Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 376

Episode 376: The Foundation (2)

“Holy… A strong man from the Eastern Continent. I never thought that a famous figure would appear in an uninhabited land without a sound or rumor.”

One of the four powers of the central continent, the 'Sovereign', sat on his oppressive throne and muttered with his chin resting on his hand.

A soft voice that made me shrink without realizing it the moment I heard it. The women serving me next to me trembled slightly.

The ruler said.

“So what does he say he’s doing?”

“After taking the city of Dalehin, Harsbeg, Frol, and Delgar are said to have had a meal at the lord’s request.”

“Did you go to bow first? That’s typical. What was the content of the meeting?”

“The three lords tried to make a peace treaty in exchange for tribute, but the divine scoffed and flatly rejected it. Liam Arlane also agreed.”

A loyal retainer showed the letter he had received from Lord Harsbeg.

He provided information to the ruler on the grounds that negotiations with the divine had failed. It could be said that this was the way of life for those who maintained their position by paying tribute to the surrounding powerful people.

The ruler laughed quietly.

“Haha, Asher… On the one hand, he’s quite tyrannical, as his nickname suggests, the Tyrant of the Underworld. He just takes it away. I definitely agree with that part. Especially in this land where there are no masters. It seems like friction is inevitable.”

“Are you processing it?”

The subordinates shone with life.

With the power that the ruler has accumulated so far, it is possible to turn an ownerless land into hell.

“The opponent is an elemental magician. It is estimated that he will be in the upper 6th rank among those who have achieved magic. If we mismanage our army, we will not be able to avoid destruction.”

The ruler rested his arms on the armrests and leaned back against the back of the chair.

“Also, it’s still too early to tell the outcome. You can’t go into full-scale war with a newcomer who only has one or two cities. Besides that, the situation doesn’t match up. So, it’s better to just take a look.”

“If you say you’re going to try……”

“It would be better to leave the city that the divine spirit has eaten alone and lightly touch Arane.”

The ruler twisted the corners of his mouth.

“Utilize the local lords to advance the army to Arein. And if possible, capture Liam Arein.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

* * *

The Midloth Dominion, the region where Verden first encountered Adrian.

There, I had encountered Ethan and Rebecca, members of the anti-Matap faction and the Society. It wasn't that long ago, so I didn't really need to recall it.

“They are definitely against the Magic Tower system, so I think it would be great if we could draw out their power. That is, as long as you, my lord, control the Society.”

As Adrian feared, the Society is an independent yet ideological group.

No matter how strong Verden was, it was definitely impossible to control him by force.

Verden answered.

“So I guess I’ll have to figure out what the Society wants from me and use it. I’ve thought about that. We’ll have to see if negotiations work out.”

Could the Society's power be used as the cornerstone of the power that Verden will create?

That depends entirely on Verden's capabilities.

Suddenly Verden thought.

'Come to think of it, who on earth is Rayshen chasing?'

It has been quite some time since Rayshen began to operate secretly in the Central Continent.

Could he have been caught by now? The Bohemian Tower, and especially the one Baloch himself was interested in, may still be on the run since he sent his second disciple.

An enemy of the Bohemian Tower that Verden does not know about.

It would have been nice if they could have stayed alive, but there was nothing Verden and Adrian could do right now.

In order to find the unidentified person, capturing Rayshen was the priority.

The time is not far away.

Verden said, shaking off his thoughts.

“As Ethan mentioned before, if the Society is secretly operating on all continents, not just the Eastern Continent, then we would have heard news from the Land of No Owners long ago. We would have already sent people to the cities I have acquired.”

With a flick of the finger, the Society's symbol floated into the air.

“I will use this token to contact the Society in the city of Dalehin.”

“What should I do in the meantime?”

“Adrian, I have a special job for you.”

Verden pointed to a map showing parts of the city and unclaimed land.

The area ruled by the magic towers of the central continent came into view.

“We’ve attracted quite a bit of attention at the moment. Those who don’t want to just sit back and watch might try to take action or test our power. The Magic Towers are no exception… but for the time being, there’s no need to worry about this. They’ll probably be quite confused because of the location of the Bone Dragon.”

Licentia goes to Gargant.

The rumors sent through Keirel will become a huge trend.

Especially if it's a group with enormous assets and great power that can get their hands on the dragon's bones, they'll be on fire.

Inevitably, the dispute over ownerless land would take a backseat.

“In the meantime, you take care of the surroundings. We move through the sky so we don’t have to meet, but I heard that there are always groups of bandits around Arane.”

“I see. Then should I just kill them all?”

“Yes. But don’t do it alone. You also have to guard Arain’s defenses in case of an emergency. It would be a good idea to post a notice through Liam, recruit several mercenaries, and attempt a large-scale simultaneous suppression.”

It's a simple mercenary technique.

This is unfamiliar territory for Adrian, who prefers to act independently.

But still, there was no refusal.

If this also becomes a part of the experience, I will gladly face and accept it.

Adrian was determined to become Verden's right-hand man and the number two man in the force he was trying to create.

