Chapter 23: Prelude to Storms

The mountain people’s efficiency was unexpectedly high. Once the leaders of the Sanjia tribe returned to their tribe, they spread the news that the mountain people could freely go to the Caucasus to work, and that the Caucasus would build a canal from Matdan to Lake Nirel. This immediately triggered a massive wave of laborers heading to the Caucasus. Notably, the tribal leaders also expressed cautious approval. The mountain people, who had been trapped in the Cordillera Wasteland for too long, hoped for a better life outside and dreamed of earning enough money to buy food, make purchases, and improve their lives. They flocked to the Caucasus in large numbers, crossing the Catania River via Bahomun’s floating bridge.

To address this, the lords of the Caucasus established three large-scale recruitment centers in Matdan, Santiago, and along Lake Nirel to recruit laborers from various races, including mountain people and half-orcs, for large-scale development projects. Regarding the construction of the entire canal, Komer accepted Puber’s advice and entrusted everything—ranging from construction planning and fund raising to labor recruitment and phased contracting, from preliminary preparations to actual excavation, as well as logistics support and labor management—to Karmanee Gran, who volunteered for the task.

The Caucasus Bank provided the initial funding, a decision made officially after a shareholders’ meeting was held, so that the canal could start construction as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, posters were sent throughout the continent—whether to Jazair, Gutenberg, or Cyprus, or to the countries and cities along the upper and middle reaches of the Catania River, as well as to Bohemia and members of the Northern Alliance. Almost every chamber of commerce received announcements and posters offering shares in the canal from Izmel to Matdan.

It must be said that both the Gran family and Karmanee himself put a lot of effort into this. The design of the posters and the content of the announcements were highly persuasive. The posters highlighted the natural conditions and resources of the areas the canal would pass through, as well as the potential for development after its completion. This was a specific request from Puber, who insisted that the Gran family provide detailed information about the regions along the canal route when sending posters. The goal was not only to recruit shareholders for the canal’s construction but also to find investors for the development of the Leon region and the Volt Mountains.

The region of Izmel, with its abundant iron ore, Lake Nirel’s rich fish resources and forest resources along its shores, the beautiful scenery and fascinating legends of the Vot Mountains valley, and Santiago’s coal deposits, along with Matdan’s strategic role as a transportation hub connecting to the Seine River—all these elements stirred the interest of merchants on the posters. The announcements highlighted the construction status and plans for the canal, the design timeline, and projected traffic volumes. Considering the current situation in the Abyssal Sea and the Northern Mid-Sea, the importance and prospects of this canal were portrayed as a waterway brimming with gold, truly attracting the attention of powerful merchants from various places.

As soon as the first batch of loans from the Caucasus Bank was disbursed, merchants from across the continent began arriving one after another. Karmanee quickly became a highly sought-after figure in the Caucasus, with merchants taking pride in inviting him to dine with them.

Puber was also overjoyed. The merchants arriving in Ugru were not only interested in shares in the canal; those with a longer-term vision had already turned their attention to Izmel and Lake Nirel north of the Vot Mountains. Once the canal opened, the hundred-mile stretch of fertile land along Lake Nirel, which was currently barren, would likely quickly become a hotbed for development. Both forestry and fishing industries might struggle to keep up with the potential of these well-watered, fertile lands. This area was a natural granary—once people settled there, they could continuously develop the land around the lake into fertile farmland. The crops produced could be easily transported to the Caucasus or even further south to the Cordillera Desert, with benefits that were easy to imagine.

While the Caucasus was fully committed to canal construction, Komer’s focus remained more on the land of Leon. After Uma learned in detail about the current situation in the Land of Azure, Komer immediately sensed the woman’s fervor after being trapped in the dark world for centuries. Rather than saying she wanted to dedicate herself to restoring the Dark Dynasty, Komer thought it was more accurate to say she hoped to prove that her centuries of waiting had been worthwhile. Once a woman’s desire for revenge was ignited, she could create miracles! Although Komer expressed some reservations, Uma still offered her wholehearted support. As long as it meant overthrowing everything under the influence of the Light Church, Uma was willing to strive for it, whether it was the Kingdom of Nicomedia or the Homer region.

Uma voluntarily offered to train a squad of skeleton warriors for Komer, so that they could serve as a special force in the event of a human war. Komer had reservations about this; he couldn’t imagine the impact such a skeleton army would have on the battlefield. These weren’t terrain dragon warriors or Thunderwing knights. Although dealing with barbarians was also taboo, it was still a matter within human secular affairs and did not involve religious beliefs. The emergence of skeleton warriors would mean that the Caucasus would completely become a world for the dark races and undead.

But Uma’s cold and pragmatic words shattered Komer’s illusions. She bluntly told him that when his rule was on the verge of collapse and his own life was threatened, would he still hesitate to use dark violence due to these doctrines? Would he still prefer to give up everything out of fear of being hunted by the Church of Light? The answer, of course, was no. If so, what was wrong with keeping this skeleton army as a last resort?

Uma’s words left Komer speechless. With his tacit approval, Uma quickly assembled an army of undead, numbering up to five hundred, using her existing undead forces. All the decent skeletons in the Caucasus had already been seized. Uma even occasionally sneaked to Leon’s battlefields to find what she needed, while the large square inside the bunker became their training ground.

Komer also ordered rigorous and systematic training for the 2,500 half-orcs that had been assembled. Although nothing seemed amiss for now, Komer could sense impending conflict. That old fool Philip was showing an unusual calmness regarding the seizure of the Leon region, adding to the sense of mystery.