The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 743: Volume 22: Revival and Rise - 3: Consecutive Arrangements

Chapter 743: Volume 22: Revival and Rise Chapter 3: Consecutive Arrangements

As soon as Komer set foot in the Caucasus, he felt an indescribable sense of strangeness, a kind of close and familiar warmth that he thought he would never experience again. But this time, he tasted it once more.

Bahomon hadn’t changed much since he left, and in the few months’ time, it seemed that only the proportion of barbarians coming and going on the docks and streets had increased. Everything else was as it had been when he departed.

In the distance, the iron furnaces were still spewing thick smoke crazily into the air, and the dedicated pathways from the warehouses to the docks were always busy. Carts full of crude iron ingots, darkened with oil, were continuously transported from the warehouses to the docks under the efforts of the barbarian porters. There, the half-beastmen and barbarian porters were eagerly loading these goods onto ships. Various cargo ships were receiving flag signals from the dock flagmen to enter the best positions in sequence for loading.

At the dedicated ore dock on the other side, teams of animals struggled to pull carts loaded with ores that nearly broke the yokes to the dockside, where the dirty but sturdy holds of the bulk cargo ships were the best places to load these high-quality iron ores. The scale of the iron mines in Bahomon had expanded several times over. Not only did the ore produced satisfy the needs of the local smelting workshops, but there was also a considerable surplus for export.

Across the river and not far away, two additional mines were about to enter the final stage of production. Considering the current capacity of Bahomon’s port, Puber was already planning to build two new docks on the south bank of the Catania River, exclusively for ore export. Bahomon’s smelting capacity had reached its limit, and expanding it further would increase the demand for coal, adding more pressure to the throughput of the River Harbor docks. Puber hoped to first increase ore production and export capacity to alleviate the financial pressures on the Caucasus as soon as possible.

Komer had arrived in Bahomon quietly without alerting anyone other than notifying Puber and Maha Gummi. He chose Bahomon over Mattdam because it was on the brink of barbarian territory and the first port of entry for those traveling down from the upper and middle reaches of the Catania River into the Caucasus. Not only was it economically prosperous, but it also had a complex population. Even if the Court of the Church of Light planted informants here, it wouldn’t be easy to detect his movements. Having learned from last time, Komer was much more cautious. He didn’t want to relive that past experience, not at least for now.

Komer planned to make a brief stop in the Caucasus before heading to Jazair, feeling the need to put some pressure on Katya in the face of Philip’s frequent activities, or else if the whole Royal Court Magicians of the Kingdom of Nicosia decided to aid Homer against the Caucasus, the barrier would be truly difficult to overcome.

"Progress in the Little Greenland Forest has been significant. We’ve found the source of the Nissai River—the legendary Lake Nissai. Beyond Lake Nissai, advancing westward for about eighty kilometers takes us to the western edge of the Little Greenland Forest, which leads to the Quke Valley. Two adventurers have successfully made a historic crossing; unfortunately, one perished after reaching the Quke Valley due to miasma, while the other was severely injured in an attack by a magical beast on the way back to Bruce Fortress and died shortly after returning to Bruce. Lake Nissai is not large, but high-level demon beasts reportedly appear there frequently. Several species of magical beasts not seen on the Blue Continent for many years have emerged, and at least eighteen adventurers have perished at the hands of these creatures. However, this has now aroused the interest of those exploration teams, especially after learning that some have crossed the Little Greenland Forest, more teams have joined the ranks. I believe that before long, we will achieve even more fruitful results."

"Enough, I didn’t come to listen to your adventures in the Little Greenland Forest, I want to know whether a detailed map from Bruce Fortress to the Quke Valley has been drawn up? Additionally, whether we can find a suitable passage from Bruce Fortress to the Quke Valley, a passage that allows ordinary people to travel, be it waterway or land route," Komer interrupted Puber, showing some impatience.

"Boss, there’s no big problem with drawing the map, but to have a smooth route from the Quke Valley to Bruce Fortress is going to be difficult. The area around Lake Nissai is rife with high-level magical beasts, making it easy to fall prey to their attacks. To bypass this area, we may have to detour quite a distance through the dense forest," Puber was not upset, knowing that his boss was in a bad mood. "Boss, I’m curious, why do we have to secure a route through the Quke Valley to Bruce Fortress? It doesn’t seem too significant to us."

"Hmph, the Quke Valley is our springboard for getting involved in the kingdom, and it’s also an item of trade in my cooperation with Katya. Did you really think that we would help the heirs of the Romanov family with these meaningless tasks for nothing?" Komer said with a cold smile: "I’m not a philanthropist; without benefits, why should I help her?"

