Chapter 7: Seizing by Force
“Are you guys?!” The surprised Mountain Dialect utterance drew Komer’s gaze to an officer who had just arrived—exceptionally muscular even among the barbarians. His broad, thick face, with a resolute expression hidden beneath surprise, bore a huge, broad-bladed sword wrapped in a cloth around his waist. It was clearly a heavy weapon that required extraordinary strength to wield, its dark blade emitting a cold gleam. At a glance, it was evident that the weapon was made of high-quality cold iron, far superior to the weapons held by the barbarian soldiers around them.
Komer and Ilot stared at the man’s face, which carried a hint of kindness. It was clear he recognized them. During their brief time since returning from exile, aside from the barbarians they encountered in taverns, there seemed to be no one else to refer to. Finally, Komer and Ilot recalled some vague impressions from that day—he seemed to be one of the companions of the barbarian leader. Though he hadn’t spoken then, Komer still had a faint memory of him.
“How did you end up here? Why have you invaded our territory?” Although his words still carried a questioning tone, his tone was much gentler. This man seemed to hold considerable status and influence among the barbarians. With just a wave of his hand, several barbarian soldiers respectfully lowered their weapons, which had been aimed at them. Though they remained on guard, the hostility in their eyes had diminished significantly.
“Hehe, I forgot about the safety of my people that day, so my friend and I came to find a solution. By chance, we heard the howls of the ogres and followed the sound here,” Komer explained politely their origin and reason for being there. At the man’s gesture, Komer suddenly remembered and took out from his pocket the bead chain left by that barbarian man that day.
As soon as those unremarkable beads fell into the eyes of the barbarian warriors around Komer and Ilot, the hostility on their faces vanished completely, replaced by deep respect and warmth. Even the barbarian man they had met before finally smiled.
“Oh? You can call me Wolin. So you’re our new neighbor, the lord who came to the Caucasus?” His surprise was evident, and the burly man clearly wasn’t good at hiding his thoughts. A relieved expression appeared on his face. “So it was you who arranged for so many mortals to be active over there?”
Komer smiled and nodded. To mortals, barbarians might seem incompetent, but in reality, they were not as rigid, conservative, and narrow-minded as mortals imagined. It was merely because of historical reasons that they had long been isolated in the southern wastelands. The mortals, who considered themselves the masters of the continent and superior, naturally resented those barbarians who appeared too powerful and threatening, making it difficult for the barbarians to integrate into mortal society. Moreover, their innate pride prevented them from bowing to those fragile mortals. As a result, the barbarians, like orcs, remained apart from the dominant mortal world on the continent. In contrast, races such as half-elves, dwarves, half-orcs, elves, and even merfolk, though still considered outsiders by mortals, could live in harmony with them.
The fact that they had learned so quickly that the northern neighbors had new rulers showed that barbarians were not entirely ignorant of the outside world. Although there seemed to be no interaction, Komer was sure that the barbarians also had their sources of information in the Caucasus and even Ugru.
“Yes, I never expected we would meet again here after parting at Cyprus. It truly seems fate brings us together from afar. I wonder if your leader is well?” Komer’s face was filled with a sincere smile. He knew the barbarians harbored deep resentment toward mortals. Although he had helped them in Cyprus, that didn’t mean they accepted him. Especially now that he appeared as the lord of the Caucasus, it was hard to say what they would think of him. There was still a long way to go before he could gain their acceptance.
“Thank you for your concern, Lord. Our great leader is fine,” the dry reply seemed somewhat impolite. Clearly, the burly man couldn’t find the right words to distance himself from Komer, so in his urgency, he used a cold tone to show that their relationship wasn’t as close as Komer suggested. “Lord, as neighbors, we want to ask: Why are there so many mortals in this area, and why do they all carry so many weapons? What is their purpose?”
Komer suddenly understood. No wonder, a few days ago when they arrived in Bahomun, some people claimed to have seen barbarians in this region. It seemed the barbarians were extremely wary of mortals, even being so sensitive to his actions in his own territory.
“Mr. Wolin, I think there might be some misunderstanding. Bahomon is my territory, and even the land beneath your feet now belongs to me. I don’t need to seek permission for my actions on my own land, but as a friend, I’m still willing to keep you informed. I originally planned to visit you anyway; it’s fortunate to find an old friend, which saves me a lot of trouble. I intend to develop an iron mine here and build a town around it. Many immigrants have come to my territory—they are refugees without a proper source of income. They need jobs and must work to support themselves and their families. As a lord, it’s my responsibility and duty to ensure they have work and a means of survival. As for the weapons you mentioned, I think there might be some confusion. They do carry a small amount of weapons, but that’s for self-defense, as this area is full of dangers, such as the ogres before us. As for the rest, it’s probably mining tools. I hope this explanation satisfies Mr. Wolin?”
Komer’s words were soft yet firm. He even expanded the border by twenty miles in one go. Although this area was a desolate wasteland, once Bahomon prospered, its development was only a matter of time. Moreover, he had even greater ambitions, but the time was not right to reveal them.
