One-Eyed Monster

Chapter 46: Chapter 45: Fury Thunder (Part 2)

At this moment, Louvkat was beginning to feel agitated, a feeling that threatened to ruin his usually well-controlled emotions.

Over the years, he had grown frustrated, holding the position of Chief Administrator for more than a decade without any change. Normally, with his authority over the city’s financial affairs and occasional responsibility for personnel allocation, an audience with His Majesty the King should have been a matter of course. But Rostov didn’t manage the Imperial Capital conventionally; he always seemed to revel in stirring up what appeared to be utterly chaotic affairs. All these chaotic affairs resulted in one thing—burning through money.

As the financial controller of the Imperial Capital, Louvkat felt a pang every time he witnessed the massive outflow of gold bars. These gold bars represented the coins he had painstakingly extracted from tightfisted and cunning merchants over many years. Getting those merchants to willingly part with their money was as challenging as chiseling through the thickest ice during the Deep Winter Season.

Yet, Rostov seemed oblivious to these difficulties. With a wave of his hand, he established the Yonder Travel Academy, and just like that, gleaming gold bars flew away. That money had originally been intended for purchasing rare and exotic treasures to present to His Majesty.

Louvkat believed that the hallmark of perfect governance was a Government Administrative Office that maintained the city’s prosperity steadily, presented His Majesty with substantial tax revenues at year’s end, and perhaps offered some rare treasures as well.

But all his plans had been disrupted by Rostov. In recent years, after Luona had managed to secure normal food reserves, its expenditures consistently exceeded its income. All the coins in the treasury had been squandered by Rostov.

The Yonder Travel Academy, the steam car, the Thunder Army—each project burned through stacks of gold bars. For many years now, Luona hadn’t offered any rare treasures to the Kayne Empire, and at times, even the taxes remitted were pitifully scant.

What was more baffling was that, despite Rostov’s spendthrift nature, there were still people supporting him! The Council Hall of the City Administrative Office approved most of his projects, a fact that had perplexed the Chief Administrator for a long time.

The massive outflow of gold bars caused Louvkat great distress. He vented his hidden emotions by constantly replacing the Grand Duke of Finance, and in the process of these personnel changes, he gradually formed his own faction.

The Council Hall’s continued approval of Rostov’s projects was partly due to Rostov’s extensive network. At that time, the Scholar Commons, the Chamber of Commerce, and even the Grand Duke of Finance were all fawning over Rostov.

Later, when these people’s interests were gradually usurped by Rostov’s newfangled ventures, they naturally sided against his new projects. Louvkat recalled the previous occasions when he had stood alone in opposition; the scene could only be described as unbearably wretched.

Now that he had allies in the Council Hall, Louvkat felt a surge of secret delight. However, he later discovered that Rostov’s supporters had multiplied. The commoners who couldn’t enter the Council Hall had become Rostov’s most loyal adherents. These commoners, in both number and impact, far outweighed the old fossils in the Council Hall.

And the merchants who had been loyal to the Chamber of Commerce defected to the Department of Roads because of the speed of the steam railway, isolating the Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber, thus isolated, had no choice but to commission the Dark Organization to secretly maintain order...

What puzzled Louvkat the most was how Rostov had suddenly transformed into a favorite of His Majesty and, breaking precedent, entered the King’s Council Hall.

This, this was something Louvkat had always dreamed of.

He later learned that Rostov had won His Majesty’s favor with that peculiar Thunder Army. But how Rostov had come to master something as rare as lightning remained a mystery.

Compared to rare treasures, a heavenly gift like lightning could only be described as a ”divine treasure.”

The appearance of the Thunder Army was startling enough, but now there was this Fury Thunder! There seemed to be no end to Rostov’s progress. How were those following behind supposed to catch up...?

The Yonder Travel Academy won over the commoners, the steam railway won over the merchants, the Thunder Army conquered His Majesty, and now this Fury Thunder, which claimed to strengthen the Guardian Army—was he trying to curry favor with the Empire’s military?

Louvkat’s thoughts raced far and wide, but his Sound Sensing Skill failed to pick up what he yearned to hear. He felt the composure on his face was about to crack.

”Does the Lord Governor intend to continue diverting gold bars from the City Administrative Office treasury, and then have the Fuel Workshop or some new department mass-produce this thing?” Louvkat blurted out.

”Yes,” Rostov replied, his expression unchanging.

”Permit me to speak frankly, Lord Governor. There aren’t many gold bars left in the treasury to squander. We still don’t know how much Fran’s railway project will cost. Where would we find spare money to start new projects?”

”Chief Administrator, I understand your concerns. However, today’s emergency meeting of the Council Hall was not convened to discuss launching the Fury Thunder project. For now, the Grand Duke of Finance only needs to support the Department of Roads in perfecting the steam railway.”

This remark from Rostov shrouded the entire Council Hall in a metaphorical fog, rendering their ultimate purpose obscure. Rostov had eagerly displayed the Fury Thunder, but now he suddenly stated this meeting wasn’t to launch the project. It was rather confusing. Could it be that he was abandoning the project merely because of a few words from the Chief Administrator?

