Chapter 120

Chapter 120

Alexandro was a strong man.

He was not merely physically strong. He was a true man, one who possessed a powerful mind and will.

Even before he awakened, he had been strong.

After awakening, he naturally became even stronger.

With that overwhelming strength, he gathered subordinates and created the White Bear Caravan.

All of it had been for the survival of the Akutsk Colony.

Akutsk lacked everything.

Aside from the place where the Colony had been built, everything was desert, and unusually many large monsters inhabited the area.

Far from developing civilization the way Neo Seoul had, they were in a position where they had to worry about survival day by day.

To monsters, the Akutsk Colony must have looked like a food storage packed with delicious meals.

Many humans were gathered there, and the meat monsters loved most was human flesh.

That was why the monsters’ attacks continued without end.

The ones who distinguished themselves then were Alexandro and the White Bear Caravan he led.

They fought against the monsters, protected the Akutsk Colony, and attempted to make contact with survivors outside.

By contacting those who had survived outside the Colony, they expanded their forces and periodically subjugated monsters.

Thanks to that, the Akutsk Colony was barely able to survive the threat of monsters.

The next thing he did was begin operating the Caravan in earnest.

They had barely survived the monsters’ attacks, but for continued survival, they had to contact other Colonies and trade.

Alexandro and the White Bear Caravan risked their lives and set out in search of other Colonies.

In a world transformed into a desert, finding another Colony was harder than finding a needle on a sandy beach.

Above all else, what tormented them most were the monsters that attacked them constantly.

Back then, they had no information.

They did not know the monsters’ types, habitats, or even their danger levels.

Alexandro and the White Bear Caravan learned all of it by throwing themselves into the danger.

After such painstaking effort, they managed to find and trade with another Colony more than a thousand kilometers away.

From that moment, the Akutsk Colony could finally breathe.

The goods brought in from outside at great cost made life in the Akutsk Colony a little more comfortable. But they still had no room to spare.

They needed trade with other Colonies.

Alexandro desperately searched for other Colonies, and Neo Seoul entered his radar.

He had heard rumors about Neo Seoul long ago. But many of them had sounded so absurd, as if grasping at clouds, that he had ignored them.

They said it had achieved an ultra-advanced civilization far beyond the civilization before the Great Cataclysm, and that it was a megacity where more than ten million people lived together.

To the barren Akutsk Colony, those stories were so absurd they could not even be imagined, so he had only thought of them as legends born from someone’s imagination.

But as he prepared to advance south in earnest and gathered information, he learned that Neo Seoul truly existed.

After that, through painstaking effort, he was able to reach Neo Seoul.

A city he had believed to be nothing more than a legend.

And he was able to meet, one-on-one, the man who had built that legendary city.

His first impression upon seeing Jin Geum-ho, the Mayor of Neo Seoul, was fear.

Outwardly, he was merely a dignified middle-aged man.

His neatly combed hair, stylish beard, clear and deep eyes, and well-tailored suit.

If the world had not fallen into ruin, he would have been stylish enough to be seen as a middle-aged model.

But to Alexandro, he did not look stylish at all.

Goosebumps had already risen along his forearms.

His body had sensed and reacted to Jin Geum-ho’s strength before his mind did.

It was the first time he had ever reacted this strongly to another person’s presence.

‘So this is the man who created the Neo Seoul of today. He truly is remarkable.’

Alexandro struggled to hide his surging emotions and put on a calm expression.

Jin Geum-ho looked at Alexandro’s face with an intrigued expression.

Even from that seemingly insignificant gaze, Alexandro felt as if his entire body was shrinking.

Suddenly, Jin Geum-ho smiled and opened his mouth.

“It is good to meet you. I am Jin Geum-ho.”

“I am Alexandro Furchenko. It is an honor to meet the Mayor of Neo Seoul.”

“I am very pleased to have guests from outside after so many years. So, you came from Akutsk?”

“That is correct.”

