The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 1018: Volume 33 Where to Go - 6 An Unforeseen Problem

Chapter 1018: Volume 33 Where to Go Chapter 6 An Unforeseen Problem

The tall figure strolled alone on the garden path, appearing somewhat lonely, the chilly winds of early spring were still harsh, and the thin overcoat did nothing to block the invasion of the cold wind, making the lone figure even more desolate.

It’s cold at the top, Welch deeply understood this expression.

When the Salvation Society had not yet emerged, he could remotely control and direct everything from the shadows, handling all matters with ease and order, leveraging the Church of Light’s influence, the Society’s influence had unknowingly permeated every corner. But now, having cast aside the seemingly constraining Church of Light, he had thought he would be free to act at will, yet everything was not as he had imagined.

The rift between him and Komer had become apparent, the days of their close collaboration had become a thing of the past, although on the surface, both parties still exchanged pleasantries, Welch knew this was just to mask the underlying chill.

He had always been unable to see through that young lord; if he truly was a spokesperson for the Dark Forces, then his actions in Nicosia and even Flanders were utterly baffling. The treatment the Dark Lineage received there could hardly be described as supportive, or was he trying to curry favor with the Salvation Society with that move? Welch did not believe the other party would be so foolish, or was it a way to reflect the Society’s loyalty? That would be too absurd.

Steady footsteps came from behind, and from the slightly hurried pace, Welch could sense that the situation was probably worse than he had imagined.

"How is it, Clark?"

"Well, a week ago, both Frenster and Vazinsky disappeared for two days respectively. Our people couldn’t track their actual whereabouts." Clark Dos respectfully bowed before continuing, "At the same time, Komer also briefly disappeared for a period, I fear the three of them might have met together, perhaps even reached some sort of compromise?"

"Hmm, it’s possible. However, it wouldn’t be easy for Frenster and Vazinsky to come together, Komer probably doesn’t have the means yet." Welch pondered briefly, slowly shaking his head, "Perhaps they met separately, Komer does have a way with words, it’s possible he could have persuaded those two proud men individually."

Clark Dos tensed up, "Then what do we do?"

"Clark, this day was bound to come sooner or later, and it doesn’t really matter if it’s sooner. If we from the Salvation Society were afraid of their hostility and oppression, I wouldn’t have allowed the Society to step forward at this time. Is there any change on the Nicosia side?"

"Yes, some changes. Three days ago, Komer had the interim government issue a series of personnel adjustment orders, significant changes."

"Oh?" Welch frowned suddenly, his heart also tightened. Was this guy making his move so quickly and visibly? "Have any of our people been affected?"

"Yes, but there’s no apparent trend from the positions, though the change in jurisdiction areas is significant. We have three important positions moved from the Homer region, Godeburg area, and Cartin region to the Leon region, Silesia region, and Poznan region. It seems more like a normal personnel adjustment rather than targeting our operations," hesitated Clark before he shared his opinion, "Besides, this kind of personnel change at the beginning of the year seems reasonable."

"Normal? Reasonable?" Welch, seeing clearly, scoffed, "This guy is like boiling a frog in cold water, trying to weaken us quietly. He’s quite cunning."

Seeing Clark’s puzzled look, Welch sighed, "But now, indeed, we can’t really judge anything; secular power is in his hands, allowing him to do whatever he wants. Homer, Godeburg, and Cartin were our main regions of removing influences from the Church of Light. If the Salvation Society could have local officials’ support, we could easily establish our advantage in these three areas. Komer also sees this, so he does not want us to achieve this effect."

"In Leon, which is mostly occupied by Half-Beastmen, almost all are fanatic followers of Komer. Although we also have some foundation there, we can never escape Komer’s shadow, and no matter how hard we try, we cannot surpass Komer’s influence. And as for Silesia and Poznan, which belong to the relatively conservative forces of Vazinsky, it’s very difficult to wrest influence from Vazinsky. Komer is pulling the rug out from under us."

"So, how do we respond?" Clark asked urgently.

"We argue our case calmly and reasonably. We must show Komer that losing our cooperation, the Church of Light could come back with vigor, and also make him understand that we are not ignorant of his intentions. We can go to Silesia and Poznan, but we won’t go to Leon, we must stay in Homer."

"Would Komer agree?" Clark expressed doubt, "We have no right to interfere with secular personnel adjustments."

