A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 609 Business is booming

The guilds shouldn't put too much pressure on the Alchemy Association. A careful examination of this hastily introduced security standard reveals that there are actually many loopholes that can be exploited.

Small handcrafted goldsmithing workshops like Violet Watch Shop might be able to apply for special permission from the guild to remove some high-risk products from their shelves and continue operating normally.

Of course, this depends on whether the alchemy apprentice is willing to study the terms and argue for the preservation of the skills taught by his master.

Otherwise, based on the numerous standards Rorschach has publicly disclosed—essentially technical manuals—he could have easily started from scratch with a completely new system. Ignoring artistic merit, its functionality would be absolutely top-notch.

The new standards are actually aimed at the field of large-scale industrial production. At least in this world today, no advanced productivity can be achieved without the aid of magic.

Within the alliance, 90% of the equipment meets the standards for metallurgy; the rest are old and are due for scrap.

The most affected were Istani and the southern kingdoms, who suddenly discovered that Valuwa and the Alliance had simultaneously issued decrees in cooperation with the Magic Guild, using this as a pretext to keep high-end industrial products from other countries out of their customs.

There was no one-size-fits-all approach, but the list was quite long.

Faced with trade barriers, countries are naturally furious, but none are willing to sacrifice free trade with their superior military might, because both countries have stated that trade can resume as long as the standards are met.

So the question is, how do we determine if something meets the standard?

Dear business owners, don't worry. The answer has been selflessly revealed by the monks. As long as the factory is willing to cooperate, the local monks' tower can provide technical support. All that is required is a negligible consultation and labor fee, as well as an exorbitant equipment upgrade fee.

Of course, the more resources a company invests, the more support the spellcasters will be willing to provide, and the sooner the goods can be sold in the continent of Florence.

And there are unexpected surprises too, such as production unexpectedly increasing several times over.

In short, many things that "money can't buy" have been opened to everyone at the cost of temporary barriers. It all depends on whether entrepreneurs have the resilience and courage to persevere and grit their teeth to board the ship of the new era.

This process was already completed in Valuwana and Byrne, and is now spreading to other countries around the world through one and a half powers (the Alliance, as a rebel force of the Empire, counts as half) and guilds.

Valuwana, on the other hand, experienced another period of euphoria, with some tasting the benefits of forced scrapping and industrial upgrading. Although the average debt ratio of enterprises has soared several notches, the artificial prosperity has been achieved.

All of the above situations were transformed into reports and summary reports, which Andrei presented to Rorschach.

"well"

"Why are you sighing?" Rorschach had no idea what was bothering this guy.

Andre (by cheating with the magic cloud) successfully advanced to intermediate mage, received another raise from Rorschach, and obtained "double certification" from the Tower of Stars and the Tower of Arcane Arts; apart from being pressured by his parents to get married and having money but no time to spend it, everything about him meets the standards of a winner in life.

"Our product sales have recently surged, especially in Valois. Equipment manufacturing, in particular, has seen a 41% year-on-year increase."

"That's great." Luo Xia nodded, realizing that he had been narrow-minded; it turned out that the other party was considering the entire industry.

"The production and sales of other industrial products are also rising, and various industries have a strong desire to expand. But I am very worried."

Tell me about it.

"The current rise is due to the introduction of new laws by the two countries and new standards by the trade associations, which is the result of policy stimulus."

"Once the equipment upgrades are completed in Valois, they will surely regain the market. Our company has a tendency to expand blindly."

"Furthermore," Andrei hesitated for a moment before stating his opinion directly:

"The standards you've published are far too detailed; it's like revealing our metallurgical technology, which we use in production, to the entire world. How long can we maintain our advantage then?"

He witnessed and participated in the rise of the special economic zone firsthand, and he knew exactly where its advantages came from. Now, it seems that these advantages have been worn down by the very creators of the zone.

"How long can it last? If you can keep innovating, you can keep it up; if you can't, you can't," Rorschach said nonchalantly.

"If I were a pure businessman, of course I would hope that these advantages could be maintained. If I were a ruler of a country, of course I would want my territory to be strong and others to remain weak forever."

"But we are still spellcasters. Isn't it fulfilling to see the system we created being promoted all over the world?"

"Of course, of course."

"Don't take any company or how much money you make too seriously. When the world ends, money and numbers will all be meaningless."

"Andrei, you should think of it this way. If advanced technology is released, the productivity of the whole society will increase a little, more starships can be built, the defense facilities will be safer, and the hope of the entire civilization surviving when the Mother Goddess descends will be greater."

"It's good that we're making more money now, but is it really that important? In comparison, if the projects we're currently working on were valued according to market rules, we would have gone bankrupt long ago, and no amount of money could cover the losses."

"Does it matter if other places and other people make more money in the future? If we don't survive the apocalypse, we're all doomed."

After shifting Andrei's perspective from "whether Byrne Enterprises is making a profit or a loss" to "whether civilization will survive or perish," the young man's outlook was greatly elevated, and he realized:

"Teacher, I'm truly no match for you. From now on, I'll never block researchers from asking me for funding again!"

"Nonsense, otherwise, we're not that far apart in age, would I have the nerve to take you as my apprentice?" Rorschach used his magic to conjure a [Mage's Foot] and kicked the mentally unstable Andre out of the workshop.

Finally, Luo Xia remembered something and slapped his forehead: "Wait a minute, we still need to be careful with the research funding. Those guys are the type to spend whatever they're given!"

The workspace quieted down again.

Luo Xia picked up the report again and quickly flipped through it. Seeing that things were developing as he had expected, he felt relieved.

This was a case of half-hearted persuasion, allowing the Senate and guilds to exert their influence, and even exerting pressure on the national representatives of Valois.

The various actions taken during this period, in the long run, will have endless consequences, especially the guild's branch in Valois, whose entanglements with the political and business circles have become a mess.

Those representatives who claimed to represent the people were all determined to oppose the guilds' interference in the general assembly and to defend the independence of the "sacred affairs" of the judiciary. They were also all willing to cooperate fully with the guilds, especially when there was profit to be made.

It's unclear how long this unhealthy relationship can last.

But who has time to worry about all that?

A long cry broke the silence.

The first supply ship from the air elemental plane returned to the ground via the celestial ladder, but the portal unexpectedly closed just as it entered the atmosphere and was about to enter the final stage.

The heavy transport ship braked abruptly high in the air, its trajectory sweeping across the vast territory of the Empire, including the central lands once again engulfed in pollution.

(End of this chapter)