An Unexpected Reunion in the Zaion Mountains
To think they would actually run into Kim Tae-hyun's party in these vast Zaion Mountains! Even if Tae-hyun and his companions had just stepped outside to prepare for their return, this was an absurd stroke of luck. The members of the Woodstock Guild approached Tae-hyun, tears streaming down their faces.
“Sob, sob...! Kim Tae-hyun!”
“Do you have... *hic*, any idea how hard it was for us??”
Emotions overflowed, pouring out of them in a messy torrent! Of course, from the perspective of Tae-hyun's party, they looked incredibly suspicious.
“What are those things?”
“Aren't they assassins?”
“They're crying while calling out Tae-hyun's name, so maybe they're fans?”
At Lee Da-bi's suggestion, Choi Sang-yun replied as if he found it utterly ridiculous.
“The Guild Alliance cries while screaming Kim Tae-hyun's name too!”
Calling out Kim Tae-hyun's name could mean a whole lot of different things!
“Your Majesty! If they are assassins, please leave them to us.”
“Where did these random dwarf bastards roll in from, acting all high and mighty? Get out of our way!”
A squabble broke out between the dwarf warriors and the goblin rangers. Watching them, Tae-hyun let out a sigh, a headache coming on.
Maybe I shouldn't have accepted them.
The Galkard dwarf tribe had been utterly shocked when Tae-hyun announced his departure.
“No, Your Majesty! How can you leave like this!”
“I have already received more than enough of the dwarves' hospitality (Adamantium), so it is fine!”
Carbanog is shocked, noting that your 'hospitality' sounded suspiciously like 'Adamantium'!
“We cannot let you leave like this! We must at least share some dwarf beer... Oh. Wait, has the number of dwarves over there increased?”
Did the dwarf count in the Archisus Artillery just go up by one?
“No. You must be seeing things.”
“Is... is that so? How strange...”
“In any case, please allow us to repay our debt to Your Majesty! A dwarf who does not repay a favor is no dwarf at all!”
Bekelf, who was standing nearby in disguise, grumbled at the dwarf's words.
“And yet those same bastards wouldn't even give me a single elder position...”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
The Galkard dwarf tribe's Affinity is extremely high!
Your Contribution Points within the Galkard dwarf tribe are exceptionally high!
The Galkard dwarf tribe is volunteering to support you.
Oho...
If you live your life diligently racking up points, sometimes a free gift just drops into your lap. This was exactly one of those moments!
Carbanog asks if it's really okay to take them along when Bekelf is right there.
As long as they don't find out, who cares?
......
The Galkard dwarf blacksmiths would go to his territory on the ground. Bekelf would go to the Sky Castle. Perfect!
“In that case, could you spare some blacksmiths to support me?”
“Of course. The young lads of our kingdom will practically trip over themselves to follow Your Majesty!”
An excessively high Reputation, Affinity, and Contribution Points! Because of this, the dwarves volunteered in droves without even knowing exactly who they were following. Carbanog, watching this unfold, actually covered its eyes in pity.
Whew. Is the Valley finally getting a decent blacksmith shop that doesn't involve volatile Engineering? Excellent.
A few blacksmith shops were currently running in the Valley, but none of them had an outstanding blacksmith NPC. While facilities were important, the blacksmith leading the forge was what truly mattered! Having Bekelf run things would be fantastic, but Tae-hyun had no intention of revealing him to the public. ...Mainly because he was bound to cause trouble!
The Sky Castle is the best place for Bekelf.
The Sky Castle was a natural fortress, but at the same time, it made for a magnificent prison. A prison that was nearly impossible to escape once locked inside!
Carbanog marvels at the sheer creativity of Archisus.
“Then I shall dispatch the blacksmiths. They are sturdy warriors as well, so they will be able to escort Your Majesty!”
“Thank you.”
“*Ptooey!*”
Of course, the goblins standing in the back merely spat on the ground, their faces practically screaming, *Where did these random interlopers roll in from?*
The relationship between the Archisus Artillery and the Galkard dwarves wasn't bad. First of all, they were fellow dwarves! Any misunderstandings about traveling with demons and giants were quickly cleared up through conversation.
