Chapter 259: The Dividend and the Challenge

A massive flood of people would largely change the population balance of a region. However, for those who had lost their homes and livelihoods due to natural disasters or human-made disasters and needed to leave their original homes, most lords were very welcoming. This was because a large increase in refugees could contribute to the economic development and prosperity of various countries.

In this world where labor was scarce, population itself often represented a form of power . Except for some barren lands where the output could not even feed the local residents, most lords welcomed unorganized refugees to settle down. At the same time, they brought a series of social problems, including increased pressure on housing and employment, rising crime rates, and deteriorating social security. Especially cultural, religious, and racial differences meant that these people could not integrate into the local mainstream society in a short time, becoming potential flashpoints for national political crises and social unrest.

But in this society where human rights were not overly emphasized, those in power often just used their authority to kill a batch of potential troublemakers. After waiting 20 to 30 years, everything usually returned to normal. However, a refugee wave of nearly 10,000 people at one time was simply too much for any single territory in this era to handle!

Just the daily cost of food could bankrupt an ordinary Count’s territory—even if that territory had savings and was buying supplies with its own money.

Since refugees could not carry large amounts of heavy and bulky goods, the influx of large amounts of metal currency would bring extremely serious inflation. Moreover, the political system of the Western Continent could not transport large amounts of living supplies from other regions in a short time.

Soaring prices inevitably brought social unrest, and the shortage of living supplies would eventually trigger a major riot. Even if such a riot resulted in a large population supplement, the pros and cons were hard to say.

So, in most cases, when faced with such a crowd, lords chose to use their armies to drive them into the territories of others. The risks in this were clearly greater than the potential benefits. Even Bolerum Territory, a commercial port city like this, could only step back when facing refugees equal to one-third of its permanent population.

Therefore, only those with real ability could accept them: either a highly prestigious nation led by its supreme leader, which would distribute them among different territories, or a large independent city with a population of several hundred thousand. The latter could completely digest such a population within ten years after paying a certain price.

For the already unstable Dwarf Kingdom, the return of this group of Underground Dwarfs was not only a new force but also a potential great disaster.

You see, although the number of Dwarfs was not as rare as the Elves, it was certainly not large either. As the only Dwarf Kingdom on the Continent, the total population, including the main Dwarfs plus Humans, Half-Giants, Gnomes, and Halflings, was only around 200,000 to 300,000. The addition of about 5% of this number was enough to cause the already fragile balance between the Prince faction and the Elder faction to explode into a major fight. So, this time, it seemed they chose this seemingly rational response to avoid large-scale bloodshed.

After thinking back and forth for a while, George suddenly thought of something: “So, did the independent city of Saxony around the Duchy also reject those Dwarfs’ requests?”

“You are absolutely right! Those Dwarfs did indeed make requests to their compatriots in Saxony. However, in the end, the Noble Parliament and the Guild Alliance of Saxony jointly vetoed this proposal.” Viscount Bolerum was very satisfied with George’s performance. In his opinion, his son had always been this excellent.

“Was it the backlash and obstruction from the mature and solid interest groups? That makes sense. These Dwarfs and Gnomes were not just laborers who could only sell their strength. Most of the adults among them were extremely skilled Blacksmiths or Stonemasons—almost Masters, and they were also powerful warriors. Even the minors possessed strength above the level of ordinary Blacksmiths. As for the Gnomes, even if they were not Alchemists, they were craftsmen in other fields. After all, they had an absolute advantage in age. Their long childhood of 40 to 80 years was enough for them to hone their skills. If they really joined Saxony, the city’s strength might improve significantly after a period of time, but the original Masters would become cheap goods.” George did not hide his thoughts from his father.

The ugliness of vested interest groups was exactly like this. Even if an action was beneficial to the whole, they would resist it to the fullest if it threatened their existing interests. To achieve their goals, they used all sorts of tricks, whether it was smear campaigns in propaganda, exploiting existing administrative bodies, or secret conspiracies and even assassinations.

Of course, the most exaggerated example was the DuPont cartel from before George’s transmigration. Those guys actually used explosives to blow their competitors to the sky. So, never overestimate the bottom line of such people. The conscience of capitalists was as laughable as the efficiency of bureaucrats.

“The power of the guilds in independent cities was indeed too strong. However, the final deciding factor was the strength of the Dwarfs themselves. Among them were two Deep Stone Lords and one Magma Lord. Combined with the fact that all Dwarfs were decent warriors, this would seriously disrupt the existing balance between various races in Saxony. Most importantly, the numerous mid-to-high level Priests and Rune Mages among them could effectively control the others within.” Viscount Bolerum said while rubbing his fingers on the table.

