< Rapidly changing situation (2) >
Spreading news across the continent via long-distance communications proved easier than expected.
Although Jegal Se-ga did his best despite the difficult situation, the decisive factor was the numerous monsters of Geumodo Island disguised as ‘Mosanpa Taoists’ who were scattered throughout the area to assist with the ritual.
“Wow— I didn’t think the Mosan faction was like this. We were blinded by our arrogance that we were the best. We really are frogs in a well.”
Although the head of the Jegal family sighed at overestimating his competitor’s abilities, it was not a bad thing because this incident would serve as an opportunity to push themselves and work harder.
‘Of course, it’s not like I’m just delivering the news like this.’
Considering the transportation conditions in the Gangwhan region, where it takes a tremendous amount of time and effort just to cross one area, this was nothing short of a miracle.
But this is just the beginning.
There were still countless obstacles remaining.
Some people did not believe the news even after hearing it, saying it was a lie, others suspected that it was a hoax, and still others tried to use it for their own gain.
It was fortunate that the subject was the famous Zhuge Liang and the content was about the Demonic Cult, the enemy of all people regardless of whether they were good, evil, or the military. If not for that, most people would not have even heard of it.
‘Anyway, I’ve managed to get everyone’s attention. It would be best if they cooperated actively, but it doesn’t matter if they don’t believe me right away. I’ve already achieved my goal.’
For now, it was enough for them to patrol their territory again just in case, and to take a closer look at any suspicious circumstances they found rather than just passing them by.
All of this will become a noose that restricts the movements of those who move in hiding and slowly strangles them.
‘Besides, the notoriety of the Demonic Cult is greater than you might think. There is no need to not provide information as long as it does not cause harm to themselves.’
And it didn’t take long for things to go as expected.
in result-.
“It is said that there was a report of a suspicious situation in the forest near Gopyeong, Shanxi Province. The local residents reported that a large number of people seemed to be hiding, so the Yeonggeommun, who was in charge of the area, went out to search, but they were unable to find any significant traces and the case was covered up…”
“We found traces of an unidentified force in the iron ore field in Gangseo Province. We saw traces of a group camping out and went out to track them, but they escaped from their territory and we lost them···.”
“There is news that troops were seen moving under the cover of darkness in the Gwiju Gwiyang Opening. If you want to hear more details, pay the price···.”
All kinds of information from all over the continent began to flow into the Zhuge family.
The sight of these people moving busily around the wide space and frantically organizing all kinds of data was already an excellent central control tower in itself.
‘Oh my, just looking at it makes my head spin.’
Hugo, who had been sneaking closer to the side to check on the situation, stuck out his tongue.
The arduous task of sorting out the truth of the information pouring in without filtering and selecting and classifying only the necessary parts.
No matter how much his status skyrocketed and his mental and intellectual abilities improved, he couldn’t adapt to the wave of documents like that.
Because most of the work that his other avatars usually handled was simply neatly organized by the hands of his capable subordinates.
“The news from Gangseo Province is not credible. In the first place, the fact that those who had been thoroughly erasing their traces left behind traces of their camp, and that it was something that even a small-scale sect called Cheolgoebang could track down···.”
“We have completed the investigation into the situation on the Guizhou side. Around the same time, there is evidence that the Gyeongchin Prince Army, a warlord who ruled the nearby area, moved its troops. Perhaps they mistook it for a secret operation on your side…”
However, as expected from someone who was famous for being smart, Jegal Se-ga quickly analyzed the information he received and separated the good from the bad.
We distinguish between lies that seem malicious and intended to sabotage, groundless rumors that stem from minor misunderstandings, intelligence that is not realistic due to distance or timing, and content that is unilaterally fabricated for the benefit of the organization.
“Shanxi Province seems quite possible. First of all, it seems quite plausible in terms of location, and the supporting testimony is also···.”
“Ah! There was a similar saying in the Jinju language of Hebei! Coincidentally, the distance between the two points is not that far. If you calculate the route from Shanxi to Hebei, it is not that strange!”
It is only natural that after going through these various processes, the remaining information becomes valuable data with a value as high as gold.
Even within Sega, the scholars known for their outstanding intelligence put their heads together and began to carefully analyze the most likely agenda items one by one.
