A mage's journey begins with a battle mage.

Chapter 243 Meeting

The once chaotic downtown is now filled with order.

The Grey Party's logo is hung everywhere in the streets and alleys.

The scarlet background and a single drop of black blood are simple and clear.

There is no white space here.

After decades, Vander returned to the Third District of the Lower City, the place where he grew up.

Everything changed drastically; a cold, rigid order maintained everything.

The killings and deaths of the past are gone.

"stop!"

As he approached the tavern, Vandel was stopped.

A young man wearing a gray party armband stood before him. He had no weapons or firearms, but the danger emanating from the young man far surpassed that of those who carried weapons.

"You want to see the pioneer?"

The young man in front of me spoke of the pioneers with a fervent expression that seemed genuine.

"Where's the letter?"

Upon hearing this, Van der handed over the letter in his hand.

"I envy you so much for being able to meet such a great person."

After reading Vander's letter, the young man looked on with envy, as if not being able to meet the pioneer was something he would regret for the rest of his life.

"Perhaps."

Van der remained noncommittal.

The young man glanced at him and then spoke.

"You are not Grayblood, you will never understand his greatness."

"Go, the pioneer is inside."

The former tavern now resembles a solemn and dignified auditorium, where a large number of Grey Party members gather, whispering among themselves.

When Vander entered, the sound stopped abruptly, and everyone stared at him.

The sight of all eyes on him made Vander feel extremely uncomfortable. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, a feeling he hadn't experienced in many years.

The pressure from that pioneer was immense.

Who could possibly be so beloved and fervent in the hearts of the people of the lower town? Vander wondered as he walked through the silent corridor, imagining what might be happening on the other side.

"Are you Vander?"

A burly man stopped him.

Yes, that's me.

"You are required to undergo questioning!"

The burly man's voice was unusually cold.

"Let him in."

Clear human voices came from inside the door.

Upon hearing this, the burly man abandoned his plan to investigate.

"Consider yourself lucky, the Pioneer let you in."

The big man then stepped aside and opened the door for Vander.

Vander entered through the ordinary wooden door, but he felt that the door was so heavy that it was suffocating him.

"Don't just stand there, sit down."

A gentle voice rang out, unlike the cold middle-aged man or the cunning old man that Vander had imagined.

The person in front of me was just a young man, around twenty years old, with an ordinary appearance and a kind expression.

Van der looked at Jiang Shuzhou, and Jiang Shuzhou was also scrutinizing Van der.

Jiang Shuzhou's appearance is entirely up to personal preference; after all, he's no longer human, and his completely liquefied body can mimic any creature.

So Jiang Shuzhou created an ordinary-looking young man's face for himself.

His height wasn't exaggerated; at 1.8 meters, he was considered exceptionally tall in the malnourished downtown area.

"Vander, twenty-eight years ago you were a gang leader. I never imagined that you would rise to the top in just eight years. Now, more than 20 years later, you have become a councilor and possess countless riches."

"That's truly inspiring."

Looking at the middle-aged man whose face showed signs of fatigue, Jiang Shuzhou said.

"What exactly do you want from me?"

Van der was going to speak frankly, which was his usual style.

"To fight for your life, and of course, for your daughter and your confidants."

"What do you mean?"

"Literal meaning."

Jiang Shuzhou said with a smile, but his eyes were filled with coldness.

"Since you're not used to beating around the bush, I'll just be direct."

"I need your funds and resources to contribute to this great cause, and in return, the safety of you and your family will be guaranteed."

"What do you mean?"

Vandall sensed something was wrong.

"What I mean is, I want to rebel, or rather, storm the upper town."

"After all, it's much easier to break into the upper city than to painstakingly establish a foothold there, working like a beast of burden."

What are your thoughts?

"Why should I fund you, or rather, what makes you think you can infiltrate the upper city?"

"Based on strength."

Immediately afterwards, countless tentacles emerged from Jiang Shuzhou's body, crushing the pistol that Vander had hidden.

Van der was utterly horrified.

"This...how is this possible!"

"How could a gray beast possibly maintain its sanity?!"

"Of course it's possible, it's just that the news has been blocked for you."

Van der tried his best to remain calm, and then he apologized to Jiang Shuzhou.

"I'm sorry about carrying firearms. I can assure you, I absolutely did not..."

Then, he was interrupted.

"You should be glad you didn't have insurance, didn't do anything drastic, and that you do have some use, otherwise..."

Jiang Shuzhou didn't continue speaking, but the crushed gun told him of his possible fate.

"I need your information, including when the demonetization order will officially take effect, and the deployment of military forces in the upper city."

"These shouldn't be difficult, right?"

Van der knew he had no choice but to accept the situation, but he had come prepared and had already disregarded life and death, so he didn't care anymore.

"But don't worry, I never let anyone work for free. You'll get your share of the benefits."

Jiang Shuzhou started making empty promises.

However, the cake is indeed being made, since Jiang Shuzhou won't be staying in this world for long, and the mages won't be investing too much energy in this kind of world.

Therefore, there is a 99% chance that a semi-autonomous governance approach will be adopted, with troops only stationed in key areas, and the rest left to the locals to handle.

Of course, everyone is treated equally within the Alliance. If someone in this world has talent, the Alliance will not forbid them from learning magic and alchemy. After all, half of the legendary mages in the Alliance are not actually native to the Prime Material Plane.

They were simply promoted in the main plane.

There's nothing wrong with these smaller planes, it's just that the main plane offers more freedom and possibilities.

"I will do as you command."

"Secondly, there's the support of resources. First and foremost, there are loudspeakers, since I'm giving a speech, and these are convenient for everyone in the lower city to hear it."

Vandall nodded.

"You can talk to the others about the rest."

Van der was speechless. The person in front of him had fully demonstrated to him what it meant to be capricious and unpredictable.

He was so serious just a moment ago, but then he suddenly stopped caring. What does that mean?

With the most important thing settled, Jiang Shuzhou was too lazy to continue with those useless words.

Although Jiang Shuzhou has a photographic memory and can memorize that long list of supplies, he's too lazy to do so, since it's not his turn to use them.

"Alright, Vander, let's talk about the demonetization policy."

"When will it be executed?"

Van der gave a wry smile upon hearing this.

"Today."