The answer from Karien immediately silenced the room.

Adrian from Ironclad Academy widened his eyes in disbelief as he glanced at Karien, his mind recalling the mockery he had directed at him earlier. He could almost feel the burning shame on his face.

Jessica from Violet Academy was equally stunned, but soon she seemed to remember something and asked, “So, back then at the square, were you the one who broke through the barrier from the inside?

Was it you who used that terrifying explosion magic to injure the Archbishop of the Church of Light? And were you the one who killed Lidon?”

Karien looked at her and nodded slowly.

Jessica was shaken to her core. That was a Grand Magister! This meant that Karien, at just 20 years old, already possessed the power of a Grand Magister?

Wills from Nightfall Academy, though he had somewhat anticipated this revelation, was also taken aback. Originally, he had thought of Karien as a genius in magical theory. But now, it was clear that he had grown far more powerful than he had expected.

Elder White Star, the acting elder, turned his gaze towards Karien, pondering for a moment before speaking. "Let’s first clarify the situation with the Mechanical God Sect. Of course, I’m not accusing you of worshipping another sect.

In fact, many students who graduate from the academy turn to different beliefs after leaving."

"The Dark Holy Court, unlike the Church of Light, does not reject other faiths. As long as they don’t pose a threat to us, you have the freedom to believe as you wish."

"However, given that Palos Magic School is affiliated with the Dark Holy Court, and you are here, you must explain the situation with the Mechanical God Sect."

This was a reasonable request, and Karien nodded before responding.

"The Mechanical God Sect believes in the God of Machines and is dedicated to creating more efficient machines, liberating people from labor, increasing productivity, and creating wealth… achieving equality for all!"

This somewhat strange ideology left the others puzzled.

Dean Brian from Green Vine Academy, upon hearing the last sentence, fell into deep thought.

"I joined the Mechanical God Sect when I was in the capital city, because it allows ordinary people to wield magic."

"As you all know, I have no affinity for any elements, and it’s highly unlikely that I will ever become a Magister. However, I am skilled in magical theory, and within the Mechanical God Sect, my knowledge can be of great use, allowing me to create more efficient and powerful machines."

"For example, this magic rifle. My students and I have contributed to its development."

Dean Kelly from Blue Crystal Academy asked, "Are all the students at Red Leaf Academy now followers of the Mechanical God Sect?"

Karien shook his head. "I haven’t mentioned the sect to them, because the Mechanical God Sect doesn’t forbid non-believers from using our magical devices."

"The reason I’m bringing up the Mechanical God Sect today is because, as Dean Brian said, to prevent Mist County from falling under the control of the Fallen Faction, we need to mobilize the power of the people.

But the people don't know magic, and they have no power to resist. So, we need to give them power."

"And the Mechanical God Sect can provide that!"

Hearing this, everyone’s attention shifted to the magic rifle in Karien’s hands.

"Are you talking about this weapon?"

"Yes."

Lifting the magic rifle, Karien aimed it at a wall not far from the meeting room.

"Can I make a small hole in the wall?" he asked White Star.

After a moment’s hesitation, White Star nodded.

Karien pulled the trigger. A flash of lightning shot out, leaving a small, charred hole in the wall.

He had adjusted the intensity to the lowest setting, so there was only minimal damage to the wall—it was just a demonstration.

"This magic rifle can load different basic magic spells, such as fireball, wind blade, and so on. Most of them are first-tier spells, with a few second-tier ones."

Most of the people in the room had seen Mia use this weapon before, so they easily understood.

"I remember that during yesterday’s graduation assessment, that girl Mia from your academy used the magic rifle to unleash a power equivalent to a third-tier spell, right?"

Karien disassembled the three barrels of the rifle and handed them to the others. "Currently, we only have first- and second-tier magical devices.

The reason it can unleash third-tier power is that it contains many small magic arrays stacked together, relying on quantity to increase its power."

Wills, sitting beside Karien, was the first to take one of the barrels. He glanced inside and saw the dense elemental runes, stunned by the complexity.

"Is… is this really a magic array?"

