Chapter 60
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: The Military Affairs Bureau
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The place Yu Hyun was escorted to was a massive pavilion that soared a full seven stories high.
"Huh!"
Stepping through the wide-open doors, Yu Hyun couldn't help but let out an exclamation of awe.
The interior of the pavilion was utterly different from its exterior.
It felt as if he'd crossed through an illusionary barrier midway.
It was like stepping into an entirely different world.
While the pavilion had appeared serene from outside, like an ancient pine standing tall in the mountains, the world beyond the doors buzzed with the intensity of real life.
Scholars darted about clutching dozens of scrolls, not as if they were being chased, but simply in haste...
In one corner, a group huddled over a table, deep in heated discussion.
In another, a different cluster argued fiercely, veins bulging in their necks as they pressed their points.
Just watching made Yu Hyun feel ashamed of his own leisure.
It stirred a strange urge in him—as if he should be rushing about busily, accomplishing something, anything.
And that was not all.
Bookshelves lined the corridors like walls, packed floor to ceiling with volumes.
Even the Yu Clan Manor, revered by scholars across the land, didn't boast a collection like this...
"This is the lowest floor of the Military Affairs Bureau, the information office overseen by the Three Strategists."
"Information office?"
The escorting warrior nodded at Yu Hyun's question.
"Yes. It's where reports from all regions are gathered and analyzed, aiding the Grand Strategist in making sound judgments."
"..."
It kept surprising him. A place that compiled all the world's information...
In a word, it was the eyes and ears. The organization the Justice Alliance had created to watch the world and gather intelligence.
But wait—Three Strategists?
Come to think of it, the man he was here to meet was the Grand Strategist, wasn't he?
With a scale like this, one mind alone couldn't manage it all.
"Three Strategists? That's impressive."
"Yes?"
"Huh?"
"Haha, Young Master Yu. Do you think we'd govern the world with just three strategists?"
"..."
"There are nine strategists under the Grand Strategist in the Military Affairs Bureau."
"N-Nine?"
"Yes. They're known in the martial world as the Nine Cranes. It seems Young Master Yu hasn't heard of them yet."
Yu Hyun blinked at the warrior's matter-of-fact nod.
He was too stunned for further surprise; any more, and his eyes might pop out.
In his original time, there had been only one man called a strategist of the Justice Alliance.
The Heavenly Mechanism Diviner, Jeokgal Mu-rin.
Nine of them? That many?
Then why did it fall?
Two possibilities sprang to mind.
Either all nine were fools, or the forces of chaos were that overwhelming.
Either way, that explained why his masters had taught him with such fervor. Changing the past was their only option.
At any rate, this was entirely new information.
Even coming from the distant future, Yu Hyun didn't know everything.
What he knew was limited to a few essentials he had to remember.
The martial arts imprinted into his body by the Righteous Six Saints, the locations of vital spirit herbs and treasures he must acquire, and details on a handful of renowned warriors of the era.
Amid it all, the crucial information on the forces of chaos—something he absolutely should not have forgotten—had vanished from his memory for some reason during his transit to the past.
In any case, as Yu Hyun's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed with surprise at this first-time revelation, the warrior offered a relaxed smile.
"Haha, it's fine if you didn't know. The Justice Alliance's Military Affairs Bureau..."
"..."
The warrior continued his explanation as they ascended the stairs to the upper floors.
The Justice Alliance Military Affairs Bureau: the Central Plains' largest scholarly organization, comprising the Grand Strategist Jeokgal Su-beom and nine strategists below him.
With the righteous, evil, demonic sects, and the three outer factions all vying for power—six major forces in total—no single strategist could handle it all.
Thus, they had six strategists assigned to regions, plus one for intelligence...
Seven?
Wait, the numbers didn't add up.
"Earlier, you mentioned the Nine Cranes, right?"
"Indeed."
"..."
"Haha, do you think the Justice Alliance concerns itself only with martial world affairs? Add the strategist handling relations with the court and the special strategists dispatched to resolve disputes across the land, and you get nine in total."
Only then did it fully click for Yu Hyun. He nodded as they climbed toward the third floor and asked again.
"Ah, if the bureau is that large, then the warrior detachments must be even bigger, right?"
"Not at all."
"Yes? Why not?"
"In the current Justice Alliance, the Military Affairs Bureau is the largest organization."
"..."
"The warrior detachments consist only of four units: the Azure Dragon guarding headquarters, the Present Dragon, Flying Dragon, and Soaring Dragon deployed directly into conflicts. I hear one of the strategists is forming a new Hidden Dragon Squad... In any case, they're all elite units of top caliber anywhere, but laughably small compared to the bureau."
"Then isn't it overly top-heavy? Actual wars are fought by the warriors..."
"Young Master Yu."
"Yes?"
"The Justice Alliance exists to coordinate on behalf of the righteous martial world, not to lord over it like the Demonic Cult's stronghold, suppressing all below. This scale suffices."
"..."
"Moreover, when war breaks out and warriors are needed, all fighters from the Nine Great Sects, One Clan, Five Great Families, and countless minor factions fall under the Alliance's command and mobilize as one force dozens of times larger. Why maintain vast detachments at headquarters?"
"Ah!"
As they neared the seventh floor, Yu Hyun let out a cry of realization.
Of course.
Even nations didn't keep a million-strong army on standby at all times.
Unless granaries overflowed like magic pots, how could they feed them?
They maintained elite troops for routine security and emergencies, then issued mobilization orders everywhere upon war's outbreak, swelling their ranks dozens-fold.
