The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 663: Volume Eighteen: Stormy Secrets, - Fourteen: Head-On Confrontation

Chapter 663: Volume Eighteen: Stormy Secrets, Chapter Fourteen: Head-On Confrontation

Baoling frowned, as both he and Fran indeed harbored skepticism and concern over Komer’s trade with the Barbarians. Though the Barbarians had provided a small squadron of Earthwalking Dragons and two Thunder Pengs as promised, Baoling and Fran saw these more as deterrents than practical assets; they might have some strategic value in intimidating the local Half-Beastmen, but how effective this squad of Earthwalking Dragons and two Thunder Pengs would be in actual combat was something neither Baoling nor Fran were optimistic about.

"Baoling, it seems you’re not particularly fond of our secret weapons?" Komer said, smiling faintly. He could understand the feelings of Baoling and Fran; after all, soldier types like Earth Dragon Warriors were novel to the Mortals of the North. A small team comprised of several Earthwalking Dragons could indeed strike imposingly in minor skirmishes, but how much power they could exert in large-scale confrontations with regular armies was another matter.

In the eyes of Baoling and Fran, Earthwalking Dragons were not native to the Caucasus and depended entirely on the Barbarians. Expanding their scale and influence would rely on the whims of the Barbarians. As for the Thunder Pengs, they had even higher requirements; supplying two had already sparked significant debate among the Barbarians themselves, and the hope of acquiring more seemed slim. It appeared that the primary role of the two Thunder Pengs was reconnaissance and small-scale assaults.

"Sir, while the Earthwalking Dragons and Thunder Pengs are powerful, their numbers are too few to be substantially effective. Moreover, the training process is complicated, time-consuming, and resource-intensive. Our Caucasus and Leon do not produce these specialties of the Cordillera Wilderness, and without ample replenishments, it’s hard for these soldier types to achieve a scale effect. Perhaps the Thunder Pengs are somewhat better off, as the demands are not too high for scouting and raids. However, as for the Earth Dragon Warriors, their most potent role lies in frontal breakthroughs in open field battles, but they are limited by their numbers. So, I’ve always been rather pessimistic," Baoling did not wish to conceal his opinion.

"Haha, Baoling, you needn’t worry so much about this issue. Whether it’s the Earthwalking Dragons or the Thunder Pengs, I believe we have plenty of opportunities to replenish them step by step. As for their numbers, with the Sanjia Tribe and even the entire Mountain people as our support, how could you possibly still worry about the subsequent supply of Earthwalking Dragons and Thunder Pengs? I can tell you that it’s not only the Earthwalking Dragons and Thunder Pengs, but other special soldier types of the Mountain people will gradually appear in our Caucasus and Leon Self-Defense Forces. Everything will improve, what we need now is time," Komer replied confidently.

The confidence on Komer’s face caused Baoling and the other two to be somewhat stunned and doubtful. The relationship between the Sanjia Tribe and the Caucasus could be boiled down to a mutual use. The Sanjia Tribe needed the Caucasus to provide them with food and other necessities of life, while the Caucasus wanted to extract abundant minerals and resources, including Thunder Pengs and Earthwalking Dragons, from the territories of the Sanjia Tribe. But if Lord Komer thought he could bring the Barbarians, just like Leon’s Half-Beastmen, under his control just like that, he was probably overstating it.

Seeing the incredulous expression on the faces of the three men, Komer did not wish to further explain. The relationship with the Barbarians was complicated and wouldn’t be resolved anytime soon, and they would not believe in the future relationship between the Caucasus and the Barbarians, particularly the Sanjia Tribe. Yet, Komer had a hunch that, as the current situation proceeded, the northern part of the Cordillera Wilderness—the Sanjia Tribe’s control area and even the nearby regions—would inevitably be firmly attracted to the Caucasus, like iron to a magnet.

Just look at how quickly the numbers of Barbarians from Bahomon, Ugru, Mattdam, and Santiago were increasing, even appearing in the Leon Region and Bruce Fortress. Anyone could tell that once this door was wide open, it was unlikely that anyone could close it again.

Following the agreement signed between the Sanjia Tribe and the Caucasus, which allowed the Mountain people of the Sanjia Region the same rights as citizens in the Caucasus and Leon, a surge of Mountain people heading north to work flourished. Numerous smaller communities around the Sanjia Tribe were also drawn by the open policies of the Caucasus. Regrettably, they had no direct link with the Caucasus and still had to go through the Sanjia Tribe to obtain an identity certificate, which allowed them to work legitimately in the Caucasus and Leon. This provided significant benefit to the Sanjia Tribe leaders and also incited a trend among some other small communities, which typically supported the Sanjia Tribe independently, to align with them, subsequently increasing the tribe’s power indirectly.