"We certainly have no right to interfere, but this concerns the future of our Salvation Society. We cannot refrain from arguing. They want to use us to suppress the Church of Light, yet give us no reasonable support. Such unscrupulous behavior is too overt; we must force Komer to compromise," Welch declared firmly. "Once this precedent is set and we do nothing, this fellow will surely take advantage and possibly, this is a test in itself. We must thwart his intentions."

A series of resignations were submitted to Komer, and in Homer, Godeburg, and Cartin, undercurrents were also stirring—various ambiguous true and false news continued to emerge.

The Northern Alliance was about to join forces to blockade Nicosia, causing food prices to skyrocket. Rumors of the beastmen marshaling their forces for war vividly spread throughout Godeburg and Cartin. The knight class in Godeburg, facing inequitable treatment, was on the verge of a rebellion to expel the magistrate. Meanwhile, the middle and upper reaches of the Catania River were boiling over with trade disputes with the Caucasus, and there were calls to boycott Caucasus goods. Within no time, Nicosia was filled with fearful and restive sentiments flowing everywhere.

With great interest, Komer looked at the pile of documents stacked before him. "How interesting, Maha Gummi, your subordinates are quite efficient, to have brought me such a flavorful dish so swiftly. Can you tell me what is going on?"

"Sir, these are not merely baseless rumors. Perhaps some of our subjectivity is at play, but objectively, these possibilities indeed exist." Maha Gummi had grown accustomed to his master’s whimsical work attitude, becoming numb to it.

"Oh? Can you tell me which are groundless, and which are your subjective speculations?" Komer asked, his expression cold.

"Sir, the..." Maha Gummi struggled to speak.

"Well then, let’s reverse it. Tell me, which pieces of intelligence are highly reliable, and which were inferred from dependable information?"

"Sir, the beastmen have been preparing their army for some time now. Though they’ve not shown any clear intention to move south, or perhaps target the Northern Alliance specifically, we cannot rule out this possibility. After all, it’s difficult to gauge the thoughts of those beastmen. The numbers of their Wolf riders and the Thunderstrike Fighter Regiment from the Tiger Clan are rapidly increasing. These are the elite among their elites; such increases in numbers only occur before a large-scale war, and this time the increase is the biggest in nearly a decade," Maha Gummi explained.

"Oh? What about the Bear Tribe and Cow Tribe’s armies?"

"The armies of the Bear and Cow Tribes are generally large, and there hasn’t been much change this time. The Falcon Feather Hand of the Fox Clan has slightly increased, but like some servant tribes’ armies, they are also being formally included, such as the Fast Infantry of the Sheep and Deer Tribes, and the numbers are not small. This is a very bad omen and a main reason we believe the beastmen are planning a large-scale military action," Maha Gummi responded.

Komer felt a headache coming on. If the Salvation Society could manipulate the beastmen, he wouldn’t believe it, but their exploitation of this fine opportunity was indeed troublesome.

"What do you think the beastmen’s actions are targeting?"

"We can’t tell yet. Our war with the Northern Alliance likely aggravated the beastmen somewhat, and we suspect whether their rule in the Jazair region might also be encountering some troubles, and hence, they might want to divert attention from their ruling crisis through war," Maha Gummi speculated.

"Oh?" Komer’s eyes lit up, "Is there any change in Jazair?"

"No significant changes so far, which also puzzles us," Maha Gummi admitted.

Though disappointed, Komer was quick to regain his spirit. "No smoke without fire; the intelligence of beastmen is not much less than ours. Their extensive military preparations must have deep-seated reasons. Maha Gummi, you must keep an eye on this and thoroughly examine all suspect aspects. Also, find a way to obtain information from within, I mean from within the beastmen themselves," he instructed.

"We have already been doing so, but especially their upper echelons, we are temporarily unable to infiltrate. Their Snake Tribe’s counterintelligence capability is also quite strong. Since the unification of Cartin and Godeburg, they have become our toughest opponents. We have had thirteen intelligence agents captured by them, but of course, we’ve also caught some working for them," reported Maha Gummi.

"Hmm, Maha Gummi, our confrontation with the beastmen will be a prolonged, perhaps endless war. You understand the importance well. The gradual approach of the beastmen towards our Mortal civilization offers us some opportunities. Consider these aspects further," Komer advised.(To be continued. For more updates, please visit www.qidian.com. Support the author. Support authorized reading!)