The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 467: Volume 10: Thunderous Movements and Winds Rising, - 2: Sanjia Tribe_2

Chapter 467: Volume 10: Thunderous Movements and Winds Rising, Chapter 2: Sanjia Tribe_2

"Lord, allow me to introduce you. This is Solos, the representative of the Gapeng Tribe of the Mountain People Alliance. He and I are here on behalf of our Alliance to visit the Caucasus and present you, Lord, with a young dragon, the most precious creature of the Cordillera Region, as a token of our sincerity toward the Caucasus Region and yourself. We hope, Lord, that you will further strengthen our relationship with the Cordillera Region, especially in terms of economic and trade interactions, and further open up exports for our Cordillera goods to promote closer economic ties between our two areas."

Clearly, these formal and stilted official words were taught to the barbarian by someone, who now stammered them out in Mountain Language. Even though they were spoken in Mountain Language, Komer couldn’t help but want to laugh upon hearing them.

"Mr. Volen, Mr. Solos, first of all, thank you for coming. The Caucasus and the Mountain People Alliance are close neighbors, and as the saying goes, a close neighbor is better than a distant relative. As long as it doesn’t violate the laws of the Continent and the kingdom, the Caucasus is willing to do our utmost to help our neighbors, especially since this help is mutually beneficial. I am deeply grateful for the two Earth Dragon Cubs gifted by the Alliance, though the number is quite smaller than I had hoped, which is a bit disappointing."

Komer naturally had such grand-sounding responses readily available, neither violating principles nor making explicit promises, while also appropriately expressing gratitude and disappointment. The two barbarians, however, heard different undertones in his words.

Volen, who had dealt with Komer twice before, was well aware of the implications in his statement.

A ban on military supplies was still in place, and the checkpoint established by Bahomon was increasingly strict. Last month, a Caucasus merchant caught smuggling sixty military spears at the checkpoint had all his goods and properties confiscated on the spot, and he himself was thrown into the newly built prison of the Caucasus to await trial by the Caucasus Judicial Officer. He would also become the first prisoner to be tried for smuggling by the 13th Circuit Court of the Kingdom of Nicosia, with the Judicial Officer serving as the presiding judge.

On the other hand, the Galong Tribe, the purchasers of the smuggled spears within the Alliance, suffered the loss of a deposit worth tens of thousands of Gold Shields, and they were too distressed to voice their plight.

Volen knew that the Lord appeared generous, but was shrewd and ruthless in this regard, providing no loopholes for the Alliance’s many Tribes. The Tribes had initially hoped to entice mercenary traders to meet their needs through smuggling, but their plans had failed.

No one was willing to risk their life and all their possessions.

And judging from his tone, Lord Komer was also not very satisfied with receiving only two Earth Dragon Cubs, plainly expressing his disappointment, which left the straightforward barbarian representative at a loss on how to proceed with further requests.

The other barbarian representative, clearly not too familiar with Komer’s way of speaking and conducting business, could not contain himself upon hearing Komer was willing to make the utmost effort to help them, so he quickly interjected, "Respected Lord, you just mentioned you’re willing to do everything in your Power to help us. May I know if it would be possible for us to purchase a batch of weapons and other supplies from your territory?"

Smiling and nodding at the other party, Komer replied warmly, "Of course, as long as your side can prepare sufficient Funds or exchange goods, why not? Of course, these supplies will need to be counted within the trade quota agreed upon in the initial agreement with the Mountain People Alliance."

The barbarian representative’s expression suddenly darkened, and after giving Komer a resentful glare, he said sullenly, "Sir, are you joking with me? If it’s to count against the Alliance’s trade quota, then that’s just a normal trade, isn’t it? There would be no need for me to have wasted my words."

"Sir Solos, this was the agreement we reached with your Alliance. The supply of military materials to the Caucasus has already equated to breaking the ban. Look around at the other regions, which one is willing to sell you these things? That I can go this far is already taking a considerable risk. Everything has a process, and I can understand your urgent feelings, but you also need to give me some time to persuade my subordinates and to make more comprehensive preparations. Otherwise, once this information becomes known to others around us, how do you expect me to explain it to them?" Komer said with a smile, spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness.

After taking a deep breath, the representative of the Gapeng Tribe said no more. He knew he couldn’t out-argue the other party with words, better to just sit quietly and listen to his companion negotiate with them.

"Lord, I have come with Sir Solos with two requests, hoping to gain your assistance and support. Of course, if you, Lord, can give us the support within your power, we Mountain people are grateful and will surely reciprocate."

Volen knew that the person before him cared more about benefits than anything else. Rather than discussing righteousness or friendship, it might be better to offer something more substantial to gain his interest.

"Oh? Mr. Volen, you speak too gravely. As I mentioned before, as long as it doesn’t go against principles, I will do whatever I can. It’s just that Sir Solos’s previous request was a bit excessive, and I’m unable to fulfill it. I can only apologize," Komer raised an eyebrow, showing interest.

"Firstly, we hope that the Caucasus can provide our Galong, Gapeng, and Sanjia Tribes with some amount of military supplies beyond the Alliance’s quota. In return, we will open our markets further to you. Also, we can provide a rich gem mine for joint development to show our sincerity," Volen said as he exchanged a glance with Solos, throwing out their first bait.

"A gem mine?" Komer thought, impressed. It seemed these Barbarians were really putting a lot on the line.

From the other party’s words, Komer sensed that the three Sanjia Tribes might be leaning towards independence from the Mountain People Alliance. The Mountain People Alliance consisted of Thirteen Tribes, among which the three tribes of Galong, Gapeng, and Sanjia were located in the North, near his own territory.

As Komer understood, following the agreement with the Mountain People Alliance regarding military supply input, the Sanjia Tribes hadn’t received any special treatment for being adjacent to the Caucasus, even getting less quota than some tribes far in the South, which caused great dissatisfaction, particularly in the Galong Tribe who first dealt with the Caucasus. But the Sanjia Tribes didn’t have much power in the Alliance council and were unable to gain support. They had no choice but to suppress their resentment.

Although the Caucasus and Mountain People Alliance had signed a treaty agreeing to open certain areas to Caucasus merchants, those areas were mostly of little development value or were quite remote and inconvenient for transportation. Even if there were mines, the high cost might devalue them.

Add to that, the more valuable mines were deep in Barbarian territory, where Caucasus merchants dared not rush to invest. After all, venturing deep into the land of a race known as Barbarians entailed enormous risk. Thus, such trade and investment agreements remained largely on paper.

However, a gem mine, a much-prized commodity, was not as simple as ordinary iron or copper mines. Gem mines required less investment, yielded quick returns, demanded less labor than iron or coal mines, and didn’t require high transport conditions, making it a truly high-profit industry. Aside from the need for careful selection of mining sites and ore screening, the conditions were incomparably better than those for heavy investments such as iron, copper, or coal mines.

"Indeed, at the border between our Galong and Sanjia Tribes, there is a gem mine. Our people have found gems there on multiple occasions, mainly sapphires and what you Mortals call emeralds. If you, Lord, can agree to one of our conditions, we are willing to offer this mine as a bargaining chip in exchange," Volen, noticing the fleeting flame of interest in the other’s eyes, felt his confidence surge as he spoke with a now firmer voice.