The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 818: Volume 25, Striking the Water Midstream, - 5: Knocking at the Door

Chapter 818: Volume 25, Striking the Water Midstream, Chapter 5: Knocking at the Door

"Hayreddin, Murad, I’m afraid I can’t offer you much help at the moment, especially with Homer not yet completely stabilized and the kingdom’s internal situation still full of uncertainties. I don’t want to hide anything from you; my goal is not just Homer. I have grander ambitions. Yet, the Southern Mediterranean and Storm Ocean areas are equally important to me. Do you remember what I told you? That sea will become the most crucial passage for us to control and influence the coastal nations of the Southern Mediterranean. Through it, we can also control the burgeoning development of the Blue Continent."

As Komer adjusted his thoughts, he candidly shared with the two seafaring warriors who were earnestly listening to his opinion, "So, I want to hear what you think, and see what kind of methods you plan to use to help me gain control of this sea area. I mean to take control of this sea’s power while Katrina has no capacity to focus on this area, and at the same time, make the coastal nations of the Southern Mediterranean acknowledge our influence over this sea. Of course, I’ll try to prolong the dominance battle between the Carter Fleet and the Gray Skull as much as I can."

"Lord, our idea is to make use of the Rakulado Archipelago, which used to be occupied by Demisheme. Xifnos Island can control the passage from the Southern Mediterranean Region to the Blue Continent, and the Rakulado Archipelago can serve as a gateway for the regions along the Storm Ocean to the Blue Continent and the Southern Mediterranean Region. Especially Kura Island, the main island of the archipelago, is geographically well-situated. The only issue is the inability to self-sustain with necessary supplies. If we can legitimately incorporate these islands into Caucasus, Kura Island could become a stepping stone on the Storm Ocean just like Xifnos Island, and perhaps it could even develop into a trade and commerce hub."

"Oh? The Rakulado Archipelago?" Komer pondered for a moment, "Now that Demisheme has disintegrated, who’s in control of these islands?"

"For now, we and the Corinthians share control, but the Corinthians are not very interested in these islands. If possible, we should be able to acquire formal control from the Corinthians," Hayreddin hesitated.

"What’s the difficulty?" Komer frowned.

"Well, first, it would require a certain fee to get the Corinthians’ agreement. In addition, gaining recognition from the Corinthians Alliance and even the whole Southern Mediterranean Region requires some funds. Of course, it also necessitates formal acknowledgment of these islands under the name of the Kingdom of Nicosia, which might complicate matters procedurally," Hayreddin continued.

"Hmm, I understand," Komer of course knew that, even as ownerless lands, a convoluted process was necessary to make them his territory. A lord cannot enfeoff land to himself; a sovereign nation must grant the enfeoffment for land to become territory, which in his case, could only be done through the Kingdom of Nicosia or the Iberian Kingdom, followed by the procedural granting to himself. Cost was not the issue, but completing this series of procedures was going to be troublesome.

"Hmm, what about obtaining sovereignty over the Rakulado Archipelago in the name of the Iberian Kingdom?" Komer counter questioned.

"Not quite appropriate. It’s well-known that Xifnos Island now belongs to Caucasus, and as Flanders isn’t on the coast, it seems forced to involve them. On the other hand, Caucasus wouldn’t cause the Corinthians any displeasure since these are just some barren islands that nobody values highly before they develop," Hayreddin suggested.

"Alright, I will arrange for Neptune to assist you in operations on the Southern Mediterranean side. Flanders is already on the right track, and he can let go of it for now. For the kingdom, I will get Puber to work on it, and strive to settle this matter in the shortest possible time," Komer decisively stated: "Following your opinion, Kura can be developed into a hub connecting the Storm Ocean and the Blue Continent, which will be very beneficial for our future connections between Caucasus and the Storm Ocean. By the way, how is the development in the Blue Continent progressing?"

"The Blue Continent is developing rapidly; there are already quite a few new colonies continuously being established. The Southern Mediterranean Region has kicked off a wave of colonization fever. Lord, I think we should not ignore this trend. Right now, the colonization points on the Blue Continent still haven’t formed a truly organized structure. It’s more that certain powerful families have seized these powers. The nations of the Blue Continent also don’t seem to have realized this yet. I wonder if we should make a move in this aspect ahead of others?"

