The Eve of the Storm
Over the next two days, negotiations regarding the territory war proceeded swiftly.
While the two lords established the broad strokes, their respective delegation teams met separately to hammer out the finer details.
Such a meticulous process was necessary to prevent future disputes.
Lords of this era loathed losing even a single handful of dirt.
The only reason the previous Lord Farrow had managed to quietly absorb the disputed borderlands into his domain was because the land was a barren waste.
Had there been a mine or a wealth of rare herbs in the Farrow Forest, a war would have erupted the very moment he made that declaration.
The working-level officials negotiated how the territory would be divided depending on who emerged victorious.
In truth, the terms were progressing highly in favor of the Farrow Territory.
Since anyone could see that Viscount Rebion was the one forcing this conflict, even the Viscount's own officials accepted that they would have to bear some losses.
Should Jeron win, Viscount Rebion's title would be demoted.
Once the details of the preliminary contract were finalized, Jeron showed the document to the retired lord, Ark Farrow.
"A territory war?"
"Viscount Rebion was so unyielding that I had no other choice."
"Hmph. To pick a fight over an agreement made by the previous generation... What an utterly wretched man!"
"Which is why I intend to teach him a lesson."
"Are you sure you can pull this off?"
"Would I ever enter a deal where I stand to lose, Father?"
"Well, that is true, but..."
Ark Farrow started to say something, then held his tongue.
Jeron was the current Lord of Farrow.
He was the one carrying the fate of the family on his shoulders. No matter how much authority Ark held as the former lord, he could not openly oppose the reigning lord's decision.
A delicious aroma wafted from the cabin kitchen.
Ark Farrow kept a curious eye on the food Kang Yu-jung was preparing, even as he flipped through the preliminary contract once more.
"It is indeed an exceptional agreement. If you win, it might even pave the way for an immediate promotion in rank."
"It will happen soon enough."
"And you have a plan?"
"We have the strength of our ancestors passed down through the family, do we not? The territory war will likely be a small-scale skirmish or a one-on-one duel. It will be over the moment it begins."
"Haha, well, if you are that confident."
Ark Farrow put the contract out of his mind.
He had only wanted to review it because it was a major agreement affecting the domain, not because Jeron was seeking his counsel.
A moment later, a beautifully roasted chicken was placed on the table.
It gave off a savory aroma, its skin roasted to a perfect, crispy golden brown.
It was exactly the level of crispiness Jeron had wanted.
"Wow, Dame Yu-jung, you really are an incredible cook. Where did you learn to cook like this?"
"The Eastern lands where I used to live had a highly developed culinary culture."
"Thanks to you, Dame Yu-jung, I have finally learned the true joy of taste. I cannot thank you enough."
"Oh, it's nothing."
By now, the Kang father-daughter duo could speak the continental common tongue reasonably well.
If one listened closely, the common tongue shared many similarities with English, making it relatively easy to pick up basic conversational skills.
Everyone enjoyed the roasted chicken with a glass of beer.
It was bottled beer Jeron had brought back from the shelter, chilled to perfection using magic. To Ark Farrow, it was a revelation.
Even Jeron's mother and sister fell completely under the spell of this mysterious combination known as 'chimaek'—chicken and beer.
Even on the ruined Earth, chimaek had been a rare luxury.
Finding a live chicken was difficult enough, and even if you did, choosing to eat it instead of keeping it for eggs was a hard decision.
In contrast, chickens were plentiful on the Karen Continent, allowing them to source fresh ingredients to fry, roast, and cook to their heart's content.
It was only recently that the Kangs had joined the family's daily meals, and the older Kang had hit it off famously with Ark Farrow.
They shared similar hobbies and enjoyed deep, thoughtful conversations.
Of course, because Kang's common tongue was still a bit rough, they couldn't communicate perfectly, but it was still a massive leap forward.
After finishing their meal, Jeron and the older Kang walked out to the lake.
Jeron quietly gazed down at the placid water, while Kang lit one of the few remaining cigarettes he had brought from Earth.
"Mr. Han, I heard you talking earlier. You're fighting a territory war?"
"That's how it turned out."
"Are you going to wage a full-scale war to take their land?"
"It won't go that far. The political climate right now isn't great for a full war. It's highly likely to be decided by a one-on-one duel."
"A duel... You won't be fighting in it yourself, will you?"
"Probably not. It's rare for a lord to personally step up in a proxy duel."
"Do you have a guaranteed way to win?"
"Of course. I'll just shoot them dead from afar."
"Oh! Is that allowed?"
"Who cares? How would they even know what a sniper rifle is? I'll just shoot them from a distance and claim it was the blessing of the dragon."
"Hahaha! Now that will be a sight to see!"
Kang laughed heartily.
Viscount Rebion was absolutely certain of his victory, but he was sorely mistaken.
No matter how skilled a man was with medieval weapons, no human could survive a sniper bullet to the head.
Once the sun had completely set, they gathered in Kang's workshop.
Jeron maintained strict security whenever he crossed over to Earth.
If word got out that he possessed the ability to open portals, it would bring endless trouble. Even his closest aides and family members remained unaware of this power.
The only exceptions, of course, were the Kang father and daughter who had come from Earth.
It would have been nice for Kang Yu-jung to join them, but because the portal consumed a massive amount of mana, Jeron decided to take only her father today.
