The Vastness of Magi Chapter 177 - 177 9 Heaven Rewards Diligence

??Chapter 177: Chapter 9: Heaven Rewards Diligence

Chapter 177: Chapter 9: Heaven Rewards Diligence

“Clang!” With a loud crash, the glass utensils set before the desk fell to the ground, shattering into crystal-clear fragnts, a few thick books also flung aside by their master with a forceful sweep. The usually rosy cheeks had now turned ashen, and the old man’s full head of silver hair seed to react to his master’s mood as it beca slightly disheveled, looking sowhat out of place.

Mattdam had opened its port! What did that signify? Even a fool could tell what those people in the southern Nether Sea had been up to. Philip had been in a foul mood lately, astonished to find that ever since he had banished that profligate son to the Caucasus, a series of misfortunes had followed one after another.

Those old geezers in the central kingdom actually regarded such a worthless person as a treasure, thinking that relying on him, they could oppose Philip. Initially, Philip had not taken this matter seriously, but everything changed after that man shockingly decided to accept more than one hundred thousand refugees. The kingdom’s high priority attention to this matter had been continuously pressuring Philip. Although he stood firm against the pressure and strictly blocked the supply channels to the Caucasus, for so reason his asures had not worked. He had anticipated that the Caucasus would face a food and finance crisis within two or three months at most, but so far, there hadn’t been any signs of it.

Now everything was clear. It was that old bastard Gote who had played tricks behind the scenes. Although Philip did not know what wish Gote had granted to change his stance, what was evident now was that Gote’s people no longer had any restraining effect on the other party. The news of Mattdam’s port opening spread across the entire Hor region and the nearby coastal areas within days. For the Caucasus, the blockade of Bruce Fortress beca worthless, and both Cyprus and Odessa’s trade status faced challenges from Mattdam. The various side effects were nurous, causing Philip to feel painfully frustrated inside.

“Father, I had long advised you not to show rcy like a woman. Hesitance invites chaos, and now that things have co to this, even if we wanted to move against him, it would not be easy.” The girl standing on the side played indifferently with a silk fan in her hand. This was a handicraft from the Southern Elves, said to be derived from a part of a lost civilization—exquisitely carved and embroidered, out of reach for ordinary people, but quite popular among the hos of princes and tycoons, seen as a symbol of status.

Glancing at his daughter whose temperant had changed beyond recognition since her younger years, Philip felt an inexplicable sense of irritation and disgust. Perhaps sending the person off to the Caucasus was a mistake, and listening to his daughter was his biggest mistake. Had it not been for her, he would not have taken the risk of losing an excellent Finance Officer and turning against the Reese Family. Now, although there had been no unusual reactions from Ramla, Philip knew that once a knot was tied in one’s heart, it beca exceedingly difficult to untie.

When one thing went wrong, everything seed to go wrong—that was how Philip felt now. Aside from the thorny issue of the Caucasus, the kingdom’s actions were also suspicious. There hadn’t been any major movents from the beastn this year, but the kingdom continued to expand its standing army. The Blue Dove Legion had officially announced its formation and was proceeding in an intense and orderly fashion. The official reason, of course, was the threat of the beastn, but given the kingdom’s tight finances, continuing to expand the number of standing armies even after the Iron Cross Legion had been stationed at the fortress in the West, couldn’t help but raise doubts.

Confronted with the increasingly tense relationship with the central kingdom, Philip naturally had to consider whether the central kingdom actually intended to forcefully implent the “Utrecht Decree.” The decree had been issued several years ago but was barely enforced among the mid and small lords around the kingdom’s direct territories. In both the North and the South, it was almost a dead letter. Philip was unsure whether the central kingdom was genuinely ready to resolve this issue, even at the risk of using martial power, or if it was rely a bluff. He hoped for the latter. Although he already had secret agreents with several Great Lords, he still did not wish to see that happen. After all, the Kingdom of Nicosia had been founded for hundreds of years, with deep-seated roots and the idea of royal legitimacy deeply embedded in people’s hearts. To openly defy this would carry great risks.

But to continue directing funds towards the military during such financial difficulties—was it just for show? On second thought, Philip’s heart grew anxious again. At least for now, things had not deteriorated to that stage, and there was still a chance for a turnaround. As long as the Blue Dove Legion wasn’t fully ford, the kingdom would not take other actions, allowing many opportunities for negotiation in between.

The worries didn’t stop there. That fool Boninski was becoming increasingly unpopular in Leon, with slave uprisings and escapes happening more frequently and on a larger scale. It was said that a large number of half-beastman slaves were fleeing through the Volt Mountain Range into the Caucasus, but as of now, there had been no reports from the Caucasus about capturing any escaped slaves. This increased Philip’s concern about the situation in Leon. Complaints against Boninski had not only reached Hor but also a large number of related docunts had been submitted to the Kingdom Star Chamber Court. If it weren’t for Boninski’s adequate contributions over the past few years, Philip would have long thrown that man to the Star Chamber Court, as stripping a Count of his title wasn’t much and replacing him with an obedient Lord would do just fine. Should Philip consider this suggestion?