So now that we have a few routes to travel, their estimated destinations are clearly outlined.
Hugo’s eyes lit up when he saw the place name written at the top of the report.
‘Beijing.’
The site of the old imperial palace where Yongsim resided.
Isn’t this a very meaningful place?
The other place names listed below also seemed quite plausible.
‘···Isn’t that great? I didn’t think I could do this much in just a few days.’
I could clearly see why they had been able to maintain such a high reputation for so long.
To be honest, I had been a bit dismissive until now, but now a slightly different thought is starting to come to my mind.
‘I want this.’
Hugo’s eyes sparkled as he tasted the food.
Aren’t they truly talented people who can do a great job no matter where they are used?
He knew best how comfortable it would be for a superior to have capable subordinates.
A list of capable subordinates quickly passed through his mind.
Earth’s true turmoil, Banshee Queen Olivia, True Blood Vampire Mullo, Diana of Hubert Company, etc…
And then, next to them, Zhuge Liang began to crowd in.
“Hey, Sohyeop? Are you okay?”
“···Ah! Sorry. I was just trying to gather my thoughts···.”
Hugo, who had been lost in thought like that, suddenly came to his senses and answered when someone called him.
The place he is now is where Sega’s executives are gathered to discuss the analysis results.
First, I needed to put aside distracting thoughts and focus more.
“Oh, isn’t that a lot to think about? Why Beijing of all places? There’s a limit to shamelessness. I never would have imagined that those guys would come back there again.”
At that moment, the Taoist monk Cheong-gwan of the Mosan sect, who was also reading the report, let out a soft sigh and opened his mouth.
In fact, strictly speaking, it was all thanks to him that Hugo, who was just a mere diner, was able to participate in such a sensitive event.
He, as the representative of the Mosan faction, asked me to join him on the pretext of hearing about his great success at Shaolin Temple, and so a reasonable excuse was created.
‘Well, I think this is the first time you’ve heard about me since you received the mission this time.’
Aren’t all connections like that?
Even if that weren’t the case, the qualifications themselves would have been sufficient.
He is a true and true warrior who has reached the pinnacle of excellence.
Because he was a strong man who could be said to be on par with the best of the Jegal family, who had never reached Hwagyeong.
‘Of course, even within a realm, there are differences in level and experience, so their fighting prowess will not be equal. But even so, when they reach the peak, they are at a level that is comparable to a master representing a region.’
In fact, from the beginning, it was because they played in such a big way and only hung out with great people, but in small sects, there were many cases where no one reached the peak, let alone the pinnacle.
Besides, isn’t he a young expert who has only recently passed his term?
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Considering that bright future, this kind of treatment wasn’t all that special.
“It hasn’t been decided yet that it will be Beijing, right?”
“But it’s also true that that’s the most likely place. To be honest, I think it’s negative as a place for rituals… Hmm, I guess that depends on what kind of ritual is being performed.”
“That’s right. There are many magic techniques in the Demonic Cult that allow you to reverse the flow of the heavens.”
In the meantime, the participants’ meeting continued actively.
But there was a common opinion among them.
The idea was to somehow stop them before they could complete their ritual.
“···There’s a lot to do. We need to send out scouts to the candidate sites to find a certain location, and we need support from others to fight them and rescue the hostages. If the battlefield is Beijing, we need to have only the best, not a bunch of idiots. And to deal with the Heavenly Horse, we need at least three masters from Hyeon-gyeong···.”
“The first step is problematic. There’s no way they’d let those who went out on reconnaissance live. And the Demonic Cult doesn’t only have Heavenly Demons. If you think about the high-ranking officials, including the Demon Sword Master, and even the Jiangshi…”
Those who had been talking all became silent.
Their expressions clearly showed that they were tired of the bleak reality they had to face.
But at that time.
“I will go to Beijing.”
The young man’s confident voice echoed throughout the conference room.
While various opinions were being exchanged, the one who was quietly observing the situation was Hugo.
“Time is of the essence in this matter. Shouldn’t we finish the reconnaissance as quickly as possible and confirm the location before moving on to the next step? I am confident that I can pull this one out in any situation, so I will go and check it out myself.”
For a while, people around him tried to dissuade him from going into the most dangerous and probable place.
