??Chapter 290: Chapter 10 Division
Chapter 290: Chapter 10 Division
As the ship passed by Gutenberg, Kor finally suppressed his desire and abandoned the idea of going to the Archduke’s Mansion. He was not the sa as he had been half a year ago. The relationship between Duke Zellin and Philip seed to have gotten closer due to the need to confront the Central Kingdom, and he did not dare to take the risk. Vero’s cheerful and generous nature made it hard to hide her excitent when she was with him. Taking Vero to the Java Swamp seed sowhat unrealistic. Kor was even more worried that if Vero knew his destination, she would insist on going. Thus, Kor chose to avoid it and decided to wait until his trip to the Java Swamp was over.
Exiting the Gutenberg Canal into the Dniester River waterway, heading upstream from here enters the important mber country of the Northern Alliance—the Duchy of Basarabia. The beautiful and fertile Buzak Plains were known as the corner of paradise, supposedly a fertile land specially left to the Basarabians by the Creator God.
“Who has seen that place? Its natural abundance makes the wood trees lush and the land fertile. It is a place full of vibrant greenery, pleasant to the eye…” The high-pitched singing of a carefree bard echoed on both banks of the river, entrancing everyone, including Kor and Lo, as well as Rebry and Hayreddin, except for Reese who still maintained his indifferent deanor.
Traveling slowly westward along the Dniester River, the pace of the passenger ship noticeably slowed, for it was going against the current and had to rely on the porters’ help when there was no wind. The fertile chernozem plain, the dense forests, the gentle hills, and the scattered lakes—this was the Buzak Plain. Compared to the Galle Plain and the Busen Plain, the land here was even more fertile, with black soil so rich that it seed to ooze oil upon the slightest step, and any grain seeds tossed down would yield an ample return, even without any care or attention.
“Mr. Reese?!” When a sowhat familiar voice ca from behind, Kor turned around in surprise. The reddish-brown hair stood out in the crowd, and he did not expect to encounter this person here. The large, prominent nose moved with his breathing, while the ticulous dress indicated he was a shrewd businessman.
“Oh, Mr. Piro, I didn’t expect to et you here. It’s been a long ti. How is Mr. Jack doing? I’m really sorry, I haven’t been back to Cyprus for quite so ti.” Seeing that Kor had run into an acquaintance, everyone who had co with him also stopped. eting the other party on the main streets of Kishnioff was unexpected for Kor. It appeared that the business of the Feller Family was not just ordinarily complex, as they even had connections in Basarabia, which only indicated the family’s complexity.
Kishnioff is the capital of the Duchy of Basarabia. It is not only an important grain trade center but also famous for its grape wine. Stork Wine is said to be the exclusive grape wine of the courts of the Northern Alliance countries. Among the common people, the price of this wine is staggeringly high, at 60 Gold Shields per barrel, and still, it is in great demand with limited availability.
“Ha ha, Mr. Reese, you’re now a lord in Caucasus, and as for Cyprus, it’s better not to return if you can avoid it,” Piro said, with his hawkish nose giving Kor the impression of a false nose. However, the warmth on his face was quite comforting to Kor.
“Mr. Reese, how did you find the ti to co here? Could it be that you’ve heard about the potential split of the Northern Alliance and ca to purchase food early?” Piro asked tentatively, his shrewd gaze playing across Kor’s face.
The potential split of the Northern Alliance? Kor was shocked. When had this news co about? Why had he not heard any whisper of it? Was it because Caucasus was too isolated or was it sothing that had happened during his recent travels?
“Hmm, any new news? It seems there isn’t any good news that could cheer soone up these days,” Kor dodged the direct question, responding vaguely.
“Indeed, what Mr. Reese said is true, it’s all quite disheartening news. Duke Ulysses of the Attica Duchy suggested during a eting with Joseph, the Governor of the City-state of Naples, that Naples inspect and ban the Nether Guest Association, which Joseph rejected. The two parted on bad terms. Ulysses and Franz II, the king of the Knossos Kingdom, once again joined forces to demand the City-state of dea and the Netherland Kingdom to completely prohibit the Nether Guest Association’s activities within their territories. dea has formally refused their demand, while the Netherland Kingdom seed to hesitate. The Kingdom of Nicosia has officially declared its respect for the positions of Naples and dea. Encouraged by this, the Netherland Kingdom also informally stated that it would not prohibit the activities of the Nether Guest Association, a registered organization within the Netherland Kingdom’s Ministry of the Interior, unless there was sufficient evidence of threats to the kingdom’s security or incitent of the public to engage in evil deeds. Consequently, the Attica Duchy and the Knossos Kingdom have protested to the Kingdom of Nicosia, accusing it of encouraging the activities of non-Church of Light sects, especially the Dark Sect, within the territories of the Northern Alliance mber states. They have declared this as unacceptable, and if Nicosia does not change its stance, they will exit the Northern Alliance and form a new covenant organization,” Piro explained.
