Mage? Magic Engineer!-Chapter 67 - 64: The First Dinner Party
The Granor family residence was on Prairie Avenue. The newly purchased five-story, free-standing mansion was tall and spacious—most importantly, large enough to receive guests for the future Count Granor. But tonight, only five people sat at the long dining table that could accommodate twenty.
Besides Granor at the head of the table and François beside Rorschach, there were also the Quasi-Countess and her young daughter.
"It’s a good thing we have these flowers; they make the table look less empty. There’s something to be said for this Valuva flair." An elaborate floral arrangement sat in the center of the table, adding a splash of color to the white tablecloth, but upon closer inspection, the flowers were slightly wilted. Instead of candelabras, Granor used a rather ostentatious Magic Lamp—it didn’t glow on its own, but cleverly used a circuit to make the Light Technique last longer.
Most of the home’s decorations were like this: a clumsy imitation of the Great Nobility on one hand, and an exaggerated emphasis on magic on the other, all in an attempt to prove his status as a Great Mage to any visitors.
’He’s already a Great Mage and he’s still putting on this kind of act. The man is so full of contradictions.’ Compared to the debonair Master Kano, Rorschach could only shake his head in his mind.
During the dinner, Granor asked a few questions about the Sub-plane before finally, after beating around the bush, asking for Rorschach’s opinion on the Sub-plane’s gold mine.
"To be honest, the only evidence is that one Apprentice’s find. Maybe he was just extremely lucky, while most of us had pretty bad luck over those three days." At this, both Rorschach and François chuckled.
"Frankly, Master Granor, I’m from the Empire. A gold mine in Holy Kingdom Territory has nothing to do with me, and I will not make any rash comments on such a sensitive matter." Rorschach neither confirmed nor denied anything, and made it clear this was his stance with everyone else as well.
Granor gave a dry laugh. "If it’s to be mined, it will require a stable, high-capacity transportation channel, which Master Kano managed to create on the day of the emergency opening. It’s said that Mage Rorschach’s paper played a key role, allowing the Alchemy Department to improve the power units."
"Speaking of which, thank you for recommending my paper. I already heard about it from Teacher Kano."
"That’s mainly because you’re an exceptional talent, Mage Rorschach. Since its effectiveness has already been proven in practice, the Magic Guild shouldn’t get bogged down in tedious procedures. I’ve read your paper—that discussion of heat, er, energy was brilliant. Mage Rorschach, have you any interest in joining the Masons’ Guild?"
At this, even François was startled. His knife slipped, scraping across his plate with a rude, piercing screech.
"My apologies. I’m not very familiar with the Masons’ Guild. I hear you’re a high-ranking member?"
"It’s nothing worth mentioning. Just a fellowship with a rather long history." Though Granor said it was nothing, he unconsciously straightened his back.
"In ancient times, the stonemasons who sculpted statues of the Divine Spirits founded the Masons’ Guild. We revere geometry and magic. Nominally, we’re responsible for much of the Magic Guild’s construction projects, and we have members and Chapters all across the continent.
"Of course, what’s the point of sculpting statues of Divine Spirits these days? Our new goal is to shape more interesting things. You’ll find out what they are if you’re willing to join, Mage Rorschach."
"It sounds like a very impressive organization, but I’m afraid my math isn’t very good, and I’m not that interested in geometry." Rorschach refused the olive branch. ’Any organization where this guy is a senior member can’t be very reliable. In my eyes, François is far more likable than his father.’
The blunt refusal plunged the dinner into a temporary, awkward silence. Beneath the table, out of Rorschach’s sight, the Quasi-Countess kicked her daughter.
"Mage Rorschach, ever since my brother came back, he’s been saying what a powerful Caster you are. Could you show us something?" François’s sister began to "recite" her rehearsed lines, her voice exceptionally saccharine. ’If this were before I crossed over,’ Rorschach thought, ’I’d just tell her: Cut the cutesy act and taste my steel!’
"Quelviss, Mage Rorschach is our guest."
"It’s quite all right. I didn’t realize François thought so highly of me." Rorschach turned to glance at the young man seated next to him, and François forced a smile. ’François, your smile isn’t natural at all. You’ve still got a long way to go.’