“Remarkable. As far as I know, Akutsk was an extremely cold region. To think survivors built a Colony even in such a place.”

“You know Akutsk?”

“I saw it on the internet before the world became like this.”

“The internet?”

“Ah! You would not know. Back then, people used computers, satellites, and such to share vast amounts of information. It could be called humanity’s golden age. Well, Neo Seoul has now developed to a level that does not fall far behind it.”

Internet, computers, satellites—every word was unfamiliar, and Alexandro furrowed his brow without realizing it.

If he had not known who Jin Geum-ho was, he would have thought the man was simply saying nonsense to mock him.

‘A monster who has lived at least a hundred and forty years since before the Great Cataclysm.’

He had lived through and overcome the peak of human civilization, its collapse, the Great Cataclysm, and Neo Seoul’s revival with his entire body.

He could truly be called living history.

The words that came from such a person’s mouth could not possibly be mere nonsense.

“What is the situation in Akutsk like?”

“It is the same as any other Colony. We are always suffering under the threat of monsters.”

“Is that so?”

“Compared to that, Neo Seoul looks peaceful. You must have suffered monster attacks, yet it is astonishing how you were able to build such a civilization.”

“There were many sacrifices before we reached this point. We never forget their sacrifices.”

“We are the same.”

“You should be. That is the proper mindset for those living in an age of destruction. There are many among the young these days who do not have that mindset, but you seem to have your head on straight.”

Jin Geum-ho smiled as if satisfied.

Alexandro cautiously brought up his purpose.

“As you know, our Colony is extremely barren. Because of that, if you permit it, I would like to trade with Neo Seoul using the goods we brought from our Colony.”

“Of course I should permit it.”

“Thank you.”

“It is nothing. We must help one another survive.”

“Then should we release the goods through you, Mayor?”

“There is no need for that. You may trade at your own discretion.”

“Do you mean that our Caravan may handle the trade on our own?”

“Of course. You are guests who have come after such a long time. I should at least give you that much benefit.”

“Thank you.”

Alexandro was sincerely grateful.

That was because it meant Jin Geum-ho was giving up the enormous profits that could be gained through trade with another Colony, along with the exclusive rights to them.

The cargo wagons brought by the White Bear Caravan were loaded with valuable goods.

The corpses and Mana Stones of monsters hunted by the Awakened of the Akutsk Colony, weapons and armor crafted by artisans, and even items obtained while subjugating Dungeons.

It truly contained everything the Akutsk Colony had.

That was how much the White Bear Caravan had staked on this trade.

Because of that, Alexandro had been prepared to give Jin Geum-ho a considerable share of the profits, but unexpectedly, the man had said he would give up all of those gains.

Alexandro wondered what Jin Geum-ho’s intentions were.

Jin Geum-ho looked at Alexandro and asked calmly,

“By the way, I am curious. How did you find Neo Seoul?”

“Pardon?”

“I am asking because I am truly curious. There are no satellites and no navigation systems. In this damned world, even compasses do not work. So how did you accurately identify Neo Seoul and find your way here? That is what I want to know.”

“That is......”

Alexandro’s eyes trembled for a moment, and Jin Geum-ho stared straight through his face.

＊＊＊

When Alexandro came out of the Mayor’s office, his back was drenched in sweat.

“Caravan Master!”

“Are you all right?”

The Awakened who had been waiting outside hurriedly approached him.

Alexandro nodded and said,

“I am fine, so let us go outside.”

“Yes!”

Under the escort of the Awakened, Alexandro got into the elevator.

After confirming that the elevator doors had closed, Seo Tae-ran entered the Mayor’s office.

Jin Geum-ho was sitting in his chair, looking down at Neo Seoul through the floor-to-ceiling window.

Seo Tae-ran silently stood beside him and waited only for his orders.

A moment later, Jin Geum-ho’s eyes caught sight of Alexandro’s group leaving City Hall.

Perhaps sensing Jin Geum-ho’s gaze, Alexandro raised his head and looked straight at him. But only for a moment. Soon, Alexandro vanished from view with the Awakened.

