Chapter 20: Gifts

It was a finely polished stone mirror. Its light brown base emerged through a serene greenish luster on its surface, giving it an exceptionally delicate and soft appearance. Its rounded edges were unclear whether they were naturally shaped or worn smooth by countless touches over time, lying quietly on the desk and exuding an enticing charm.
No matter what material it was made of, Komer couldn’t determine it through various tests. The only thing certain was that it must be an extremely rare and special type of stone material. Not only did it help calm the mind, but carrying it close to the body seemed to also bring considerable benefits to the wearer.
When Komer picked up the stone mirror with two fingers, a cool sensation slowly spread up his fingers and arms. It wasn’t like ice magic nor water magic. The evenly distributed glow around it made the mirror appear particularly magnificent and strange. There were no other markings, patterns, or symbols. Yet, this seemingly simple mirror always made Komer feel that there was something extraordinary within it, though he couldn’t understand it at the moment.
Komer had held the parchment scroll in his hands for a long time, having flipped through it repeatedly. From its material, one could tell of its ancient history. Two hundred years ago, a wanderer in the east of theblue Continent invented a new medium for storing knowledge—paper—using tree bark and cotton thread ends. Within just a few decades, it spread throughout the entireblue Continent. Whether in courts, churches, academies, or homes, paper replaced the previously expensive and inconvenient parchment and silk.
Although Komer thought his three years of exile had given him considerable experience, he still couldn’t identify the origin of the characters and symbols on the scroll. Helplessly, he put it aside, deciding to wait for an opportunity since he didn’t recognize them.
Gently touching the dark ring in his hand, he saw nothing fancy about it. However, the rather simple gemstone set in the ring surprised him. That dark stone didn’t seem like an ordinary one. Though ordinary dark stones could store magic, a stone of that size in a ring was unlikely to be very effective. Most people preferred to use priests’ blessings to seal magic within such stones, allowing the ring wearer to harness the gods’ luck and power. Though the power was minimal and the luck seemed even more intangible, it seemed the previous owner of this ring hadn’t received any divine favor.

Yet within this dark stone, Komer could clearly sense the surge of magic energy. Such a strong sensation proved that the energy contained within this stone was extraordinary—magic energy injected from the outside could not be stored on such a large scale. This could only mean one thing: the dark stone in this unassuming ring might be a medium specifically designed for magic, possessing a considerable capacity. This was exactly what Komer wanted to figure out.

However, Komer knew his knowledge of magic was pitifully limited, especially when it came to basic principles and historical background. Months of study hadn’t transformed him into an expert. Although his teacher said he had amazing talent in magic, particularly in dark and necromantic spells, Komer didn’t particularly like these types of magic that often induced negative emotions. He preferred honesty and enjoying life under the sunlight. Being a magician wasn’t a career he liked, let alone one that required living in darkness forever. Even becoming a great magician didn’t appeal to him. Of course, to achieve his goals—gaining some magical ability to strengthen his own power—this did align with his aspirations.

Staring blankly at the corpse before him, Komer was lost in thought. The corpse seemed unchanged, aside from its slightly open eyes, whose depths appeared dark and profound. Its surface skin had turned golden due to the poison from the Alsophila tree, but otherwise, everything remained as it was. But why did this guy hide so many strange mysteries?

With these bizarre encounters and countless questions, Komer found it hard to understand how such a dead thief could bring him so much confusion and trouble. Yet it also brought him many benefits—at least he got to see the prowess of the famous Ramah Knights and acquired such a valuable item. Well, just that crossbow was already priceless. If taken to a pawnshop or auction house, it could easily fetch thousands of gold shields. Though it was a deadly weapon, it was also a magical masterpiece filled with mystical energy—something even the wealthy often couldn’t afford.

Thinking of this, Komer couldn’t resist taking out the crossbow to admire it again. It truly was a masterpiece. As soon as the lid was lifted, the restless magical elements surged forth. Komer could clearly feel the intensity of the fire element. With this thing, perhaps he could gain a bit more safety in his adventures in the Caucasus.

After traveling to take up his post in his own territory, Komer would undergo his coming-of-age ceremony in one month. During that month, Komer relaxed thoroughly and took in the charming scenery of Sepulus for the last time. He didn’t know when he would be able to return after traveling hundreds of miles. Ramla Reiser seemed to feel some guilt toward Komer and generously offered him five thousand gold shields. Komer initially didn’t want to accept what seemed like charity, but out of practical considerations, Ilot and Pube advised him to take the amount, as it would at least help him get by until he started earning income from his territory. Komer eventually agreed to their advice, which seemed to ease the tension between them.

The visit of Prince Hoffman and Princess Lenta to Sepulus became the talk of the city’s elite. In comparison, the arrival of the two princes from the Rosenburg Kingdom seemed less notable. The nightly balls were filled with various stories. Viscount Conan enjoyed attending these events whenever he wasn’t on duty as a knight. Young and handsome, plus being the legitimate heir of the Reiser family, he had everything needed to captivate the hearts of the city’s young women. The greedy gazes of the noblewomen followed him everywhere. Even without being the eldest son of Count Ramla, the Grand Duke’s chief finance officer, he was still an idol to these women.

