The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 249 - Eleven: Underhand (Part 1)_2

Chapter 249: Chapter Eleven: Underhand (Part 1)_2

"Well, Lord Boninski, whether you can retain your Count title will be decided by the Kingdom Star Chamber Court," Philip said cautiously as he faced the increasingly arrogant Boninski, "But it’s hard for me to imagine a lord who can’t even protect his own territory having the face to stay here." Phillips hadn’t expected this man, whom he thought he had firmly in his grasp, to take such a stance, forcing him to recognize the lurking crisis at his side.

"Very well, Your Grace, let us wait and see," Boninski said calmly, nodding. "I trust the Kingdom Star Chamber Court will give us all a fair answer." Revealing his true colors, Boninski left the great hall with a cold laugh and an arrogant turn of his head, not looking back.

The fall of Leon not only caused a great shock to the entire Homer region but also brought unimaginable repercussions to the Kingdom of Nicosia and the surrounding areas. The idea that a mob of Half-Beastmen could defeat thousands of Homer’s regular army was unthinkable in the past. However, the details of the battle were unclear to many, as the war erupted with only the combatants present, and currently the Leon Region was under complete lockdown. The only connection to the outside world was through the Caucasus Muscat, leaving the rest of the world curious and shocked by the peculiar outcome of the war.

Philip’s defeat in Leon directly affected the kingdom’s stance towards Cyprus. The kingdom’s harsh criticism of Philip as the lord and supreme military commander of the Homer region for being defeated by Half-Beastman slaves armed with hoes and pickaxes was an unprecedented humiliation. With the Bruce Great Floating Bridge now burned down, rebuilding it would not only take time but could only be considered after the Half-Beastmen were thoroughly defeated and instability in the region was eradicated. Until then, Leon was effectively in a strange state of anarchy, with no one able to intervene and nothing to do but watch these vile slaves run amok.

Faced with the kingdom’s aggressive posture, Philip knew that now was not the time to confront the kingdom head-on. It was most crucial to mitigate the negative impact of the crisis and to quickly expand his army to rebuild his weakened power. For now, the best course of action was patience and silence.

"Sir, I would like to presumptuously ask you a question, if I may?" The verdant window drapes filtered out the dazzling sunshine, and the foliage was lush and vibrant, bringing a touch of heat to this season in the Caucasus. This was Maha Gummi’s secret contact point in Muscat. Perhaps for convenience of meeting, Komer had chosen this place to receive his soon-to-arrive guest. Perhaps seeking a topic to relieve the boredom of waiting, Maha Gummi, who had earned Komer’s full trust, seemed much more composed in his presence. However, after witnessing the Magic Array unleashed by Komer and Rebry, Maha Gummi, a devotee of the War God Mars, was almost convinced that his master was an incarnation of Mars himself. Such earth-shattering power could only be wielded by a deity, far surpassing the imagination of someone like Maha Gummi. This notion drove Maha Gummi’s loyalty to a state of near fanatic worship.

The rapid development of the stone mining industry and the completion of the road from Ugru to Muscat spurred the explosive growth of this new settlement, akin to inflation. Its proximity to Leon, situated at the strategic chokepoint of the only avenue connecting to the Caucasus, meant that a large number of slaves liberated by the mob, yet unwilling to join them, traveled via this route into the Caucasus. Thus, Muscat became the first stop for the slaves entering the region. The development and processing of stone mines needed a large workforce, immediately attracting these fleeing slaves. Mine owners and processing plant managers even offered to handle all the paperwork for Free Citizen residency in the Caucasus as an incentive for labor, which quickly drew a significant number of slave laborers.

The surge in trade with the Leon Half-Beast Mob also made this a hub for goods. A large influx of supplies from outside the Caucasus landed at Mattdam before being sold on in Muscat. The loot and proceeds from the confiscation of properties belonging to nobles, mine owners, gentry, and merchants, were traded both openly and covertly here. While the Caucasus Business Society, with official ties to the Caucasus, monopolized the trade in large-scale stolen goods, many private merchants also quietly engaged in this trade on a smaller scale. Though they dared not compete with the Caucasus Business Society, their small-scale transactions contributed to a distorted prosperity in the area.

"Hmm, just ask your question; keeping it inside will only make you uncomfortable," Komer replied. The room was not large and furnished simply, reflecting the intelligence officer’s preference for simplicity and efficiency, which suited Komer well.

"Why are you not willing to attend the council meeting, Sir, even going so far as to conceal your identity? If it were to avoid unnecessary trouble, I could go in your stead. At the very least, we could gain considerable advantages for us. But you insisted that not even I should attend, which could significantly impact our next steps in the plan," he said.