It was evident that Piro was very interested in this news and well-inford. Kor found it strange why a slave rchant would be so interested in state disputes caused by religious beliefs.
Seeing through Kor’s doubts, Piro explained with a smile, “Your baron, perhaps you haven’t realized that if the Northern Alliance collapses, the tax rates among countries will differ, significantly increasing the transit taxes on goods, and the taxes on my goods will skyrocket. Of course, I need to expedite shipnts and complete transactions as much as possible before this occurs. This ti I’m here to fulfill a contract for 800 slaves needed by the local manor. If I delay any longer and the transit tax increases, that’s not a small number for 800 individuals. Your baron, if you need grain, you should also purchase it in advance.”
Kor then realized that among the mbers of the Alliance, taxes were calculated according to the tax rates of their respective countries or city-states, without any circulation tax in between. If the Alliance ceased to exist, circulation tax would be imdiately imposed, sothing rchants naturally took into consideration.
“Nether Guest Association? This is the first ti I’m hearing about this new thing. What exactly is it?” Kor’s attention was quickly drawn to this point.
“I’m not too clear on it myself, it seems to be a missionary organization from the South, probably connected to so dark religious activities,” Piro shrugged and shook his head, “These matters related to the Dark Sect are certainly suppressed by the Church of Light in the North. Surprisingly this ti, even the various governnts of countries and city-states have been roped in, it seems that the Nether Guest Association is not so simple.”
A missionary organization from the South? Could it be connected to the Great Mysterium Sect? Kor felt a shock in his heart. Could it be that the Great Mysterium Sect was also secretly expanding north? The image of Xerob floated through Kor’s mind again. He wondered how their dragon-slaying mission in the Baden Gold Mountain Range was faring; it could be a highly challenging mission. These were details he needed to explore about the true power of the Great Mysterium Sect.
“Does Basarabia also support Attica and Knossos?” Kor redirected his attention back to the present.
“It’s precisely because this reason cannot be ascertained that I hurried here to deal with this business. It’s said that Basarabia has considerable internal disputes, the Nether Guest Association isn’t active here yet. Although Duke Antonescu hasn’t comnted on this matter, he has already been pressured from both sides and is now in a difficult position,” Piro gestured for Kor to be mindful of their surroundings as he lowered his voice. Basarabia had always remained neutral, but due to economic ties, it had closer connections to the eastern Kingdom of Nicosia. However, because it borders countries of the Light Sect directly, it has always maintained an impartial middle policy in these matters. But this ti, the tightrope policy is facing challenges.
“It seems that Mr. Piro is quite familiar with the important people of the Northern Alliance,” Kor teased with a half-smile.
“Your Excellency the Baron, business these days is difficult, especially in our line of work. We need to keep abreast of the political changes and policy adjustnts of various countries, otherwise, it’s easy to run into trouble. It’s all because of the circumstances,” Piro’s dark grey eyes flashed with shrewd cunning, “May I ask what brings Your Excellency the Baron to Basarabia this ti? Are you planning to import a batch of food? It seems that Hor is under strict blockade, which could be quite difficult to get through.”
“Ha, no, I plan to take a trip to Bohemia to see the splendors of the magic paradise. A few of my friends also hope to purchase so necessary magic materials in Prague; they are magic practitioners,” Kor replied casually.
“Hmm, the Mage Guild in Prague should be holding a round table conference in the next few days, and there will also be a single-discipline magic competition. It should be very attractive. Many magic enthusiasts have already headed to Prague. I’ve heard that the winners will receive quite substantial material rewards,” Piro nodded, thinking Kor and his group were heading to Bohemia, the true kingdom of magic, the holy land for magic practitioners, where the upcoming conference is a coveted feast for mages seeking exchange and enlightennt.
“Oh?” Kor had not known that he would encounter such an event on this trip, no wonder the old man Rebry was hurrying him to set off. It seed to be preditated; he wanted to catch this annual Magic World Conference, “I hope to find good fortune in Prague.”
Demon Destiny concludes, Wicked Dragon erges. The new pseudo-fantasy dominance novel “Reincarnation of Wicked Dragon” with book number 1114080. Fans of Demon Destiny won’t be disappointed, though it may start a bit slowly. If you’re still dissatisfied after 300,000 words, feel free to delete and abandon it. Kindly collect and cast all your Recomndation Tickets for my new book “Reincarnation of Wicked Dragon”!
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