Iron Powder and Spellcaster

[Guten Village outside Steel Castle]

[Legion Barracks, Colonel Bern's Office]

Three gentle knocks on the door sounded, and a loud and powerful baritone came into the house: "Report!"

"Enter."

The lieutenant on duty received permission and walked into the colonel's office with a guard. Colonel Berne's eyes moved from the scroll on the desk to the lieutenant, and nodded slightly.

"Sir." The lieutenant touched the heels of his boots and stood at attention to report: "There is a young gentleman outside the camp asking to see you, claiming to be your friend."

Colonel Bern flipped through the calendar and confirmed that there were no guests scheduled for today. He frowned and asked, "What's your name?"

"He refused to say. He only said that the last time I drank with you was at the reception at the Este Mansion."

"Oh...where is he?"

"Waiting at the guard box."

"Invite him in."

"yes."

Not long after, the lieutenant on duty led the visitor into the colonel's office, then left and closed the door. Only the colonel and the visitor were left in the office.

"Your stable is really luxurious." Winters saluted meticulously and broke the silence with a smile: "It even has a heater, which is more comfortable than where I live."

Colonel Berne took off his glasses and sleeves, raised his hand to invite Winters to sit down: "Unlike you Plato, Monta is too cold, and there is no cavalry establishment. Only officers ride horses. Officers' mounts are treasures, of course they must take good care of."

Winters dragged his itchy left leg and sat in front of the desk: "When I get back, I will pick some good horses and send them to you."

"Forget it, I can't afford it." Colonel Bern looked at Winters and asked curiously: "Why is your forehead so purple?"

Winters said without changing his expression: "I accidentally hit him while riding a horse."

"Take ice and apply it. The bruises will recede faster." Colonel Berne was casually saying some words of concern one moment, but the next moment he suddenly narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "How did you find this place?"

Winters placed the black wooden box under his arm on the colonel's desk with both hands: "Who in Steel Castle doesn't know your name? Why bother to look for it?"

"What is this?" Colonel Bern raised his eyebrows and looked at the wooden box.

"Bribery," Winters quipped.

Colonel Berne laughed and reached out to open the wooden box.

In the center of the wooden box, there is an extremely exquisite spring-loaded short gun surrounded by black velvet, which is pleasing to the eye.

The colonel took out the blunderbuss, played with it fondly, and asked Winters happily: "Is it from the Fuller family?"

"Of course!" Winters replied confidently: "The best guns in Fuller's workshop naturally have to be matched with the best people."

"Not bad." The colonel reluctantly put the musket back into the wooden box and pushed the wooden box back in front of Winters: "But you are too brave to enter the camp with a gun!"

Winters spread his hands: "Your men have checked it several times. It's just the gun, not loaded. I was also searched repeatedly inside and outside, and even my cane was taken away."

"Really?" Colonel Berne did not answer. He leaned back on his chair and looked at the young man in front of him with a cold gaze: "So, what is the purpose of coming to me?"

There was a brief silence in the office.

Winters did not answer the question directly, but mentioned another unrelated person: "Colonel, I served under another lieutenant colonel."

Although Winters was not entirely sure, his tone seemed to be stating a confirmed fact: "Lieutenant Colonel Jessica, John Jessica."

Colonel Bern sat upright suddenly, leaned back slowly, snorted softly, and asked: "Is he still alive?"

really. Winters pondered: Officers deployed overseas also have their own small circles.

"Still alive, even returned to Plato. It's just..." Winters was silent for a moment: "It's just that Lieutenant Colonel Jessica also lost his other eye."

Colonel Bern also fell into silence. After a while, he spoke: "The Lord has plans for each of us. At least he returned home alive."

Winters didn't believe in fate, but it was difficult for him to tell Lieutenant Colonel Jessica's experience to Colonel Berne in detail, so he could only nod silently.

After a while, Colonel Berne waved his hand tiredly: "Okay, boy, if you have anything to say, just tell me! But I tell you in advance, I will not bend the law or destroy the law just because you were one-eyed subordinate." Principle. So before you speak... think carefully."

Hearing Colonel Berne's words, Winters was completely relieved.

