Volume 20: Wolves in the Ground Sea
Chapter 1: Sparta
While the elite of the Caucasus rejoiced at the news about Komer, he had by then become a Sosor merchant attempting to conduct trade between the Southern Ground Sea and the Vast Continent. His generosity and reputation spread quickly throughout the Southern Ground Sea region due to his lack of foresight.
The Southern Ground Sea region has always been a hub of civilization on the Blue Continent. Numerous city-states, a long history, and a warm, humid climate have fostered a highly developed maritime trade civilization here. Civilizations from inland areas and regions reachable by sea have blended together, creating unique local customs and a prosperous culture and art scene—though sometimes to an extreme degree.
Komer began his journey to the Three Bays only after completing his deal with the Tyrrhenians. The most prosperous part of this vast sea area between the Blue Continent and the Vast Continent is the Ground Sea, with its core lying in the three bays of the Southern Ground Sea: the Gulf of Thermaic, the Gulf of Achaean, and the Gulf of Corinth. These bays are surrounded by the Chalcidic Peninsula and the Sithonia Peninsula, with dozens of cities, city-states, duchies, and kingdoms scattered around them. The diverse races, tolerant religious environment, and excellent sailing conditions have created an unparalleled cultural and artistic atmosphere as well as a highly developed commercial civilization.
The Kingdom of Sparta was Komer’s first stop. The honey wine and dried figs from Patras lingered in his memories. Here, one could find the richest and sweetest honey wine in the entire Ground Sea, along with crispy and sweet dried figs and exquisite Spartan armor. Advanced metallurgical and forging techniques had made Patras and Sparta the second-largest centers for weapon manufacturing in the Southern Ground Sea region, after the city-state of Corinth.
Komer also knew that a significant portion of the iron ore and high-quality anthracite exported from Bahomun and Bruce was resold here. Even the ravages of the evil dragons and the fierce battles between the Carthage fleet and the Gray Skulls could not stop the continuous flow of goods from the Caucasus and Leon to this region. The favorable climate and wind conditions in the Northern Mediterranean made this route one of the most profitable. Ships traveling south from Mardan and Bruce were mostly large bulk carriers, delivering iron ore, crude iron, and anthracite to fuel the metallurgical industries of the revived Corinthian city-state alliance.
“Mr. Kaladin, what do you think? I can assure you that you won’t find any finer armor throughout the Aegean Sea. We Spartans never lie!” The talkative merchant tried his best to describe in detail the exquisite beauty of his goods to Kommer. Kommer had to admit that the armor displayed before him was something he had never seen in the north before. Beyond its beauty, the way each plate was joined together was flawless, with delicate patterns and designs that clearly showed why it deserved the high price he was asking for.
“It’s indeed quite good. But perhaps no such fine goods can be found in the entire Aegean Sea. What about the Gulf of Corinth? I’ve heard that the city-state of Corinth also produces unparalleled armor.” Seeing the merchant so eager to promote his products, Kommer couldn’t bring himself to discourage this confident man. Yet, this wasn’t just about showing off wealth—it was a real business deal, and he needed to save every gold shield he could.
The merchant, momentarily stunned, showed an expression of helpless embarrassment. The metallurgical skills of the city-state of Corinth were renowned throughout the Mediterranean. He wouldn’t dare claim to surpass their armor, as that could even lead to conflict.
“Mr. Kaladin, if you only need one or a few sets of armor, I won’t stop you from going to Corinth. But I must remind you that the armor there costs tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of gold shields. There are even sets worth over a hundred thousand gold shields. They specialize in crafting magical armor. I believe Mr. Kaladin needs more armor. Our Spartan armor is made from iron ore from the Caucasus, along with unique mineral additives specific to Sparta, which are then melted and forged. Aside from any magical functions, I can claim that our armor is no less superior to anyone else’s. So I believe our Spartan armor is what you truly need.”
The merchant fell silent for a moment before raising his head and speaking louder. The pride in his voice as he said the last few words even made Kommer nod in agreement. Only such confidence could prove that a nation was vibrant. Compared to the stale atmosphere in the courts and cities of the Kingdom of Nicomedia, Kommer felt as refreshed in Patras, experiencing ease, joy, and passion at every moment.
