The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 721: Volume Twenty-One: The Dark Road, - Seven: Field Team

However, it seemed that the barbarians were not inclined to exhaust their living forces on overcoming such difficulties. Compared to the treacherous Pyrenees, the mouth of the Meyrin River Valley to the east was much easier to penetrate, and precisely situated at the border between the Kingdom of Shimaina and the Iberian Kingdom—a natural weak point, and an optimal target for the barbarians’ strikes.

Komer declined the persuasion of the Iberian guards at the pass with tactful words. After he presented the contract he obtained from Count Claymon that was sealed by the seal officer of the Iberian Kingdom Court, the guards acknowledged Carreila’s lordship over the Flanders Region. Yet, they honestly informed Komer and his party that since the Gdansk Fortress had been completely destroyed, the entire Flanders Valley had become a hunting ground for the barbarians. Although the barbarians had shifted their main focus eastward, small bands of armed barbarians were still active in the Flanders Valley; they warned Komer and his party not to risk such a needless venture.

Descending through the valleys at the foot of the northern Pyrenees, half a day later Komer and his company entered the Flanders Valley. As far as the eye could see, there were fields of flax and the occasional barley. Along their way, they didn’t encounter a single passerby, and the one or two villages they passed through were deserted—the empty houses bore witness to the thorough plundering by the barbarians. What remained could no longer pique the interest of the barbarians.

Antwerp was the central town of the Flanders Region, located right at the centre of the Flanders Valley. When the crisp sound of Komer’s party’s horse hooves echoed on the streets, they beheld a scene of desolate misery—the doors of nearly every shop were smashed in, the interiors ravaged, everything pilfered. Here and there, a few mortals with pallid faces were sorting through houses, presumably those who found themselves with nowhere else to go and had returned to their homes. Aside from their own provisions, Komer and his company couldn’t find a single place to rest and regroup. Like locusts had passed through, the barbarians had taken everything they could carry away.

Seeing the neat and tidy appearance of Komer and his group, those tidying up their houses looked on in surprise. They hadn’t expected to see anyone daring to move through the region on horseback, let alone someone who seemed to be of some status. Weren’t they afraid of the marauding barbarians?

"Is this Count Claymon’s residence in Antwerp?" Komer asked languidly, pointing with his horse whip to a pile of ruins and debris.

"Yes, this is the place. It looks like the barbarians have taken it apart already." The person who responded was the guide that Komer had hired for a large sum—a former vagabond of Flanders who, being homeless, hadn’t been much affected by the barbarians’ plundering of the region. Of course, fearing that the barbarians would take the local mortals as slaves, he had still fled Flanders along with the residents. The barbarians seemed more like bandits who took everything without discrimination, showing no particular interest in the mortals themselves—except to avoid rebellion, as they rarely committed direct violence upon them.

"A bunch only knows how to destroy, not to build, simple-minded; no wonder they can only stay in the Cordillera Wilderness." Shaking his head, Mihailovich shrugged regretfully, "Newman, this building must be at least three hundred years old, right? Hm, a standard Rococo style—smooth and delicate lines, an extravagant and magnificent style, but spoiled by these tasteless brutes."

"Yes, it should be an ancient building from the Tudor Dynasty about three hundred and fifty years ago. Look at these reliefs and the capitals of the columns, you can still feel the romantic and delicate aura of that era." Newman was already squatting beneath the ruins of a building, clearing away rubble to inspect, "What a pity. Who would have thought that such a complete Tudor-era building could be found here? However, if someone is willing to spend money on restoration, most of its original appearance could probably be recovered. These barbarians only care about stealing what seems valuable on the surface, not realizing that this building is a true treasure beyond price."

"Lord, if you have enough funds, you can restore this place to its former glory. The environment here is very nice, albeit a bit desolate. Given time, I think it could once again become the center of Flanders," Mihailovich seemed quite interested in the place.

