"We heard some rumors in the Imperial Capital. The royal family, the Finance Department, and the Salt and Iron Department are fighting over the right to manufacture Magic Furnaces." Sophia had pulled Johnny along to find Landen, and the moment she arrived, she dropped an explosive piece of news.
"The royal family and the Finance Department?" Landen found that strange. "Isn't the Finance Department supposed to belong to the royal family?"
"I don't know the exact relationship between them, but Sherman has come to the Furnace Hall every day lately to see us. He told us not to casually speak with anyone from the Finance Department, saying they're Devil Race members with bellies full of schemes."
"Looks like even the royal family may not necessarily be able to control a super-department like the Finance Department," Landen said with a sigh.
In fact, Landen had already seen it when he went to install Magic Furnaces in the Finance Department. In a place like that, perhaps not even its director—Henry Oak Augustus, the God Emperor's fifth-generation descendant and a Legend Mage—nor Frank Douglas, the Chief Secretary who held the real power, could truly call the shots.
Such a department was more like something driven by greed and chaos. Whether money or personnel, everything kept expanding like a snowball rolling downhill, only stopping once it was large enough to influence—or even choke—the operation of the entire empire.
"I heard one of his apprentices mention that the Finance Department seems to consider you their assistant minister. All currency issued because of newly built Magic Furnaces should be issued by the Finance Department. But the royal family believes that your post is Royal Assistant Finance Officer, so you only need to answer to the royal family."
Johnny added, "But I think they're all about the