Hearing this, George frowned instead: “Are they afraid that these Dwarfs will seize power after establishing a foothold? I think the possibility of such an opportunity is probably very low. After all, Saxony was a city dominated by Humans. More importantly, it was surrounded by Human kingdoms. If the Dwarfs seized power, it would be the best excuse for other countries to invade.”

As the only profession that Dwarfs could offer to compare with Human Knights, the strength of Dwarf Lords was unquestionable. However, unlike Knights, Lords who were good at using exclusive spells were better at dealing with huge numbers of enemies. Whether it was the Flame Wave of a Magma Lord, the Distortion Force Field of a Deep Stone Lord, or the Chain Lightning of a Storm Lord, they were all killers of common soldiers. For the independent city of Saxony, which lacked high-end combat power, this was like a double-edged sword. Used well, it could defeat the enemy; used poorly, it was very easy to cut oneself.

“They might not seize power! But have you not noticed that even after coming to the Surface, the ruling system dominated by Dwarfs and Priests has not been disbanded yet? With such a new force, the original strength of the Dwarfs in Saxony would expand to a level that other races could not accept.” Viscount Bolerum understood the thoughts and concepts of people in this world better. George might gain such experience from his future life or experiences, but for now, it was still his weakness. Or rather, his concepts from before his transmigration were still affecting him at all times.

Hearing this, George felt like his head was splitting: “So, the Dwarfs’ organization is still quite tight. If that’s the case, letting them join the territory might not be a good choice either. They would be like a group of political refugees with leaders, inevitably clashing with the existing residents of the territory. As for the Gnomes, I don’t have such worries. They are very good at integrating into surrounding groups. It won’t take a few years for them to blend into the territory.”

“What is a political refugee?” Viscount Bolerum heard a new word from George again, which piqued his interest.

George was already very familiar with lies in this area: “Father, do you remember that imported goods store I often visited during my time in Karada? I learned this word from his mouth. According to his own words, he himself belonged to a political refugee. The meaning of this word is…”

Based on a provably valid reason, a person who is outside their own country and unable or unwilling to accept its protection due to fear of persecution caused by race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, or a stateless person who is outside their former habitual residence and unable or unwilling to return due to such fear.

While explaining, George began to suspect whether the still-undisbanded political structure among the Dwarfs might be the reason why both the Dwarf Kingdom and independent cities had rejected them!

“Truly a brilliant explanation. However, looking at the current situation, we don’t need to worry about that aspect anymore. After hitting the wall many times, those Dwarfs had no choice but to stay in our Nohan Kingdom. At first, they wanted to acquire a territory to build an independent city, forming a somewhat loose dependency. However, His Grace the Duke would never agree to such a move.” Although Viscount Bolerum’s words were relaxed, the back-and-forth negotiation process they revealed made George realize the difficulties involved.

Because once such a semi-autonomous city-state was formed, it would become the fuse for their future pursuit of independence. Such things were common in the world before George’s transmigration, with the recent dissolution of Yugoslavia being a prime example. Even in this world, there were many precedents. His Grace the Duke would never allow such a situation where the tail was too big to shake off to appear on his territory.

George tentatively asked: “Father, since you said we don’t need to worry about that aspect anymore, and with the batch of Dwarfs who immigrated to our Bolerum Territory, it means that those Dwarfs known for their stubbornness have already compromised.”

“That’s right! Actually, this time, the majority of the Dwarfs and Gnomes were minors. Those adult Dwarfs could leave alone to find work, but according to people’s traditions, those young ones who had not yet reached their coming-of-age ceremony needed adult supervision. For the future of their race, the Dwarfs made a compromise and disbanded their ruling system. However, as compensation, His Grace the Duke agreed to build a Dwarf Temple in Karada and allowed them to preach freely.” Saying this, Viscount Bolerum winked at George. “In fact, I think those so-called minor Dwarfs already have the ability to live on their own. Although they still seem a bit single-minded, those children aged 30 to 40 can definitely support themselves with their skills.”

“Don’t we need to thank the Dwarfs for their stubbornness in this regard? Otherwise, we probably wouldn’t have gotten such rich Loot. After all, a single Dwarf Blacksmith would be welcome anywhere.” George felt that something that used to be so annoying had a pleasant side today.

