Chapter Twelve: Coming to the Surface

“Your Majesty, you may have some idea of the population composition in our regions of the Caucasus and Leon. Before Lord Komer arrived, the indigenous people of the Caucasus numbered only a few thousand. It was the hundred thousand immigrants from Sosor, Main, and Melen that gave the Caucasus a somewhat larger population. As for Leon, it is a larger region with a considerable population, but the vast majority are half-orcs, with very few humans. Among the immigrants from those three regions, there are also many half-elves. Thus, Lord Komer’s territory has a highly diverse racial makeup, which has led to relatively lenient policies. As a result, due to famine in the surrounding barbarian lands, many barbarians came to the Caucasus to work and find food.” Komer was well aware of João II’s concerns and had to carefully dispel the doubts of this suspicious king.

“As for the population composition in our Caucasus, half-orcs may account for over 60%, followed by humans at around 25%, half-elves at 10%, while barbarians, elves, dwarves, and other races make up about 5%. In the Caucasus and Leon, there are only a few thousand barbarians, but they are not official residents of the Caucasus and do not have citizenship. At most, they can be considered seasonal migrant workers. Our Caucasus is not wealthy; we need to import food from the upper reaches of the Catalonia River. Barbarians come here only for survival, and their presence does not cause any unrest. Compared to half-orcs, barbarians seem more civilized—at least in the Caucasus. These barbarians work here, using up the Caucasus’s food supply. In any case, this can be seen as a good thing. It is no wonder that Lord Komer is respected by the barbarians in the Cordillera Desert.”

“Mr. Caladine, are you saying that barbarians can come and go freely in your Caucasus? Don’t you worry that they might cause destruction there?” João II had heard of interactions between barbarians and the Caucasus, but he still couldn’t imagine how barbarians could behave so law-abidingly in the Caucasus while being so violent and cruel in the south and west, carrying out raids and plunder year after year, almost becoming a nightmare for the monarchs of neighboring countries. Why do the same barbarians behave so differently in different places?

Komer laughed. “Your Majesty, you think barbarians have nothing to be proud of compared to half-orcs, right? Half-orcs should be more fierce and brave than barbarians. They’ve killed countless mortal nobles during the riots in Leon, yet they still submit under Lord Komer’s rule. Your Majesty, there are hundreds of thousands of half-orcs. In the words of a noble minister from the Kingdom of Nicomedia, they’re like a torrential flood—once it breaks through Leon, it will drown out countless generations of mortal achievements and civilization. The Caucasus and Leon are different from Iberia; they’re barren lands with nothing. To survive, one must work hard with their own hands, whether they’re mortals, half-orcs, or barbarians. No work, no food—that’s the rule of the Caucasus, and it must be obeyed.”

Some nodded in admiration. Joao II sighed and said, “I never thought Viscount Komer could tame the fiercest and most unruly half-orcs along the roads. Now, even the barbarians dare not act recklessly in the Caucasus. It’s a pity we in the south can’t follow suit.”

“Your Majesty, how can the Caucasus compare to the prosperous Iberia? Both barbarians and half-orcs crave mortal civilization and wealth but refuse to improve through their own efforts. They always try to achieve their goals through easier methods. To stop their excessive desires, strength is necessary—only force can make them truly submit and fear. If you can’t make them afraid, they’ll become more daring in their provocations. But once your strength overwhelms them, forcing them to pay a heavy price for every attack without gaining anything, they will naturally respect you and even try to resolve their differences through other means.” Komer shrugged. “This principle is valued in mortal societies; it seems to apply to other races as well.”

Komer’s words seemed to touch a nerve in Joao II’s psyche. With a slight, proud wave of his hand, three robe-clad mages at the other end of the hall silently drifted over. “By the way, Mr. Caladine, you’re right—strength is the only factor that determines our relationship with our enemies. Viscount Komer can use half-orcs to suppress the barbarians, but Iberia doesn’t have that advantage. Yet we’ve found a new way: using the power of mages to curb the barbarians’ ambitions and desires. I forgot to introduce them earlier—David Copperfield, a great dark mage, will be the chief mage of Iberia’s newly established mage order. Those two are his friends, mages Faraco and Shah.”

Komer smiled slightly and politely extended his hand. Several pairs of eyes, unseen by Joao II, exchanged glances briefly before returning to calm. The polite exchanges revealed nothing unusual; everything seemed natural. In fact, Komer even praised Joao II’s wise decision to use the power of mages to combat those ignorant barbarians, allowing them to experience the unfathomable forces of nature, which might effectively curb their reckless actions.

The Pontifex Protectus under Xuro, along with two senior protectors, had become the core of Iberia’s royal mage order—something truly hard to believe. The Great Secret Sect had been extremely active lately and had indeed achieved remarkable results. From Piraeus to Troy, and now Iberia, there were a string of invitations, with proposals to establish large temples in their countries piling up. The impact of the Olympic Festival exceeded even Komer and Xuro’s expectations, though it was precisely the outcome they had hoped for from the start.

Piraeus had set a good example—Klinger had become the deputy leader of the city-state’s municipal guard, a position of great importance. The city-state’s mage order was also being actively established. Now, it seemed Iberia was taking even bigger steps, with everything progressing in an orderly manner. The forces of darkness were finally beginning to emerge.