Chapter 20: The Jellyfish People

There seemed to be a faint expectation in his calm gaze as Komer silently watched the pensive, disheveled mage. After a long while, he said, “Mr. Lebray, I may not be entirely aware of any treasures hidden in the Great Swamp, but I’m sure you are. As for whether you’re interested, well, that’s still doubtful.”
“It’s true that the Jellyfish People hate outsiders, but they’re not completely cut off from the outside world. It seems they also need merchants from the outside to supply them with medicinal herbs. From what I’ve learned, most of these herbs are used to treat a skin ulceration disease that is quite common in humid regions. It might not be fatal to ordinary people, but for the Jellyfish People, it poses a serious threat to their lives. Perhaps it’s due to their different physical constitution from us ordinary people, or maybe it’s the unique geography and climate of the Great Swamp that makes this disease so severe. Yet I know this disease isn’t difficult to treat—the herbs used are quite common. I also know that treating it with certain forms of white magic can not only cure it immediately but also enhance the patient’s resistance to the disease, greatly improving their ability to defend against it in the future. Tell me, if we had these advantages, would they still refuse us?”
His words shocked Lebray, but they also stirred some interest in him. The claim that there were no treasures worth risking in the Great Swamp was obviously false. The vast swamp was home to many plants useful for water magic, and some of its specialties were even high-grade materials for water and wood magic. No one could say what the Jellyfish People had gained from these waters over the centuries. But compared to the risk of facing the entire Jellyfish People tribe, these treasures seemed rather insignificant. Whether they were magicians or adventurers, they would only take action if they had some certainty. No one would undertake such a suicidal risk—except, of course, idiots or madmen.

“It seems Lord Lord knows far more about the Jellyfolk than we do. Indeed, I’ve heard that most Jellyfolk suffer from some form of skin disease to varying degrees. Unfortunately, I’m not a mage doctor or a potion master, so I have no idea what exactly they suffer from or what kind of treatment is needed. But it appears Lord Lord has already solved this problem. It seems he has considerable expertise in using magic to treat diseases and create potions. Can I be sure of that?” Rebrí glanced at Komer, clearly hoping for a definite answer.

The aristocratic elegance was fully displayed at this moment. Komer nodded modestly. “Mr. Rebrí, rest assured. Since Komer dared to invite you here, safety must have been taken into consideration. If I couldn’t guarantee that, I wouldn’t be such a reckless person as to undertake such a futile action.”

Rebrí felt a slight heat rise on his face. He inwardly cursed this kid for mocking him so subtly—wasn’t this clearly implying he was simple-minded? Yet, for a wandering mage like him who sought the ways of magic and found joy in adventuring everywhere, the chance to enter the Great Swamp Region and glimpse the Jellyfolk’s territory was his greatest desire. With such an opportunity presented, Rebrí would never refuse.

“In that case, it was Rebrí who was overthinking. Then Rebrí will wait patiently for Lord Lord’s summons. Rebrí will be there at a moment’s notice.” With a slight nod, Rebrí said no more. This Lord Lord’s profound thoughts were comparable to those of politicians who had long been in politics—he had already planned ahead even for secrets like the Jellyfolk’s weaknesses. It seemed this Lord Lord was determined to open up the Catalonia River as a passage. It was just unknown what changes this would bring to the overall situation of the Azure Continent. Once this passage was opened, the countries and city-states in the upper and middle reaches of the Catalonia River could easily use it to reach the sea, bringing unimaginable changes to the situation in the central part of the continent, which had long relied on canals and land transport.

Philip sat listlessly in the semicircular silver armchair, lost in thought. The once-shining silver armchair now appeared dull, seemingly reflecting his mood. Things were not as good as he had imagined. Although the navy had blocked the entire central part of the Abyssal Sea, it seemed the Caucasus region was not greatly affected. Food ships from the south continued to arrive in Mardan without interruption, which had angered local and Calais-based grain merchants. It was clear they could not compete in such a large market, yet the bumper harvest still seemed to ease the food shortage in the Caucasus—something far from ideal.

