The Vastness of Magical Destiny

Chapter 45 - 45 20 Bruce Fortress

?Chapter 45: Chapter 20 Bruce Fortress Chapter 45: Chapter 20 Bruce Fortress The prosperity of Bruce far exceeded Komer’s expectations. In addition to being a military restricted area and a fortress, a huge fair had also formed outside the fortress, whose level of prosperity Komer found almost unimaginable; he wondered how these people had managed to cross the Greenland Great Forest to get here. It was only when he saw those busy cargo ships going up and down at the dock at the mouth of the river that he understood the reason.

Due to the many uncertainties in the Greenland Great Forest, although incidents of group magical beast attacks like the one Komer’s party encountered were rare, regular merchant convoys still considered crossing the Greenland Forest by land to be a rather dangerous action. Unless the goods were urgently needed, or several convoys could team up to cross, or the merchant convoys had their own or hired powerful armed bodyguards and mercenary teams, they would mostly choose to take the water route via the Nissai River eastward into the Nether Sea, then northward to reach other ports in the Homer region.

Although this detour added some extra days to the journey, it provided a guarantee of personal safety. The pirates on the Nether Sea usually did not cross the mouth of the Nissai River, which also made Bruce the most important cargo transfer station in the Leon region.

Huge stone watchtowers stood between Bruce Castle and the fair that had formed outside the castle. As the fair enlarged over time, the trees on the edge of the forest were gradually felled and cleared.

To ensure a safe buffer space for the castle, the fortress’s military commanders had already cleared the forest within three kilometers around the castle many years ago. They also built a series of stone watchtowers in a semicircular formation centered on the castle, 500 meters from the forest edge, which continued to the riverbanks of the Nissai River at both wings of the castle.

However, the rapid development of the fair made the commanders who had built the watchtowers realize they had misjudged. In just twenty years, the population outside the castle surged from less than 300 to nearly 20,000 people. This astonishing growth rate indeed made them realize how wise it was to build the watchtowers 2,500 meters away; otherwise, if they had been a bit more conservative, the civilian homes might have needed to be constructed right beneath the watchtowers now.

A massive tower fortress stood at the head of the wide floating bridge, while another fortress was built at the dock and directly connected to the main body of the castle by a long city wall avenue. The wall pathway, wide enough for ten soldiers to run side by side, allowed 300 soldiers to run from the castle to the dock tower in ten minutes. This was no longer a purely military fortress.

In Fran’s view, the role of this fortress had surpassed its military function. While ensuring that not a single merchant convoy was missed, this greatly weakened the military purpose of the fortress.

Relying on his Baron status and the title of Caucasus Lord, the fortress commander did not refuse Komer’s request to visit the fortress. The entire fortress was constructed with a mix of wood and stone; the external city walls and defensive fortifications were built with stone slabs, while the general buildings inside the castle were mostly wooden structures.

What interested Komer even more was the bustling market. As soon as Puber arrived at Bruce, he broke away from Komer and his party, and with Baoling, they brought two carriages of goods as well as the spoils of war – Gray Wolf Skins – to the market. The linen and beet sugar from the North sold well here; although the profit wasn’t huge, it still delighted the calculative Puber immensely.

What excited Puber even more was that when the untanned Gray Wolf Skins, reeking of a strong foul smell, were displayed in the market, they immediately attracted the attention of the passing crowd. People who lived around the Greenland Forest for a long time would certainly recognize what these were, especially those with manes that were still faintly red, which caught the eye.

“Hey, what’s this? My God, are these all Gray Wolf Skins?! Heavens, how could there be so many?”

“Oh, look, am I seeing this right? This, this, this looks like a Red-maned Wolf, doesn’t it?”

“That’s right, look at the bristling mane and the natural colors. They don’t seem like counterfeit goods that have been washed and dyed.”

Soon, a large crowd had gathered around Puber and Baoling, with adventurers and mercenaries, who roamed the market, being the first to notice these unusual items, not the sensitive merchants.