Rorschach placed his hand on the slightly wilted flowers. This was the Resuscitation Skill, a Basic Spell from the Natural System that Rorschach had created by deconstructing a Divine Art and then combining the principles of "Activation" and "Su Sheng." Before their very eyes, the drooping flowers became plump and moist again, their leaves turning a more vibrant green.
"Oh!" Quelviss gasped. She watched as the flowers all changed color, shifting from common yellows and pinks to rarer shades of bright blue and smoky purple, while the white blossoms went from off-white to a crystalline, pure white.
This was the effect of adding the "Mapping" principle.
Granor immediately commented, "François has praised your Shaping Power Magic to me, Mage Rorschach. I didn’t realize you were so accomplished in the Natural System as well."
’Seriously? You’re going to praise this, too? Can’t you show a little of a High Tier Mage’s pride?’ Rorschach was beginning to find this whole social affair sickening.
A servant brought a course of potted meat to the table, dividing it precisely among the five diners. Pork, with a mix of fat and lean, had been pan-fried and simmered until falling-apart tender, then shredded and cooked with various spices to create a "pork spread" perfect for eating with slices of bread. Each person was also served a small dish of dark, pickled citrus. Rorschach dipped his bread in it for a taste. The combination of salty, sweet, and sour was similar to preserved plum, followed by a familiar citrusy flavor at the end. It was likely meant to cut the richness of the meat spread.
"This is a delicacy from my wife’s hometown. I find it a bit rich myself, but I imagine you young people can handle it just fine." Granor used his knife to pick up the fibrous meat spread and smooth it over a piece of bread.
"The story goes that a group of young fellows got into an argument over how to divide a Wild Boar after a hunt. They were all capable young men, and each one claimed his arrow had struck the beast. No matter who got the best cuts, someone would complain. So, the cook simply cooked the whole thing, shredded the meat finely, and made it into a spread to be divided evenly."
Chopping it up for easy distribution—this was a concept the banker and Minister of Finance, Nekker, wholeheartedly endorsed. He wanted to slice His Majesty the King’s gold mine into one hundred thousand pieces, though he had no idea how large the mine was, or if there would be enough to slice.
Fortunately, he wasn’t slicing up the gold itself, but rather issuing shares in the Shalena Mining Company.
After reading the Minister of Finance’s report, Charles XVI looked up and smiled. "My dear Nekker, I trust you don’t intend to just scatter my gold to the winds, do you?"
"Your Majesty, shares in the company are by no means shares in the gold mine itself. Does Your Majesty know the current amount of our public debt?" Public debt—the debt of the Kingdom, and more importantly, the debt of the Royal Family.
Nekker, certain that Charles wouldn’t have an answer, continued his explanation. "Converted to New Coins, even with a planned twenty percent devaluation, it’s still three point two billion in gold—a number as vast as the grains of sand in the Seine River! Where are we to find a river that flows with gold coins?"
"The gold mine..."
"There’s no time, Your Majesty, there’s no time! The mine’s reserves haven’t been surveyed, extraction hasn’t begun, and it’s still in that damned Other Plane! We’d be better off selling the hope it represents for a good price." Nekker produced another report. It was brief, and most importantly, he was giving it to His Majesty personally, ensuring it wouldn’t pass through the hands of the Prime Minister.
"Five hundred Lang per share... annual dividend of two hundred Lang per share... redeemable with public bonds, four hundred Lang in bonds for five hundred gold-backed shares..."
The Lang was the unit for paper currency. One Lang exchanged for one Gold Coin, and one livre for one Silver Coin. At least, for now.
Nekker had no idea that a document identical to his new report was currently sitting on a Cardinal’s desk. At that moment, however, Dipresy was pondering a far more significant, and far more dangerous, question. He spoke to his personal secretary in a jesting tone, "If we were to tax the Nobility, the Order Church, and the commercial arms of the Magic Guild at the same rate as commoners, would the Holy Kingdom descend into civil war?" 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
The secretary, buried under a mountain of documents, didn’t even look up. "You’ve also said before that if we don’t levy taxes, the Kingdom won’t survive anyway."
