Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 750: Episode 513: Meeting (Part 2)

Chapter 750: Episode 513: Meeting (Part 2)

Speaking of fun, Mr. Antoine of the Northern ideology invited Malin to give a lecture at the craftsman workshop he presided over.

Speaking of lecturing, Malin loved it. To teach someone how to fish was far more joyful than simply giving them fish. So, carrying his prepared teaching materials, he arrived early the next morning at the Copenhagen craftsmen’s workshop. Mr. Antoine had prepared a large classroom for him—this was originally used by the craftsmen seeds from the regions of the Northern Kingdom when they came to the capital. Antoine, being a Great Craftsman, had some strength of his own, but he had never seen Malin’s blueprints. As for everything happening in the South, he could only gain an inkling by paying high prices for firearms.

For him, having Malin come to give a personal explanation was a great honor. You must know that nowadays, for a Great Craftsman, keeping secrets was considered a virtue. Malin, openly running a large workshop and gathering a group of craftsmen, dwarves, humans, half-humans, gnomes, elves, and even Frost Giants to work for him, had long since transcended what Great Craftsmen would do—how could a Great Craftsman possibly have such ability?

Privately, many in the crafters’ circles had already viewed Malin as the God of Craftsmen—in this era without a God of Craftsmen, Malin was the most likely candidate to achieve such a divine status.

Of course, Malin just smiled at this. Others thought he wanted to become a god, but what Malin really wanted to do was to slay the gods, to eliminate all the chaotic Evil Gods and the unreliable gods of this world. It would be best if the God of Justice allowed him to leave on his own, but if he refused, a battle would ensue between them.

Of course, in Malin’s view, this would surely be the last resort.

Become a god? That’s not my pursuit. What I desire is for the world I am familiar with to return before me, the world where mortals eventually come to realize their mortal nature, the world where mortals create everything. Perhaps mortals may stray, but mortals... are the true masters of this world.

Of course, Malin knew all this was but a dream. The world had changed, and humans from before the Era of Great Destruction could not even survive in this world for long, only able to peer at the outside world through the transparent walls of shelters.

Nevertheless, this did not hinder Malin from regarding these people, yearning for knowledge, as Earthlings. They are still the indomitable natives of this planet, and their every action and every word narrate the performance of the human race—an eternally resilient species emerging through the saga called history.

Humans might fail, might go extinct, for their history is but the smallest of civilizations between two ice ages on Earth. In the universe, there must definitely be existences greater than humanity... but real humans will never submit.

...

"I am very pleased that so many people have come here today to hear me speak of the knowledge that belongs to us craftsmen alone. First and foremost, I must thank Mr. Antoine. Without his invitation, I would not have thought of coming here to meet with you, so please thank him, not me."

As Mr. Malin gestured toward himself, Antoine smiled and made a chest-touching gesture of gratitude to the audience: "Mr. Malin accepted my bold invitation to come to the North, and he responded to my invitation most graciously. Therefore, you should thank him. Knowledge is priceless. I hope you can appreciate Mr. Malin’s kind intention."

Antoine was truly delighted, for Mr. Malin was indeed as the reputation suggested; he believed that knowledge was priceless but would teach it unreservedly to those who wished to learn, as long as their allegiances aligned with his.

Antoine felt that Mr. Malin was indeed someone he could converse with, even collaborate with.

Although he too was a business owner, even a noble, the actions Mr. Malin took in Carterburg were the kindest—providing refugees with work, shelter, and even caring for their life, old age, sickness, and death. Even their Northern ideology agents who went south reported that there, they could feel a sense of hope and happiness only present in the People’s Congress.

Moreover, Mr. Malin united those willing to work hard, everyone ready to strive for their tomorrow found a place in his corporation; all diligent individuals could earn money with him, and even buy those collective-style apartments, find wives, and have homes of their own. Their children had specialized nurseries and could attend school for an incredibly low fee as they grew older. Some hardworking people could even afford to keep a pet dog.

Although only a very ordinary yellow dog, not as noble as a hunting dog, it was still incredibly admirable. You must know that in the North, this was unimaginable—an serf dreaming of having his own family and pet dog?

Stop dreaming; dreams are where anything is possible.

Antoine sat in a corner taking notes. He noticed two young men at the very back and highest row of the student seats listening somewhat spellbound.