“So you're saying you capture demons, extract their energy, and use it?”
“Exactly! It's far more powerful and efficient than channeling mana through various magic stones! Besides, magic stones are consumables, but a demon keeps on living.”
“What kind of absolute bullshit are you guys talking about—*Argh!*”
“Of course, we have rebellious demons like this one who occasionally break our hearts, but we also have demons like Gusion here who bring us immense joy.”
“Haha... Is it not all thanks to the teachings of you elders?”
“Ohhh... To think such a method existed...”
The method is spreading among the Galkard dwarf tribe!
The Galkard dwarf tribe is showing interest in this practice!
An exchange of technology was blossoming amidst their casual chatter!
“Furthermore, giants make excellent porters. They can carry massive cannons on their shoulders and fire them on the move.”
“Indeed! I never would have thought of that! I always assumed giants were monsters that simply had to be hunted down.”
“Such stereotypes are unhealthy. Everything in this world can be put to good use. I learned that profound teaching from Archisus.”
“Ohhh...!”
The egalitarian church that utilizes everything in the world—the Archisus Church!
Rumors of the Archisus Church are spreading among the Galkard dwarf tribe!
The Galkard...
Of course, not everyone looked upon this scene favorably. Specifically, Bekelf and the goblins.
“Ugh. Those clueless fools sure know how to flap their gums... If they went head-to-head with me in a blacksmithing battle, they'd get utterly crushed in a second!”
“Ugh, those clueless fools sure know how to flap their gums... They don't even know the first thing about Engineering!”
“!!”
Bekelf and the goblins locked eyes mid-complaint. Despite belonging to different races, they had reached a mutual understanding.
“...A goblin who actually knows his stuff?”
“Heh. You might be a dwarf, but I acknowledge you.”
Witnessing this, Tae-hyun quietly issued an order.
“...Keep those two apart.”
No matter how he looked at it, that was a highly dangerous combination!
Though they were a headache, the dwarf warriors and goblin rangers were exceptionally talented. Especially those dwarf warriors—if he could just settle them quietly in the Valley...
It would be the jackpot of all jackpots.
They would immediately transition into dwarf blacksmiths! Territories that possessed dwarf blacksmith NPCs were incredibly rare.
“So, who are you guys? Assassins? Or assassins disguised as fans? Or perhaps you're fans who look like assassins but are actually assassins?”
Carbanog says they are all assassins...
“No! We've met before!”
At those words, Yu Ji-soo stared at them warily.
“Senior. I've heard that you shouldn't trust people who try to hit on you like that.”
“Woodstock! Woodstock! We fought alongside the Guild Alliance!”
“Ah... Well, let's just say that's true.”
He doesn't remember.
Looks like he doesn't remember.
He definitely doesn't remember.
“So, what is it? You want to fight the Guild Alliance together? Sorry, but we're currently in a truce with them.”
This was coming from the man who had completely plundered the Guild Alliance's mine just a short while ago!
“That's not it. We came because we want to purchase a territory.”
“......”
“......”
At those words, the eyes of Tae-hyun's party turned ice-cold. Lee Da-bi spoke in a freezing tone.
“Even the members of the Power Warrior Guild wouldn't make such a shameless proposal...”
“Should we kill them, Senior?”
“Let's just toss them aside!”
Trying to buy the Valley—they either lacked a conscience, lacked manners, or both!
Suddenly finding himself on the verge of being thrown out, the Woodstock Guild Leader hurriedly shouted.
“We're not trying to buy the Valley!”
“Then what? Gasp. Don't tell me, Nodranche?”
“Nodranche...? No. Who in their right mind would buy a piece-of-shit land in such a cold, remote place?”
The Woodstock Guild Leader answered instantly! If Cain had heard this, he would have wept.
“The place we want to buy is one of the southern territories of the Atali Kingdom!”
“...? I can't just give away southern territories as I please,” Tae-hyun replied, sounding puzzled.
