Chapter Eleven: Military Prohibitions
Due to the lord’s household’s massive purchases, which directly stimulated the rapid growth of the arms, armor, and other military goods industries in Matdan and Ugru, Maxim’s blacksmith shop expanded its production scale twice within half a year, becoming one of the leading medium-sized forges in the Caucasus. The number of apprentices and workers rose from less than ten to over 120. The refining furnaces and forges were constantly in use. He even spent a fortune hiring three dwarf craftsmen as master artisans to teach the apprentices and workers, improving their forging and smelting skills to produce higher-quality products. In Matdan, armor production also showed signs of scaling up. Several small workshops merged to form a medium-sized leather manufacturing plant that not only purchased large quantities of leather locally but also established trade routes with colonies across the Abyssal Sea to secure a steady supply. Their main customers were the lord’s household. While giving priority to meeting the needs of the lord’s guard and self-defense forces, Puber purchased large quantities on behalf of the lord’s household and smuggled them into the Leon region to reap huge profits.
The rising military industries in the Caucasus even caught the attention of the barbarians to the south. High-quality weapons and durable armor had always been the most coveted treasures among the warlike barbarian men. However, for various reasons, almost every country and faction around them, including those non-human races, had tacitly imposed strict restrictions and embargoes on the barbarians in this regard. It had become a centuries-old convention in the Land of Azure that no military supplies were allowed into barbarian territories. For the barbarians, obtaining such items had become a luxury. To survive, they were forced to use inferior weapons and armor to fight against various beasts and magical creatures in the Cordillera Wasteland. Even these substandard products they produced could only equip their soldiers, while ordinary barbarians could only dream of obtaining such things.
Komer’s apparent friendliness seemed to give the Barbarian Alliance a glimmer of hope. They hoped to make progress in this area by improving relations with the Caucasus. Of course, they also knew that breaking this long-standing taboo was no easy task.
The barbarians’ demand to lift the blockade against them put Komer in a difficult position. He knew that this blockade was actually a crucial restraint on the barbarians; if it were lifted, their military strength would increase exponentially. His own territory might be fine, but the vast human lands to the east of the barbarians, as well as the nations established by dwarves and elves to the south, would likely face destruction. This was actually a ban agreed upon by all races, one that had to be followed for the sake of mutual interests, just like the ban imposed by the Northern Alliance on orcs.
Whether to lift the blockade on the barbarians also sparked some debate within the Caucasus. People like Puber, Eilot, Neptune, and Rese advocated for a certain degree of lifting the ban, allowing strict restrictions on the number of weapons but permitting access to protective gear such as armor. However, they all argued that the barbarians must meet certain conditions in return for the Caucasus’ generous and risky kindness. On the other hand, those like Hes, Hozel, Zip, and Melbourne opposed lifting the ban, believing it would inevitably increase the barbarians’ likelihood of expanding through aggression. While the Caucasus might not face significant danger in the short term, once the barbarians tasted success in other regions, they would surely turn their attention to the Caucasus.
The debates on this issue also put Komer in a difficult position. Deep down, Komer didn’t care about the barbarians’ growing military strength. After all, as the power of the Caucasus increased along with his own magical abilities, those barbarians might gain an edge in conventional battles. But when faced with things like magical attacks—punishments from the gods that seemed unimaginable to them—those advantages would vanish instantly. Komer was absolutely confident that if the barbarians dared to invade the Caucasus in the future, he could teach them a lesson they would never forget. Moreover, deep in his heart, Komer harbored a particularly despicable thought: it seemed harmless for the barbarians to attack areas outside the Caucasus, and he even wanted such situations to occur. Perhaps a more chaotic situation on the continent was best suited for someone like him. If there were only peaceful, stable times, he might have to spend the rest of his life in this remote Caucasus. However, Komer had to consider those who opposed lifting the restrictions. After all, the orcs had already destroyed their homeland, scaring them to death, and now they might face the barbarians’ tyranny. How could they possibly support the barbarians’ aggression?