The "Legion" is the direct force deployed by the Republic of Monta in each autonomous prefecture. It is also the main executor of inspecting smuggling, eradicating bandits and suppressing rebellions.

If even the Legion is willing to help "without violating principles" - even if it means just turning a blind eye - Winters' next actions will be much easier.

"You met with Mayor Wooper to hope that the city government can provide funds to recruit unemployed workers for camp training?"

"So what?"

"Does Mayor Wooper agree?"

"You haven't given me an answer yet."

"You can rest assured that he will never agree." Winters said shockingly.

Colonel Bern looked normal: "Why?"

"The 'respectable' members of the Steel Citadel fear nothing more than the mule workers they call taking up arms and starting a riot. But you suggest that they allow the unemployed to receive military training? This is asking them to put a noose around their own necks. .If it were you, would you agree?”

Colonel Berne frowned more and more and said nothing.

Winters changed the subject: "But I can help you convince Mayor Wooper, or Mayor Servetus."

"Oh?" Colonel Berne sneered.

"Not only can I help you convince the Steel Castle Council, I also have a better proposal." Winters did not state the request first, but instead offered help: "You want to recruit unemployed people for training because you want to give them food and clothing. Keep them from taking desperate risks. Am I right?"

Colonel Berne was noncommittal and motioned for Winters to continue speaking.

Winters asked calmly: "If it's just to give the unemployed a piece of bread, why bother with military training?"

Winters Montagne was not an experienced administrator, but he did do some minor work in Iron Peak County and accumulated some valuable successful experience.

"Dredging canals, leveling roads, repairing city defenses... If the legion is willing to maintain discipline, there are many things that the unemployed can do. Military training is just a name." Winters finally added: "Of course, there is nothing to do. Yes, it is understandable to accept several conveyance contracts.”

Colonel Berne sighed, stood up, walked to the closet, and came back with a bottle of distilled liquor and two square glasses. The colonel poured a quarter of a glass for Winters, half a glass for himself, and asked, "What do you want?"

"I hope to transport a batch of goods to Lucerne, in the name of the Legion." There was no trace of pride on Winters' face, and his attitude became more humble.

Lucerne is a border city of the Republic of Monta, across the river from Plato.

"Lucerne?" Colonel Berne picked up the square cup, sniffed the burnt aroma of the liquor, and asked doubtfully: "You can only go to Lucerne by land from Steel Castle, and it's very troublesome to go over the mountains."

"Ironware has always been exported through the Wupper Canal, so the Monta lords will definitely guard the Wupper Canal and the downstream waterways." Winters answered honestly: "In this case, it is better to 'seek the farther away' and take a detour to Lucerne."

Of course, Winters left half of the sentence unsaid - Lucerne also has a waterway, and it leads directly to Mirror Lake and the New Reclamation Province.

"It's a good example of 'leaving the near for the far'." Colonel Berne took a sip of strong wine: "But Lucerne still has to obey the orders of the Horn Castle. If the ordnance is sent to Lucerne, you can transport it out of the country?"

"You don't have to worry about this. General Arpad has his own solution." Winters raised his glass in greeting.

"At first I thought you were just a minor player, but looking at it now, it seems that I was mistaken - you are the big deal in this deal."

"Colonel, I don't play an important role." Winters responded in a nonchalant manner: "But in this 'procurement', I can make the full decision."

Colonel Berne nodded slightly. After drinking the strong wine in the glass, he looked at Winters and asked calmly: "What can I get from helping you?"

"Money." Winters said without hesitation, "If you want it."

Colonel Berne smiled: "I don't need money."

Winters stopped smiling and his expression gradually became solemn and formal. He stood up and bowed: "Then you can receive my gratitude. From now on, I owe you a favor."

"The Helvetic people have an old saying: A hero's promise is worth more than an atta of gold." Colonel Bern also stood up, handed the wine glass to Winters, clinked the glasses with Winters, and toasted: "Young man , may your eyes always be bright, and may your sword always be sharp.”

The colonel returned the black wooden box to Winters: "Keep this gun, you will need it more than me."

…

While Winters visits Colonel Berne, Anna is examining the Schmid family's "account books."

The Schmid family's account books were stored in a pure iron cabinet by Old Schmid. There were also important documents such as land deeds, house deeds, and forge ownership certificates in the cabinet.

