Knights and Magic Wand
Chapter 330 - 330 162 Turmoil and Opportunity

330: Chapter 162 Turmoil and Opportunity 330: Chapter 162 Turmoil and Opportunity “That’s it, my lord.”

Standing on the edge of the cliff, the spy pointed at the Seryan Kingdom to the east and the direction of Rolannar Holy Land City for the poetess.

Bai Shou looked into the distance.

In her field of view, she could see a peculiar scene in the distance, like the shimmer of heatwaves, the air twisted and hazy.

The mountains were still mountains, and the waters were still waters, but Bai Shou knew that there, the place had essentially become cut off from the current spacetime reality.

Her heart also sank slightly, concluding that the disappearance of the important figures from the Eastern Expedition Faction had indeed nothing to do with the domestic Western Expansion Faction, and it was purely an accident triggered by unknown reasons.

Otherwise, such methods were too unseemly, not daring to evolve so recklessly in front of His Imperial Majesty, amid the struggles of the Empire’s court.

The spy cautiously speculated to Bai Shou, “Although the retreating Kantadar forces still maintain outwardly that the king is alive, I surmise that they probably lost not only the king.

After conquering Rolannar Holy Land City, many nobles and military leaders from both Kantadar and Urian were inside the city, and now they have all been swallowed up by the sudden emergence of the Cursed Domain.

Losing so many lords at once, my lord…

Kantadar might be facing great turmoil.”

His guess was naturally not unfounded; since the Holy Land City of Rolannar had become cut off from the outside world, many mercenaries stationed nearby and originally hired by various nobles lost their employers and commanders.

Without supplies and pay for a long time, numerous mercenary troops began to take actions near their original stationed locations after one or two months to “demand” their dues.

Now, more than three months later, all the mercenary groups that hadn’t retreated with the rear troops had disbanded under the leadership of their respective leaders, turning into roving bandits ransacking through the eastern counties of Kantadar.

And as time gradually revealed the expansion of the Cursed Land to the east of the border, the mercenaries, unable to go east, naturally began to plunder the western domains of their original employers.

They were determined not to return home until they had looted their fill.

The Kantadar lords and armies that could have stopped their rampant misdeeds had vanished in Rolannar Holy Land City.

The counties still stationed with troops managed to expel the chaotic armies, while in the regions without military presence, even the local noble families were not spared.

These mercenaries, originally conscripted to wage war against the Seryan Kingdom, have now become an endless scourge within the borders of Kantadar.

The war had already placed an enormous burden on the eastern part of Kantadar, and now with the severe military calamities, famine had begun to emerge in various places.

Towns started to self-defend and blockade, and thousands upon thousands of Kantadar civilians from the countryside were forced to flee their homes, seeking refuge in counties still protected by troops.

At this very moment, the other main Kantadar forces that should be maintaining order and suppressing the chaotic armies, instead retreated towards the central part of the kingdom without a backward glance, like a receding tide.

This was also the reason the spy deduced for the king’s disappearance.

According to inside information, the forces now under the name of the king were being controlled by the brother of Aviout, “Duke Abol.”

And the army he leads is now rapidly heading towards central Kantadar…

That place is where, after Aviout went on campaign, his eldest son “Prince Caso” took over the ruling of the royal court on behalf of his father.

Such a reverse invasion truly makes one doubt the true intentions of Duke Abol…

Bai Shou listened attentively to her subordinates’ reports, carefully committing this information to memory.

But unlike the spy who was a local from Kantadar, what she truly cared about wasn’t the unexpectedly turbulent political situation that arose in this native kingdom.

Even if this kingdom were torn to pieces and the people suffered immensely, to Bai Shou, it mattered far less than the domestic political problems that the assassination of the merely titular “Pilireno,” an Official Position Mage, would trigger.

Moreover, unlike Pilireno, who was a political faction’s puppet raised to official rank, several Official Great Mages, who had really held sway over a significant part of the Empire’s politics for hundreds of years, were now missing.

Even in the early days of the Empire, when the rising Mage Lords waged civil war, it was rare to lose so many powerful beings at once.

Bai Shou silently pondered in bewilderment, wondering what had gotten into these important figures, who had all come to gather at the Western Continent, rushing ahead to converge and plunge into Rolannar, and now experienced collective misfortune.

She only hoped that those supernatural beings, who could command the winds and the rains, could escape from the Spirit-like Field on their own as soon as possible.

After all, in the long years they had lived, they had explored various Spirit-like Fields around the world on more than one occasion, bringing back countless astonishing Ancient wonders and knowledge to the Empire.

Although they had been missing for more than five months, Bai Shou still believed there was a chance because time within Spirit-like Fields was chaotic and disordered.

Who knows, perhaps right now, those powerful mages are just beginning to experience the formation of the Cursed Land.

“Let’s go.

Leave some watchful eyes in nearby towns to monitor the spread of the Spirit-like Field.

Take your men and withdraw to Kantadar Capital to observe the upheavals triggered by the loss of the king.

