests of the two men. After he pinned it on Paul, the artillery lieutenant saluted: "Thank you, First Citizen."

Maxim stopped what he was doing and said seriously, "Please do not address me that way. All members of the Republic are equal. The previous distinction between active and passive citizens was a serious mistake made by royalists and the wealthy, and it should be corrected."

"Really? I think that's a fine way to address him." Georges Jacques smoothed things over for the second time after arriving at the mansion: "I think it's just the young man's way of expressing respect. We don't need to be too rigid or make a big deal out of it."

Maxim took a deep breath, sighed, and exhaled, "Our mission is complete. We have other important matters to attend to. Excuse me." With that, he quickly walked out.

Georges Jacques, even more portly than Carnot, didn't leave. He unceremoniously pulled out a soft chair and sat down: "Look, the best and worst thing about citizens of Maxim is their unbearable stubbornness." He poured himself a glass of fine wine, savored the aroma, and then fixed his gaze on Rorschach, who was constantly eating.

"So, I will speak on what Mr. First Citizen does not wish to say. It is a pleasure to meet you, Rorschach from Byrne."

(End of this chapter)