The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 725: Volume Twenty-One: The Dark Road, - Nine: Barbarian Alliance

Chapter 725: Volume Twenty-One: The Dark Road, Chapter Nine: Barbarian Alliance

Having sent away the hesitant chief of the Caron Tribe, Komer felt quite relieved. Regardless of how Montrey might be deliberating at this time, at least he didn’t have to worry about barbarians rampaging through his territory anymore. Even though Montrey had not directly agreed to return the Flanders Valley and Gdansk Fortress, Komer knew that he had definitely touched the other’s heart.

The Caron Tribe was not the strongest among the Seven Major Tribes; both the Carlo and the Wala Tribes were far greater than the Caron Tribe. In every war waged beyond their borders, the Caron Tribe was not only the first to confront the enemy, but also paid a hefty price every time. However, in terms of gains, they had difficulty matching the rewards reaped by tribes like Carlo and Wala. This left Montrey quite displeased, but considering the gap in strength between them and the two biggest tribes, as well as the status of these tribes within the whole Alliance of the Thirteen Tribes, Montrey could only bury this dissatisfaction in his heart. After all, mortals were the greatest enemy, and if he wanted to strengthen his tribe’s power, he would have to take it back from mortals.

But this time was somewhat unexpected.

The gradual expansion of the Sanjia Tribe’s power had not gone ignored by the other tribes of the Alliance. However, the Sanjia Tribe was now very closely knit, and rarely defied the decisions of the Alliance Elders’ Meeting, nearly always complying with their requests. Even though there were some grievances, the supplies provided to the Sanjia Tribe by the Caucasus always arrived in full accordance with the orders of the Alliance Elders’ Meeting, leaving the other tribes with no grounds for complaint. Of course, they were unaware of the secret deals between the Caucasus and the Sanjia Tribe.

Yet, seeing the Sanjia Tribe flourish was a cause of jealousy for the other tribes, but they could not think of a better solution. Now that the Sanjia Tribe was in close relations with the Caucasus, it was impractical to consider marching through the territory of the Sanjia Tribe to attack the Caucasus—too far and unrealistic—not to mention that the Sanjia Tribe would never agree. Furthermore, the Caucasus was not a main food-producing region. The food supply came through the Catania River from upstream mortal food-producing areas. A direct attack on the Caucasus would likely not yield any benefits. The ferocious Half-Beastmen combatants were not much inferior to the Mountain Clans, and they had now become the loyal henchmen of the Caucasus Lords.

The only solution still lay with the mortals. Doubling the plunder from those rich yet weak mortals was the only way to grow stronger. With food supplied by the Caucasus, even the southern tribes were doing much better this year than in previous years. With food as a backbone, the pressure of preparing for war was significantly lessened. In the past, gathering provisions for the army was always cause for concern, but this year, the tribes had amassed enough rations to last the army several months.

The unexpected event this time came from Komer. His arrival and becoming the new master of the Flanders Territory aroused Montrey’s heart. The close relationship between Komer and the chiefs of the Sanjia Tribe made other tribe chiefs envious. The revitalization and growth of the Sanjia Tribe’s power undoubtedly benefited from the material support they received due to their private good relations with the Caucasus Lords. The harsh living conditions of the Cordillera Wilderness limited the growth of the Mountain people, but once they received external power, the Mountain Tribes could quickly develop. Montrey dreamed of such fortune, and now it seemed this fortune had come to the doorstep of the Caron Tribe.

With Lord Komer as a neighbor, there seemed no need to plunder resources through war to satisfy the tribe’s needs; as long as he was willing, the Caron Tribe would not have to worry about the scarcity of resources. Montrey believed this without a doubt. If the Sanjia Tribe could become friends with him, why couldn’t he? Montrey did not believe they could not find common ground of interest.

How Montrey would deal with the inquiries of the Mountain People Alliance’s tribe chiefs was not Komer’s problem. As long as Montrey agreed, he would naturally find a way to overcome it. The reconstruction of Gdansk Fortress was a must, both for the psychological needs of the Flanders Region’s residents and for the actual security needs of the area. This issue had to be resolved; otherwise, establishing Flanders as his base in the southern lands was out of the question.

The news of Viscount Komer of Caucasus from the Kingdom of Nicosia becoming the new noble lord in the Iberian Kingdom spread rapidly in Flanders and the surrounding mortal regions. The former lord, the famed playboy Count Claymon of the Iberian Kingdom, was now a thing of the past. While this was somewhat surprising, it didn’t break any laws. It was not uncommon for a noble from one country to become the lord of another; it was just that such positions were typically obtained through marriage alliances or inheritance. The method of obtaining it through a financial transaction was much rarer and was probably something only a dissolute scion like Count Claymon could engage in.

However, many people, especially the nobles of the Iberian Kingdom, were very curious about Komer spending a huge sum of money to become the master of this land, which was practically dominated by barbarians. The Gdansk Fortress had been completely destroyed, and the Flanders Territory was effectively an undefended area for barbarians, allowing them to come and go as they pleased. Under such circumstances, holding the title of the lord was merely a mark of nobility. For a noble who already had the title of viscount like Komer, it was not worth the large sum of money. Many people could not understand how Komer’s financial agent—the Susoer Merchant Caladin—could make such a foolish investment.