Mage? Magic Engineer!-Chapter 103 - 100: Unsettling News

It was late at night, and a meeting between the Great Mages of the Tower of Stars and the Tower of Forest was in full swing.

Master Kuo Bo was the first to declare that managing to hide one’s footsteps from the Natural System mages, who excelled at perception, was truly impressive.

Master Kano also chimed in with praise, expressing his admiration that they could sneak in so silently while he was on watch.

HAHAHA! The three of them laughed together, filling the study with a cheerful atmosphere.

"Alright, old man, empty out that bag and let us have a look!"

As he pulled books from his Dimensional Bag, Kuo Bo said, "Since both parties are here, let’s not be sneaky about it. One for you, one for me, let’s just divide them up. We can take the originals now and exchange copies later. A friendly exchange between the two Towers, right?"

Master Kano didn’t respond. While Kuo Bo wasn’t looking, he magically summoned the bag, then mercilessly turned it inside out, forcing it to spit out two exquisite, hefty tomes. After a long sigh from Kuo Bo, the "meeting to divide the spoils" officially began.

Rorschach chose three books to take with him. The first was the Elven epic myth, the *Song of Rada*. In addition to text, it contained extensive poetry with melodies notated in Elven script. The second was an untitled book recording Elven rituals and totems. The last was the Elder’s notebook.

Kuo Bo was very reluctant to part with the third book Rorschach chose, repeatedly insisting that a copy be sent to the Tower of Forest the moment it was made.

Kano focused on selecting materials related to Elven astronomy, calendars, and theories about the world, all of which were closely tied to his research.

As for the Tower of Forest, they were essentially colleagues of these forest dwellers. All the materials, especially the ancient texts, could supplement their research on Elves and Druids, so Kuo Bo basically wanted everything.

Finally, Rorschach brought up a very important matter with Kuo Bo. "I once met an apprentice from the Tower of Forest who later transferred. Her name was Anastasia."

"Oh, that girl... who was she again?"

It didn’t matter whether Kuo Bo remembered her. Rorschach continued, "She was under the control of the Mother Earth Sect when she entered the Tower of Forest, and there were other Sect members inside the tower monitoring her."

Kuo Bo’s expression finally turned serious. "Young Rorschach, do you have any more intelligence on this Sect?"

So Rorschach recounted his battle with the Sect and the issue with the local nobility.

"Therefore, I suspect the Sect is corrupting and infiltrating the central and southern regions of the Empire, and possibly even more broadly. From what Tassia described, it specifically recruits believers from the nobility and is working to expand its presence within the Tower of Forest."

"This is just my personal recommendation, but I hope you will oversee an internal investigation within the Tower of Forest to root out any members infiltrated by the cult."

"Sigh... Thank you for the warning, young friend. I... the Tower of Forest will begin a self-investigation."

Afterward, all the members from the Tower of Forest remained in the forest to handle the aftermath. As for the Tower of Stars, Master Kano, needing to use the Elves’ magic array, also stayed behind as a representative, temporarily stationed at the ruins of the Elf Village. Meanwhile, Master Humboldt led Cavendish and Rorschach out of the Black Forest and back to Pema City.

Pema City was as bustling as ever. It was the peak season for the fur trade, and as a major city in the Southern Empire and a hub of commerce, every street-facing building housed a shop. Signs for leather, lumber, and horse traders could be seen on every street.

Seeing the crowds and hearing the clamor of the bustling city after so long, both Rorschach and Cavendish were moved by the feeling of finally returning to civilization.

At the airship port, Humboldt saw the two of them off.

"Master Humboldt, Rorschach Mage, I apologize for my initial attitude." Before leaving, Cavendish placed a hand over his chest and bowed solemnly to each of them in turn.

"It’s alright," Humboldt comforted the apprentice from the Tower of Stars. "Your Alchemy Map played a crucial role."

"Don’t worry, I’ll put in a good word for you in the report," Rorschach said. Cavendish looked as if he’d been granted a pardon, repeating, "Thank you, thank you."

"Aren’t you returning to the Tower of Stars with the apprentice?"

Rorschach watched Cavendish depart. "I’m heading to the Imperial Capital first to visit the Academy."

