1 Audience with the emperor

-Thus, pointing out the need to increase the funding of the magic corps in Nippur, you first of all show disrespect for your emperor, who is already sufficiently concerned about this problem.

-You understand that our activities in Nippur bring the country forty percent of its income. And now, when the pressure of Typhons has increased, and troops are gathering on the border of the federation - am I being offered to make do with a pathetic semblance of an army inherited from the last governor general?

-You are scolding your predecessor, but he, however, made do with the forces that he had and did not ask for any additional assistance.

- Times have changed and it's strange for me to realize that I understand this better than you!

-Nevertheless, at the moment we do not plan to take the actions requested by you.

-Can't the Emperor himself tell me about it?- "How tired I am of this idiot. Can you try to repay him in the same coin, hiding the mockery in a lace of meaningless words? " - And are you thereby insulting His Majesty, believing that you can at least in a small degree express his powerful and clear thoughts with your phrases that are poor in beauty and meaning?

Pleased with his simple joke, Archmage Crassus en Janet watched the changes in the faces of those present in the throne room. A slight surprise on the face of the first adviser – a man of about fifty with burning black short-cropped hair, streaked with gray at the temples, a strong-willed face and a lean figure of an experienced duelist. Some discontent on the faces of the other advisers and ministers. They were not as smart and cunning as their head, but much more arrogant. They could only tolerate jokes and ridicule from their superiors or from friends. But Crassus, their equal in status, certainly could not laugh at their unspoken leader - the first adviser to the emperor. On the other hand, the archmage was probably the strongest person in the country and all they could do was sit and express their dissatisfaction with furrowed eyebrows, pursed lips and quick glances with each other.

But en Janet was most interested in the reaction of His Imperial Majesty Raphael Azrut the First. Like any ambitious, but not vain person, he would be happy to serve under a great man, would not worry if his overlord was mediocre, but would not tolerate the power of an idiot. The Emperor Raphael, by his behavior, caused relief from Crassus and even gave some peace of mind. He smiled at the words of his archmage and began to look at him with more warmth, sometimes casting a mocking glance at the first adviser. People unfamiliar with Raphael would have thought that he liked the joke of the new governor general so much. Crassus was acquainted with him, and therefore he did not think so.

Their first conversation took place three years ago when the magician was appointed to his current position. After that, there were several more meetings similar to the current one. He's been thinking a lot lately. About the Emperor Raphael and about his country - the Akad Empire, about the first adviser and about himself, about people and about magicians, about the role of magic in the world and about the role of magic in the life of a magician. En Janet generally liked to think about everything and nothing. If his thoughts had been more practical, he would have become an archmage a few years earlier. He didn't really like the conclusions of his own reasoning.

So when applying for this audience, the magician wanted to achieve two goals. First, to really demand support, without which the most profitable region of the empire could soon be captured. And, secondly, to look at Raphael and make sure that he was not mistaken, and if not, then make a decision. The decision is important for him and for his country. Returning to the reaction of the king, it is worth saying why, after all, it caused relief. The fact is that His Majesty was incredibly stupid. He did not smile at the archmage's joke, but took it seriously. He thought that the archmage himself admired his imperial intelligence, and that the adviser was really more stupid than him.

Crassus simply could not serve the idiot king, or rather his adviser. Nolan Flannagan, the first adviser, would be an excellent first adviser in the service of any king, except for such a incompetent one. He was the son of a merchant, received an excellent education and became a good warrior. Having chosen a military career, the young man quickly moved up the career ladder thanks to his abilities and his father's connections. Then he became the governor general of one of the duchies on the border with the barbarians. He quickly put his patrimony in order. Income has almost doubled, and mortality has decreased. After that, he was invited by the father of the current emperor to be one of his advisers, and under Raphael he became the first adviser.

His problem was that he was not born an aristocrat, and even now he remained a landless nobleman. Personally, this was not a big disadvantage for the archmage, but Nolan was not attached to the Acad and could betray the country at any time. In general, the refusal of additional troops and funding told en Janet exactly about this. An aristocrat has something to lose when his country is captured, but a born merchant in general does not care in which country to live. At least, that's what Crassus en Janet, born in a count's family, thought.

The Governor General felt relieved that he had decided-right now he decided to challenge both the king and his adviser, and indeed the entire empire. Impatience was already written on his face. There was nothing more to expect from this conversation. His active nature demanded that he take action immediately. He even had to restrain himself from grinning when the march of the battle mages involuntarily played in his head, which made his heart beat faster. It would be possible to finish everything here and now.

Unleash the magic power, expand the aura, destroy first the guards and magicians, and then the emperor. He even expected to survive after that. After all, there were not so many guards - they still trusted him, and besides, as he believed, they did not know the limits of his capabilities. But Crassus had to stop himself. He does not yet have an unconditional leadership anywhere, neither among magicians, nor in the government, nor in the opposition. Now chaos, and possibly the complete destruction of the country, could not be avoided if he killed the entire top of power. Akad was strong, but not for a three-front battle in a state of anarchy.

