Mage? Magic Engineer!

The unpleasant encounter with the Elves was finally coming to an end.

Their late-night conversation was drawing to a close. Hill stepped out from the shadows and into the moonlight, tear stains still visible on her face. In truth, she had already cried once before Rorschach came to find her.

The Half-Elf stared at the young human. "I’ve thought it through now. Perhaps before we Elves ask for help, we should first save ourselves. At the very least, we need to root out some of our corrupt and degenerate members."

"Those Elders are all very old," Rorschach said seriously. "Don’t let that make you go soft and spare them. Otherwise, neither you, the Mixed-blood Princess, nor that Saintess of Victory will have a moment’s peace."

Hill finally smiled through her tears. "You make a lot of sense."

"I hope our next meeting won’t be so distressing." Rorschach took out the Wooden Mask from his Storage Ring. "Since I didn’t offer any help, let’s forget about the gift."

"No, please keep it," Hill insisted. "This is a gift I chose, not for any other purpose, truly just a congratulatory present. Don’t mind its crude appearance; it’s a mask that only Priests could wear in the past. It’s said to be a genuine ritual item and might have some magical properties."

"But you don’t know how to use it anymore, right?" Rorschach’s casual remark was a critical hit, but he still accepted it. "Alright then, thank you for your gift. If I discover anything, I’ll let you know."

Hill said no more. She gave a nod and disappeared into the darkness again.

「...」

The Aurora Elder Council gladly accepted the Northern Federation’s sincere offer of cooperation. The most heated argument during the emergency meeting was still over the distribution of high-purity Mithril. Who could blame them, when those short fellows were willing to offer up their most prized treasures?

From then on, the aerospace center, and even the Steel Factory, Refining Factory, and BASF, had many more Dwarves.

These new master craftsmen were all diligent and inquisitive. To prevent their questions from excessively disrupting normal operations, a temporary rule had to be issued: each person could only ask three questions a day. They were each given three question cards, and the experts who provided answers would collect the cards, for which they would receive a joint reward from the Special Zone and the Dwarf Federation.

「At the Kempson Steel Factory, beneath a blast furnace.」

"Hey now, your one question has three parts. One card isn’t going to cut it."

"You oaf, stop acting so high and mighty! Just tell me! Why is the blast furnace designed like this? What materials go in and out of all these Flange Ports? What’s the ultimate purpose of this design?" The questioning Dwarf was so exasperated he looked ready to swing his wrench. He was asking Jansen, who, despite being a Dwarf himself, always identified as one of the Bayern people and refused to give his compatriots any special treatment.

Annoyed, Jansen wrapped his leather jacket tighter. "Tell you what? You come right up and ask about core secrets. All I can say is: no-comment! Besides, I’m only in charge of designing and building the plant and its equipment. I don’t know the specific processes. You’d better find someone more qualified."

"Come on, my good brother, don’t be like that. I’ll buy you a drink after work..." The newly arrived Dwarf wasn’t familiar with the human master craftsmen, so he had been pestering Jansen all day.

"A drink? Is there anything here that’s even drinkable?" Jansen stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Sigh, now you’ve made me a bit homesick..."

"We have strong spirits from the Northern Lands. Guaranteed to satisfy you."

Jansen nodded, a devious look on his face. "Now that’s more like it. Listen up, I’m only saying this once, and I’m not responsible if it’s right or wrong... Right here... just remember to leave an opening. I’m not sure why for the time being, but just replicate it faithfully. It’ll be useful eventually."

The addition of the Dwarves, while their constant questions were annoying, did indeed help advance progress and boost production. Soon, the native Bayern people grew accustomed to the presence of these master craftsmen. In addition to this form of cooperation, the Dwarf Federation was also desperate for the National Salvation Alliance to expand west and north to ensure the stability of its trade route with Bayern.

