The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 372: Volume 7: The Awakening Spring Thunder, - 6: Slave Hunter Team

Chapter 372: Volume 7: The Awakening Spring Thunder, Chapter 6: Slave Hunter Team

Looking at the vast and dark sky, Komer felt a few more strands of loneliness in his heart. Ilot was now completely immersed in elevating his martial arts, facing two Dark Knights several levels above him. Ilot’s stubbornness finally came to the forefront, battling time and again, only to be defeated and to fight once more. This had become a spiritual pillar for Puber to strive for, and this confrontation became a kind of training that Ilot enjoyed tirelessly, much to the chagrin of the two reticent Dark Knights. Puber had gone to Bahomon to oversee the iron mine development again. Although progress was swift, the first batch of ore would not emerge from the mountain for another month or two. However, with the continuous increase in the number of miners, the development of the iron mine was expected to accelerate further.

The development of the coal mines in the Volt Mountain Range was equally exceptionally swift. Under the stimulus of profit, both the mine owners and miners appeared highly motivated. Mattdam, situated at the tail end of the Catania River where it meets the Nether Sea, finally saw the emergence of a small shipbuilding workshop. This was a compromise reached between Komer and the pirates backing Kudan after several rounds of verbal spat. Insisting on his stance, Komer finally got the pirates to agree to build a small dock for producing ordinary small and medium-sized merchant ships. Without their permission, no one dared to engage in this trade under their watch. Although it was a small scale now, it also marked the beginning of a new industry in the Caucasus.

Transporting coal from the Volt Mountain Range to Mattdam, then through waterways to Bahomon, or transporting iron ore from Bahomon to Mattdam via waterways—Mattdam, strategically located between the two and with favorable transportation conditions, was believed by Komer to soon become the premier smelting center of the Caucasus.

Everything seemed to be on track, so why was there still a trace of persistent confusion in his heart? Komer pondered this point, what exactly prevented him from living a carefree life like his peers, instead of this oppressive atmosphere? What was the significance of all this?

Shaking his head as if to rid himself of these frivolous thoughts, he now was the Lord of the entire Caucasus. He had to be responsible not only for himself but also for guiding the tens of thousands of simple and kind people towards a better life. The question was, could he really do it? Komer wasn’t very confident.

Lightly handling the letter in his hands, he read it carefully. The neat and simple swallowtail suit he wore belied the fact that he was a man past fifty. A slight smile at the corner of his mouth indicated that the letter’s content was at least pleasing.

"It seems this young friend is doing well. I never expected that in just a few months, he could have Philip so troubled. The youngster knows the game well. His tightrope walking performance between the kingdom and Philip is just right, simultaneously close to the kingdom, yet Philip hasn’t found a good reason to deal with him yet."

"Is that so? Tez, it looks like the seed you planted has begun to sprout. Let’s hope that this seedling will trigger a plethora of new shoots to overturn the two big stones."

The dazzling armor worn by the Middle-aged man seemed to have no effect on him. His gaze remained fixed on the collections shelf in the Minister of Internal Affairs’ study. There weren’t many items on the shelf—a few ancient porcelain vases, a wooden gilded plaque, and a beast head with spiraling horns obtained from hunting in the northeast, known as the Devil’s Land. It was the skull of the Hutton gazelle, a species from the Flami Wilderness. This gazelle traversed mountains as if they were flatlands, bounding and leaping as if flying, and possessing a high alertness; ordinary people wouldn’t get within a hundred meters before it sensed them. It was a benign variant of Magical Beast, and its Crystal Core served as an excellent material for crafting Perception Magic Scrolls.

The items displayed in the study naturally belonged to the master of the house. However, the Middle-aged man wondered if the master was merely feigning sophistication by placing such a trophy in his room. Although this Magical Beast was not aggressive, hunting it was incredibly challenging. With the Minister of Internal Affairs’ physique, even if he was given a Thousand Mile Horse, it would be difficult to catch such a beast.

The Magical Beast skull served merely as an exhibit to boast about one’s hunting achievements, but the other items were genuinely extraordinary. An experienced eye scanned the two ancient porcelain vases. Such porcelain didn’t exist in most regions of the Blue Continent—the only place they came from was the Mountain Dwarf Tribes of the southern mainland. There, the earth produced unique glazing materials unavailable elsewhere, and the skills of the Mountain Dwarves in kiln firing and pottery making were unmatched by any other. It was only with their craft that such heirloom masterpieces could emerge from the kiln. These two items were obviously among the best that came from the porcelain of the Mountain Dwarves, indicated by the paintings on the surface of the vases—clearly court paintings in Mortal style, exceptional indeed—and showed the effort put into making this batch by the tribe.