“Hehe, Mr. Karmado Odysseus, I must admit that your eloquence is as good as your armor. I’m convinced by you. You’re right—I don’t need one or two sets of armor; I need a large quantity. Well, a really large quantity. I’m not sure if your production and supply capabilities can meet my needs,” Kommer said with a slight smile.
“A large quantity? I wonder just how many you need, Mr. Kaladin. Are there any other special requirements?” Karmado wore a confident smile. A large quantity? What does that mean? One hundred sets or two hundred? It seems this Mr. Kaladin is underestimating the production capabilities of his own family. The Odysseus family is the most important armor manufacturer in the entire Kingdom of Sparta, boasting the best craftsmen. How dare this outsider doubt their capabilities?
“We have a good partnership with the Sphinx family, who own the largest smelting and forging workshops in the Sparta region. They will provide us with all the high-quality iron plates we need. Mr. Kaladin, you needn’t worry about quality or timing at all. As long as you set a deadline, we guarantee to deliver satisfactory goods within that time frame.”
“Is that so? Then I’m looking forward to a perfect and pleasant partnership,” Kommer replied with a smile as well. The news of his absence in the Caucasus would soon reach Homer. Philip wouldn’t miss such an opportunity. Although the tribunal might not inform Philip of the truth, they would surely use various means to imply to Homer that he could no longer shoulder the responsibility of resisting Homer’s southern advance. Under such circumstances, the threat of Homer’s invasion would increase rapidly. If the situation in the north stabilized, Philip would likely deal with the problems in the Caucasus and Leon right away.
Kommer had to consider this issue as soon as possible. He hadn’t taken into account the powers of the Great Secret Cult and the undead of Umma. If he had, it might attract the entire power of the Church of Light, even provoking attacks from the entire mortal world in the north. Kommer wasn’t willing to take such risks for now. It was in his interest to let the war between the two sides take the form of a conventional battle among mortals.
“Mr. Karmado, I need five hundred sets of the finest armor. I also have some special requirements. Their specifications will likely be much larger than ordinary armor—probably around two meters in size. Other than that, I have no other demands. I just hope there won’t be too much delay. Could you tell me when I can expect to receive these goods?”
“Five hundred sets?” Kamado was shocked beyond belief. What did five hundred sets of armor even mean? That was equivalent to three months of a family’s production. Such a large order was something Kamado had never encountered before. Ordinary nobles usually ordered only five or ten sets, and even city-states or nations rarely ordered more than a hundred sets at a time. Yet this guy wanted five hundred sets right away?! So astonished was Kamado that he didn’t even notice the specifications mentioned by Komer at the end.
“Mr. Kaladin, may I ask who ordered this shipment? Such a large order is of considerable value. Please forgive my rudeness, but I’d like to know the exact destination of these goods.” Kamado, now wary, thought of the higher specifications requested by this man and his expression turned serious. No private individual could afford such a large order, especially with such special requirements. Could this man be an agent of the northern barbarians? This was troublesome. Although the Kingdom of Sparta didn’t border the barbarian territories, it was well known that the barbarians posed a great threat to all races in the south. A blockade against their supplies was a unanimous decision by all southern countries and forces, including the League of Corinthian City-States. No one dared to defy this consensus.
Komer immediately sensed the suspicion in the other man’s mind. It seemed these southern countries still held high vigilance against the barbarians. No wonder the barbarians had no chance in the south. With such firm and unified attitudes toward them, the barbarians could only place their hopes on their own lands in the north.
“Hehe, Mr. Kamado, it seems you’ve misunderstood. It seems not only the barbarians on the Azure Continent have such strong physiques. I’m a merchant who plans to do business in this region in the long term. I certainly won’t violate the laws of this place. Please rest assured, Mr. Kamado.” Seeing that the other man remained silent, Komer realized that if he couldn’t give a clear explanation, the other party might refuse the deal altogether. So he smiled and said, “Hasn’t Mr. Kamado thought of it yet? Which region would need armor of this specification these days? Well, let me remind you—this is armor prepared for half-orc soldiers.”