Chapter 973: Stealing—No, Grabbing Spots for the New World Expedition! |
“This little Garrett always manages to come up with new tricks.”
The Lord of Thunder set down the letter in his hand—a transmission from the New World Tower Spirit, relayed and printed by the Tower of Heaven’s Tower Spirit, and delivered to him by a puppet—and smiled slightly.
He gently pushed the letter, letting it float towards his disciples, intertwining his fingers and leaning back:
“Take a look.”
“Teacher, I am willing to go and support little Garrett.” Archmage Byerbo skimmed through the letter and immediately responded.
Isn’t it just a local god around level 18? He could crush it in minutes, grabbing the neck of that roasted chicken and making it spit out everything it had eaten!
Beside him, Archmage Filby carefully read the letter, pondered for a moment, and handed it to another junior disciple, passing it down the line. She spoke softly:
“If Senior Brother is going, then I don’t need to go. If additional manpower is needed, I can select a few of my disciples around level 15 to assist him with minor tasks. Additionally—”
She slightly tilted her head, looking towards the Tower of Heaven, in the direction of the Sleepless Tower:
Is the council unaware of the Eagle God’s Kingdom?
Impossible. Maybe low-level mages don’t know, but Archmages above level 15, and especially those at the legendary level...
If they are attentive, they would at least know that "beyond the mountains and across the seas, there is an Eagle Kingdom"...
As for why they didn’t reach out before, it’s certainly because it was too far from the mainland and too close to enemies. The vast New World is full of dangers, and the investment wouldn’t yield proportional returns.
Even if high-level forces, or even legends, are deployed to conquer the Eagle God’s Kingdom, how would they govern it?
The council’s power isn’t enough to rule a nation with a population larger than the Kent Kingdom. Simply plundering and leaving would mean giving the fertile land to the Radiant Church...
If they don’t subdue the locals, how can they establish a base? Without a base, how can they deal with the natives, let alone the forces of the Radiant Lord who have already occupied the Storm Islands and the southern part of the New World, with ships and personnel frequently coming and going?
But now, the risk of traveling by land has been smoothed out by Garrett! As long as they carry Garrett’s token and don’t cause trouble along the way, the natives will treat them as friends!
Archmage Filby could almost imagine Garrett’s approach:
Healing as he goes, treating patients’ urgent needs, barely charging any fees, or only accepting a little when he couldn’t refuse...
It’s indeed the typical style of a nature priest. Archmage Filby quickly glanced at their teacher:
Who knows what the teacher’s mood is now. He had always been pleased with little Garrett’s popularity but worried that his soft-heartedness might make him suffer in interactions.
Overall, their teacher’s style of dealing with people has always been “if they don’t submit, beat them until they do,” and he mostly taught his disciples the same. Little Garrett’s soft approach might not be too pleasing to him...
“Wait for Black Crow Swamp to approach us.” The Lord of Thunder said disinterestedly:
“After all, this matter is primarily ours—and little Garrett’s big fuss to find people from home is ultimately to heal his follower’s magical pet, which is Black Crow Swamp’s business anyway. Or, just submit the matter to the evaluation committee.”
He clicked his tongue, a bit displeased. Traveling thousands of miles to the New World to save people was one thing; but even to save a magical pet, challenging an 18th-level totem god, was too much!
Such negligence of proper business, if not for the real benefits to the council, he wouldn’t want to deal with it!
Archmage Filby respectfully complied. Seeing no further instructions from the teacher, she was about to leave when the vase on the Lord of Thunder’s desk suddenly glowed.
With a casual tap, the vase lit up completely, emitting the dry, raspy laughter of the Immortal One:
“Plague Lord... hahahahaha... your little Garrett is now the Plague Lord... hahahahahaha...”
Amid the laughter, there was a faint clattering sound of wood and bones, possibly that skull rolling on the table while laughing.
All the disciples of the Lord of Thunder immediately lowered their heads, not daring to look at the teacher’s face, nor to let the teacher see their expressions... though it was genuinely funny!
“Even as the Plague Lord, he is foremost the youngest son of the Thunder God.” The Lord of Thunder remained expressionless, responding indifferently.
The laughter abruptly stopped. Something fell with a thud.
The Archmages struggled to hold back their laughter. They had all seen the letter earlier and refrained from mentioning it to avoid provoking the teacher, but... it was indeed hilarious!
After a long silence, the voice from the Sleepless Tower resumed. The Immortal One spoke weakly:
“Well... it seems you’ve received the letter too. Hey, who are you sending? I’ll send someone of the same level, or slightly lower, along with two at level fifteen...”
“Whatever you prefer.”
