The Vastness of Magical Destiny-Chapter 129 - 16 Rhode Island
Chapter 129: Chapter 16: Rhode Island
Chapter 129 -16: Rhode Island
Rhode Island, an inconspicuous island among the Bermuda Islands of the Southern Nether Sea, is surrounded by Shajia Island, notable for its geographical advantage, Mannlicher Island with its larger size, and Closseau Island, famed for its more beautiful scenery. Yet nobody would expect this place to be the headquarters of “Gray Skull,” the organization that controls the entire Southern Nether Sea Region’s naval transportation.
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At the northern end of the island, two sharp, immense capes stretch deeply from the northeast and northwest, forming a massive elliptical harbor. The cape to the northeast extends farther into the sea, with a lighthouse constructed from massive basalt rocks towering into the clouds at its summit. At night, the lighthouse’s light can be seen from at least fifty miles away on the sea surface.
As the capes coil deeply into the sea, although the cape extending northwest does not reach as far as its northeastern counterpart, its terrain is quite flat, and the several hundred meters wide waist of the cape is much more level. There’s also a lighthouse situated on top of this cape, just considerably shorter. Both capes have a small fork at their tips, reminiscent of the pincers of scorpions and crabs, hence the names Eastern Pincer Cape and Western Pincer Cape.
The two capes extend outwards and plunge into the Nether Sea, forming an arc-shaped island arc. Inside the arc, along the line, there’s a series of docks of varying sizes that look orderly and neat. The outer region of the island arc is an excellent fishing ground, while the series of reefs that appear and disappear along the arc are the most famous coral-producing areas in the Southern Nether Sea. However, those wishing to fish or gather corals in the area would have to consider the mood of the island’s master.
The bottom section of the island arc is where most of Rhode Island’s buildings are concentrated, also the most bustling area of the island. Incoming ships navigating between Eastern and Western Pincer Capes enter the harbor and are immediately greeted by a three-story somber structure situated in the very center of the arc bottom. At the top of the building, there’s a flag with a white background and a lifelike gray human skull, especially the embroidered black silk thread for the skull’s eye sockets which appear particularly striking in the wind.
A window on the second floor opened wide, where an elderly man with a slight hunch stood facing the bay, dressed in a snug felt waistcoat. A gold-trimmed chain dangled from the left chest, and with his eyes half-closed, he seemed on the verge of sleep. His hands, clasped behind his back, deftly twirled a sandalwood pipe between his fingers. The oncoming sea breeze brought bursts of salty, fishy smell, which the old man seemed to enjoy immensely, flaring his nostrils as if savoring the scent coming from the open sea.
A burly bearded man stood respectfully behind a large desk, half-bowing in the presence of the hunched old man, not daring to show any disrespect. Perhaps in any other setting, this seemingly near-death elder could be mistaken for a noble gentleman of advanced age; no one would associate him with the fearsome “Gray Skull” Chief of the Southern Nether Sea.
“So you’re saying, this new Lord of the Caucasus appears to have some ambitious plans, which doesn’t quite align with the report that Philip conveyed last time,” the old man mused.
His half-closed gaze still fixed on the calm sea within the harbor, there weren’t many ships coming and going—it wasn’t the busiest time. Occasionally a couple of small patrol boats would slip out of the harbor and proceed with their routine patrol along the edges of the capes. Such routine patrol could never be neglected, regardless of the circumstances; it was an ironclad rule set by the old man. Once, someone who broke this rule ended up suspended from the noose erected in front of the three-story building.
“Yes, it’s said that these 150,000 immigrants are already en route, and they will begin arriving at the Caucasus in less than half a month. The Half-beastmen of the North have launched such a fierce offensive this time that several countries and city-states have been breached, resulting in so many refugees. Upon arriving at Ugru, this new Lord began actively engaging with local powers, and on one hand, he’s seeking various opportunities, looking as if he’s determined to make significant achievements in the Caucasus. It’s rumored that an iron mine has been discovered near the southwestern border with Barbarian Territory, and the Lord is already recruiting and mobilizing the populace to fully commit to constructing the road from Ugru to there. He likely aims to resolve the financial difficulties within the territory by exploiting the iron mine,” continued the beard-stroked strong man.
He then added, “Now, the Hesse father and son are quite close to the new Lord, and in particular, the son of Hesse has hit it off with one of the Lord’s entourage. Almost all the daily affairs in the Caucasus Territory are now managed by that entourage member and Hesse’s son.”
