The Vastness of Magical Destiny

Chapter 69 - 69 21 Negotiation

?Chapter 69: Chapter 21: Negotiation Chapter 69: Chapter 21: Negotiation Komer had already detected from the Internal Affairs Manager’s tone that he seemed less than satisfied with the actions of certain lords within the kingdom, and these were assuredly influential Great Lords within the kingdom, not insignificant border land nobodies like himself.

However, it was clear that the Internal Affairs Manager was eager to use Komer’s acceptance of refugees this time as an example for other lords. If Komer truly went along with the Internal Affairs Manager’s wishes, he feared it might provoke dissatisfaction among other lords. But, after all, he did need labor, and none of these lords knew him; he didn’t believe anyone would take an interest in him. It might be better to take this gamble and use the opportunity to curry favor with this important kingdom official, or even His Majesty the King himself.

With this in mind, Komer’s heart suddenly became more active, and he quickly weighed the pros and cons in his head. Yet he didn’t plan to accept the Internal Affairs Manager’s suggestion wholesale. There could be conditions to accepting the refugees.

“Your Grace, Komer is willing to accept refugees to the greatest extent possible, in line with your suggestion. It is both a subject’s duty and an honor to alleviate His Majesty the King’s concerns. However, the number of refugees greatly exceeds the capacity of Caucasus. Besides, as I’ve previously mentioned to you, my purpose here is to recruit strong labor, and it is unlikely for me to accept too many of the old, weak, women, and children. If I were to accept them, given the current financial state of Caucasus, it would be difficult for them to survive through next spring’s famine.”

Komer explained his dilemmas to Duke Tez in all sincerity.

Nodding, Tez was very satisfied with the other’s frankness, not hiding his thoughts. To speak openly about one’s inner desires indicated that the person was at least honest in this respect, somewhat inconsistent with what Philip had described.

In Philip’s words, the man before him was a mix of a scoundrel and a ruffian. However, from what he had seen so far, Komer’s behavior was quite to his liking: confident and shrewd with the required honesty for a lord to possess these qualities.

Now that Philip, the old fox, was becoming more and more arrogant, perhaps he and His Majesty truly needed to plant a thorn for that man. The remote Caucasus might be a good choice; even if it failed, there would be no significant loss.

Naturally, Komer was unaware that he was already being considered by the kingdom as a pawn to restrict Grand Duke Philip. Nor did he think that he currently had the power to hold back Grand Duke Philip. What he needed to consider was how to persuade the seemingly hesitant Internal Affairs Manager to agree to his plan.

Still, the Internal Affairs Manager’s words hinted at a hope that Komer would take on more responsibility for the king by accepting more refugees, but this was something Komer could not commit to lightly, as it involved many subsequent matters.

“Your Grace, if you have a better idea, please enlighten Komer. I am all ears,” said Komer, seeing Duke Tez still deep in thought and unable to hold back any longer.

“It’s like this, Your baron. The number of refugees from Meine City-State and Susoer City-State has already exceeded 100,000, and from Myron Duchy, it has surpassed 150,000. Medea, Naples, and Netherland have been continuously refusing this batch of refugees, essentially watching the kingdom’s next move.”

“As you said, the quantity of these more than 200,000 refugees is indeed too substantial. The kingdom wanted various lords to accept different portions, but they’ve all used opposition from their territories’ populace as an excuse to delay, leaving His Majesty in a dilemma. Now, Your baron, since you can share the burden, what I mean is, can we ask you to accept around 80,000 to 100,000 refugees? The remaining can be delegated to the other three nations. I wonder if my request might be somewhat excessive?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Duke Tez finally dropped this heavy bombshell.

“What did you say? 80,000 to 100,000 people? Your Grace, you must be joking,” said Komer, astonished beyond expectation by the Internal Affairs Manager’s bombshell proposition, unable to close his gaping mouth and staring wide-eyed at Duke Tez.

“Your Excellency the Baron, do you think I would joke with you on such an occasion?” The ruddy-faced Duke maintained a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his lips as he retorted without changing his expression.

