Chapter 14: Recruitment

The usually quiet tavern suddenly became bustling. People who rarely went out these days flocked to the town’s only two taverns. Old Scott’s tavern was slightly larger than One-Eyed Bill’s, capable of holding thirty to fifty people. Suddenly, seventy or eighty people filled the space, turning what was once quite spacious into a crowded mess. Seeing such good business, Old Scott sincerely thanked the new lord for the proclamation that brought such activity to his tavern—of course, it also meant more gold and silver coins for him.

“Hey, Old Scott, why is it so crowded here too? I thought it would be better than Bill’s place. Well, as expected. Give me a glass of pine liquor,” the fat man dressed as a merchant grumbled as he struggled through the crowd to reach the bar. After finally finding a high stool, he sat down. “What’s going on? Is there some celebration here? The Harvest Festival is over, and it’s still early for the New Year. What are they discussing?”

“Oh, Mr. Kafli, it’s been a long time since you’ve been here. Why did you come from the north now? What good things did you bring? Here’s your pine liquor—five copper shields.” Old Scott, the tall and thin tavern owner, was so busy he took some time to attend to the new merchant. “They’re discussing the proclamation issued by the lord.”

“Oh? Do you have a lord now?” the fat merchant asked in surprise, picking up his glass.

“Yes, Mr. Kafli. The new lord comes from Cyprus—Baron Comer Resser. I heard he’s the son of Cyprus’s treasurer and is highly trusted by Prince Philip. Have you heard of him?” Old Scott, clearly better informed than most, spoke in a hushed, mysterious tone.

“The son of Lord Ramla Resser?” The fat merchant, who knew Cyprus’s treasurer, raised his eyebrows in surprise. “How did he end up here? And why is he a baron?”

“What? Do you know the lord?” Old Scott immediately noticed the merchant’s strange expression. The new lord hadn’t been around much, and Old Scott had only seen him from afar; it was usually his half-orc guards and officials who showed up.

“No, no, I’ve only heard of him. But what could your lord possibly do to warrant such heated discussion?” the merchant quickly tried to cover up.

“The lord has issued a proclamation welcoming residents from all over the continent—regardless of race, gender, or age—to settle in our Caucasus. He plans to exempt all residents in his territory from head taxes for three years. For those who come to settle and are willing to farm, each person will be allocated land equivalent to ten groats, with no land tax for three years as well.” Old Scott was clearly pleased with the profits this new policy would bring him, and his impression of the lord improved significantly. “Moreover, the proclamation states that anyone who introduces outsiders to settle here will receive a generous reward from the lord. It’s quite unprecedented, and everyone is talking about it.”

“Oh, really?” The obese merchant showed surprise on his face, though his heart was stirred. “Are there any specific details?”

“It seems that for each resident introduced to settle for more than a year, the lord promises a reward of twenty gold shields—a substantial sum,” Old Scott boasted about the accuracy of his information. “I heard from Mr. Hes that the lord intends to develop the iron mines in the south and needs a large workforce, which is why he’s so eager to recruit people here. Otherwise, he wouldn’t act in such a hurry. Now everyone is writing letters everywhere, inviting relatives and friends to settle here. I heard the lord plans to improve the road from our Ugru to the seaside town of Matdan. Those who wish to settle and farm can be allocated land along both sides of this road. This is a rare opportunity. I’ve even written to my nephew far away, asking if he’d like to come here.”

“Your lord is so generous. Must he really be very rich?” The obese merchant was already figuring out how to reap huge profits from this opportunity. He asked casually, “Are there no restrictions on the race of those who move here?”

“I’m not sure if the lord is rich or not, but the proclamation says it doesn’t matter the race. It seems he doesn’t care much about that aspect. Most of his guards seem to be orcs. Oh, and there are also half-elves.” Old Scott seemed disappointed that the lord didn’t pay much attention to this matter. In his view, aside from the half-elves, how could a lord of noble birth allow those crude and foolish orcs to serve as his guards?

“Sorry, sir, but although the soldiers at the farm gate try their best to appear civilized and polite, their deep voices still reveal their orcish nature.”

“Oh, I would like to inform Baron Komer Rezer that I am a merchant from the north named Kafli, and there are matters I wish to discuss with him in person.” Although facing a half-orc soldier, the accustomed merchant still removed his hat as a sign of respect, though without the usual formal gestures.

Seeing someone show respect to them for the first time, the two half-orc soldiers appeared proud and excited. One soldier remained still, while the other tried hard to suppress his joy and said, “Please wait a moment; I’ll go inform him.”

In the simple reception room, the obese man finally met the Three Wolves of Cyprus, of whom the one in the middle was naturally the leader—the current lord of the Caucasus, Baron Komer Rezer. The thin young man on the left must be Puber Lux of the Lux family, while the burly young man with a horse-like face, fiddling with a greatsword in his hand, was surely Ilot Modo of the Modo family.

It seemed the rumors weren’t entirely accurate—at least this Komer Rezer was no ordinary person. The obese merchant, who had traveled extensively across the continent, could immediately tell from the dark, deep eyes of the pale-faced young man before him that he was extraordinary. When those eyes met his, he felt a strange sense of dizziness—a truly peculiar feeling. Although the thin young man showed little expression, his lively eyes kept moving, clearly indicating he was someone who paid close attention to details. The greatsword in the horse-faced man’s hand was also not the kind used by ordinary warriors; just a brief glance revealed it was a heavy weapon that required considerable strength to wield.

“Mr. Kafli, I heard you have matters to discuss with me. Is there anything I can help you with?” Komer also quickly realized the significance of this obese man. Though his attire was quite ordinary, the unassuming black meteorite ring on his left ring finger revealed to Komer that he belonged to a very secretive merchant organization on the Blue Continent—the Barefoot Society. Although this society wasn’t well-known and didn’t have any major merchants among its members, its members were scattered across the continent. They weren’t a tightly connected organization, but they would offer mutual assistance and support when their members were threatened or in danger. Members also often exchanged information and business opportunities among themselves.

“Oh, Lord Baron, I am a merchant from the Naples region. I come to the Caucasus three or four times a year; it’s practically my second home. I’m truly glad that the Caucasus has a new lord. I heard in the tavern about the proclamation issued by Lord Baron welcoming people to settle in the Caucasus and offering many favorable policies, so I wanted to ask: Since the Caucasus is part of the Homer region of the Kingdom of Nicosia, can those who do not belong to the Kingdom of Nicosia also live there and be protected?” After expressing his congratulations, the obese merchant got straight to the point.

“Of course. Although the Caucasus belongs to the Kingdom of Nicosia, there is no law across the Blue Continent that strictly prohibits population movement. We’ve recently discovered new mines in the Caucasus, and there’s also plenty of uncultivated land available for farming. Therefore, I hope to have enough labor force to contribute to the prosperity of the Caucasus. If they participate in this great endeavor, they can naturally become legal residents of the Caucasus. As its lord, it is my responsibility to protect their legitimate rights and interests from being violated.” Seeming to sense something in the other party’s words, Komer, who was in urgent need of population, didn’t care too much and agreed to everything except for being slightly reserved in his wording.