The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 842: Volume 26 Ready to Launch - 6 The Master of Rumors

Chapter 842: Volume 26 Ready to Launch Chapter 6 The Master of Rumors

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"Humph, what’s so good about the south? Can it compare to our Caucasus? If you want to make money, you still have to be in our Caucasus." The tavern owner seemed to be an indigenous person, wiping the glasses while humming and chirping, "Just look at our Santiago and you’ll know that what I’m saying is true."

"What money can you make here?" A dwarf intervened, unconvinced.

"Humph, what can’t you make money on? Why else would these people come here? I tell you, three years ago, Santiago was nothing, just a few hunters around here. I moved from Ugru three years ago, and I’ve witnessed the transformation. It started with the immigrants from the three northern territories, the half-beastmen, barbarians, and merchants of all sorts who came here to make their fortunes. One by one, coal mines, logging yards were established, streets stretched out, and the population grew. Now, with the canal extending from Mattdam, I hear that in another two months, the canal to Lake Niall will also be through. By then, our Santiago will turn into a true transportation hub. To the south, you can head to sea; to the north, you can reach Izmir. We have coal and charcoal here. Iron ore from Izmir is shipped in, and won’t this place become another Bahomon? You dwarves always say you’re the best at smelting and forging, why can’t you make a living here?"

The tavern owner’s words stirred the hearts of the dwarfs. With the volatile situation in the south, not only are the barbarians continuously attacking the surrounding countries, but Shiama has been ravaged by barbarians’ lands. Moreover, within the Corinthians Alliance, disputes continue unabated. The Severo Duchy and Piraeus have been locked in a diplomatic dispute over Giganthia Temple’s collapse and have yet to resolve it. Tensions have been high, with the risk of war looming, especially since Piraeus’s strength has been expanding rapidly, posing even more danger to the Severo Duchy. Dwarves don’t have a profound concept of nation-state, preferring a nomadic lifestyle that makes it easier for them to find a place to settle. Their homeland doesn’t hold much appeal to them, which is why they often migrate their entire family due to reasons unimaginable to mortals, such as the discovery of a dwarven ancient civilization in the Volt Mountain Range.

Komer was almost certain that this tavern owner was either a spy planted by Maha Gummi or a character inserted by Puber here, a role that fit Puber’s style. This man wasn’t wrong. When the canal is fully interconnected, both Izmir and Santiago will become new industrial centers, especially in the smelting and forging industry which required a large number of skilled workers, and the masters of smelting and forging were in high demand. These dwarfs seemingly had a background in this profession or had come into contact with it before. It would really be a shame if these fellows ran off to the Southern Mediterranean.

"Owner, do you have any Red Maoshao in your shop?" Komer suddenly raised his voice.

"Uh, there are three jars left," the tavern owner replied after a pause.

"I’ll take them all, open them all up, and pour two bowls for every dwarf friend present. I’m treating today," Komer declared loudly.

A tremendous cheer arose among the dwarfs; everyone cheered and turned their gazes towards Komer, clearly surprised as to why this mortal would treat them to drinks.

"Thank you for your generosity, my friend, but may I ask why you’re treating us to drinks?" The burly dwarf with a large nose stood up and after expressing his thanks, he asked.

"No particular reason, I just like dwarf friends. I have a good friend who’s a dwarf, but he’s in Murray, not here. Otherwise, I’d definitely invite him to drink with us," Komer said with a smile.

"Oh? This friend of yours, is your dwarf friend from Shiama or Severo?" The burly dwarf asked.

"No, he’s not from the south; he’s from the north. He came here from the Northern Alliance," Komer replied.

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"Oh, my friend, I accept your generous offer on behalf of our dwarfs, to tell you the truth, I really want to taste this Red Maoshao, its rich aroma has made me hesitate about whether I should come over, sit with a friend, and take a sip," the man with the large nostrils said straightforwardly, not bothering to hide his true thoughts.

"Hehe, no need to be polite, within the four seas, all are brothers. A cup of wine is nothing," Komer warmly invited the other to join him, and soon several dwarfs gathered around to sit with Komer, and the Red Maoshao immediately became an extraordinary and breathtaking fine wine for the dwarfs.

