Chapter 2: The Sanjia Tribe

“Is that so? If that’s true, it’s indeed something to celebrate. Mr. Volen, please come in.” Komer smiled politely and gestured for them to enter. He noticed that aside from Volen, there was another person among these barbarians whose appearance and demeanor differed from those of the other warriors.
As Komer had expected, the only one who entered his study with Volen was the barbarian who had caught his attention. Though not as muscular as Volen, the fierce aura on his face still left a deep impression on Komer.
Komer’s luxurious study greatly impressed the two barbarian representatives. The exquisite crystal glass walls made it impossible for them to hide their admiration. Komer found it amusing that these barbarians were so fascinated by something that served mainly as decoration and had little practical value. It seemed their tastes were quite unique.
The antique rosewood furniture and oil paintings, the elegant velvet curtains, the soft and fine cashmere carpets, the bookshelves filled with a scholarly atmosphere, and the two hanging Cattleyas by the window added a touch of greenery to the study. Every detail exuded elegance and luxury, creating an overwhelming sense of prestige that made the two barbarian representatives feel pressured as soon as they stepped in.
Fortunately, Volen had some experience dealing with ordinary people—having traveled from Ugru to Cyprus, which had broadened his horizons. Although Komer’s study stunned him, his strong mental resilience helped him recover quickly from his shock.
“My lord, allow me to introduce him to you. This is Solos, representative of the Jiapon Tribe of our Mountain People’s Alliance. Together, we represent our alliance in this visit to the Caucasus, bringing to you the most precious sacred dragon hatchling from our Cordillera region as a sign of our sincerity toward the Caucasus and you, my lord. We hope you will strengthen ties with our Cordillera region, especially in terms of economy and trade, by allowing more exports from our region to further enhance economic cooperation between us.” Clearly, these formal words were spoken hesitantly after the barbarian had learned them from somewhere. Though spoken in the Mountain language, they still made Komer want to laugh.

“Mr. Volen, Mr. Soros, first of all, thank you both for coming. Since the Caucasus and Mountain Peoples Alliance are neighbors, as the saying goes, it’s better to have near neighbors than distant relatives. As long as it does not violate the laws of the continent and the kingdom, the Caucasus is willing to do its utmost to assist its neighbors, especially since such assistance is mutually beneficial. I am deeply grateful for the two young Earth Dragon hatchlings gifted by the Alliance, but the quantity is far less than what I hoped for, which is somewhat disappointing.” Komer naturally came up with such grandiose words—neither violating any principles nor making explicit promises, while still showing appropriate gratitude and disappointment. To the ears of the two barbarians, however, it sounded differently.

Volen, who had already dealt with Komer twice, clearly understood the meaning behind his words. The embargo on military supplies still remained in place, and the checkpoints established by Bahomun had become even stricter. Last month, a Caucasus merchant was caught smuggling sixty military spears at a checkpoint; all his goods and personal property were confiscated, and he was thrown into the newly built prison in the Caucasus to await trial by the Caucasus judges. He would become the first prisoner tried for smuggling in the Thirteenth Circuit Court of the Kingdom of Nicomedia, presided over by the Caucasus judges. On the other side of this smuggling case, the buyer of the military spears—the Jarlon tribe of the Alliance—lost a deposit of tens of thousands of gold shields, yet had no way to complain. Volen knew that this lord seemed generous on the surface but was actually shrewd and ruthless, leaving no room for the tribes of the Alliance to exploit. Their original plan to use high prices to tempt unprincipled merchants into smuggling had failed—no one was willing to risk their lives and all their possessions. Judging from his tone, this lord was also dissatisfied with only receiving two young Earth Dragon hatchlings and openly expressed disappointment, leaving the straightforward barbarian representative at a loss as to how to make further requests.

The other barbarian representative, clearly not familiar with Komer’s ways of speaking and acting, couldn’t resist hearing that he was willing to do his utmost to help their side. He quickly interjected, “Honorable lord, since you said you’re willing to do your best to assist us, may we ask if we could purchase some weapons and other supplies from your lands?”

