Chapter 2: Crisis and Opportunity
As March began, the chill gradually faded, and warm sunlight arrived quietly after a few showers. The land was covered in greenery, and the crops sown after the burning had already sprouted. Komer stood with arms crossed, silently observing these seemingly sudden changes. Although his transformation from a noble’s son to a local lord had been ongoing for months, psychologically, Komer still hadn’t fully embraced this change.
Several months of busyness passed in a whirlwind of early rises and late nights. From Komer to Ilot and everyone else entrusted with various duties, hardly anyone among them didn’t long to lie quietly in bed for a whole day and night. The intense workload made them realize how fulfilling life could be, yet also how overwhelming it could be. From Matdan to Ugru, from Bahomon to Darmen, Komer didn’t know how many times he had traveled along these routes over the past three months—inspecting road construction, checking mine preparations, attending the opening of new workshops and shops. In short, anything that wasn’t part of a lord’s duties but might bring even the slightest benefit to the future of the Caucasus would have Puber urging Komer to participate in. Still, his diligent assistants shared much of the workload for him.
Komer wondered why he, as a lord, had to work so hard, while other lords didn’t seem to labor so much. Fine wine, beautiful women, balls and banquets, gambling and games—these were what a lord was supposed to enjoy by nature. But in the Caucasus, everything was reversed. Perhaps this was the difference between a lord of the Caucasus and other lords, Komer thought.
“Boss, boss!” A weak, hoarse voice called from behind him, like that of a duck just emerging from a duck pond. The extreme fatigue had left Puber, who was already undernourished, even more emaciated. Komer even maliciously imagined that his friend and close companion might look similar to a skeleton by now. Perhaps because he was too busy, Puber never stopped exploiting others, filling their schedules to the brim almost every day. If it weren’t for Komer’s need to practice magic, Puber would likely have taken even his nighttime time for himself.
Seeing Komer’s indifferent attitude, Puber wasn’t bothered. Having taken it upon himself to revitalize the Caucasus, Puber had fully embraced his role as the regional administrator. From the settlement, daily life, and production of immigrants to the development of mines and road construction by the indigenous people, Puber almost daily listened to reports from newly recruited officials. If he wasn’t satisfied, he would go and inspect things in person—truly a model of an official.
However, in Komer’s eyes, this was a typical manifestation of someone who enjoyed the feeling of holding power, getting involved in every detail personally. Wouldn’t such an administrator end up acting like a housekeeper? Yet Komer had to admit that, given the severe shortage of local officials and the unstable public sentiment at the time, it was absolutely necessary for both him and Puber to go deep among the local people to inspect and assess the situation. At least this way, they quickly won some goodwill from the newly arrived immigrants.
Under the constant strain of fatigue and excitement, Puber was on the verge of collapse. Yet his desire for power kept him busy with various tasks every day. This made Komer both amused and impressed—after all, having such a loyal and diligent partner and assistant to help him reduced his responsibilities and pressures significantly.
It could be said that after Puber joined forces with Hes, Neptune, and others with the new immigrant representatives led by Hozer and Rese, the entire Caucasus was in high gear. Although there were still some minor conflicts and incidents, they couldn’t stop the Caucasus from functioning like a well-oiled machine. From the coasts of the Abyssal Sea in the east to the Great Marshes of Catalonia River in the west, from the edge of the barbarians’ territory in the south to the forests bordering Leon in the north, immigrants could be seen almost everywhere.
Affected by the large-scale immigration, the number of scattered immigrants from various parts of the continent also surged suddenly. Before the immigrants from those three regions arrived, only a few scattered immigrants had come. But the arrival of over a hundred thousand immigrants from those three regions acted like a free, live advertisement for the Caucasus, immediately attracting more attention. Landless farmers, craftsmen who relied on earnings for a living, ruined nobles who survived by odd jobs, curious adventurers, small merchants seeking wealth opportunities, vagrants working odd jobs, brothel owners and prostitutes looking for new clients, and even wandering bards—all of them flocked to the Caucasus in a chaotic mess, giving Rese, who was in charge of internal affairs and justice, a huge headache. Although Komer had agreed to recruit several assistants from among the immigrants and natives to help Rese handle the inevitable daily tasks, and also assigned fifty lords’ guard soldiers each week to assist the judges in maintaining order in Ugru, the security situation continued to deteriorate as the composition of the immigrants in the Caucasus became increasingly complex.
