The Vastness of Magical Destiny

Both Dvanch and Bellamong were extremely cautious about Komer’s intentions. They had certainly heard about the grudges between Komer and Homer Philip, and although they were unclear about the specific details, it seemed from the current situation that a real showdown between Homer and the Caucasus was imminent. Dvanch and Bellamong were unwilling to get involved in the internal struggles of humanity. They were even pleased to see wars, especially those related to Komer, as it could alleviate some of the pressure they were facing to some extent.

However, the bait thrown out by Komer made both Dvanch and Bellamong’s hearts race. The complete lifting of food restrictions and significantly increased quotas for various strategic materials were long desired by the Sanjia Tribe, but in the face of Komer’s strong stance, no matter how much the Sanjia Tribe pleaded, Komer never budged. Now that Komer was making concessions on these two principle issues, how could Dvanch and Bellamong not be tempted?

Although Dvanch and Bellamong did not explicitly express their stance on the spot, Komer knew that in reality, they had made their choice. Since they hadn’t outright rejected his somewhat outrageous demands, it was clear they realized they had no capital for refusal. Moreover, they understood that between themselves and Philip, they had to make a choice. Maintaining neutrality was in fact signaling goodwill towards Philip, and Philip’s innate contempt for the Mountain people before Komer’s arrival made it impossible for Dvanch and the others to support the other side. Even though Komer was quite dangerous, it was better than before, no matter what.

Komer couldn’t help feeling proud of his stroke of genius as the nail that was Sike, once driven into the Sanjia Tribe, would declare the collapse of their united front. With the Gapeng Tribe acting as a wedge in the middle of the Barbarians, it no longer mattered how united Dvanch and Bellamong were. The Gapeng Tribe could provide up to three thousand warriors, and with the current three thousand five hundred Barbarian Warriors and two thousand Orc Warriors under his command, he already had the strength to battle with Homer. Of course, if the Garong and Galong Tribes could provide military support, the chances of taking down Homer in one fell swoop would be much greater. Now seemed to be the best opportunity to deal with Homer, and Komer did not want to easily let go of this rare chance.

As Komer expected, Dvanch and Bellamong quickly gave Komer a clear response. The two tribes were willing to provide a total of four thousand warriors to join Komer, and in exchange, Komer would completely lift restrictions on the grain quotas entering the Sanjia Tribe after gaining control of the Busen Plain. Also, the quotas for military materials such as iron, weapons, and armor would be tripled from the current amounts. After reaching an agreement on this matter, Dvanch also formally expressed, on behalf of the Sanjia Tribe, their willingness to establish closer economic ties with Greater Caucasus. The condition was that the Caucasus must not forcefully assimilate the Mountain people’s traditional customs with the dominant Human civilization. As for how the relations would develop in the future, both parties agreed to adopt a regular joint conference system to discuss and negotiate the development of their relationship.

Komer readily agreed to the demands made by Dvanch, marking the point where the major tribes of Mountain people had lowered their proud heads. Under the dual pressures of economic and political approaches, the Mountain people, already in an absolute disadvantage, had no power to resist the allure of the flourishing Human civilization from the North. This was merely the first step, and with it taken, future strides would come faster and faster. As the Mountain people fully experienced the inclusivity of Human civilization, they would be drawn to it, willingly or not, like moths to flame, and ultimately integrate into Human civilization.

To prevent the leak of information, Komer ordered Fran to move all 3,500 mountain soldier warriors that had been assembled to the mountain people’s territory south of Bahomon. There, they constructed a concentrated training camp, and each tribe of the Sanjia Alliance sent out 2,000 brave warriors as per the agreement. Thus, an armed force of 9,500 mountain people was formed. In addition, with a mixed force of 2,000 mortals, half-beastmen, and half-elves, a clandestine armed force of 11,500 personnel was intensively training in the wilderness camp south of Bahomon, preparing for the next phase of the war.

The docks at Bahomon were crowded with ships from the Southern Mediterranean, and the workers on the dock strained to unload massive linen sacks. The quartermasters from the Caucasus Self-Defense Army meticulously counted the densely piled sacks, and the awaiting ox-drawn carts were chaotically lined up behind the docks, ready to be loaded and transported away once the quartermasters completed the tally. No one knew what these goods were, nor did anyone care where they would be shipped. The only ones interested were the spies secretly surveilling the area around the dock.

These supplies were military provisions ordered from the Southern Mediterranean. The production capacity of the Caucasus was simply incapable of manufacturing such a large quantity of armor and weapons in such a short time. They had no choice but to place orders with the various city-states of the Southern Mediterranean.

The fleet of Hayreddin took on the task of transporting these military supplies. This was also Komer’s way to prevent Homer from noticing his own drastic war preparations. The equipment brought by the Sanjia warriors and seven infantry squares of the Caucasus was in a deplorable state. That these mountain warrior warriors could contend with the well-armed and armor-clad human armies of the south proved their bravery and fierceness.

However, Komer had no intention of sending these brave mountain warriors into a direct confrontation with the regular army of Homer, brandishing rudimentary weapons with stones wedged in wooden sticks, and wearing makeshift armor. To Komer, the battle against Homer might be just the first step. He never intended to let the warriors of the Sanjia fall out of his control after enlisting them. They would become another ace up his sleeve, much like the half-beastmen armaments. They were to help him not only charge into battle in the kingdom’s wars but perhaps also to confront those within the Barbarian Alliance who failed to recognize the times. One day, they too would grovel at his feet. And to turn them into a sharp blade in his hand, it was worth paying a tremendous cost upfront.