Iron Powder and Spellcaster

[The day of the general election, early morning]

[Steel Castle Municipal Palace]

Before the public debate began, Winters met with Mayor Wooper.

Mayor Wooper was changing into his debate robes, and two servants were busy waiting on him. In front of him stood a mercury mirror that was taller than an adult. Winters had never seen a mirror of this size.

The mayor checks his appearance meticulously and makes adjustments from time to time, as if every lock of hair and every badge has a fixed position.

However, no amount of face powder could conceal the uneasiness and annoyance on Mr. Mayor's face.

"[Old slang] Please answer me, Your Excellency, Baron." Paul Wooper looked at Winters through the mirror and asked directly: "[Old slang] Whose side are you on?"

"[Old slang] You can trust me, Mr. Mayor." Winters replied calmly: "[Old slang] I will never side with the federal people."

"[Old Slang] Then why did you..."

"[Old Slang] I respect you, Mayor, but business is business. If you can convince your partners to accept my offer, I will be your most loyal ally."

…

Then Winters met John Servetus.

Steelcastle City Councilor [John Servetus] is forty-nine years old, but looks like he is only in his early forties. He is tall and thin, with short light gray hair. Every button of his dark black shirt is firmly buttoned, and he has a stern expression.

Winters and Servetus were the only two people in the room.

Servetus sat upright in a crimson armchair, flipping through a thick stack of speech notes. He raised his sunken eyes and glanced at Winters, and the atmosphere immediately became dull.

"Mr. Granach." Servetus' voice was low and cold: "Are you buying my supporters?"

This was Winters' first meeting with Servetus, and he restrained himself from showing any emotion: "I cannot accept this accusation."

"You first appeared at the Esther family's reception, and then contacted more than a dozen forge masters in succession. How do you think I should assume your purpose?"

Winters pondered for a moment and said sincerely: "Don't worry, Mr. Congressman. I can assure you on my honor that I am not a White Eagle person, nor a Paul Wooper person. My negotiations with the workshop owners do not include Any political intentions."

Servetus glanced at the young baron. Although he found no trace of lies, it was impossible for him to believe it with just a few words: "In that case, what exactly do you want?"

"Money, Mr. Congressman, jingle money. If you can convince your supporters to accept my offer, I wouldn't mind letting the gold flow in your name."

…

…

Winters' visit to the two "public opinion representatives" was just a sideshow. The highlight of the day was the public debate before the general election vote.

Decades ago, when everything on the shores of Lake Rose was the property of Elin Abbey, the blacksmiths gathered here practiced a noisy guild-style democracy.

After entering the republican era, as their wealth increased day by day, the people of Steel Castle elegantly copied the deliberation procedures of the Senate of the ancient empire.

Even the Steel Castle City Council is built according to the imagination of the ancient Senate Palace: high dome, circular stepped seats, and a debate platform in the center of the hall.

However, the people of Fort Steel also made some improvements: they added a second floor to the House Hall to facilitate people who were not qualified to attend the debates.

The forge owners of Steel Castle gathered in the meeting hall on the first floor. Quite a few of them are no longer "blacksmiths" and have never even done blacksmith work, but this does not prevent them from becoming the ones who control the iron industry of Steel Castle. One of a handful of people.

Winters, Carlo Eide and Kaman watched the debate from the second floor of the House.

The echoing structure of the House made the words of Paul Wooper and John Servetus extremely loud, and at times a deafening echo came from the terraced seats.

"How?" Carol Ed asked Winters.

"Mayor Wooper is great," Winters replied in a low voice, "but Senator Servetus should win."

I have to admit that Paul Wooper's wonderful performance in the debate greatly changed his impression in Winters' mind.

The mayor, who had an exaggerated manner and a frivolous expression, seemed to be a different person after he stepped onto the podium. He was eloquent and passionate in recounting the glorious history of the steel castle from scratch, from small to big, and from big to strong. Hearing the words of the blacksmith guild The members burst into thunderous applause.

After talking about his grandfather, father and his own political achievements, Mayor Wooper changed the topic and began to point the finger at the Fort and "those people whose names we cannot mention", trying his best to exaggerate the current crisis faced by the Fort, as if the Fort had already sat down. In the crater of a volcano without knowing it.

After another brief mention of the great deeds of his forefathers, Paul Wooper concluded that only he, a loyal servant of the Wooper family, was the leader who could lead Steel Castle out of its predicament.

If Paul Wooper was an "eloquent playboy obsessed with wine and womanizing" before in Winters's eyes, then after such a long speech, Paul Wooper's image at least changed into "an eloquent playboy obsessed with wine and womanizing".

John Servetus' performance was lackluster in comparison.

In Winters' view, Senator Servetus's biggest problem was that his voice was unpleasant, tight, and lacked the magic to convey emotions.

Senator Servetus, who feels oppressive when dealing with one-on-one, has no aura when standing in public.

Senator Servetus mechanically recited the speech he had memorized in advance, like brown bread that had been left out for too long and dehydrated—dry, hard, and boring.

Others may have thought that Servetus's speaking style was due to his nature, but Winters felt that the congressman's poor performance was entirely due to his nervousness. Because I was so nervous, I could only speak in an emotionless way.

But Senator Servetus's speech was full of useful information. Instead of spending time reminiscing about the glory days, he focused on the current situation.

Adhering to an extremely pessimistic attitude, the congressman proposed that "long-term trade ban" and "expansion of the Plato Civil War" must be considered as prerequisites for formulating policies.

