The Vastness of Magical Destiny

Chapter 59 - 59 11 Magic Crystal Mine

?Chapter 59: Chapter 11: Magic Crystal Mine Chapter 59: Chapter 11: Magic Crystal Mine “Boss, I’ve been to some places recently and conducted a census,” Puber said, brimming with pride. “I’ve found that our Caucasian population must far exceed five thousand. Many of them live deep in the mountains or the wilderness, isolated from Ugru and other regions. Most are runaway slaves from the Leon Region, who fled due to the unbearable mistreatment by the mine owners there. During my investigation, they’ve already sent representatives to meet with me, hoping the new Lord will grant them the status of Free Citizens. If this condition is satisfied, they are willing to swear loyalty and do anything for the Lord.”

Puber boasted about his recent achievements, his face alight with excitement. “Their number is around a thousand, all slaves who have escaped over the past twenty years. If we can grant them legal status, they’ll become the first indigenous people to swear allegiance to you, Boss. Even though most of them are Half-Beastmen or of mixed race with Half-Beastmen, this could provide us with ample labor and troops, especially if you, Boss, are considering expanding your guards.”

“Oh? That is indeed good news. Where do these people live?” Komer was pleased at the prospect.

The entire Caucasus had but four thousand legitimate inhabitants. If he could suddenly gain over a thousand new residents loyal to him, it would greatly increase his influence in this land. Moreover, Komer’s ambition was not confined to the few thousand souls currently on this stretch of the Caucasus.

In his eyes, the Caucasus should become as wealthy and prosperous as the Busen Plain, a land celebrated across the whole Kingdom of Nicosia. He himself would become a legendary figure instrumental in the resurgence of the Caucasus Region. That was his current aspiration.

“Most of them live in the low-lying hills near the southern foot of the Volt Mountain Range,” Puber explained, glowing with pride. “They subsist on hunting, felling, and reclaiming wasteland. Since they’ve never been granted a lawful identity, they dare not show themselves freely. Of course, to make a living, they also conduct business with reputable merchants they trust, and it was through these connections that I was able to reach them.”

Puber was quite proud of this initiative.

Countries and regions across the Continent are stringent in their inspections of runaway slaves, and for these slaves to obtain legitimate identification is more difficult than ascending to Heaven itself.

The mine owners of the Leon Region are also aware that many slaves have fled over the vast reaches of the Volt Mountain Range into the Caucasus, but firstly, the Caucasus has lacked a formal Lord for some time, and secondly, the land has long been cursed by a demon, plagued with Magical Beasts that roam its forests, and Damarlinsk Castle is renowned as a dangerous place in the kingdom. Even if they wanted to retrieve the runaway slaves, they lacked the capability, and perhaps the cost of such a venture would far exceed the expense of purchasing new slaves.

Fortunately, there’s no shortage of slaves on the Continent, so apart from tightening security to prevent escapes, the mine owners of the Leon Region haven’t considered hunting down slaves in the Caucasus.

“However, Boss, altering a slave’s status is incredibly difficult, and for these runaway slaves to obtain an official and lawful identity is even tougher,” Puber frowned, explaining with a hint of frustration. “Without a royal pardon from His Majesty the King, runaway slaves can’t acquire a legal status. And we’re not talking about one or two, but over a thousand people. If the King were to grant pardon casually, it would likely provoke strong resistance from the merchants. So their request is somewhat tricky.”

Puber immediately furrowed his brow, lamenting the complexity of the situation, “Although our Caucasus is far from the Kingdom’s central regions, turning such a massive number of runaway slaves into official Free Citizens overnight won’t go unnoticed by those Leon mine owners. Once they lodge a complaint to the Duke and His Majesty the King, we could end up in deep trouble.”

“Who cares! We’re in the Caucasus where the Emperor’s writ runs thin,” Ilot blustered. “Why don’t we just forge some Free Citizen documents, let these people assume false identities? That way everyone’s happy, right?”

Fran was stunned by the audacious ideas exchanged between the two, speechless for a long while.

He had not expected these well-born knights-in-waiting to be so presumptuous. They seemed indifferent to the kingdom’s statutes and laws and openly discussed things like the distance of authority, forging identification, and identity substitution—matters normally spoken of by thieves and exiles. And the Lord seemed not only undeterred by their words but intrigued by them, which Fran found utterly inconceivable.

“Right, Ilot has a point. We could forge some identification papers for those runaway slaves who wish to become Free Citizens, allowing them to come into the light under that guise for now. Later, when conditions are more favorable, we can find other ways to gradually sort out these issues,” Komer mused, his mind swirling with potential solutions. “I met some experts in this field while studying in Phoenix City. Their work is renowned for its high quality and reliability, and they strictly maintain confidentiality for their employers. We could definitely enlist their services to achieve this goal. Of course, the documents would need the Lord’s signature and seal to be valid.”