“Puber, don’t be so coy. I know you like your current life, but you don’t have to show all your joy on your face. Look at those dark circles under your eyes—where on whose belly did you sleep again? The Blood-Sucking Queen?”
Only in front of Puber and Ilot could Komer truly relax. This sudden life as a lord revealed that his adaptability was far inferior to that of Puber and Ilot. While they had fully integrated into life in the Caucasus, he still longed for the three years of exile he had experienced earlier. That carefree life without responsibilities or pressures was truly memorable. Komer knew it was just a phase of life, and one couldn’t dwell on the past forever. But as a lord, he couldn’t appear confident and composed in front of others. The questions of whether this was what he truly wanted and his desire to rise above those who had caused him pain and humiliation kept fighting within him. Only in front of Ilot and Puber could Komer fully release himself, and his gloomy mood would once again return to peace and calm.
Seeing the bright yet eerie smile on the other person’s face, Puber felt bitter inside. The glorious image he had painstakingly built was completely ruined just because he had gone to a brothel with Ilot and Zipra. Caught off guard by Komer, he could not avoid being mocked by him time and again; he could only endure in silence. After all, it seemed Komer had completely lost his former recklessness. Although Ugru’s brothels had opened three more in this month, as far as Puber knew, Komer, who used to visit them countless times, hadn’t gone there even once. This made him wonder if Komer had turned himself into someone devoid of emotions through magic practice.
“Alright, boss, stop talking about this nonsense all day. Can you focus on important matters? We really can’t afford to slack off now.” Puber ignored Komer’s attitude and got straight to business: “It seems we still need to recruit some judicial assistants on the Rese side. It’s urgent to establish judicial officers in Matdan—we can’t delay any longer. I think it’s only a matter of time before Darman and Bahomon are set up as well. We need to decide on that right away. Over this month, the number of scattered immigrants moving in has increased significantly. It’s only mid-March, and in just these ten days, over 600 families, totaling more than 2,000 people, have moved in. I’ve arranged for them all to go to Bahomon. Judging from this trend, the number of immigrants is likely to keep rising, so we need to be prepared for that.”
As soon as they talked about serious matters, Komer returned to his normal state. “Puber, we in Caucasus are in great shortage of officials for internal affairs, justice, civil administration, and finance. See if you can contact your classmates from school. Even if just three or five of them come, it could help ease the burden on us. Right now, the only ones who can help us are ourselves. As you said, given the current situation, Caucasus is about to become a hotbed of development. But our land is constrained by many factors and is full of dangers. If we’re not careful, we might all be finished. Right now, we must seize every moment to build up our strength so that when others catch their breath, we won’t have any other choice but to perish.”
Seeming to grasp the meaning in Komer’s words, Puber’s expression also turned solemn immediately. “Boss, Eilot has already told me. Anyway, both Eilot and I support you. Since the three of us have been drawn into this, it’s impossible to back out even if we wanted to. That old fool Philip won’t let us off easy, so we can’t just give up so easily. But boss, it seems Duke Tez, the Minister of Internal Affairs of the kingdom, holds you in high regard. I heard Palermo is under Princess Kakiya’s control. I wonder if this is the king’s intention?”
