The Vastness of Magical Destiny

Chapter 95 - 95 19 Circle of Rights_2

?Chapter 95: Chapter 19: Circle of Rights_2 Chapter 95: Chapter 19: Circle of Rights_2 After all, following the downfall of what was known as the Dark Dynasty, the Nether Empire, six hundred years ago, Dark Magic had become synonymous with evil. No one wished to speak of this term, and necromancers, who worship darkness and death, were even more despised and loathed.

This was the case within the boundaries of the Kingdom of Nicosia, and in the Holy Church-based countries of the Northern Alliance, these mages would find themselves even less tolerable by the Church of Light and its devout practitioners of the Light Series Magic.

However, it was clear that Archmage Onia had not been able to obtain any valuable clues from Baron Komer; passing Archmage Onia’s test proved the baron’s innocence. The question remained, what had led Archmage Onia to suspect this unassuming country noble in the first place?

Princess Katya was very interested in this point, but given Onia’s reticence, it seemed unlikely to get an answer directly from him.

Interesting, witty, with a touch of mystery added to his persona, this man seemed to be gradually making his way into the Kingdom power circle, especially after the refugee trade deal involving one hundred and fifty thousand people. Both Caucasus and this lord would inevitably come under the scrutiny of the Kingdom’s Upper Echelons, and might become increasingly important in the days to come.

This was Princess Katya’s conclusion about the young man outside the window, and although she wasn’t yet at the point of harboring any further thoughts about him, she deemed him at least a person worth continuing to interact with from any aspect.

Outside the window, in the sunlight, Komer, who was of course oblivious to the woman stealthily observing him from behind the window, was enthusiastically haggling over the food supply deal concerning one hundred and fifty thousand people with one of the Kingdom’s few large Food merchants.

Princess Katya was right; the plump man in front of him was indeed offering a fair price. Although he stood to make a considerable profit, Komer felt that the deal could be fully entrusted to him if he really could solve the procurement and transit issues as promised. Of course, this was contingent upon whether someone else offered better terms for the deal.

Palermo was also using this business negotiation to understand the young lord before him, who was not yet twenty years old. He knew the situation in the Caucasus well; if those one hundred and fifty thousand people truly managed to survive in the Caucasus, it was impossible for them to rely on local food production to meet their needs within a year or two. He was very confident that the young lord would still need to import a substantial amount of food during that time.

If he succeeded in closing this deal, it would also mean a good start for the next one. Therefore, he would rather earn less now and secure this long-term contract.

As one of the top-ranked food merchants in the kingdom, Palermo’s secret to success was not merely relying on his good connections. More importantly, he possessed a sharp and profound foresight. Securing a long-term and stable major customer was far more significant than a single large deal, an insight gleaned from Palermo’s long-term business operations.

In front of him, although the young lord seemed carefree and seemingly not well-versed in business, he always managed to demonstrate his shrewdness at critical points. Issues like transportation and losses along the way each hit precisely on the mark; otherwise, he would avoid discussing them and insist that the final written contract be the standard, deliberately not making statements about issues he was unclear about. This earned Palermo’s increased respect. A foolish lord might help him close a profitable deal, but foolish individuals rarely became long-term partners, as they would not last long in important positions—even hereditary lords, who due to poor management, were often deeply in debt or even bankrupt.

During the days of dealing with the food business, Komer quickly became very familiar with both Palermo and Princess Katya. As the princess’s agent, Palermo, besides running a vast food business, also owned a large cargo fleet. His ships freely navigated from Bruce upriver to the important harbor docks within Duke Zellin’s territory. It was no wonder that the other party so generously took on the transportation issues.

Malone’s death, while causing a stir throughout Versailles, even Your Majesty the Emperor personally inquired and strictly ordered the Internal Affairs Department to carefully investigate the cause of death and the origin of the killer. However, due to the absence of any valuable clues within the Hunting Manor, the Court Mage and the two Thunderhorse Knights from the Church of Light had no choice but to focus their investigation on outsiders, beyond the manor. This task, far too vast, was not to be completed in a mere few days. And quickly, Versailles returned to its usual hustle and bustle.

Onia’s visit was within Komer’s expectations. In fact, Komer had already begun to prepare for his visitor’s test shortly after that evening’s events concluded. He was fully aware of the visitor’s dangerousness, so he consciously practiced Elemental Magic intensively during those one or two days, striving to hide his inherent dark magical nature. Komer even deliberately set some items in his room that emitted an Elemental Magic aura, aiming to confuse the mage’s senses. However, most importantly, Komer skillfully used a concealed spell from the Sheepskin Scroll to transform his dark magical nature into the essence of Fire Magic. This remarkable spell had an excellent effect.

When Onia visited, the strong aura of Elemental Magic on Komer caused Onia’s thinking to subconsciously deviate, while Knight Maray, due to Corps Commander Kent’s strict orders not to divulge any details of the chase, could only stand by with a cold eye as an observer. This caused Onia to lose the best chance to uncover the truth when his sixth sense found nothing unusual. Nonetheless, Komer’s profound magical power still made a deep impression on the Chief Magician of the court, who merely did not add Komer to the list of suspects.

Versailles’ decadent nightlife left Komer with unforgettable memories. Every time dusk fell, lights hung and fires lit up at various places within the Hunting Manor. Officials, scholars, merchants each gathered according to their circles and preferences; gambling, secret trysts, dancing, watching theater, love affairs—all so discreet and quiet, as if all matters could be resolved at night. The corrupt and decadent lifestyle of the kingdom’s nobles dumbfounded Komer, who thought he had some understanding of noble life—wagering fortunes on gambling, the chaotic relationships between men and women, the trendy wife-swapping games, government officials colluding with merchants for massive profits. All of this greatly broadened Komer’s horizons.

However, this lifestyle did not last long, as both the kingdom and the other City-states, as well as the refugees themselves, wished for a place to settle down sooner. Accompanied by representatives of the refugees, Komer and Fran personally visited the refugee settlements bordering the Three Cities. Stretching for miles, the refugee tents and shanties spread from the Netherland border all the way to the western border of the Kingdom of Nicosia. Over two hundred thousand refugees were crowded in this narrow, long strip of land, waiting for those above them to decide their fate—no food, no clothing, no daily necessities. Everything had been destroyed by the war of the beastmen, and the only thing they managed to survive with was themselves, and perhaps the pitiful savings they could carry with them.

Thinking of the countless compatriots taken as slaves by the beastmen, these pitiful refugees still felt fortunate for their luck. The beastmen do not like mortals; once taken as slaves, adults and children alike would invariably be sent to various slave traders’ T-shaped selling platforms. Able-bodied men would be sold into mines and farms, while young women mostly ended up in brothels. The few who were good-looking and lucky might be bought by some noble or rich man for his household as a maid and concubine. The fate of children was the most tragic, as many nobles with various perverse preferences enjoyed procuring their favored items through these means, treating children like their personal pets.

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