Servetus's point of view was interesting, and Winters listened with fascination.

The congressman believes that trying to challenge the Horn Castle head-on is a serious misjudgment of the situation. Not only is the trade ban unlikely to be relaxed, but it will become increasingly severe; in the short term, the Steel Castle will surely suffer heavy losses;

However, as the Civil War in Plato expands, the demand for steel and weapons will eventually reach a higher level; by then, even the United Provinces will have to untie the steel fortress and ask for help from the steel fortress;

Therefore, the top priority is to protect the iron industry of Steel Castle and help various workshops survive the initial impact;

The parish guild, city government, and state assembly can provide guarantees, lend money to workshop owners on the verge of bankruptcy, or directly set up warehouses and stipulate prices for purchase...

At the end, Winters even took out a pen and paper to listen and take notes. Obviously, Senator Servetus's speech was more meaningful than the eloquent Mayor Wooper - even though he was pro-Provincial.

That's why Winters answered Carlo Eide: "Mayor Wooper is great, but Councilman Servetus will win."

Carlo Eide disagreed with Winters's judgment. He smiled and shook his head: "It's hard for me to say. If the current situation wasn't really worrying, Senator Servetus wouldn't even have any chance of winning. Even now, Servetus It is possible that no more than half of the members will win the election.”

"Why?" Winters didn't know why.

Carlo Eide sets his sights on the debate stage.

The election debate has entered the stage of mutual questioning, with Paul Wooper and John Servetus talking tit for tat.

Wupper attacks that Servetus is neither a real Solingen nor a blacksmith, but relies on being an adopted son to inherit the forge and gain the right to vote.

Servetus did not recognize Paul Wooper's ability, and even listed several cases where Mayor Wooper opened the door to relatives and friends.

"This kind of debate is not like a swordsmanship competition." Carlo Ed said leisurely: "The point of a swordsmanship competition is to defeat your opponent. The key to the ongoing debate is to win over the audience. Whether you can refute your opponent is secondary."

Winters also took his eyes away from the two debaters and turned to the audience.

Obviously, when it came to mobilizing emotions, venting emotions, and inspiring followers, Paul Wooper completely surpassed Servetus.

Winters suddenly smiled and said to Carman: "If Mayor Wooper joins the Catholic Church, he will probably be a good preacher and debater."

Kaman was stunned for a moment, then stared: "The evangelical sermons of the Catholic Church have strict rituals and procedures, and theological debates are even more logical. Only anti-religious sermons like to incite emotions, so please stop throwing dirty water on us."

Winters raised his hands in surrender.

Karman retorted: "You, on the other hand, were running around and visiting here and there yesterday, trying to take advantage of the battle between the two candidates. But now? The voting is about to take place, and your last chance has slipped away."

"The election of the blacksmith's guild is about to end, but there are also general elections for the parish guild and the city council." Winters and Mr. Ed looked at each other and said with a smile: "Mayor Wooper wants to win to the end. It's not that easy. Just watch, Senator Servetus still has to fight with him."

After the debate, the House went into a short break.

The forge masters sitting on the terraced seats dispersed one after another. When they came back, a vote would be held to decide who would become the next guild president.

Paul Wooper and John Servetus were also surrounded and hurried out of the House - presumably to count the votes.

The guild democracy of Steel Castle Blacksmith has not yet developed a role similar to that of the [party whip] in later generations. All pre-promises may be in vain, and the dust will only settle when the forge owner actually casts his vote into the black box.

After the break, the two candidates and the forge masters returned to the meeting hall.

"Can we start?" the speaker responsible for maintaining order asked the two candidates.

"Please wait! The messenger who went to the Horn Castle to lobby hasn't sent back the message yet. The current situation is not enough for everyone to make the most appropriate judgment." Paul Wooper stepped onto the podium wearing a purple robe embroidered with gold, his posture slightly arrogant. He was embarrassed, but he quickly put away his panic and confusion and shouted: "Gentlemen! Forge Masters of Steel Castle! It is too early to make a decision now. I propose that the voting be postponed for a week!"

Winters and Carlo Ed looked at each other.

Carlo Ed narrowed his eyes: "It seems that Mayor Wooper's vote count is not optimistic."

The old gentleman who was the speaker was a little panicked: "Delay the vote? Is there any precedent before?"

"Yes!" Paul Wooper replied categorically: "Eighty-five years ago, when the parish guild was discussing the construction of the canal, the vote was postponed twice!"

The speaker looked at John Servetus tentatively: "Then..."

Just when everyone in the house was waiting for Senator Servetus to refuse, Servetus stood up and said in a dry tone: "I agree to postpone the vote."

The meeting hall was in an uproar.

"It seems that Senator Servetus is not sure that he can win." Carlo Eide mused.

Winters frowned, and after a long time, he asked himself in a low voice: "Did I burn the fire too much?"

"Have you ever had a small fire?" Kaman asked.

…

On the night of the public debate on the general election of the blacksmiths' guild, Winters received a letter from Fuller, the owner of the gun workshop.

In addition to the beautiful greetings, the letter also listed in detail the selling prices of various types of long guns, short guns, swords, bullet molds and other ordnance, and even small items such as whetstones.

Fuller also emphasized that the price in the letter was the lowest price he could accept; if the Baron wanted to do a deal, he would welcome it; if the Baron wanted to continue to lower the price, please forgive me.

Winters only read the beginning of the letter and did not read the price list at all.

Because of the same letter, he has received twenty-one.

From spring guns to whetstones, the quotes in each letter were exactly the same.

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