Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 380 The Whirlpool (Part 7)

[Early morning on the day of the election]
[Steel Castle Municipal Palace]
Before the public debate began, Winters met with Mayor Woodper.

Mayor Woodpecker was changing into his debate robes, with two servants attending to him. In front of him was a mercury mirror taller than an adult, a size Winters had never seen before.

The mayor meticulously checked his appearance, making adjustments from time to time, as if every strand of hair and every badge had a fixed position.

However, even the thickest layer of powder couldn't hide the unease and annoyance on the mayor's face.

“[Old saying] Please answer me, Your Excellency,” Paul Wooper looked at Winters through the mirror and asked bluntly, “[Old saying] Whose side are you on?”

“[Old saying] You can trust me, Mr. Mayor.” Winters replied calmly, “[Old saying] I will never side with the United Provinces.”

"[Old saying] Then why..."

“[Old saying] I respect you, Mayor, but business is business. If you can convince your partner to accept my offer, I will be your most loyal ally.”

……

Then, Winters met John Servet.

Steelcastle City Councilman John Servit is forty-nine years old, but looks only in his early forties. He is tall and thin, with short light gray hair, and every button of his dark black shirt is fastened tightly, giving him a stern expression.

Only Winters and Servetus were in the room.

Servet sat upright in his deep red armchair, flipping through a thick stack of manuscripts. He raised his sunken eyes and glanced at Winters, and the atmosphere immediately became somber.

“Mr. Granash,” Servet’s voice was low and cold, “are you trying to buy off my supporters?”

This was Winters' first meeting with Servetus, and he restrained himself from showing any emotion: "I cannot accept this accusation."

"You first appeared at the Esther family's reception, and then made contact with more than a dozen forge masters. How do you think I should assume your purpose?"

Winters paused for a moment, then said sincerely, “Don’t worry, Mr. Congressman. I can assure you with my honor that I am neither a White Eagle nor a Paul Wooper, and my dealings with you workshop owners do not involve any political motives.”

Servetus's gaze swept over the young baron. Although he found no trace of a lie, he couldn't convince him based on just a few words: "In that case, what exactly do you want?"

“Money, Mr. Congressman, jingling money. If you can convince your supporters to accept my offer, I don’t mind letting gold flow in your name.”

……

……

Winters' visit to the two "representatives" was just a minor incident; the main event today was the public debate before the election.

Decades ago, when everything around Lake Rose was still the property of the Elin Abbey, the blacksmiths who gathered there were already practicing a noisy guild-style democracy.

After entering the Republican era, with the increasing wealth, the Steel Fortress people also adopted the procedures of the Senate of the ancient empire in a pretentious manner.

Even the Steel Castle City Council was built according to the imagined ancient palace of elders: a high dome, circular tiered seating, and a debate platform in the center of the hall.

However, the Steelburgers made one improvement: they added a second floor to the parliament hall so that those who were not eligible to attend the debates could listen in.

The owners of the steel forges gathered in the council hall on the first floor. A considerable number of them were no longer "blacksmiths" or had never even done blacksmithing work, but this did not prevent them from becoming one of the small groups of people who controlled the steel industry in Steel Castle.

Winters, Carlo Eid, and Kaman watched the debate from the second floor of the House of Representatives.

The echo chamber made Paul Wuppert and John Servit's words exceptionally loud, with deafening echoes frequently emanating from the tiered seating.

"How is it?" Carlo Ed asked Winters.

“Mayor Wupper is very capable,” Winters replied in a low voice. “But Senator Servet should be able to win.”

It must be admitted that Paul Wooper's brilliant performance in the debate greatly changed Winters' impression of him.

After the mayor, who was usually exaggerated and frivolous, stepped onto the podium, he seemed to become a different person. He spoke eloquently and passionately, recounting the glorious history of Steel Fortress from nothing to something, from small to large, and from large to strong, which drew thunderous applause from the members of the blacksmiths' guild.

After recounting his grandfather's, father's, and his own achievements, Mayor Woodper abruptly shifted his focus, turning his attention to Hornburg and "those whose names we cannot mention," exaggerating the current crisis facing Steelburg as if it were sitting on a volcano without realizing it.

After briefly recounting the great achievements of his ancestors, Paul Wuppert concluded that only he—the Wuppert family’s loyal servant—was the leader who could lead Steelburg out of its predicament.

If Paul Wupper was previously seen by Winters as a "playboy indulging in wine and women," then after this long and detailed explanation, Paul Wupper's image has at least become that of an "eloquent playboy indulging in wine and women."

In contrast, John Servetus' performance was lackluster.

According to Winters, the biggest problem with Senator Servet is that his voice is unpleasant, strained, and lacks the magic to evoke emotion.

The senator Servet, who is extremely imposing in one-on-one situations, has no presence whatsoever when standing in public.

Member of Parliament Servet mechanically recited his prepared speech, like a piece of black bread that had been left out for too long and had become dehydrated—dry, hard, and dull.

Others might think Servetus's speaking style was simply his nature, but Winters felt the congressman's poor performance was entirely due to his nervousness. Because he was so nervous, he could only deliver his speech in a completely emotionless manner.

However, Speaker Servet's speech was packed with substance. He didn't spend time reminiscing about glorious pasts, but instead focused on the current situation.

The congressman, holding an extremely pessimistic view, proposed that "prolonging the trade ban" and "expanding the Patratu civil war" must be considered prerequisites for policy-making.

Servetus's point of view was very interesting, and Winters listened with rapt attention.