“But, Your Grace, I have already explained to you the specific difficulties of the Caucasus. That land, no matter what, cannot accommodate so many people right now.” Komer swallowed hard, trying to calm himself, knowing that since the other party had said so, there must be some reason to persuade him.

“Hmm, I can understand your difficulties, but please also understand the kingdom’s predicament. Looking ahead to the future development of the Caucasus, it will definitely need more labor. This is a good and very rare opportunity. I won’t hide it from you; in fact, some people do not wish to see you accept these refugees. If Your Excellency the Baron can seize this opportunity, it may well be a significant turning point for the development of the Caucasus,” the Internal Affairs Manager said, staring intently into Komer’s eyes, every word deliberate.

“His Grace, I am well aware of the ‘some people’ you mentioned. I believe they are the same ones you referred to as those who disregard the bigger picture, those who only care about their own interests, while the kingdom’s interests are probably the last thing on their mind. We need not bring up these individuals to spoil the mood of our conversation, and I trust the Duke’s views will not be swayed by the slander of these trivial people,” a glint of darkness flickered across Komer’s eyes.

“Ha ha, speaking with a clever person is indeed more relaxing. I will not say much more about other matters. But concerning this refugee issue, I hope Your Excellency the Baron can accept them all on behalf of the kingdom. Of course, I will not make things difficult for the Baron; the current state of the Caucasus certainly couldn’t accept them. I’ll have the officials negotiate with the other three kingdoms to provide the Caucasus with some financial subsidy. Of course, the amount won’t be large, just enough to make up for the shortage of food for the refugees to survive the winter. Do you have the confidence to deal with this problem, Your Excellency?”

Satisfied, the shrewd Internal Affairs Manager nodded, having accurately captured the fleeting shadow in the eyes of the young Lord opposite him. Very good, this was exactly what he wanted to see. On account of this, he would have to “cultivate” this young man well on behalf of old Philip.

Although Duke Tez spoke lightly, Komer knew that hidden within there were tremendous risks. Such a vast number of refugees, compared to the few thousand people in his own territory, were practically negligible. Should anything arise in the Caucasus, he feared it would be uncontainable, and he would be the one to suffer in the end.

However, the Duke in front of him had made it clear he did not want others involved in this affair, and his words were a mix of threats and enticements. It seemed he had no choice but to agree, but once he did, he feared he might never be able to extricate himself.

Seeing the young Lord’s face slowly beaded with sweat, Tez found it highly amusing. To gain something, there must be a cost; to reap benefits, one must face risks. There never was such a thing as a free lunch falling from the sky. If one desired to scoop up cheap labor, one had to be ready to accept the additional burdens that came with it.

Stepping out from the Internal Affairs Manager’s office, Komer realized the cold sweat on his back, feeling the chill breeze pass by. It was then that his thoughts suddenly became exceptionally clear.

That cunning old Tez had everything figured out before meeting with Komer, yet had put on an act as if he was hearing about it for the first time. Moreover, he had used Philip to pressure him. Komer couldn’t see the purpose behind suddenly having him accept as many as 80,000 refugees.

If it was truly to alleviate the kingdom’s pressure, then that wouldn’t be a problem. However, from every angle, it seemed like the Caucasus would be getting a good deal, especially since the Duke had stated that he would facilitate the Three Kingdoms of Naples to subsidize the Caucasus for accepting tens of thousands of refugees. This made Komer even more puzzled about what the Internal Affairs Manager’s intentions were.

Shaking his head, Komer didn’t want to ponder this matter any further. The main issue now was how to successfully accept these at least 80,000 refugees. Even though the winters in the Caucasus were relatively warm compared to the North, this did not mean he could rest easy. Without food, adequate housing, and tents, such a life couldn’t last long. If 80,000 people felt they didn’t have enough to satisfy them, it could quickly devolve into unrest in the Caucasus.

At this thought, Komer felt a wave of irritation.