Chapter 20: An Inescapable Trap

Eve and Finitz’s perfectly delicate appearances even made the worldly Karu and Boriz fall for the trap. Though they didn’t believe the Caucasus was a pure land because of this, someone like Eve, who clearly harbored hostility and disdain toward that lord, would never believe in the existence of dark forces in the Caucasus. As a result, Karu and Boriz also began to think that claims about the spread of such dark forces in the Caucasus might stem from the schemes of certain ulterior-motived individuals.

Izmel was located on the shores of Lake Nirel, which was considered the largest freshwater lake in the entire Leon region and even in the southern part of the kingdom. Situated on the west side of the lake, Izmel was a rich source of iron mines, but poor transportation conditions hindered their development. Often, it took two people to transport the iron ore mined by one person from Izmel to Banasha. This situation severely restricted the development of Izmel’s iron mines until the construction of the canal officially began and progressed at an astonishing pace, after which Izmel started to thrive again.

Some smaller iron mines, previously neglected, quickly became highly sought after. Everyone knew that once the canal was completed, the low cost of water transportation would make Izmel’s high-quality iron ore extremely popular. By then, iron smelting furnaces would likely be built along the mines, and the demand for ore would increase exponentially.

When Karu and Boriz saw large numbers of barbarians working hard on the canal construction site, they could hardly believe their eyes. It wasn’t surprising to see half-orcs, mortals, or even dwarfs at the site, but it was utterly unbelievable to see barbarians working there. To the mortals in the south, barbarians were almost as hostile as mortals and orcs in the north—nearly irreconcilable enemies. For the unruly barbarians to become so obedient, willing to toil on canal projects under mortal control, was nothing short of a miracle!

Yet, this was indeed the reality. The canal project, leading from the valleys at the northern foot of the Volt Mountains to Lake Nirel, was progressing rapidly. Perhaps it was because they realized that the sooner the project was completed, the sooner Izmel’s iron ore could be shipped out in large quantities, and the supplies brought in by land could also benefit from lower costs. Whether it was food or other necessities, the same amount of gold would likely allow them to buy much more.

It was these factors that spurred shareholders who were both heavily investing in the Izmir iron mines and holding shares in the canal from Lake Nirel to Matdan to recruit laborers from all over. The barbarians, who were as hardworking as half-orcs yet cheaper to hire, became the preferred choice of these shrewd businessmen. Numerous recruitment ads were posted throughout the tribes of the Siga people, with the slogan “Earn big money in the Caucasus” becoming widely known. A large number of idle laborers from the Siga tribes flocked to the Caucasus, with the canal project from Matdan to Lake Nirel absorbing the vast majority of them.

Now, many people understood a way to make money: by contracting a section of the canal project from a large contractor, then going to the Siga tribes to recruit thirty or fifty barbarian laborers and bringing them back to the construction site. Apart from providing food for them, they only needed to pay wages that seemed considerable to the barbarians but were extremely low by human standards—wages even half-orcs would refuse. This had become a lucrative route for many humans who couldn’t make a name for themselves in the Caucasus.

The influx of strong laborers into the Caucasus also made the leaders of the Siga tribes feel threatened. Yet no crisis was more urgent than one involving survival. As food flowed continuously to the Siga tribes, and as the mountain people working on the construction sites brought back various colors of cloth that humans dismissed as worthless but were highly valuable to the mountain people, as well as salt that gave people strength and medicines that could cure diseases, the leaders of the Siga tribes realized they could no longer resist this overwhelming wave.

They even discovered that residents of some neighboring small tribes were quietly infiltrating their territory. For a fee, they could buy an identity certificate as a Siga mountain person from the tribe’s priests, allowing them to enter the Caucasus openly in search of work and big money.

