Episode 169
Choi Hyun-seok made a bewildered expression.
“What does that mean…?”
I came to the Odriatic City-States through the space travel gate.
So far so good.
A large army of undead appeared near the Oddria Union through necromancy, and our goal is to defeat them.
“You’re suddenly demanding money here? I can’t connect at all.” “What did you hear from what I said earlier?”
“yes?”
“The Odria Union is a country of merchants. Everything is run by money. Even the mayor’s position, which is no different from a king’s, is bought and sold by crazy people.” “No matter what, buying and selling a head of state with money is…”
It was hard to believe.
Trading the position of head of state.
Of course, one would not expect democracy or voting in a place where civic consciousness and culture are at a medieval level.
But isn’t it really strange to trade the throne for money?
“Does that sound like a lie? It’s not just the market. It’s the position of the leader of the twelve city-states. They’re elected every five years, but it’s ultimately a battle of vested interests, and it’s decided by the flow of money.”
Park Hyun-ah looked at the Golden Tower in the distance and smiled.
“That is, in this country, money is power, honor, and everything. It is a country where money is that important and abundant.”
***
“Yeah. You said you wanted to meet me?”
Forkman, the mayor of Delos.
The target is to operate the top fork in the continent, which is within the top ten.
As Park Hyun-ah said, he was a person who had a seat at the Delos market with money, and he was currently also the head of the Odriatic city-state federation.
“I heard you’ve been having a hard time because of the undead these days.”
When Park Hyun-ah brought up the subject, Forkman received it with a blank expression.
“It’s a shame. The entire continent is suffering because of the corpses that returned from hell.” “Yes, yes. It’s really a shame. But isn’t this the time for the Oddria Union to worry about others? The situation must be dire.” “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Hey~ There’s nothing to hide. The pride of our union! The legend Caled Bell! He was stabbed the day before yesterday and is now in a hospital bed.”
Park Hyun-ah’s tone is somewhat aggressive.
Choi Hyun-seok was starting to feel anxious.
‘But he is the head of a country, isn’t he acting too rashly…’
There were countless knights and wizards waiting around.
They are fully prepared to jump out at any time.
Even though Park Hyun-ah was a legendary strongman, there were countless magic circles, magical tools, and powerful people who could restrain her.
Just one gesture from Forkman.
No, the moment Forkman’s expression distorts even a little, everything will activate and restrain the group.
“Shouldn’t we be a little more cautious in this situation?”
Choi Hyun-seok whispered in a small voice.
“What do you want to buy?”
“Do you know what my life motto has been since I came to this world?”
“What is it?”
“It’s strong, weak, weak, strong…!” “What a cool motto.”
Park Hyun-ah smiled faintly.
“But now, we are not ‘weak’. Rather, we are ‘strong’.”
At that moment, only Fork, who had been watching from the front, opened his mouth.
“What are you talking about?” “Oh, my assistant said he had something to report.”
Park Hyun-ah continued speaking, acting cleverly.
“Commander, let’s talk frankly. Your legend has been shattered, right?” “Sir Bell is just taking a breather. He’s not defeated yet.” “Yeah, yeah. Let’s say that’s true. Anyway, isn’t it true that dealing with those skeletons is a pain?” “Ahem, that’s true.”
Forkman reluctantly agreed.
“That’s right! I’ll take care of it! Don’t you know? You’re an enemy of God! You’re the one who’s been single-handedly making the Holy Empire of Gatren bleed for years.”
“…”
“If I step forward, the bones won’t even be a fistful away.”
Finally, only Fork nodded.
“So what do you want?”
“One thousand gold.”
“One thousand gold… seems appropriate. Let’s have a meeting of the entire union and decide. Delos can’t afford it alone.”
“What are you talking about?”
Park Hyun-ah’s head was tilted at a 45 degree angle.
“There are a total of twelve city-states in the alliance. Each city costs one thousand gold, so that’s a total of twelve thousand gold.”
“What, what!?”
At the words “twelve thousand gold,” Forkman jumped up.
“Are you kidding me? Do you know how much money twelve thousand gold is?” “Twelve thousand gold is a lot?”
Park Hyun-ah stroked her chin and made a thoughtful expression.
