The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 482: Volume Ten, Thunder Rolls and Wind Rises, - Seventeen, When the Water Comes, the Channel is Formed

Chapter 482: Volume Ten, Thunder Rolls and Wind Rises, Chapter Seventeen, When the Water Comes, the Channel is Formed

"Respected Baron, Dragumo doesn’t mind waiting, no matter how long it takes. Even if you have several more guests to see, Dragumo is willing to wait, as long as you have the heart to torment Dragumo so,"

After several encounters with the young and humorous lord, even Dragumo, who considered himself a blockhead, had become much more expressive in his speeches, coaxed by Komer’s witty language. Although still filled with worries, Dragumo comforted himself with a bit of playful banter.

"Heh, Mr. Dragumo, your mood seems to have improved considerably since the last two times," Komer joked with the persistently troubled half-beastman military leader. "That’s the spirit. No matter what difficulties we are about to face, we first need to maintain a fairly relaxed and peaceful state of mind. Only then can we confront and overcome these difficulties in the best way possible. If we allow ourselves to be pessimistic and despondent, even things that aren’t that difficult become much more troublesome, don’t you agree?"

Facing the half-beastman military chief who still wouldn’t let go of his concerns, Komer teased, "I think Mr. Dragumo must have some good news for me this time; otherwise, you wouldn’t be so happy."

"Good news?" Dragumo grimaced with a smile uglier than crying and pursed his lips before letting out a long sigh, "Lord, what good news could there be for me to bring to you right now? I’ve come all this way specifically to seek aid from you, Lord. If you don’t give me a satisfactory solution this time, I, Dragumo, am prepared to stay here and serve as one of the guard soldiers under your command, and not return to Mandu. I believe that I, Dragumo, can fulfill the duties of a soldier."

Dragumo’s words were filled with bitterness, a true reflection of his inner feelings.

In the past few months, the myriad of trivial matters in the Mandu Region had left him utterly exhausted. Even after following Komer’s advice to drastically reduce the number of troops, he was still stretched too thin.

The mortal nobility in the Mandu Region were originally reluctant to reside there, and thus the wealth accrued was not substantial. After exchanging it for food and necessities, there was hardly anything left, and now they had nothing to fall back on. Those who were once slaves in the region now did nothing but lie in the shade all day, resting, waiting for bread to be distributed from above, unwilling to do any work.

Apart from the three thousand soldiers still loyal to him, Dragumo didn’t know how to sustain himself any longer. Rather than living every day in anxiety and sorrow, he would prefer to be a simple soldier.

The tens of thousands of half-beastmen and mortal slaves who had been declared free were now enjoying what they perceived as freedom and democracy they had fought for with martial power in and around Mandu. But just a few months after their idyllic existence began, they faced dwindling rations of bread and increasingly watery gruel, which made them more and more dissatisfied.

Among them, quite a few who were slightly more astute had recognized this vicious cycle. Some started to quietly flee to Caucasus, while others approached Dragumo, asking him to find a solution to the pressing problems.

Most of this group belonged to the instigators or current leaders of the rebel organizations, and they were even more worried about their future fate.

Complaints arising from food shortages had escalated to demands for the return of the mortal nobles, as long as they could meet the food requirements. If these mortal nobles were to return, it was feared they would first target those who had led the initial uprisings. The lowest-class slaves, on the other hand, would simply revert to their previous lives; as adept miners, the mortal nobility had no desire to kill off what they saw as their property.

With keen interest, Komer observed the half-beastman man standing before him, who seemed quite troubled. Intelligence feedback from Maha Gummi confirmed that the situation in the entirety of Leon was deteriorating rather rapidly, with Mandu being somewhat better off. In places like Izmir, the situation had almost spun out of control.

Army chiefs had lost control over their soldiers. Numerous deserters had even banded together to become vicious bandits, rampaging and murdering indiscriminately, utterly transformed into wrongdoers. Meanwhile, the so-called rebel forces of the area had no sway or impact on the bandits and were even subject to their attacks.

The time was ripe; it was now appropriate for Komer to step in. Mandu could be an excellent testing ground, and Dragumo had the potential to be a good officer. However, Komer believed that Dragumo was indeed not suited to be an administrative officer.

"Mr. Dragumo, I have some understanding of the situation in Leon. You’ve come to me seeking aid time and time again; both morally and rationally, I shouldn’t refuse you. However, have you considered this: Even if I provide you with aid this time, what about in the future? Can Caucasus continue to provide Mandu with gratuitous food aid indefinitely? How would I, as the lord, explain such a thing to the citizens of my territory?"