The northern and central regions were either controlled by Tae-hyun or ruled by noble NPCs who had bowed their heads to him. However, the nobles in the south were currently acting arrogant, essentially saying, *'Yeah, right~ We don't recognize you~'*
Normally, he would have beaten them into submission, but since he already had plenty of enemies, Tae-hyun had simply left them alone. He had even secretly hoped that some demons would get summoned over there later! Under such circumstances, there was no way he could just hand over the territory. The nobles would obviously reject it.
“What we want is a justification! The justification of having the King's permission. Launching a sudden siege war out of nowhere is completely different from launching one with the King's blessing!”
“Oh...”
Tae-hyun was impressed. The Woodstock Guild Leader had actually used his brain quite a bit.
In short, they were offering to pay gold in exchange for the King's permission!
*Not bad.*
From Tae-hyun's perspective, it was killing two birds with one stone. He would get paid, and those annoying southern nobles would be dealt with.
“If you grant us permission, we will pledge our absolute loyalty to you! We beg of you!”
“By any chance, did you guys also receive some sort of investment proposal?”
“...H-how did you know?!”
“I heard it's the trend lately, so I just wondered. Hmm... Granting permission isn't a big deal. But can you guys actually capture it on your own? The southern nobles are no joke. They didn't suffer any losses from the civil war, so their forces are fully intact. They have mages and even knight orders. On top of that, if you're unlucky, you might get pincered.”
“We're prepared for at least that much! We have a plan of our own.”
“Hmm. Fine. Then I shall sell it to you.”
“!!!!!”
The Woodstock Guild was overjoyed, practically ready to jump with glee. They had obtained Tae-hyun's permission! Honestly, they had expected to be rejected!
“Guild Leader! Honestly, I didn't believe in your plan, but to think you'd actually pull this off...!”
“Hahaha! You brat... Just you wait until we get back!”
“Ah, oops.”
Watching the Woodstock Guild members embrace and weep, Tae-hyun wore a look of mild fascination.
“But how do you plan to bring down the territory?”
“Since it's impossible to do alone, won't they ask other guilds for help? Even if they just split the rewards, it's a fight well worth taking,” Lee Da-bi suggested.
Territory wars were a massive hit outside the game for boosting stream viewership, and inside the game, they were a golden opportunity to strike it rich. Guilds couldn't help but be greedy for them.
“True, gathering people and overwhelming them with human wave tactics might work... but the opponent is formidable, isn't he? They'll definitely calculate the profit and loss.”
If it was a southern noble's territory, they would need a hefty advance payment to make the fight worth the risk! If they were unlucky enough to die, where would they recover those losses? However, Tae-hyun was overlooking one crucial factor. It was none other than his own name.
“Kim Tae-hyun, the King of the Atali Kingdom, has promised me the title of Count of Tillau! The current Count of Tillau is a tyrant who runs his territory like absolute garbage, so let us overthrow him and establish a new order!”
The Woodstock Guild Leader proudly hoisted his banner and began recruiting players.
“Tillau? Their military force looks pretty formidable...”
“Yeah, that place is a bit... isn't that like throwing eggs at a boulder?”
“But they said they got the permission directly from Kim Tae-hyun. Would Kim Tae-hyun not know that?”
“...!”
“Oh, so he gave it to them because it's doable?”
“Obviously! Would Kim Tae-hyun grant a countship without thinking??”
“Then it's definitely worth a shot!”
As the rumors spread, players flocked to the cause in droves! Even though most of them were high-level players, they gathered without a single moment of hesitation.
At the same time, other guilds were thrown into a frenzy upon hearing the news.
“...W-why did Kim Tae-hyun bestow the Countship of Tillau upon the Woodstock Guild? Are they close?”
“I heard they aren't close at all. The only one Kim Tae-hyun is close to is the Guild Master of Power Warrior, right?”
“I heard they bought it with money.”
“Y-you can buy it with money?! Wait, hold on... What other southern territories are there?!”
“Is he selling the Valley?”
“If you've got the guts, go ask him yourself. That is, if you want to be buried in the Valley.”
“I-it was a joke. Just a joke.”
The southern nobles of the Atali Kingdom had absolutely no idea. That very soon, a massive tidal wave of players would sweep over their territories!