Standing at a distance, watching the bustling entrance to the count’s mansion, Komer silently observed the people coming and going. Having been away from Sepulus for too long, many things had blurred in his memory. Now he had to return and adapt again. Although the Caucasus was hundreds of miles away, it still belonged to the Homer region and under the jurisdiction of Grand Duke Philip. It was necessary to maintain proper contacts with the nobles. Of course, at events like today’s ball, a low-ranking baron like him didn’t have the right to enter. Komer could only wait quietly outside for the person he was waiting for.

“Boss, will the kid you’re waiting for actually show up? Why are we waiting for him?” Ilot paced impatiently behind Komer. Standing here in the shade of the trees, the setting sun still tried its best to emit light and heat. The scorching heat was unbearable, and Ilot, who was already a bit overweight, was sweating profusely.

“Well, he should come. He’s returning to Rosenberg tomorrow. It seems he’s not had much luck on his trip to Cyprus this time; the Grand Duke seems more inclined to marry Princess Tracy to Prince Hoffman.” Komer replied indifferently. “I just wanted to give him a gift.”
“Boss, do you know Tracy has returned?” Puber was shocked. He was well aware of the emotional entanglement between his boss and Tracy. He had long known that Tracy had returned from Jazail to Cyprus, but he hadn’t mentioned it to his boss, not wanting past matters to spoil Komer’s mood.
“I know. I even met her on the Coastal Avenue. It was through Tracy that I got to know Prince Hoffman and Prince Thomas.” Komer’s tone was as calm as plain water, as if Tracy were just an unimportant passerby.
“Boss, what gift do you plan to give Thomas? Why him and not someone else?” Ilot tried to change the subject.
“Nothing much, just a magic box crossbow. I heard he’s very fond of magical crafts and weapons, especially fine ones. I think this will lift his spirits a bit. I really hope he can have a pleasant time in Cyprus, but judging from the current situation, it doesn’t seem too good.” Komer casually took out the exquisite crossbow from his pocket and handed it to Ilot.
Ilot gasped. He carefully lifted the lid of the box—the case was made of sandwood, the arrowheads of fire metal, the shafts of sunwood, and the tail feathers of wind chime birds. Good heavens, this was truly a rare treasure. Ilot fiddled with the crossbow in his hands, reluctant to put it down. As a warrior, though he wasn’t particularly fond of weapons that resembled covert weapons, he merely thought their firing method was a bit too cruel. But compared to his own life, that didn’t matter at all.
“Ilot, a few days ago, if you wanted it, you could have taken it. But now, it’s a gift for Prince Thomas. The Duchy of Rosenberg is located upstream of the Catalonia River, while our Caucasus region is downstream. In between lies a desolate swampy area. If we could make use of the Catalonia River’s transport capacity, maybe our lives could be better.” Komer certainly understood the expression on his companion’s face and preemptively cut off any alternative paths.

“No, boss, you misunderstand. Though this thing is exquisite, it’s more suitable for someone like Pupber who doesn’t have much combat strength. For us, charging head-on is what we’re good at. I just think giving such an item away for free to some Prince Thomas is too generous—selling it to a pawnshop would fetch at least several thousand gold shields, right?” Eilot shook his head reluctantly, licking his thick lips, clearly unwilling to part with it.

Pupber also examined the lightweight and agile crossbow carefully. It was far more refined than the crossbow in his sleeve. The magic metal springs greatly enhanced the magic power of the arrows, and the arrows themselves were made from materials infused with magical elements, doubling their speed, accuracy, and power. What was even more remarkable was its exquisite craftsmanship—it was less of a killing weapon and more of a masterpiece of art.

“Boss, are you planning to target the Kingdom of Rosenburg? But it seems there’s never been a shipping route along the Catalonia River—those areas are all swamps inhabited by terrifying jellyfish people. I’ve never heard of anyone daring to cross that section of the river. How did you come up with this idea?” Pupber, clearly well-prepared for his role as the administrative officer in the Caucasus region, had a thorough understanding of the surrounding environment.

“The fact that it’s never been done doesn’t mean it can’t be done. The jellyfish people live above the swamps; they hardly ever go onto land or enter the Catalonia River. Creating a shipping route seems unlikely to conflict with them. I think maybe we’ll have the chance to do this in the future. Otherwise, we’ll really just starve to death in the Caucasus,” replied Komer. The Caucasus was already the farthest southern wilderness in the Homer region. Further south lay the complex terrain of the Cordillera Wasteland, a habitat for barbarians. Further south, the Baden Gold Mountains blocked the way, and to the east stretched vast primeval forests all the way to the sea. Only the river mouth had a small stretch of flat land, where the population of the entire Caucasus region lived. To the north lay the central region of the kingdom, with rugged terrain, underdeveloped economy, and poor transportation. The onlyoutlet seemed to be eastward, but huge swamps covered the entire eastern area, making it an extremely isolated region. Sea and river transport were the only solutions.

Pupber had many more questions, but realizing it wasn’t the time to discuss them, and knowing Komer must have a reason for acting this way, he decided not to say anything further.