Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 24: Times Have Changed, Young Master

The next morning, with a loud rumble, a giant ship slowly departed from the Imperial City Pier. Reporters who had rushed to the scene were blocked by a human wall formed by the Kingdom Army, and they struggled to carve a bloody path through the crowd of onlookers, squeezing to the front and trying their best to stand on tiptoe, lifting their box cameras high overhead to capture the image of the giant ship leaving.

The noise of discussions among the crowd was incessant.

"This ship is truly magnificent. If only we could go onboard and take a look."

"Don't be daydreaming. That's the Deep Sea Council's ship! I read in the newspaper that it uses... is it...?"

"Steam power."

"Yes, steam power! Did you see the people on the other side of that human wall? Guild presidents, arms tycoons, the red-clad cardinal. I've been here for so many years, yet never seen so many high-profile figures gathered all at once! Only such figures are worthy of being invited aboard!"

"But this indicates the visit is over, though it's a pity we didn't see the representatives of the Council."

"I've heard rumors that the Deep Sea Council is going to undergo a major reshuffle."

"Who did you hear that from?"

"Never mind. I have my intelligence network!"

"So, with all that being said, we're going to..."

"What are you talking about! That's courting death. Don't splash your blood on me when the time comes!"

Despite all this, such discussions persisted, part of the Imperial Capital People's favorite pastime, always making them feel as if they were close to politics, as if they could reach and touch it with a mere lift of their hand or a word spoken.

At least, they had eyes to see the giant ship disappearing over the horizon.

Something big was about to happen.

Everyone knew it without saying.

...

Meanwhile, a blond young man in a white dress was leaning on the railing aboard the steam ship, looking back at the increasingly indistinct silhouette of the Imperial City. When it was almost out of sight, he finally stretched with relief.

"Young master, how was the visit this time?"

The captain and a few sailors came over, along with a black-haired maid who carried a tray on her chest with grilled fish, fruits, and a blue-toned drink.

"Oh, Lily, you're the one who truly understands me!" The blond young man praised generously, then said to the captain, "Only Fireplace Bay was decent. Once we return, send someone to contact the Lofic Consortium and establish several transmission magic nodes on our side."

Regarding this, the black-haired maid referred to as Lily had a different opinion, "Young master got swindled out of quite a sum there. Everyone in Fireplace Bay knows there's a fool with lots of money."

"Hahaha, young master, you've upset the maid chief again."

The crew teased.

Despite her etiquette in front of outsiders, the maid chief was very protective of the young master's image, only occasionally showing her sarcastic side in private.

The youth leisurely sat on the deck chair, picking up a bunch of fruit, and asked with a smile, "Lily, haven't you come to terms with it yet?"

"This isn't about coming to terms or not, young master, you were obviously deceived by that self-proclaimed Elemental Shaper, Heisenberg."

She persisted in her viewpoint, wasting money didn't matter since the young master was used to spending lavishly, but being tricked like a fool was a different thing altogether. In Lily's view, it was far worse than when the young master spent 100 gold lions to buy out that pitiful couple.

Luckily, no one in Fireplace Bay knew their true identity, so it didn't escalate to a political level. If the Empire were to get the impression of "Deep Sea Council members being foolish and wealthy," the consequences would be severe.

Sensing gossip, the crew eagerly gathered around, impatiently asking, "Sister Lily, tell us more!"

"Who is Heisenberg? How did he deceive the young master?"

The black-haired maid's face grew increasingly grim as she coldly reprimanded the crewmates for their excitement, "There's nothing amusing about this matter."

Then she recounted last night's encounter she had with the young master.

The crew's reaction was exactly as she expected.

"Hahaha, Magic Power Scrolls three-in-one?"

"Even I, who has never dealt with Magic Power Scrolls, know this is impossible."

"The shop clearly had goods for 60 silver antelopes."

"Wait, could Heisenberg have bought those 20 scrolls from the shop and then resold them to the young master?"

"Very likely, this was probably a ploy by Heisenberg and the shop owner. Since this was the young master's first trip away from home, he was simply too young."

The deck was filled with joyous laughter, while Lily remained expressionless. In principle, they shouldn't gather to ridicule the young master, but this time, the young master acted so absurdly that if he continued this way, he would definitely suffer great losses in the future.

"Is there truly no one on my side?"

The youth protested, "But that's Magic Power Scrolls three-in-one! Doesn't it sound interesting?"

The crew expressed their stance through action, each one assembling behind the black-haired maid, leaving the youth isolated, with the captain not forgetting to add fuel to the fire, "Although interesting, unfortunately, it's impossible for it to be genuine. The material used for crafting Magic Power Scrolls is charged parchment, each sheet is independent, and carries limited magic. How could three be used together?"

"No, I believe he didn't deceive me."

The youth's attitude was firm, trusting his intuition.

"Young master, the era of knights and magic is over. It's their time now."

Before the crew's eyes was a finely crafted revolver, its silver frame embedded with gold edges, with a handle carved in the pattern of irises. Upon seeing the iris, the smile disappeared from the captain's face and his expression became much more solemn.

The iris represented the Empire's royal family; he immediately guessed that it was a gift from the Royal Family to the young master.

On a larger scale, it symbolized the friendship between the Empire and the Deep Sea Council.

"This is a gift from the Imperial Military Industry. You haven't even looked at it once. During the factory tour, I'm sure you heard about this too. Even the Empire, a major country with alliances like the Neseriel Sanctuary, has been reducing the ranks of knights for years. Since the emergence of the gunners' camp, their proportion in the Kingdom Army has been increasing year by year. The Imperial Military Industry has long been the Empire's leading heavy industry."

During the Empire's visit, as there were always outsiders present and walls inevitably had ears, Lily maintained her silence, but someone had to tell the young master these things, "I'm aware of your fondness for magic since childhood. However, now you're representing more than just yourself. The master entrusted you with this visit, hoping for much from you."

Another of her responsibilities on this trip was to evaluate the young master's performance.

The result could only be described as... unsatisfactory.

The young master remained the same, distracted during the visit to the Imperial Military Industry, missing such crucial information.

"Lily, you're right."

The youth's gaze suddenly sharpened, "Precisely because of this, I trust my eyes even more. Didn't you notice the workers' expressions?"

Black-haired maid was taken aback.

There was silence on the deck, and even the crew was taken aback by the youth's sudden change.

"I thought His Majesty Henry was in good health, at least supporting for another ten years, but now it seems... the once Dragon Slayer Warrior can't defeat time, after all."

He paused for a moment, once again glancing at the now indiscernible outline of the Imperial City Pier.

— "This country is about to erupt into civil war."