“One of the greatest reasons is that the Tera Mithril that plays a crucial role in magic research is no longer able to meet the needs of the Supreme Council. That is also why the development of magic for us humans has plateaued.” Rosen’s opening speech had undoubtedly made numerous councilors nod.
Andoine immediately understood Rosen’s intentions after hearing Rosen mention the Tera Mithril now. However, he thought that it would be impossible for him to stop them.
The proposal was very sudden, and it caught Andoine off guard. Andoine couldn’t inform the councilors on his side in advance. Besides, when Andoine scanned the venue and saw the expressions on the faces of the many councilors, his heart sank even lower.
Only a small number of councilors looked surprised, and most of them were elated. Clearly, Rosen had done sufficient preparatory work.
Looking at a gaze that was directed towards him, Lin Li did not seem angry at all even though the other party’s shamelessness was beyond his imagination. However, there was nothing he could do even if the proposal was accepted. It was not that easy to take advantage of the Tower of Dusk.
With a smug expression on his face, Rosen cleared his throat, and continued, “The good thing is, the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic has recently discovered a rich reserve of Tera Ore in the Breezy Plains. However, some selfish people have restricted the supply of Tera Ore as they have no concern for the greater good. Such behavior has severely restricted the Supreme Council’s magical research, and is a crime against the magical development of humans. Hence, I suggest that the Supreme Council takes over the rights to the Tera Mine of the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic.”
Rosen finally revealed his true intentions, and the peace in the conference hall was instantly broken by the discussion between the councilors. However, they could all tell that there were more voices of approval from the councilors than there were voices of apprehension. Even the councilors who were initially in neutral positions gradually began to waver and get tempted by the idealistic prospects suggested by the crowd.
“I think that Deputy Chairman Rosen’s proposal is indeed of great benefit to the development of the Supreme Council. The Supreme Council is undoubtedly the pioneer of magic civilization among humans. Hence, magic civilization can only be better promoted if the entire Tera Mine is managed by the Supreme Council. Only then can its uses be maximized.” Shortly after Rosen spoke, Hubert, Rosen’s loyal follower, stood up to voice his opinion.
Over the past 1,300 years, there had been no Guild of Magic in the Breezy Plains before the Tower of Dusk, and there was a reason for that. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic was struggling to survive when it was first established. Almost no one was optimistic about its future, and some even doubted if and speculated how long it could exist for.
Under Lin Li’s management, the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic, or rather the Tower of Dusk, managed to develop to the extent that was beyond imaginable. It was impossible for there to be no jealous outsiders. However, due to the Tower of Dusk’s location, which was further away from the so-called magic center, other Guilds of Magic barely had the opportunity to deal with the Tower of Dusk. Hence, they could only keep their jealousy to themselves.
Rosen’s proposal had undoubtedly given an opportunity for them. That was human psychology. One could never be pleased to see someone else doing well while they were stuck in a rut. Hence, some councilors who were originally in a neutral position soon stood on Rosen’s side, and even began thinking about the matters regarding the future distribution and wonderful development.
“I think that this proposal of Deputy Chairman Rosen seems a bit inappropriate. The Tera Mine was discovered and developed by President Felic of the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic, and the ownership should rightfully belong to them. Besides, President Felic had been selflessly supplying a large amount of Tera Mithril to the Supreme Council, which is already a great contribution. Not only did he not get rewarded, now you actually want to deny his rights to the mine. Isn’t that too harsh and cruel?” Aldwin voiced his doubts after seeing that the discussion was getting heated.
Ever since they had explored Osric’s mausoleum, Aldwin had begun disliking Rosen. If it weren’t for the fact that Rosen had pulled those tricks presumptuously, the Alanna Guild of Magic wouldn’t have incurred such a huge loss. Although the Supreme Council had also given them some compensation afterwards, talents could not be cultivated overnight, and the mages had still yet to recover completely even until now.
Hence, Aldwin genuinely detested Rosen’s behavior of seeking personal benefits for himself under the facade of acting in the best interests of the Supreme Council. Besides, Rosen was going against Andoine’s student, Lin Li. No matter what, Aldwin would never stay quiet and do nothing about it.
“President Aldwin, that’s not right. As a member of the Supreme Council, one should consider the interests of the Supreme Council before anything else, and not be preoccupied with personal gains and losses.”