“I will serve you. I will clear the area cleanly until my lord arrives, and I will not allow anyone to cross the walls of Arane. Even if a transcendent being comes.”

The humiliation of being sealed by Ignacia by an unexpected blow.

Although I desperately resisted with strong willpower, I was unable to respond properly because it was an unexpected situation.

Excluding his training with the Master, this was Adrian's third defeat… … .

No matter what, once I was subdued, there was no room for excuses. Was this all I had? It was so vain and embarrassing.

Adrian had been meditating and chewing on his mindfulness meditation, and his will was sharper than before.

It was so sharp that even a passing Keirel let out a strange scream like 'Nyaak!'

Verden nodded.

“I’ll leave it to you.”

* * *

Berden, who left Arlene in the care of Adrian, headed straight to the city of Dallehin.

[Einver]'s three halos overlap his body, reaching the peak of his flight speed.

It's difficult to work together unless you have Adrian as your only reliable strongman.

Also, we can't yet arbitrarily deploy long-distance space travel…

To begin with, the range that a minority can cover is limited, regardless of strength.

So, they are not expanding their actual influence blindly according to the rules of the ownerless land.

We must take defensive action until we have formed a minimal force.

Dominance beyond one's immediate capabilities will only lead to disaster.

Building a strong foundation from the ground up was Verden's priority.

Soon after, Verden arrived in Dalehin. As he was the lord, he did not need to go through the formalities of entry.

I entered the castle straight through the large, open window.

Then, by chance, I ran into the castle maid who was cleaning the hallway.

'This child… … .'

Looks familiar.

Now that I look at it, she was the girl Verden saved from danger when he entered Dalehin.

I asked her, who was gaping in surprise.

“Has your father recovered?”

“Ah, yes…… more, thanks to that I’m fine…….”

“I see.”

After leaving a word, Verden passed the maid and headed straight to the office.

Before calling the Society, I planned to get a report from Dumal about the city's situation.

Soon, Verden disappeared down the hallway.

The girl who had been blankly staring at him until then, who had volunteered to become the lord's maid, suddenly shouted in surprise.

“Hey, my lord, you’ve come!!”

* * *

“The atmosphere of the city has changed a lot since I last saw it, Dumal. The once desolate castle and streets seem lively. There are more people floating around now.”

“Isn’t money the most important thing in running a territory? If you have enough funds, and there are no middlemen embezzling taxes, it’s not hard to develop a city. Besides, the lord himself told us not to collect too many taxes.”

The previous Dalehin lord's tax rate was a whopping 70% regardless of income. In addition, there were many other reasons for taking away money.

It is to take away the strength and will to resist by preventing one from properly filling one's stomach.

This was part of the taming of the citizens.

Currently, tax collection is being enforced at the same level as in the Eastern Continent countries, specifically the Kingdom of Estyria, by order of Verden.

It was chosen not because Verden was an honorary count of the kingdom, but because no other country came to mind to model it after.

In any case, citizens could not help but welcome the fact that they were paying taxes that were overwhelmingly less than the outrageous rate of 70%.

Verden said.

“It’s almost as if you’re running the city by yourself, so there’s no unnecessary noise.”

“Haha, it’s thanks to the bats I tamed. Of course, it would be difficult for me to do it alone in a city or territory larger than Dalehin.”

[Wow, wow!]

The bat sitting on Dumal's shoulder spread the wings attached to his arm wide.

Verden examined Dumal's complexion.

The vampire didn't seem particularly tired, even though he spent most of his day running the city.

Is it because they generously provide fresh, high-quality, bloody raw meat for welfare purposes?

'Overwhelming cost effectiveness as a territory manager.'

If you wanted to, you could write a paper on the usefulness of heteromorphism.

Dumal kept bowing his head, saying it was too much praise.

“Okay. Let’s keep doing this from now on.”

“Of course, my lord. Oh, by the way, what brings you to Dallehin? Is there something you need help with?”

“It’s personal business. And I’ll be leaving again soon. Don’t worry about me and go about your daily routine.”

As a lord, I have checked the status of the city, and now it is time to call the society.

I climbed to the top of Yeongju Castle, which overlooked the city.

I held a coin-sized sign in my hand as I looked down the busier street than Arain.

A magical inverted triangle that signifies instability, or development. The moment you press the circle inside it, a special device is activated.

───!

Magical power was released from the magic stone embedded in the sign. It soon transformed into an unfamiliar magic wave and began to spread out in all directions.

The radius is quite wide.

Also, a faint flow that is clearly felt by Verden, but difficult for normal magicians to detect.

Soon, the sign that had fulfilled its purpose turned to dust and disappeared without a trace.

'How many days will it take?'

Ethan said that if we move into the city, the Society will try to contact us soon.

Surely he won't not come.

Verden, who thought that an answer would come within five days at the latest, stayed in Dallehin.

And as expected, guests came. On the other hand, the response was faster than expected.

It has been less than a day since the marker was activated.

A wanderer dressed in plain clothes bowed deeply to Verden.

“I have come to fetch you, Your Majesty.”

The society answered the call.