Chapter 22: Winning Over Hearts
When Uma appeared beside Komer as a male thief, it didn’t draw much attention. This mysterious lord had so many quirks that having a thief friend wasn’t anything out of the ordinary—after all, Javier also came from a thief background. But Komer had overlooked the fact that Ilot had once met this golden corpse thief.
When Miss Uma politely greeted everyone, Ilot’s incredulous gaze made Komer suddenly remember this. Fortunately, he immediately stopped Ilot from asking questions with a stern look. Now wasn’t the time to bring this up. Though Ilot was extremely shocked, he had vaguely guessed something about the thief’s identity back then, but Komer had never mentioned it to him, so he wisely didn’t press further. Yet now, this man who had once seemed dull and confused was greeting everyonefriendlyly as if he’d changed completely. Could zombies be revived? It was utterly unbelievable. But with reality before him, Ilot could only swallow his countless doubts under Komer’s intimidating gaze and awkwardly shook hands with Uma.
Uma, with her keen senses, also noticed something strange, but she didn’t understand why Komer’s close friend was acting that way. She also couldn’t fathom how a noble from the Kingdom of Nicosia like Komer would dare reveal his identity as a dark mage to outsiders.
Damonlesk Fortress suddenly saw an increase in people, and its popularity soared as well. From the companions of the Night Angel Mercenary Group to the elven princess, and now this enigmatic Mr. Uma—Rebri and Mihajic both felt that Komer hid too many secrets. But for them, none of this mattered. As mages, they were devoted to pursuing the path of magic; everything else was just an obstacle on that path. What they wanted most now was to find clues to unravel the mysteries of magic in the books and materials available in Damonlesk Fortress. Of course, obtaining equipment and treasures that could enhance their own abilities was also what they desired.
A faint, crystal-clear glow appeared in the darkness. When this pure natural magic crystal was placed in front of Mihajic, he could even hear the sound of his own saliva swallowing, which made him feel awkward, but he couldn’t control his inner desires.
These are Puppet Crystals, also known as Mental Magic Crystals. They are not naturally occurring magic crystals but come from the crystal cores of the celestial demon apes, a rare species on the Land of Thorns. Mihajevic had never seen such things in his life, but from various books and discussions with magicians, he knew of their immense value. The celestial demon apes are the rulers among ape-like demons, and alongside the tailless demon apes, they are the most intelligent among magical beasts. Their crystal cores are the best material for creating puppet puppets. As a successful puppet mage, Mihajevic naturally understood the great value and usefulness of these crystals. Using them as the intelligent core for puppet puppets allowed for the transmission of commands that could not be achieved with other magic crystals, and the responsiveness and intelligence of such puppets far surpassed those made from other cores. With these Puppet Crystals at hand, he could create several magnificent puppets. Mihajevic had dreamed of obtaining one someday; never expecting to find three right before him now. How could he control his emotions?
“Lord, what do you mean by this?” Magicians are also human beings. Though each has their own unique personality, desire will capture them all. Mihajevic felt his mouth go dry, his heart almost leaping into his throat—this temptation was too great to resist. His tone even became much more respectful, something unprecedented.
“It’s nothing special. These are gifts brought to me by my friend. Although I can create puppets, it’s not my specialty. Mr. Mihajevic is the expert in this field. I believe these three Puppet Crystals will serve their purpose better in his hands. Perhaps he can use them to create puppets that will dazzle the magical community of the continent. I have faith in him, which is why I intend to give these three Puppet Crystals to you.” Komer’s expression remained utterly calm, as if discussing some trivial matter—so calm it was astonishing—and this only made Mihajevic more anxious. What exactly was his intention?
“Lord, I must admit that these three Puppet Crystals make it impossible for me to refuse. I hope to know what you need me to do.” Mihajic swallowed hard again; he knew there must be conditions behind this. No matter how generous this lord was, he wouldn’t give away such things casually. After all, these crystals couldn’t be purchased in the market no matter how much money one spent, and Mihajic knew this better than anyone. He had once tried to spend everything he had to buy one but failed, which showed just how precious they were.