"Really? I’d like to think so too, but can we really make do here? Just one barbarian squad would turn us into a pile of corpses," Komer joked half-heartedly. The Flanders Valley was indeed a good place to settle and establish a living; to the east lies the Meyrin River Valley region, bordering the kingdoms of Shimaina and Iberia, and to the west the majestic Pyreness Mountain Range stretches out.

"Heh, let them come and try," Mihailovich laughed as well.

Komer’s idea was simple: restore normal life order in the Flanders region. The Flanders Valley didn’t produce much food, which wasn’t very valuable to the barbarians, as they needed food, not linen. Gdansk Fortress was only a nuisance to them but not a great threat. It seemed unlikely that the Iberian Kingdom would attack the barbarians through Cordillera Wasteland. Perhaps some kind of compromise with the barbarians could achieve this.

Komer had even thought of who could serve as the Administrative Officer for the region: Neptune was entirely suitable for the reconstruction and restoration work here, and the Salvation Society’s Carreila Knights could take full responsibility for the administration in Leon. The Salvation Society’s commendable performance in Caucasus and Leon had earned Komer’s approval and acknowledgment. He respected this monastic group, distinctly different from the Church of Light, more than he saw it as an opponent.

Amid the laughter, the disordered footsteps were already approaching from the far end of the street. Seeing the fearful faces of the mortals around them, who hadn’t left, Komer realized who was coming. But this was just as well, for he had been wanting to negotiate with the barbarians properly.

The troop before them was a typical barbarian patrol combat squad, seventeen men with an Earth Dragon Warrior as the core. The fact that an Earth Dragon Warrior was the core attack strength of a field patrol squad showed that the tribes of the southern part of the Barbarian Alliance were far stronger in combat than smaller tribes like the Sanjia Tribe in the north. The robust Dragon Spears were slung over the dragon’s back, the warrior’s arrogant demeanor was evident on his face. Paired with the Earthwalking Dragon’s massive body and ferocious countenance, it appeared quite imposing. The armor worn by the Earth Dragon Warrior seemed somewhat mismatched, however, it was still magnitudes better than that of the surrounding infantry soldiers.

The three throwers had their backs full of winged short spears, long-range weapons that could reach up to eighty meters. Although they couldn’t compare with mortal crossbowmen in range, their power was much greater than that of crossbow bolts. The leather pouches hanging around their waists partly revealed several stone axe handles, crafted for close-range throwing attacks. Although made of stone, these axes were crafted from the special Luo Mountain Stone from the Baden Gold Mountain Range, known for its extraordinary hardness. Once processed and polished, these were incredibly sharp and could pierce through metal.

Of the ten axe warriors who formed the main fighting force, more than half carried stone axes made from Luo Mountain Stone. Three others, quite clearly from the mortal world, were made of iron. These were far superior in both material and craftsmanship to what the barbarians themselves produced. It seemed the barbarians had greatly improved their combat capabilities; Komer remembered a barbarian field squad’s leader might have had at most an axe made of fine iron in the past, but now they had three!

The remaining three warriors were part of the assault force, armed with bin iron long spears measuring three meters. The dark iron at the spearhead, evidently crafted for heavy infantry, stood in stark contrast to their crude leather armor, and Komer could tell at a glance that these weapons were from Caucasus! It was unclear how many Gold Shields these cost the barbarians, considering smuggling weapons had become an extremely risky trade under Caucasus’s strict blockade. A single slip-up could lead to total disaster, yet that still didn’t deter the smugglers driven mad by profits.

The Earth Dragon Warrior was the first to spot Komer’s group and sent out an alert. The patrol squad quickly dispersed to form an attack formation, the throwers already pulling out their stone axes, while the axe warriors charged forward, forming a crescent-shaped front. The three long spear warriors just coldly raised their iron spears, remaining on guard, ready to launch an assault at any moment.

The axe warrior in the middle, the only one wearing a helmet with a visor, was clearly the leader of this patrol combat squad. Seeing Komer’s group unfazed, he seemed somewhat surprised, lightly lifting his visor and shifting his axe to his left shoulder, his right hand shot up, ready to signal an attack at any moment. As soon as his hand came down, the throwers behind him would unleash their deadliest strike!