Mage? Spell Engineer!.

Chapter 452 Commendation
The opening remarks that made War Councillor George Jacques sweat were just an impromptu speech made by Maxim inspired by the conversation of the mages. The two came to meet with the Starry Tower in person, and their first purpose was to find out what happened in the Moncado Fortress in Condi.

Over the past few days, the National Assembly has been working to investigate what caused such a massive reduction in the number of troops in the National Guard.

They finally heard a description that was different from that of the soldiers and ordinary officers. It turned out that the black air in the sky was necromancy, and that there was the involvement of evil gods later on. The imperial airship actually played a role in reversing the situation and saving most people.

Of course, none of the above information can be easily leaked, so the club's mansion has become an ideal place to secretly contact the mages.

After listening to Cano's statement, Maxim asked cautiously: "So, similar incidents will not happen again in the short term?" This is what the two commissioners and the National Salvation Committee are concerned about. They hope to get a positive answer and hope that the nightmare of Moncado Fortress will not happen again.

Hearing this, Kano and the others at the table shook their heads. The Grand Mage told them a fact that was hard to accept: "Since a few decades ago, the activities of the evil god named Mother Earth have become more frequent. Both the mages and the church have made a lot of efforts to suppress her resurgence. Last year, her large-scale invasion of reality from Floren to Istani was once thwarted. We thought her activities had ended.
"It seems that if the intensity of the war continues to rise, it is hard to say whether the battlefield will trigger activities related to Him. Death and destruction. Even if it is only symbolic, when these misfortunes occur widely, He will draw strength from them. There is also the problem of underground beliefs losing control when the situation deteriorates."

Maxim was silent for a moment after receiving the bad news and asked the Archmage: "From your description, the Empire has developed a technology to block the power of God. Can the Starry Tower or the Guild conquer it so that the Republic can also obtain a means of defense against the evil god? If the research and development is difficult, the committee is willing to allocate funds to you."

Snow suddenly put down his glass and said, "Mr. Commissioner, there is no need to write a bad check. You just need to urge the National Assembly and the Finance Office to settle the payment as soon as possible."

Since Rorschach's departure, the number of collectors in the Alchemy Department has increased dramatically to 16. Their uses are the same as Rorschach's machines, and they have all been put into production. The various companies under the Magic Guild have cooperated as much as possible in Valois's time of crisis.

It was because the workers worked in three shifts and the machines roared day and night that the greatly expanded National Guard had enough guns and ammunition, and the artillery that Valois relied on most was able to be equipped in large numbers.

The National Salvation Committee's collection process was very tough, basically directly levying taxes on enterprises, and then issuing special bonds, which was an IOU. Of course, the enterprises under the guild would not be polite, and would transfer part of the bonds to raw material suppliers and employees as payment and salary substitutes.

Perhaps the new piece of paper means there will be a new economic disaster in the future, but never mind now. Let’s win the war first. Only after we win will those bonds closely related to the war have value and can be redeemed.

Maxim was choked by the creditor representative's casual remark, but George Jacques immediately responded: "This matter is not within the scope of today's discussion."

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. To this day, the relationship between the Valois leaders and the mages is like this. They are tied to the Republic, but they are also full of awkwardness. Whether it is the National Assembly or the media that are biting around like mad dogs, they all maintain a tacit understanding:

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

The guild and the mage tower are the elephants in the room. The only thing to be thankful for is that the "elephants" support the Republic.

Rorschach didn't know what the point of Kano asking him to attend such a private meeting was. Anyway, he was there just to eat. The authentic Valuana cuisine was so authentic. In terms of cooking techniques and richness of styles, it was much better than the same old apples and sausages.

In fact, the two of them, and even the entire committee, had already received the report, and now they were communicating with the Grand Master face to face to confirm the details. The conversation also led to the second purpose of their coming:

To reward two spellcasters who risked their lives to delay the super-level magic of the Master of the Dead. Because of their identities, the committee chose not to publicly commend them, and the truth of the incident will not be disclosed to the public to avoid complicating the relationship between the general public and the wizard.

Both the propaganda machine and the National Guard command would only emphasize that it was "two brave citizens" who played a key role in thwarting the enemy's conspiracy.

George Jacques took out two commendations. "After much investigation, we learned that two brave citizens played a key role in exposing the evil rituals of the empire, so the committee will commend them. Are you two here?"

The Archmage nodded, and then used [Communication] to notify Pascal and Paul who were outside the door. When the two came in, they were still supported by the elder brother from the Alchemy Department, and their bodies were tied up with cable ties - it was obvious that the damage caused by the Eight Rings spell could not be easily solved by the healing spell.

Speaking of which, the duo of brothers also had some misfortune - if they had been transferred later, they would have had the opportunity to enjoy Dryats' treatment, and maybe they wouldn't have to suffer today and would have recovered on the spot.

Although they looked a little miserable, they were all in good spirits. Pascal saw his old acquaintances from the club after a long time and greeted them naturally.

Although they are both core members of the Mountain Sect, Pascal's temperament is completely different from the other two. He is still young and has the clarity of a teenager. For a similar character, one signboard is enough for the Mountain Sect.

"It turned out to be our elder, 'Apprentice Thor'!" George Jacques joked, "If you were to return to the meeting hall, you would be more suitable to be the war committee member than me, after all, I have never been on the battlefield. And you have already been proven to be brave, and the people and our Mountain Faction welcome the great hero with the tricolor medal."

Pascal responded calmly: "I'm not sure if I'm good at fighting, but I'm sure I'm not good at verbal battles." It's better to say that he hates it rather than being bad at it.

"What a pity." George Jacques's face showed no regret at all.

Maxim read out the commendation order in front of a group of spellcasters 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 and said seriously: "Please don't call me that. All members of the Republic are equal. The previous distinction between active and passive citizens was a serious mistake made by the royalists and the wealthy. It should be corrected."

"Really? I think that's a good title." George Jacques tried to smooth things over for the second time after arriving at the mansion: "I think that's just the young man's way of expressing respect. There's no need to be so rigid and make a big deal out of it."

Maxim took a deep breath and exhaled with a sigh: "Our mission has been completed. I have something important to attend to. Excuse me." After saying that, he quickly walked out.

Georges Jacques, who was even more prosperous than Carnot, did not leave. He pulled out a soft chair and sat down without any hesitation: "Look, Citizen Maxim has the same advantages and disadvantages, he is so upright and stubborn that it is unbearable." He filled his glass with good wine, sniffed it intoxicatedly, and then locked his eyes on Rorschach who was still eating:
"So, I will be the one to talk about what Mr. First Citizen doesn't want to say. Nice to meet you, Master Rorschach from Byrne."

(End of this chapter)