292 Barbarian Part 1 (1/2)
Saleen brought Nailisi up into the air, nearly to a height of four hundred to five hundred meters before he stopped. He did not go any higher, and even though it was winter, dark clouds filled the north and it was snowing.
Saleen was afraid a winter storm would appear, although those were rare.
Mages had a saying – be careful of lightning when one flies too high. This was used to caution someone against setting their sights too high, but it had come from a mage's caution towards lightning.
As long as there was cloudy weather, mages would restrict their altitude to five hundred meters at most. If one flew too high, it could easily attract lightning strikes. The speed of a lightning strike was too quick and a mage would not have the time to react. Moreover, the defensive abilities of magic shields against lightning were incredibly poor, and as of now, besides the secretion from the lightning dragon, mages had not been able to create magic equipment to protect themselves from lightning.
An altitude of five hundred meters was not low to the ground, and looking down from this height, the early stages of a city were already forming on the pristine white beaches. Tens of thousands of death creatures were working throughout the day and night. The underground portion of the city had already been dug, and several wide roads had been laid. Many houses had also already been built.
The happiest people were the pirates. Being a pirate did not guarantee wealth, and aside from the captain, many of them ended up being arrested and executed, or turning old, sick, and eventually passing away. Saleen had captured these pirates, but had given them a home which was not just a stronghold on a barren island. These pirates knew how to farm as well and the soil in the north was unusually fertile. Even if they could only harvest once a year, their gains would be decent.
The mages from Sregl Island managed the pirates incredibly well. Saleen surmised that most of the swordsmen from Sregl Island had originally been pirates, and that they had been captured by the mages to become farmers.
Smoke billowed from the residential area of the pirates. From above, Saleen saw that some of them had set up an iron furnace and were welding. Most of the swordsmen were not willing to wear leather unless it was armor made from a high-grade magic beast. However, most pirates would not wear metal on the sea and now that they were living on land for the moment, they were making their own armor.
Saleen realized that even among this group of unfortunate pirates, there were talented people too. Creating armor was much harder than creating normal swords and many among them could do high-grade welding. If these people had not been pirates, they would have done decently in Holy Rock City. It was a pity that they had made mistakes and could not earn a living in the capital.
Saleen did not stop along the coast, and he brought Nailisi north. There was a river twenty miles away and the rapid river had frozen. Only those that were closer to the entrance of the sea had not. In December, even the sea water would freeze in the north. If magic had not been released in this port city, all the ships would have frozen in the water.
All the way north, after more than a hundred miles, Saleen saw another river.
”Why is nobody staying on such wide and open land? I think this is a very suitable place for the Caucasus people,” Saleen said to Nailisi, pointing at the land below.
It was definitely cold in the north, and without the protection from the Quickcloud spell, the chilly wind would have immediately frozen Saleen's blood. However, for the Caucasus people, many months in the year made up the snowy season. Moreover, the Caucasus region had very little fertile soil and did not have any wide and open fields like this place did.
Beneath the white snow, life was hidden as well. Saleen saw a pure white fox jumping around in the snow, chasing after its prey. It had a small body, and there was only a hint of black on the tip of its tail.
A grade-4 magic beast! Saleen recognized this species of fox. It was a rare grade-4 snow fox. Saleen had no intention of chasing after it. He had a large number of high-grade magic nuclei in his Ring of Gifts and demonic ring, so he would not lose his mind over a grade-4 magic nucleus.
The fox gave chase for a short while before pouncing onto its prey and holding it down with its claws. It was some kind of mouse.
The snow fox held it in between its teeth as it scurried away towards the mountains. Further north, Saleen heard the howl of a wolf.
Magic wolves had the best adaptability among all magic beasts. From north to south, they were everywhere, and some of them could even be tamed by humans. Even if a person was not a mage, they could command it to help in their hunts.
Saleen travelled through the vicinity for over two hundred miles before finding a place suitable for humans to stay. He was selfish. Moving the Caucasus people was to prevent the Holy See from having things easy. However, in order for the Caucasus people to live well, it would be best to stay near the city he had built. Saleen would absolutely consider Sika's village first when looking at the locations around the city.
No one could be sure if the conflict would spread here in the future. Even though the Caucasus warriors were brave, without the help of mages and facing a regular army, they would not be able to defend themselves. Saleen wanted to move Sika's people to a safe spot and not according to Lex's plan, which was to have them stay on the plains west of the city.
It did not matter whether or not the Holy See made their way over here. But if they did, that would be the first place affected.
Phoenix Duchy did not provide suitable cover, and in the entire duchy, there were not any suitable talents. If not, Saleen would not have taken a liking to this field in the north. Being close to a powerful duchy was not good for his development.