"I feel so uneasy letting just the two of you go."
"It should be fine over there. A mutant passed by about a year ago, but we haven't found any traces of them recently."
"Promise me, both of you. If there's even a hint of danger, you come right back."
"I promise."
"Dad, you have to promise too."
"Haha, I promise, sweetheart."
The reason Jeron was bringing the older Kang along was to sort through the necessary supplies at the shelter.
Although Jeron was a survivor who had lived on Earth and possessed various survival skills, he was not a professional engineer.
He needed a specialist who knew how to safely dismantle solar panels and wire them up for electricity.
Shhh.
Jeron opened the portal.
Kang Yu-jung carefully peered through the portal first, checking to see if any mutants were lingering or if scavengers had occupied the shelter.
The shelter was exactly as Jeron had left it.
Old human bones lay scattered about, and various household items were strewn across the floor in a chaotic mess. However, there were no signs of any living creatures.
Only then did Yu-jung breathe a sigh of relief.
"You can go through now."
"We'll be back soon!"
"Watch out for mutants!"
Jeron and Kang stepped through the dimensional gateway.
Fortunately, the temperature difference wasn't as extreme as before. It was roughly around ten degrees Celsius.
Though it was chilly, they quickly adjusted to the Earth's atmosphere. The sun was shining brightly today, making it good weather for physical labor.
Kang clicked his tongue as he surveyed the trashed shelter.
Having survived on the ruined Earth for so long, he could tell at a glance what had transpired here.
Human bones with bullet holes in the skulls and bullet marks scarred the walls in every direction. Since mutants didn't use firearms, it was easy to deduce that scavengers had raided the place.
"I felt this every single day when I lived on Earth, but people are far more terrifying than mutants. After the world fell apart, I became a firm believer in the inherent evil of humanity."
"I felt the same way."
Neither of them spoke further on the dark nature of humanity. Both Jeron and Kang had witnessed too many atrocities on Earth to need to dwell on it.
"Shall we get started?"
"Let's. Living on the Karen Continent has its charms, but there are so many inconveniences. To me, this place is a literal treasure trove."
The two men silently went to work.
Kang detached the solar panels installed on top of the camper van, while Jeron carried them down to the ground and stacked them neatly.
Whenever they had a spare moment, they also cleared out the appliances inside the camper and organized them in one spot.
Once the solar panels were completely removed, Kang gathered the tools he needed from the workshop.
Many of the tools used on Earth were impossible to obtain on the Karen Continent. Since the continent's blacksmithing technology was barely past the Bronze Age, even basic car parts could be treated as priceless treasures.
While gathering the equipment, Kang called out to Jeron.
"Mr. Han. Want to see a real treasure chest?"
"A treasure chest?"
Kang led Jeron inside the camper van. He pulled back the musty carpet covering the floor to reveal a small metal latch.
It looked like a secret storm cellar built into a suburban home.
Creak!
The rusty hinges shrieked as Kang pulled the hatch open, revealing the space beneath.
Inside lay a large sack filled to the brim with mysterious metals.
"What is this?"
"Have you ever heard of rare earth metals?"
"Rare earth metals?!"
"Back when I was wandering alone around Eumyang-myeon, I raided a nearby factory and secured these."
"Wow, that's a massive jackpot!"
"Even back then, I knew their value. It's not like you can just stumble upon rare earth metals on Earth anymore."
"I suppose not."
Jeron wasn't entirely sure how they would use these metals right now, but he knew a skilled engineer like Kang would figure it out. He also knew that rare earth metals were virtually unobtainable on Earth now, having once been classified as critical strategic resources.
What kind of things would Kang be able to create with these metals? The mere thought of it brought a smile to his face.
BOOM!
"...!"
As Jeron and Kang were hauling the metals out from beneath the vehicle, a deafening roar tore through the air.
It wasn't a simple gunshot. It was the unmistakable sound of a grenade or C4 explosive detonating.
Jeron and Kang immediately dropped what they were doing and rushed up to the watchtower.
While the view was obstructed from the ground, the watchtower offered a clear line of sight of the surrounding area.
They raised their binoculars in unison, scanning the horizon for the source of the noise.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Intermittent gunfire and grenade blasts echoed in the distance.
A group of soldiers in a military truck were engaged in a fierce battle with several mutants. It was roughly three hundred meters away from the shelter.
They weren't in immediate danger yet, but it was uncomfortably close.
Jeron turned to look at Kang.
"Soldiers? I didn't think there were any soldiers left in this world."
"They won't be real soldiers."
"Then what are they?"
"Just scavengers wearing military uniforms. You know as well as I do that every 'soldier' we've encountered so far was just a bandit with a gun."
"Still, the fact that they have an organized unit is surprising."
Jeron clicked his tongue. Even if they had devolved into scavengers, the fact that a faction with this level of military force still existed on Earth was remarkable. Keeping soldiers disciplined in this wasteland was no easy feat, which meant they were operating under a highly capable and powerful leader.
Crash!
Suddenly, a massive, muscular mutant flipped the military truck over with a single, brute-force heave. Soldiers and weapons spilled out onto the dirt road.
Kang watched the scene unfold and muttered quietly.
"A tiger leaves its pelt when it dies, and a scavenger leaves behind loot."