Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 120: With these insects.
When Morin first heard this, he was a little taken aback.

He didn't understand what this had to do with Cecilia, but as Patricia continued to explain, he roughly understood what kind of messed up situation it was.

"Although our Saxon Empire nominally follows a development path that combines Brilliant Crystal technology and magical technology, these two technological paths have always been in fierce conflict and competition while cooperating."

Patricia's tone had lost its initial cheerfulness and had become somewhat somber.

"Not to mention, in recent years, with the continuous breakthroughs in crystal technology, the Empire has gradually shown a trend of fully shifting towards the crystal industry route."

"For those mages, this means that their voice is being constantly squeezed."

"Therefore, as a spellcaster with such a close relationship with the 'Queen of Radiant Crystals,' you are far too complicated in their eyes."

Morin: "No...just because of this?"

"Of course there's more. You're a Junker military nobleman, though you've fallen on hard times, you're still a military nobleman, and currently, your prospects in the military are excellent."

Patricia sighed, then continued:

"The mage community and the Junker nobles have never gotten along well, and you are the first spellcaster with a Junker noble background, which is not a good thing for the mages."

Morin: "That's not right. Lieutenant Colonel Ludwig and you are both Junker nobles, but one of you is an armored knight and the other works at the Magic Research Institute. You're not even spellcasters."

"No, no, no, how can a naturally awakened spellcaster be the same as a knight whose body has been modified later in life?"

Patricia raised a finger and shook it, her expression showing a hint of regret.

"First of all, the armored knight is a product of some kind of unavoidable compromise. Secondly, with my research capabilities, if I had been born into a non-Junker noble family, I would have more than just an office by now."

"Wow~ Miss Sextet, you're amazing?"

Morin said with some disbelief:
"Would you like to help me miniaturize that magic crystal cannon?"

Patricia: "."

Seeing Patricia's somewhat speechless expression, Morin smiled and changed the subject:
"That's what they say, but these xenophobic mages approved the applications submitted to the research institute quite quickly this time."

"How could we not give face to the royal family? We've never gotten along with the Junkers anyway." Patricia rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"That's true."

Morin nodded, and upon hearing this, he felt he had finally understood.

The situation within the Saxon Empire was far more complex than he had imagined.

Various factions have long been in conflict due to their diverse interests, but external threats have forced them to entangle themselves around the tree called 'nation'.
The conflict stems from disputes over technological approaches, conflicts between interest groups, and my own unclear "status."

No wonder those monks ignored me.

He took a deep breath and then summarized in a very blunt tone.

“Miss Seekert, I understand now.”

"The mage community on the Empire's side is just a bunch of academic cliques who stick together for warmth and are stuck in their ways!"

"It is precisely because of their extremely xenophobic, closed-minded, and conservative behavior that the development of magical technology has reached its current state!"

Morin grew angrier and angrier, and finally slammed his fist on the table.

"How can you possibly master magic while surrounded by these insects!"

Morin's sudden outburst startled Patricia.

Her bright green eyes widened in surprise as she looked at the emotionally agitated Morin with a bewildered expression.

In her memory, no one had ever dared to use such an insulting word as 'insect' to describe the noble group of mages.

And this happened in front of her, an employee of the Magic Technology Research Institute.

"Hey, don't get so excited!"

Patricia instinctively wanted to retort, but when the words reached her lips, she didn't know what to say.

Because she knew in her heart that although what Morin said was harsh, it hit the nail on the head.

The conservatism and xenophobia of the Imperial Mage Order have indeed seriously hindered the development and application of magical technology.

Many magical techniques that could have been widely adopted were shelved simply because of the ridiculous reason that "ordinary people cannot easily master them."

Many of her own research projects were often unreasonably suppressed because of her identity and because they touched upon the interests of certain senior monks.

Morin realized he had lost his composure, so he took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

“I’m sorry, Miss Seeker, I wasn’t targeting you.”

He looked at Patricia with genuine sincerity in his eyes.

"I believe that technology itself has no inherent attributes; its purpose is to be applied. From my perspective as a soldier, it is to make this country stronger and to reduce the bloodshed of soldiers on the battlefield."

"Instead of becoming a tool for a minority to maintain their own status and interests."

"Possessing advanced technology but not thinking about how to transform it into national strength, instead setting restrictions everywhere, fearing that others will learn it and take away their livelihood. What are they if not insects?"

Patricia fell silent. From a young age, she had been hailed as a genius, excelling smoothly in the field of magical technology, though she had also felt the rigidity of the system.
But she had never examined the problems of the entire mage community from such a sharp angle as Morin.