As for those great figures from the Empire…

If they cannot save themselves within the Cursed Domain, we mortals can do little to intervene.”

Bai Shou shook her head, having confirmed the reason for the mages’ disappearance.

She had essentially completed the most important task of her journey.

The headache that followed was for the bigwigs back home to worry about.

…

…….

Selva.

Leon handed the two wanted orders received from the kingdom’s official messengers over to Lokhak.

“Post these in the village market and the notice boards in the East District Square, and remember to read them aloud to the subjects.”

Lokhak took them and looked closely, two wanted posters.

One was for Wizard Met, not just a textual description of his appearance but also a simple portrait.

Lokhak remembered his brief encounter with the man in Longka and thought the drawing was quite lifelike.

The other was a written warrant for the female assassin who had escaped from Larian’s blade that night.

Unlike Wizard Met, who was well-known by many in the Capital, a bard seen by but a few, her exact likeness could not be easily sketched from a description alone.

It was hard to say how effective this thing would actually be.

Leon had never seen the female assassin, but he had witnessed Met’s magic,

and he seriously doubted that a change in appearance would be much of a challenge for a Warlock Master capable of conjuring up such a half-man, half-snake behemoth with a spell.

Watching Lokhak lead people to post the wanted notices, Leon turned to the others at the table.

“Has the craftsman we hired been settled in?” Leon asked Miss Elena.

“Yes, my Lord, I have arranged for Mr.

Shaw and his family, along with his apprentices, to live in the East District, and they have expressed their gratitude for the residence you gifted them,” Elena replied with a light smile.

Leon nodded in acknowledgment.

Within the Three Kingdoms, not only Mr.

Brian Sr.

was a blacksmith, but not all blacksmiths knew how to maintain military weapons, forge, and uphold armor.

And Selva, currently establishing a standing army of a hundred men, required at least one or two specialist craftsmen to maintain the military logistics.

Especially since many intricate and expensive crossbows would require maintenance in the future.

Mr.

Brian Sr., a Centurian now busy with military matters, could not, like before, find the time to manage the armor and weapons in the armory.

So, days ago, he had no choice but to send messengers to the guild in Farolis to hire a craftsman to settle in Selva.

This naturally cost a considerable sum, including a newly built manor stronghold, a blacksmith’s shop inside the barracks, and an annual salary of 36 Gold Coins for him and two apprentice craftsmen.

Another significant expense was added to the already huge annual expenditures of the domain.

However, during this time, the finances of the domain were not just outgoing.

Leon finally welcomed the influx of people he had been preparing for, with the transient population in the Selva Region rapidly increasing in recent days.

Count Trosa’s army from Grey Robe Valley had not yet passed through, but the vast number of pioneer craftsmen for the army had already arrived early.

On the base of the Thorny Flower supply camp in the east, they built an even larger logistical camp to the north.

In just six or seven days, not counting those stationed outside, the daily influx of people into Selva multiplied several times over.

The floating population entering the village almost equaled the local subjects, and with them, the demand for meat, drinks, vegetables, and various daily necessities surged.

Fortunately, everything had been well prepared.

Leon sent Lokhak to escort Lady Martha to contact the caravans and village merchants around, who had already signed contracts, to notify them to fulfill their agreements.

This task initially would have been overseen by Azeryan, but unfortunately, he was off to Silver Mountain City buying military supplies, so Leon turned it over to Lady Martha, who was eager to demonstrate her capabilities.

The endless lines of caravans soon brought their goods to Selva, and the newly opened East District marketplace, in just a few days, hosted more stalls and bustled far beyond the old village market.

Many quick-witted villagers of Selva also moved their vegetable and handicraft stalls to the new market in the East District.

And this was just the beginning.

Ever since the Thorny Flower Family established the entrance of the forest road in east Selva, the small village’s future was set to prosper if nothing unexpected happened.

The craftsmen who came to build the camp, according to the letters, were just for the several thousand troops from Grey Robe Valley that were to be called back.

In the near future, the approach of the craftsmen and supply teams paving the way for the King’s Domain armies nearby would be on a much grander scale.

And even once the war ended and the army left, this road connecting Kosos County with the newly created southern forest county would only grow busier and more prosperous with stable conditions over time.

Even now, the total population within and around the Selva Region had already surpassed six hundred, meaning the land governed by him and his brothers now housed over a thousand people.

Even if over a third were not his subjects, in fact, considering commercial income alone, the wealth created by these outsiders far surpassed the taxes that could be generated by the farmers on the domain.

With just an estimate of the growth, Leon knew that Selva’s commercial taxes alone would exceed the combined annual income of the Three Kingdoms by at least four to five times this year.

Of course, the premise was that Selva had to maintain the supply of goods by importing from various places, not just relying on the subjects and local merchants.

Selva was also organizing its own merchant caravans to speed up efficiency and commercial infrastructure.

There was an opportunity to be seized before the army’s merchants arrived and competition arose.