For the dwarfs, the best weapon that could conquer them was fine wine. As long as a place had fine wine that could attract them and work to sustain their lives, they could joyfully settle there and live happily until they grew tired of life there.

Komer quickly got familiar with these dwarfs. With Red Maoshao as a medium, the dwarfs opened their hearts to Komer without reservation, and Komer soon learned everything he wanted to know.

Most of these dwarfs came from Shimaina, with a portion from Severo, attracted by rumors of the discovery of vast ancient dwarf civilization ruins within the Volt Mountain Range. It was said that these ancient ruins were hidden throughout the Volt Mountain Range, nearly hollowing out the entire range with a world of caves. There was once a paradise for ancient dwarfs, now unsealed, how could it not profoundly move the hearts of these dwarfs? Thus, many dwarfs, dragging their families, made their way to Santiago at the foothills of Volt Mountain, hoping to experience life within the remnants of the ancient civilization.

However, to their disappointment, all they found were some fragmentary relics unearthed by adventurers such as pottery, jade ornaments, and tools from the dwarf civilization era, along with a series of connected caves with no end in sight. This let them down greatly, but they were not willing to leave just like that, so they lingered.

The dwarfs’ adaptability should be the strongest among all races on the Blue Continent, and they are also a race that can integrate into other races’ societies. Other races on the Continent do not reject dwarfs; in fact, they welcome them because they lack strong national and racial concepts and because most are the finest craftsmen, from metallurgists and potters to artisans and sculpture masters. Their talents are unmatched by any other race, and their arrival could always bring a positive impact to the local economy.

Komer, of course, did not wish for these folks to just leave Caucasus. Now that they were in his territory, they had only to become part of it. While toasting his own land’s prosperity, Komer also subtly promoted the numerous job opportunities that would come after the Canal’s completion, and how Izmir and Santiago would become essential centers of metallurgy and forging. The high-quality clay on the Lakeside of Niall was undoubtedly the perfect environment to create all kinds of exquisite pottery artwork. When this information intentionally or unintentionally reached the dwarfs’ ears, the excitement and hope shining in their eyes made Komer’s heart swell with satisfaction.

It was no surprise to Komer that these rumors all stemmed from Puber’s covert manipulation. With the imminent opening of the canal connecting Santiago to Izmir, how to rapidly develop the economies of these two places was a current challenge facing Puber. While barbarians and half-beastmen could provide ample labor force, they could not take on the role of skilled craftsmen, which were best suited for the dwarfs. The barbarians’ assault on Shimaina and the escalating conflict between Severo and Piraeus provided Caucasus with an opportunity to attract the dwarfs. And how to turn that opportunity into concrete action required an alluring incentive, hence the ancient dwarf civilization ruins in the Volt Mountain Range were freshly concocted.

This strategy was a resounding success, drawing not only a large number of dwarfs but also more and more adventurers and exploration teams. These adventurers and teams even found bits and pieces of pottery and jade ornaments in the Volt Mountain Range as evidence, which further colored the legend of the ancient dwarf civilization. This outcome was beyond Puber’s expectations, but as long as it served his purpose, he was quite satisfied. Whether the relics truly existed had become irrelevant.

Komer learned all of this from Maha Gummi, and he had to admit that Puber’s rumor-mongering had developed a trend of surpassing the teacher. From Komer’s initial suggestion to Puber’s current proactive approach, even subtly using rumors to steer public opinion in favorable directions, his tactics and maneuvers had reached a remarkable level of sophistication.

However, Puber probably did not realize how eager and swiftly these dwarfs had come, swarming to the area before the canal between Lake Niall and Santiago had been fully completed, resulting in the later stages of preparation lagging behind. The originally planned metallurgical workshops were not yet officially finished, and arrangements in Izmir were also behind schedule.

But all of this could be resolved swiftly. As long as they could provide the basic living conditions for these dwarfs, in one or two months, the dwarfs would become workers in the metallurgical workshops of Izmir and Santiago, witnessing and contributing to the flourishing prosperity of both places. (To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com for more Chapters, support the author, and support authorized reading!)