Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Heavenly Citadel High Fortress Chaga (2)
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Ak Muyoo stared fixedly at the man.
He had large eyes, a small nose, and plump lips. From one angle, he looked like a handsome young man; from another, like a lecher. His big eyes were filled with greed.
“What’s this?”
Ak Muyoo extended his clenched fist forward.
“It’s the Heavenly Center Ring.”
“What kind of item is the Heavenly Center Ring?”
“It represents the family head…”
“Funny bastard. Let’s go.”
Ak Muyoo tapped the camel’s neck.
Purrrng!
The camel moved straight ahead.
“Stop right there!”
Cha Jiwoong shouted, gripping his sword hilt.
“Zabujong!”
Whoosh!
As soon as Ak Muyoo spoke, Zabujong leaped past Ak Muyoo’s thigh and onto the camel’s head.
Grraaaargh!
A beastly roar erupted from Zabujong’s mouth.
Guuuk!
The camel Cha Jiwoong was riding flinched and dodged to the side. Ak Muyoo passed by leisurely.
“Grab him!”
Cha Jiwoong yelled.
“Anyone who blocks me dies.”
Ak Muyoo shouted coldly. At his chilling cry, the camel riders parted to the left and right.
Ak Muyoo advanced, eyeing each rider one by one. He stopped midway and asked the man whose gaze met his.
“What’s your affiliation?”
“Heavenly Center Squad?”
The man answered.
“Don’t you even know to state your rank and name first when the family head asks? What a mess… Go find a spot in another clan. Let’s go.”
He tapped the camel’s neck again.
The halted camel resumed moving.
“I never recognized you as family head!”
The man shouted hysterically.
“Oh no, kill that bastard!”
“Got it.”
Pa-at!
Ageukta launched himself from his camel.
In an instant, he closed the distance, and a red glow exploded from his waist.
Sssak!
Clang!
The sword that had appeared reentered its sheath, and Ageukta returned to his camel.
Thud!
The head of the man Ageukta attacked dropped clean off.
Spurt!
The man’s blood sprayed into the air.
“Listen well. It’s not you who chooses the family head—it’s the previous family head. My brother gave me this ring and the Great Heaven Demon Palace manual, and asked me to exterminate those who harmed him. Everyone connected to his death will die by my hand, regardless of age or rank.”
‘What?’
Seo Haran looked at Ak Muyoo with a dumbfounded face. On the way, she had heard from Luha about Cha Sawoong’s death. It had nothing to do with the Chacha Kingdom. Yet he had framed it as if someone from the Chacha Kingdom had ordered the assassination.
“How can we believe your brother chose you!”
Cha Jiwoong bellowed.
He couldn’t accept Ak Muyoo as family head. The moment he did, everything in the Heavenly Citadel High Fortress Chaga would be handed over, so he had to resist desperately.
Ak Muyoo turned his camel to face Cha Jiwoong. Then he spoke.
“I have one question, so answer it. Suppose I never met my brother. And he dies as a guest in the desert. Great excuse. Say he was hit by bandits like the Four Evils Bandits while retrieving treasure—no one would suspect a thing, clean as can be. So, who benefits the most from that? Answer me.”
“Are you saying I ordered it?”
Cha Jiwoong’s tone turned formal.
“Listen up, Cha Jiwoong. I have no internal energy.”
Ak Muyoo stared at Cha Jiwoong for a moment, then turned his camel away.
Cha Jiwoong watched Ak Muyoo’s group depart with a blank face. Ak Muyoo’s final words: no internal energy. That meant no violence was involved in inheriting the ring.
“Damn it…! I have somewhere to go, so stay put.”
Cha Jiwoong shouted at his men and turned his camel around.
“You.”
Ak Muyoo, reaching the end of the Heavenly Center Squad, pointed at one man.
“Me.”
The designated man stood at attention and replied.
“Go tell the squad leader I’m back.”
“Understood.”
The man ran off backward.
Moments later, a sturdy-built man came to Ak Muyoo’s side. Ak Muyoo turned to look at him.
“I’m Jung Taerang.”
The man bowed his head.
“You’re the squad leader from now on.”
“Squad leader…”
“Bury that guy. I don’t know how an idiot who can’t even grasp the situation became squad leader, but he’s dead now.”
“You knew he was the squad leader?”
Jung Taerang asked in surprise.
“Heavenly Center Squad, right?”
“Yes.”
“How many in the Heavenly Center Squad?”
“Two hundred.”
“Anything besides the Heavenly Center Squad?”
“There’s the High Citadel Corps and the Chaga Squad.”
“How many in those?”
“Two hundred each.”
“You handle farming and clan defense together?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s talk while we go.”
“Yes.”
Jung Taerang drove his camel alongside Ak Muyoo.
“How many people are in the Heavenly Citadel High Fortress Chaga?”
“Five thousand.”
“What about other clans?”
“Your Highness’s clan, the World Subduing Heaven Rak Clan, has ten thousand, and the rest have seven thousand each.”
“So total population around forty-three thousand?”
“Yes.”
“Of the five thousand in Heavenly Citadel High Fortress Chaga, about two thousand are men, and five to six hundred able for military service.”