White Star also received a barrel, looking surprised. "Why are the magic arrays in your Mechanical God Sect not circular, and stacked so tightly? Won’t the arrays interfere with each other?"

Karien smiled slightly. "This involves a secret of the Mechanical God Sect. If any of you are interested in joining, I can explain it to you."

He was practically proselytizing right there.

White Star shot Karien a glare. "Don’t get too arrogant. While I don’t mind you believing in another sect, we are followers of the God of Darkness, not here for your conversion."

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Karien gave an awkward smile. "Apologies, what I meant is that this is a secret of the Mechanical God Sect, and it’s not meant for outsiders."

White Star nodded and then asked, "Since these magical devices are only first- and second-tier, how did you injure the Archbishop of the Church of Light this morning and kill Lidon?"

After thinking for a moment, Karien replied, "That was a different type of magical device, a divine gift from the God of Machines. Without the God’s permission, I cannot show it to you."

Whether it was the K8 or the equivalent bomb, Karien wasn’t about to reveal these powerful magical devices easily.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the people in the room, but since he genuinely wanted to establish the Mechanical God Sect, he had to elevate the status of the God of Machines.

Powerful magical devices like the K8 or equivalent bombs could be considered sacred relics of the sect. To obtain such divine artifacts, one would need to pay the appropriate price. Only in this way could Karien maintain control over the situation.

Protecting Palos Magic School in place of Elder Ellison was his duty, and Karien would give his all to that cause. But to be honest, his true home was Red Leaf Academy.

He didn’t feel a deep connection to the other academies, including the main campus, and his trust in them was limited.

So, even if he had to provide magical devices, he would do so step by step and not blindly reveal everything.

White Star understood that pressing further would uncover even more secrets of the Mechanical God Sect, so he stopped and said, "We now understand the Mechanical God Sect and the magic rifle you hold.

You can continue with your proposals."

Karien nodded. "If we at Palos Magic School plan to take control of Mist County, we will need to mobilize the people and create a new army.

The people don’t know magic, but we can provide them with magic rifles so they can possess power."

He paused, tapping his fingers lightly on the ground. After thinking for a moment, he continued, "Give me one month, and I may be able to provide ten thousand magic rifles!"

Ten Thousand Magic Rifles!

If a magic rifle allows ordinary people to wield the power of first- and second-tier magic, then with ten thousand magic rifles, a force of ten thousand could be formed into a magic-powered army.

This would indeed make it much easier to deal with the Duke of Mist County's forces.

White Star stroked his chin and said, "If you can provide ten thousand magic rifles, it would certainly be a good thing. But one month’s time..."

A month isn’t a long time, but the problem is that the Fallen Faction could launch an attack at any moment.

By the time they prepare, the Duke of Mist County's army might already be at their doorstep.

Karien nodded in agreement, saying, "A month may indeed be a bit long. However, during this time, I can provide a few hundred rifles within the first week. After all, magic rifles are still magical weapons.

Both the materials and manpower required are quite extensive, so forging them isn’t easy."

It was only then that White Star realized something important and asked, "How much would it cost to obtain these weapons from the Mechanical Church?"

White Star was very aware of how expensive magical weapons are.

When she was a child, she had aspired to become a swordswoman, but when she couldn’t afford a magic sword, she had to settle for becoming a martial artist without weapons.

Normally, even a low-tier magical weapon would cost at least two or three hundred gold coins.

Mid-tier weapons would cost over a thousand, and high-tier ones could cost tens of thousands. Even though White Star now held the position of acting elder and had a generous salary, earning around five hundred gold coins a month, it would take her years—perhaps even a decade—to afford a high-tier magical weapon.

The thought of a magic rifle, even a low-tier one, costing millions of gold coins made White Star’s head ache.

Karien answered her question: "The price isn’t easy to determine, especially since these are weapons designed for ordinary people to use.

The Mechanical Church hasn’t sold them to the public yet. Currently, the most basic magical devices we sell in the capital, such as magical air conditioners, cost about one hundred gold coins each.