“How much would the Oddria Union be worth in money? I think it would be over a hundred million gold. If you could protect that with ten thousand gold, wouldn’t it be a steal?” “What kind of nonsense is that! No matter what you say, you can’t pay more than ten thousand gold!” “Why, who would pay it alone? A thousand gold per city. Honestly, isn’t that affordable? It’s how much money you all make in taxes.” “No need. If it’s really dangerous, we can just ask Gatren for help!” “Huh~ We’ll ask the Holy Empire for help. Alright. Then do that.”
Park Hyun-ah turned around without any hesitation and waved her hand.
“I’ll go and eat well and live well with the help of the great empire guys!”
Park Hyun-ah walked out with her arm around Choi Hyun-seok’s shoulder.
Choi Hyun-seok, who was tall, followed her, bending down awkwardly.
“Are you just going to leave like this?” “No way, you punk. I’m just taking action. If you pretend to go, they’ll reluctantly hold you back. That’s just how this world is.”
“What if I don’t catch you?”
“… It may seem a bit shabby, but I’ll just cut it in half and ask for six thousand gold.”
Just before Park Hyun-ah and Choi Hyun-seok left the audience room, whispering to each other.
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“Now, wait a minute! Don’t you know that’s not what I’m talking about?”
Forkman shouted urgently.
A deep smile appeared on Park Hyun-ah’s face.
See? What did I say? – she whispered softly, then returned to her serious expression.
“What are you talking about? Are you going to ask our great Holy Empire for help?” “Huh… Let’s stop this annoying fight.”
Forkman sat down with a tired expression.
The chair that supported his massive frame creaked and let out a scream.
“Let’s have the entire union donate ten thousand gold. Wouldn’t that be enough?”
“call!”
Park Hyun-ah snapped her fingers.
Forkman continued, his head bowed.
“But, this isn’t something I can decide on my own. First, after holding a meeting of the entire union, I guess we can’t do it formally… I’ll just convey it informally.”
Park Hyun-ah was once called the enemy of God and is still being pursued with gnashing teeth by Gatren.
Forkman’s explanation was that if Gatren found out that there had been some kind of exchange with her, it might cause unnecessary trouble.
“Everything is fine, but if it’s unofficial, then you can just wipe your mouths and it’ll be over?” “This is the leader of the Odria Federation. You keep your word.” “Well, fine. I’ll come back tomorrow at this time.”
“Do so.”
Forkman sighed and rubbed his forehead.
Before meeting Park Hyun-ah, he had a peaceful expression on his face, but now he is full of worries and concerns.
“Then let’s go! Ten thousand gold! Don’t go tomorrow and complain!” “Understood, so get out of here!”
***
After negotiations with the Forkman market were concluded.
The group decided to spend the remaining day sightseeing around Delos.
“Delos is one of the most famous tourist attractions on the continent. In terms of size, it is larger than the capital of an average kingdom.” “Sister. Is it okay for me to go around and play like this?”
“Then what are you doing?”
“Um… There’s a lot to do, like discussing the money you’ll get tomorrow, or holding a strategy meeting to hunt the undead, right?” “You’re worrying about useless things. I’ll take care of everything you need, so just go ahead and have fun~ Days like this don’t come around often.”
Park Hyun-ah walked ahead, waving her hands roughly.
She seemed like she really wanted to enjoy the tour.
“That’s right! Even if you think about it, nothing will work out, so why worry about it… Ke, ke! Su, I can’t breathe…”
Choi Hyun-seok, who had been shaking Rachel by the collar, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
Two tall men approached Park Hyun-ah, who was walking ahead.
They approached me with what appeared to be cigarettes in their mouths.
“Hello. Are you alone?”
“Miss. You look so exotic, that’s totally my style…” Kwak-! Kwak!
A fist that extends so fast it’s invisible.
When I looked back, I saw two men lying side by side on a pile of trash.
“Are you dead?”
“Stay alive.”
“Well, that’s fortunate, but isn’t it a bit too much?”
“what?”
“If you beat me up like that just because I talked to you…” “It’s a waste of time. Those guys are so persistent.”
“…”
“Okay, let’s go! Do you know how famous Delos food is!? We’re running out of time if we want to try it all in one day!”