The leaders of the Sanjia Tribe were overjoyed with this development, while some within the Caucasus worried that by providing ample food and employment for surplus labor, the Caucasus was enabling the tribe’s growth opportunities. The expansion of the Sanjia Tribe’s power could be a latent threat to the Caucasus, making some regard limiting the development of the tribe as something the Caucasus should consider. Komer, however, simply laughed off such thoughts.

The expansion of Sanjia Tribe’s power should be beneficial for Caucasus, with their territory expanding and their population increasing. Their growing demand for food will make their reliance on Caucasus deeper. Caucasus holds the lifeline of their survival; they will find themselves increasingly integrated with Caucasus and will have no choice but to serve the needs of Caucasus, lest they go hungry and everything reverts back to how it once was. Having become accustomed to a life of happiness, it’s unlikely anyone would want to return to the hard times of the past. This is the effect Komer aimed to achieve.

Komer’s mysterious demeanor instead made Baoling and the other two feel that he was unfathomable. The Lord’s every move was so unexpected that it was hard to believe he was merely a twenty-year-old young man. His profound maturity was no less shrewd and astute than those who had been tumbling through officialdom for many years, and his formidable magic skills were beyond everyone’s comprehension, given his young age and high level of mastery.

When Baoling shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he couldn’t understand Komer and then left, only Bayezid and Burianos were still following behind Komer. Komer realized that the reason they were still there at this time was probably that they had something to say to him. After pondering for a moment, Komer guessed that perhaps Eve’s unusual behavior these past few days had sparked some concern. They stayed, probably wishing to seek his opinion, especially now that the relationship between them was somewhat complex and awkward.

"Bayezid, Burianos, do you two have something you want to say to me?" Komer suddenly turned and asked, startling the two who had been following behind him, unsure how to broach the subject, and now they didn’t know how to answer Komer’s question.

After a moment of stupefaction, it was the giant Burianos who frankly broke the awkward silence, "That’s right, Lord Komer, Eve has been wanting to leave Caucasus for some time. She sought our opinion and indicated she didn’t want to force us. We all advised her to stay, but you know her temperament; things she decides are hard for others to change. But these past days, she seems to have changed her mind about leaving, even though her emotions have been somewhat erratic. We’re worried, but it didn’t feel right to inquire directly. Grace asked her, but it seems she didn’t get much information. Lord Komer, have you discussed this with Eve recently?"

"Hmm, Eve has already come to talk to me. She hopes to leave and start her life anew, but I told her that as long as one’s heart is filled with kindness, preaching and performing spells anywhere as a priest is the same. With the current situation in Caucasus and Leon, priests like her are needed even more. If she obstinately clings to some external objective factors or the influence of subjective feelings and tries to flee, it would undoubtedly be a denial of herself. Maybe she accepted my advice, or maybe she’s still hesitating. I think we should not interfere or influence her for now; let her consider it on her own."

Komer’s words were ambiguous yet full of vague and lofty ideals, leaving the two whose minds were not particularly sharp feeling dazed. Apart from understanding that Komer had already discussed with Eve whether to leave, the rest was unclear. However, it seemed that Lord Komer had significant influence over Eve – his words could make her reconsider her decision to stay or go, which provided some reassurance to Bayezid and Burianos. At least it proved that Komer still cared about Eve, and Eve was not as detached as she claimed to be.

"Lord Komer, we don’t want to say much else, but we believe you should know what kind of girl Eve is after interacting with her for so long. She’s even stronger than most boys in many ways, but her emotional side is as fragile as any other girl’s. Grace and Eve are both our good friends; we don’t want to see them hurt over these matters. So, we hope you will handle these relationships carefully. Whether it’s Eve or Grace, we hope to see smiles on their faces. What do you say, Lord Komer?"

Bayezid’s words, righteous and earnest yet incredibly tactful, made Komer see the Dwarf in a new light. He never expected the seemingly rough Dwarf to have such delicate feelings and to speak such sensible and empathetic words. This was indeed quite beyond Komer’s expectations, so much so that he didn’t know how to reply to such implicit yet sharp questioning.

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