Mage? Magic Engineer!

The Automobile Factory and the Special Zone could only accommodate a limited number of the unemployed. Now, more and more citizens were getting involved in the chaos. Those who had been watching from the sidelines realized the police couldn’t control the situation and grew bold enough to join in.

Their numbers, courage, and force fed off each other, growing to the point where they were about to reach a critical mass and break through the Guard’s perimeter at key locations in the city.

For the Royal Family, the signs had been there all along—from public opinion to the economy, from the ever-increasing number of reports that gave the King a headache.

Then, unexpectedly, all the disgruntled people had abandoned their restraint. In truth, the people on the streets may not have had a unified slogan or goal. In fact, before the police even arrived, the pro-Empire and pro-Valois factions had already started fighting each other.

But that wasn’t the main point. What truly shocked the Royal Family and City Hall was when this rabble had become daring enough to brawl on such a large scale in the streets.

What was worse was that when the Security Team swaggered out to, for once, actually perform their duties, both sides united to attack them.

"This is no ordinary mob. We must take decisive action." Prince Otto remained level-headed, unlike his more irascible older brother. He compiled the reports from various areas and came to a conclusion: ’There are bad apples in the crowd!’

Moreover, these "bad apples" had either taken Golden Eagle Coins from the Empire or money from the Special Zone. Of course, they believed Valois wasn’t involved, as all it could offer were various coupons and Paper Currency—the kind too thin and flimsy to even use as toilet paper.

It was unclear which faction made the first move. In any case, the other "activists," afraid of missing out, all jumped into the fray. The situation escalated, and all of Bayern devolved into a chaotic stew.

Of course, there were also the "social work volunteers" who leaned toward a republic and didn’t take a single coin. They were the masterminds among the "bad apples," selflessly sharing advanced experience from Valois with the masses—how to set up barricades in the streets, how to organize assault teams, and the refined path to armed insurrection:

First, gather the largest possible number of people in public spaces like the square. Unite to seize the City Defense Armory. After acquiring weapons, the first wave of targets is City Hall, the post and telegraph office, the granaries, and the city gates.

After quickly capturing some high-value locations, the city’s defense forces should have finished mobilizing. At that point, organize a superior force to storm the Royal Palace, forcing the Guard into a standoff in front of it.

As for the remaining targets, small armed groups can be sent to fight while simultaneously negotiating for their surrender. As long as those administrators don’t see reinforcements from the Guard, they most likely won’t hold out for long.

"Telegraph... Go inform my elder brother to mobilize the First Legion!" At this moment, the Second Prince suddenly realized that his most reliable asset was his older brother, who commanded the army. But the force he commanded was the First Legion.

King Albert Ludwig said gravely, "The First Legion is already positioned between Lansite and Munich. If we move them, what happens if the Special Zone makes a move?"

"That Rorschach is a venomous snake! Our commissioner is still under house arrest. Forget handing over grain, I think he’s bent on rebellion!" ’If it were any other Lord, the Royal Family would have cracked down hard long ago. In a past life, there was a saying, ’too big to fail.’ In Bayern, the Special Zone’s relationship with the Kingdom was ’too big to oppose.’’

At least for now, the committee in the Special Zone hadn’t taken a stance or shown its hand. In Munich, whoever dared to declare them traitors now would be forcing them into open rebellion.

The Third and Fourth Legions were stationed at the border to guard against the Empire, while the Second Corps... Prince Otto paced as he thought, ’The Second Corps is in Kempson. We could just leave those vagrants for the Special Zone to handle. Have the Second Corps dispatch three brigades to head north, and the remaining troops can return to Munich to maintain order...’

Then another thought struck him. ’But the resident Mage for the Second Corps happens to be Bart! He’s both the Royal Family’s Prince Consort and Rorschach’s closest friend... Can a man like that be trusted or not?’

The King rubbed his forehead and murmured, "To this day, the worst part is how entangled we all are." He wasn’t just sighing about "the pig who dug up his own family’s truffles," but also commenting on the people at City Hall.

The King knew that although everyone in City Hall swore allegiance to him, for those career administrators, swearing loyalty to a King, an Emperor, or even some council or Mage was all the same. Even if the name on the door changed, the Kingdom would still rely on them for its governance.

That’s why those people all had their own agendas. ’Could the Security Team really not handle the rioters?’ Albert was deeply skeptical.

"Only a Mage can restrain a Mage. The only ones we can count on now..." The King suddenly mentioned an option the Second Prince had not considered:

"Ouyeni is a Great Mage, and she is in Wertzburg. We also need to communicate with the head of the Tower of Secret Techniques... Feuerbach has always been on good terms with our Royal Family. We can talk to him.

"If we can gain the support of two Great Mages, a mere Rorschach will be no cause for concern. We could then confidently mobilize at least three legions, and the riots could be suppressed swiftly."

The Prince’s eyes lit up. "Moreover, Rorschach tricked the Tower of Secret Techniques back in June, so Feuerbach would surely be happy to make trouble for him on this issue. As long as we can stabilize the Special Zone, the source of this chaos in the Kingdom will be sealed."

However, the Prince still had one last reservation. "I’m sure Aunt will be willing to help, but Feuerbach... All those Mages are the same. What if we end up with the Tower of Secret Techniques interfering in our affairs again..."

Albert closed his eyes. "In the past, the Nobility simply requested protection and support from the Holy See... The world ultimately belongs to the powerful. If the Special Zone and the Tower of Secret Techniques can counterbalance each other, and the Empire and Valois can remain at a stalemate, then there will still be a place for us."

"I understand, Father. I’ll send a telegraph to Wertzburg at once. Also... you can leave here for now. It’s enough for me to remain and guard Munich Palace."

The King roused himself and stood up. "No. I will personally write a letter to Master Feuerbach and invite him to... a dinner party."

’He desperately wanted Feuerbach to come over at noon, but there wasn’t enough time for preparations, nor for Elizabeth. And expecting the head of the Tower of Secret Techniques to come running over for a banquet without any advance notice was even more unrealistic.’

Considering the Guards around the Royal Palace were all diligently at their posts and there was no sign of the rioters breaking through, the King hesitated for a moment before opting for a few hours later.

...

In the factories of the Special Zone, steam whistles blared. The factories once again shut down for three days under the pretext of a "fire safety drill." This time, however, there was no relaxed and cheerful atmosphere. Instead, all the workers assembled according to their work squads.

An air of tension instantly filled the entire Special Zone. A workshop supervisor used a megaphone enhanced by the Amplification Technique to read a notice in plain language: "Bayern is in chaos! The grain harvest is upon us, and vagrants have their eyes on it. That King wants it too. Are we going to let them have it?"

A unified response rose from below: "No!" Although many of them had once been vagrants themselves, they didn’t feel the announcement was about them at all. Instead, they earnestly considered whether the fruits of their labor were threatened by the rioters outside the Special Zone.

"Good! Those who have served in the militia or security patrols, step forward to receive rifles! The rest of you will form patrol teams. Get your steel plates, riot control forks, and Scrolls... They’re all single-use, so don’t get itchy fingers and open them without orders."