But none of this was the main reason for Philip’s disappointment and frustration. What angered and humiliated him was that the Romanov family of the Kingdom of Nicosia had officially announced the cancellation of the engagement between Hoffman and Tracy, even though they had only been engaged for a year. This was clearly a provocation, meant to stir up his anger and drive him to act irrationally. Although Zelin had written urging him to remain calm, and he knew the Romanovs wanted to provoke him into making foolish moves so they could seize the opportunity to start a war, Philip still felt an unbearable urge.

But now he needed to figure out why Tracy hadn’t informed him in advance about such a significant change. He couldn’t believe his daughter wouldn’t have any hint about such an important matter.

“Duke, the princess says she is unwell and needs to rest in bed. We can discuss this another day,” reported a flustered guard who rushed in, stammering.

“Unwell? Hmph, probably just scared and nervous. Tell her she must come here today. I’ll be waiting for her!” His eyes narrowed sharply, his icy gaze making the guard feel uneasy, who quickly rushed out again.

“Duke, it seems pointless to ask the princess to explain now. Since the kingdom has so recklessly broken off the engagement, it’s obvious they intend to target us, the Homers. Look at those grain ships—still transporting food to the Caucasus without restraint. Although our navy intercepts them, they have documents issued by the kingdom’s internal affairs department. If we detain them, they threaten to file complaints with the kingdom’s internal affairs department and the Star Court, giving the kingdom an excuse to declare war. But if we ignore them, our embargo becomes meaningless and we’ll only be laughed at by outsiders.”

There were no more than three people in all of Cyprus who could speak to Grand Duke Philip in such a tone. Of course, Marquis Sultz, as the military commander of the Homer region, was one of them. He had helped the grand duke lead the Homer army for over twenty years, turning it into one of the finest forces in the kingdom. Although his reputation was greatly damaged by the disastrous defeat at Leon, it did not affect his status in Philip’s eyes.

“So what do you think we should do now? The kingdom’s Blue Dove Corps is fully formed, and with just our family’s strength, we have no chance of competing with the kingdom, no matter from which perspective. Unless the four great lords unite. But Zelin still advises me to exercise restraint, while those two in the north are terrified by the ferocity of the orcs, fearing they might break through the kingdom’s northern defenses and threaten their own territories. So they’ve become more friendly toward the kingdom lately, even showing willingness to accept the Utrecht Edict. Damn those orcs—I don’t know whether to welcome them or curse them. They’ve really given me a hard time.”

With a long sigh, Philip seemed to age several years. He realized he was increasingly lacking in the spirit of exploration and adventure, and deep down, he seemed to prefer this peaceful situation to continue. This mindset worried him greatly—the more he harbored such thoughts, the more trouble he was likely to encounter. Now that the Blue Dove Corps was formed, it seemed the kingdom was preparing to take action against Homer. If he continued to refuse the Utrecht Edict, either the Iron Cross or the Blue Dove Corps might resort to military action to assert the kingdom’s sovereignty over Homer—a scenario Philip certainly did not want to see.

Sultz exchanged a glance with the man beside him who had remained silent, seemingly waiting for something, before hesitantly saying, “Your Highness, in this situation, if we want to avoid confrontation with the kingdom, we must use other forces to put pressure on the kingdom’s central authorities, making them realize that if we start another civil war, the entire kingdom will face invasion by the orcs, and the only outcome will be mutual destruction. This is perhaps the only way to stop the kingdom from taking such risks.”

“Other forces?” Philip glanced skeptically at his confidant before finally turning his attention to the silent man beside him. Realizing something, he nodded and said, “The Light Church?”

“Uh, yes, Your Highness.” Swallowing hard, Marquis Schulz also felt that such a deal-like arrangement with the Church of Light seemed somewhat inappropriate. Yet at the moment, it seemed this was the only force capable of influencing decisions in the kingdom’s heart. If they didn’t prepare early, once the kingdom officially issued a declaration of war, it would be difficult to ask the Church of Light to intervene and mediate.