Speaking of these crooked schemes, Puber couldn’t help but become excited, making it hard for Komer to imagine what this guy was up to when his father sent him to Phoenix City to study for those two years. It was quite possible that he was a part of those swindler gangs—it was said that Phoenix City was well known within the Kingdom for producing swindlers.

However, Komer also agreed that this method was a simple and practical alternative. In the current Caucasus, there was a lack of labor and many barren lands, along with transportation bottlenecks, which fundamentally made it impossible to attract foreign merchants. Given the current state of affairs, it was unimaginable to sustain this bunch of people, and finding a path to wealth would necessarily entail some risks.

Anyway, his lordship status was something he had picked up, so he might as well gamble openly. Wherever it gets dark, rest there—it was a way to just muddle through.

“By the way, there’s another matter I need to tell you about—I’ve figured out the identity of that food merchant. This guy, Kudan, is likely the main supplier for those pirates on the Eastern Nether Sea. He purchases food and general goods in large quantities from the Busen Plain and hoards them in Mattdam, with only a small portion in Ugru. According to our understanding, most residents in Mattdam are self-sufficient and have little need for such vast amounts of food, salt, and other daily necessities. Yet, this man makes sizable purchases from the Busen Plain every month or two, especially since he also buys a considerable amount of varnish from Cyprus. Yet, we Caucasians don’t have furniture workshops or shipyards, so where is all this varnish going?”

“It’s obviously being prepared for those pirates active on the Nether Sea. I see that many in the Caucasus are aware of his identity, but since he has the pirates backing him up, no one dares to pull at the tiger’s whiskers,” Puber investigated thoroughly, and the evidence was substantial.

“Hmm, that seems correct. The intelligence I’ve obtained doesn’t vary much on this point. However, this Kudan isn’t too popular in Ugru. I can tell that much from Hesse’s attitude,” Komer mused.

“Another thing worth mentioning is that the Caucasus isn’t a dead pool of water as we initially imagined. There are many people who long for a better life. They are also deeply dissatisfied with the current poverty and hardship, hoping someone will lead them out of it. This includes the farmers and the Half-Beastmen hunters and loggers. They too hope for a better life tomorrow. As long as people have desires, they will have motivation. Now is the time for us to figure out how to leverage this,” Puber said.

Komer nodded. Returning from his meditation, Komer found his thoughts much broader and deeper than before. Many things he couldn’t think of before naturally became crystal clear, which surprised even himself.

“So, Boss, where do you plan to start?” It’s hard to begin, and Puber directly asked the critical question.

“My plan is to start from several directions simultaneously. Hesse is already showing some interest. I plan to continue working on him and hope to gain his support. After all, we have no fundamental conflict of interest with him, and his son Neptune is a restless young man. I think we can use that. With his support, we can make headway in Ugru. As for Kudan, we can signal to him that as long as the pirates don’t come ashore and his primary power remains along the coast near Mattdam, we can remain uninvolved. Perhaps there may even be times when we could cooperate!”

“Our Caucasus spans hundreds of miles, separated from the Leon Region by only the Volt Mountain Range, and abuts the Barbarian Territory. One area is the main source of iron ore and coal, and the other is a famous special ore region on the Continent. Are we really left with nothing, sandwiched between these two areas? I refuse to believe the Creator would be so partial and stingy. Puber, I’ve heard you’ve been surveying and probing around these past days; surely you must have some leads by now. I hope you won’t disappoint everyone.”

Komer looked at his Administrative Officer with a half-smile.

“Boss, I’m impressed. You’ve just come out, and it seems like you already know everything I’ve done this month, even how often I’ve visited the brothels. Indeed, I do have some leads, but they’re not too satisfying. There are a few mines within our territory, but they are all rather small and ordinary. Although they yield some profit, baron Fayez had obtained exclusive licenses for them twenty years ago. Luckily, those licenses will expire this year, and they’ll soon come to you to renew them. This is a great opportunity to extort them, so please, Boss, don’t miss it,” said Puber, grumbling resentfully as he subconsciously rubbed his large nose.”

“We’ve also made some new discoveries. To the west, near the Barbarian Territory, lie two valuable veins. One is a fine iron mine, which, according to the surveyors we brought in from Bruce, has a massive reserve and high quality, with great potential. The other is near the riverbanks close to the Great Swamp Area on a hillside. According to the dwarf, there’s a good chance it’s a Magic Crystal Mine.”