It was a different situation to simply engage in combat and to sneak alone into a den where the enemy might have prepared something.
Moreover, isn’t that place a notorious demonic realm where it is extremely difficult to manipulate energy?
But that dissuasion didn’t last long and gave way to Hugo’s firm will.
In fact, wouldn’t they be even more impatient if they had Sega’s daughter as a sacrifice?
In that situation, I couldn’t help but feel sorry and grateful that a master like Hugo was willing to step forward like that.
“Then I will leave right away. If possible, I will also check on the hostages. In the meantime, I ask you to take care of the rest.”
“···We will put forth all our efforts, so don’t worry about me. You, please take care of yourself and come back safely. You will be the pillar of the future martial arts world.”
As if there was no more time to delay, after hearing the worried words of Taesanggaju Jegal Gunak, Hugo immediately packed his bags and left Sega.
Papa Pot—
A solemn atmosphere is created as you step onto Mount Yongzhong, unfolding your lightness.
But that seriousness began to fade the moment we left the mountain, and after a few hours it had changed into a lightness that made us feel like we were out for a walk.
‘I should take this opportunity to practice my martial arts outside. After all, the best way to master a skill is through actual combat.’
A soft humming followed, along with peaceful thoughts that did not fit the situation.
Of course, he had no intention of actually visiting that magical realm first.
‘Let’s see. If we keep going at this rate… it’ll probably take about a week? It’s really far. Well, by the time we get there, everything should be completely sorted out.’
That would be the case—there was someone else who was desperately waiting for the target’s location to be revealed.
A person who can handle work faster, more reliably, and more cleanly than anyone else.
A new landlord who will chase down and catch runaway tenants to the ends of hell.
***
‘How much time has passed?’
Jegal Hye-mi, who was blankly staring up at the blue sky outside the window, closed her eyes tightly.
Contrary to her wishes, the cloudless sky was extremely sunny.
‘I never dreamed that I would end up here.’
The site of the imperial palace in Beijing.
This place was a famous magic place.
A land of death where the energy inside the body is sucked out, preventing anyone from using their full magical abilities, and where ordinary people will slowly wither away and die after just staying there for a while.
He already knew for sure why the cultists had brought him here.
‘Human sacrifice… I am the sacrifice…’
With her outstanding intelligence, she spent some time as a prisoner of the cult, and was able to figure out without much difficulty why they had kidnapped her, what they wanted, and what they were planning to do next.
In the first place, they had no intention of hiding it either.
‘Well, I can’t run away, so what’s the use of all that?’
The place she is now is a single room near the palace grounds.
Although there were no means of restricting her actions other than the fact that there was a formation in place to protect her internally from the hostile environment around her, neither she nor anyone else who was captured with her even attempted to escape.
‘You’ll probably be overpowered the moment you take a step. And your treatment will only get worse after that.’
There were plenty of demons that she could see, but there were probably many more that she wasn’t aware of.
I don’t know, but aren’t there some of them around you right now?
“ha.”
A sigh escaped her lips without her consent.
It was such a habit that I had given up on counting how many times I had done it.
“···Oh, right. I need to exercise.”
Then suddenly, a promise she had made with someone flashed through her mind.
The time we spent together was incomparably short compared to that with family, but for some reason, whenever I’m alone like this, I keep thinking about the promise I made with that person.
-“I’ll be working out hard here, so you tell me what happened there instead. Is that a promise?”
Because of that, even after being caught by the cultists, I continued to exercise steadily for a while to keep my spirits up, but as time went on, my will was starting to fade.
But until yesterday, I was able to finish it somehow out of habit…
‘···Doesn’t it matter? I won’t be able to hear the story anymore anyway.’
She, who had been getting up hesitantly, suddenly sat down again.
Until now, I had held on to hope and somehow managed to hold on, but that had now reached its limit.
The real end was just around the corner.
‘Ah, but I still wanted to see you one last time···.’
The moment I continued to think blankly like that.
“uh?”
An exclamation suddenly burst from her mouth.
I realized belatedly that some changes had occurred while I was absent-minded.
‘What is that?’
Her gaze turned to the sky.
Kurururung—
The sky was clear and cloudless until just now.
Before I knew it, it was covered with pitch-black clouds.
As if hinting at something to come.
