The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 951 - 30 Empire Emergence 22 Reflection

Chapter 951: 30 Empire Emergence 22 Reflection

"Your Highness, envoys from the Attica Kingdom and the Knossos Kingdom have arrived, and they are waiting in the Reception Hall," the attendant whispered as he entered, seemingly aware that his master was in a bad mood, and thus he spoke as softly as possible.

"I understand. Please ask them to wait in the Reception Hall for a while."

"Understood, Your Highness," the attendant bowed and was about to leave.

"Has Palermo not returned yet?"

"Your Highness, Mr. Palermo has not returned yet," the attendant replied, with a surprised expression flickering fleetingly in his eyes. This was the third time in two days that Lady Katya had inquired about Mr. Palermo’s whereabouts, making one wonder what kind of task Mr. Palermo shouldered that concerned the lady so deeply.

"Hmm, if he returns, notify me immediately." Katya massaged her temples wearily. Almost every day she had to deal with these tiresome affairs, and not a single one was pleasant or exciting. Was such a life of a ruler truly enviable and worth striving for?

Ever since Katya had made contact with the Northern Alliance, she had never had a moment’s rest. The Atticans and the Cretans took turns performing their acts before her, and the Church of Light seized the opportunity to put forth a whole host of impractical demands. Cartin seemed to have become a fruit platter on the dining table, ready to be arranged and handled at whim.

Now they demanded the opening of border ports and the reduction of tariffs, now they sought a long-term military presence within Nicosia, even demanding control of two significant fortresses on the western border to be handed over to the Northern Alliance forces. Now they made the pretext of insufficient military funds that required loans and subsidies; now, Cartin had to hire their people as political advisors to guide diplomatic strategy. Katya couldn’t understand how these people came up with so many ways to torment her, and even if it were time for rewards, it should be after Komer’s downfall—it was too early to be calculating that. Wasn’t raising such demands, which incited the nobility and the public within the territory, just to make things difficult for her and add to her troubles?

Common sense told Katya that the Atticans and the Cretans were not the kind of people who didn’t know when to advance or retreat. Yet now, they seemed to be recklessly grabbing benefits to achieve their goals without considering the consequences. This approach would only stir resentment among the people on her lands and accelerate her downfall. Did they not understand that they were killing the goose that laid the golden eggs?

Unless, of course, they were well aware that the goose didn’t belong to them and that they were powerless to possess it—in which case, they would indeed be trying to secure tangible benefits, seizing whatever advantage they could, whether a few eggs or a few slices of meat, trying to take as much as possible before the loss of the goose. If that was truly their mindset, then she, Katya, felt deeply saddened. In their eyes, she was nothing more than a goose, able to only watch helplessly as they fought over her, awaiting to fall into one of their mouths. What then was the point of all her painstaking efforts and struggles?

By this time, Katya had realized just how pale she appeared, lacking a strong and truly loyal armed force of her own; anyone could look at her with covetous eyes, and a casual wave of their hand would make her tense up. Having her own troops would be an exhilarating thought; alas, her awakening seemed too late now.

Those people from the Church of Light were all talk and no action; Katya had seen through them long ago. They would only stand by the powerful, and even with forces like the Caucasus, who had openly turned hostile, they dared not challenge their sharpness. And what about Cartin? Look at their disgraceful performance: apart from echoing the Northern Alliance’s roar and serving as their lackeys, there was nothing praiseworthy.

Considering this, Katya felt a wave of discouragement and disenchantment. Why was there not a single person truly willing to help her when dealing with these individuals? Why were they all just scheming to profit from her? In contrast, there was Komer, who seemed to command the obedience and dedicated service of the half-beastmen, Barbarians, and those merchants. Could it possibly be due to Komer’s charismatic appeal that these people were willingly submitting to him? Katya refused to believe that.

Nobles within her territory had begun showing signs of instability, especially after she succumbed to the Northern Alliance’s pressure to open the border ports and reduce transit tariffs. Traders were outraged, and Nobles were dissatisfied with her handling of religious belief management within her territory, demanded by the Church of Light. As for finance, the situation had reached a severe shortfall; to put it bluntly, if Palermo weren’t patching things together from all sides, bankruptcy would have struck long ago. But how much longer could this last?

Katya was immensely troubled. There were solutions, of course. If only the Northern Alliance would truly unite and send troops to attack Godeburg, by seizing Godeburg and its surrounding areas, her territory could be linked with that of Zellin. Given Zellin’s current predicament, she believed he would certainly not refuse cooperation with her. That would drastically change the situation, but ••••••

At this thought, Katya couldn’t help but heave a long sigh. It seemed that the Northern Alliance had no intention of confronting Komer head-on, at least not at the moment, while she was nearly at her breaking point.

The development within Komer’s controlled territories filled Katya with envy. Whether it was Poznan or Homer, both displayed rapid growth, particularly in Odessa and Groningen. The prosperity of these two port cities made everyone green with envy; six-tenths of the North of the Blue Continent’s trade with the vast Continent was monopolized by these cities, and the tax revenues they provided were sufficient to support Komer’s maintenance of an even larger army.

Sometimes, Katya reflected on herself. If she were in Komer’s place, could she have done as well as him? The answer was unclear. Initially, in the Caucasus, Katya had to admit she couldn’t have managed as brilliantly as Komer, taking on Homer with the formidable courage to use the power of half-beastmen and Barbarians to defeat Philip. As for the latter half – the governance and management of Poznan, Silesia, and Homer – Katya was confident that, with her charm and network resources, she could surpass Komer.

But reality never entertains "what-ifs." She could never walk in Komer’s footsteps, never become a minor Lord of a remote territory, never face so many difficulties and endure such hardships, and therefore, could never achieve the status Komer had today. Was this happiness or sorrow for her? (To be continued, for further details, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters available, support the author, support authorized reading!)