But for a weapon like the magic rifle, the price could be closer to a thousand gold coins."

White Star’s expression froze. That meant ten thousand rifles would cost ten million gold coins.

This was more than what the Palos Magic Academy could afford; even the King might not be able to purchase such an amount.

Seeing her reaction, Karien smiled. "But I can apply to the higher-ups in the Mechanical Church to provide ten thousand magic rifles to the school for free."

Free!

White Star’s eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, "Are you serious?"

Karien nodded, then said, "However, I have conditions."

White Star quickly regained her composure. "What conditions? Speak."

Karien replied, "First, you must allow students from Red Leaf Academy to follow the faith of the Mechanical Church.

Second, you must allow me to represent the Mechanical Church and preach in the surrounding territories outside the school."

This was a bit confusing for White Star. "Is that it?"

Karien nodded. "Just those two conditions."

After a moment of thought, White Star said, "These two conditions, though somewhat in conflict with our Dark Church, aren’t impossible to accept.

To be honest, the Dark Church is currently embroiled in internal strife, and the Orthodox Faction is in a very difficult situation.

Even if the students and teachers in the school wanted to follow another faith, I can’t stop them. Let alone the people outside the school."

"So, these aren’t really conditions."

Karien shook his head lightly and smiled. "No, these conditions are very important. I don’t want our differences in faith to cause a rift with the school.

I want to ensure that I can preach without concerns, with your approval. And when I preach in the surrounding territories, it won’t just be for the Mechanical Church; it will also be to mobilize the people."

He paused, tapping his fingers on the ground, then continued, "In other words, I hope the school will allow me to mobilize the people and form an army to resist the Fallen Faction."

Simply put, Karien wanted to take the lead.

White Star didn’t respond immediately but looked at the other members of the meeting, particularly the two academy deans.

Dean Brian from Greenvine Academy rested his chin on his hands, thinking for a long time before speaking.

"To put it simply, are you saying that the Mechanical Church would finance and provide the weapons to form an army?"

Karien shook his head. "Not the Mechanical Church. I’ll be the one representing the school to form the army.

Although, of course, the school will need to cooperate with the process, so this would be a collaboration between the Mechanical Church and the school."

"You're doing it alone? No other followers of the Mechanical Church involved?" Dean Brian asked in surprise.

"Yes, just me. And since the school will be involved in the process, this should count as a partnership between the Mechanical Church and the school. This way, the school can focus more energy on other defense plans."

The reason Karien insisted on this arrangement was twofold.

On one hand, it would help the school control the surrounding areas and prevent the threat of the Fallen Faction. On the other hand, he wanted to prepare for future industrialization in Mist County. Karien believed that his current production capabilities were too low.

Industrialization required a substantial workforce, and in Aurelia, no nation could escape religious influence. Any attempt to industrialize without religious support would be met with strong resistance from other factions.

So, Karien had created the Mechanical Church as a means to implement industrialization under the guise of religion.

While the church was established, he still needed to gain the acceptance of the people. Now that the Dark Church had lost its status as the state religion, this was the perfect time to collaborate with the Orthodox Faction to fight the Fallen Faction, and spread the faith in the process.

Once the Palos Magic Academy allowed the promotion of the Mechanical Church in the surrounding areas, Karien would be able to increase the productivity of the people and expand the industrial base.

He didn’t dislike the Orthodox Faction in the Dark Church—in fact, he respected them. His goal wasn’t to steal their followers; the religious aspect was merely a façade for his greater plan.

At the end of the meeting, White Star and the other academies agreed to Karien’s proposal. After all, this wouldn’t cost the Palos Magic Academy anything extra.

Karien would represent the Mechanical Church and handle everything on his own, while the school could focus on other defense strategies.

However, both Dean Brian from Greenvine Academy and Wills from Nightfall Academy expressed a desire to help mobilize the people with Karien, and Karien didn’t object.

Thus, the final arrangement was that the school would split into two plans: White Star and the others would focus on defending the school, while Karien, Brian, and Wills would handle the mobilization of the people and the formation of the army.