- His Imperial Majesty is tired of talking to you. They are always so tiresome, not only for His Majesty, but for all of us. Based on the results of past meetings, as well as the current audience, you will be additionally allocated one infantry legion, three great mages, sixteen masters and thirty-one graduates of academies for a period of up to ten years. Also, all magic academies will be required to send ten percent of all graduates to Nippur within ten years. You also try to pull up their abilities to a higher level. You will finance new soldiers from the funds you send to the capital. But keep in mind the amount of funds cannot decrease. Therefore, you will have to increase the extraction of minerals and alchemical materials.

- Thank you, Your Excellency Flannagan, for voicing the thoughts of our wisest Emperor. I must admit, I did not expect such a favorable outcome of the case. If I may, I would like to take my leave and go to my duchy to prepare for the meeting of the troops.

- Go, Your Eminence, go and do not forget your benefactor, His Imperial Majesty Raphael Azrut the First.

The Archmage left the throne room, thinking about a lot of things to do. Only for a moment he paid attention to the second part of their conversation. The sent mages could only cause laughter. He alone would not be afraid to fight them all at the same time, even without the slightest preparation, and after winning, he would still have the strength to escape, and maybe fight further. The soldiers are… In general, in the modern world, soldiers fought only with barbarians, and in a war where mages are fighting, soldiers simply ensure order in the conquered territories or even somehow provide normal conditions of war for mages. If you put soldiers to fight Typhons regularly, then these five thousand legionnaires will die out in five years, and this is with a constant influx of new forces. Without recruits, Crassus would not have given them two or three years.

The Governor General, of course, was not going to destroy his third legion. So, like the first two, he will just stand in the camp and do nothing, eating up the money that en Janet needs so much. But in view of his recent decision, the Archmage was already planning to double the number of each of the legions. Few people understand the mechanics of war. And six legions look much more impressive than three. This impressiveness was necessary for en Janet to impress those whom he planned to win over to his side. Where to get the money for this, and also how he would explain the doubling of his army to His Majesty, and to Nolan, Crassus did not yet know.

What pleased him was the promised supply of graduates from each academy. Obviously, the first adviser wanted to frame the Governor General in some way. He couldn't give the magicians a fair salary yet, and they couldn't quit. Hence, the magicians would have a dislike for en Janet personally. At the same time, from the point of view of skill, the graduates clearly could not compare with more experienced colleagues. But the magician saw one loophole here, and also looked into the future, far beyond Nolan. After all, which of the magicians will be allocated will be decided by the army and the academy. Crassus planned to win over the rectors to his side and take all the best graduates for himself, and finish teaching them on the spot. Or he can blackmail rich families by threatening to send their children to the front, to the very hell. He didn't know yet what he would ask for – money or support, or maybe something else.

Crassus left the palace and, causing surprise and apprehension on the faces of passers-by and guards, teleported to his palace in Nippur. After all, he was the only magician in the country who knew how to create portals.

***

-What do you think, Your Excellency, about this impudent Crassus en Janet? How can he allow himself to talk to you like that. After all, you are the second person in the country, and he is only the governor general, of whom there are more than a dozen. How could he say that you are not smart enough to express the king's thoughts? This is outrageous. Should we do something about this?

-No, Kamis. We will not do anything. Nippur is too important for us. So tell the others, too, when you meet them. The Sharotans will break their forehead on Crassus, and given the new powers, he will probably start squeezing gold together with alchemical ingredients from Typhons. The main thing is not to let him into the capital, not to let him communicate with the emperor and not to flirt with the nobles. He is a good and honest soldier, so let him do what he loves, and we will do our own.

***

The Imperial Palace Innsbruck. On the balcony, among the exotic flowers and trees, there were two men – Emperor Vashnil and his right hand, the head of intelligence Mimhog. They had been talking for more than several hours, sometimes breaking off for a silence filled with heavy thoughts. Thanks to the resources from the recently appeared Abyss and the alchemical materials extracted from Typhons, the Akad Empire and the Sharot Federation have greatly strengthened over the past twenty-five years. Previously, Insbruck claimed to fight off both of them at the same time in the event of war and stay with the status quo. Now, the emperor would not risk attacking any of these countries separately.

- I think, Your Majesty, in addition to the above, we can also try to finance their troops. It is necessary to give Crassus and his opponent from the Federation – General Tamsin loans for the development of the Abyss with a favorable interest. Given the troops pulling together to the borders, we can hope that this money will go not to expand production in the Abyss, but to hire new troops. Then there will be more victims during the war.

- I agree with you, Mimhog. But it is necessary to give these loans bypassing the higher authorities. After all, the general has nothing to spend them on anymore, except for the army. But the ministers may decide to build something, or even strengthen the border with us.

- I wasn't thinking of anything else, Your Majesty. Everything will be completed within a month.

- Well, and prepare detailed information about Crassus and Tamsin. Perhaps we will be able to provoke a war ourselves.

- Yes, Your Majesty.