The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 557: Volume 14: Accumulating Thinly and Striking Forcefully - 2: Salvation Society

Fortunately, having received advance warnings from Neptune and Dragumo, Puber had earlier instructed Baoling to lead three hundred of the Lord’s Guard to be stationed within Muscat Fortress. Although they couldn’t stop the inflow of Half-Beastmen, they could at least deter those who had just emerged from the lawless region of Leon and make them realize that Caucasus was different—any violation of the law would be punished.

The Holy Land of Santiago, located at the southern foothills of the Volt Mountain Range, faced the same problem. Half-Beastmen and Mortals from the Izmir region continuously traversed the small paths carved out by their kinfolk, crossing the Volt Mountains into Caucasus territory. The coal mine owners of Santiago, lamenting their lack of sufficient labor force, warmly welcomed these skilled workers. Not only did they fail to report to the local garrison, but they also concealed the migrants’ presence, directly recruiting them into their mines. It was not until other local civilians, worried about the trouble that these undocumented refugees from Leon might bring in the future, reported the situation that Ugru was informed of the refugees from eastern Leon beginning to cross over the Volt Mountains into Caucasus.

Komer returned at a time when Puber was most exasperated, with large numbers of Half-Beastmen entering—the influx amounted to over thirty thousand Half-Beastmen and more than two thousand Mortals into Muscat and Santiago just in the short time that Komer was away. Puber was forced to prematurely initiate the canal construction project from Santiago to Mattdam to alleviate the pressure of these refugees. These idle Half-Beastmen, unable to find work within Caucasus territory, still needed to be fed. If their stomachs were not filled, it could still lead to unrest. Instead of letting these fellows freeload, it was better to make them trade labor for sustenance. It was a massive project that both Puber and Komer had always hoped could be built with the investment from multiple parties, but now, the Caucasus Prefecture had no choice but to temporarily take on the burden.

While this initiative did relieve employment pressure, it also brought a negative effect, as the news about the Caucasus Prefecture recruiting labor to build the canal from Santiago to Mattdam immediately spread to Leon, attracting more and more Half-Beastmen who had lost faith in Leon to head south in large numbers—and Komer returned to Caucasus under these circumstances.

Maha Gummi was aware that his master did not wish to see a large influx of Half-Beastmen from Leon, perhaps a partial migration could ease the issue of insufficient skilled labor for the booming mining industry in Caucasus. However, in the long run, Caucasus could not accommodate the over three hundred thousand slave miners from Leon; the abandonment of Leon was not something the Lord wished to see. At first, Maha Gummi wasn’t quite clear about his master’s intentions for the lands of Leon, whether to let them drift on their own or to turn them into a vasal land relying on Caucasus, but after the Lord’s trip to the Great Swamp Area and his return, it seemed a decision had been made. The instructions for Maha Gummi became much clearer.

As Maha Gummi stepped through the doors of the Lord’s Mansion, he was like a docile lamb. The Half-beastman Guards stationed on either side of the gate were as menacing as ever, puffing their chests and swelling their stomachs. Their gleaming armor made their already towering and imposing figures appear even more formidable. The over three-meter-long halberd axes resting on the ground made one doubt whether the stone slabs could withstand their weight. Half-masks covering the beast heads of the Half-beastman Guards obscured half of their faces, revealing only a pair of sinister wolf eyes. Anyone passing through the gates of the already spacious Lord’s Mansion would feel the invisible pressure squeezing the breath out of them.

Even for a fellow member of their kind like Maha Gummi, who frequented the Lord’s Mansion, the Half-beastman Guards never eased their severity. Their fierce gaze would linger on Maha Gummi for a long time before they would consent to let him enter.

Sitting before his master, Maha Gummi always felt insignificant. Though physically the master seemed not so robust, especially compared to the Half-beastman Guards. Before him, Maha Gummi always held a sense of inscrutable awe. There were too many secrets hidden within his master’s body, and Maha Gummi felt he might never completely unravel his master’s thoughts in his lifetime.

Komer, as if deep in thought, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing outside the window. It had been a week since he had returned, and this guy had not come to see him until now, having gone who knows where. However, judging by the other’s confident demeanor, it seemed he had likely made some significant gains.

