The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 481: Volume 10: The Thunder Rolls and the Wind Lifts, - 16: Waiting for a Good Price to Sell

Chapter 481: Volume 10: The Thunder Rolls and the Wind Lifts, Chapter 16: Waiting for a Good Price to Sell

Dragumo, anxiously seated outside the spacious study of Komer in the Lord’s Mansion, awaited his reception. This was already his fourth visit here to see the Baron in the past two months.

Regrettably, the Baron seemed increasingly disinterested in Leon, and their conversations had become shorter and shorter, his tone gradually revealing some impatience. The last conversation even vaguely suggested an end to the collaboration between Leon and the Caucasus, leaving Dragumo feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles.

Through the partially revealed words of his compatriot Maha Gummi, Dragumo had gathered some understanding of the situation. It seemed that the rulers behind the Lord of the mansion, the Central Kingdom of Nicosia, were quite dissatisfied with the current state of affairs. They believed the kingdom had undertaken tremendous pressure to provide substantial food and materials to Leon, but since the Leon uprising had won that battle, they had posed no further threat to Homer. Now with the immense threat of the beastmen looming, the already scarce resources of the Central Kingdom appeared to intend to cut off their support for Leon—signifying a halt to the trade of food and supplies, a thunderbolt from a clear sky for Leon.

But this truly couldn’t be blamed on his own side. The accursed Homer People had destroyed the floating bridge, severing the only passageway across the Nissai River. Even if his own side wanted to enter Homer, the wide Nissai River was enough to dispel any such foolish thoughts.

Without a bridge, the Nissai River was an insurmountable chasm that no one could cross. It was a pity that Leon had plenty of miners and brave warriors, but no craftsmen capable of building bridges. Everyone could only sigh helplessly at the riverside.

It seemed that the Bruce Fortress on the other side was constructing a new floating bridge. But with just a little bit of thought, since the Homer People dared to build it, they must have a way to control it, otherwise wouldn’t that be inviting a wolf into the house? Moreover, the looks of the construction indicated that it probably wouldn’t be completed for several months. So, what should his own side do now?

All hopes were pinned on the Caucasus. As Dragumo made his way there, the sight of wheat fields along the road seemed to foretell a bountiful harvest in the Caucasus. Although most of the land in the Caucasus was newly reclaimed and the yield wouldn’t be high, the sight of the harvest still sparked a glimmer of hope in Dragumo’s heart.

If the Baron could get the people in his territory to save a bit on food consumption and import some through Mattdam Port, perhaps Leon could hold on for a few more months.

At this thought, Dragumo couldn’t help but sigh. They were eating into their reserves, and most of the things confiscated from the nobles’ homes for sale were already sold out. Yet, the daily consumption of food showed no signs of decreasing. Despite drastically reducing his soldiers and imposing restrictions on the food supply, they were constantly running low on provisions, and the situation in several areas was even worse. Many had begun to yearn for life in the mines, where, though the work was tough, at least there was enough black bread to fill the stomach.

The emergence of such signs made Dragumo acutely aware that a crisis was imminent. If measures weren’t taken promptly, the recently liberated Half-beastman slaves might soon willingly request the mortal nobility to take back control of Leon, and leaders like himself might swiftly become corpses hanging outside the noble Lords’ manor houses.

The only hope now lay with the Caucasus. If the Baron truly refused to lend him a hand, Dragumo didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t think of any solution to the current problem until he realized how naively he had imagined the opulent lifestyle a Lord should lead. He didn’t know how the noble Lords resolved these issues. Perhaps his brain was simply not cut out for such complex matters.

Finally, the guests from the Baron’s study emerged. There seemed to be two Knights, and Dragumo’s sharp gaze scanned them. These Knights, who seemed to carry an air of superiority, still wore their arrogance on their sleeves, even when departing from the Baron’s room. It contrasted with the Baron’s excellent composure, who, maintaining a slight smile, politely saw the two Knights to the door despite their seemingly unhappy expressions.

The Green Knight and Knight Jep stepped out of the opulent study with sullen expressions on their faces.

Unsurprisingly, it was yet another unpleasant conversation. In Jep’s opinion, they shouldn’t have made the trip in the first place. They could have proceeded with their plans without anyone’s consent—what right did a mere Baron, the so-called Lord of the Caucasus, have to meddle or dare to interfere with the actions of the Thunderhorse Knights under the great Bright Holy Teaching?