Smiling and nodding at the other party, Ke Mo said cheerfully, “Of course. As long as you can provide sufficient funds or goods in exchange, why not? Of course, all these supplies need to be included in the quota agreed upon in our initial deal with the Mountain People Alliance.”

The barbarian representative’s expression darkened instantly. He glared at Ke Mo before retorting resentfully, “Lord, are you mocking me? If it has to be counted under the alliance’s trade quota, then what’s the difference from a normal transaction? There’s no need for me to waste my words.”

“Lord Solos, this is the agreement we reached with your alliance. Importing military supplies to the Caucasus already constitutes breaking the rules. Look around at other regions—which one would be willing to sell these things to you? I’ve already taken considerable risks by doing this. Everything takes time. I understand your urgency, but you need to give me some time to convince my subordinates and make more thorough preparations. Otherwise, once other parties nearby find out, how can I explain this to them?” Ke Mo explained, smiling and shrugging helplessly.

Taking a deep breath, the representative of the Jia Peng tribe said nothing more. He knew he couldn’t win an argument with him, so it was better to stay quiet and let his companions negotiate with the other party.

“Lord, I’ve come here with Solos this time with two requests for your help and support. Of course, if you can offer us whatever assistance is within your power, we Mountain People will remember your kindness and repay you accordingly,” said Wo Lian. He knew this man valued profit above everything else. Instead of discussing morality or friendship, it might be better to talk about tangible benefits that could interest him more.

“Oh? Mr. Wo Lian, you’re too kind. As I said earlier, as long as it doesn’t violate principles, I’ll do my best. But Mr. Solos’ request was a bit excessive, and I can’t fulfill it. I’m sorry about that,” Ke Mo said, raising an eyebrow in interest.

“First, we hope the Caucasus can provide our three tribes—Jia Rong, Jia Peng, and Jia Long—with an additional amount of military supplies outside the alliance quota. In return, our three tribes will open our markets further to you. We can also offer a mineral-rich gemstone mine for joint development to show our sincerity,” Wo Lian said, exchanging a glance with Solos before throwing out their first bait.

“A gem mine?” Komer’s heart skipped a beat. Good heavens, it seemed these barbarians had invested heavily. From their words, Komer could tell that the Three Jia tribes seemed inclined to break away from the Mountain People’s Alliance. The Mountain People’s Alliance consisted of thirteen tribes, among which the tribes near Komer’s own territory were Jiarong, Jiapeng, and Jialong. As far as Komer knew, after signing military supply agreements with the alliance, the Three Jia tribes had not received any special treatment due to their proximity to the Caucasus; in fact, they even received fewer quotas than some tribes far to the south. This had caused extreme dissatisfaction among the Three Jia tribes, especially Jiarong, which had first come into contact with the Caucasus. Yet the Three Jia tribes did not hold much influence in the alliance’s council and could not secure their support, so they could only endure in resentment.

Although the Caucasus had signed a treaty with the Mountain People’s Alliance, agreeing to open up certain areas to Caucasian merchants, those areas were mostly unproductive or located in remote, difficult-to-reach places. Even if there were mines, the high costs would render them unviable. Moreover, most valuable mines were located deep in the barbarians’ territories, and Caucasian merchants dared not venture there to invest, as the risks of entering the lands of such so-called “barbarians” were simply too great. Thus, such trade and investment agreements remained largely theoretical. But precious gems like those from gem mines were not like ordinary iron or copper mines. Gem mining required less investment, yielded quick results, needed fewer workers than iron or coal mining, and had lower transportation requirements—making it a truly high-profit industry. Aside from the need to carefully select mining sites and ore, its conditions were incomparable to those of iron, copper, or coal mining.

“That’s right. There is a gem mine in the area bordering our Jiarong and Jialong tribes. Our people have discovered gems there many times, mainly sapphires and what you mortals call emeralds. If Lord can agree to one of our conditions, we are willing to offer this mine in exchange.” Volen noticed the intense interest in the other party’s eyes and became convinced, speaking with much more confidence.