The Justice Alliance led the righteous sects the same way.
Securing a few proven powerhouses capable of turning the tide on the front lines—that would suffice.
Just as the Emperor wouldn't want the military's power to grow too vast, the righteous factions might not want the Alliance itself to amass excessive strength.
Power breeds ambition in men.
But who was this fellow?
He was clearly responsible for one of those units...
If the Hidden Dragon Squad was just forming, he must command one of the other four.
Yu Hyun grew curious about this warrior, who had been not only informative but cordial.
"Um..."
"Ah, we've arrived. This is where the Grand Strategist conducts his duties."
Just as Yu Hyun opened his mouth to ask something, the warrior—who had stopped—pointed to a single door.
Beneath a plaque inscribed with "Yi Gi Chung Cheon"—Righteousness Filling the Heavens.
Unlike the other floors they'd passed, the seventh held only that one door.
"Please enter. The Grand Strategist has been waiting quite a while."
"...Ah, yes."
Missing his chance to ask the name, Yu Hyun hid his regret and hastily straightened his attire.
He could ask later.
What mattered now was the Grand Strategist beyond the door.
First impressions were everything, after all.
Once Yu Hyun was ready, the warrior slowly opened the door.
"Huh?"
What did he see?
Spotting the two men waiting inside, the warrior hurriedly dropped to one knee, bowed his head, and cried out.
"L-Loyalty! Azure Dragon Squad Vice Commander Paeng Seong-chan pays respects to the Alliance Leader!"
"..."
An unexpected revelation?
Learning the warrior's name—Paeng Seong-chan—by chance left him visibly flustered.
But... Alliance Leader?
Yu Hyun gazed at the two men in the room.
The neatly dressed man in scholar's robes and square cap was surely Grand Strategist Jeokgal Su-beom.
Then the white-haired elder standing with hands clasped behind his back, gazing out the window?
"Come in. You've had a hard time with this untimely emergency summons."
"N-No, Alliance Leader!"
Turning with a gentle smile that crinkled his eyes, the elder praised him, and Paeng Seong-chan bowed even lower, at a loss.
"Heh heh, no need for that. I heard you haven't slept a wink patrolling the front lines all night..."
"..."
His neatly groomed white beard flowed softly upward, as did his eyebrows. His face was taut and unlined.
With hair oiled and combed back into a topknot, clad in a robe embroidered with a white dragon, he resembled an immortal transcending the mortal world.
"Since your troops have stood down, I ordered the emergency lifted. You should rest now as well."
"Yes, Alliance Leader!"
Paeng Seong-chan replied vigorously, then slowly withdrew and closed the door.
The elder's gaze turned to Yu Hyun.
"You must be Yu Hyun."
"..."
For a moment, Yu Hyun nearly knelt and bowed like Paeng Seong-chan.
His smile was serene, his tone gentle... yet how could it weigh so heavily?
It wasn't overt pressure or killing intent.
Like beasts freezing at the mere sight of a tiger, even without threat—it was the overwhelming presence of a supreme master that chilled one to the core.
In this era, the man who represented the righteous sects.
Admired for his benevolence and impartial justice by allies, dubbed the White-Clad Devil by foes.
White Warrior Yi Hak-seong.
His masters had spoken endlessly of his prowess.
If he had lived to serve as the focal point, perhaps even the forces of chaos could have been stopped...
"...First time meeting you. I am Yu Hyun."
"..."
Yu Hyun barely withstood the suffocating pressure and bowed his head.
Not servile, yet properly courteous...
A fleeting glint passed through Yi Hak-seong's eyes as he regarded him.
'Hoo?'
Though his face betrayed nothing, Yi Hak-seong was quite astonished inside.
He had already received a detailed report on this youth named Yu Hyun.
Nothing particularly noteworthy.
The Beggars' Sect's special treatment stemmed not from Yu Hyun himself, but from his father, Imperial Tutor Yu Seong-hwan.
His ties to the Nangong Clan were known, but again, his father's connections. His own name had only recently surfaced.
Yet how could this be?
A mere seventeen, a fresh youth just beginning to bloom—staring straight back without flinching.
All the countless warriors Yi Hak-seong had met reacted in one of two ways.
Kneeling and bowing their heads, or summoning their energy to grit their teeth against his presence.
Yu Hyun seemed briefly startled, then quickly regained composure.
His faint aura felt barely at the peak of Convergence Realm...
'Heh heh, a youth who met alone with the Poison Dragon King... Indeed.'
Yi Hak-seong grew deeply intrigued by the young man before him.
"You must have suffered much; I'm sorry to summon you like this."
"...No, I'm grateful for your attention."
"Sit."
"Thank you."
Yu Hyun had tensed during the long silence, but at the mild invitation, he politely took a seat before Jeokgal Su-beom.
His hands didn't tremble, but inside, tension burned.
True masters read hearts through eyes alone.
Yu Hyun, pull yourself together.
This was a tiger's den—two tigers sharpening claws to tear at throats.
One's claws were wise, the other's sharp.
Civil and martial.
Two flawless tigers interrogating a fledgling like him.
They'd dig out whatever they could. About him...
Fighting head-on when outmatched was madness and folly.
Only one way to handle it: tell the truth as it is.
Hide what only he knew, reveal what they knew.
Wasn't it said that truth becomes lies, and lies become truth?
Go on, you run.
I'll soar above you.
"But why did you wish to see me?"
But Yu Hyun didn't know.
From the moment he spread his wings, the giant Yi Hak-seong had been watching him like the Buddha beholding the Monkey King in his palm...