The one who spoke was Leddings, who had just reached an agreement with Rosen. Since he had decided to stand on Rosen’s side, he had to show enough sincerity. Hence, he stood up with a solemn and austere expression, and said, “Everyone knows that the forces of various sizes in the Breezy Plains are complicated, and word about the discovery of the Tera Mine will definitely spread soon. Once the established local forces find out, I’m afraid it won’t be easy to keep the Tera Mine given the power of the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic. Hence, for this consideration, I also think that the Tera Mine should be taken over by the Supreme Council.”
Leddings’ words caused the councilors to nod repeatedly. Although the Breezy Plains still belonged to the Felan Kingdom in theory, it was still a bit too far away from the many traditional Guilds of Magic, after all. Hence, the news was naturally not delivered in time. However, even if they’d got the news in time, they probably wouldn’t have believed that a Guild of Magic that had only been established for a few years could subdue the numerous powerful forces in the Breezy Plains.
The Tera Mine was enough to make any force go crazy, and whether or not the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic could keep the Tera Mine was indeed a considerable issue that could not be ignored in the eyes of many people. If it were guarded and managed by the Supreme Council, no one in the entire Anril would dare to covet it, let alone the Breezy Plains’ forces.
“Yes, there’s a reason the Breezy Plains is known to be chaotic. If word about the Tera Mine spreads, it might cause the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic to be extinguished. We’d better leave it to the Supreme Council.”
“Indeed, originally I thought that Deputy Chairman might have some selfish motives, but it seems that I didn’t consider it thoroughly enough.”
“This matter should actually be considered a good thing for the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic. What do you guys think? If we have to vote, I think I’ll vote for it.”
Even if it was out of consideration of fairness, a few of the neutral councilors could not help but gravitate towards Rosen’s proposal. Besides, they felt that the Tera Mine could also cause the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic to get rid of fatal trouble. Hence, giving the rights to the mine to the Supreme Council was not only not encroaching on the interests of the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic, it also helped them resolve the crisis.
“What kind of logic is this? You want to take away his assets just because you think he can’t protect it? You’re afraid that the Tera Mine would cause other forces in the Breezy Plains to fight over it, so the Supreme Council should take over its management? What an absurd reason. According to this logic, all of you sitting here who are Presidents of Guilds of Magic should surrender all your properties and resources to the Supreme Council and have it manage them,” Macklin sneered in exasperation as he scanned the faces of the clamoring councilors. He could not hide the sarcasm in his voice.
“Councilor Macklin, please don’t twist the logic. You should be well aware of the value of the Tera Mine. It is far from being a resource that can be compared in a general sense. The Supreme Council has the ability to turn the value of the Tera Mine into a driving force for the development of magic civilization. The results of magical research will also be imparted to the Guilds of Magic. Isn’t that a good thing for everyone?”
Faced with Macklin’s accusation, Leddings did not succumb at all. In the past, he would have never dared to behave that way, but now he had Deputy Chairman Rosen as his backer. Hence, he obviously was dauntless.
Before Macklin retorted, another high-ranking councilor stood up. He had a full head of white hair and a wrinkled, sullen face with no expression. He said in a hoarse voice, “Councilor Macklin, Councilor Aldwin, please mind your words. You have been emphasizing the fact that we’re encroaching. Has the Supreme Council become bandits!? The Supreme Council is the leader of all Guilds of Magic, and any Guild of Magic is definitely established with the support of the Supreme Council. Without the Supreme Council, there would be no Guild of Magic. The establishment of the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic was a chance that the Supreme Council fought for. The Guild of Magic should be proud to contribute to the Supreme Council!”
That high-ranking councilor was the President of the Geresco City Guild of Magic, the Legendary-mage Kaman. One could guess from the name of Geresco City that it was largely related to Geresco, the God of Mages. It was said to be the birthplace of Geresco.
It was said that when the Supreme Council chose the location for the establishment of the Guild of Magic Headquarters, Geresco City was once Alanna’s strongest competitor. Moreover, at that time, there were many people who supported Geresco City, including the three arbitrators. After all, the Supreme Council was established by Geresco.
However, Geresco, the God of Mages, still ended up choosing Alanna as the place for the Guild of Magic Headquarters, perhaps due to some specific reason.
However, as the birthplace of the God of Mages, Geresco City Guild of Magic had a rather high status in the Supreme Council. The Alanna Guild of Magic and the Geresco City Guild of Magic were even known as the North and South Magic Capitals in the Felan Kingdom.