After repeated debates, everyone finally reached a compromise: agreeing to allow limited access to military supplies such as armor, while weapons would be sold in very small quantities under a quota system and export licensing. All military supplies imported into barbarian territories would be purchased by the lords’ courts and then sold to the barbarians. No individual or organization could violate this ban without consequence, facing penalties such as confiscation of property, imprisonment, or even execution under charges of smuggling and endangering public safety. The first batch of export licenses granted was fifty finely crafted iron longswords and two hundred sets of leather armor, worth 120,000 gold shields—more than three times the price at which the Caucasus exported to the colonies on the Vast Continent. Yet this still left the barbarians overjoyed.
In return, the barbarians would first open up the territories of two tribes in the northern part of their alliance to the Caucasus. Those holding licenses jointly issued by the Caucasus lords’ courts and the barbarian alliance would be allowed to enter these tribes’ territories to explore for mines. If mines were found, they would be permitted to mine them, with the Caucasus side allowed to own over 50% of the shares through investment. The Caucasians would also be allowed to set up shops in these territories to trade in civilian goods and provide services.
The introduction of this policy once again turned the attention of the Caucasus merchants southward. Although they still harbored doubts about entering barbarian territories to explore and mine for resources, in the Bakhomon area—where borders with the barbarians had not yet been definitively established—it was clear that the 50 miles south of Bakhomon, which had previously been disputed territory, now belonged to the Caucasus thanks to the boundary markers set up by Komer and Puber. As for the additional 30 miles south, which had originally been barbarian territory, it had become a pending area. The region adjacent to the Bakhomon iron mines had become a hot spot for exploration, as relations with the barbarians were gradually improving, and many barbarians were entering the Caucasus. You wouldn’t be surprised to see barbarians seeking work in Ugru, Matdan, or even Muscat.
It was precisely this trend of peaceful coexistence and even integration among the peoples that allowed Komer to persuade Hes and others to agree to supply limited amounts of military equipment to the Cordillera wasteland. The barbarians’ good behavior within the Caucasus was also a key reason why Hes and the others eventually agreed to compromise.
Komer had proposed to the Barbarian Alliance that they provide three to five Earth Dragons for the Caucasus and help train a small squad of Earth Dragon guards. However, the Barbarian Alliance had not responded. Yet Komer saw hope in this—since they hadn’t outright refused, it meant there were disagreements within the alliance regarding his request. In other words, he could still make further efforts in this direction; perhaps his initially fanciful request actually had a chance of success. The thought of having a small squad of fearsome Earth Dragons in his guard excited him—having these unique warriors from among the barbarians join his forces, even just a few, would carry an unimaginable deterrent effect against surrounding enemies. Of course, this would require gradual effort. Convincing the barbarians to accept this condition would likely be as difficult as convincing Hes and the others to allow unrestricted supply of military equipment to them.
Komer sat in the magnificent study of his lord’s manor—a room specially redesigned by Puber to project a positive image of the Caucasus among representatives and guests from various races. Since Komer spent most of his time receiving guests in this study, it was used as the meeting place for most visits, except for a few occasions involving larger groups of guests.
The sunny side featured large, bright floor-to-ceiling glass windows—just these exquisite windows cost Puber thirty thousand gold shields. Sunlight streamed in, casting a magnificent glow over the entire study. On a heavy ebony desk lay a stack of printed books, and on the large wall behind the rosewood chair hung a map of the entire Caucasus region. This map was specifically commissioned by Komer for Puber to have people survey the area and create based on existing Caucasus maps, making it the most detailed and accurate map of the region.
The imposing man in front of him had a slightly protruding forehead, messy yellowish-brown hair, and a slightly hunched back. His deep-set brownish-yellow eyes suggested he might have half-ork ancestry, while his slightly pointed ears hinted at elven blood. Yet none of these traits were as telling as the humble expression on his face, which clearly indicated his human origins. Based solely on this, Komer could conclude that this man was indeed an anomaly among the half-orks.
This was an informant that Puber had painstakingly selected from among the half-orks for Komer. Just from the man’s agile and shifting gaze, Komer could tell that he was indeed a natural talent for espionage. At least for those overly impulsive half-orks, finding such a talent was quite difficult.