Rolex Military Academy.
Inside Bolent's private office, Li Qi sat properly beside the tea table.
Bolent did not put on much of an air of authority. After bringing Li Qi here, he had even personally poured him a cup of hot tea before beginning their conversation.
"Warrant Officer Li Qi, go ahead and tell me. I've been very interested in what you said earlier. I want to know why you came to have that idea."
"This... is merely one of this subordinate's foolish opinions..."
"It's fine. I'm not your superior yet. You can treat me as an ordinary teacher at the academy, or even as a fellow student. Our conversation is just casual talk, so you don't need to feel any pressure."
Bolent smiled as he comforted Li Qi, indicating that he did not need to be nervous.
Although, considering Bolent's appearance, merely seeing him smile was enough to make people nervous.
Seeing that Bolent seemed very interested in him, Li Qi thought for a moment. After hesitating briefly, he said frankly:
"If that's the case, then I won't hold back."
"Mm, say whatever you like. I'm listening."
"After this period of learning about the Magic Corps, this subordinate has confirmed that the Magic Corps is an army composed entirely of Mage Masters.
"In other words, barring any accidents, the Magic Corps' method of warfare is to join forces and cast magic to attack enemies on the battlefield, or perhaps carry out certain special operations... Am I understanding this correctly?"
As soon as Li Qi finished speaking, a sharp glint suddenly flashed through Bolent's eyes.
His expression turned serious as he asked:
"What do you mean by 'special operations'? Can you give me a few examples?"
"For example... carrying out covert operations, Decapitation Strikes, assassinations, or certain small-scale operations that need to be resolved quickly... Those are merely this subordinate's guesses..."
Li Qi spoke to Bolent according to his memories of "Special Operations" from his Past Life.
But when he saw Bolent's eyes widening further and further, Li Qi had no choice but to stop and summarize.
It seems I said too much.
"Unbelievable..."
Bolent stared at Li Qi:
"The Magic Corps' combat style is still only theoretical at present... Did you really guess all of this yourself?"
"This subordinate... sometimes enjoys letting his imagination run wild. I hope I haven't embarrassed you, sir."
The corner of Li Qi's mouth twitched slightly, and he felt helpless.
It seemed he really had said too much.
In this era, the concept of Special Operations probably did not yet exist, or a similar concept had only just begun to emerge.
Li Qi had poured out so much information at once and had even completely hit upon Bolent's thoughts. It would have been strange if Bolent was not surprised.
Bolent stared intently at Li Qi for a long time before continuing:
"According to what you're saying, this unit would carry out strategic strikes against the battlefield, or conduct special operations. It should count as a 'surprise force.' Why, then, do you think this unit cannot develop over the long term?"
"Because of weapons, sir."
"Explain in detail."
"Weapons in modern society are constantly evolving. A dozen years ago, all the countries were still using Flintlock Muskets, but in recent years they have already developed Bolt-Action Rifles.
"Furthermore, that is not the limit of the various countries. They are all working hard to develop new firearms, or even more powerful lethal weapons. These weapons will gradually replace the position of Mage Masters.
"And if Mage Masters use firearms, they will be unable to use most of their magic. But if they use melee weapons or staffs, they will be no match for firearms."
Li Qi paused at this point, organizing his words.
This was precisely why Li Qi did not think highly of the Magic Corps.
While everyone else was using firearms, the Magic Corps could only fight the enemy with long blades and magic staffs.
Magic had a maximum range of only fifty meters. Even if some genius developed a new spell, there was probably no way to extend that distance by very much.
But firearms had an effective range of six hundred meters. Some sharpshooters with a talent for sniping could even hit whatever they aimed at within six hundred meters.
If the Magic Corps did not use firearms, fighting the enemy would be little different from throwing their lives away.
But if they used firearms, they would not be much different from the other armies.
Of course, Li Qi did not think that forming the Magic Corps was truly useless. When combat became close-quarters, the Magic Corps, with its magic power and spells, would definitely be far stronger than the other branches.
But Li Qi had spent so long on the front lines that he knew very well that, in many battles, the two armies simply shot at each other with their guns.
Only occasionally would the enemy or one's own side launch a charge.
Close-quarters combat was rare. Sometimes, those mages would be torn apart by bullets before they could even cast a spell.
