The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 872 - 27 Volume Whirlwind Rises Abruptly - 11 Getting on the Carriage is Easy, Getting Off is Hard

Chapter 872: 27 Volume Whirlwind Rises Abruptly Chapter 11 Getting on the Carriage is Easy, Getting Off is Hard

Far away in the Caucasus, Komer was unaware that he had just narrowly escaped another catastrophe. If the St. Vasily cathedral and the Court had truly decided to join forces to eradicate Komer’s influence, even with the significant enhancement of his current strength, facing a united assault from the elite of the cathedral and the Court would leave him with only two options—either to shrink back like a turtle, avoiding any confrontation, or to resist and be utterly annihilated.

Right now, Komer was full of ambition, exerting himself for his next grand plan. The return of Rebry relieved a lot of pressure for him, as the Caucasus-Homer United Mage Group finally had a leader they could trust. Although the mages cultivated in their respective ways, there was still a need for communication and discussion among them, especially for those who practiced dark magic. Each had their specialties, but when it came to improving mana and learning by analogy, there was much to learn from one another, and Rebry was just the person to take on this responsibility.

In fact, the strength of the Mage Corps also provided Komer with a solid backbone of confidence. Be it the Furious Wave Corps, the Rock Corps, or the Homer Knights that Lecler was painstakingly creating, having this formidable force of mages as his core strength made everything relatively easier.

However, all this was still not enough. Komer was aware of the multiple pressures he would face. The Silesian lands of the Ferdinand Family and the Poznan region under the Heine Family had now become huge obstacles in Homer’s expansion. While it wasn’t difficult to deal with these two families, Komer worried they had realized this fact and were deepening their connections. Even more concerning was their attempt to strengthen ties with the Galleians to the west. If the Galleians got involved, Komer’s next steps would become considerably more difficult.

Even if the Galleians did not explicitly join the opposition against him, with the Ferdinand and Heine families, Komer could not afford to overlook this power. Zellin, the old fox, was not like Philip, who failed to see the situation clearly—Zellin was far more cunning and ruthless. It was inevitable that he would stab Komer in the back if he thought Komer’s actions might harm Galle. The Nirvana Knights’ performance last time had proven this.

He needed to avoid being attacked on two fronts but he couldn’t ensure that could be accomplished, so Komer had no choice but to strengthen his own power to mitigate this danger. He aimed to maintain a formidable army to deter the Galleians in the west, so he could engage the Two Great Lords to the north without Galle becoming easily involved or affecting his primary plan. This was the goal Komer sought to achieve.

Before him sat two mountain people with bitter expressions, taking their seats in Komer’s reception room with the determination that they wouldn’t leave until they achieved their goal. It left Komer feeling somewhat helpless, yet also slightly amused.

"Chief Dvanch, Chief Bellamong, I’ve stated my opinion time and again," Komer said. "You want your warriors to return home, and I am opposed to this. I will never casually abandon those mountain warriors who have shed blood and sacrificed for my Caucasus. Unless they voluntarily leave me, the restoration of Homer can be said to have been earned with their lives and honor. What they have now was obtained through their own efforts and struggle. You asking me to issue an order to dissolve their ranks and have them abandon everything to return home, I cannot do it. It is an act of betrayal, and I believe that the honorable mountain people could not do such a thing either."

Hearing Komer’s lofty reasons, Dvanch and Bellamong were at a loss for words to counter his argument. His words seemed logical and coherent, but it was obviously a trap, one that initially had come wrapped in the sweet lure of promises.

Dvanch and Bellamong swore to themselves they would never deal with this man again, that they could no longer trust any of his words. The sweet nothings that once sounded beautiful had now turned into heartbreaking poison. The thousands of mountain warriors had become a weapon in his hand. Such devious tactics were simply too vile, right? But that was the reality. It was utterly wishful thinking for the weak to try to restrain the strong with notions of morality. Even Dvanch and Bellamong were well aware that achieving this was nearly impossible, but to leave in defeat with their tails between their legs was also too much for their pride to bear.

