Iron Powder and Spellcasters Chapter 381

   Chapter 381 Vortex (seven)

  [The day of the general election, early morning]

  [Steel Castle Municipal Palace]

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

   Mayor Wupper was changing his debate gown, and two servants were busy waiting for him. In front of him was a mercury mirror taller than an adult, the size of which Winters had never seen before.

   Mr. Mayor meticulously checked his appearance and made adjustments from time to time, as if every lock of hair and every badge had a fixed position.

  However, no amount of thick powder could hide the anxiety and annoyance on Mr. Mayor's face.

   "[Old phrase] Please answer me, Your Excellency." Paul Wupper looked at Winters through the mirror and asked bluntly: "[Old phrase] Whose side are you on?"

   "[Old phrase] You can trust me, Mr. Mayor." Winters replied calmly: "[Old phrase] I'm never on the side of the Commonwealth."

  “[Old language] Then why do you…”

   "[Old saying] I respect you, Mayor, but business is business. If you can convince your mates to accept my offer, I'll be your most loyal ally."

   Then, Winters met John Servette.

  Steelcastle City Councilman [John Servette] is forty-nine years old this year, but looks only in his early forties. He was tall and thin, with short light gray hair, every button of his dark black shirt was fastened, and he had a stern expression on his face.

   There were only Winters and Servette in the room.

  Servette sat upright in the crimson armchair, flipping through a thick stack of lectures. He raised his sunken eyes to look at Winters, and the atmosphere immediately became dull.

   "Mr. Granaghy." Servette's voice was low and cold: "Are you buying my supporters?"

   This is the first meeting between Winters and Servette, and he restrained himself without showing any emotion: "This accusation is unacceptable to me."

   "You first appeared at the Esther family's reception, and then contacted more than a dozen forge masters in a row. 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 from my honor that I am not from White Eagle, nor from Paul Wupper, and my negotiation with the workshop owners does not include any political attempts."

   Servette's eyes pierced the young baron. Although he did not find any trace of lies, it was impossible for him to believe with just a few words: "If this is the case, what exactly are you asking for?"

   "Money, Mr. Senator, clinking money. If you can convince your supporters to accept my offer, I don't mind letting gold flow in your name."

   Winters' visit to the two "public opinion representatives" is just a small episode. Today's highlight is the public debate before the general election.

   As early as a few decades ago, when everything by the Rose Lake was still the property of the Elin Abbey, the blacksmiths gathered here were practicing a noisy guild-style democracy.

   After entering the republic era, with the increasing wealth, the people of Steel Castle artfully copied the procedure of the ancient imperial Senate.

   Even the Steel Castle City Council is built according to the imaginary ancient palace of the elders: a high dome, a ring of stepped seats, and a debate platform in the center of the hall.

   But the people of Steelcastle also made a little improvement: they added a second floor to the Chamber of Deputies, so that people who were not eligible to attend the debate could watch.

The forge masters of Steel Castle gathered in the first floor of the council hall. A considerable number of them are no longer "blacksmiths", and have never even done blacksmith work, but this does not prevent them from becoming the one who controls the steel industry of Steel Castle. One of a handful of people.

   Winters, Carlo Ed and Carman watched the debate on the second floor of the House.

The echo structure of the    House made the words of Paul Wupper and John Serveter exceptionally loud, with deafening echoes emanating from the tiered seats from time to time.

   "How?" Carlo Ed asked Winters.

   "Mayor Wupper is great." Winters whispered, "But Senator Servetus should win."

  I have to admit that Paul Wupper's excellent performance in the debate greatly changed his impression of Winters.

The exaggerated and frivolous Mr. Mayor seemed to be a different person after he stepped onto the podium. He recounted the glorious history of Steel Castle from scratch, from small to large, and from big to strong with eloquence and passion. The members burst into thunderous applause.

After talking about his grandfather, father, and his own political achievements, Mayor Wupper changed the subject and began to point his finger at Clarion Fort and "those who we can't name by name", trying to exaggerate the crisis that Steel Castle is currently facing, as if Steel Castle is already sitting in the crater without knowing it.

   After again briefly mentioning the great cause of his ancestors, Paul Wupper concludes that only he - the loyal servant of the Wupper family - is the leader who can lead Steelcastle out of trouble.

  If it was Paul Wupper who was [a drunken playboy] in Winters' eyes before, then after such a long speech, Paul Wupper's image at least became [an eloquent and drunken playboy].

   John Servette's performance was lackluster by comparison.

  In Winters' opinion, the biggest problem with Senator Servette is that his voice is not pleasant, tight, and lacks the magic power of contagious emotions.

   Senator Servette, who is very oppressive in dealing with one-on-one, has no aura in the crowd.

   Senator Servetus mechanically recites his memorized speeches, like brown bread that has been left for too long and becomes dehydrated—dry, hard, and dull.

   While others might think that Servetus' style of speech was due to nature, Winters felt that Mr. Senator's poor performance was entirely due to his nervousness. Because I was too nervous, I could only speak in an emotionless way.

   But the content of Senator Servetus' speech is full of dry goods. Instead of spending time reminiscing about the glory days, he focused on the current situation.

Mr.    held an extremely pessimistic attitude and proposed that the "long-term trade ban" and "the expansion of the Palatine civil war" must be regarded as the prerequisites for formulating policies.

