The Vastness of Magical Destiny

The successive loyalty of the Godeburg nobles to Komer was like a pebble thrown into Lake Nicosia, not only causing infinite ripples but also startling the fishing enthusiasts admiring the lakeside scenery.

When the Godeburg nobles shifted their allegiance to Komer, it meant that the Galleians had lost the foundation for regaining their independence. The Silesians in the North had submitted their letters of allegiance to Komer, and under the twin pressures of economic interests and martial power threats, Nissa Ferdinand, who had already lost his former edge, couldn’t resist the immense familial pressure from within and eventually signed his name on the agreement to relocate to Ugru. He knew he would be eternally nailed to a page of his family’s history of disgrace.

In exchange, Komer was quite generous in offering substantial economic compensation to the members of the deprived Ferdinand family and graciously agreed that they could use these funds as shares to invest in the Caucasus Bank. This was the first stock expansion since the establishment of Caucasus Bank, which was already renowned across the Caucasus and all of Komer’s territories for its hefty returns. Even the Anson and Laurent families, who had provided considerable help to Komer, had not been granted permission to invest, yet members of the Ferdinand family easily obtained this privilege. This was the main reason the Ferdinand family members were so adamant about having their leader agree to the move to Ugru.

For them, money wasn’t important; what mattered more was a source capable of continually generating interest. Land is one such source, and so are bank shares. With the Lord’s Mansion as its support, the Caucasus Bank would only prosper more, and profits would only grow. Why not embrace this opportunity? As for the issue of territory, to these nobles, feeling attached to their homeland is natural, but when left with no other choice, they would certainly opt for conditions more in line with their interests.

The downfall of Silesia and the subjugation of the Godeburg area closed the last two gates for Galle. Galle had become a caged bird, and no matter how unwilling or struggling Zellin Stolten was, he couldn’t escape his fate of being controlled. The tragedy of the Romanov era would not repeat itself. Komer was confident he could ensure this.

As a condition for the Komer Barbarian Army not to enter Gutenberg and the Stolten family to continue ruling Galle, Galle would be forced to disband all its armed forces except for the Nirvana Knights, including the Galle Mage Group, which would only formally retain three mages. The power of the Nirvana Knights would be limited to no more than three hundred men and would be overseen by several supervisory officers dispatched by Komer.

This was a typical surrender under the walls of a castle, but Zellin Stolten had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill. The disbandment of Galle’s infantry troops also signaled that Galle’s hope of resurgence through martial power was completely shattered. Their only hope of regaining the former glory of independence might only rest upon Komer’s utter failure.

Komer’s army marched into Godeburg and Silesia, but it remained quite low-key. Komer did not want to provoke his neighbors, especially the half-beastmen of the North.

With such a vast territory now within his grasp, even Komer, who was quite psychologically prepared, still felt an emptiness and helplessness. Although the area of Godeburg and its surroundings was far smaller than Galle, it was no less developed than other Galleian regions except for Gutenberg, especially the canal running from Godeburg to Gutenberg, which tightened the link between the two places. Komer believed this would be more conducive to subjugating the Galleians through various economic means in the future.