There were five large locks hanging on the outside of the iron cabinet, and old Schmid carried the keys with him. The iron cabinet itself was placed next to Old Schmid's bed. The old man had to check it every night to make sure everything was lying where it should be before going to sleep.

Even if Mr. Carlo Eide has a good eye, he can't get hold of the old Schmid family's account books.

So he directly bribed the old Schmid's bookkeeper.

…

On the side of the table, Anna, wearing a veil, kept asking questions and taking notes. The gauze not only failed to block her charm, but instead added a touch of hazy beauty to her.

On the other side of the small table, the low-level clerk of the Schmid family sat on the chair hurriedly and uneasily, swallowing saliva - anyone surrounded by four fierce Dussac would be equally embarrassed.

The four guards held their sabers and stared at the poor clerk, so that the latter did not dare to show any disrespect or frivolity. To be precise, he was trembling even as he spoke.

Anna sighed secretly. She originally felt that there was no need to mobilize troops like this, but the guards firmly refused to allow the strange man to interview "Madam" alone.

"Would you like some water?" Anna asked pleasantly, trying to relieve the other person's stress: "Mr. Schweidnitz?"

The thin clerk Schweidnitz caught sight of the murderous eyes of the four knife-wielders beside him, and shook his head desperately: "No, no, no."

"It's okay." Anna looked at the guard, dumbfounded: "Let Mr. Schweidnitz drink some water."

Schweidnitz still wanted to say "no", but the swordsman pushed the water glass in front of him: "Drink!"

Schweidnitz picked up the water glass and drank down every drop of the water.

"Drinking water is useless." Kaman commented expressionlessly: "He needs to drink some wine."

Anna wanted to laugh but couldn't, so she had no choice but to look at Kaman helplessly.

"I'm used to it." Kaman lowered his head apologetically. He thought for a while, walked to the panicked clerk, held the latter's shoulders, and softly comforted him: "Don't worry, you are safe here."

I don’t know if the priest’s words had an effect, but Schweidnitz really calmed down and answered more fluently.

From business transactions to debt status, Anna quickly finished asking the questions she had prepared in advance. She asked a few more questions about her newfound knowledge, then nodded to signal the end of the conversation.

The clerk Schweidnitz received the balance and ran away as if he had been granted amnesty.

The guards returned to their posts, and only Carman and Anna were left in the small living room, who was busy writing.

Kaman took away the water glass and asked casually: "I don't seem to hear anything special."

"Yes, it's very interesting." Anna put down her quill and smiled sweetly: "It seems that there seems to be a... network structure of debt relationships in the workshops of Steel Castle. But this is just my speculation, and more needs to be seen. Just have more account books.”

"Then what?"

"Then?" Anna replied energetically: "Then we have to ask Mr. Carlo Aide to find more 'account books'."

"I'm not talking about this and then." Carman sat down opposite Anna and opened his arms to make a circular motion: "I'm talking about everything and everything and then."

Anna still didn't understand what Kaman meant. She explained patiently: "I don't know how united the forge owners of Steel Castle are, but they are like a chain. As long as you find the weakest link in the chain and break through it, the chain will It will lose its meaning in itself, and the price alliance will collapse. At that time, they will rush to sell, and Winters can buy the goods at the lowest price."

Carman looked a little unbearable, and he asked hesitantly: "Ms. Navarre, do you realize that what you are doing... may make some honest and respectable people bankrupt?"

Anna also fell into a brief confusion, but she quickly concentrated and considered her words: "But, Father Carman, even if Winters and I don't do anything, they will go bankrupt."

Kaman was speechless. After a long time, he raised his head again and looked at Anna with complicated eyes: "Everything you are doing is completely opposite to the teachings I have received since childhood. [You must remember you] God, for it is He who gives you the power to obtain wealth], [Seek not earthly riches, but the blessings of heaven].

Winters was already wealthy, already able to command wealth unimaginable to ordinary people. But why is he still obsessed with earning every gold coin? Even at the expense of hurting and destroying others? I can't figure it out, I can't understand it. But a part of me felt vaguely that what he did was actually not wrong.