In the Empire, when a Mage referred to "the Academy," they invariably meant the Royal Magic Academy. Master Humboldt nodded in understanding and bid Rorschach farewell.

The domestic flights within the Empire had slightly different standards, and this time Rorschach had a private cabin. After checking for any traces of magic, he laid out a pen and paper and began to write his report for the Mechanical Director.

’I’ll have to edit this down and write another version for Kano later...’

...

"It’s Rorschach."

"Come in."

When Rorschach saw the bald boss this time, his dark circles looked a little better, and his desk wasn’t piled as high with unprocessed documents. Rorschach familiarly pulled up a chair and sat across the desk from Sibins.

"Here is the report on the operation." The report Rorschach submitted to the organization focused on describing the characteristics of Mother Earth’s power and analyzing Peterson, the cultist who had infiltrated the Tower of Forest.

"The Tower of Forest does indeed have believers of Mother Earth. A Tier Two Mage was killed on the spot during this operation, but we couldn’t confirm if he was a member of the Return of the Holy Mother sect. The Great Mages of the Tower of Forest are now on alert for cult infiltration."

Sibins nodded, accepting Rorschach’s report. "However, our organization still needs to better understand the situation regarding this Evil God and its followers."

"I have an idea," Rorschach said, recalling some intelligence he’d heard previously. "Is it true that grain production in the Empire decreased last year?"

The bald man nodded. "Yes. His Majesty the Emperor and the Empire Council are giving it their utmost attention—"

"Hold on, I’m not here to listen to that," Rorschach interrupted. "What I mean is, a large number of mages and apprentices from the Tower of Forest will be out in the fields until the spring planting, investigating and preventing pests and diseases."

Sibins stroked his chin. "You mean... we can use this opportunity to investigate the members of the Tower of Forest individually?"

"But don’t interfere with their research. The investigation is simple: if any personnel dispatched from the Tower of Forest attempt to spread an unknown faith among the villagers or local nobility, or if they participate in any strange rituals or other religious activities, you can suspect them of being a cultist."

"However, if the Tower of Forest finds out before you have conclusive evidence, you might find yourself in trouble with the Magic Towers and the Guilds."

In the past, the bald man would have told Rorschach to trust in the organization’s capabilities, but now... he simply replied cautiously, "A very useful suggestion. I will consider it carefully and plan accordingly."

With that, the bald man stood and retrieved a bag of gold coins and a codebook from his safe.

"Didn’t you say this was all official business?"

At the mention of this, the Mechanical Director’s expression darkened. "The Pachaluka Chamber of Commerce is currently undergoing a major personnel and organizational restructuring. This money includes your past compensation plus a six-month advance. You are to have no further contact with the Chamber."

"From now on, we’ll maintain one-way contact through newspaper ads or via the embassy. We’re switching to a new set of codes."

Rorschach took the bag and the new codebook. The leather pouch, filled with gold coins, felt exceptionally heavy in his hand. ’Heavy is good,’ he thought. ’The paper currency of the Holy Kingdom is so light it makes you uneasy.’ "In that case, I’ll accept it. Thank you."

Just as he was about to leave, Sibins stopped him and added an abrupt, seemingly random warning, "If, one day, you receive an evacuation notice from the embassy in Valuva, return home immediately. Do not linger, no matter what."

"Does that mean..."

"Don’t speculate. Just go about your business," Sibins said, dismissing him.

"Then I’ll take my leave."

Teacher Caroline still hadn’t returned. After a quick look, Rorschach left the Academy. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

On the way from the Academy to his inn, there was a general store where Rorschach bought ten days’ worth of the *Marlin News*. It was the bestselling daily paper in the Empire’s core region and one of the mouthpieces of the Empire Council.

The young Mage thought for a moment, then also bought every issue of the *Business Post* from the fifth, tenth, fifteenth, and so on, up to the thirtieth of each of the past three months. Having to dig through back issues for such specific dates earned Rorschach an unfriendly glare from the owner. Fortunately, all the old copies were still in stock, though the earliest one was stained with grease.

’What’s he glaring at? I’m the one helping him clear out old inventory.’

Sibins’s final words echoed in Rorschach’s mind. It was a deeply unsettling implication.

’Is the Empire going to war with the Holy Kingdom?’