A mage? A spell engineer!

Who knows about Chapter 562?

Rorschach and the dwarf brothers chatted happily. This is probably the kind of mutual appreciation between chemical engineers and materials scientists.

After selling another batch of the latest version of the explosive fermentation tanks, Rorschach was in high spirits and drank quite a bit, something he hadn't done in a long time, only to find that he was only slightly tipsy. This alone was enough to impress all the dwarves.

Whoever wants to drink earthy tree root infusion with the elves, go ahead and drink it!

When he got drunk, Ruger started to say some vulgar things, and then he brought up the elves again: "Oh dear, Master Rorschach, you'd better be prepared, those old scoundrels with long staffs might come up with some bad ideas."

"What kind of crooked idea?" It seemed that dwarves and elves had more dealings with each other, and although it was a familiarity filled with prejudice, it didn't stop Rorschach from asking another question.

Ruger's big nose turned red: "What other crooked idea could it be? We don't have anything else, but we do have a princess, right? They brought her here to give to Master Rorschach."

Rorschach wasn't drunk: "I know Hill, she's not that kind of person. Besides, aren't elves supposed to be proud and arrogant? Why would she resort to such methods?"

"Oh dear, arrogance is just a label for raising prices. Just like how we often boast about the scarcity of raw materials and the complexity of the process to sell our products at a high price." This diplomat was particularly outspoken: "Besides the princess, I heard that there is also a saintess among the gray elves. How about we make a bet? If you ask, Mr. Rorschach, they can immediately send the saintess to visit Bain as well."

"Mr. Ruger, let's stop here." Rorschach ended the conversation and continued.

Having finalized the cooperation with the dwarves, there was no need for further negotiations with the elves. Having made up his mind, Rorschach returned from the banquet, washed away the smell of alcohol, and then, as if nothing had happened, received the elven elders again.

This time, all the elders wore awkward and gloomy expressions, and Hill was nowhere to be seen.

"Her Highness the Princess was unwell and had to leave," the elder stammered, trying to cover it up.

Her presence or absence wouldn't change Rorschach's mind. He went over his points one last time, and the elders gave the same old story. Finally, a grey elf stepped forward: "Lord Rorschach, our tribe has a Saintess, Sylsa, beautiful and spirited, who has long admired your name. If you would approve, she may visit Bain."

Should we praise Ruger's intelligence network? Or have the dwarves figured out their old rival? Rorschach took a deep breath and exhaled: "Get lost."

"I can still drink," Andrei said, vomiting.

"Drink your ass off, you can't touch alcohol again." Rorschach prepared to cast a healing spell on Andre to calm him down.

"Principal Caroline, my mission is complete, Lolo."

"What did you say?" Rorschach was shocked, but the spell had already been cast. The blue light entered Andrei's forehead, jolting him awake.

The boy, whose expression had changed, immediately shook his head: "I meant I finally finished my work for today."

"Get out, get out! You get out too! Go make sure those bean sprouts get out of my territory before you come back."

"Yes, mission accomplished!" The double agent Andrei immediately saluted and disappeared into the night.

Now Rorschach was alone, and he strolled to the lakeside. It was a barrier lake formed by an abandoned mine in Kempson, and now the lake surface was as smooth as a mirror, with the starry sky above and below the horizon.

"You've arrived. Is this within your sensing range?" Only Hill's voice could be heard; she herself did not appear.

"If we can't even discover this, how can we protect the Special Administrative Region?"

"It's a vast territory with many remarkable industries. A few years ago, I would never have imagined that a junior mage working alongside me as a guard for a caravan could achieve such success." Hill sighed silently as she spoke; Rorschach could picture it. After her sigh, she continued, "I apologize, but the elder made a very unreasonable request, which I refused, so I ran away without permission."

Do you think I'll agree?

"Probably not." She hesitated. "But if you can agree, then I..."

"Who do you mean?" Rorschach, still seething with anger, finally exploded: "You're just a half-elf, not a god, and you're not as noble or important as you and the elders imagine. You don't have to think you're qualified to bear the fate of your entire race." What kind of bullshit descendant of gods is this? I'm a descendant of dragons!

"I never have," Hill said, her voice trembling with tears. Rorschach couldn't imagine what Hill's expression was like at that moment, because in his memory, Hill had always been a cold, indifferent poker face.

But as Rorschach just said, it doesn't matter. He ignored the sobbing and said to the lake, "I'm not a god, and the Magic Guild and Byrne aren't under my control alone."

"The elders have investigated, and according to our understanding, you were the one who created this special economic zone. Shouldn't you be in charge?"

"This is different. If you long-eared people are really willing to do in-depth research, you should figure out what the special zone and guilds are lacking right now, and then think about what you can provide before we talk. That's the basis for me to possibly agree." Rorschach became more and more agitated as he spoke: "If you do a little research, you'll immediately know that there's a shortage of people here and there, in guilds and factories! There's a shortage of people everywhere! As long as you can provide some organized labor, even if they're just digging a ditch or repairing a road, we'll be grateful for the elves' help, instead of being moved by empty promises."

"What value do you have that could be worth thousands of laborers? Of course, if you were a mid-level spellcaster, that might be possible. But it's not enough. We're short of people. We can use 100,000, or even millions, but right now we have far too few qualified, usable laborers. Can you provide that?"

There was no response, only ripples slowly spreading across the lake.

To put it bluntly, they're just a bunch of unproductive idiots who play one game for too long. It's like a group of unruly kids who are all playing pinball, while everyone else is playing on a Little Tyrant learning machine. One kid with long ears is still playing pinball and even wants to trade his prettiest pinball for someone else's learning machine.

After a long pause, Hill finally spoke: "Labor. This may be difficult. The Empire uses Grey Elves who have fled into its territory as slave laborers, so they are very sensitive about these things now."

"That's your problem, not mine, and it's not something the Magic Guild should worry about. We only guarantee that all workers are equal in terms of human dignity, and that no one will become a slave. Of course, even if we say that, you might not necessarily change things or think of other solutions." He was too lazy to point it out. Elves aren't just gray elves. What were those self-proclaimed high elves doing when people were suffering?

Having accepted reality and acknowledged that Rorschach's attitude wouldn't change, Hill finally asked, "So what do we do?"

"Don't treat the Starship program as your only lifeline. Instead, seek the protection of Druyaz. She has recovered and her power is constantly increasing," Rorschach suggested. In truth, he had always doubted whether escaping to the Astral Plane would truly free him from the Mother Goddess. Many people, including many members of the Arcane Senate, thought so, but he remained skeptical.

"If... if He is one of the incarnations of the Earth Mother Goddess."

"." Rorschach raised his hand, a faint blue light appearing in his palm. It was originally a form of power bestowed upon him by Delyuaz, and now it points to His emblem. The barriers developed with His power have spread throughout the world thanks to Rorschach's efforts. They are embedded in countless collectors and even on spaceships that travel through the astral plane, playing an important role.

To this day, all that can be said is, "Who knows?"

(End of this chapter)