Hearing his old friend praising the vases with clucks of approval, Tez chuckled and knew immediately what the other intended, "Quit shaking your head. If you want them, take them. Just remember to take good care of them. You know I don’t really care for these items. They’re just for show."

"How can this be acceptable? Am I, Mathew, the sort of man to covet what others love? Rather than that, tell me where you got this, and I might try to find a couple myself to play with." His enraptured manner made it hard to believe he would let go, and such behavior from the commander of the Kingdom of Nicosia’s army was indeed rare.

"Humph, get a couple? Easy for you to say. Try getting two for me? Such treasures are things you can’t just obtain on demand. If it weren’t for important figures from the Mountain Dwarves being kidnapped to our Nicosia, you probably wouldn’t even have a chance to lay eyes on this kind of thing." Tez’s gaze remained on the letter, clearly indicating the high value he placed on this particular correspondence.

"Oh? The Mountain Dwarves have been kidnapped too?" Startled for a moment, although his eyes still hadn’t moved from the vase, the armored middle-aged man redirected his attention back to the conversation, "That’s the world of the Dwarves, how did they get kidnapped to our North?"

"Humph, where there’s profit, there’s daring. What about the Dwarves’ lands? Where there’s a need, there’s pursuit! Now, the skies to the north of our Continent are filled with the clouds of war, and the demand for weapons and armor is ever-increasing. Dwarves are natural smiths and forgers, so naturally, people want to get more Dwarves to profit from it. With market demand, as long as you offer a high enough price, there will always be someone trying to figure out a way," Tez said with a faint hint of melancholy in his voice.

"But the Mountain Dwarves are different from those Hill Dwarves. Although they are skilled in pottery and porcelain making, they are not adept at ore prospecting, smelting, or forging techniques. Why would someone kidnap these Mountain Dwarves?" This left the armored man somewhat puzzled, his questioning gaze turning towards his companion.

"Humph, who amongst us mortals can make such fine distinctions between Dwarves? Perhaps those slave hunting teams just grab any Dwarf they see, mistaking Mountain Dwarves for Hill Dwarves," Tez shrugged, a shadow crossing his ruddy cheeks.

"Oh, so you’re saying those slave hunting teams are all comprised of us mortals?" Raising his eyebrows, the armored soldier finally put down the ancient porcelain vase and focused on the conversation, "Those despicable and shameless wretches, so brazenly trampling on the law. If they fall into my hands, I will make sure they regret being born! But I’m still confused, haven’t the Dwarves already formed an alliance with the Elves? Logically speaking, in the center and south, the Dwarves and Elves have established a strong defensive line along their borders. How could these slave hunters freely enter their territory to kidnap people? Could it be that their army is having problems? That doesn’t seem likely."

"Hmm hmm, Mathew, you seem to have only seen the land defenses. What about the sea? The long coastline, what can the Dwarves and Elves use to defend it?" Tez shook his head and said with gravity, "This is the innate weakness of the Dwarves and Elves. They cannot stop invaders from coming ashore, nor is it feasible to build castles all along the lengthy coast. This issue is growing more and more severe, and I fear the Dwarves and Elves are in trouble."

"Are you talking about the pirates? Are they in collusion with the slave hunters?" It finally dawned on the armored soldier, his face showing shock.

"Um, there are more and more colonial outposts cropping up near the Mediterranean on the Blue Continent, and they’re growing in size—do you really think that many people are content to venture into that Devil’s Land? That’s all a facade. Apart from a few genuinely designed for adventurers and tourists, many outposts have now become strongholds for slave hunters. These slave hunters work with the owners of the outposts and the pirates, providing logistic supplies and intelligence to the former, while the pirates and slave hunters deploy martial power. Pirates attack coastal towns and villages, slave hunters handle the capture and selection, and after acquiring slaves, they divide the loot according to a pre-agreed split. Haven’t you noticed the number of Elves and Dwarves in the Jazair Slave Market has suddenly increased by a lot? Even Shark people! All of it, the work of those scoundrels."

Although Tez’s speech revealed a marked indignation—he was a firm abolitionist, especially opposed to the practice of enslaving people beyond prisoners of war—he was also powerless against the increasingly rampant illegal slave trade. Although the kingdom had outlawed such illegal methods of acquiring slaves from different races, as long as it didn’t happen within the kingdom’s borders, the kingdom could do nothing about it. And once one obtained legal qualification for slaves outside the kingdom, one could openly sell them in the slave markets upon entry.