A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 467 The Last Dance

As for the creative category, the recently popular "Saints Squad" took first place.

When Valentine went on stage to accept the award, the crowd erupted in a cacophony of boos and sobs, which ultimately coalesced into one sentence:

"Refund!" "Refund!" "()()(), refund!"

Apprentice Jin had to grab the megaphone: "Dear customers, we have clearly stated in the contract that we will not provide refunds for service interruptions caused by force majeure. We were just awarded an award for force majeure! But the cups are still usable; you can contact us if there are any quality issues."

Rorschach stood beside the group, silently sneering – this team was going to be in seclusion at the Vox factory's secret research facility for at least two months; it would be a miracle if they could be found.

Valentine, still sporting that smug grin, reached for the microphone: "Let me say a few words!"

The audience immediately fell silent, choosing to listen to the creator's statement first. This shows that Saint Valentine's reputation is quite high.

"If it weren't for Master Luo Xia's guidance, I might still be serving everyone now. Of course, there's nothing wrong with that bringing happiness, but for me, Vox Auto Factory is a wider ocean and a higher sky."

"Finally, I'd like to share a quote from Master Luo Xia with you all: 'Young people, you must learn moderation.'"

"Thank you, thank you everyone."

All the customers were shocked by his shamelessness. There was a brief silence, followed by a deafening roar of curses that nearly shook the awards ceremony. Valentine's group was the only one to be blasted off the stage by various objects and spells. Although Rorschach and the other judges symbolically cast protective spells on them, the unfortunate apprentice King was still hit by "Make You Vomit," and was dragged off while vomiting.

This kid is truly amazing! Jin Gang had just used his cunning to expose Luo Xia, the mastermind behind the interruption of the pleasure service, but now this saintly classmate has casually focused the fire on him with just a few words. Presumably, no one will remember that it was Luo Xia who made the move. It's truly touching.

As for why Jin wasn't protected, it was purely accidental. Luo Xia watched as he was dragged away from the venue like a dog that had eaten ten pounds of chocolate.

Of the three top prize teams, "You'll Vomit Until You Die" was mass-produced in roll form, making a huge contribution to the security of the Lanster-Kempson district in the Kingdom of Byrne. The fermentation tanks were naturally used in food factories, while Vox Gas Factory absorbed Valentine's team and Icefire Engine.

In particular, the Icefire Engine will power the railway tracks within Bain. Thanks to the Empire's steel orders, Rorschach has acquired some of the Imperial Railway's technical standards, such as the strength and spacing of the tracks, as well as the carrying capacity of the Imperial standard locomotives.

Rorschach no longer needs the blueprints for the Imperial trains; the "Ice and Fire Engine" is a better option, as it will power Bain's trains. This means more transmutation dust collectors will need to be built to provide power for the upcoming mass-produced vehicles and constructs.

Many designs also have practical value and need to be organized and archived, then evaluated and coordinated with the factory. The organizing committee also specially selected some non-technical works and, with the teams' consent, published them in the newspaper.

For the first time, the residents of Bain, who had been following the design competition closely, learned what the mage was doing, what he had created, and how it would change their lives. While this was commonplace for those within the special zone, it was a novel experience for other places and the Arcane Tower.

People's impression of spellcasters was no longer limited to grumpy receptionists, exorbitantly priced guilds, fearsome mage towers, and eccentric individuals. Oh, Bart and his resident mage tower were the exception.

At the internal debriefing meeting, Caroline was not entirely satisfied with the result: "The time was too tight, less than a month. Many people were just getting used to the spell chain system. If the competition had been extended to three months, the completion rate of the works would have been much better."

"Our goal has already been achieved if most people accept 'Spell Cloud'. Other results and impacts are just unexpected bonuses. Three months is a long time."

There are three major events that are about to happen and will have a significant impact on the Special Administrative Region.

First, there's the summer grain. The spring wheat harvest is in mid-to-late July, which is just a few days away. At this time, the special zone will conduct a survey of the acreage and then put the modular harvesters into use. It's estimated that Mori no Tou will also come—they want to verify the effectiveness of the artificial fertilizer made by Rorschach.

Obtaining grain from farmers is no easy task. Even when it's legally justifiable to settle payments for equipment, fertilizer, and special zone taxes, grain collection can easily lead to serious problems if not handled carefully. No matter how noble or perfect the laws or contracts may be, grain is life, and survival is the farmer's fundamental principle.

Secondly, they had to fulfill the agreement between the Special District and the Byron royal family. According to the agreement, they needed to deliver twice as much grain to the kingdom as in previous years in order to legally maintain the Special District's status. However, the Special District had a very large population, and Rorschach was unwilling to deliver the grain.

In the past, buying off territory with money was feasible; many free cities and free states acquired autonomy by paying a sum of money to the monarch. Unfortunately, the country was still at war, and the royal family might insist on providing supplies. Another factor was the "June financial crisis," which severely impacted the kingdom, prompting some curious individuals to investigate where the special administrative region got so much money.

Then the King and Prince Otto: Holy crap?

If they were still mentally sound, they would have to find a way to "reduce the power of the vassal states" by now. As for Rorschach and the Tower of Arcane Arts each taking a step back and jointly investing with the kingdom's upper echelons to build "Vox," it was a case of slapping someone and then giving them a sweet treat.

But who dares to play like this with the royal family? Oh, the other two sides are all mages, so let's eat while we can. But while eating, the royal family is also rubbing their faces and muttering: Even the Empire doesn't treat me like this.

Luo Xia guessed that the other side would make trouble over the grain delivery, targeting the special economic zone. His fingers tapped incessantly on the table, making a clicking sound: "To overturn it, or not to overturn it?"

There is another very important matter that could affect the entire continent—the reform of single-member constituencies would influence Rorschach's actions.

Logically, the change of parliament should be suspended during wartime as a special circumstance, but the prime minister still pushed it through. The war itself had entered a slightly more stable stalemate, and both countries were catching their breath and preparing for a major move.

Their strategic actions will also revolve around the period surrounding the summer grain harvest. Simultaneously, the empire will push forward with the small-district reforms. If successful, it can be expected that this will, for the first time, achieve complete self-integration, institutionally dismantling the feudal system that has survived to this day.

Without the war with Valois, achieving this goal might have meant the empire would have faced only civil war. Therefore, despite temporary setbacks on the Valois battlefield, the Chancellor insisted on continuing the project, aiming to complete it during his term and throughout the war with Valois.

This will be his last dance. A unified empire is a precious legacy that the Chancellor and His Majesty have left to the next emperor.

(End of this chapter)