The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 379: Volume 7: The Awakening Spring Thunder, - 9: Heaven Rewards Diligence

Mattdam has opened its port! What does this mean?! Even a fool could see what those people in the Southern Nether Sea had been up to in between. Philip’s mood had been rather poor for some time, and he was astonished to find that ever since he had exiled that profligate son to the Caucasus, a series of misfortunes had followed one after another.

Some old geezers in the Central Kingdom actually regarded such a loser as a treasure, thinking that they could oppose him just by relying on that man. Initially, Philip hadn’t taken this matter seriously, but ever since that fellow had undertaken the shocking action of accepting over a hundred thousand refugees, everything had changed. The Kingdom’s high level of attention to this matter, the continuous pressure it put on him—even though he resisted the pressure and strictly blocked the Caucasus’s supply channels—somehow his measures failed to have any effect. He had expected that within two or three months at most, a food and finance crisis would occur in the Caucasus, but to date, there was no sign of it.

Now everything was clear. It was that old bastard Gote who had been playing tricks behind the scenes. Although it was unclear what promise had been made to change Gote’s stance, the fact was that Gote’s people no longer had any restraining effect on the other side. The news of Mattdam’s port opening spread throughout the entire Homer region and the nearby coastal areas in just a few days. For the Caucasus region, the blockade by Bruce Fortress had become worthless, and both Cyprus and Odessa’s trade status would be challenged by Mattdam. The various side effects were innumerable, leaving Philip with a stifling pain in his chest.

"Father, I had long advised you not to be merciful like a woman. Hesitate and you’ll be engulfed in chaos. Now that things have come to this, even if we wanted to deal with him, it would not be easy." Standing to the side, the girl played indifferently with a fan of palace silk in her hands—an exquisite handicraft from the Southern Elves, said to have originated from a part of the lost civilization. Intricately carved and embroidered, ordinary people would not even dare to inquire about it, yet it was quite popular in the homes of princes and tycoons, seen as a symbol of status.

Catching a glimpse of his daughter, whose temperament had changed beyond recognition since her youth, Philip felt an inexplicable irritation and disgust. Perhaps sending him to the Caucasus had been a mistake, and taking his daughter’s advice was his greatest error. If not for her, why would he have risked losing an excellent Finance Officer and falling out with the Reese Family? Although Ramla had shown no signs of unusual response, Philip knew that once a knot was tied in the heart, it would be extremely difficult to untangle.

When one thing goes wrong, everything seems to go wrong. This was the feeling Philip had at the moment. Apart from the headache that was the Caucasus, the actions of the kingdom were also suspicious. The beastmen hadn’t made any significant moves this year, and yet the kingdom continued to expand its standing army. The Blue Dove Legion had officially announced its formation and was being assembled in an intense and orderly manner. Of course, the threat of the beastmen was the stated pretext, but with the kingdom’s finances stretched thin, the fact that they continued to expand the number of standing armies after the Iron Cross Legion had been stationed in the western fortress truly raised doubts.

Facing increasingly tense relations with the Central Kingdom, it was natural for Philip to consider whether the Central Kingdom truly wished to forcefully implement the Utrecht Decree. The Utrecht Decree had been issued for a few years now, and aside from a reluctant implementation among some small and medium-sized lords around the kingdom’s directly controlled territory, it was almost a dead letter both in the North and the South. Philip was uncertain whether the Central Kingdom was really prepared to resolve this issue, even at the risk of using martial power, or was it simply posturing and threatening? He hoped it was the latter. Although he had already made secret pacts with several Great Lords, he still did not want to see this scenario unfold, as the Kingdom of Nicosia had been established for hundreds of years with deep roots, and the idea of royal legitimacy was deeply ingrained in the people’s minds. To openly defy this would carry great risks.

But would the kingdom really funnel funds into the military during such financial difficulties just for intimidation? On second thought, Philip’s heart began to worry again. However, at least now things hadn’t deteriorated to that extent and there were still opportunities for a turnabout. As long as the Blue Dove Legion was not yet fully assembled, the kingdom would not make any other moves, and there were many opportunities for negotiation in the meantime.

His troubles didn’t end there. Boninski, that fool, was becoming increasingly unpopular in Leon, with slave revolts and escapes happening more often and on a larger scale. It was said that a large number of half-beastman slaves had fled through the Volt Mountain Range into the Caucasus, but as of now, there had still been no reports from the Caucasus about capturing any escaped slaves. This made Philip increasingly worried about the situation in Leon. Accusations against Boninski had not only reached Homer but also a substantial amount had been filed with the Kingdom Star Chamber Court. If not for the substantial contributions Boninski had made over the past few years, Philip would have already thrown the man to the Kingdom Star Chamber Court, stripping a Count of his title wouldn’t be much, and replacing him with an obedient Lord would do just as well. Should he consider this suggestion?