“yep!”
Choi Hyun-seok quickly followed suit.
If he delayed any longer, he felt like he would end up like those men on the garbage heap.
‘Yeah. In a way, it’s my first time sightseeing in this world.’
This is my first time going on a tour after a whole year of being crazy.
Choi Hyun-seok decided to relax and have some fun.
“Sister. Do you sell noodles here?” “What does that kid think of Delos! Of course we sell them!”
“Ohhh!”
“Gukbap? What is gukbap!?” “He’s a very dependable friend who’s the complete opposite of you.” “Hero! That’s an insult, right? Isn’t it!?”
“Wow!”
“You can’t understand what Bobo understood. You’re no exception.”
A group of people walking down the street, chattering noisily.
Abelson followed suit, a gentle smile on his lips.
***
The next day.
The group returned to the Golden Tower and received a definitive answer from Forkman, the mayor and leader of the union.
“The Odria Union will pay ten thousand gold. The condition is the complete destruction of the undead. The deadline is one week.”
“good!”
“If possible, I would like to deal with it before it affects other towns or cities.” “Is there a bonus if I deal with it quickly?”
“Depending on the situation.”
“Tch. Okay, just give me the information.”
Receive information regarding the undead horde.
The group set off straight away.
“Sister. I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve dealt with the undead, but what if they wipe their mouths clean?”
This is an informal affair.
Because of that, no documents or anything were left behind.
After dealing with the undead, if the Odria Union says, “Who said we’d pay?” and evades the task, things will be difficult.
“It’s simple. Just flip it over.”
“ah…”
Choi Hyun-seok continued asking questions with a nervous expression.
“Does the Hope or some other protection group know about this?” “No. This is my side job. Why would I tell you? The moment I tell you, they’ll ask me to share it with them.”
“iced coffee…”
Choi Hyun-seok shook his head.
‘I am me, but this person is also…’
It’s not evil.
However, it is ambiguous to call it a line.
While appearing to act for everyone, they are strictly looking out for their own interests.
Park Hyun-ah was that kind of person.
“Concentrate for a moment.”
Suddenly, Park Hyun-ah attracted everyone’s attention by clapping her hands.
“I’ll explain the enemy information briefly. It’s a hassle to do it twice, so listen carefully once.”
“yep.”
“First of all, the approximate size is 50,000. They are still growing in number, and their leader is a lich who specializes in magic.” “Oh, 50,000…? Can you stop them?” “Anyway, if you destroy the ruling entity, they’ll all fall. You’ve fought them too, so you know that well, right?” “That’s true, but…”
No matter what, it’s arrogance.
I can’t even guess how many there are.
Would it be possible to get through that number of enemies and reach Richie?
Then Park Hyun-ah’s shocking story continued.
“The original number was much higher. The number that was lost the day before yesterday due to some legendary guy causing trouble is now 50,000.”
“ah…”
“There’s a guy named Caled Bell in the Oddria Union. I saw him once about eight years ago. He’s a guy who’s somewhat of a legend.”
Park Hyun-ah smiled faintly.
“Of course, he’s under me now.”
“Oh, yes…”
“Anyway, according to the information he gave me, it seems like Lich himself isn’t very strong. If we were to fight him one-on-one, it wouldn’t be too hard to win. The problem is…”
Park Hyun-ah frowned, placing her hand on her chin.
“The Jjoldaggu are too strong. Among the escorts, there seem to be almost a hundred heroes. There are also a few semi-legendary ones.”
Choi Hyun-seok’s expression became serious.
There are many semi-legendary heroes in the hundred.
This is impossible.
It was absolutely impossible.
“It would be better to call for support even now.” “That sounds like support. We’re the support force. Where else can we ask for support?” “If we contact that last hope group…” “They’re busy. And Inma. Are you some kind of saint?”
“yes?”
Suddenly, Park Hyun-ah pushed her face close.
“There’s a super sweet experience event coming up, so why are you thinking about sharing it? We should just suck it all up!”
Park Hyun-ah, who reached the top as a warrior.
“Such a big event! Isn’t it rare?”
In her mind, the undead horde was already nothing more than a horde of experience points.