“Hmph, Puber, don’t place your hopes on outsiders. Tez holding me in high regard? Without Philip and Zelin’s defiance, he probably wouldn’t even glance at me. Philip and Zelin’s strength already threatens the survival of the kingdom. He just sees that I happen to be positioned behind them and, in desperation, uses me as a useful pawn. Right now, the kingdom is in grave crisis—the four lords act independently, the royal court lacks the strength to reclaim its former powers, and the unrest among the beastmen in the north makes things worse. If it weren’t for the two lords in the north providing aid out of concern for the kingdom’s collapse, its finances would have long gone bankrupt. Even now, the kingdom can’t afford more troops. Look at the knight orders and mages in Zelin’s territory, and you’ll see how huge the gap is. The economic base determines the superstructure—that’s an eternal truth. Tez, or perhaps the emperor, might want to change this situation, but it seems unlikely.” Komer shrugged and shook his head, clicking his lips.
“As for Palermo, he’s a pure opportunist. Political speculation is always a highly profitable business, and it’s also Palermo’s favorite way to speculate. No one can make an opportunist loyal forever—neither interests nor Kakiya can do that. Palermo is more realistic than anyone else, and of course, his vision and sense are sharper than ordinary people’s. He’ll surely notice that the kingdom is supporting me heavily in an attempt to contain Philip. He can first use this opportunity to make more profits. Of course, betting on us won’t cost him much, but if successful, the rewards will be substantial. Such a gamble, despite some risks, is worth it for him.”
“Boss, our financial situation isn’t optimistic at all. The funds from selling the coal and stone mine rights were all invested in road construction, leaving us with nothing. Relying solely on the financial subsidies from the kingdom, it will be hard to sustain things for long. We’ll probably need to find another way to make money. Among the immigrants from Meine and Susor, there are many wealthy people. What do you think? Should we try to borrow from them? I want to use all our current funds to buy grain for storage. After all, we can’t yet produce our own grain, and more immigrants are continuing to arrive. Bruce Fortress is our only route for external communication, but it’s under Philip’s control. If he decides to strangle us at this point, we’re doomed.” Ever since Ilot told Pupber about his conversation with Komer that night, Pupber became more interested in external information. The poor transportation conditions in the Caucasus forced him to prepare in advance. Grain had always been crucial for the Caucasus, and until they could produce their own grain, anyone could exploit that vulnerability. He had to plan ahead.
Komer nodded silently. The other person was right. Having enough grain reserves was something every lord had to consider, especially in the Caucasus. Although the first batch of crops could be planted after simple cultivation of the burned land, such newly reclaimed land wouldn’t yield much in the first or second season. To the north, Grand Duke Philip was always looking for an opportunity to kill them. Though, due to the kingdom’s and the outside world’s focus on the immigrants, Philip probably thought he still had control over them and could kill them at any time, so he hadn’t acted yet. But Komer was convinced that as soon as one of these two factors changed, Philip would eliminate them without hesitation, just like crushing an ant, and the simplest and most effective way to do that was by controlling grain.
“But where can we get enough funds to stockpile grain right now? You know, Pupber, three-tenths of our funds were taken by the kingdom, and most of what’s left was used to buy grain and distribute it. With all these current expenses, we have no other income sources. To stockpile grain, we need a huge amount of money.” Although Komer had left all financial matters to Pupber, he was well aware of the large expenses involved. The funds needed for grain reserves weren’t small, and given the Caucasus’ current financial situation, it was impossible to cover them.
“So I suggest that the leader invite those wealthy people from Main and Susor to establish a bank for our Caucasus region, under the pretext of preventing the rampant activities of usurers. There are already signs of this, and if we don’t take control, usurers will grow even stronger, which will be detrimental to our control over the entire region.” Puber was confident. Over two years of rigorous study in Phoenix had made him a competent government official, especially his innate financial awareness, which drove him to study finance more diligently than any other subject in school. He was convinced that he was far more suitable and competent for financial positions than those rigid and old-fashioned financial clerks.