The atmosphere in the office suddenly became somewhat heavy.

After a long while, Patricia finally raised her head and looked at the man in front of her with a new, scrutinizing, and curious gaze.

"Morin, how do you know so much?"

She couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering her.

"The questions you raised, such as 'synchronized detonation,' 'miniaturization of magical weapons,' and your views on the application of technology, are not things that an ordinary officer would think of."

Morin: "It's very simple. Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. Everything I mentioned is something I experienced and came up with on the battlefield."

"Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth." ×N
Patricia kept repeating the phrase to herself, and suddenly she became somewhat dazed.

"Miss Seeckt, are you alright?"

Seeing Patricia suddenly stunned, Maureen reached out and waved her hand in front of her eyes.

"Ah, it's nothing. I just think what you said makes a lot of sense, but I was wondering if an experiment is also a kind of practice?"

"Yes, but if you only stay in the lab, this kind of practice is not thorough enough."

As Morin spoke, she realized that she and Patricia were discussing these issues just as fluently as Helga.

“I had been fighting on the battlefield all the time, thinking about how to kill the enemy more efficiently and how to keep myself and my soldiers alive. Naturally, all sorts of strange ideas would pop into my head.”

Patricia accepted this explanation and did not ask any further questions.

She simply stared at Morin, as if trying to see through him.

"Morin."

She suddenly spoke, her tone becoming more serious than ever before.

"Do you still hold onto the idea you mentioned before, which is to develop individual magical weapons that ordinary soldiers can operate?"

Morin nodded without hesitation.

"Of course, and this is not only my opinion, but also the trend of future warfare."

Patricia: "What if we encounter resistance? You know what I mean."

Upon hearing Patricia's words, Maureen simply smiled:
"Of course I understand what you mean, but the wheels of history are unstoppable. Anyone who tries to stand in their way will only be crushed by the wheels to increase friction."

Patricia seemed stunned after hearing Morin's words.

She could almost see a giant wheel rolling in and crushing the fortress-like magical research institute.
Then it crushed the Imperial Mage Tower further away.

But she quickly came to her senses.

"You mean mages are going to die out?" Patricia's voice was a little hoarse, and there was a hint of disbelief in her emerald eyes.

Morin shook his head.

"I don't know if mages will disappear, but if magic or magical technology is to be passed down, lowering the threshold and secularizing it is the only option."

He leaned back in his chair, his tone calm, as if stating a given fact.

"Not to mention that the magic crystal mines in this world are limited. What will the mages do if the magic crystal mines are really depleted one day?"

"If the mage community continues to maintain its current arrogance, believe me, no other forces will need to do anything. As time goes by, magic and magical technology will naturally be completely replaced by Radiant Crystal Industry."

To be honest, after a brief chat with Patricia, Morin had already lost much hope for magical technology.

He himself was amused by the mages of the Saxon Empire.

They already have fewer members than Brittany, and not many high-ranking mages to speak of, yet they're constantly forming cliques here.
Moreover, all signs indicate that this is a sunset industry.

If Huijing Industry were to develop for a longer period of time, its true 'industrialized' production capacity would completely shatter the barriers of magic and sorcery.

However, in the present day, magic and magical techniques can still provide some 'shortcut' options when encountering certain problems.

Moreover, for Morin, magic is still quite useful in battle, at least increasing his chances of survival on the battlefield.

However, his previous idea of ​​recruiting a group of mages into the assault team, or mass-producing low-level mages, is basically no longer feasible.
The only reliable approach is to use magical techniques to strengthen it.

But Patricia's description of the 'academic barriers' made Maureen think that this matter would probably still need to be pushed forward by the Crown Prince.
After all, if even the Crown Prince's power couldn't break down the stubborn stronghold of the mage group, then there was no need to mention the others.

Thinking of this, Morin looked at the blonde girl in front of him with her unique thinking and insightful views, and a bold idea suddenly popped into his mind.

Since the Imperial Mage Corps doesn't like me, why should I bother trying to win them over?
Can't I figure out how to build a team myself?
Given the current state of the Saxon Empire, the royal family and Junker nobles would likely welcome the emergence of a magical technology research team closer to them.

As for the selection.
Isn't there one right in front of us?
After thinking for a moment, Morin no longer hesitated and spoke directly:

“Miss Seeker, since you are not satisfied with the current state of the research institute, have you ever thought about moving to another location?”

"If there were a place where you could be free from all constraints and fully unleash your talents, would you be willing to switch jobs?"

(End of this chapter)