Chapter 270
Chapter 270
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 270
Chapter Title: 60. Highway (5)
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Mara.
Among the beings Yeongwoo knew by the name 'Mara' capable of seizing an alien planet, there was only one.
The Lord of the Void, the one who walks in the shadows of cosmic laws. The King of Ten Thousand Demons.
That persistent headache of a guy who kept getting tangled up with them.
"Mara was there too?"
When Yeongwoo reflexively asked back, Bangtu Bangtung's eyes twitched.
-What do you mean? Does this planet have a Mara too?
The Lord of the Red Feet, Bangtu Bangtung, wore an expression of utter disbelief.
-Ah.
Fear and rage alternated in his ferocious gaze.
Mara, who had already trampled their homeworld once before.
He was terrified of that being, yet at the same time, his immense thirst for revenge made his chest feel like it might burst.
-Where is Mara now?
"I'm not entirely sure yet. I'm in the process of tracking him down."
Yeongwoo said this, then carefully added,
"But..."
-But?
"There's a suspect. It's China, the country about to go to war with me."
-China?
Bangtu Bangtung tilted his head.
He had no idea how vast China was.
-About to go to war? Aren't you the lord of this planet?
"Not yet. But I will be soon. And I'll keep my promise to guarantee your right to survival."
With those words, Yeongwoo pointed his index finger at the sky.
A reminder of the laser barrage they'd witnessed just moments ago.
-......
Only then did Bangtu Bangtung begin to grasp what kind of place this planet was.
-This is... a world of swindlers.
"I'm sorry it turned out this way. But I'm an honorable swindler. I always keep my promises."
This was Yeongwoo's idea of 'honor.'
Keep promises no matter what, and repay favors without fail.
Even if the one owed was a demon or an orc.
"On Earth, we call this 'honor.'"
-Honor...? As in swindler?
"...No, not exactly. How should I put it... Simply put, it's like loyalty or integrity. It's the same as a lord not betraying his 'brothers.'"
-Ah.
"And those who uphold this honor—if they're young, we call them young hero; if they're older or more respected, great hero."
-Great hero?
"Yes. For example, you would be Great Hero Bang."
-Aha.
By social convention, Bangtu Bangtung should now ask for Yeongwoo's family name and call him Great Hero Jeong.
-Hmm.
But Bangtu Bangtung didn't call Yeongwoo a great hero.
'This crazy orc bastard?'
Of course, it wasn't enough to ruin the major deal.
This was a business worth 120 million karma per day, after all.
Plus, it might secure an alliance with at least 5,000 orcs—and growing.
"Lord."
Yeongwoo picked up his pen again and called to Bangtu Bangtung.
"If you fully cooperate with me, I'll approve the northern Australia as the Orc Autonomous Region and ensure no one on this planet threatens your right to survival."
It was essentially selling something Yeongwoo didn't yet possess, but Bangtu Bangtung had no better alternatives.
-Fine. But we have one condition.
"Condition? What's that...?"
An unexpected counter.
However, the 'brotherhood'-oriented Red Foot orcs were far more straightforward than Yeongwoo had anticipated.
-When you fight Mara, we join in.
They wanted to exact revenge on their homeworld's enemy, even if it was here on Earth.
And for Yeongwoo,
"Of course, Great Hero Bang. You have every right to that."
There was no reason to refuse.
Scribble.
Yeongwoo picked up his pen again.
He began writing the orc survival guarantee on the notepad.
"First, I, Jeong Yeongwoo, will jointly defend the Orc Autonomous Region in northern Australia from now on."
-Fine.
"However, second. The Orc Autonomous Region may not launch preemptive attacks on other regions or countries. If an attack is unavoidable, you must notify me first."
This clause considered the remaining major cities in southern Australia, Jeju Island, and even Japan.
Relations between Korea and Japan hadn't fully stabilized post-Reset.
But unexpectedly, Bangtu Bangtung pushed back here.
-If we can't launch preemptive attacks, how is that an autonomous region? We're planning to pay you a huge sum. That alone should suffice as respect.
"I understand, but if you gain attack rights, it becomes a headache for me. There are billions of other humans on this planet besides me, so I have to consider public opinion."
He wanted to explain in more detail, but the day was darkening.
Signs of abnormal weather and the night dungeon season approaching.
Yeongwoo needed to rest as soon as possible.
"If you want full sovereignty, help me conquer this planet sooner. To do that, we first need to push back that country called China, thousands of kilometers away."
Even as he said it, Yeongwoo's chest tightened.
There was no way to transport the orc legion stationed in Australia all the way to China.
If the being behind China's Lim Du-pyeong was Mara, Yeongwoo genuinely wanted the Red Foot orcs to join the fight.
But how?
'I can't load 5,000 orcs and their weapons onto the Gephi Express. That would cost an astronomical transport fee.'