"You must realize that our Caucasus is neither incredibly wealthy nor overflowing with food. Our own food supply is still insufficient, and we need to import. Even if we could become self-sufficient in the future, it wouldn’t be possible to keep providing free aid to anyone. The food is grown by our citizens through hard work and sweat. By supporting the people of Mandu for free in this manner, wouldn’t they become like nobles riding on their heads? Moreover, if the people of Mandu were to receive such preferential treatment, what would the inhabitants of other regions in Leon think?"

Komer seemed to have already given Mr. Dragumo exceptional treatment. Leaders of the rioting masses from several other regions in Leon had visited here, but Komer’s responses were always the same, Caucasus could offer no help. For Dragumo, however, Komer was willing to spend some time and energy to patiently explain.

Dragumo, who had prepared many pleas and arguments, was at a loss for words in response to Komer’s speech.

The other party was right; originally, Caucasus was not wealthy. Even if they could offer aid this time, what about the next? Surely, this kind of situation couldn’t go on indefinitely.

And now, those who were once his brothers, the freed slaves, seemed to have completely transformed into another kind of person, a kind of lazybones who only wants to enjoy life without working. Perhaps they believe it is their right, won through violence and combat, but is this really a normal way to live?

"Mr. Dragumo, I understand the difficulties you are facing. Perhaps the sources of food in your controlled area are also gradually drying up. This phenomenon will happen in Leon, including your region. It’s unrealistic for you to hope that one side could keep providing food aid for nothing. There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and this saying applies everywhere. Now, the value of Leon has been lost, and the kingdom won’t offer you much help anymore. So you must consider what to do next," Komer explained.

"I also heard that the Half-Beastman Armies in many regions have started to turn into bandits. Such a situation is very worrying. If the situation gets out of control, I’m afraid Leon will become a battlefield where Half-Beastmen kill each other for the meager remaining food. This surely isn’t in line with your initial intentions to overthrow the brutal rule of the aristocratic mine owners, is it?"

Komer continued his persuasive discourse, his charming voice seemingly imbued with an indescribable magic power. The intonation of his words soared and dipped like a romantic love song improvised by a bard.

The thoughts of the Half-Beastman Armaments Chief were completely influenced by Komer’s language, and he no longer had any other ideas.

All that the other party spoke of were things that were happening or about to happen in his controlled area and the Mandu Region. He tried everything possible but couldn’t prevent these events from happening. Complaints were everywhere. Had he not disbanded a large part of the army earlier, leaving only the more loyal subordinates, Mandu would likely have been riddled with bandits as well. But even so, what good could an army of three thousand do?

Nearly 100,000 disbanded slaves once they erupt, who could control them? This was the thing that Dragumo worried about the most.

Komer had to use again a little bit of his slightly less savoury tricks. "Dust removing" was one of the simplest forms of Psychic Magic, most suitable for those whose minds were relatively simple and who held a certain level of recognition for the practitioner, aiming to deepen their favorable impression and identification. While Komer elaborated on his point of view, he also cast this spiritual magic originally exclusive to the Church of Light.

It was clear that under the influence of this magic, along with his own rich persuasive language, the Half-Beastman Armaments Chief had fully accepted Komer’s views. Seeing his head nodding in earnest agreement, Komer was certain that at this time, the other party would unconditionally accept any of his suggestions. However, Komer did not plan to act so rashly.

"Well, Mr. Dragumo, I have said all I can. After all, I am not the Lord of Leon, but of Caucasus. The affairs of Leon are ultimately for you to decide. How about this, this time I will provide you with a batch of food. Um, you can exchange it with the remaining ore in the Mandu Region. Originally, ore is already quite abundant in Caucasus, but if I do not exchange something symbolically, it would be difficult to explain to my citizens. However, next time, I really might not be able to help."

Standing up and taking a light sip from his coffee cup, Dragumo knew this was the Lord’s prelude to sending him off.

"I’m sorry, Lord, but I still have opinions that I have not expressed. I think today I must have a clear outcome regarding the future of the Mandu Region. I can’t manage other regions, but Mandu has put this burden on me, and I must find a way out for the tens of thousands of brothers and sisters below," Dragumo’s expression had become exceedingly solemn.

With a light laugh, Komer feigned surprise and raised his eyebrows, asking, "Does Mr. Dragumo have an even better suggestion?"

"Indeed, this is the purpose of my visit. I would ask for Lord Komer to accept Mandu as your territory and to send officers to manage Mandu. My army and I, as well as all the people of Mandu, will unconditionally follow your command and orders. This is the unanimous decision of myself and all of Mandu, and we hope you will accept," said Dragumo.