Puber remained calm in the face of Komer’s bold words. The Quke Valley was located in the southern part of the Kingdom of Nicosia, adjacent to the Galle Region, but it was still under the direct jurisdiction of the kingdom. The valley was long and narrow, with fertile soil yielding large amounts of rye, and the edges of the valley were abundant with Snake Ma Flower, an essential ingredient for brewing beer. Though not large, the valley’s location was critical; it was an important passage for the kingdom to the Central Continent countries. Probably this point was what Komer valued the most. However, with the Caucasus being unable to fend for itself, Komer was still intent on scheming for the Quke Valley, which Puber found somewhat incomprehensible.

Seeing Komer remain silent, Puber knew his friend might have some opinions about his decision. Originally skeptical about finding a passage through the Little Greenland Forest, Puber was likely even more worried now that he heard Komer was truly intent on taking on Quke Valley. This was within Komer’s expectations, after all, ensuring the safety of Caucasus and Leon amidst the pressure from the north, Homer, was the more pressing issue. However, Puber had not linked the confrontation with Homer to the opening of Quke Valley.

Without opening the passage between Quke Valley and Caucasus, Komer could never gain enough influence in the Kingdom’s political scene, and without sufficient influence, he could not exert greater pressure on the upper echelons of the Kingdom’s central authority. Furthermore, Katya’s attitude towards Komer was noncommittal. Without Katya’s restraint, once the Royal Court Magicians threw their full support behind Homer to address the Caucasus issue, there would be no turning back. Therefore, Komer could not afford to neglect this matter, which did not seem urgent at first glance.

"Puber, don’t think so much. I’ll tell you this much—I must obtain the map of the passageway from Quke Valley to Bruce Fortress as soon as possible. Even if it’s merely a theoretical route that isn’t yet viable, I need it to persuade some people in Jazair to support Katya. Meanwhile, I want to use this map to influence Katya and the Empire’s central authorities, ensuring they can’t support Homer against me." Komer had to patiently explain to Puber, who he now relied on while absent from Caucasus. Some issues needed to be clarified to him.

At this point, Puber began to faintly grasp Komer’s intention. Once he connected it with the present crisis, Puber’s attention also sharpened significantly. "Boss, are you planning to use the Central Kingdom to influence Homer? Will that work?"

"I don’t expect Homer to obey the Kingdom’s orders, I only hope that the Kingdom will either help Homer little or not at all. We need more time to adjust our deployment. Under the current circumstances, if Homer really decides to eradicate us at all costs, we don’t have much of a chance, which is why we need to avoid such a scenario as much as possible. The longer we can stall for time, the greater our chances of success." Komer didn’t want to explain too thoroughly, he just needed Puber to understand the importance of the map from Quke Valley to Bruce Fortress.

"When will you go to Jazair?" Puber finally asked after remaining silent for a while.

"Hmm, as soon as possible. Philip won’t give us much time, so I need the detailed map of the passage from Quke Valley to Bruce Fortress. As long as we give them a glimmer of hope, their attitude will be influenced, and that is exactly the outcome I aim to achieve." Komer said, his voice stern. "The training of the troops here must be intensified; not a moment of slack can be afforded. After I return from Jazair, I will make a trip to the Cordillera Wilderness. If things really do reach the most dangerous point, I’ll have no choice but to seek reinforcement from the Barbarians."

"Seek Barbarian reinforcements?" Puber was taken aback, but then he thought that if it really came down to that, losing everything and falling into Philip’s hands wouldn’t be much different from being ravaged by the Barbarians.

"Yes, you should understand the reasons. I’ll head to Jazair first. Contact the Barbarians for me in the meantime; as soon as I’m back, I’ll discuss this matter with them." Komer said, his face serene.

"Boss, is it really that serious? We already have three thousand valiant soldiers. If you can summon all your mage friends back, I believe the Homer People won’t have an easy time on our turf!" Puber sighed heavily, somewhat reluctantly.

"Hmph, what are three thousand soldiers? Homer’s regular army is several times our size, not to mention their Knights regiment. It’s still uncertain whether Galle will join to help Philip. If the Kingdom Court wizards join in as well, do you think we stand a chance? We need to win this battle, and we need to win convincingly. We cannot keep being passive and on the receiving end." Komer said as he gazed up at the sky.

(To be continued. For more Chapters, please visit WWW.CMFU.COM, support the author, support authorized reading!)