"Maha Gummi pays his respects to the Lord," he said, kneeling on one knee, "and congratulates the Lord on a successful journey to the Great Swamp Area." After the formal greeting, Maha Gummi sat back in his own place, aware that his master didn’t much care for such formalities. As long as his work brought tangible results to the territory, the Lord wouldn’t mind the lack of ceremonial gestures.

"Hmm, there is some gain, I suppose, at least we won’t be strangled and left gasping for breath by that fellow Philip anymore." Komer smiled faintly, turning his body toward the speaker, "What good news do you bring me?"

"Lord Caesar, Maha Gummi dares not disappoint your expectations; this trip to Leon has indeed yielded some results." Before this Lord, Maha Gummi never needed to hide his emotions. The pride shone bright in his hazel eyes, signifying his satisfaction with his achievements.

"Oh? Did you manage to clear up the background of that fellow Murray?" Komer perked up instantly. The so-called knight Murray had managed to find his footing among the Half-Beastmen and even gained their respect and trust, a feat that surprised Komer. If the guy really came with orders from the Central Kingdom, he had to be cautious in his dealings.

"Well, there’s some clue. It seems that the man comes from an organization called the Salvation Society, which is said to be somehow connected to the Church of Light, but the specifics are unclear to me," Maha Gummi hesitated before speaking.

"The Salvation Society?" Komer’s brows furrowed immediately. The Salvation Society was not unknown to him; it was a secret society spread across the entire Blue Continent, originated more than a hundred years ago by some dissenters within the upper echelons of the Church of Light, who, dissatisfied with the corruption and darkness of the Church, proposed reforms to its doctrine and rules. As a result, they were deemed heretics by the Church Tribunal and hunted down. Several high-ranking members of the Church of Light who supported the Salvation Society’s ideas were also pursued and ultimately left the Church in anger, forming the Salvation Society with some followers who supported the reformation. However, from its inception, this organization has been a primary target of the Church Tribunal’s repression, even more zealously than the hunt for the Dark Lineage.

Despite being besieged by the Church of Light, the Salvation Society has always been able to gain supporters across the Continent, from cities to the countryside. They even saw a trend of growth at one point but eventually declined under the coordinated oppression of the Church of Light and the secular forces of many northern countries. Still, the power of the Church of Light alone could not wipe out this force. Members of the Salvation Society usually come from good families and are quite reputable, enjoying a solid reputation locally and typically appearing as devout believers of the Church of Light until discovered. This covert way of conducting affairs prevented the Church from eradicating their influence, a struggle that has continued across generations.

"Are you certain?" Komer did not inquire further about the source of the information. Maha Gummi’s initial results had proven his abilities, but on this issue, Komer hoped for a more reliable answer.

"There shouldn’t be any major problem. Someone noticed that during his secret prayers at night, he used not the ’Book of Atonement’ typically used by followers of the Church of Light, but a strange scripture—’Gospel of Redemption.’ I inquired with Mr. Mihailovich and Mr. Puber; they said it was a doctrine interpretation from the founding times of the Church of Light, but it was later abolished. The reason is that the Salvation Society used this book to promote their ideas, which could prove his identity," Maha Gummi was very cautious with his words, yet his tone was confident.

Leaning back in his chair, Komer was already convinced by the other’s judgment. Komer had perused the ’Gospel of Redemption’ himself, the charter book of the Salvation Society. Although he admired the good intentions of the book, he did not believe it was achievable, nor did he believe people could accomplish this. However, the followers who believed in the ideals of the Salvation Society were willing to inspire the world with their actions. They did not have any special institutions, nor did they force beliefs on anyone, but they practiced their pursuit through personal endeavor. Saving the fate-stricken Half-beastman slaves seemed likely to be a part of their efforts to accumulate good deeds.

Komer did not oppose the goals of the Salvation Society, nor their spread of followers in his territory, but now they were directly interfering with the situation in Leon, which could hinder his plans. This was unacceptable. Fortunately, he still held the initiative. Lacking a source of food, they would ultimately have to come to him. It seems he needed to prepare for some work ahead.

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