As a product of economic development, banks were no longer something new, but they were a novelty in remote areas like the Caucasus. In places like Ugru, which used to be small towns, there was no such need—merely small-scale borrowing among merchants. However, with the influx of many wealthy individuals and businesses, Ugru underwent dramatic changes in just a few months. The rapid increase in population gave it a tendency to develop into a small city, and the prosperity of commerce led to a demand for funds. Usurers emerged as a result. The emergence of financial institutions, which is inevitable when usury develops to a certain extent, is also in line with the laws of economic development. It’s just that Puber hoped this step would happen sooner.
“Do you think those guys will be willing to invest in establishing one?” Komer wasn’t very familiar with financial matters. Asking others to contribute money for his use seemed quite difficult to him.
“Hehe, boss, banks are highly sought after, especially those established under the leadership of a lord—they’re industries with huge profits and bright prospects. With the support of the lord’s estate, plus the booming situation in our Caucasus region right now, people like Meiin and Susor are more cunning than anyone else. Their sense for profit is even sharper; I’m afraid they’ll come knocking at your door even if you don’t want them to.” Pube smiled to reassure Komer. “But boss, all of this depends on our mines being able to be mined quickly and turned into export goods, especially Bahomun’s iron ore. Everyone is counting on the mining of this ore to drive the economic development of the Caucasus region. Three iron smelting workshops in Ugru are already in full construction. If we can’t extract iron ore from this mine on schedule, our lord’s estate’s reputation and finances will suffer greatly. This is the foundation upon which our Caucasus lord’s estate relies for survival.”
Komer seemed to sense there was more to his close friend’s words. He glanced over and saw Pube looking somewhat serious, as if pondering his words. After a while, Pube swallowed hard and said, “Boss, to be honest, our mine is facing some problems. The workers who were doing preliminary preparations there encountered orcs, and not just one. According to the workers who managed to escape, there should be at least two or three male orcs near the mine!”
Komer had already been prepared for the issue of orcs. During the exploration missions before mining the mine, Ilot had almost been devoured by orcs. Fortunately, a magic scroll created by Komer saved his life. Komer also knew that orcs generally didn’t migrate casually. The appearance of orcs in Bahomun meant their lair was somewhere near the mine—a obstacle that had to be eliminated. If they couldn’t even handle this, not only would natives like Hes doubt his ability to control the Caucasus, but it would also disappoint the immigrants who had high hopes for him. From any perspective, the orcs had to be dealt with. In fact, Komer was even looking forward to such an opportunity. If he could successfully eliminate the orcs, Bahomun would become a stable source of income for him, and his prestige among the people of the Caucasus would soar greatly. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
However, ogres aren’t that easy to deal with. Firstly, ogres usually live in groups—often with two to three females following a single male. According to Pupber, there are at least three such groups in the mining area, totaling around ten ogres. Although Komer is quite confident in his growing magical skills, he doesn’t dare claim he can handle about ten ogres at once. Though ogres live in groups, each group rarely mixes with others. If he adopts a strategy of taking them one by one, Komer feels somewhat confident.
“Hmm, I understand. Things here are almost taken care of. I’ll head south to Bahomun right away to resolve this issue. Fortunately, I haven’t been idle these past days, and my magic skills have improved. It’s a good chance to test just how much my magic has improved using these ogres.” Ilot and Pupber already knew their leader possessed formidable magical power, which was why they had such confidence in Komer. In this era, a magician meant strength and power. The entire court mage corps of the Kingdom of Nicocia consisted of just over thirty magicians, many of whom were direct disciples of the Light Church. Only about twenty of them were truly loyal to the Nicocian royal family, and each of them was a renowned powerhouse in the kingdom. The kingdom went to great lengths to win over these magicians, treating them like honored guests. Even the king often invited them to high-level social events, highlighting their importance in the kingdom.
Pupber and Ilot weren’t aware of Komer’s exact level of magical skill, but they knew his abilities had far surpassed those of ordinary magicians and even reached the realm of great magicians. They couldn’t understand how their leader could reach such a level in just a few years, especially since his magical power had improved rapidly during his time in the Caucasus, leaving them in awe.