The Lord of Thunder’s indifferent tone suggested disinterest in his proposal. The Immortal One grew anxious:
“Hey, not competing with you! The Snake God’s power there aligns with necromancy, and those mummies and crystal skulls are fascinating! We just want those! The rest can be yours, or the council’s!”
“Let the evaluation committee assess it then.”
“Agreed!”
The two legends discussed briefly, and the matter was settled. Next, the evaluation committee would gather the personnel, painstakingly research, assess the situation, and decide how to handle the current affairs:
How far is the Eagle God’s Kingdom from the Kent Kingdom’s colony in the New World?
How much surplus capacity do the kingdom and the council have to transport for trade, and how many people can be spared to run this route?
Can establishing a permanent base in the Eagle God’s Kingdom provide a home port for the navy or at least for traders to support this route? Is this country wealthy enough to provide sufficient profits to sustain the traders?
And crucially: has the Radiant Church’s power in the Storm Islands and the southern New World declined, or will they simply drive them back...
“This is an excellent opportunity.” Eliza Usman, the rotational committee member from the school of evocation, focused on the ice element, turned a page of the document and spoke firmly:
“The possibility of establishing a base is promising. Mage Nordmark has successfully persuaded the Eagle God’s Kingdom to invite us as reinforcements, allowing us to enter openly;
The land route has been secured by Mage Nordmark;
If we can annihilate the Radiant Church’s army in this battle, we can foresee a decline in the Radiant Church’s power in the New World for the next five to ten years. This is a rare opportunity to expand our influence in the New World.”
“And the Storm Islands are extremely rich.” The committee member from the school of transmutation nodded. As he spoke, the whole table smiled and nodded, even the lower-level mages at the back of the meeting room, ready to deliver documents, showed expectant expressions:
Gold!
Gems!
Magic crystals!
Furs!
And all those sugars, tobaccos, various dyes... A sea voyage to the New World would yield at least several times the profit. Why didn’t the council run this route before? Was it unwilling?
“Recently, the Radiant Church’s headquarters, as well as the Brolin and Rhine Kingdoms, are likely unable to support the New World.” The committee member from the school of enchantment organized the documents and distributed them to each member:
“After the battle at Ostend, the Brolin Kingdom suffered heavy losses. The central Capet Kingdom and the northern Netherlands declared independence one after another. Currently, Brolin is mired in turmoil, and even the Radiant Church’s headquarters is facing challenges.”
“That ‘Justification by Faith’ sect?” The necromancer committee member leaned in:
“I heard they’re causing quite a stir?”
“The Netherlands, as well as several border duchies of the Rhine Kingdom, have been dissatisfied with the Church for a long time... and recently, it’s said that a near-legendary ascetic has joined the Justification by Faith sect and published very influential articles...”
The committee members reviewed the surrounding situations, the Radiant Church’s power in the New World, and their own trade and production capabilities, concluding that this venture was feasible.
At the very least, they could send a team to cooperate with the Eagle God’s Kingdom to eliminate the Radiant Church’s army—this was a guaranteed win. As for the compensation for the Archmages?
Garrett had already negotiated with the Eagle God’s Kingdom: an effigy of gold as a reward for each level fifteen Archmage! Life-size!
Even if the Archmages were all thin and unathletic, making this trip would still earn them tens of thousands of gold coins!
And the council wouldn’t need to pay!
“This project was proposed by Mage Nordmark. The Thunder Horn will send Archmage Byerbo, an 18th-level mage, along with two 15th-level mages.” Eliza Usman spoke first. The necromancer committee member continued:
“Black Crow Swamp will send an 18th-level Archmage and a 15
th-level mage.”
“Hey, you can’t take all the spots!” The transmutation committee member grew anxious:
“At least leave some for us! Engaging in trade, evaluating specialties, and buying local products in the Eagle God’s Kingdom—don’t we need people for that?”
“And the long-distance teleportation array...” The conjuration committee member added:
“If a mage tower and teleportation array are to be established, don’t we need our people for these permanent facilities?”
“We are also needed... Whether dealing with the natives or controlling large groups of the Radiant Church’s soldiers, the enchantment school is the most proficient!”
Chattering, almost arguing to the point of red faces. These profits might not reach the committee members directly, but they would benefit their respective schools.
As for which Archmage to send to the New World, it would also be a significant favor... If not now, then when?
“...You’re all aiming for the rewards, aren’t you!” The oldest and most stable committee member from the abjuration school couldn’t bear it any longer and slammed the table:
“Before you go, at least consider how much money they have, so we don’t end up having to rob the treasury!”
“We don’t necessarily have to rob the treasury... If the Eagle God’s Kingdom is stingy, we can let them use land to offset the debt, give us a piece of land for a permanent base... buying or renting, like a 999-year lease or something...”
The divination committee member murmured. Instantly, everyone fell silent and looked at him in awe:
Dark, truly dark!
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