The scriptures teach people that they should not be addicted to the material enjoyment of the world, and should not corrupt their morals for the sake of money. [How difficult it is for those who rely on money to enter the kingdom of heaven! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven]. But I can’t think of you and Winters as morally despicable villains. I even think that you are nobler than my brothers. "

The fire crackled and the candle light flickered, just as Kaman's mind wavered.

"I don't know how to make everything consistent, Father Carman." Anna said softly: "In some cases, it is difficult to use morality as a guideline for behavior. My mother always said, 'A person can act according to his own conscience. , but if you let a group of people make a decision, you will always choose interests."

"Just like now." Anna's voice gradually became confused. After hearing Carman's entanglement, she was also reflecting on herself: "Because I am representing Winters' interests, every gold coin I save will become Winters' profit, so I became at ease and not ashamed of my cruelty... I don’t know why... I don’t even know if it is right to do so... Maybe when wealth accumulates to a certain level, it will no longer be us We have wealth, but wealth owns us.”

Kaman listened silently and smiled miserably: "There is another possibility - maybe the Catholic ethics of the old era are no longer suitable for this new era of flowing gold."

…

Winters was bidding farewell to Colonel Berne when the ethics of the Catholic Church collided with the commercial principles of profit.

"Okay, I won't send you too far. Be careful on the road." Colonel Bern glanced at the spotted horse under Winters' crotch and said with a smile: "But I don't think your old horse can run fast."

The spotted horse didn't respond to the attack and stretched its neck to eat the dry grass stalks under the road.

Winters raised his hand in salute and hit the road. Charles and Balian also saluted quickly and chased after him.

Colonel Berne watched for a moment, then turned around and walked back with a sense of loss.

However, the distant sound of horse hooves returned, and Winters' figure reappeared in front of Colonel Berne. He dismounted and walked quickly towards the colonel.

"Colonel." Winters' eyes were serious and he had already made up his mind: "There is one thing that I can't ask anyone else in Steel Castle, but it is of great importance. You are the Monta soldier I respect the most. I believe you. I just I can ask you for help.”

Colonel Bern couldn't help but become serious, but he was still puzzled: "What's wrong?"

"The following question is not raised by me as a Plato officer or in any other capacity, but as a Union citizen and a soldier who swore an oath to defend the Union in front of the old marshal's tombstone."

"you say."

"Has the Republic of Monta directly or indirectly provided cannons, guns, and armor to the Hed tribes? Is it possible that Borso da Este secretly serves the Oathbreakers?" Winters' eyes flashed with grief and indignation. With tears in his eyes, he looked at Colonel Berne and asked word for word: "Are the United Provinces joining forces with the Empire... to make us bleed?"

[Although the Catholic Church itself is extravagant and absorbs the wealth and support of the people, the ethical norms of the Catholic Church still advocate poverty, purity and kindness. Greed is one of the seven sins. Corruption within the Catholic church is morally untenable. The reform force within the church is the main force to suppress church corruption]

[That is, the pursuit of wealth is an objective phenomenon in society, but on a moral level, the pursuit of wealth and enjoyment in the world is a shameful behavior]

[This is a bit like Su L. Although corruption was rampant in Su L's later period, Su G's theoretical moral standard is still relatively high, and the KGB is also the main force in anti-corruption. After the "collapse of rituals and music", the corruption problem became more serious]

[The root of Kaman’s inner conflict lies in the fact that the church’s old ethical norms are no longer sufficient to guide the actions of the ‘emerging bourgeoisie’]

[Although it is difficult to call Winters a bourgeois (strictly speaking, he is a working-class person), the Navarre family is truly an emerging bourgeoisie—it’s just that the wealth accumulated by the bourgeoisie of this era has not yet reached the same level. Later generations are so exaggerated]

[Since we want to pursue profits, the first step is to decriminalize ‘greed’ and ‘self-interest’. No longer just thinking about exchanging merits in the world for tickets to heaven, but accumulating wealth endlessly]

[At this point, the 'preselection theory' is obviously more suitable for the taste of the bourgeoisie. Since who will be rescued has been decided in advance, there is no need to waste money on meritorious deeds, but you can accumulate wealth and work hard to prove whether you are the chosen one (this does not refer specifically to Protestantism, because there are still Many categories)]