Chapter 407: Chapter 182 War Wealth

Independent players were quite happy about the recent lively situation in the Yiter Federation.

Due to the Federation’s more ‘free’ atmosphere, the number of players who chose to be born in the Yiter Kingdom Federation was the highest among the three major powers.

Although many players who love peace and those focused on life system activities have left, even more foreign players have poured in, competing for the various lucrative ‘hidden tasks’ that have multiplied due to the warfare.

In the eyes of most players, the chaotic situation in the Federation is a harbinger of a major main storyline about to unfold.

Although the situation is dangerous, it makes them all the more eager to engage, tirelessly trying to trigger certain hidden tasks.

And for the original inhabitants, not everyone fails to see that the trade of skeleton labor is the main factor behind the current tense situation in the Federation.

In any era, there are always some clever individuals who can see the key contradictions hidden behind the appearance.

But understanding is one thing; whether they can stop it is another matter altogether.

Hiring ordinary people or buying slaves isn’t as cost-effective as employing skeleton labor.

The latter have no physical needs, can work around the clock, hardly make mistakes with preset tasks, and have an extremely high tolerance for work environments, ignoring noise and minor magic power radiation pollution.

Even when they are scrapped, their bone powder can be recycled and sold as the cheapest Necromancy material.

Although the first two options may be cheaper than the latter, in the long run, employing skeleton labor is still the most profitable.

If the upper echelons don’t take strong measures to stop all trade of skeleton labor, or find some way to replace it with a large-scale cheap workforce, no one can stop the onset of war.

But either approach is nearly impossible to accomplish, especially when High Rank Professionals are indifferent to the phenomenon, and lower-level personnel alone cannot contend with the powerful Nobles and major merchants.

Indeed, acquiring labor through war seems quite evil.

But the Federation has its own national conditions—

The many small Kingdoms within were never united, always eager to eradicate their neighbors to gain more resources. Only the Patikalan Covenant kept them from going too far in their battles.

‘Small frictions’ between Low Rank Professionals and civilians are not considered over the line.

Moreover, the massive cheap labor brought by the skeleton workers greatly promotes the swift development of the Mechanical industry.

For every Kingdom in the Federation, the development of Mechanical is a very critical strategic goal.

In the face of development, everything else must give way.

.….….

At this moment, Anvis was in the most famous landmark building of Leka Kingdom, the Cuijing Palace.

It is a gorgeous palace created by the famous architect Ro Donald using a massive, whole gemstone as the material.

The intricately carved colonnade terraces, the magnificent grand hall with its golden splendor, on the palace’s faintly translucent, pale Cloud Stone base, clusters of lush green hexagonal Crystal Pillars jut out, glittering with enchanting Radiance.

A large number of Crystal Pillars form a special Magic Field. Professionals meditating within the palace can achieve twice the result with half the effort, and even the probability of breakthroughs slightly increases.

Holding a teacup, Anvis sat in the waiting room, casually admiring the surrounding environment, his gaze indifferent as if he was already accustomed to the luxurious decorations in the room.

His purpose for this trip was to meet with the once legendary Prince Leka VI, now King Rock Leka VI.

As the representative of a Chamber of Commerce that made a one-time massive investment of tens of millions of Gold Coins in the Leka Kingdom, Anvis was granted the exceptional opportunity to have an audience with His Majesty the King.

Normally, the status of a branch manager of a Chamber of Commerce would not be sufficient for a personal audience with the King. However, the Black Ring Commerce clearly has some longstanding significant powers behind it, which demands caution.

This was also a calculated step in his plan. Whether as a ‘Trade Union Representative’ or as a Prophet, he should meet with this Prince, whose life journey resembled that of a legendary hero.

As Anvis was mulling over these thoughts, a nearby attendant noticed his calm demeanor and couldn’t help but feel surprised.

Having worked in the palace for long, it was common to see foreign visitors with expressions of awe, but few were as composed as Anvis.

Those capable of such composure were invariably influential figures who had seen far more grand and strange spectacles.

A thought crossed the attendant’s mind, and his attitude became even more respectful.

After a short wait, a guard entered and signaled that Anvis could now be received by His Majesty.

Contrary to what he had initially thought, King Leka VI had not chosen the great hall for the meeting but instead received him in the imperial study.

When the guard led Anvis inside, the newly enthroned King appeared to be reviewing a document. The rumored young female Prophet was not by his side at the moment, and it was unclear where she was.

The Magic Feather Pen he was using stopped writing and flew back into a velvet box at his side. The young man with golden hair robed in an emerald gown and wearing a platinum crown raised his head from behind the desk, his green eyes fixing upon the entering Anvis.

“Your esteemed Majesty Leka VI, I am Rafael, representative of the Black Ring Commerce Federation. It’s an honor to meet you,”

Gazing back at the golden-haired young man with slight dark circles under his bright shining eyes, Anvis placed his right hand on his chest, bowed slightly, and introduced himself with his new name.

This was a name he had adopted a few days ago, sounding much like that of an Angel.

“…Black Ring Commerce, I’ve heard of this name, a ‘Mysterious’ Chamber of Commerce from the Gloria Empire that bought the mountains in Laver to establish Mechanical Factories.”

After a brief silence, Leka VI rubbed his temples and slowly spoke.

“I have a question I hope Lord Rafael can answer. Traveling all the way from the Empire, what is your view on the Federation, on the Leka Kingdom?”

“According to some of our intelligence, the Federation is on the brink of war. With Your Majesty at the helm, the Leka Kingdom can indeed ensure short-term peace, but as frictions escalate, it may also inevitably get drawn into the conflict.”

Anvis shook his head, a pained expression crossing his face as if he could hardly bear to think of the civilians soon to be caught in the throes of war.

“To aid those helpless people, we hope to provide superior weaponry and equipment to those in need, to reduce the senseless sacrifice of soldiers and better protect their homelands.”

Listening to Anvis’s seemingly self-evident words, King Leka VI was taken aback.

Such a noble-sounding justification for war profiteering?

Despite feeling strange inside, Leka VI was somewhat reassured.

If the Black Ring Commerce’s mysterious origins merely boiled down to a pursuit of wealth, there was no need for him to be overly concerned.

If only she were here now, at least some results from her prophecies could have offered guidance. But she’s been unaccounted for recently.