Chapter 115. Bounties and Resource Control
A few days later, bounty notices from the Radiant Sun Empire and the Blackgold Empire were posted side by side on the Magic Bulletin Boards of the continent’s central region, drawing countless adventurers to stop and stare.
What left everyone dumbfounded was that the notices did not bear the usual portraits of vicious criminals or rebel officials, but of a group of misshapen goblins.
Green skin, pointed ears, and yellow fangs bared in ugly, ridiculous grins.
“What is this supposed to be? Have the two empires gone mad? They’re putting bounties on goblins?”
So adventurers clicked their tongues in disbelief.
“Even if they were high-tier goblins, it still wouldn’t warrant both empires making a move at the sa ti, would it?”
Those who knew more lowered their voices.
“You don’t know? There was a border clash between the two countries not long ago, and two Legends died. Only later did they discover that this group of goblins was responsible.”
“What? Goblins can be that strong?”
“It’s not that the goblins are clever. Soone is controlling them from behind the scenes.”
Another person took up the thread.
“I heard the mages of both empires have practically turned the border upside down. They tried astromancy, spatial location magic, and tracking spells, but they still couldn’t find a trace of those goblins.”
“It was like they vanished into thin air. Even the magical residue was wiped away completely!”
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone watching sucked in a cold breath.
To leave the mages of two great empires completely helpless, the person controlling matters behind the scenes had to possess unfathomable strength.
The bounty notice from the Radiant Sun Empire read: “Bounty on the goblin tribe ‘Foulclaw.’ Anyone who provides an exact trace of their whereabouts will be rewarded with fifty million gold coins and three Super-Tier Magic Scrolls.”
The Blackgold Empire’s bounty was even harsher: “Whoever captures the leader of the ‘Foulclaw’ goblins may choose one Divine Artifact from the imperial armory.”
With such enormous rewards on offer, adventurers across the entire continent were thrown into a frenzy.
Goblins might be weak, but the conspiracy behind them, the mysterious controller pulling the strings, and the eye-catching rewards were enough to stir anyone’s greed.
By the ti the news reached the Kroll Kingdom, William was reviewing a border defense map.
After listening to the secret investigator’s report, William quietly let out a breath of relief. Fortunately, his father had handled the matter cleanly.
There was no need to question the loyalty of the Gold Legion’s soldiers. They would never leak even a single word. But as for the n of the Royal Legions...
Kroll II set down his teacup and let his gaze rest on William’s face, as though he had seen straight through his thoughts.
“Are you worried about the Royal Legions?”
William nodded.
Kroll II smiled, his tone light but carrying unquestionable authority.
“There is no need to worry. They have all signed magic contracts. None of them would dare utter so much as half a word.”
“If there hadn’t been too many of them, and if dealing with them wouldn’t have caused too much commotion...”
He paused, then said in a low voice, “Do not bring this matter up again in the future.”
“Yes, Father,” William replied, and the last of his concern vanished completely.
At that very mont, inside a Secret Realm in the Western Frontier, a campfire crackled in a dark cave.
A group of goblins sat around the fire, greedily gnawing on roasted at. In the hands of the goblin leader at the front was a knight’s sword, which he was idly playing with. The blade flickered with a strange, ghostly light.
The fluctuation it gave off was exactly the sa as the aura that had emanated from the black-armored female Legend not long before she was captured.
Deeper inside the cave, the sight was enough to make one’s scalp crawl.
Beside the black-armored female Legend’s corpse crouched a group of newborn goblins that were clearly different from ordinary goblins. Their skin carried a faint pale tint, and they were constantly chewing on the remnants of her body.
These newborn goblins had evidently gestated from within her body. They had inherited a faint trace of a Legend’s aura, and their eyes held a savagery and cunning far beyond that of their kind.
The goblin at the front toyed with the knight’s sword for a mont, then suddenly let out a shrill laugh and said in stiff common speech, “The ‘seed’ of Foulclaw has finally sprouted... Next co the invaders...”
The firelight flickered in its eyes, reflecting a viciousness completely at odds with its size.