“That’s right.”
“Got it. By dinner, assemble the Heavenly Center Squad, High Citadel Corps, and Chaga Squad.”
“Understood.”
Jung Taerang bowed and withdrew.
At that moment.
Cha Jiwoong, leaving the scene, was entering the New Wind Thousand Li Revolution Clan.
The New Wind Thousand Li Revolution Clan was in chaos over the guard captain incident. Family head Hyeokse Ulmyeong had called an emergency meeting to discuss the matter.
Nine people were gathered.
In the head seat sat a man in his mid-fifties with sharp eyes. With his irritable demeanor and white hair, this was the New Wind Thousand Li Revolution Clan family head, Hyeokse Ulmyeong. The other eight were his three sons, the chief steward, and the leaders of the four organizations.
“The guard captain picked a fight first?”
“That’s what we heard.”
Chief Steward Jeok Mulri answered.
“A new family head…”
Hyeokse Ulmyeong lightly tapped the table with his index finger.
Then came the sound of knocking.
“What is it?”
Hyeokse Ulmyeong’s eldest son, Hyeokse Jeon-su, looked toward the door and asked.
“Hero Cha Jiwoong is here.”
“Cha Jiwoong?”
Hyeokse Jeon-su glanced at his father, Hyeokse Ulmyeong.
“Take him to the guest hall.”
Hyeokse Ulmyeong called out.
“Yes.”
“We’ll end today’s meeting here. First, gather info on that man.”
“Yes.”
Everyone rose with their replies.
Hyeokse Ulmyeong left the meeting hall and entered the adjacent building.
“Long time no see.”
Cha Jiwoong, who had been drinking tea, stood and greeted him.
“Indeed. What brings you?”
Hyeokse Ulmyeong asked as if he knew nothing.
“I met him.”
“Who’s that?”
“The new family head of Heavenly Citadel High Fortress Chaga.”
“The new family head has arrived?”
“Yes.”
“…What kind of man is he?”
“Well… His identity’s unknown. But…”
Cha Jiwoong trailed off.
“Speak.”
“He seemed to know.”
“Know what?”
“He brought up the Four Evils Bandits.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Just then, Chief Steward Jeok Mulri’s voice came from outside.
“Family head.”
“What is it?”
“A message from the Huang Syndicate.”
“Didn’t we already hear the commission succeeded?”
“This is about the Four Evils Bandits.”
“Why the Four Evils Bandits?”
“They’ve been wiped out.”
“…Did they identify who wiped them out?”
“Great Bow Dragon Luha was involved.”
“…I see.”
Hyeokse Ulmyeong nodded.
Then he looked back at Cha Jiwoong.
“We must eliminate him.”
Cha Jiwoong said.
“Shouldn’t we first find out who he is, how he got the Heavenly Center Ring, and if the process was legitimate?”
“…”
Cha Jiwoong was speechless.
“Gather information first. We can plan countermeasures after.”
“Understood.”
“Go.”
“Yes.”
Cha Jiwoong rose and left. Moments later, Hyeokse Ulmyeong also exited the building and went to his office.
“Mulri.”
As soon as he sat, Hyeokse Ulmyeong called the chief steward. Jeok Mulri entered shortly after.
“Contact all the family heads.”
“What should I say?”
“Just that the plan’s gone awry.”
“Shouldn’t we meet?”
“They’ll contact us.”
“Understood. I’ll relay it right away.”
Jeok Mulri bowed and left.
“The new family head of Heavenly Citadel High Fortress Chaga… Absolutely not, Cha Sawoong. Your two clans must disappear.”
Hyeokse Ulmyeong clenched his fist.
At that time, Ak Muyoo’s group halted before the estate. The wall straight ahead stretched a hundred paces long. Two paces high, the grand gate in the center stood one pace tall.
Atop the gate was a pavilion-like structure with an octagonal roof. The empty pavilion without guards seemed to reflect the Heavenly Citadel High Fortress Chaga’s reality.
There were two plaques. “Great General Clan” and “Heavenly Citadel High Fortress Chaga” hung one above the other.
“That must be from the king?”
Ak Muyoo pointed at the “Great General Clan” plaque, which was placed higher than the family name one.
“Yes. But that plaque was granted long ago.”
Luha nodded.
“Close with the royal family?”
“Not too far, not too close.”
“Deliberately keeping distance, or…”
“Excluding the royal family, relations with the other clans aren’t great. They’re always looking for a chance to eliminate Heavenly Citadel High Fortress Chaga.”
“Was what I bluffed about true?”
“You mean if the people here commissioned the Four Evils Bandits?”
“Yes.”
“They wouldn’t do it directly—through the Huang Syndicate. The Huang Syndicate assigned it to the Four Evils Bandits.”
“What’s the Huang Syndicate?”
“Think of them as a brokerage force.”
“Didn’t bring subordinates on purpose?”
“No point—they’d be no match.”
Heavenly Center Squad leader Jung Taerang stepped forward.
“The family head and Family Mother have returned. Open the gate!”
Gr-r-rumble!
The gate slowly opened.