   Servette's point of view is interesting, and Winters is fascinated.

Mr. Mr.    believes that it is a serious misjudgment to try to challenge the Clarion Fort head-on, and the trade ban will not only be impossible to relax, but will become increasingly severe; in the short term, the Steel Fort will be hit hard;

   But with the expansion of the Palatine Civil War, the demand for steel and weapons will eventually reach a higher level; by that time, even the provinces will have to untie the steel castle and ask for help from the steel castle;

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

  It can be guaranteed by the parish head office, city government, state council, borrowed to the workshop owner on the verge of bankruptcy, or directly set up a warehouse and purchase it at a fixed price…

   Hearing the end, Winters even took out a pen and paper while listening and taking notes. Apparently, Senator Servette's speech had more meaning than the eloquent Mayor of Wupper, although he was pro-Union.

   That's why Winters replied to Carlo Ed: "Mayor Wupper is great, but Senator Servette will win."

Carlo Ed disagreed with Winters' judgment. He shook his head with a smile: "I don't see it. If it weren't for the fact that the current situation was really worrying, Senator Servette didn't even have any chance of winning. Even now, Servette The chances of the MPs winning the election may not be more than 50%."

   "Why?" Winters wondered.

   Carlo Ed sets his sights on the debate stage.

  The electoral debate has entered the stage of mutual questioning. Paul Wupper and John Servette are in a tit-for-tat confrontation.

   Wupper attacked that Servetus was not a true Solingen, nor a blacksmith, and all depended on being an adopted son to inherit the forge and get the right to vote.

  Servette did not recognize Paul Wupper's ability, and cited several cases where Mayor Wupper opened the door for relatives and friends.

   "This kind of debate is not like a competition of swordsmanship." Carlo Ed said leisurely: "The point of competition with swords is to defeat the opponent. The key to the ongoing debate is to win the audience. Whether or not to refute the opponent is next."

   Winters also looked away from the two debaters and turned to the audience.

  Evidently, Paul Wupper completely overpowered Servette when it comes to mobilizing emotions, venting emotions, and inspiring followers.

   Winters suddenly smiled and said to Kaman: "If Mayor Wupper joins the Catholic Church, he would be a good preacher and debater."

  Kaman was stunned for a moment, and then his eyes widened: "The evangelism of the Catholic Church has strict rituals and procedures, and theological debates are more logical. Only anti-religious preaching likes to stir up emotions, you should not pour sewage on us."

   Winters raised his hand in surrender.

  Kaman sneered back: "It's you, who ran around and visited yesterday, trying to profit from the fight between the two candidates. But now? It's about to vote, and your last chance has slipped away."

"The election of the Blacksmith's Guild is about to end, but there are still elections for the Parish Headquarters and the City Council." Winters and Mr. Ed looked at each other and said with a smile: "Mayor Wupper wants to win to the end, It's not that easy. You see, Senator Servetus has a fight with him."

   After the debate, the House entered a brief rest period.

   The masters of the forge who were sitting on the terrace seats dispersed, and when they came back, there would be a vote on who could become the next guild president.

  Paul Wupper and John Servette were also swarmed and hurried out of the House—to count the votes, presumably.

  The guild democracy of the Blacksmiths of Steel Castle has not yet developed a role similar to the [Party Whip] of the later generations. All prior promises may be in the shadows. Only when the master of the forge actually votes in the black box will the dust settle.

  The rest time is over, and the two candidates and the masters of the forge return to the council chamber.

   "Can we start?" the speaker in charge of maintaining order asked the two candidates.

"Please wait! The messenger who went to the horn fort to lobby has not sent back the news, and the current situation is not enough for everyone to make the most appropriate judgment." Paul Wupper stepped onto the podium in a purple robe embroidered with gold, his posture slightly Embarrassed, but he quickly put away his panic and confusion, and shouted: "Gentlemen! Forge masters of Steelcastle! It is too early to make a decision. I propose that the vote be postponed for a week!"

   Winters and Carlo Ed looked at each other.

   Carlo Ed narrowed his eyes: "It seems that Mayor Wupper's votes are not optimistic."

   The old gentleman who was the speaker was a little panicked: "Deferred voting? Has there been a precedent before?"

   "Yes!" Paul Wupper answered decisively: "Eighty-five years ago, when the parish head office discussed the construction of the canal, the voting was postponed twice!"

   The speaker looked at John Servette tentatively: "Then this..."

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

   There was an uproar in the council room.

   "It seems that Senator Servette is not sure that he can win." Carlo Ed thought.

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

   "Have you ever burned a small fire?" Kaman asked rhetorically.

  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 gunsmith.

   In addition to the beautiful greetings, the letter also listed in detail the prices of various weapons such as long guns, short guns, swords, bullet molds, and even small items such as sharpening stones.

  Fuller also emphasized: The price listed in the letter is the lowest price he can accept; if His Excellency the Baron wants to make a deal, he is very welcome; if His Excellency the Baron wants to continue to lower the price, please forgive me.

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

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

  From reed guns to sharpening stones, every letter is quoted exactly the same.

   [Thank you for your collection, reading, subscription, recommendation ticket, monthly ticket, reward and comment, thank you all]

   (end of this chapter)

Chapter end