As the days passed, the Kroll royal family’s stockpile of resources grew steadily tighter.
In order to cultivate those soldiers with Legendary Aptitude, Domain Aptitude, and even Demigod Aptitude, the royal family had nearly emptied out its reserves accumulated over many years.
The Secret Realm’s cultivation materials, the crystal cores of high-tier magical beasts, and the rare ores that could stabilize Dou Qi... every single one of them was consud in staggering quantities.
By the end, the royal family had no choice but to purchase supplies from other countries.
But the neighboring nations were not fools. They naturally knew what Kroll was buying such vast amounts of resources for, so there was no way they would sell freely to the Kroll Kingdom. Instead, they throttled the flow to a miserable trickle, doing everything they could to delay matters.
Kroll II had even tried using William as a bargaining chip, but none of the surrounding nations bought into it. Either they drove up the prices, or they simply refused the trade outright under the excuse of “resource shortages.”
Left with no alternative, Kroll II could only turn his gaze toward more distant lands, sending rchant caravans through dangerous Neutral Zones to procure supplies.
But that route was exceptionally perilous. Not only were magical beasts entrenched along the way, there were also bandits coveting the resources and hidden scouts from hostile powers.
Out of every ten procurent missions, five would inevitably be plundered. The caravans suffered grievous losses, yet the resources they managed to bring back were often little more than a drop in the bucket.
On this particular day, William saw the latest procurent report in the Study and frowned deeply.
The report showed that of the three rchant caravans sent out last week, two had been ambushed on their return journey. The Second and Third Battalions of the Royal Sixth Legion had been wiped out to the last man, and all the resources had been lost.
“Father, this cannot continue.”
William went to find Kroll II.
“The resource shortage is growing worse and worse. Long-distance procurent is too risky. Rather than continuing like this...”
“Rather than what?” Kroll II lifted his eyes to look at him.
“The Goblin Secret Realm. The mines and the Magic Forest there still haven’t been fully developed. Let take the Gold Legion in and reclaim it directly.”
William continued, “In addition, we can issue bounty notices and have adventurers search for rare materials on behalf of the royal family, rewarding them with gold or titles. That way, we can mobilize civilian forces and avoid the risk of the caravans being plundered.”
Kroll II pondered for a mont, then nodded.
“That idea will work. I originally intended to keep the Goblin Secret Realm for training the troops.”
“But now, it seems we can only clear it out first. William, rember to leave so seeds behind. Once the resources have been taken away, release them again.”
“Those goblins reproduce quickly. It won’t take long for them to grow into a proper scale again, and then we can continue using them for training.”
“As for the bounty notices, I will have the Ministry of Finance draft the details and release them as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Father.”
William understood very well that if the resource problem was not resolved, then forget about cultivating a new elite legion. Even maintaining the Gold Legion’s current daily training would beco difficult.
At that sa mont, in a distant Neutral Zone, a rchant caravan from Kroll was making its way cautiously through a canyon.
The caravan leader looked at the soldiers of the Royal Legions behind him, his eyes filled with worry. He had no idea whether this ti they would make it back through the canyon to the Royal Capital alive.
The struggle over resources had long since beco another battlefield where nations wrestled against one another, both openly and in secret.
To reduce the risks of transport, all the caravan’s goods had been stored inside Spatial Rings, leaving the team traveling light. Even so, the trouble along the road had never ceased.
The royal family had long since been driven nearly to exhaustion over this issue. Earlier, they had even tried sending a Legendary Powerhouse to escort the convoy.
But the news had leaked, and four enemy Legends had co to surround them. Not only was the escorting Legend gravely wounded, the supplies were also stolen, making the loss even worse than when ordinary caravans were attacked.
If Legends were sent to do the purchasing themselves, small quantities would accomplish little. But if large quantities were bought, their movents would be exposed too easily and draw the vigilance of other nations.
After all, the movents of Legends were already watched closely. Frequent trips in and out of countries rich in resources would be no different from announcing to the entire world that “Kroll is stockpiling strength,” which would only make the already tense resource trade even more difficult.
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