Magic Industrial Age

The night was dark.

Outside the city, in the Marquis family castle, within the study.

A touch of magic activated the embedded runes, causing them to glow, and a square music box began to play a pleasant melody. With a twist of the knob, the volume was adjusted to a suitable level.

Baron Marquis, accompanied by the soothing music, began to peruse the thick stack of documents on his desk.

Strangely, he seemed to suffer from a reading impediment, needing to vocalize the text as he read, muttering incessantly.

"The Wings of Light are here, are they? And what of the Bishop from the Church of the Seven Gods? I'm curious to know who they've sent."

"If they were to clash, it would be quite the spectacle! They are no ordinary transcendents, after all…"

"It's a pity, though, that this Wing of Light will likely die without ever knowing who bombed the grand cathedral. Heh heh heh…"

"And that fellow Dorji, has he been losing sleep these past few days?"

"The parade, the parade must be arranged as soon as possible. And the wealthy merchants, the nobles, guide them to the city hall. They annoy me to no end!"

"Of course, arrange for some people to come to me as well; I must play the arbiter for them, mustn't I?"

"Then there's that place; it must be appeased. Some things we can do, but we can't admit to, much less reveal."

"Oh, and quite a few people have been abducted by pirates. Their families must be worried; they are the best targets for exploitation."

After muttering for a while, it wasn't hard to discern that Baron Marquis wasn't simply talking to himself, but rather to unseen individuals,

or perhaps they were people, engaging in a question-and-answer exchange with him!

That is, until he turned to the file concerning Loye, and the smile gradually faded from his face.

"This Loye is quite the surprise, to think he's accompanied by a transcendent, and possesses considerable strength himself!"

"He's only eighteen this year, yet second-tier combat professionals are as weak as chickens in his hands.

Raymond, that old codger, is actually willing to send such a genius out here. How intriguing!"

"Too bad he's a bastard! A bastard, no less!"

"The question now is, should I find a way to kill him, or not?"

"Let's observe a little longer, just hoping he doesn't mistake kindness for weakness!"

The night deepened, the cold wind howled, and the entire castle seemed to sink into shadows, dark and profound!

...

On the other side,

In the city hall, within the office of the magistrate.

Even though the night was already late, the place was still full of people, lined up, each waiting to be received by Magistrate Dorji Petrovich, Esquire.

From time to time, they could hear roars from within the office, like those of a lion.

Being a military man, Magistrate Dorji Petrovich had always been a decisive and efficient person.

Even his subordinates, whom he had promoted, were often intimidated by his resolve and methods.

Of course, his backing was so strong that it supposedly reached the royal family.

In any other city, the magistrate would have been dismissed the day after the Oakland City tragedy.

But here, he still firmly controlled the reins of power, with the royal family merely sending a letter of reprimand.

Of course, the Habsburg Empire, with Hohenzollern III at its head, was not without checks and balances; the Council of Nobles was one such body.

The royal family's letter of reprimand was light and weightless, but the several letters of inquiry issued by the Council of Nobles made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.

He always needed achievements to show in order to silence the critics.

So, he hadn't been home in days, with various problems being thrown at him, and then he'd give directions for these people to solve them.

You had to admit, Dorji was actually a very capable man. Although Oakland City wasn't big, its geographical location was quite important.

Not only did it have the convenience of Fisherman's Wharf, but also several roads leading directly abroad. Before he came, it was Marquis family's domain, a stinky, sewage-ridden small city.

But after he came, the introduction of magic-powered industry, the repairing of roads, and the vigorous development of commerce all gave the city a new look.

However, his personality also made him unapproachable. After so many years, he still used the military's set of requirements for his subordinates, pursuing speed and efficiency while also being criticized.

It wasn't until late at night, when most of the problems had been resolved and there was finally no one outside the door, that he breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, a cup of black coffee was placed in front of him, and the hands that offered it were large, with prominent knuckles, and full of strength.

Dorji wasn't surprised, picked up the cup, and took a careful sip.

The rich coffee invigorated his tired spirit, and then he slowly opened his mouth, "As far as I know, you have a very poor relationship with your father. Is it really worth avenging him like this?"

