"But you only have the right to advise, not to decide."

"Of course. I understand."

With his silver-tongued speech, Nekker successfully won himself the position of "Economic Advisor to the Magic Guild." He firmly believed this was merely a gap year for the Kingdom’s Minister of Finance. "You’ll find this investment to be worthwhile," he said. "When the Royal Palace carriage once again stops for me, inviting me to become the Minister of Finance, you and all Mages will receive my most loyal rewards."

Kano ignored Nekker’s promise. "Alright, what do you plan to do next?"

The Great Mage realized it was necessary to restrict the former minister’s personal freedom to prevent him from causing trouble while under their protection.

Nekker called a waiter over and ordered a glass of white wine for himself. He had earned enough gold for the Royal Family; it was time to enjoy himself. He took a small sip.

"Writing! I must elucidate my economic and financial theories to maintain my popularity among the people. If I am ever unfortunate enough to be locked in a prison, being forgotten by everyone is a far more terrifying fate than the temporary loss of my freedom."

"In one respect, you are a man of immense courage," Kano commented, then asked the minister to leave the dining hall to prevent their meal from being completely ruined.

Nekker was placed in a hospital designated by the Guild, enjoying a private "ward," his trajectory strikingly similar to that of his "protégé," Valon. The Guild promised to provide him with newspapers, as well as the paper, pens, and books he needed for writing, and would allow his wife to visit him once a week.

The duration of his protection was left for him to decide. Nekker himself was to judge when His Majesty the King’s anger had subsided.

"His Majesty and the wise Prime Minister will understand that there is no one but me for that position. No one can do it better."

After seeing the overconfident man off, Kano shook his head. "Honestly, I’m already starting to regret this. If any problems arise, our only option might be to dissolve this ’Alchemist’ in a strong acidic alchemical solvent... I don’t think even the Bastille Fortress could hold him."

Rorschach stood up, bid his farewells, and also left the dining hall of the Starlight Torch Tower.

...

The Seine River flowed ceaselessly into the early summer, and the entire Valuva City grew sultry with the heat. The currency’s value had stabilized after the new policies, but the people of Valois had taken a heavy blow. The boldest among them took action, though it amounted to little more than dismantling or burning down the signs of a few banks. After a few spat curses and a return to the popularity of physical currency, everything seemed to go back to the way it was.

After all, people had to go on living. The common folk were already accustomed to days of exploitation. As long as they could still afford bread, whether they left their descendants a large silver coin or a couple of copper coins was something they had no time to consider, no time to even sigh over.

However, if one were to speak of lingering effects, the owners of small restaurants and shops had truly suffered unacceptable losses. They had lost their former luster. Many shops hung up "For Sale" signs, but there were no takers. In the end, they simply closed their doors and packed everything up to pay off debts. These people didn’t even have the courage to demand an explanation from the banks and could only live their days sighing in despair.

Life in the Holy Kingdom, much like the weather, grew hotter and more unbearable by the day. More and more people realized the "sun" above them was scorching them, and thanks in particular to the "Report," private and public cursing grew more frequent.

Previously, only the young would loudly discuss "dangerous topics" in the teahouses. Now, everyone was talking. When the Security Team patrols encountered this, they would only offer a token reprimand before taking some "tea money" from the owner and leaving.

In this atmosphere, the factory-building craze that had been booming six months prior cooled down, but this did not include the subsidiary merchant companies of the Magic Guild.

CRASH! The sparkling wine bottle struck the hull of the boat. A small, elegantly curved vessel was pushed from the shore into the water, kicking up a spray. The crowd applauded enthusiastically. The one who smashed the bottle was Pascal, while Rorschach clapped along from within the crowd behind him.

As a precaution, the small boat was still equipped with sails, but they weren’t unfurled. There were no paddle wheels on its hull; instead, it was fitted with a rear propeller and a steam engine improved by the Alchemy Department.

Rorschach had a hand in its miniaturization, so he also attended the launching ceremony. Pascal was there representing Master Kano.

Ever since Granor’s disappearance, the entire "Noble Faction" had an immediate change of heart. Regarding the Magic Tower and Alchemy Department’s release of technology, former obstructors had become avid promoters.

As soon as Pascal stepped down, he immediately blended into the crowd. He quickly took off the Mage Robe he had longed for for years and balled it up. Only then could he get a moment of peace.

"So, how many parties have you been to?" Rorschach asked, seeing that Pascal’s dark circles were bad enough to qualify for national treasure status.

"Starting last week... the opening ceremony for the Starry Bank, and then Kano made me go to the cocktail parties for every merchant company... At first, I thought getting free food and drinks was a good thing. I was so naive!"

Now, Pascal was never without a concentrated Energy Potion. He casually opened a bottle, drained it, and continued, "The club meetings have gotten more frequent, too, often going late into the night... Paulina also has me helping her sort documents... My dear junior brother, I haven’t seen you at all these past few days. You’re just leaving me to die!"

"It’s not like you only have one junior brother..." Rorschach took half a step back. "You know, senior brother, I have my own tasks to attend to."

"Alright, alright..." Pascal sighed, before being dragged away by the ceremony’s organizers to the reception.

CHUGGA-CHUGGA-CHUGGA! The small boat puffed out black smoke, sailing toward the far end of the Seine River amidst the cheers of the crowd, cutting through the water’s surface and the setting sun.

Also at the launching ceremony were a few other boats from the Alchemy Department. However, they were powered by a Wind Creation Technique Magic Array. A Mage stood at the stern, simultaneously steering and channeling Magic Power into the array, crudely displacing the river water behind the boat. Their speed was comparable to the speedboats from Rorschach’s Original World.

In no time, they overtook the experimental steam engine and propeller boat, leaving a stylish trail of spray in their wake.

Rorschach felt the gentle breeze on his face and sighed in admiration. ’With a gadget like this, what’s the point of steam power?!’

The boat sped out of the urban area, blasting through a water checkpoint so fast the Guards didn’t even have time to react. Just as Rorschach was on the verge of throwing up, the magic speedboat finally slowed down, stopping at a desolate patch of wilderness.

"Rorschach, my boy!" Greeting him was the head of the Alchemy Department, Snow. Master Snow was currently riding a wave of success. Ever since Master Kano had taken full control of the Magic Guild and implemented his policy of releasing technology, the Alchemy Department had become a hot commodity. Massive amounts of resources were pouring in, and news about it frequently appeared in the Elemental Truth Newspaper.

Now, no Mage dared to show contempt for members of the Alchemy Department. In fact, many from the "Noble Faction" had begun to curry favor with Snow. Rorschach didn’t know if this transformation was good or bad for the Alchemy Department.

"Give me a Purple Potion..." Rorschach urgently needed an Energy Potion to perk himself up and remove the motion sickness debuff.

As expected, Snow had a Purple Potion on him. He handed it to his guest and led Rorschach step by step into the wilderness. This was land belonging to the Tower of Stars, which had been neither cultivated for farming nor turned into a pasture or hunting ground.

’This is just like in American TV shows, where the villains love to execute people out in the middle of nowhere,’ Rorschach thought. ’If my character is popular enough, maybe the writers will script a comeback for me...’ He scanned the entire wasteland, which was surrounded by hills. The wild grass, bathed in the sunset, swayed in the evening breeze.

"Do you know why Master Kano told you to find me here?" Snow asked, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Rorschach as they looked out over the wasteland.