Still, Green paid a ceremonial visit to the master of this land because he recognized that the Caucasus now was not what it had been ten months ago. Back then, had someone suggested visiting the local Lord before taking action, he would have simply laughed it off. But times had changed, and in the past ten months, a lot had taken place, bringing fundamental changes to this once remote territory—all because of this Lord.

Jep was too young and impulsive. In many instances, impulsiveness led to irreparable mistakes, a sentiment the Baron had shared using Magic Transmission, which sounded as much a warning as it did a threat. Apart from maintaining his composure, Green couldn’t help feeling a tinge of worry deep inside.

Before leaving, he took one last glance at the oppressed-looking gate of the Lord’s Mansion. The dark and gloomy doorway resembled the gaping maws of a ferocious beast, casting an eerie sense of foreboding.

Green did not understand why this lord had such tastes; he could sense numerous magic traps and magic barriers throughout the mansion, most of which were either ice-cold or fire-based with aggressive potential. This lord didn’t seem like the aggressive type, so Green wondered what prompted him to employ such magic setups.

The instructions from Pericles seemed to be rather displeasing news, and Captain Kent appeared to be losing interest in their mission, but the Archbishop seemed very persistent, indicating a long-term stay for Green and Knight Jep in Caucasus, especially for Green himself.

In the magic letter, Captain Kent had detailed the events of recent times. Mage Malone’s death seemed to be connected with this noble lord, and now even the Sanctuary Guardian, Miss Galian, had disappeared, reportedly imprisoned somewhere on the Continent by a powerhouse of the Dark Order. This was truly shocking.

Even the Archbishop couldn’t deduce the exact location of the prison; one could imagine the immense power of this Dark force. Captain Kent had shared this news with Green—could it be he suspected this Dark powerhouse was hiding in Caucasus?

Such thoughts had merely flashed through Green’s mind. Beyond the Hidden Ones of the Great Mysterium Sect on the Continent, Green couldn’t imagine who else could be deemed powerful enough by Captain Kent, or even the Archbishop. There might be others, but Green surely had not heard of them.

Even if this lord was indeed a Dark Mage, Green did not believe he possessed the so-called strength of a powerful individual. The term "strong" was not something anyone could casually claim.

However, the dark aura of Caucasus was indeed growing denser. Green had this intuition. In addition to the frequent appearances of members of the Great Mysterium Sect in this region, Green felt there must be some connection with this lord’s friends and perhaps even Damarlinsk Castle was highly suspicious, despite the lord’s presence seemingly captivating many onlookers. Regrettably, the instructions from Pericles only asked Green to observe and endure, without offering anything new or innovative.

As Green stepped out the door, his thoughts returned to the Half-beast man he had encountered in the hall.

Although there were many Half-beastmen in Caucasus, and many of the lord’s guard soldiers were composed of Half-beastmen, Green was certain that the one he had just seen did not belong to the Half-beastmen of Caucasus. The fellow was filled with a wildness and rage, like a barbarian freshly emerged from the wild mountains, quite distinct from the common Half-beastmen within Caucasus territory.

Even the Half-beastman Guards under Komer’s command, formidable and ferocious in appearance, did not possess the same presence as the one Green had encountered, who indeed resembled a destroyer, a ruffian seemingly bent on annihilating everything. Where did this fellow come from, and what relation might he have with the lord and this thug?

A persistent question slowly surfaced in Green’s mind.

Dragumo was entirely unaware that his restlessness had inadvertently revealed his wildness and hostility, and it had caught the attention of others. At the moment, he was trying his best to control his emotions to appear more civilized and polite in front of the lord.

"Mr. Dragumo, apologies for keeping you waiting. Please come in and have a seat. I had a visitor just now, and I’m truly sorry for the delay,"

Komer always wore that standardized smile, which could appear somewhat warm to a stranger. But for a regular visitor like Dragumo, the smile had long since become wearisome.

It was this very smile that had left Dragumo disappointed on several occasions. However, this time, Dragumo was determined to obtain a satisfactory solution.

Dragumo had no other choice; the lord’s outstanding performance had kept him from ever daring to confront Caucasus. Just thinking about that battle’s performance, as if a god had descended, made Dragumo shudder. The methods of these mortal mages were beyond the comprehension of people like him, and Dragumo felt it was proper to seek the lord’s support.