Upon hearing the question, a hoarse voice sounded, "Revenge? No, no, no, that's just a facade I'm putting on. I hate Woolly Allen, hate him for giving birth to me but not raising me, raising me but not teaching me.

I can't wait for him to die!"

"Perhaps the only thing he did for me was to give me the qualification to stand before you!"

Dorji asked again, "Then why do you insist on this?"

"The reason I insist is not revenge, but that I need you to see my value.

I understand your style of doing things; incompetent people are not worth a second glance, so I need you to take me seriously, give me a chance, and I will seize it."

"Unfortunately, you failed the first time."

"That was not a crime of war; after all, who would have thought that behind a bastard would be a third-tier transcendent.

However, I already have a new plan."

"What are you going to do?"

"Everyone has something they want, and Loye, doesn't he want to get involved in the magic-powered machinery industry?

Now is the best opportunity!"

The hoarse-voiced man paused, and then spoke again, "I will give him enough reason, and I will also put him in a desperate situation.

It's just that the third-tier transcendent is not someone I can face."

"The Wings of Light are here, so I will let the Hand of Death be at your disposal. I will be here, waiting for your good news."

"I will certainly not disgrace my mission!"

"Go!"

"Yes!"

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The hoarse-voiced man left, his steps steady, but as he stepped out of the room, Dorji's distant voice came again.

"This is the last time!"

"Understood, if I fail, I will die there."

He finally stepped out of the room, walked through the corridor, and when he walked under the street lamp, the dim light illuminated his face.

It was a man in his thirties, slightly weathered, he looked up slightly, facing the cold wind, opened his arms, as if to embrace the night.

His face was five points similar to Woolly Allen, and he was surprisingly the missing Merri Allen.

...

Loye was waiting, waiting for the day when the dawn would come to this Oakland City, which was like a tangled mess.

He believed that that day would not be too long, because those big shots never had patience.

And what Loye wanted to know would inevitably become clear in this turbulence.

However, what he didn't expect was that he hadn't waited for what he wanted, but someone had come to his door first.

19 Lombard Street, second floor.

Loye stood by the window, looking down, and saw a person wearing a black gentleman's suit, with messy hair, a stubbly beard, and had not been taken care of for many days standing there with a worried look.

It was the director of the Champs Elysees Magic Textile Factory, Loye's partner, Maruna Marquis.

He asked, "What's going on again?"

Butler Hoover opened his mouth, "Maruna's home, you've been there, is in the west of the city!"

Loye suddenly turned his head and looked at him: "Could it be that he was attacked by pirates?"

Butler Hoover nodded slightly and said: "His wife is dead, killed by pirates, and suffered humiliation before her death.

The two children were also kidnapped by pirates. He escaped because he was at the factory and wasn't at home."

"Now, the pirates have sent a ransom note, demanding five hundred guilders per person, otherwise they will be killed."

"So, he's here to borrow money?"

"No, he can solve the money matter himself."

Hoover smiled bitterly: "The problem is, he wants to ask the young master and Mr. Oliveira to take action."

"Pirate looting and demanding ransom are common occurrences, but there are also many cases of tearing up tickets after paying the money."

"During this time, your young master's reputation has spread far and wide. On the day of the God's Grace Festival, the only achievement that Oakland City could come up with was the pirates you left behind, young master."

"Then, these things were known by Maruna. He wants to see you, Mr. Oliveira, so he asked me for help, and has been pestering me for days.

I had no choice but to bring him here."

Loye frowned slightly. He had attended the family banquet held by Maruna.

Maruna's wife had a bright and generous smile, treated people like a spring breeze, and was a very gentle lady.

But now, she's actually dead?!

He had also seen the two children, eight or nine years old, a boy and a girl, with both children, which was very enviable.

But he didn't expect them to be kidnapped by pirates. Children that young have a lower probability of surviving in a pirate den than adults.

But should he help or not? Loye wasn't sure.

"Young Master Loye, what do you think, should we meet or not?"

Loye glanced at Maruna outside the door again, and finally said: "Let's meet, since he's already here."

"Okay, I'll call him up."

I like to make the supporting characters stand up as much as possible. They are all flesh and blood and have behavioral logic, not just cardboard people!