It was poor form to immediately ask for a favor, so Rorschach decided to start with the customer experience of his "Pioneer Project." He sincerely asked Bart, "The new Town Mage Tower has been operational for some time now. Mr. Bart, how has your experience been living here?"

"Everything’s great," Bart said, offering praise before raising an issue. "But sometimes, when I’m not here, people accidentally trigger the tower’s internal and external defenses. And because the Energy Gathering Array’s output is low, it takes a fairly long time for the arrays to recover."

Rorschach nodded. "I can improve the Magic Array to increase its efficiency. In fact, the improved version is currently inscribed in... your bathroom.

"But as for the issue with the Defense Array’s activation, a Tower Spirit would solve many of those problems."

Bart shook his head. "A Tower Spirit? Where could anyone get a Tower Spirit nowadays? The technology is said to be lost; otherwise, the Empire would have no reason not to equip every single Town Mage Tower with one. Oh, and if they *could* be made, the Empire’s military would probably get them first." Bart guessed that the related manufacturing techniques were likely only known to the Aurora Elder Council, or perhaps by some Wild Mages or hidden in ancient ruins.

If not for the living examples that could still be seen in the Thirteen Magic Towers and other older Mage Towers, "Tower Spirit" might have already become the stuff of legend. Some Mages even boldly speculated that the so-called Tower Spirits were just sentient beings that had been magically processed, with live humans as the raw material.

"While adventuring in Istani, I came across a method that might be able to create a Tower Spirit. But it requires a watchmaker, among other support. The materials and manpower needed are extensive."

"Really?" Bart’s excitement flared for a moment before he shook his head. "You just said ’might.’ That means you’ve never successfully made one, have you?"

"A finished product exists in Istani. It proved the viability of the concept in its own way."

Even though Rorschach hadn’t revealed everything, Bart slammed his hand on the table. "Alright, I’ll trust you!"

Once they’d agreed to move forward, the implications dawned on Bart. "You suddenly return to the Bayern Kingdom, start preparing a new self-charging Magic Array, and now you’re discussing a prototype Tower Spirit with me..." Clearly, Bart was no fool. He thought of a possibility. "Rorschach, are you planning to build your own tower?"

"That’s right."

"Rorschach, while I’m happy you’re willing to stay in Bayern so we can see each other often, now really isn’t a good time to build a Magic Tower. Unless you choose a place far from towns and villages and make sure it’s well-hidden."

Bart’s reasoning was simple: The Empire was preparing for war!

No one says a word when they’re truly sharpening their blades for a fight. But when the strongest nation on the continent prepares to wage war on its neighbor—the second-strongest—the mere "buildup" of power pulls on countless "muscle fibers" and "nerve cells" of the state.

A company like the Balderom Chamber of Commerce, with its deep roots in logistics, could naturally sense it: the Imperial authorities were frantically procuring vital resources and artificially manipulating the prices of various goods. Meanwhile, as a Town Mage, Bart was receiving a growing number of notices ordering Mages to be prepared and to strictly guard against any supernatural attacks within their jurisdictions.

All signs pointed to the Empire gearing up for a fight.

The various Alchemy Materials, alloys, and other resources needed to build a Mage Tower were now either restricted or their prices were skyrocketing. Meanwhile, most qualified construction crews had likely been conscripted to build semi-permanent fortifications at the front, as well as something neither of them knew about yet: a railway line running the length of the Empire from north to south, poised to strike directly into the Holy Kingdom.

"Why haven’t they gone to war yet?" Rorschach was actually a little surprised. He originally thought he would hear news of the continent going to war while he was in Istani. He had even planned to lie low on the island for a while and wait for things on the continent to calm down before returning. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Yet, even after that whole mess in the Shadow City had ended, the two nations remained in a strange state of peace. The Empire coldly observed the chaos unfolding in the Holy Kingdom, never failing to use its newspapers to trumpet how the people of Valois were now suffering in dire straits. This was all to prove the righteousness of His Majesty the Emperor’s leadership and to rally the populace to be loyal and patriotic.

Bart told him the Empire was sharpening its knives, which didn’t surprise Rorschach at all. What surprised him was why the Empire hadn’t already unleashed its blade and started hacking away at the Holy Kingdom.

"The Empire wants to march, but it faces a major internal obstacle."

"What obstacle?"

Bart answered in a peculiar way. Instead of speaking, he opened all the lookout windows of the Mage Tower, presenting Rorschach with a panoramic view of Wertzburg spread out below.

Rorschach understood Bart’s meaning. "Wertz... no, the Bayern Kingdom?"

Bart lowered his voice. "This is top secret... earlier this month, the Emperor wanted to come to Bayern. He wanted to hold a military parade for the Southern Empire Army on Bayern soil. What he got in reply, however, was a curt letter of refusal."

The main force of the Southern Army consisted of two legions from the Bayern Kingdom. Nominally, they were loyal to both the Emperor and the Parliament, but in reality, they were funded by Bayern, and their primary mission in peacetime is to defend Bayern.

His Majesty the Emperor planned a military parade, but the King of Bayern firmly refused him. The justification was perfectly valid: their neighboring country had fallen into chaos, with many of its people storming the border. Bayern’s army was needed to defend the Kingdom and could not, for the time being, be placed under the Southern Army’s command or heed the directives of the Empire Military Department.

Bayern is the heavyweight of the Southern States. With the second-in-command defying the leader, it set a bad precedent. The members of the Duma Alliance—who wished to continue trading with the Holy Kingdom and protect their autonomy from the Imperial authorities—all echoed the sentiment. They all shared a border with the Holy Kingdom, so even if they were to answer the call to mobilize, their individual states had to be allowed to retain sufficient garrisons to ensure their own security.

If His Majesty the Emperor insisted on pacifying the interior before repelling external threats, the Empire would have to fight a civil war between north and south first.

Fortunately, the Lord Chancellor eventually compromised. He persuaded the Emperor to drop the military parade and reframed the issue from "whether to go to war" to "how many garrison troops each state could retain." The matter was now being debated heatedly within the Parliament Building, and any mention of it in the newspapers was strictly forbidden.

Rorschach’s head throbbed. He hadn’t expected His Majesty the King of Bayern to be so brazen; this was tantamount to an open break with the Emperor. They’d better pray the Empire didn’t win the war, or the largest of the Southern States would sooner or later face a brutal reckoning.

"So, it’s not just a question of timing for building your tower; you should reconsider whether you want to stay in Bayern at all." Bart was genuinely looking out for his friend. "You’re a free man. When I chose to bind myself to the Bayern Royal Family, I left myself no path of retreat. If the day comes when the Empire and Bayern truly go to war, then I’ll forget about any aspirations for Parliament. I might as well try charging into the fray for Bayern."

Bart, for his part, had a strong sense of optimism. Rorschach patted his shoulder. "Well, I wouldn’t just stand by and watch you die on the battlefield. Besides, nothing is set in stone yet. The Mage Tower has to be built. Introduce me to Prince Otto. I’ll give him an offer he can’t refuse and make the Royal Family willingly cough up the money for me."

"You want to become a Court Mage?" Bart felt that was a poor choice. He believed Rorschach’s current power was already top-tier among his peers, and he was only going to get stronger. There was no need for him to humble himself by serving a royal court and mere mortals.

"No. I’m going to convince the Prince to invest in a company under my name, called Basif. Right now, it only produces dyes. I will prove that in wartime, its products will work miracles. Of course, building my tower on the side while the factory is being built... the Prince would allow that, don’t you think?"

Rorschach’s eyes were gleaming as he confidently announced his plan to Bart.