Chapter 460: Chapter 457: The Attitude Toward Rorschach
This was the second time Lucas had guided Rorschach, but now he was one of Rorschach’s own employees. The whole way, he wore an awkward expression, looking like he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure what. He was also trying far too hard with the small details.
’You don’t have to act like this, man...’ Rorschach found Lucas a bit too eager. Before, he had been professional and business-like, but now he was all, "Sir, this way."
So, on the way, he proactively asked Lucas about his work.
"Right now, there are eight mutual aid groups of varying sizes, all of which have started using your new system magic. I’ve counted 156 users, and of those, 21 have already uploaded magic."
The Tower of Secret Techniques only had about eight hundred apprentices in total, and the number of mages it produced was even lower than the average for other regions.
Rorschach made a rough calculation; the penetration rate within a month was decent. He commended Lucas for his work. Lucas then brought up an issue: many people were hesitant about the principles behind it, and some prejudiced apprentices believed it was a form of cheating.
Some apprentices had even reported the existence of this "new system magic" to their professors, but Rorschach wasn’t concerned. For now, the Spell Cloud was kept secret and operated on a whitelist system. Besides his own people, when promoting it to the Tower of Secret Techniques’ apprentices, their individual Magic Power couldn’t be too high. Since the instructors at the Tower were at least Middle Level Mages, they wouldn’t be granted access anyway.
However, the current situation and the state of the Spell Cloud were both about to change. The specifics of that change would depend on the upcoming meeting.
Rorschach took a deep breath as the Tower of Secret Techniques, perched on the cliff’s edge, came into view again. Two gargoyles had come out early to greet him, along with some curious apprentices who had stepped out of the tower, wanting to get a look at the young mage with their own eyes.
The Red Dragon Tower Spirit was still seated in the main hall. Upon seeing Rorschach, it snorted and turned its head away.
Rorschach was baffled. ’What was that about?’
"Ever since your last visit, Elizabeth Mage has left, so the Guardian might have a... small issue with you," a gargoyle explained considerately.
’Come on, man, her choice to stay in Wertzburg has nothing to do with me. That was her personal decision.’ Rorschach couldn’t be bothered to explain. ’If that dragon’s neck is so sturdy, it can just keep its head turned like that for all I care.’
When they reached the tower’s central hall, the gargoyles bowed down, prostrating themselves on the floor as if wanting Rorschach to step on them to fly up. Rorschach ignored them and simply ascended, flying toward Feuerbach’s office.
The banking association was the material foundation for both the Tower of Secret Techniques and the Magic Guild within Bayern, paying enormous sums of money to both institutions every year. It was unknown when this custom began. In short, the Magic Guild and the Tower of Secret Techniques provided protection and endorsement, allowing the banks to maintain their independence from the King and City Hall. This single industry was enough to support all the noble Casters in Bayern.
Until a certain troublemaker entered the scene. If it weren’t for Rorschach, the past few years of war would have simply meant a few hard years for the banks. They would have tightened their belts along with the lesser guilds to ensure the Tower of Secret Techniques continued to operate normally. But now, they were locked in a three-way stalemate, and no matter the outcome, the banks’ foundations would be severely damaged.
Which meant damaging the material foundation of the Tower of Secret Techniques.
Whether the insurance companies paid out or not, the banks would either be crushed by bad debt and face bankruptcy and liquidation, or they would have to watch helplessly as most of Bayern’s industries fell into the hands of the Special Zone. The existence of the insurance companies proved that the Special Zone could establish its own financial system and kick the severely weakened banks to the curb.
There was another factor: due to the "industrialization of alchemy" in the Special Zone, Rorschach’s factories had become major buyers of all sorts of Alchemy Materials, driving up their prices. Many sellers were now even prioritizing supplying the Special Zone. As a result, the Tower of Secret Techniques found itself in a situation completely opposite to "increasing revenue while cutting costs."
If only the banks hadn’t taken the bait. If only they hadn’t engaged in reckless lending. If only they hadn’t used depositors’ money to speculate on securities... There were too many "if onlys." But driven by greed—no, by instinct—every bank had done it. And the mages of the Tower of Secret Techniques, with their superhuman intellect, had tacitly approved of and enjoyed the temporary frenzy.
Awaiting his visitor, Feuerbach let out a long sigh. He had never wanted to bother with messy, worldly affairs, but as the head of the Tower of Secret Techniques, he bore an inescapable responsibility.
The door opened, and the young man strolled in. The last time he came, he had been seeking guidance, and Feuerbach, on a whim, had discussed the magic of the Reversing Beam with him. But now, in Feuerbach’s eyes, this visitor came with ill intentions.
’Generally speaking, you shouldn’t cut off someone’s livelihood.’ Rorschach had even considered the possibility that the Great Mage might react violently. ’But since he’s the one who sent the invitation, he... he probably won’t do anything impulsive, right?’
Rorschach’s purpose for this trip could be summed up in one sentence: ’Feuerbach, I’m here to talk terms!’
Therefore, upon arriving at the office and seeing the Great Mage’s grim expression, Rorschach felt he should first try to stabilize the man’s emotions. After the formulaic greetings, he immediately began his "talk therapy." "To be honest, this isn’t a situation my side wanted to see either..."
The Great Mage’s blood pressure rose by one percent.
What Rorschach was actually referring to was the interference from the Royal Family and City Hall. If they hadn’t blocked the deal, Rorschach would have been happy to expand his business empire by packaging and repurposing the remaining junk assets. He continued, "If we don’t want this stalemate to continue, we can choose a middle-ground solution that all parties can accept."
"The banks’ predicament, to put it bluntly, is that they’re out of money. On one hand, they have too many bad debts; on the other, depositors are on the verge of a bank run. If the insurance companies honor their agreements, the banks in Bayern can survive this crisis."
"The Kingdom is unwilling to accept that. Therefore, my side promises to sort the debt claims and then repackage them. The portions with better credit can be re-listed on the market. For those confirmed to be unpayable, we can establish a jointly-owned company to take them over, liquidating and consolidating the remaining assets. The capital injections from the Tower of Secret Techniques and City Hall can be delayed; my side will bear all the initial funding."
The Kingdom’s core demand was that Rorschach could not be allowed to obtain all the debt claims. In that case, Rorschach could compromise with the other two parties, bringing them into the deal. He was also willing to use some of the insurance companies’ cash to save the banks.
Was he taking a loss? Hardly. The turnover from that month’s trades and the insurance premiums alone were a massive source of income. Between Valon’s professional long and short plays, much of the money borrowed by retail investors had actually flowed back into the hands of the biggest players.
And if the Kingdom still wouldn’t agree to the compromise... well, as long as the Tower of Secret Techniques agreed, the two of them could just turn to the Royal Family and tell them to get lost.
Rorschach wasn’t here to do charity, and Feuerbach knew it. After listening to Rorschach’s rambling, he finally spoke. "I don’t care about these things. Just state your terms. What price must we pay?"
"Master," Rorschach said, shaking his head, "don’t you think the apprentices of the Tower of Secret Techniques are in a pitiful state? They waste their youth in the tower, constantly at risk of delayed graduation or getting stuck right before it. I believe this is a sign of the Tower of Secret Techniques’ insufficient educational resources. Would you be willing to cooperate and have my Mage Tower jointly train apprentices with the Tower of Secret Techniques?"
Comments