Chapter Ten: Chaos and Balance
“Boss, it’s really a shame. The slave prices in Paruka Bay are incredibly low—unbelievably so. Those orcs aren’t even selling slaves; they’re just dumping them. No, ‘dumping’ is too polite a term—they’re practically giving them away for free!”
Pupber kept nagging at Komer’s ear. In Pupber’s opinion, Caucasus should also find a way to get involved in this highly profitable business—buying slaves from Paruka Bay and reselling them to the countries along the Midland Ocean or the free city-states upstream of the Catalonia River could yield huge profits.
“If we didn’t have to consider the reputation of our Caucasus lordship and the emotions of the immigrants in our lands, you could go ahead and do this,” Komer said with a cold snort after glancing at his increasingly gaunt friend, whose dark eyes kept darting around. How dare this guy want to use the lordship’s name to trade slaves? Wasn’t that just asking for trouble? Although the orcs’ tactics against ordinary people had caused a strong reaction, it indirectly helped them as well. Mahagumi had done an excellent job. Let those hypocritical pretenders of the Light Church use this mess to strip off their false sanctity and reveal their true nature.
“Sigh, it’s really a pity. Many merchants from our Caucasus have gotten involved. Look at the ships from Matdan and Bruce heading north—they’re almost all going for this business. How did those damned orcs suddenly come up with this idea? Why didn’t they think of it before?” Pupber continued to mutter headshakingly.
“Enough, Pupber. Don’t waste energy on things that aren’t within our scope of consideration,” Komer interrupted impatiently. “The people from the Tribunal have left, and we won’t face any major troubles in the short term. It’s time for Caucasus to step up.”
“Hehe, I know that. But boss, what do you plan to do?” Pupber finally showed a rare serious expression. “Are you really going to let those guys from the Great Secret Sect take root and flourish in our Caucasus? Isn’t the risk too high? Although those from the Tribunal have left, it seems the Rema Knights aren’t affected at all.”
“No, I don’t intend to take a stance so early. The Church of Light is indeed a group of disgusting hypocrites—I dislike and even hate them—but that doesn’t mean I’ll accept the Great Secret Sect. Even if I accept it in my heart, it doesn’t mean Caucasus and Leon must do the same right now. Given the situation in Caucasus and Leon, it’s safer to adopt a low-key, ambiguous, and gradual strategy, allowing outsiders to gradually realize the uniqueness of our region and its differences from other places. Over time, even if there are some unconventional aspects in Caucasus, outsiders will be able to accept them.” Komer calmed himself down before slowly continuing, “At this stage, I think it’s more practical for us to look for opportunities to gain more benefits from the kingdom.”
“Hmm, many nobles who have fled from the north of the kingdom have already sent people to inquire about the situation in Caucasus and Leon. It seems they’ve been terrified by the orcs’ tactics and no longer trust the kingdom or the Church of Light. They hope to find a more suitable place to settle in the south.” Puber smirked. “This time, it’s they who have come to us—we can choose carefully.”
“We do need to choose carefully, especially by understanding the emotional tendencies of these people. I don’t want loyal followers of the Church of Light to flood into my territory, nor do I want extreme hostility toward them to become the dominant sentiment there. What I need is a balanced and relatively peaceful environment.”
Komer’s profound words made Puber nod repeatedly. Under these circumstances, Caucasus and Leon indeed had no need to get involved in the conflict between the Church of Light and the dark forces. A massive vortex was swirling not only between light and darkness but also the contradictions between the Church of Light and secular governments were becoming clearer. These two conflicts were gradually intertwining and growing more complex. It wasn’t easy to extricate oneself from them, and Caucasus and Leon didn’t have the strength to risk it. It was best to observe from afar and maintain a satisfactory balance.
Jazair had completely turned into a city of refugees. A large number of people who had fled earlier poured into the city, filling it to capacity, so that it became an impossible dream for more and more refugees to seek shelter there. The top priority of the newly reformed Golden Oak Regiment was no longer to resist the orcish attacks but to keep hundreds of thousands of refugees outside Jazair. Even so, the city remained in chaos. Many nobles who originally lived there could no longer bear the turmoil and, facing the exposed north, moved south with their families. But this was hardly a solution for the northern noble refugees who flocked to Jazair.