Karu and Boriz could never understand with their own minds that little lord who still hadn’t revealed his face. That guy’s behavior was simply too unexpected. Getting involved with half-orcs was one thing—after all, Leon was originally a large mine focused on slave production, and Homer’s rule there had collapsed. If a little lord wanted to take control of Leon, he would have to deal with those crude half-orcs and rely on their strength. But what about the barbarians? The barbarians were trapped in the Cordillera Wasteland, launching attacks westward day after day, year after year, yet they could never break through that encirclement. And the other races around them shared an unprecedented consensus regarding the barbarians: they must not let this scourge spread. Yet this little lord from the Caucasus seemed utterly unconcerned or indifferent to this. What on earth was he thinking?

“Sir Monk, are you surprised by what’s happening here?” Eve seemed to have noticed the two’s shock, which was also something Komer was worried about. Although the barbarians had little to do with dark forces, these two came from the Inquisition of the Light Church, a place notorious for producing fanatical and obsessive madmen. The current Inquisitor, Noyora, was a typical example. Perhaps in their eyes, these non-human races became accomplices of dark forces, a bunch of outliers.

“Miss Eve, it seems like you’re used to all this?” Karu asked, trying to suppress the icy gaze in Boriz’s eyes.

“Of course. This might not be seen elsewhere, but in the Caucasus, anything is possible—even merfolk,” Eve said with a smirk. “That lord seems utterly uninterested in racial issues. Whoever can work for him and die for him, he gives them freedom and opens doors for them, whether they’re half-orcs or barbarians.”

“So, this lord is really someone who will stop at nothing for his own interests?” Karu asked.

“More or less. Otherwise, he wouldn’t risk going deep into the Swamplands to bargain with the jellyfish people. But this lord is a shrewd man, more cunning than anyone else. He knows better than anyone what can be traded and what are the bottom lines.” Eve’s gaze was distant, calm as water. “I heard that the barbarians have been trying to buy weapons from him, but he keeps playing them off, refusing to agree.”

“Oh? Miss Eve, why do you know so much about these things?” Boriz’s eyes lit up as he stared at her.

“Sir Monk, it’s not just the Church of Light that serves as the guardian of mortals. Everyone bears the responsibility to protect their own race. I think no one is unaware of the dangers posed by the barbarians.” Eve glanced at him but didn’t answer directly, merely implying that she too carried a heavy burden. “Sir Monk, are you planning to cross the Vot Mountains to Santiago, or will you go from here to Mando, then via Muscat to Ugru?”
“Miss Eve, don’t you intend to go to the Caucasus?” Karu was somewhat disappointed. The white magic priest before him had made a very good impression on him over this time, and could even be considered a suitable candidate for a saint. Yet, after several attempts by him and Boriz, she had declined each time. It seemed she was still immersed in the grand idea of saving the world on her own, unwilling to let anything restrict her actions.
“There’s nothing worth going to in the Caucasus. It’s no different from Leon, if not even more bustling. Phinitz and I plan to travel through the Vot Mountains. I heard there are some ancient dwarven ruins there—whether true or not, I want to verify it.” Eve also knew it was time to part ways. She had been active in the Caucasus for a long time, and many people there knew her and understood her relationship with the lord’s estate. If these two found out, it would expose her.
“Very well, Miss Eve, Miss Phinitz. Let’s part here. We’ll head to Mando first, then enter the Caucasus via Muscat. I sincerely hope you’ll consider our suggestion. Of course, we won’t force you. If you change your mind, you can send me a message. I gave you my address.” Karu wasn’t giving up. He believed his words had had some effect on her, but she was simply too accustomed to freedom and laxity to accept any constraints. Once she thought things through or encountered some setbacks, she would realize that an individual’s strength could never compare to that of an organization, and only the Church of Light could truly save the world.

Seeing the figures of the two monks gradually disappear into the distance, Eve felt no joy at having completed the task. She had hesitated when Komer begged her for help, and using such methods to achieve her goals—even against the people of the Church of Light’s Inquisition—seemed despicable to her. All that remained in her mind was confusion and sorrow. She didn’t know whether what she had done was right or wrong, whether she was helping the oppressors or…? Perhaps there would never be an answer to this question. Who is right and who is wrong? From each side’s perspective, who can dare to make a judgment?