Chapter 4: The Power of Trouble

The situation was changing by the day; the seeds he had sown were beginning to sprout. Whether in Flanders or in the Southern Central Seas of the continent, even in Haiding on the island of Sifnos and within the Salvation Society in Nicosia, these forces were gradually emerging. To what extent these forces would influence the development of the continent, Komer didn’t know. But one thing was certain: together, they would inevitably expand his own power, allowing him to no longer hide in the darkness and rely on the Light Church’s whims.

Nothing can be established without breaking something first. After years of hiding, it was time for the Dark Holy Church to stand proudly in the world. Komer was lost in thought. From any perspective, the current situation was the best opportunity for the dark forces. If they failed to seize this chance while the Light Church in the north was distracted by the orcs and the Salvation Society, they would surely never forgive themselves.

The calmness of the Nise River made the entire journey exceptionally peaceful. Not even the common red monkeys came to harass them, which surprised the half-orc soldiers escorting them greatly. They grew even more in awe of Komer’s mystery and greatness. In fact, Komer hadn’t used any special methods. He simply amplified and spread the intimidation technique from his mental magic through air magic. This unique mental magic made creatures, including magical beasts, feel immense fear and pressure from the ship, prompting them to instinctively avoid it.

The three-day journey was peaceful, giving Komer time to calmly consider various matters, especially what stance to take in different situations.

In the Southern Central Seas, he continued to cooperate with Katrina to strengthen the Haiding fleet. In the Abyssal Sea, he maintained a facade of peace with the Gray Skulls. Along the coasts of the Southern Central Seas, he fully supported the Dark Holy Church’s forces to emerge openly and develop, aiming to gain the official support of these countries and city-states as soon as possible as a foundation for future expansion northward.

On the Caucasus itself, Komer planned to stop hiding. Since the Inquisition had defined his mission as exploring the Land of Mystery, it was time for him to return from his “exploration.” As long as the Inquisition didn’t expose this deception, Komer didn’t intend to provoke them—he had more important things to do. And he was confident that under the current circumstances, the Inquisition wouldn’t dare to openly challenge him again.

It was obvious that they needed to accumulate more strength to address the problems posed by Homer from the north. As long as he remained alive, Philip’s threat to him would not cease. Instead of passively defending, it was better to defeat him outright and eliminate this threat once and for all. If Kakiya succeeded in becoming the queen of the Kingdom of Nicosia, he might even gain a moral advantage—this was what made Komer eager.

But for now, Komer knew he didn’t possess such strength. Five thousand troops were already at a disadvantage against Homer, especially since three thousand more had been sent to Livonia to help Kakiya establish her rule. Although they could be recalled in emergencies, even five thousand troops might not be enough to defeat Philip outright unless additional forces intervened.

Additional forces? Komer fell deep into thought. Puber had written that more and more barbarians were pouring into the Caucasus and Leon, with large numbers also appearing around Bruce Fortress. Not only were the remaining members of the Siga tribe migrating there, but smaller tribes were also flocking around them, seeking permission to enter the Caucasus and Leon by identifying as Siga people. With Flanders adopting similar policies, the entire Cordillera Wasteland was in turmoil due to these actions.

“Go to the Caucasus, go to Flanders if you want a better life!” This slogan had stirred the numb hearts of the barbarians who had endured poverty and hunger for generations. Seeing their comrades returning home every few months with bags full of goods, their faces rosy from food and no longer pale as before, no one could resist such temptation. Striving for a better life had become the most urgent desire of all the barbarians living in the hinterlands of the Cordillera Wasteland.

The influx of barbarians into the Caucasus and Leon had caused dissatisfaction among some half-orcs. Compared to the barbarians, the half-orcs had few advantages in many aspects, especially when it came to discipline—barbarians were far more disciplined than the lazy half-orcs. Many jobs were gradually taken over by barbarians, and even the most primitive and labor-intensive tasks like logging, transportation, and quarrying saw competition from them. This had led to concerning issues with law and order across the Greater Caucasus region, with frequent fights between half-orcs and barbarians becoming the biggest threat to security there.

Undoubtedly, whether in terms of administrative power, military strength, or psychological advantage, the half-orcs, who were inherently at an advantage over the barbarians, held incomparable strengths. The judges’ decisions always favored the half-orcs, intentionally or unintentionally—after all, the barbarians only had the right to work legally in the Greater Caucasus region; they were not official legal residents and thus did not enjoy citizenship rights. Though full of resentment, the barbarians could only endure this situation. As long as things didn’t go too far, they preferred to avoid conflict, as in someone else’s territory, they were merely lowly laborers with little chance of challenging those in power.

As more and more barbarians moved into the Greater Caucasus and Flanders regions, they gradually realized how poor and miserable their lives had been before and how rich and diverse the outside world was. Yet they also realized they didn’t belong there—no one recognized their legal rights. No matter how hard they tried, they were just passersby, working ten times harder than the local residents yet earning far less and living in worse conditions. This made them feel both the beauty of the outside world and greater confusion.

When this confusion reached a certain level, resistance and demands naturally arose, which was understandable—at least that’s how Komer saw it. Everyone had the right to pursue a better life, regardless of race—whether orcs, half-orcs, or barbarians. The question was how to fight for that right, or rather, how much one was willing to sacrifice for it.

Just as Komer had managed to rest overnight in Bruce Fortress, he was forced to confront these barbarian representatives who had been waiting there for over half a month. Accompanying them were the two instigators—Puber, looking embarrassed, and Fran, appearing indifferent.

After arranging the three representatives in the reception room, Komer silently crossed his arms and returned to his study in Bruce Fortress. It had originally been the private reception room of the fortress commander. After taking control of Bruce Fortress, given its importance and uniqueness, Komer assumed he would stay there for a long time, so he reserved a few rooms for himself.

Some timidly followed Komer into the room. Puber instinctively wanted support from Fran beside him, but Fran appeared very serious at the moment, leaving him unsure of how to persuade Komer. Without Fran’s full support, Puber wouldn’t have dared to think such a thing. After all, the barbarians, orcs, and half-elves were completely different—they were like the orcs, from opposite ends of the continent, and common enemies of all other races there. Caucasus might secretly collude with them and pull petty tricks, relying on the distance to avoid detection. But once that veil was lifted, pressure from all sides might crush Caucasus to dust.

“Speak up. I’m eager to hear what reasons you two plan to use to persuade me. Puber, you are the administrator of the entire Greater Caucasus—decisions on all matters, big and small, including Bruce Fortress and Leon, rest with you. But this doesn’t include issues that could threaten the security of the entire region. I assume you understand this, yet it seems you’ve forgotten.” Komer’s tone remained as calm as ever, but everyone could hear the severity in his words. His cold gaze swept back and forth between the two of them. “Fran, Puber is one thing, but why have you gotten involved in this as well? I’m surprised. Don’t you two understand the stakes? Why not simply refuse? Why not stop this from progressing?”

Komer was indeed furious. He hadn’t even gotten a proper night’s sleep since returning to Caucasus, only to face such a situation. On the surface, it seemed unimportant, but Komer knew that since these three barbarian representatives had come to Bruce Fortress to wait for him—waiting for half a month—it was clear they already had Puber and Fran’s support. It was a request he couldn’t refuse. Though he wasn’t yet aware of the specifics, recalling Puber’s vague remarks earlier, it seemed there were many pitfalls hidden within. If Komer still couldn’t guess what they wanted, he would be foolish.

The problem was that this issue was far from simple.