A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 67 Zhong Ming's Study

Rorschach and Cano were invited to Charles XVI's study. This matter could not be made public; if the two were not sorcerers but ministers, their presence here signified great favor and trust. The nobles of Valuana liked to jokingly refer to this small house as the kingdom's true Privy Council.

Rorschach was unaware of these intricacies; all he saw was a room filled with clocks rather than books, their movements emitting subtle, rhythmic ticking sounds that combined to create a regular, white noise.

Remember to buy a pocket watch. Rorschach suddenly remembered something he had forgotten and reminded himself of it.

"Please make yourselves at home, both of you mages," the host of the room said. Rorschach sat down on a velvet chair, while Kano chose a small sofa and lay down without any hesitation.

Inside the room were also a cardinal and guards standing beside His Majesty the King, their hands resting on their scabbards.

"Sir, relax, go watch Necker play cards with the guests."

"Your Majesty, the two spellcasters..." The chief guard felt obligated to protect His Majesty's safety.

Duplessie still had a dark expression on her face. "I'm here. Get out."

The head guard immediately bowed to His Majesty and said, "Your Majesty, I take my leave."

Kano lay on the sofa watching the chief guard leave, carefully closing the door behind him, and let out a cold snort. He turned to the king: "Your Majesty, what business do you have summoning me and Master Rorschach here? You could have said so at the banquet."

"The host should let the guests enjoy the feast; it would be better to discuss business here. However, since it is business, and neither of you are from the court, let us set aside the formalities for now!" Charles XVI asked Rorschach.

"Master Rorschach, please tell me the truth: are there gold mines in the sub-plane?"

"Your Majesty, I don't know. Before that apprentice presented that nugget of gold, I hadn't seen any gold in the sub-plane at all, but who can say for sure that there wasn't any?"

After listening, Charlie rubbed his temples—a gesture he would never make in front of other ministers—and said, "But my treasurer firmly believes it."

"I don't think that Necker cares at all about whether there's a gold mine or not," Kano chimed in. "I don't know of any gold mine that can be invested in, built, and mined within a year, and then have a 40% return on investment in the same year. Oh, and in a sub-plane no less."

The room was quiet for a while, with only the ticking of the clock remaining.

The king sighed, breaking the awkward silence: "That young man, Necker, is a bit too eager. I'll speak with him. But let's not talk about that. I've heard that Mage Rorschach comes from a farming family and is an outstanding graduate of the Imperial Royal Magic Academy?"

Where did you hear that? You received the background check report, right? Rorschach nodded: "Yes, Your Majesty."

Charlie tapped the table: "Master Rorschach has been in our country for a while now. How does the Imperial Academy compare to the Tower of Stars?"

"The academy values ​​efficiency and hopes that students will graduate as soon as possible. It was only after coming to the Tower of Stars that I realized I still have a lot of shortcomings and theories to learn."

"And what about the student body? I mean, how many apprentices at the Imperial Academy are like Rorschach?"

Deplesi, no longer able to tolerate such inefficient conversation, asked directly, "Does Your Majesty mean that if the kingdom wishes to establish its own spellcaster school, modeled after the Imperial Academy, it should admit children of farmers, small merchants, and artisans who possess magical talent?"

"Then we'd like to know from Mage Rorschach: how does the Empire's academy curriculum and academic system differ from those of the Tower of Stars and other magic towers? And, is the Tower of Stars willing to assist the kingdom in establishing an academy?" Deplesi stared at Cano as he spoke the last sentence to him.

"Aren't you a bishop of the Church of Order? Why are you discussing magic school issues here?"

"Here, there is only the Kingdom and His Majesty's prime minister. Similarly, His Majesty and I hope that the students of the academy will serve the Kingdom, and not just remember that they are mages or priests." Wait, why are you looking at me like that? Rorschach felt offended.

Before Kano could speak, Rorschach spoke first, and to everyone's surprise, said, "Your Majesty, I think the idea of ​​establishing a magic school is inappropriate."

He shrugged: "Your Majesty and the Prime Minister want to establish schools simply so that they can have a group of low-born, more easily controlled mages to help the kingdom fight against the Empire. But your country has never relied on mages to contend with the Empire, has it? Bishop of St. Miller's Cathedral?"

"Master Rorschach, we do not wish to fight against the Empire; we simply hope that more spellcasters can contribute to the kingdom's development."

"Then we won't need spellcasters at all! Magic schools are too expensive for the kingdom!" Rorschach shook his head. "Training spellcasters, spellcasting materials, and facility construction are all very expensive. Hiring mages to teach also costs a lot in terms of salary. Why do we need spellcasters at all? We also have to screen children with magical talent, which is too much trouble."

He organized his thoughts: "If we really want to build a school and enroll children from humble backgrounds, we only need to train people who can be useful in construction, machinery, and many other production fields. Modern trading companies also need such people. We can have the large trading companies in those fields sponsor the school, and the graduates can be assigned to work for the sponsoring companies."

If they master mathematics and related knowledge, they can immediately transform it into the kingdom's productive force. If the paladins' armor, the kingdom's grain, cloth, cannons, and all sorts of things can be produced quickly, allowing even the lowest-ranking farmers to be well-fed and clothed and grateful to His Majesty, then the empire will naturally be wary of the kingdom.

Of course, the kingdom can periodically screen for talented children among the enrolled students, teach them basic magic and alchemy, and send them to the Tower of Stars for further study.

Kano quickly chimed in, "This is Mage Rorschach's idea; the Tower of Stars didn't agree to it!"

"If such a school were to be established, in which field do you think the curriculum should begin?"

"First, establish schools that produce teachers! The number of looms in the workshops will only increase, and the furnaces in the steelmaking will only get taller. The more people who are familiar with them, the better! In order to provide a large number of people with production-friendly education, we must first train a sufficient number of qualified teachers."

Charlie nodded: "Master Rorschach is right. That statement can be considered valid for now."

"We can establish the Valuwana Higher Normal School." Deplesi quickly scribbled something in his notebook: "If magic isn't taught, the Church can cooperate, and I guarantee that theological courses will be excluded."

The King was a little sleepy: "I had a very fruitful evening with the mage, thank you for the advice, mage Rorschach. Oh, by the way, as a thank you gift, I'll give each of you a small present, it's just my personal hobby." Charles XVI turned around and took out two pocket watches, handing them to Carnot and Rorschach.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I was just thinking of buying a watch, and this exquisite and beautiful gift is exactly what I needed."

"Really? That's great!"

"Your Majesty, I still have the watch you first gave me!" Cano pulled out a gleaming little gold trinket. Charlie was delighted: "Ah! This is one of my earliest creations. Is it still accurate? Master Cano, let me take a look."

Emerging from the palace, the Star Tower carriage sped along the empty, deserted streets.

"You imperialist, why don't you just answer whatever he asks? Why offer any feasible suggestions?" Kano was starting to suspect that his student was trying to get a government position in the Holy Kingdom.

"Does the teacher think that establishing such a school is necessarily a good thing for the kingdom?" Rorschach leaned back on the cushions.

"When I first arrived, you warned me against participating in some of the 'small activities' of young people in Valuana. Do you think these 'activities' will increase or decrease as the children of farmers, small business owners, and artisans receive higher education?"

"You've come to see the excitement in the Holy Kingdom, haven't you!"

"The night is too chilly, it's better to have some fun."

(End of this chapter)