Volume 19: Lost in the Wasteland
Chapter 1: Half-Orc Hybrids
The wildlands in early spring are always filled with a drowsy lethargy. Tender grass sprouts emerge from the cracks in the soil, bathed in the warm breezes from the Earth Sea and the Nether Sea, changing almost daily. Within a few days, what was once a field of withered yellow grass dotted with faint green patches turns lush and green.
Komer gradually relaxed, keeping a close eye on any subtle changes around him while carefully searching for potential harm from the Light Church, which Kakiya had mentioned. He had already discreetly eliminated several strongholds of the Great Secret Cult in Matdan and Bahomun. The activities of the Nether Guests in Bruce were also politely asked to cease. For now, his controlled area did not welcome such outsiders; if they came, it had to be under his control.
His approach to eliminating them was resolute yet peaceful. Making them disappear temporarily was the best solution. Komer didn’t want to take any risks at this time. He also provided as much convenience and support as possible to Priest Belan and Pastor Qustaf in their preaching efforts. Yet Komer knew it might be a bit late—if the Light Church was clever enough, his actions might only serve to reinforce their suspicions. As for the Great Secret Cult, he had reached a certain level of understanding with Xuro and the others. Though they still opposed his actions, as long as it wasn’t openly shown, it didn’t matter.
Now, everything was left to fate. Komer remained uneasy inwardly but had to maintain an outwardly calm demeanor. All surface-level matters had to proceed according to the established plan. Exploring the Little Greenland Forest was also put on the agenda. If the matter with the Light Church turned out to be a false alarm, opening a route between the upper reaches of the Nise River and the southwestern region of the kingdom would be the most urgent task.
Days passed. It had been over two months since the people from the Tribunal left, and Kakiya had returned to Jazair for over a month. The Light Church should have arrived by now. Belan and Qustaf continued to behave as usual, showing no signs of change. But Komer knew their behavior didn’t mean much. If the Light Church decided to take action, even those in Homer or Jazair might not be aware of it.
Days passed by, but he couldn’t just sit idly and wait for death because of some possible dangers. Komer wasn’t sure whether the Church of Light and the Inquisition would take his small territory seriously, but whatever was meant to happen would happen eventually. Komer had come to see things more clearly—regardless of what the Church of Light and the Inquisition decided to do, he could only wait passively to respond. Kakiya wouldn’t get involved; though she was important to him, it wasn’t important enough for her to ignore everything and help him. People were practical. To become more important in her eyes and in the eyes of everyone in the kingdom, there was no other way but to continuously strengthen his own power.
“Mahagumi, how’s the exploration in the Little Greenland Forest going? I hope you can complete the task I gave you before the deadline.” Komer was becoming more and more comfortable acting casually around this half-ork hybrid—a result of long-term harmony. Though the half-ork might not think so, Komer didn’t care about his feelings.
The neat gentleman’s suit fit the half-ork hybrid perfectly without any discomfort. His neatly combed, shiny hair seemed to reflect the light from outside the window, thanks to a high-quality hair oil sourced from the upper reaches of the Catalonia River. It not only improved body odor but, more importantly, had excellent hair-styling effects. It was a necessity in many noble families in the north who favored wigs and fake chest hair. The half-ork’s previously unruly hair had finally been tamed by this product—its effects seemed quite good.
“My lord, the results aren’t very satisfactory. The environment of the Little Greenland Forest is very different from that of the Great Greenland Forest. It has always been a human no-go zone, and almost no one wants to set foot there. Even exploration teams and adventurers aren’t interested in it.” Mahagumi knew his master wasn’t interested in these objective reasons, but he had to warn him first—that this task wasn’t as easy as imagined. Otherwise, being too hasty would only add pressure to himself.
“Is that so? They’re not interested because there was no profit to be made there before. Now, with the Golden Shield as an incentive, legends to tempt them, and treasures to lure them, how could there still be no one willing to take the risk?” Komer raised his eyebrows, but his tone remained restrained.
