Chapter 6: Qiumou

Upon arriving in the Caucasus, Qiemou grew increasingly regal, in Pubei’s eyes—a true lordly presence. His pale cheeks always carried an air of reserved melancholy, and those cold, dark eyes, likely inherited from the Laiser family, gave off a mysterious vibe. His stern expression always conveyed an aura of unapproachability. Dressed in an elegant black robe with gold trim, he exuded dignity and honor whether standing or sitting. Could this really be the same man who had been drinking and singing with him just a while ago? Pubei instinctively shook his head. Perhaps status could change a person, but such outward appearances or demeanor couldn’t alter one’s true heart, Pubei firmly believed.

With a graceful, faint smile, Qiemou snapped out of his thoughts and saw that the three people in the living room were already waiting for him. He nodded slightly in apology before saying, “I was lost in thought. Today, we’re here to discuss our next steps. The situation before us is dire. Though I, Qiemou, am nominally the lord of this land, we all know what kind of lord I am. With a population of less than five thousand, it’s possible to smoke only half a cigar from end to end in the town. If we rely solely on the income from this territory, we’ll probably have to work part-time as farmers or hunters. A few days ago, we met with representatives from various industries to determine who really holds power here. I’m afraid everyone now has a clear idea—things are worrying.”

After a pause, Qiemou glanced at each of the three faces before settling his gaze back on Pubei. Slowly, he said, “Pubei, I think you must have gained some insights these past few days. After all, I am the lord of the Caucasus region, personally appointed by Grand Duke Philip. No one dares to openly deny this. In this regard, we have a decisive advantage over them. These people aren’t invincible either. Where there are people, there are conflicts, and where there are conflicts, there are opportunities for us to exploit. I’m sure you understand this better than I do, Pubei.”

Pubei felt increasingly unable to fathom what his boss was thinking. He had spent so much effort to create some progress, thinking he had a plan, only for his boss to casually point it out before he could even reveal it. How could this not astonish him?

Seeing Komer and the other two staring at him, Puber let out a somewhat frustrated hum before saying, “Boss, since you already know everything, what more do you need me to say? It’s better if you just introduce them yourself.”

Komer was both amused and exasperated; it seemed his words had hurt their pride. He spoke gently, saying, “Puber, you are my administrative officer—these matters are part of your duties. Today, with the four of us here, I, Komer, have never treated any of you three as outsiders. As for Puber and Ilot, there’s no need to say more. Fran, although you are nominally a slave I took from the Feller family, I have never regarded you or Baoling as slaves. As warriors, you fought to the last breath—success or failure is not your fault. I admire your courage and character. The Caucasus is not a paradise, but if we want to succeed here, we must firmly control everything on this land. And these so-called industry representatives and the interests they represent are our top priorities!”

Komer’s decisive words shocked the three again. Fran was impressed by Komer’s breadth of mind and magnanimity. No one could easily forget the status of slaves—Fran had once lived in high society, where class barriers were like the divide between heaven and hell, leaving no room for compromise. Yet Komer could speak such words. Whatever his motives, Fran had to admit he couldn’t have done the same in his position. As for Puber and Ilot, they were stunned by Komer’s sudden display of dominance. They had already noticed many changes in their former friend—from being a follower of the Rema Knights to being hunted by fallen knights, from his astonishing magical abilities to the changes in his demeanor. They found themselves increasingly unable to keep up with his transformations, forced to follow in his footsteps mechanically.

Swallowing hard, Puber had to suppress his shock and confusion and focus back on the issue at hand. “Uh, I have indeed gained some insights lately. As the boss said, during the long period without a lord before we arrived, control over the entire Caucasus region was actually in the hands of those industry representatives who came to see the boss a while ago. Most of them represent some of the more important industries in Ugru Town. After careful consideration, I identified three who are particularly representative.”

“For example, Hes, the leader of the Adventurers’ Guild. He was originally a well-known single adventurer from the Kingdom of Nicosia, spending long periods across the continent searching for treasures and hunting magical beasts to obtain their rare items. He settled here ten years ago and, thanks to the reputation he built through his adventures in the area, gradually became a prominent figure in Ugru Town. He then founded the Caucasus Adventurers’ Guild, which, although nominally under the Kingdom’s Adventurers’ Guild, has actually operated independently. With a group of adventurers who have long been searching for treasures and hunting magical beasts in this region, he holds considerable influence here.”