This was somewhat difficult. The Empire had regained its footing. Valois’s National Guard had already shrunk its front lines to a near-retreat. If William II could reorganize his existing forces, the National Salvation Alliance would soon face a head-on conflict with the Empire.

Rorschach received Valon’s intelligence report and analysis: "Initially, the other Alliance members were encouraged by Pomerania and Bayern joining. But when the rumors from Prague reached their ears, the young masters started voicing pointless concerns again, questioning whether we were interfering too much."

"In reality, their results are far from optimistic. Most of the operations they launched without your support and my guidance have failed. A key cell in the Imperial Capital was captured on the spot. The Emperor of the Empire used this to gain leverage over the Great Nobles, mixing punishments like detention with pardons, which has actually strengthened his authority."

"Elsewhere, there have been successes and failures. But any operation too far from us for timely intervention has mostly been crushed by the Empire Army."

"The only thing of note is that the States originally belonging to the Tams River Alliance are now starting to band together. They’re showing an ambiguous stance between the Imperial Capital and the National Salvation Alliance. It seems they want to avoid any military conflict on their territory, no matter who is fighting whom, yet they also want to maintain their trade relations with us."

"It’s not just them. Morale is low in most Empire Army units. Their willingness to fight is not high, and they’ve shown great enthusiasm for the Alliance’s call to end the war."

’Is this some kind of regional non-aggression pact?’ Rorschach felt conflicted by the war-weariness of the Empire Army and the populace. On one hand, it was a good thing, allowing the National Salvation Alliance’s slogans to ring louder. But on the other hand, if the Alliance’s army (in reality, Bayern’s army) took the offensive, it would go against these sentiments and cause moral damage.

After much consideration, Rorschach made a decision that even Andre couldn’t understand.

"Teacher, are we really going to proceed with this? Even if we need to expand our system, now doesn’t seem like the right time. Building Pomerania to Bayern’s standards will require even more investment. And... and didn’t you say the apocalypse is coming? What’s the point of continuing all this construction now?"

"So, running off to another plane of existence would be more meaningful?" Rorschach rolled his eyes at his apprentice and explained his decision. "Let’s be realistic. For the majority of people, they will follow whoever can give them a better life and a better future. That’s a universal principle."

"If a world-ending disaster comes one day and you want to save the world, you first need the people of the world to be willing to follow your command, right? That ’willingness’ isn’t generated instantly. We have to start building that trust in their hearts from now on. I’ve made it as clear as I can. Just cooperate with Valon and do your job here."

"Everything we’re doing will be useful eventually."

Andre was still a little lacking in this respect. Rorschach believed that even if people like Pavel called Valon a "devil," Valon would definitely understand and resolutely carry out his decisions.

「...」

In the depths of winter in Prague, the temporarily repaired railway tracks were connected to the lines within Bayern.

Cargo trains rumbled from south to north, the snowplows on their fronts clearing the accumulated snow from the tracks. This time, they weren’t carrying soldiers and weapons, but supplies to feed and clothe the people.

The residual slag from coking coal was sifted and transported to Pomerania. A temporary briquetting plant was set up, and a few days later, the people of Prague received a batch of free coal. Unlike the coal lumps they used to burn, what they got this time were uniform, honeycomb-patterned briquettes that burned better and produced less smoke.

The Pomian people were amazed by the "Bayern coal," while the stationed Bayern soldiers, Casters, and workers regarded their amazement with a faint air of disdain and a touch of pride.

"Oh, this coal is wonderful. Thank you, sir," said a woman, who was the last to receive her coal, offering some flattery.

"Hmph. Back home, we all have central heating. Ever heard of central heating?" The staff member distributing the coal gestured with his hands.

The woman didn’t understand, but she was still filled with a sense of longing. "Will Prague have central heating in the future?"

"I suppose so..." The worker looked around. This was the capital of Pomerania, with colorful houses lined up one after another, albeit a bit old. In his hometown, everything was new. "The old Kempson was worse off than this place."