Mahagumi had an all-too-deep understanding of the shamelessness of his superior. Rumors as absurd and bizarre as the claim that ancient treasures belonging to the legendary nature goddess Minto were hidden in the Little Greenland Forest could be concocted effortlessly, which worried Mahagumi greatly. He feared that if such lies were exposed, it might provoke resentment among all the adventurer groups and exploration teams on the continent toward the Caucasus. Such an act, which was essentially luring adventurer teams to their deaths, was nothing short of indirect murder. Mahagumi couldn’t even imagine how he would face the angry gazes of those adventurers across the continent once the truth came out. By then, he feared he would be unable to escape their vengeful pursuit no matter where he went.
Seeming to sense his concern, Komer smiled slightly. “Mahagumi, we’re not acting without basis or inventing things out of thin air. The Little Greenland Forest was indeed the long-time dwelling place of the nature goddess Minto. Its mystery today stems from the goddess’s fame and grace. But now, the goddess’s presence spans the entire continent, and she won’t stop believers who revere her from exploring this land. Look, this Tianmiao Divine Ring in my hand, as well as the Jinghua Divine Ring I gave to Princess Velor, the daughter of Duke Zelin, were both obtained from a treasure trove during my exploration of the Little Greenland Forest.”
Somehow, a water-blue ring appeared in Komer’s hand. Its pale blue glow flowed gently, quickly covering his entire palm. A soft, moist aquatic aura spread throughout the room. The crystal-clear droplet-like particles within the ring seemed able to spread freely without restraint or contract instantly—its wonders were truly indescribable.
Seeing Mahagumi’s shocked expression yet lingering doubts, Komer realized the credibility of his words had dropped to a pitiful level in his subordinate’s eyes. With a helpless smile, he said solemnly, “Mahagumi, you don’t need to worry about verifying this legend. I’m confident I can handle it. Hes will provide some theoretical support for promotion. I had him and his adventurer friends conduct DNA tests on this Tianmiao Divine Ring, and they’re convinced it’s one of the seven divine rings carried by the nature goddess. I welcome anyone to come and verify it—of course, they first need to prove they have the strength to explore the Little Greenland Forest.”
I could tell from the master’s words that the treasure hunt in the Little Greenland Forest had little to do with the so-called Goddess’s Ring before us. But that didn’t matter. As long as it was confirmed that the master had made thorough arrangements for this matter, at least the issue of the divine rings and those related to Duke Zelin could be resolved, and that would be sufficient. As the master said, the Little Greenland Forest was so vast that even he got lost for half a month before managing to find his way out. Whether the treasure could be found was purely a matter of luck. Just like the lost ruins of ancient civilizations hidden in the Volt Mountains, not much has been discovered so far, yet adventurers keep arriving in large numbers, never tiring of it. At least, other gains from the Volt Mountains, such as capturing various magical beasts, have been substantial. The same could be achieved in the Little Greenland Forest.
“Hmm, my lord. I’ve spread these messages as you instructed. Three adventurer teams originally planning to explore the Volt Mountains have arrived at Bruce Fortress. After hearing the rumors, they showed great interest but also raised some doubts. They demanded to see your evidence firsthand and wanted detailed accounts of your adventures in the Little Greenland Forest. I hope you’ll agree to their requests. If nothing goes wrong, more expedition teams will likely join soon.”
“As for arrangements in Bruce, there’s already a workshop outside the fortress town that specializes in crafting rafts and canoes for adventurer teams, providing them with the necessary tools for upstream travel. The magic item shops and weapon stores in Bruce Fortress will also be fully open to them. The shops that buy local specialties have also shown great enthusiasm. As long as they register at Bruce Fortress, they can trade whatever they need or want to sell.”
Komer nodded in satisfaction as he listened to Mahagumi’s plans. This guy was truly a rare talent. If not for his background, Komer believed he could serve as a regional governor just like Neptune. But right now, he needed him even more for many matters he couldn’t handle personally. And he always managed to handle them perfectly. Sigh, why was he a half-orc hybrid?