Chapter 16: Partners
The subsequent conversation once again ruined Kommer’s already poor impression of Mr. Feuerbach. His exorbitant demands once more proved the truth in the saying “birds of a feather flock together.” Even more greedy than the Giza people, this hybrid with Mahagumi’s traits had an appetite even larger than Karmanni’s. He actually demanded that Kommer share in the profits from refining the magic metal mines proportionally, which made Kommer suspect that this guy must have received instructions from Karmanni in advance to make such unreasonable demands.
Seeing Kommer’s skeptical gaze on him, Karmanni realized he might be being blamed for something. The lord already held deep prejudices against the Giza people, and now, with Feuerbach’s insane greed, he suspected that there might be some secret agreement between Feuerbach and himself.
“Mr. Feuerbach, you’re too hasty. Things haven’t even started yet—how can you make such unrealistic demands? Perhaps it would be more reasonable to wait until we see tangible results before discussing this with Lord Kommer.”
Kommer glanced at Karmanni. At least this guy was speaking sensibly now. How dare he discuss prices before anything even existed? Feuerbach was truly insane. If it weren’t for witnessing his “professional” performance, Kommer would have thrown him overboard long ago. For now, he had to keep this guy around—at least until he could establish Izmir’s magic metal refining center.
The goat-headed man must have noticed Kommer’s displeasure and tried to back down: “I was just suggesting. With my expertise, as long as Lord Kommer provides sufficient ore and craftsmen, I can guarantee that within a year, the Caucasus will become a place coveted by lords and mages across the continent.”
“Mr. Feuerbach, do you have any specific requirements for craftsmen and workers?” Kommer ignored his attempt to withdraw and asked directly.
“Well, it would be ideal to have a large number of dwarf craftsmen. They possess an innate talent for smelting and purification that no other race can match. With dwarf craftsmen, not only would work efficiency increase, but the output and purity of magic metals could also be fully guaranteed.” Feuerbach was quite dedicated to his field. “I saw many dwarves living by Lake Nirel on the ship. I wonder if they are hill dwarves or forest dwarves? If they are hill dwarves, that would be perfect—they should have the most basic qualifications.”
Komer’s trip to Izmel yielded significant results. With the opening of the canal, merchants gathered in Izmel were thrilled. Izmel’s mining conditions were excellent. Once the transportation bottlenecks that had hindered mining were removed, it could immediately become a better smelting center than Bahomun. High-quality coal from Santiago could be delivered directly to Izmel’s docks, and its flat terrain made it ideal for building a large-scale smelting center. All conditions seemed to be in place; only capital investment was needed to launch a vigorous construction phase.
Many of Komer’s subordinates did not place much emphasis on developing Izmel. In their view, regions like Homer were where Komer should focus more. However, Komer and Puber saw it differently. After all, Homer was still a new territory for Komer. It would take considerable time for him to gain the full support of the local population, and the remnants of Philip’s era would also take a long time to eliminate. During this period, Komer could not undertake large-scale actions in Homer, especially regarding fiscal and tax policies. The policies established by Philip, his father Ramla, were not entirely reasonable, with a strong emphasis on agriculture over commerce. Changing these policies could likely lead to instability, which was clearly not suitable for Komer at this stage.
Everyone, including Fran and Rebril, understood that with the regularization of several large military units and the rapid expansion of two new forces—the Homer Knights and the Homer-Caucasus Combined Mage Corps—the already fragile Caucasus finances were being devoured like an endless abyss, consuming its meager revenues. If Puber hadn’t been wise enough from the start to sell various rights and interests of the Caucasus and attract investment, it would likely have been impossible to even cover the salaries and equipment costs for the initial half-orcs and barbarian soldiers, let alone pursue large-scale military expansion.
But facing an army whose numbers have increased several times over and whose quality has also improved significantly, even with Homer’s contribution, the entire territory still suffers from a huge financial deficit. Puber has warned Komer that if no reliable way is found to secure a large sum of funds to cover this gap, Komer’s military expansion plan will inevitably fail. Every day, the army consumes a substantial amount of money from the already strained finances of the Caucasus and Homer, which leaves Komer extremely anxious. The Caucasus Bank has also issued a warning: if this poor financial situation persists, the bank will have to stop providing loans to the lord’s residence for the sake of its shareholders’ interests—this is essentially an ultimatum to Komer and Puber. Under these circumstances, selling off Izmir’s mining rights and canal shares is the only option left. Now, the sudden emergence of magic metal ore has opened up a new path for Komer in his predicament. His top priority is to develop the mines as quickly as possible and turn the various ores buried deep in the mountains into golden shields. Especially considering the astonishing returns from magic metal, Komer can hardly resist the temptation. If he can establish a magic metal smelting and purification center, it would be even more profitable than developing a large gold mine. The idea that a small piece of magic metal is equivalent to entire ships’ worth of ore and coal makes it impossible for Komer to stay calm. The Laurent family clearly has everything prepared, and Komer must admit that these people from Giza are extraordinary at seizing opportunities. Although he is reluctant to deal with them, under these circumstances, he has to acknowledge that they are indeed his best partners.