In the outskirts, the former experimental sheds were temporarily being used as a place to park carriages, many of which were waiting to depart.

Rorschach handed Andre a letter. "Take this letter and find the Town Mage named Bart. He’s a good friend of mine. The three of us are about the same age, so you don’t need to be too formal with him. Just follow his instructions.

"But get your family settled in first," Rorschach added, patting the young man on the shoulder.

"Thank you so much, Rorschach Mage!" Andre started to bow, but Rorschach placed a hand on him to stop him.

Airship services were currently suspended, but fortunately, the Alchemy Department had its own convoy of carriages heading north. Andre and his family would be traveling with the Mages, which promised to be the safest possible journey.

Kano finally made good on his promise, dispatching some members of the Alchemy Department to help Rorschach establish his Mage Tower in Bayern.

In truth, this was also a form of protection. Any Low Tier Mages and Apprentices whose political stances or family backgrounds might put them at risk during the current turmoil were being sent away from Valuva. Some headed north, while others went south, where the Kingdom’s food supply was more abundant and the situation correspondingly more stable.

"Can’t you just let me use the Teleportation Array?" Rorschach asked. ’I mean, I did make a *small* contribution to stopping that Angel. Surely they can make an exception for me, right?’

"You have the nerve to say that? Do you have any idea what happened? Besides that damn Angel, all of the Magic Guild’s teleportation nodes and the Tower of Stars’ in-city Teleportation Gates have malfunctioned! And the losses of other Magic Items... They’re incalculable!"

Fortunately, Rorschach had used the Divine Exorcism Technique. The research building had preemptively cut off its Ether supply, and the Tower of Stars had sealed its entrances within the city. If the main structure of one of the Thirteen Magic Towers had been caught in the blast, Rorschach would have undoubtedly been sentenced by the Aurora Elder Council to five hundred years of unpaid labor. Even in death, they would have made him into a Tower Spirit to work off his debt.

Thankfully, the telegraph system had withstood the ordeal, although the line to the hunting grounds had been severed by the Angel.

As for all the Church Holy Relics throughout the city being wiped out... what did that have to do with Rorschach? ’Nope, doesn’t ring a bell!’

With that, Kano pulled out an exquisite pouch. "Considering Rorschach Mage’s contributions, I’ve taken the liberty of arranging some spiritual commendation and material encouragement for you. Will you accept?"

"A bag of Gold Coins?" ’With the Kingdom’s metal currency so scarce right now, an influx of cash is definitely a good thing.’ Rorschach’s investments in Fanta, the glassworks, and the synthetic dye factory were already beginning to show returns, but he hadn’t touched most of the money. When he had told the members of the Alchemy Department how much cash he had on hand, they had immediately interpreted the number as the budget for his Mage Tower.

So, he could foresee having to live frugally in the near future; getting some money was a definite plus. Rorschach opened the pouch, and his breath hitched.

"That’s right, a bag of Gold Coins. But the pouch itself is an Enchanted Storage Bag!"

"How big is it?" Rorschach’s voice trembled.

"One cubic meter. But don’t get your hopes up too soon. It’s padded with other things at the bottom."

Rorschach reached in. The "other things" weren’t just filler; they were materials like Mithril and Enchanted Crystals, which were worth even more than the Gold Coins.

Now, they were all held within a small leather pouch. Thanks to Magic, Rorschach was learning a new spin on an old saying: the gift may be light, but its contents were heavy indeed.

"Right now, I’d swim all the way to Istani if you asked me to."

"Spare me the theatrics. Just be extra careful in Istani. If you run into something you can’t handle, don’t force the issue. Seek help from the Guild right away."

"I’m just there to investigate. If backup is needed, I definitely won’t be charging in alone." Rorschach was now carrying data collected by the state, information provided by the Guild, and the Church’s archives on Mother Earth. He had become a de facto special envoy for three different factions, tasked with figuring out the relationship between the island nation and the grand dame Mother Earth.

Kano watched Rorschach get into his carriage, bidding farewell at the same time to his own students and subordinates. They were all scattering in different directions.

...

It wasn’t only Mages who were leaving Valuva; the Nobility were also fleeing, having realized with a shock that the tide had turned against them. When they found the streets occupied by militia and saw that their authority and high station now only earned them hostility, panic seized them all, regardless of rank.