“No, no, Mr. Mihajic. It seems there’s some misunderstanding. This expedition hasn’t yielded much success, and you might be puzzled as well. But the fact is that we still don’t have the strength to challenge them yet, so we need to wait. Sometimes it’s better to put certain things on hold. Besides, there are many important matters to deal with in my domain. Still, I’m very grateful for the support and help from Mr. Mihajic and Mr. Rebrí. These three Puppet Crystals are given to you as a reward. I hope Mr. Mihajic can use them to create even more innovative masterpieces.” Komer shook his head and said softly, “I want to turn the Caucasus into another Prague, another magical capital—perhaps even one that surpasses Prague.”
Pondering Komer’s words in surprise, Mihajic nodded silently. It seemed this lord had changed somewhat, even his tone had become more confident and mature. This expedition seemed to have had a great impact on him. Could a single battle truly make someone mature? Mihajic couldn’t quite understand, but it didn’t affect his decision. It was difficult for a magician to succeed on their own. Without good conditions and sufficient resources, magicians had to struggle to make a living, and conducting magic experiments and improving skills required a lot of time and money. Thus, many magicians had to serve as advisors to rulers of nations and cities. And this lord before him was undoubtedly a quite good choice—especially with those three Puppet Crystals, worth working hard for him.
Winning over Lebray and Newman was similar in essence. Newman didn’t demand much—as long as he was given sufficient time, space, and the necessary conditions, it didn’t matter where he stayed. Lebray was a bit more troublesome; he was too cunning. Although Komer handled things carefully, Lebray still sensed something was off. Fortunately, Komer couldn’t find any real issues, so he could only keep his suspicions to himself. Komer invested just as much in him as Mihajic had.
The leaders of the Sanja tribe left Ugru and returned to the Cordillera Wasteland with mixed feelings. The arduous negotiations between the two sides lasted for a long time, during which the Sanja leaders witnessed the thriving vitality of the Caucasus—prosperous towns, bustling mines, and active transportation—all signs that this once desolate land was becoming increasingly prosperous. Seeing their neighbors undergo such dramatic changes in such a short time, the three leaders of the Sanja tribe felt uneasy. However, the mortals held absolute dominance on the Land of Heaven and, due to historical reasons, had created a tight encirclement around the mountain people. If the mountain people wanted to develop, they had to break free from these mortal constraints. The Sanja tribe now faced such an opportunity, and the Caucasus was the best place to make a breakthrough. So they were willing to pay a higher price to take this step.
Puber linked the sale of military supplies, food, ironware, and other necessities to the barbarians, along with recruiting them as laborers to build a canal from Matdan to Lake Nirel in the Caucasus. Unintentionally, what was originally meant as a condition for trade turned out to be a boon for the Sanja tribe. The barbarians had never prohibited their people from going to the Caucasus to make a living, nor had they encouraged large-scale migration there. Now, with the Caucasus making such a request and guaranteeing equal treatment for their people, it naturally won the support of the Sanja tribe. It was only later that Puber realized his mistake, but it was too late to regret it. The barbarians despised breaking promises the most, and Puber didn’t dare take the risk of tearing up the agreement. He had no choice but to sign it reluctantly.
Under the agreement, the Caucasus will increase its exports of food and ironware to the Sanjia tribe, with significant rises in export volumes. Military supplies such as weapons and armor will also be provided in sufficient quantities. This support from the Caucasus will win the friendship of the Sanjia tribe, which in turn will supply the Caucasus with five young earth dragons and assist in training qualified dragon warriors. The Sanjia tribe also promises to provide two pairs of thunderbirds within the year and help the Caucasus train thunderbird riders. They further assure the Caucasus that the supplies provided will not flow to other tribes in the Barbarian Alliance, and they will also open up their territories more to mortal merchants to explore for minerals and conduct business, thereby promoting continued development of relations between the two sides.