”This stone was discovered at the Yonder Travel Academy,” Rostov said, tapping the table as if to rouse the dozing Dean Hoffman.

”Hmm, cough. Yonder Travel Academy changes destinies,” Dean Hoffman mumbled, squinting as he awoke from his doze. ”This stone was obtained by accident, a novelty concocted by a group of students who call themselves Adventurers.”

”Adventurers?” Louvkat frowned, his carefully controlled emotions finally slipping. He was thoroughly baffled by his opponent, Rostov.

”Indeed. An ancient profession that few are willing to speak of. According to Little Spratt, these students holed themselves up in the laboratory trying to replicate Rain Crystal Stones. As for how this stone was actually formed, the various tutors in the academy are at a loss.”

”It truly does resemble a Rain Crystal Stone,” the President of the Chamber of Commerce lamented.

”Whether this stone was crafted using alchemy or Spellcraft, we cannot determine. Therefore, we invited Chairman Rolin from the Wizards’ Association.” Dean Hoffman looked ancient and perpetually sleepy, yet when he spoke, his words flowed with a nimbleness that belied his age.

”Indeed,” Chairman Rolin continued, his speech much slower than Hoffman’s. ”At Dean Hoffman’s invitation, I performed Divination and perception on this stone.”

”We wizards might not be able to perceive material composition like alchemists, but through my Divination of this stone, I discovered some unusual aspects.”

”Don’t tell me those unusual aspects refer to the stone’s power,” Chairman Massa of the Scholar Commons interjected. ”I have absolutely no interest in that.”

”You are correct. This stone possesses immense power. Through my crystal ball, I saw it shatter under high temperatures, sending fragments flying like debris from a landslide, while lightning bolts shot out in all directions, resembling an attacking rattlesnake.”

”Initially, I determined that the stone must be related to Spellcraft; its power reminded me of the most skilled Lightning Wizards among our factions. However, I soon realized I was mistaken.”

”Oh? What made you change your mind, Chairman?” Aevernan asked, listening with great interest, as if to a fascinating story.

”Because I detected no Spirit Power whatsoever on this stone. If it were a wizard’s creation, the stone would undoubtedly possess Spirit Power. Spellcraft never creates cold, lifeless objects.”

Court Chief Aymond specifically activated his Environment Sensing Skill to examine the stone. Indeed, it felt like an ordinary object, devoid of any Spirit Power.

”Then it must have been exchanged from alchemists,” Grand Duke Kote suggested. ”After all, legend says alchemists once used lightning to trade for Rain Crystals.”

”If alchemists were involved, this stone would be a Rain Crystal Stone, not Fury Thunder,” Aevernan retorted coldly.

”Wouldn’t finding those students solve everything?” Court Chief Aymond proposed.

”They are Adventurers; they have embarked on a journey,” Dean Hoffman explained. ”Moreover, the discovery of this stone was purely accidental. If I weren’t naturally sensitive to lightning, I wouldn’t have noticed the stone’s peculiarities and would likely have mistaken it for a Rain Crystal Stone.”

”My son, Quan Zhi, spearheaded this Rain Crystal imitation business,” Rostov said. ”I’ve even brought some of the counterfeits my son made to compare with this stone – the ones he made don’t contain lightning.”

”According to Little Spratt, more than one such stone was produced in the laboratory; at least four or five others are unaccounted for out there.”

”So, the purpose of today’s emergency council meeting is to recover those missing stones!”

”Hmph. The world is vast. Where would we even begin to look? It would be a waste of money and effort,” Louvkat scoffed once more.

”My son, Quan Zhi, is also an admirer of Adventurers, so this stone might have some connection to him. The patterns on the stone are the marks he uses on his imitations. A few days ago, my son, Quan Zhi, embarked on an adventure, and for personal reasons, I assigned a few League Guards to protect him.”

”Just a few days ago, while Dean Hoffman, Chairman Rolin, and I were discussing Fury Thunder, one of my League Guards brought me some disturbing news. I wasn’t overly concerned that my son, Quan Zhi, had been lost track of, but another piece of information he delivered truly caught my attention.”

”The news was that he saw someone in Liuli City’s Dusk Market buying my son’s imitation Rain Crystal Stones, and at a high price.”

”Therefore, the ultimate purpose of summoning everyone today is to assist Dean Hoffman and Chairman Rolin in their research on Fury Thunder. This will enable us to provide stronger support for Commander Kaufman in the future.”

”So, what exactly should we do? We can’t just sit here listening to the Lord Governor speak, can we?”

”It’s simple. Two tasks: First, assist the academy in recalling those student Adventurers as soon as possible. Second, have merchants recover the counterfeit Rain Crystal Stones that are out there, offering high prices for them.”

Damn it, this is blatant abuse of public office for personal gain! He’s doing this to find his son, who he’s lost contact with! And he has the audacity to convene an emergency council meeting for it! Rostov’s schemes are truly cunning. Louvkat couldn’t help but marvel. The flames in the Council Hall’s fireplace leaped and crackled, seeming to nod in agreement with Louvkat’s thoughts.