“What? Your territory?” The burly man was shocked. He thought the other party was referring to the currently populated area, but to hear that even the land he stood on belonged to him filled him with both surprise and anger. Though barbarians didn’t have a concept of territory as precise as ordinary people, they understood sovereignty well. The burly man also knew that although this land had been rarely inspected due to its remote location, it could at most be considered vaguely defined. How could it suddenly become someone else’s territory?
“Yes, Mr. Wolin. This land definitely belongs to us, the Caucasians. Otherwise, why would I go to such lengths to eliminate the ogres here? If it weren’t my territory, I wouldn’t bother taking risks for others, would I?” Komer still wore a cheerful smile, his expression sincere.
The naturally simple-minded barbarians seemed undecided, as there indeed were no clear boundaries defined in this area. However, upon learning of the presence of ogres and a large group of humans active in the north, they set out to investigate. They indeed found road signs and boundary markers that seemed to have been erected at some unknown time. Judging from their rusted state, they must be at least several decades old. Of course, they had no idea that the corrosive liquid created by Komer could easily turn various items into artifacts that appeared ancient. And Puber was said to be quite skilled at creating fake antiques, so their collaboration resulted in such road signs and boundary markers.
“My lord, as far as I know, this area has never had a defined ownership. What you claim is your territory probably falls into this category. You arbitrarily claim land whose ownership has not yet been determined—we cannot accept such an explanation.” Seeing the other party smiling, the burly man couldn’t bring himself to respond harshly, though his tone became more firm.
“Hehe, I’ve long known that nobles are reasonable and keep their word. Mr. Wolin seems to be saying I’m being unreasonable. How about this: let’s bring out our respective evidence to see who’s right and who’s wrong. Truth emerges through debate, and fairness lies in people’s hearts. What do you think, Mr. Wolin?” Komer waved, and Ilot brought out an old parchment map that had been prepared in advance. Komer, on the other hand, took out a map drawn on thick rolled paper. “Mr. Wolin, please take a look. This is the original parchment map of the Caucasus from 160 years ago, from the time it was first granted to our lords. This one is a geographical map of the entire Caucasus region made 20 years ago. You can check the date of creation—this isn’t something we could forge, is it? Please also show us the map kept by the nobles. I think this will resolve our dispute.”
Hesitantly, the burly man took the map from Komer and summoned two barbarians to help verify it. Komer and Ilot exchanged a smile that only they could understand, remaining calm as they waited for the results of the inspection.
After examining them back and forth for a long time, the several barbarians still couldn’t find any flaws in these two maps. Faced with Komer’s insistent demand that they also show their maps as proof, the burly man was at a loss. He did have maps, having seen one once before, but the only map the barbarians possessed was kept by the Barbarian Tribal Alliance. How could they obtain it? Moreover, the mountains and rivers depicted on that map were extremely rough—how could it compare to the two maps in Komer’s hands? A slight movement of the finger on the map could represent a difference of a hundred miles—how could that serve as evidence? The barbarians living in the border regions relied more on their memory to determine whether a land belonged to them.
Seeing the awkward and troubled expression on the burly man’s face, Komer, who had already laughed his heart out, felt indescribably pleased. Yet outwardly, he maintained a sincerely earnest expression. Taking a step forward, he said, “Mr. Wolin, I don’t think this is strange. Nobles aren’t accustomed to using maps. Besides, this land has never received attention from either nobles or us in the Caucasus in the past, which is why its ownership has remained unresolved. As far as I know, the area Mr. Wolin refers to, which hasn’t yet been officially designated, is that stretch of land about ten miles away from here—it’s marked on the map as well. We can definitely resolve this through negotiation. I believe the nobles didn’t intend to cause this mistake. On my behalf and on behalf of all the people of the Caucasus, I welcome the nobles to visit and trade in my territory.”
Komer’s humble tone dissipated the burly man’s dissatisfaction and resentment. But hearing that there was still land whose ownership wasn’t determined, his heart sank again. Fortunately, the other party’s attitude was surprisingly good, very different from those ordinary people he had encountered before. The burly man was also unsure how to deal with this troublesome situation.
The roar of the ogres once again drew everyone’s attention. There were eight ogres—two males and six females. Two of the female ogres already lay dead on the ground, clearly killed by the barbarian warriors. However, the barbarians also paid a heavy price, with at least thirty of their warriors losing their lives to the ogres’ sharp claws and teeth. Their broken limbs and bodies were scattered across an area of over ten meters.
It was clear that the barbarians didn’t have many effective ways to deal with these tough, armor-plated, sword-and-spear-proof magical beasts. They clearly hadn’t expected to encounter orcs here. The two earth-walking dragon warriors, who were originally meant to show off their strength, quickly became the main force in fighting the monsters. However, the attack group of up to eight orcs posed a serious challenge to the barbarian soldiers. The huge encirclement could never avoid gaps, and the highly agile orcs, with their sharp intelligence, constantly used feints to exploit weaknesses in the barbarian defenses before launching surprise attacks. Almost every time, a barbarian soldier fell victim to their sharp claws. The poisonous gas emitted from their armpit glands made it even harder for the barbarian soldiers, who were holding their breath, to maintain their fragile encirclement.