Their tribe’s warriors had transformed into soldiers of the Furious Wave Corps; excellent treatment and a heightened sense of collective honor made these warriors, who had long scrambled for their daily bread, cast aside their former tribal concepts. Komer readily agreed to Dvanch’s and Bellamong’s requests to take their tribe’s soldiers back, with the condition that the soldiers themselves were willing. Though this was somewhat difficult, Dvanch and Bellamong still reluctantly tried, and the results were disheartening. With only a few loyal warriors willing to return to the tribe, the vast majority declined for various reasons. The final demand was that unless Komer ordered the Furious Wave Corps to disband and send them home, they would stay on in this awe-inspiring force.

The treatment that Dvanch and Bellamong received in the Furious Wave Corps was a source of great amusement for Komer. The deliberately strengthened sense of collective honor made these Barbarian Soldiers gradually shed their racial concepts in favor of a strong sense of belonging to the military collective. Coupled with decent treatment that was many times better than life on the Cordillera Wilderness, it was clearly unrealistic for these soldiers to give this up based on just a few empty words from their chiefs. After all, humans are the most pragmatic of animals.

"Lord Komer, what you’re doing is truly disheartening. What exactly do you intend to do?" Dvanch took a deep breath. He had already exchanged views with Bellamong, and the opinion of the Gapeng Tribe now could be ignored, for that guy had already reached some secret agreement with Komer; it was indeed his betrayal that had led the Garong and Galong tribes to this point.

"No, no, you are mistaken, Chief Dvanch. I am acting in accordance with our agreement. You may take your soldiers, but they also have the right to refuse, and I reserve my opinion on this matter. I have always failed to understand why you and Chief Bellamong still harbor such deep prejudices against me and Caucasus. Has Caucasus harmed your interests, or has my behavior caused you fear and unease? I cannot think of what I have done wrong. Look at the lives of the ordinary mountain people in the Cordillera Wilderness; you ought to see how much change there has been compared to before Caucasus, isn’t that enough to explain everything? Yet why do you still stubbornly reject our goodwill?"

Komer paused before adding, "As for what I plan to do, I seem to have mentioned vaguely to you both before. My goal is grand, and I truly hope to have more friends share in this fruit of victory. I will prove to everyone, convincing them wholeheartedly that following my lead is not a mistake, and that what they gain will certainly be worth their efforts."

With persuasive gestures, Komer’s impassioned words seemed rather convincing. However, to worldly wise men like Dvanch and Bellamong, such effects were insignificant. They just watched Komer’s performance coldly until Komer himself, feeling the boredom, stopped.

"Mr. Komer, we do not wish to hear your grandstanding; we need something tangible. Come on, tell us what you are really doing, what you will still demand of us, and what we can gain," Bellamong said, his voice tinged with weariness and indifference. "We have no interest in your visions. The reason we act this way is not because we like or support you but because we consider the interests of our respective tribes. Simply put, you have dragged us onto this war chariot, and its swiftness has even injured many; we can no longer get off."

After being momentarily stunned, Komer couldn’t help but chuckle. Bellamong was really interesting; such deadpan humor was rare to come from him—candid, and yet so calmly rational.

"Alright, Chief Bellamong has spoken so frankly, it would be discourteous of me to be evasive. Simply put, I intend to conquer Poznan and Silesia. You don’t need to worry about other matters, but I do need another two thousand mountain soldiers, as well as corresponding Thunder Peng Knights and Earth Dragon Warriors."

"Courteous? Mr. Komer, does that word even exist in your vocabulary?" Dvanch couldn’t resist mocking him, "Since the very beginning of our engagement, I have never sensed the presence of that word."

Bellamong’s expression turned even darker, "Mr. Komer, you might as well outright declare your intention to annex the Sanjia Tribe!"

Komer considered seriously for a moment, "Chief Bellamong, my words might not be pleasing, but I have to say them. If it really were as you say, I think it’s the entire Sanjia Tribe that would benefit, while what you lose is nothing but some insignificant veneer. It’s only your feelings that might take some time to accept the change. Of course, if both of you cannot accept it, let’s pretend I never said anything, but I hope you will mull over it if you find the time."

Komer’s relentless words tore through the veil that had always shrouded their relationship, unveiling the truth in such a manner was both expected and somewhat surprising. (To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. There are more Chapters, support the author, support authorized reading!)