Only then did Jin Geum-ho open his mouth.

“Tae-ran.”

“Yes, Mayor.”

“Select a few members from the Shadow Unit and have them monitor those people.”

“Understood.”

“There must be a useful guide among them. Find out who the guide is and what ability they possess. If Neo Seoul is to expand its territory, we will absolutely need a guide.”

“I will take care of it. But...”

“What is it?”

“Why did you permit the White Bear Caravan to trade freely? Would it not be better for us to monopolize their goods and release them into the market ourselves?”

At Seo Tae-ran’s words, Jin Geum-ho smiled faintly.

“If we did that, there would be no particular noise. Neo Seoul would remain peaceful too.”

“You do not...... want peace, do you?”

“After Daeioden left Neo Seoul on his own, the current power structure solidified. Too much time has passed like that. Now it is time to bring change.”

At that moment, Seo Tae-ran’s face flushed slightly.

That was because she realized what Jin Geum-ho’s words meant.

‘The Mayor is finally going to shake the board.’

It was not because Jin Geum-ho lacked power that he had left the other forces alone.

He had a grand ambition, and he had been racing forward with all his might to realize that ambition. That was why he had not had the leisure to turn his eyes elsewhere.

Because of that, he had paid no attention to the districts outside the Central District. In that gap, the rulers of the four districts had been able to build their strength.

Jin Geum-ho did not want their power to grow any stronger.

“A Caravan from another Colony is a mouthwatering prey. There will certainly be many who covet it. All we have to do is set the stage so they can run wild as much as they please. After that, they will sort things out on their own.”

That was how the world worked. And Jin Geum-ho understood that principle better than anyone.

＊＊＊

Zeon walked through the Goblin Market.

“They said the White Bear Caravan came from the Akutsk Colony, right? What kind of goods do you think they brought?”

“Whatever they are, they definitely brought valuable things. Otherwise, there would be no reason for them to come all this way.”

“I really wonder what kind of goods will be released into the market.”

The voices of merchants and customers chatting could be heard.

Every conversation was about the White Bear Caravan that had just arrived.

People were excited by the appearance of a Caravan that had come for the first time in decades.

The merchants of the Goblin Market in particular had high expectations for the White Bear Caravan.

If goods they had never seen before were released into the market, naturally, many people would come, and the market would become active.

They could enjoy a special boom.

The merchants’ main concern was how many of the White Bear Caravan’s goods they could secure.

The one who secured a large quantity would earn that much more money.

Because of that, merchants were already lining up to curry favor with City Hall and the rulers of each district.

That was because they expected the White Bear Caravan to supply its goods exclusively to one of those five powers.

“What are the movements in the Southern District like?”

“Does the Northern District look promising?”

“Still, wouldn’t the Central District managed by the Mayor have the highest chance?”

Listening to the merchants’ expectant voices, Zeon moved on.

‘The whole place is in chaos because of the Caravan.’

A Caravan visiting for the first time in decades certainly had that much value. But the excitement was overheating more than necessary.

If the atmosphere heated up like this, there was no telling what might happen.

‘I should stay shut inside my house for the time being.’

Lately, he had gotten involved in various matters unintentionally and had been living busily.

He wanted to avoid getting tangled in anything more complicated if possible.

Then a suspicious conversation reached Zeon’s ears.

“Twenty Explosion Scrolls, neural poison extracted from Red-Back Scorpions, and ten backpacks enchanted with subspace. Check them.”

“Aren’t there too few backpacks? There should be at least thirty.”

“Do you think items enchanted with subspace are that easy to find? I barely managed to get these. Keep in mind that if we fail to produce results, we’re completely ruined.”

“Don’t worry. There’s no way we’ll fail. If we succeed, we’ll be rich.”

“I’ll look forward to it. Damn it!”

It was a secretive conversation between a merchant of the Goblin Market and a group of men.

Zeon sighed.

‘There are moths to the flame here too.’