Chapter 1255: Chapter 685 Political Gu-Rearing
“Regarding the General’s intentions, Taina has already explained them to in detail, but the national policy has been established and cannot be arbitrarily altered. The Rocklands can only be rewarded through pacification efforts, and not directly conferred, otherwise, it would be unfair to those aspiring individuals.”
The one who spoke first was none other than King Yasan. His tone carried not a shred of unfamiliarity, as if this was far from their first eting.
In fact, that was indeed the case. He had seen Gaven far more often than Gaven could imagine—Gaven was simply unaware of it.
“Your Majesty ans… fair competition?” Even under the penetrating gazes of the Koer nobles filling the room, Gaven remained unfazed. A man’s courage corresponds to his strength. He vividly recalled the days when he trembled before the Court Archmage, fearing a single motion from the opponent could obliterate him. Now, anyone daring to pull such a stunt would first have to see whether Lady Strategy would approve.
“Indeed, fair competition. I’ve already gathered all qualified parties for this matter. If you have any thoughts, share them freely for discussion,” King Yasan spoke with utter straightforwardness.
With just a few words, Gaven already discerned King Yasan’s intentions.
This was nothing less than political gu managent, thrusting him and the existing major powers onto the Rocklands as the rearing grounds.
To claim this territory, they would undoubtedly exhaust every effort to develop and compete for it.
No matter the victor or loser, the Obisceal Royal Family would profit. Even if everyone failed in their developnt, they wouldn’t incur a loss, since it was never their resources being expended in the first place.
“How exactly will success and failure be determined? Surely not through warfare?” The question didn’t co from Gaven, but from another mber standing in the Royal Court Conference Hall—a fiery woman.
She had fla-red hair, fiery red armor, a crimson cape, full rosy lips, and blazing eyes, radiating an allure akin to fire itself. Simply being stared at by her gave the surreal sensation of being ignited, compelling one to willingly embrace the flas—even knowing they’d be reduced to ashes, they’d do so unflinchingly.
This woman was none other than Gaven’s fiercest competitor in the Rocklands—the leader of the Red Crow rcenary Brigade, Rayana Ross, a Quasi-Legendary Warrior.
At least, according to the intelligence Gaven had acquired, she was a warrior. But now, he wasn’t so sure. The powerful waves of fiery magic radiating from her didn’t belong to a Mage who trained after birth but resembled a Magician’s innate awakening. Her body carried the bloodline of a Fire Elent heritage.
Elental heritage refers to hybrids of native humanoids and elental creatures from other planes, such as Fire Giant Spirits, Wind Giants, Dao Wind Spirits, Small Giant Spirits, and so on.
The presence of such beings in Felen wasn’t extre but was significant enough to note. Their occurrence varied geographically, influenced by the closeness of the region to the Elental Planes.
In the Koer Kingdom, hybrids of this kind were exceedingly rare. Even when they did appear, they were mostly of Water Elent heritage, due to Koer’s proximity to the Sea of Fallen Stars, where a multitude of water-based elental creatures road more frequently.
Fire and Wind Elent heritage were predominantly seen in Gaven’s holand, Thacel, particularly in the southern Karinshan Empire. The noble bloodlines there often carried traces of elental lineage. Historically, the region had been successively ruled by the Wind Giant Spirit Kalin and the Fire Giant Spirit Mannor, whose wars had reshaped the land—a legacy that endured to the present day.
Those of Elental heritage carried innate elental energy. Even if they specialized as warriors, they weren’t re warriors but beca magical warriors.
“Of course, we can’t settle this with war. We’re aiming to build the Rocklands, not destroy it,” the Court Archmage responded gravely. “Thus, the competition will be judged through construction. You’ll have five years to develop the Rocklands using your resources. Success will be determined by the total tax revenue you generate there. To ensure fairness, we’ll assign dedicated royal financial officials to oversee the process, guaranteeing the authenticity of taxes paid.”
The Koer Kingdom’s plan was evidently not a snap decision but the result of ticulous calculation.
To derive greater benefit from the Rocklands, one would have to invest astronomically—establishing various industries without reserve. Yet the evaluation wouldn’t center on how much money was poured in but on how much revenue those industries could produce.
Running a hollow shell company and directly using one’s funds to pay taxes might seem like a shortcut. However, such a strategy clearly scread folly; one misstep would leave you bankrupt because there was no guarantee your paid taxes would outmatch your competitors’ earnings.
Hearing this, Gaven beca instantly invigorated. This was his forte. After all, he was a man aiming to peer into the Path of Trade, aspiring to claim the divine positions of comrce, wealth, and money—a man brimming with profitable sches.
Setting aside larger ambitions, he currently controlled the City of Faith within the Goblin Margins and the Three Rivers Region in Battle Valley.
The Rocklands, situated squarely between these territories, even as a re transit hub, could yield massive wealth without any additional effort.
He also had advantages that others lacked, such as building roads and bridges in the Rocklands. Even revenue from re tolls would be highly lucrative.
Additionally, the well-established Gnolls under his command had unparalleled strengths in mining, far beyond what ordinary individuals could achieve.
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