Karada originally had Dwarf Blacksmith shops, but those guys were really hard to deal with. George had suffered enough from those Dwarfs, and his wish to get a good sword was never fulfilled.

Although Dwarfs got along passably with Humans, Half-Elves, and Halflings, the relationship was not close. Because Dwarfs often said, “It takes a hundred years to go from acquaintance to friend.” Human lives were short, making it difficult to build deep friendships with Dwarfs. Therefore, the friendship between Humans and Dwarfs usually had to be traced back to the friendship between that Human’s parents or grandparents and that Dwarf.

Unless there was a special reason, Dwarfs would not sell their cherished creations to other races with whom they were not close. Although the ordinary equipment they sold could also be called high-quality, it was not irreplaceable for George. However, today, George thought that this stubbornness of the Dwarfs was really cute.

“But there are so many territories in the Duchy. Will distributing such a large number to our Bolerum Territory attract criticism?” Somehow, George started to worry again.

“You don’t need to worry about this at all. The merit of being the first to discover the Underdark passage and the strike against the Dark Elves’ vanguard is enough to make others shut up. Furthermore, a significant part of the Dwarfs came to Bolerum Territory voluntarily. You must not underestimate the attraction of strong liquor to the Dwarfs. Although they would not settle in Bolerum Territory unconditionally because of this, if given limited choices, this place would be their priority target. If it were not for His Grace the Duke’s restrictions, there would probably be even more Dwarfs coming. However, that would go against the original intention of scattering the Dwarfs.” Viscount Bolerum’s expression now looked like a cunning fox that had stolen a little hen.

“The Dwarf problem is solved. Then, what choices do the Gnomes who came with them have?” George asked this because, compared to the Dwarfs, it was much easier for those Gnomes to be accepted by other regimes. Moreover, they were often talents no less than the Dwarfs.

Viscount Bolerum’s mouth corners betrayed him deeply: “Although there were many places for the Gnomes to go, it seems that due to the friendship established with those Dwarfs earlier, a large part of them chose to stay in Nohan.”

“So, what we need to do most importantly now is to receive those Dwarfs. We need to let them integrate better into the existing system of the territory, and ideally, make them feel a sense of belonging, right?” George had already clearly grasped the focus of his work for the next period.

However, he immediately sighed and said: “It’s time to spend a large sum of money again. If we hadn’t made a profit from Portable Rations before, the Territory’s Vault would have been empty.”

At this moment, Viscount Bolerum stood up and patted George on the shoulder, saying: “From now on, everything in the territory depends on you! But you won’t let me down every time, right?”

“Just the previous times. New challenges are always different. Especially when facing those stone heads, I dare not guarantee how far I can go.” George held his head and smiled bitterly. “But what about that passage to the Underdark we found before? I don’t think the Dark Elves who drove such a huge Dwarf and Gnome settlement to the Surface would be weak. Judging from the number of minor Dwarfs and Gnomes, unless something unexpected happens, their original city underground must have had a population of nearly 30,000. If the other side launches a full-scale attack, the combat power in the current camp will definitely not be able to hold them back. As for those Adventurers, I don’t think that group of rabble can play any role.”

“The Dark Elves hidden underground are indeed a threat. However, based on the situation, they will not be able to launch another attack in the short term. Although their city was breached by the Dwarfs, the Dwarfs also paid a heavy price. Especially one major wall explosion nearly wiped out 1/10 of the Dark Elves’ elite. Although this statement might not be entirely free of exaggeration, it is generally credible. Those Dark Elves lost at least 20% of their combat forces permanently, not counting those pursuing forces we eliminated.” While saying this, Viscount Bolerum’s face also showed a relaxed expression. It seemed that the pressure the Dark Elves had brought him in the previous period was really not small.

“With such losses, they might indeed be eager to return to their city to stabilize the situation. Otherwise, for the Dark Elves known for betrayal, their status could be replaced by lower-ranking families. Although not becoming a stepping stone for others is their best choice, you can’t guarantee that those crazy ones won’t take a desperate risk.” Although George knew that was the most likely situation, he still couldn’t put his worries to rest. After all, this world was always full of surprises, wasn’t it?

“Do you think that’s why there are more and more Adventurers? If the Dark Elves really launch a large-scale invasion, they will be the best early warning devices and delaying tools. Those Adventurers who dare to explore the Underground World and survive have at least some ability to save their own lives.” Viscount Bolerum answered lightly, expressing the cruelty of the upper class.