Jon Svenson and Link Svenson.

Despite their youth, these brothers had recently emerged as young commanders from the Northern Kingdom’s military. They were a cadet branch of the Svenson family, still relatives of King Manheim. But who would have thought these two would be the youngest of the Eleven?

They joined the Eleven and contributed funds to support Northern ideology, all in pursuit of taking revenge against the Manheim dynasty.

Antoine was unclear why they sought revenge or even whom they sought it from, but he could feel the rage that these two young children displayed at that time, a frenzy that wished nothing more than to erase His Majesty from this world.

Although this anger became less and less observable as they grew up, Antoine understood that it wasn’t that they had forgotten their hatred, but that they had learned the most important lesson of revenge: never let anyone know what you’re thinking.

So they joined the military, using the Svenson family’s influence in the armed forces along with their own efforts to reach their current positions: twenty-year-old lieutenant colonels... Everyone said that it must have been with the help of that incompetent king, but Antoine knew that it was all due to their hard work.

As the older brother, Jon was making notes in his journal, while the younger brother occasionally used Spell Formation to outline some of the key points Malin was making.

They too were thirsty for knowledge, these two young men. Old Francis always intended for them to become the primary leaders of the next generation under Northernism. In Antoine’s eyes, this was indeed a choice; after all, they were the youngest in the Council of Eleven. At only twenty years old, they already possessed impressive identities. The older brother, Sequence Two; the younger brother, Sequence Three—both brothers were Winter Wolf Knights of the Winter Wolf Church, with limitless futures ahead.

But Antoine still felt it wasn’t good for them because Northernism was meant to save the masses from misery, not a doctrine of revenge. If there came a day when the king of Manheim died by their hands, would these young men still identify with Northernism?

Antoine did not know, but he was aware that if things changed, Northernism would face its most fearsome enemy—because these two young men knew the identity of all members of the Council of Eleven and the names of most middle-level personnel. If they became enemies, would Northernism... still have a chance of existence?

This was what Antoine feared the most, and why he wanted to overcome objections and bring His Excellency Malin into the Council of Eleven. The Council could even offer Malin a seat, all for the persistence of Northernism.

No matter how formidable these two young men were, they surely couldn’t pose a threat to His Excellency Malin.

With this thought, Antoine noticed that His Excellency Malin had finished his lecture, and the students below began to applaud.

It took three minutes for the applause to subside before His Excellency Malin announced the end of the lecture with a very concise tone.

Many students rushed to consult with His Excellency Malin, and Antoine noticed that the two young Svensons didn’t leave. They stood at the edge, seemingly waiting patiently.

Antoine chose to sit there as well, waiting for everything to reach a conclusion—eventually, the students would finish asking questions, and then he would join the two Svensons to have the first brief discussion with His Excellency Malin on behalf of the Council of Eleven.

.........

"The Malin you speak of, is His Excellency really reliable?" Mendel Erikson asked his friend with a somewhat doubtful tone.

"You’re an Assistant Priest at the Church of the War God; you should also be aware of His Excellency Malin’s reputation, right? He is the dual champion of your Church of the War God and the Church of Justice," Old Francis replied with a laugh as he saw the hesitation in the young man’s eyes.

"Do we really need to let him into our Council? He is a major businessman and a Noble," the young Assistant Priest questioned with some doubts.

"Our troubles are not limited to this. Think of our future, Comrade Mendel. What Comrade Antoine is thinking is not without reason. We still need to introduce new blood into our organization. And although His Excellency Malin is a Noble and a businessman, do you think that all he has done in Carterburg is really for who? Isn’t it for those poor refugees?"

"Indeed, Comrade Old Francis, our cause... I hope what we’re doing is the right thing," said the Assistant Priest Mendel.

"Don’t worry, Comrade Mendel," Old Francis patted his shoulder. "Comrade Antoine, and the two Comrade Svensons are present. While they are putting Malin to the test, they must also be under His Excellency Malin’s scrutiny. Let’s hope our faith can be understood by him, that we can seek common ground while respecting differences. It would be the greatest boon for our Northernism."

In Old Francis’s view, Malin was indeed the most suitable candidate to be invited into the Council. His presence could show the doubters that such a benevolent businessman existed in this world, and everything that His Excellency Malin did might just pave the best way forward for Northernism.

May the doctrine shine forever.