Chapter 10: A Big Deal (1)
When the two returned to the banquet hall hand in hand, most of the guests had already arrived. Upon seeing Kakiya appearing before them with a young man by her side, almost all the men showed an ambiguous expression. Even the seasoned head steward couldn’t help but frown at this sight. However, as the host, Duke Tez didn’t dare say much and simply invited them in.
Seeing the people around Duke Tez, Kakiya, being sensible, politely greeted them before leaving gracefully. The others went straight to the lounge next to the banquet hall without wasting time. This lounge was reserved for guests who needed to discuss important matters privately, allowing them to talk undisturbed.
“Baron Komer, allow me to introduce you: this is Viscount Jean Crenan, the full representative of the City-State of Naples; this is Baron Buhaz, the full representative of the City-State of Medea; and this is Viscount Seribas, the envoy of the Grand Duchy of the Netherlands to our country. And this is Baron Komer, the lord of the Caucasus region in our Principality of Nicosia.” As soon as they entered the lounge, Duke Tez introduced the four of them without further ceremony. After some polite exchanges, they quickly moved on to the substantive topics.
“Sir Baron, you must be aware of the purpose of these three gentlemen from our allies in the Kingdom of Nicosia. This time, we aim to find a thorough solution to the issue of refugees staying at the borders of our countries. I believe we can find common ground.” Duke Tez signaled the waiter bringing red wine to leave, then continued, “Winter is approaching. According to our kingdom’s meteorologists, this winter will be exceptionally cold, even worse than that ten years ago. Therefore, we can’t delay further. Once the cold wave arrives, there could be heavy casualties among the refugees. Such a humanitarian disaster is something none of our countries can afford. So, I think we should have an open discussion on this matter, hoping to reach a satisfactory solution.”
When Duke Tez’s words faded, a strange silence fell over the scene. The envoys from the three nations seemed dissatisfied with Duke Tez’s domineering attitude. As the leader of the alliance, he failed to set an example first and instead shifted all responsibilities and obligations onto the other allies. It was no wonder the envoys felt uneasy, but since Duke Tez was also a senior minister in the kingdom and had known the three representatives for years, it was not appropriate for them to express their displeasure outright, so they could only convey their dissatisfaction through silence.
Of course, this silence couldn’t last long. Someone had to break it. After a dry cough, the gaunt old man sitting across from Komer finally picked up the conversation: “Baron, I heard you came to Versailles hoping to obtain a group of immigrants to meet the needs of your territory?”
Komer immediately analyzed this man’s background in his mind. Viscount Seribas, from a prominent family in the Grand Duchy of the Netherlands, was close friends with the current Grand Duke of the Netherlands and held considerable influence in the Dutch court. If he could persuade this man, it would have a significant impact on the representatives of the other two city-states as well.
“No, Mr. Seribas. I think there might be a misunderstanding. I’m not here to seek immigrants but rather to recruit laborers. To put it bluntly, workers. But I want to make it clear—these are not slaves, but free laborers. Once they arrive in my territory, they will receive official status as free citizens, enjoying all the rights—along with all the obligations—of other inhabitants in my territory.” Komer shook his head firmly, dismissing the Dutchman’s first question.
According to the agreement with the Minister of Internal Affairs, Komer could do his best to negotiate financial subsidies for each refugee with the representatives from the three nations, and Duke Tez would assist him. However, the kingdom would deduct 30% as a fee for transit security procedures. This demand from Duke Tez made Komer and Kafli nearly faint in anger, but they had no choice but to accept it. Without the kingdom’s intervention, these refugees would never be able to safely pass through the territories of Duke Zelin and Grand Duke Philip, let alone Leon, the region controlled by Count Poninsky, who had always interfered with Komer’s plans.
The Dutchman, dressed in velvet noble attire, showed a hint of confusion on his gaunt cheeks and retorted, “Baron, what’s the difference? If they’re free citizens, then of course they’ll obey your orders in your territory.”
“Mr. Seribas, it seems there’s a misunderstanding. I only need strong men capable of working, as the Caucasus is a remote area that requires land reclamation and mining. I don’t need women, children, or the elderly—we don’t have enough food to support them,” Komer said harshly, deliberately acting in this way to provoke the other party and make them see the reality of the situation.
“Absurd!” The thin old man’s face turned red as he tried hard to suppress his anger. “Lord Baron, your thinking is utterly absurd. Which man doesn’t have a wife, children, and family behind him? What’s the difference between your approach and that of that vampire, Poninsky?!”
“Mr. Seribas, Count Poninsky needs slaves, while I offer freedom to these refugees—there’s a fundamental difference between the two, which you should understand. The Caucasus is newly established, and as you’ve likely heard, it can be summarized in eight words: a desolate borderland with nothing at all, everything starting from scratch. If you expect me to take back a group of the weak, old, women, and children, what will I use to support them? The Caucasus isn’t a charity, nor am I a philanthropist,” Komer retorted firmly. “In fact, I’d like to tell you that being a slave is still better than freezing or starving in the wilderness. Although Count Poninsky’s conditions are harsh, at least he gives these refugees the right to survive. But staying in these northern wastelands, when the cold winds blow, even foxes hide in caves. Those without shelter will surely freeze to death. If you’re so concerned about their fate, why not open the borders and let these refugees enter your country, treating them as equal citizens? That would bring happiness for everyone. Even though I haven’t recruited suitable laborers, I’d still be glad to see that happen.”
Komer’s sharp words left the thin old man speechless. With over two hundred thousand refugees, no one dared to easily agree to let them enter their country—the various problems that would arise couldn’t be solved with just a few words. Especially in neighboring countries, those who still longed for their homeland would undoubtedly keep asking their allied nations to help drive away the orcs and reclaim their lands. But who could fulfill such demands? If not, it would inevitably lead to dissatisfaction among these people. As politicians, they would first consider all the pros and cons.
“Enough, Baron. We are here today to discuss the conditions for accepting refugees and who should be responsible for this task. I think we have already reached a conclusion on that, but regarding the numbers, I believe we still have some differences and need to consider this further.” The Minister of the Interior’s stern tone made Komer immediately bow in apology for his rudeness. However, when Duke Teyz mentioned that the numbers were not yet determined, Komer realized he seemed to have been tricked again. Before Komer could speak, Duke Teyz firmly waved his hand to stop him and continued, “Gentlemen, there is now a detailed list of the number of refugees staying in the border areas—over 270,000 in total. Among them, more than 150,000 are refugees from the Principality of Mellen, while both the City-States of Main and Susor have over 60,000 refugees each. This is more than 20,000 more than we initially estimated, so we still need to discuss this issue.”