Komer greatly admired Hayreddin’s sensitivity in this regard. As a talent from a commercial family, maintaining such keen observation and vision was indeed not simple.

"Hmm, I will consider this issue, but all of this can only be discussed after we handle our current affairs well," Komer nodded, "Murad, I accept everything from you. For the time being, you’ll coordinate the power of Demisheme. However, given the current situation in the Southern Mediterranean and the Storm Ocean, I do not wish for our plan to operate the Rakulado Archipelago to encounter resistance. Therefore, I hope you and Hayreddin will withdraw the involved Demisheme forces to Homer in stages. I will assign the Homer Fleet to you. The Demisheme Pirates will become history, replaced by a large Homer Fleet. You are responsible for helping me build a fleet with greater attack power and deterrence."

Lecler maintained his dignity, finding the woman in armor before him undoubtedly the most formidable he had ever seen. The black helmet concealed her beautiful golden hair, with a few strands scattering from her temples, adding a touch of allure. There was not a hint of fear in her sea-blue eyes. She held a thick Dragon Spear in her hand with such ease that it seemed as light as a wooden one. Her slightly short leather skirt armor exposed a pair of well-toned, long legs, and the provocative way she stood, though damaging to her feminine image, sparked an irresistible urge to lift the skirt armor for a closer look.

Lecler felt somewhat helpless with the fiery lady who had come knocking on his door. Had the challenger been a man, Lecler would have accepted without hesitation, but this individual was a woman—a woman more boorish and savage than most of the men he had encountered. The shattered door of his manor and his terrified servants were enough to imagine the "profound" impression this person had left.

In fact, before she even announced herself, Lecler had already known her origin—Shatima, the female warrior under Lord Komer’s command. To be precise, an extraordinarily ferocious fighter. In the clashes with the Homer Knight Order and the Storm Infantry Corps at the forefront of the battlefield, her figure was always visible. At least five knights had perished under the Dragon Spear she wielded, not to mention countless infantry soldiers. If not for the formidable enemy, Vladimir Koff, in the way, Lecler would have surely sought to kill this foe. However, all this had become things of the past; the Philip family had become history, replaced by the power groups from our Caucasus, as represented by Komer.

Lecler was neither obstinately opposed to the reign of the Komer era like those rigid nobles, nor shamelessly fawning over him like some merchants. What he wanted now was just to rest quietly. As a noble knight, he had his own land, his own farms, and whom he pledged allegiance to had ceased to be of great importance. He was not blindly loyal, but he also did not wish to throw his life away for anyone else, especially that profligate from Cyprus.

However, the hope for a peaceful life seemed to have become a luxury. Knights in Cyprus City who had lost their sense of purpose were causing constant disturbances, and clashes with the garrison were erupting time and again. Although these were still somewhat restrained, they were showing ominous signs. Lecler didn’t approve of his former comrades’ actions, even though he understood their sentiments. But such dangerous actions could easily give the opposition a pretext to suppress them. At least for now, Komer had not taken any harsh actions to harm the interests of those in wait-and-see mode.

Lecler knew he was sitting on a volcano’s edge. As the Corps Commander of the Homer Knights, he had declared his departure from the Order and its subsequent dissolution when the Philip family fled Cyprus. The outcome of the dissolution of the Knight Order was that the knights were no longer restrained, causing trouble everywhere. It was not hard for Lecler to foresee the new ruler pointing the finger at him.

As expected, what was bound to come, finally arrived; but Lecler never imagined it would come in such a manner—almost humiliating, even though he admitted the other party had the strength to challenge him.

"Miss Shatima, as a woman, I suggest you maintain necessary decorum. Your actions will not only tarnish your own image but I believe will also damage Lord Komer’s reputation. Don’t you think such behavior is no different from that of bandits and thieves?"

Lecler sighed for the third time, feeling both helpless and awkward in the face of this unreasonable woman. He simply didn’t know how to deal with her—was he really expected to engage in a knightly duel with her? It was too absurd, too ridiculous. Lecler didn’t want to become the butt of jokes in such a manner. For a knight, honor is more important than life, and he didn’t want his reputation to be ruined in this way. (To be continued. For further continuation, please visit WWW.QIDIAN.COM. More Chapters available, support the author, support authorized reading!)