-So what do we do? Besides paying money, what else?
The moment Bangtu Bangtung asked, a Doggo wedge pattern appeared squarely in the center of Yeongwoo's vision.
Like an OS logo on a freshly booted computer.
Flash!
"Uh...!"
A new type of interface appeared.
「Initiating planetary development process now.」
'Oh, so the company is finally getting involved for real?'
As Yeongwoo blinked rapidly, the next step proceeded.
「Is the planetary faction unified?」
'Unified? No.'
There were at least two factions on par with the Korean Peninsula.
One backed by Lemu, another by Mara.
'And no guarantee Lim Du-pyeong is one of them. There could be three or more rivals.'
Never forget how vast Earth was.
Just this morning, he hadn't even considered an orc legion stationed in Australia.
「What is the top priority task to unify the planet?」
'Top priority?'
As Yeongwoo echoed back, the development system displayed a list of items first.
[Acquire Anti-Air Defense Capabilities]
[Construct Super-High-Speed Transit Route]
[Low-Interest Mega-Refinance Loan]
[Equipment Reinforcement]
[Deploy Special Defense Force]
These seemed to be Doggo's immediately feasible business options.
'No, why would anti-air defense be needed for planetary unification...?'
On some planets, it might be crucial, hence its inclusion.
But what caught Yeongwoo's eye wasn't anti-air or equipment reinforcement.
'Super-high-speed... transit route?'
It perfectly targeted his needs.
He needed a very fast transport for himself anyway, and something to move the orc legion in emergencies.
'What exactly is a super-high-speed transit route?'
As Yeongwoo muttered internally, a detailed explanation appeared.
[Super-High-Speed Transit Route Construction]
|Installs Doggo-style highways across the planet. Can transport most weapons and living beings, but requires manpower and time for construction.
|This road is designed with an eco-friendly structure that inflicts no physical damage on the planet's existing ecosystem. However, accidental casualties may occur during construction.
'Casualties?'
But the most important part was at the end.
|Installing this road is easy! Anyone with eyes and a sense of direction can become a constructor.
|However, accident rates are not negligible, so we recommend purchasing our Constructor Pack.
*Constructor Pack: 80 million karma per day.
=2,000 diligent constructors dedicated solely to construction day and night, supplied live every day!
"......"
Yeongwoo finally understood why Doggo's notoriety was so high.
'Basically slave trading...?'
Then how brutal were the details of the other items?
Yeongwoo shuddered involuntarily and reread the super-high-speed transit route description carefully.
'A super-fast road usable for logistics too... but with a chance of workers dying during construction.'
In short, if you care about your planet's residents' lives, buy Doggo's Constructor Pack.
'80 million karma for 2,000 constructors per day?'
That's 40,000 karma hazard pay per constructor daily—not outrageously expensive at face value.
But.
'I already have 5,000 constr— no, 5,000 brothers?'
Yeongwoo glanced at the Red Foot orcs lined up behind Bangtu Bangtung.
Bangtu Bangtung followed his gaze to his own brothers.
-What's going on?
"Great Hero Bang."
-Planning another swindle, eh?
"No way. I just need your help, Great Hero."
-Speak. If you're truly guaranteeing our survival, then you're one of the Red Feet too.
With that, Bangtu Bangtung gestured toward somewhere in the ranks.
Whoosh.
Orcs from inside the formation approached carrying a steel inkstone filled with red ink.
Likely some ritual oath of theirs.
Yeongwoo hurriedly wrote a new number on the notepad and showed it to Great Hero Bang.
「8,000」
-8,000? What does that mean?
"In the Australia Orc Autonomous Region, I'll only collect 80 million karma per day from now on. Use the difference from the original 120 million to bring more brothers."
In other words, reduce to 40 million and increase headcount.
-For real? What's the price?
"The road."
-Road?
"Yes. Build the road to Mara yourselves."
-Mara...!
The two syllables stirring the exiles' hearts made Bangtu Bangtung and every orc in the room roar savagely.
-Mara!
-The road to Mara...!
-The path of vengeance!
Of course, they had no idea what they were shouting about.
Meanwhile, in Yeongwoo's vision, the super-high-speed transit route blueprints and construction process appeared—and they were far from ordinary.
'Uh...? It's an elevated highway?'
Judging by the surrounding scenery in the short sample video, the construction would take place hundreds of meters in the air.
But the bigger issue was how the highway connected.
Constructors were launched at super-high speeds in the direction the road was to be laid, paving the path along their trajectory.
'Well, yeah, anything slower would take forever.'
So what happened to the super-high-speed launched constructors?
The sample video didn't show the aftermath.
"......"
The eyes of the Korean Peninsula's Absolute Demon, Jeong Yeongwoo, grew a little misty.
Then his arm shot high into the air.
Whoosh!
"The path of vengeance! We go to Mara...!"