What left the deepest impression on Li Qi was an incident half a year ago, when he had just been promoted to Corporal and was assigned to protect a mage.
That mage was at Tactical Rank and possessed absolute dominance within a range of fifty meters.
Countless spells came naturally to him, and Li Qi had learned much of his knowledge of magic from that man.
But on the day of the battle, that mage was turned into a sieve by enemy bullets.
To cast spells and attack others, a mage needed to see with his own eyes.
He had to stand in an unobstructed position where he could see his target before he could cast large-scale magic.
Otherwise, the magic could easily be blocked by bunkers or trenches constructed by his own side.
But standing outside was equivalent to erecting a bright, conspicuous target on the battlefield.
That mage became the target.
His Magic Shield blocked the first bullet and the second bullet, but failed to block the third.
Thus, when the enemy concentrated their fire on him, even though he had constructed three layers of Magic Shields in front of himself, they were all torn to pieces.
In the end...
Li Qi only had time to carry away the man's severed limbs and retreat. Not even an intact corpse remained.
That was the disadvantage of mages.
Recalling the mage who had died on the battlefield, Li Qi continued:
"The Magic Corps may indeed be able to influence the situation on the battlefield during the initial stages. But as weapons become more advanced, the Magic Corps will lose its dominance over the battlefield.
"Therefore, this subordinate believes that the Magic Corps... has limited potential."
Li Qi carefully considered his wording.
He did not say that the Magic Corps would be abolished in the future, but it was obvious that if nothing changed within the Magic Corps, this army clearly would not be able to match the others.
After hearing Li Qi's words, Bolent fell into deep thought.
He tapped his fingers against the tabletop intermittently, supporting his chin with his right hand as he studied Li Qi.
After a while, he suddenly asked:
"Do you know who proposed forming the Magic Corps?"
"..." Li Qi's heart jolted, and he had a bad feeling. "...Could... could it have been you, sir?"
Bolent immediately laughed:
"Warrant Officer Li Qi, you're very clever."
Although Bolent did not say so explicitly, his words clearly confirmed Li Qi's guess.
Cold sweat instantly spread across Li Qi's back.
In front of someone who might become his superior in the future—and who was also the officer who had proposed establishing the Magic Corps—he had gone on and on about how the Magic Corps was no good.
He had practically been slapping the man in the face...
For a moment, Li Qi felt as though his future had suddenly become bleak.
Fortunately, Bolent did not seem inclined to blame Li Qi. Instead, he smiled and said:
"According to your thinking, you believe the Magic Corps is inadequate because they lack suitable weapons. Is that what you mean?"
"..."
Li Qi fell silent. Seeing this, Bolent added:
"Don't be so formal. I already said that this is merely a private chat between the two of us. I won't get angry because of your opinion of the Magic Corps. Just speak frankly."
"...Yes, this subordinate... does indeed mean that."
Since he had already said it, there was no point in continuing to conceal it. Li Qi nodded at Bolent, admitting that this was indeed what he thought.
Bolent's eyes narrowed with amusement.
"In that case, may I ask whether Warrant Officer Li Qi is free this weekend?"
"I am..."
"Good. I'll come find you this weekend and show you some 'good stuff.'"
After saying that, Bolent did not wait for Li Qi to respond before seeing him out:
"All right, afternoon classes are about to begin. Go back to class for now. I'll send someone to contact you this weekend."
"Yes! Then this subordinate will take his leave."
After saluting Bolent, Li Qi left his office.
Only after leaving Bolent's office did Li Qi let out a long breath, his expression becoming more serious.
While speaking with Bolent just now, Li Qi had instinctively used his superpower to sense the state of the other man's magic power.
Based on Li Qi's judgment, Bolent was definitely a Mage Master at Title Rank.
Not only that, the total amount of magic power within his body far surpassed that of any Title Rank Mage Master Li Qi had ever seen!
He was a powerhouse.
A powerhouse Li Qi could not afford to provoke.
He did not know why an officer who held such a high position and possessed such extraordinary strength would want to discuss these things with him...
Looking back at the door to Bolent's office, Li Qi let out a soft sigh.
Forget it. There was no use thinking about it so much now.
He should go back to class first.
Thanks to "Your Lovely Wild Dad lhh" and "What to Do About Stomachaches" for the Qidian Coin tips!
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