Large numbers of nobles seized their last chance, fleeing overnight in their carriages. Some, having received telegrams, discovered that revolts had broken out in their own fiefs. This led some to seek refuge with distant relatives in the Empire, while others headed to the kingdoms and city-states on the continent’s southern tip for a "vacation."

One exception was Duke Melovinca, who had gone so far as to change his esteemed royal surname to "Egalite"! His son was miserable about it; at the Tower of Stars, people called him "Philippe Egalite" in a jeering tone. The addition of his middle name, "de," made it all the more ironic.

But it had been his father’s decision, so Philippe had no choice but to accept it. The final straw came when he officially became a Mage and his registered surname was also "Egalite," which caused the proud young man to have a complete breakdown.

Meanwhile, another group of nobles found a different destination for their escape.

With unrest everywhere, where could one possibly find a "pure land"?

As it turned out, such a place did exist. The once-forgotten Shaleanna Region had no gold, but it was also free of "wicked ideas that mislead the masses," making it an ideal destination for the Nobility and Noble Faction Mages.

The Teleportation Gate in the suburbs was activated once more.

"Hurry up! Faster!" A nobleman personally grabbed a firearm, using it to urge the huddling serfs and duped peasants forward. They were terrified of the unknown world ahead, but they were even more afraid of the muzzles that could snatch away their lives at any second.

The Magic Array activated. The red light of teleportation flared, and another twenty or thirty people were sent through.

"No one’s coming..." a Noble Faction Mage observed, anxiously scanning the area. But there was nothing besides the gathered supplies and carriages, the queue of nobles, and the commoners they had brought with them.

François stared at the operational status of the Teleportation Array. "The Guild has tacitly approved our actions."

"Bah! Don’t even mention those bootlickers!" the Noble Faction Mage spat, still seething with resentment.

François had not been personally recognized by His Majesty the King as the heir to his late father’s title. However, among the nobles entering the sub-plane was a Prince, who had promised that all the nobility would support François in becoming Count Granor, the greatest Lord within the plane.

The young lady of a noble family began to cry, her tears born of apprehension and an unwillingness to leave the Royal Capital and its life of pleasure. Her tear-reddened eyes and flushed cheeks only made her more charming.

The Noble Faction Mage stared at the girl, his expression full of lust. "Heh heh, once we get to the sub-plane, those wastes of space will learn who’s boss! Oh, I mean you, of course..."

The Mage, seeing François’s dark expression, quickly switched to a fawning tone and posture.

But he had just revealed a critical fact—a problem the foolish nobles rushing into the plane hadn’t considered: the Sub-plane had no water!

Although a year of development had seen fields cultivated at the settlement in the sub-plane, and the Alchemy Department had even designed a long-lasting water generator, there was no question that the Source of Life was entirely in the hands of the Mages!

Furthermore, one also needed a Mage to enter or leave the sub-plane. It was abundantly clear who would be calling the shots there.

The teleportation continued for a full half-day. If they hadn’t spent a fortune to procure Blue Transmuting Dust for power, it would have been impossible for a group without a Great Mage to maintain the Teleportation Array for that long.

After confirming that his family had all gone through, François looked around. No one else was left but him and the remaining Noble Faction Mages.

"Let’s all go through."

"What about the Teleportation Array? What if... *that person* and his lapdogs come looking for us?" Because Kano was suspected of having "disposed of" Granor, he now enjoyed a status among the Noble Faction equivalent to the Black Demon King from a certain children’s book.

’He’s a Great Mage. If he wanted to deal with us, he would have done it long ago...’ François didn’t believe Kano was the killer, but he still couldn’t bring himself to face the Tower of Stars or the Guild. Going to the Sub-plane was his own choice.

’The best choice? The last choice?’ The boy who had been forced to grow up too soon didn’t know, and he didn’t want to know. He would rather die on that red soil, in the land of his father’s illusory dream.

The new Count Granor ignited a fuse from a distance. "The bombs under the Teleportation Array will detonate any second. Go, now."

He stepped into the Teleportation Array, staring vacantly at the silent wheat fields and the distant city walls. "Father..." he murmured, and then the red light engulfed him.

BOOM!

The last asset of the Shaleanna Mining Company was utterly destroyed by high-performance Dwarven bombs. The sound of the explosion startled a nearby cow, which raised its head.

In the cow’s field of view, a carriage, untouched by the blast, sped down the road leading south, carrying the former Prime Minister toward the Eternal City.