“Oh?” The last remark from the bearded strong man finally got the attention of the indifferent hunchback old man, who slowly turned around. His now wide-open pale gray eyes briefly flashed a keenness that belied his age. His neatly combed hair showed a lustrous sheen, and below his prominent nose, his verdant beard was just as tidy. Coupled with his perfectly tailored gentleman’s coat, he looked every bit the refined and distinguished gentleman from any angle.
“You’re saying that Hesse has joined forces with that Komer?! Didn’t you mention last time that he was involved in an assassination attempt against him? Isn’t Hesse afraid that the other party will find out the details?”
“This matter is also strange to me, but Hesse seems to maintain a distance from that lord. However, his son is indeed closely wrapped up with him,” the bearded strong man carefully chose his words, cautiously responding.
“Has there been any change on Mattdam’s side?” Without dwelling further on this issue, what concerned the hunchback old man the most was his logistics base and supplies.
“There hasn’t been any major movement for the time being, but the Lord’s Mansion in Ugru has issued a notice recruiting refugees from all over to reclaim wasteland and open mines. This edict has been sent out to all parts of the Continent through the merchants who come and go, especially within the territory of the Kingdom of Nicosia. Now, aside from a large group of refugees still on the road, a number of scattered individuals have already entered the Caucasus, mostly in Ugru, but also two to three hundred people have settled in Mattdam, although these people are mostly destitute. They have come to Mattdam looking for food and a living, mainly reclaiming wasteland and felling timber in the surrounding wilderness. Two new logging yards have recently opened up near the Mattdam market, said to be preparing sufficient building timber for the immigrants, and have recruited a lot of workers. Moreover, emissaries from the Lord’s Mansion have planned the three kilometers from the center of Mattdam to the edge of the dock as commercial land, reportedly a plan set by the lord’s follower. It seems that sooner or later Mattdam will also see a large influx of immigrants, so I’m somewhat worried that our supplies might…” Saying this, the bearded strong man’s face showed a look of concern.
“Hmph, don’t go worrying unnecessarily. Do you think that Komer is an easy man to deal with? He’s probably well aware that you are one of ‘Gray Skull’ by now. On the surface, you are the largest food merchant in the Caucasus, but instead of staying in the populous Ugru, you have stayed in Mattdam, where there are fewer than a thousand people, bringing in so much food each season which far exceeds the needs of Mattdam’s population. Do you think that lord is unaware? Just by the fact that he has scrutinized everyone with some influence in the Caucasus but has not touched you, we can be sure they already know your real identity. But that’s fine; by doing this, he has revealed his intentions, which is that we should not interfere with each other. He acts as the lord of the Caucasus, and I play my pirate tricks, and we stay out of each other’s way. As long as he doesn’t interfere with my supplies, we can coexist peacefully, and who knows, maybe at some point we might even collaborate on a scheme,”
A sly smile touched the corners of his mouth, and only in such moments did the hunchback old man allow a cunning and sinister expression that was at odds with that of a gentleman.
“But they are now actively recruiting soldiers and expanding their army!” the bearded strong man blurted out in a burst of anxiety.
“Fool! Do you think recruiting a bunch of Half-Beastmen is enough to deal with us? Hmph, that lord is not our enemy, at least not for now. He currently has many issues to deal with; when will he have time for us? Besides, we haven’t provoked him, and I don’t wish to provoke him, because he is a mage, but it doesn’t mean I’m afraid of him. Many things cannot be done simply by virtue of being a mage, and I trust he understands this as well,” the hunchback old man gave the other man a look that sent a shimmer of cold light through his gray eyes, making the bearded strong man contract and quickly lower his back in submission.
“Tick, for now, try not to provoke him, and I believe he will not make things difficult for you. According to the information I have, this Komer is no simple character. Even the infamous Fallen Knights of the Continent have failed to kill him. This magic lord is no minor talent. Currently, Katrina’s power in the south is swelling enormously, posing a significant threat to us ‘Gray Skulls.’ I do not wish to unnecessarily erect such an enemy at this time, but I hope his enemies will not let him off,” the hunchback old man turned his gaze back to the distant bay, “Let’s observe for a while and see what tricks he’s able to play in the Caucasus. You may go now, continue as per the usual rules, but be discreet and don’t draw too much attention.”
The man nodded hastily, not daring to say more, and with a bow, he silently pushed open the door and left.
Gazing toward the east, the hunchback old man murmured in a voice so low that even he could hardly hear it, “Philip, you old thing, to think you would use such schemes, inciting discord and borrowing someone else’s knife—expecting pirates to go ashore and kill for you. You really think I must rely on your spy network, huh huh, you’ve got me, Gote, figured all wrong.”
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