The Vastness of Magical Destiny-Chapter 154 - 11 Magical Machinery

Chapter 154: Chapter 11: Magical Machinery

Chapter 154 -11: Magical Machinery

Early summer in the Caucasus is a hive of activity, with Komer returning from his visit to the Barbarian Territory and immediately throwing himself back into the endless cycle of work and cultivation.

The two great lords to the north have gradually revealed their policies of containment and suppression. Although Komer had preemptively stored a large amount of food, it was only just enough to get through May’s small spring harvest. Moreover, the transit tax on food has more than doubled the original price, placing pressure on Komer and prompting him to further relax the Land Reclamation Policy.

But a faraway solution cannot quench an immediate thirst; this does not solve the impending pressure of food scarcity. The small spring food harvest across the Caucasus is far from meeting the needs, necessitating massive imports, but the current price of food is clearly unacceptable.

Signing the peace and trade agreement with the Barbarians also includes a highly important clause: the Barbarians will purchase food from the Caucasus at market prices. But how can Komer contemplate exporting food to the Barbarians when he cannot even meet the needs of his own territory’s populace?

Following the agreement with Barbarians, they started to appear in the Bahomon and Ugru markets more frequently. The sight of them, even more robust than Komer’s Half-Beastman Guards, made the residents of the territory, especially the new immigrants, quite nervous. Although the Lord’s announcements had been posted in all fairs, the increased presence and number of barbarians still caused unease among the residents.

However, they soon realized that their concerns were unwarranted. The barbarians’ conduct in the Caucasus turned out to be even better than that of the locals. They mostly came to sell their game or goods and in return obtain necessities for life. Komer’s agreement with the Barbarians included a provision that allowed them free access to the Caucasus for trade, while Caucasians could enter designated Barbarian areas to make purchases after obtaining approval from their tribes.

Despite their brusque mannerisms and scarce smiles, their business reputation was better than any trader’s. They rarely haggled, and the quality of their goods was surprisingly good. The exotic birds and animals from the Cordillera Wilderness served as the best barter items for the Barbarians, but they found the rich variety of goods in the Bahomon and Ugru markets even more irresistible. The limited nature of the goods they had for trade led many Half-Beastmen to slowly entertain the idea of staying in the Caucasus to work and earn money.

After all, back in the Cordillera Wilderness there was nothing to do but hunt, and hunting was far less lucrative than working and earning money here. Jobs that required substantial physical strength, like felling trees, road construction, house building, mining, cart pulling, and loading and unloading goods, were widely available through recruitment advertisements. The demand for Half-Beastmen labor within the Caucasus had grown ever stronger, especially since Komer had recruited five hundred robust Half-Beastmen for his Guard, depleting the labor force in the territory.

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Everyone wants to earn more money and live a better life. On this neighboring land, the Barbarians, accustomed to a life of hardships, seemed to have seen a new hope.

Both parties’ rulers seemed to have noticed this change and trend, and they both adopted a laissez-faire policy, not inquiring into the matter. This has made the sight of Barbarians huffing as they pull carts in Ugru and panting as they mine in Darman seem normal. Coupled with the patrolling Half-Beastman Guards, Half-Elf Archers, and traders speaking in various accents, any newcomer could scarcely believe their eyes. This is the Caucasus.

“Mr. Kudan, please take a seat here.”

The whiskered man felt an inexplicable nervousness in the presence of the young Lord, smiling at him. It wasn’t his first time dealing with this Lord, and as a shareholder of The Caucasus Cooperative Bank, he had to step more into the limelight. He did not understand why his chief had involved him in this, as being exposed so openly made him feel somewhat uneasy.

He did not believe that the Lord was unaware of his true identity, and even if he was initially, over time, the likes of Hesse would not hesitate to reveal his background to the opponent. Surprisingly, for several months, no one had questioned him. Everyone treated him as a genuine Food merchant, even elevating him to the status of shareholder representative for the bank!

This revelation left him not only shocked but also a tad unsettled. What was the Lord’s true intention?

“Mr. Kudan, you’ve been in the food business in the Caucasus for quite some years now, haven’t you?” Komer casually opened the conversation with a seemingly innocent question.

“More than a decade, yes. But the Caucasus hasn’t changed much over the past ten years. Not to flatter you, my Lord, but the changes in the Caucasus these past few months have surpassed the cumulative changes of decades. Only now does our Caucasus truly have a place of its own in the kingdom and on the Eastern Continent.” While pondering the Lord’s reasons for summoning him, the whiskered man cautiously responded to the query.