A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 170's progress bar is stuck.

This time, the larger banquet was held on the third floor of the trading company building owned by Baldorom, which was clearly a place for receiving guests. According to the hosts, they had invited Munnik's best chef to cook delicacies for the distinguished guests.

"Let us welcome the esteemed mage and our guests from Valois! I believe that Bain, no, the entire Empire, is eager to savor the finest Valois brews beyond just beer!"

"As everyone knows, the word 'Valuwana' has a special magic among ladies; you're sure to sell like hotcakes!"

The fat, greasy fellows raised their glasses in flattery, and the executive officer, tax collector, and trade representative took turns attacking. Rorschach activated "damage transfer," and then Mr. Pierre suffered double the blow.

At first, the hosts tried to maintain their composure in front of the Valois, sipping the dry fruit wine, which tasted sour and astringent. As they got into it, the executive officer suggested adding sugar, which was unanimously accepted.

As Mr. Pierre was nearly full from drinking his strong, sweet drink, he opened his eyes in surprise to find that a large, jar-like glass had been placed beside him. The golden liquid burst as the foam rose, releasing a burst of wheat aroma.

Pierre Newsingen couldn't drink any more after finishing his own, and looked pleadingly at Rorschach, who was just as sober as the waiter.

This beer looks delicious. Rorschach picked up his glass for the first time at the table, drawing everyone's attention.

"I am the son of a farmer, and after achieving some success in Valois, I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to give back to my homeland and return to the south of the empire; it is an even greater honor for you all to grace us with your presence and join us in this feast! Although I usually do not drink, today I wish to join you all in praising the gifts of Dionysus and in praising Baine!"

After saying that, the boy picked up his wine glass and chugged it down, then showed everyone the empty bottom of the glass.

"Bravo Byrne!" The others raised their glasses in unison.

"Huh?" Mr. Pierre, who was trying to skip this round, found that his glass had been refilled by the waiter again.

Pierre, his face green from the "battle," was now in a carriage on a stone road, his new execution ground.

Fortunately, it was dark and windy, and the uncivilized behavior of the Valuwanans vomiting out of the car window did not affect any pedestrians, nor was it discovered by the patrol team.

Luo Xia handed the general manager a small handkerchief, which he used to wipe his mouth and gave a bitter laugh: "Thank you, Luo Xia. Ugh." At the last moment, Pierre stuck his head out of the window again.

"Master, drive slowly, we're not in a hurry." After instructing the driver, Luo Xia condensed blue light in his right hand and enveloped Pierre in front of him. With the blessing of "Resurrection", Pierre was immediately invigorated and felt refreshed.

"Much better, much better! Wow, magic is truly amazing."

Although Newsingen's miserable state was partly due to Rorschach using him as a shield from alcohol, Rorschach wouldn't show much pity. The business world is like a battlefield, and everyone is a warrior with cirrhosis of the liver, tested by alcohol. If you don't develop a high alcohol tolerance, don't try to make money in Munnik, known as the "city of alcohol"!

Could we develop a spell to quickly cure a hangover? Should we focus on accelerating alcohol metabolism or providing protection for the nervous system? Since drunkenness is a form of "poisoning," wouldn't antidote magic be useful?

Pierre's words brought Rorschach back to his senses:

"To be honest, I don't feel like there's been much progress tonight." Although Rorschach had relieved the pain from the alcohol, Newsingan wasn't particularly happy. Despite downing drinks, he was far from unconscious; on the contrary, he was constantly observing the situation on the table.

Rorschach agreed with the assessment: "At least the executive and tax officials acknowledged the preferential treatment we received from the palace, but the rest of the time it was just empty talk and socializing with representatives of the Baldorom Chamber of Commerce."

"The Alliance's trade is interested in distribution, but they prefer to get goods directly from Valois and are not very interested in us setting up factories locally."

Luo Xia breathed a sigh of relief: "Let's do an on-site inspection later and see for ourselves." At this moment, he realized that his thinking was still stuck in his previous life, and he had made the mistake of relying on experience, thinking that he would be warmly welcomed if he brought funds and technology, provided jobs and tax revenue.

But it seems that apart from the prince himself being willing to provide support, the executive officer, tax collector, and local business representatives had a lukewarm response, and were even more interested in the Valois people's drinking capacity. In short, after the social event, Rocha and Pierre didn't even get a verbal promise.

The previous interactions with the prince had gone too smoothly, and now they've finally run into a snag.

The next day, Barthes, Rorschach, and Pierre walked under the blue sky and white clouds, on the lush meadows. It was a time of great growth for all things, and a time when animals frequently exchanged genetic information.

The sheep, freshly shorn, graze on the grass, not even leaving a root behind, while the cows chew slowly. Byrne's countryside is rich in water and grass, with herds of cattle and sheep, and vast wheat fields; otherwise, it wouldn't be able to support the renowned beer brewing industry on the mainland.

The three walked along the edge of the meadow and shrubland, with a dirt road built at the foot of the mountain, and two horse-drawn carriages following slowly along.

Bart pointed to the wheat fields in the field of vision, most of which would be used as brewing ingredients after harvest: "It's a pity that it's too difficult to preserve the flavor of beer, otherwise our Chamber of Commerce would be very happy to let the residents of Valuwana taste wonderful liquid bread."

"It really tastes good." Rorschach nodded, while Mr. Pierre, whose wounds had not yet healed, reflexively gagged.

"The Baldorom Merchant Guild holds considerable influence in the logistics guild. If Hasey can use this to connect with Byrne and Valois, Father will definitely promote him to senior partner."

Thinking of something, Bart frowned: "Guilds, guilds, every industry in Byrne is controlled by these things. The more comfortable you are in a guild, the more difficult it is to deal with other guilds."

"And the Magic Guild."

"Yes, the relationship between the Imperial Council and the Magic Guilds isn't very good right now. You'll have to try dealing with those annoying guilds too. As for me, it's time to head back to my post. See you in Würzburg!" Bart waved, boarded the lead carriage, and rode away.

Rorschach and Pierre boarded the second carriage. At the far end of the fork in the road, which led to Würzburg, and beyond the fields, plumes of smoke rose. That was their first stop: the glassmaking center of the Kingdom of Bavaria, where workshops of all sizes and chimneys lined both sides of the river.

Each workshop was filled with heat, where silica and flux were added in precise proportions and melted at high temperatures in circular furnaces, while water-powered blowers roared. Mass-produced glass beer mugs were made using molds, while more curved goblets and other vessels were made by glassmakers who used metal tubes to dip into molten, syrup-like glass and blown it out bit by bit.

With the workshop owner's permission, Rorschach and Mr. Pierre visited one of the workshops. Pierre was particularly interested in the bucket the craftsman was carrying, which contained whitish ash: "What's that?"

Workshop owner: "Sir, this is a secret."

Rorschach: "Pure alkali."

Then another bucket of black powder was added to the river sand raw material, and Pierre asked again.

Workshop owner: "It's a secret."

Rorschach: "Lead powder."

Before the beer-bellied workshop owner could lash out, Rorschach lifted his jacket, revealing the mage badge pinned to his vest.

"So you are a venerable mage, you are truly learned and knowledgeable." In the minds of simple farmers and craftsmen, it is only natural that the spellcaster knows everything.

(End of this chapter)