Kagia let out a soft sigh, her wine glass trembling unconsciously. The situation was utterly disastrous. Although the orcs had retreated, the kingdom was ruined—well, almost ruined. Whether it was Galle, Homer, or the other two lords, they only showed the kingdom polite respect, while their underlying contempt and disdain could be felt by everyone outside. The princess of the noble Nicossia Kingdom, the third in line to the throne, faced such cold treatment. It was then that Kagia fully realized how insignificant her status really was. Facing the arrogant expressions of those nobles, she felt a chill that reached her bones.
Cold and polite refusals, all-night dance parties and banquets, organized hunting trips, and afternoon tea in the bright sun—everything seemed distant to the lords. What happened in the north of the kingdom seemed irrelevant to them. Even that damned Philip, who had such close blood ties to the Romanov family, behaved even worse.
Her father had withdrawn into himself. His extreme pride and stubbornness left him unable to cope with the current crisis. Rather than face these troublesome situations, he preferred to lock himself in his room and drown his sorrows in alcohol. Thankfully, there was Lord Taze, but it seemed even he could hardly hold back the crisis. The damned Light Church still wanted to negotiate with the kingdom about changing religious laws at such a time. Those opportunistic fools—maybe they were even behind it all. Kagia refused to believe this reality, but she knew the cruelest truths were often the ones she least wanted to accept.
“Palermo, do you really think it’s necessary for us to leave Jazair now?” It was meaningless talk—Kakya didn’t even know how many times she had asked it. But the stimulation from the red wine on her taste buds seemed to have affected her judgment as well. Kakya knew she was extremely nervous.
Shrugging, her overly obese body making the motion look not only ungraceful but also somewhat comical, Palermo continued to stuff beef into his mouth nonstop while talking endlessly, “Your Highness, now is the best time to leave. Lord Hoffman is currently stabilizing the situation with Lord Tez. Soon he will become the kingdom’s first heir, and Your Highness will become a thorn in his side. Under these circumstances, it will be very unfavorable for you.”
“Hmph, what time is it now? Does he still have the energy to deal with me?” Kakya retorted angrily. Yet another piece of nonsense—this was precisely the best time to deal with her.
“Your Highness, you should be aware that Jazair is in complete chaos right now, and His Majesty has lost the ability to govern. Although Lord Tez has no hostility toward you, we all know what kind of person he is—he is someone who puts the kingdom’s interests first. He won’t side with anyone, but right now he believes Lord Hoffman can better stabilize the kingdom. So everything else must be set aside. If anyone is seen as hindering stability at this time, he will without hesitation support Lord Hoffman in raising swords.”
Palermo patiently persuaded her. He knew that this time his master would likely have to leave Jazair temporarily to avoid trouble. Her attempts to go to Galay or the Ferdinand and Heine families had yielded no useful results. People in the kingdom’s center were already criticizing her for being neglected by the great lords due to her lineage. The lords believed that sending Kakya on a diplomatic mission was a disrespect to them. These baseless insults were clearly fabricated rumors by those with ulterior motives. But given Jazair’s current situation, they could become reasons to depose her from her status as heir or even strip her of her royal title. If Hoffman deemed it necessary, acting preemptively to show submission was undoubtedly the wisest choice.
A gentleman can take revenge after ten years—it’s never too late. Especially since His Majesty has not officially abdicated; it’s just Hoffman who is acting as regent. Nothing can be determined until the very end. Moreover, staying in Jazair to deal with this mess might not be a pleasant experience at all.
“Well, maybe it’s time for me to go out and get some fresh air. How about Palermo or Mainz? I think I’ll go to a farm in the suburbs there first to rest, and then decide what to do.” Kakiya nodded; her delicate, fair skin was flawless, and her slightly curled sun hat gave her a youthful appearance. “Great, I was thinking of going there to see this year’s harvest as well.” Palermo wore a mysterious smile. Mainz was located by the canal, from which one could sail out to Odessa; it was also possible to reach Lyon via the Dnieper River or the Caucasus via Middelburg. It seems my master really isn’t willing to give up after all.