“Another is Maxim, the owner of the blacksmith and weapons shop. As the only iron and weapon manufacturer in Ugru Town, and given the Caucasus’ unique location and isolated environment, many people around here—whether farmers or adventurers—must rely on him for iron weapons. Coupled with his skill at winning people over through pretense of kindness, he also enjoys great prestige here.”

“The last one is Mr. Kudan, the largest grain merchant in this area. However, his base isn’t in Ugru but in Matdan Village, about 120 miles away near the mouth of the Nise River. The village has fewer than 500 inhabitants, yet he spends most of his time there. Aside from purchasing goods from the Bosen Plains, he rarely stays in Ugru. Yet it seems many people revere him greatly.” Pube scratched his head, clearly puzzled by this unusual situation. Gaining more detailed information in just a week was indeed too difficult for him.

“Well, Pube is right. As long as we can subdue these three, we can successfully establish a foothold in the Caucasus. Although the farmers are the most numerous, they are the easiest to coerce. Their biggest concern is that we might manipulate the land tax system, so controlling them is relatively simple. As for those hunters, they are somewhat unruly, but they are a scattered group—half-orcs, humans, and hybrids with orc blood—unable to unite. Yet they can be used to our advantage. The top priority now is to figure out everything about these three and try to settle things once and for all!” Komer stood up and waved his hand forcefully, his icy gaze seemingly solidifying in the air.

“My plan is for Pubei to continue as your administrative officer, handling daily affairs on my behalf while keeping up with intelligence gathering. Additionally, he must continue to reduce the population in the territory. From my observations, the actual population in the Caucasus is far more than five thousand, so you need to figure out why the registered population is less than that. Fran, you and Baoling should hurry up and train those eight soldiers further—they’ve already experienced real battles, so they’ll improve much faster. Our next step is to recruit some soldiers to form my personal guard. Those eight must become the core of my guard and play a vital role. You can tell them that if they perform well, I’ll grant them freedom from slavery. As for me and Ilot, we need to find a suitable opportunity to not only discover their true intentions but also show them our true strength!”

Early winter in Ugru finally arrived late, yet even so, Komer and his group, who had come from Cyprus in the north, still couldn’t feel the chill of winter. Especially Fran and Baoling, who came from the even more northern Meren Duchy, found the Caucasus’ winter to resemble the warm spring seasons of the north—pleasantly warm, to the point where even wearing a light jacket felt unbearably hot.

“Train hard in the scorching summer and the bitter winter.” Fran was a staunch advocate of training. He believed that only soldiers who underwent rigorous, formal training could be considered qualified. Although he only had eight soldiers, far fewer than his former glory, having gone through trials of separation and death as well as great triumphs, he felt he was ready to face any harsh reality or unparalleled honor and joy with composure.

Still, he found himself somewhat attracted to his current master. He remembered a philosopher once saying that the charisma of a successful person lies in their ability to make those around them respect and wonder about them unconsciously—and it seemed Komer had already achieved this, at least in Fran’s eyes. Fran found it hard to believe that such a young man could possess such breadth of mind and grace, and his every word and action always brought surprises.

At this moment, he didn’t want to think too much; he only wanted to strictly complete the tasks assigned to him by the lord. By now, he had fully embraced his new role—that of leading the guard squad in the Caucasus region and training his soldiers well.

The early morning was always quiet and enchanting, but Komer had to wake up from his meditation. The wasteland behind the farm had long been leveled by Fran and his soldiers, turning it into a military training ground for the lord’s guard. Shouts could be heard constantly from there—as the soldiers carried out their daily morning drills. The rigorously harsh training didn’t dampen their enthusiasm at all.

After Fran announced the lord’s decision, both mortals and half-orcs couldn’t help but cheer wildly. Even the usually reserved half-elves couldn’t suppress their joy. Freedom was a dream and a luxury every slave longed for. They had never expected to gain freedom, thinking they would die in the mines. They could only hope to meet a kind master. Though they knew the chances were slim, a turning point in fate came from the market—a chance that changed their lives forever.