The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 303: Volume 4: Chaotic World - 21: Nicosia (2)_3

Chapter 303: Volume 4: Chaotic World Chapter 21: Nicosia (2)_3

It seems that the older man had some understanding of his Minister of Internal Affairs’ strategy. With a meaningful twinkle in his eye, he nodded and smiled, "Is that kid from Caucasus the seed you’ve chosen?"

"Your Majesty is astute; this seed is of excellent quality. Not only does he share an irreconcilable enmity with Philip, but he also has considerable ambition and talent. Only those with these qualities are qualified to compete with Philip. The one hundred and fifty thousand refugees were the first batch of fertilizer I supplied for this seed. Only after absorbing the nutrients from this fertilizer can the seed grow robust enough to prick Philip. The growth of this seed will certainly lead to numerous others following suit. Once the seed takes root in people’s hearts, no one will be able to control it any longer. I believe we might as well cultivate a few more of these seedlings." A sly smile spread across his gaunt face, appearing so incongruous, like a fox revealing a satisfied grin upon capturing its prey.

"But could this fellow become a problem for us in the future?" His Majesty the King, perhaps troubled by those lords beyond the control of the Central Kingdom, was thus very cautious.

"Your Majesty, to be honest, that bumpkin is quite crafty and resourceful. However, his territory is a barren land thousands of miles away. On one side, it’s bordered by the Nether Sea, rampant with pirates; to the south lies the Barbarian settlement; to the north is the territory of that guy Boninski—Leon; and to the west, the Catania River runs along the Great Swamp Area. No matter how much he fusses, at most he’ll only stir up trouble around Leon. Besides being extremely distant from the Kingdom Territory, Philip’s and Zellin’s lands lie between them. If he truly manages to provoke both Philip and Zellin, that’s exactly what we would wish for. The fear is that he doesn’t have the capability or the courage to do so." Tez had clearly conducted a thorough investigation of the surroundings of Caucasus before choosing Komer as his first seed, "Your Majesty, I believe that once this seed sprouts, it will grow into a thorn that haunts Philip and others, including Boninski, disrupting their peace and rest. This thorn may well trouble them deeply."

"Tez, aren’t you exaggerating a bit? However, even if you add more than a hundred thousand refugees to Caucasus, threatening Philip’s control over the entire Homer region seems a bit far-fetched given the vast disparity in strength between them." The Dressed Military Officer chimed in, now understanding who they were discussing. However, he wasn’t concerned with that, as he was more interested in military affairs.

"Heh, Mathew, I did not say I expected Caucasus to confront the entire Homer region. I merely hope that Caucasus becomes the first seed of rebellion in the Homer region. The Kingdom might as well encourage this phenomenon overtly and covertly. This will trigger a domino effect. These small lords, seeking to contend with the Great Lords, will inevitably rely on the Central Kingdom. This aligns perfectly with our interests. When all the Great Lords are gradually deserted by their minor lords, it will be the doomsday for those Great Lords. The Kingdom will ultimately become a collection of small territories under the unified control of the Central Kingdom. No territory will have the strength and authority to resist the Central Kingdom, achieving unified governance and absolute obedience within the Kingdom. That is our ultimate goal." Tez’s eyes gleamed with hope as he discussed what he considered to be the perfect governance model for the Kingdom. Whether it was achievable would only be known after they tried.

The older man was clearly attracted by the Minister of Internal Affairs’ plan. If they indeed managed to break down the large lord territories into many smaller ones, these minor lords naturally wouldn’t be able to oppose the powerful Central Government. The reason the Great Lords dared to confront the Central Government of the Kingdom now was that they relied on their solid political, economic, and military strength, which deterred the Central Kingdom from acting rashly. Particularly during the beastmen invasions, the Central Kingdom even had to rely on these Great Lords’ support and assistance.

"Tez, since you have such confidence, go ahead and do as you see fit. I hope you can give me a pleasant surprise when the time comes." The older man finally nodded in agreement, "Additionally, I have another question. That kid from Caucasus is said to be involved in the death of Magician Malone; what exactly happened?"

"I’m not too clear on that matter either. It seems Onia suspected he possessed Magic Skills, so he paid a visit to the kid, but apparently, he didn’t achieve much, as Onia left peacefully in the end. As for the details, I haven’t inquired deeply, and Onia seems unwilling to publicize the matter," Tez shrugged his thin shoulders, a strange smile on his face, "If it really was that little lord who did it, that would be quite a spectacle. A minor lord managing to attract all the Kingdom’s troubles upon himself. This kid has had a somewhat entangled past with Philip’s daughter Tracy, whom Prince Hoffman is now smitten with. These days, he’s also been seen quite close to Princess Katya. I really worry that if this fellow spends more time in Versailles, he could indeed upset the upper echelons of our Kingdom."

Upon hearing the Minister of Internal Affairs mention his family matters again, the older man frowned and deftly changed the subject: "Tez, you need to keep an eye on the dealings between the beastmen and the internal affairs of the countries in the Northern Alliance to see if there’s anything unusual. I always find the arrival of this batch of battering rams rather suspicious. Have you noticed that in recent years, the beastmen seem to favor the countries and city-states to the east of the Ullr River and Ullr Mountains more? This trend is becoming increasingly apparent, and we need to study the reasons behind it."

The words of the older man sent a chill down the spines of the other two, their remarks an indication of what might be lurking beneath the surface.