As adventurers and mercenaries, they were always in extreme danger, which required them to spend quite a bit on protective gear to increase their chances of survival.

Although gray wolves were not particularly formidable magical beasts, they rarely appeared alone, usually in groups of dozens or hundreds. Almost no adventure team dared to target these creatures. However, as a typical example of Ice Magic beasts, gray wolf skin naturally possessed protective properties against ice magic and cold Fighting Qi. The skin of the red-maned wolf, in particular, was exceptionally effective. If such skins could be tanned to reinforce leggings, chest protectors, and bracers, the benefits were self-evident. Thus, Puber’s products immediately drew the attention of the crowd as soon as they were introduced.

Puber squinted his eyes, examining the diverse throng that surrounded him. Despite their various weapons and armaments, he wasn’t worried; this was the only safe place in the southern Homer region, firmly under the control of the Bruce fortress garrison. No brazen bandits dared to make trouble under the watchful eyes of the tower guards. South of here, past the Nissai River, it was a different story—one that Puber knew all too well which is why he needed to liquidate these wolf skins here.

The wolf skins caused a sensation in the market, which was bustling with a large number of explorers, mercenaries, bodyguard groups, and armor manufacturers. The materials were immediately coveted by many. A small batch of goods on the market was quickly snatched up, and some of the big buyers with the means to purchase the finest items were even taken by Puber to the inn to negotiate prices face to face.

Dozens of ordinary gray wolf skins sold for a good price of ten Gold Shields each, while about ten pristine red-maned wolf skins fetched as high as one hundred Gold Shields each. The few ultimate purple mane wolf skins, with slightly purple hair, sold for a high price of three hundred Gold Shields each, leaving Puber overjoyed.

The spoils of Komer and his company even filled the fortress commander who accompanied Komer with envy.

Not everyone could encounter such luck; with the help of the Thunderhorse knights, one could go anywhere on the Continent. The magical beasts were fierce, but they turned into easy prey before the Thunderhorse knights.

Of course, he was not privy to what had happened. If it weren’t for the help of a few Fallen knights, all knights would likely have become mere food for the wolves. Without Komer’s sudden burst of power, everyone’s fate would have been the same. However, these were not matters to share with outsiders. Komer and his company naturally had their concerns, and the two Thunderhorse knights were equally unwilling to discuss these less-than-glory-filled deeds.

Under Komer’s arrangement, the task of selecting slaves was assigned to Puber and Baoling, while Komer planned to rest in Bruce for a few days. The strange attacks of the magical beasts and the abrupt appearance of the Fallen knights had made Komer aware of the dangers he was about to face. Although he wasn’t a coward, he was not reckless either. Without the help of the two Thunderhorse knights, he knew his journey to Caucasus would be difficult. He still had to pass through the chaotic and complex Leon Region, with unpredictable threats ahead, a fact that demanded caution and preparedness.

Due to its proximity to the Leon Region, the most important fortress, market town, and the turbulent and dangerous situation of the Leon Region, Bruce had actually become a settlement for the lower nobility of the Leon Region.

Count Boninski owned the grandest architectural compound here, a small-scale castle second only to the fortress castle. Although he did not reside here often, the colossal structure clearly indicated that it cost no less than 100,000 Gold Shields to construct such a majestic edifice.

Attached to Count Boninski were a series of architectural mansions, homes of the various nobles of the Leon Region. Given the instability of the region, they preferred living here rather than in their territories. They would only patrol their lands under guard protection once a month or simply entrust their stewards to manage the manors and mines.

The chaotic and dangerous situation in the Leon Region and the rich coal and iron mine resources were closely related. The massive mining operations required a great deal of labor, and the indigenous people were no longer able to meet the demand, making slaves the only option. Slavers from all over the Continent flocked to this place, making deals with the nobles. Mortals and Half-Beastmen, as well as the mixed offspring of both, became the most popular slaves, with Bruce fortress being the largest distribution center for them.