The congressman believes that attempting to directly challenge Hornburg is a serious misjudgment of the situation; the trade ban is not only unlikely to be relaxed, but will become increasingly stringent; in the short term, Steelburg will inevitably suffer a severe blow.
However, as the civil war in Palatour expands, the demand for steel and weapons will eventually reach a higher level; at that time, even the United Provinces will have to untie Steel Castle and ask Steel Castle for help; therefore, the most urgent task is to protect Steel Castle's iron industry and help each workshop survive the initial impact.

The parish council, municipal government, or state legislature can provide guarantees and loans to workshop owners on the verge of bankruptcy, or they can directly set up warehouses and purchase goods at set prices...

Towards the end, Winters even took out paper and pen to take notes. Clearly, compared to the eloquent Mayor Woodper, Councilor Servet's speech was more substantial—even though he was pro-United States.

That's why Winters replied to Carlo Eid: "Mayor Wooder is great, but Senator Servet will win."

Carlo Eder disagreed with Winters' assessment, shaking his head with a smile: "I think it's hard to say. If the current situation weren't so worrying, Senator Servet wouldn't even have a chance of winning. Even now, Senator Servet's chances of winning wouldn't exceed 50%."

"Why?" Winters asked, puzzled.

Carlo Eder turned his gaze toward the debate stage.

The election debates have entered the questioning phase, with Paul Wuppert and John Servit exchanging sharp and pointed remarks.

Wupper attacked Servet, saying he was neither a true Solingen native nor a blacksmith, but rather someone who inherited a forge and gained the right to vote by being adopted.

Servet, however, did not acknowledge Paul Wupper's abilities, and cited several examples of Mayor Wupper giving preferential treatment to his friends and family.

“This kind of debate is not like a sword fight,” Carlo Ed said slowly. “In a sword fight, the goal is to defeat your opponent. The key to the debate we are about to have is to win over the audience. Whether you can refute your opponent is secondary.”

Winters also shifted his gaze from the two debaters to the audience.

Clearly, Paul Wuppert completely outmaneuvered Servetus in stirring emotions, venting feelings, and inspiring followers.

Winters suddenly smiled and said to Kaman, "If Mayor Woodper were to join the Catholic Church, he would surely be a master of evangelism and debate."

Kaman was taken aback at first, then his eyes widened: "The Catholic Church's sermons have strict rituals and procedures, and its theological debates are all about logic. It is the Protestant sermons that like to incite emotions. Don't try to smear us."

Winters raised his hands in surrender.

Kaman retorted, "But you, yesterday you were running around visiting people everywhere, trying to profit from the candidates' battle. But now? The vote is about to start, and your last chance has slipped away."

"The Blacksmiths' Guild election is over, but there are still the Parish General Guild and the City Council elections to come." Winters and Mr. Ed exchanged a glance and said with a smile, "Mayor Woodper won't have it so easy. Just you wait and see, Councilor Servit and he still have a long way to go."

After the debate concluded, the parliament entered a brief recess.

The forge owners who were seated on the tiered seats dispersed, and when they returned, they would vote to decide who would become the next guild leader.

Paul Wuppert and John Servit were also surrounded and hurried out of the House of Representatives—presumably to count the votes.

The guild democracy of the Steelcastle blacksmiths had not yet developed a role similar to the [Party Whip] of later generations. All prior promises were likely just empty words, and the matter was only settled when the forge owner actually cast his vote in the black box.

After the break, the two candidates and the masters of the forge returned to the council chamber.

"May we begin?" the speaker in charge of maintaining order asked the two candidates.

"Wait! The envoys who went to Hornburg to lobby have not yet sent back any news. The current situation is not enough for everyone to make the most appropriate judgment." Paul Wupper, wearing a purple robe embroidered with gold, stepped onto the podium, looking slightly disheveled. However, he quickly composed himself and shouted, "Gentlemen! Forge Masters of Steelburg! It is too early to make a decision now. I propose that the vote be postponed for a week!"

Winters and Carlo Ed exchanged a glance.

Carlo Ed narrowed his eyes: "It seems Mayor Wooder's vote count is not very optimistic."

The elderly gentleman who was speaking seemed a little flustered: "Postpone the vote? Has there been any precedent for this?"

“Yes, it has!” Paul Wupper answered decisively. “Eighty-five years ago, when the parish council discussed the digging of the canal, the vote was postponed twice!”

The speaker tentatively looked at John Servit: "Then this..."

Just as everyone in the parliament was waiting for Servet to refuse verbally, Servet stood up and said in his usual dry tone, "I agree to postpone the vote."

The council chamber erupted in uproar.

“It seems even Senator Servete isn’t sure he can win,” Carlo Ed said thoughtfully.

Winters frowned, and after a long while, he asked himself in a low voice, "Did I set the fire too big?"

"Have you ever lit a small fire?" Kaman countered.

……

On the very night of the open debate for the Blacksmiths' Guild's leadership election, Winters received a letter from Fuller, the gunsmith.

In addition to the polite greetings, the letter listed in detail the prices of various types of military equipment, including rifles, pistols, swords, bullet molds, and even small items such as whetstones.

Fuller also emphasized that the price listed in the letter was the lowest price he could accept; if His Excellency the Baron wanted to make a deal, he would be more than happy to do so; if His Excellency the Baron wanted to continue to lower the price, then there was no point in discussing it.

Winters only read the beginning of the letter and didn't even look at the price list at the end.

He had already received twenty-one of the same letters.

From wheel guns to whetstones, the prices in every letter were exactly the same.

[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, rewards, and comments. Thank you everyone!]
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(End of this chapter)