Running Away? No, Just Stepping Out! (1)
Sorry, slaves — though honestly, I wasn't all that sorry when it came to the Zhou.
I did feel a little bad for the Eastern Europeans hauled over by my nomad friends from Mongol. I mean, even if I told them to go home, they couldn't — it's just too far away...
But thanks to them, a road of absolutely staggering length, linking every major city, had finally been completed. And it was so long that a single full loop reportedly took sixty days even by carriage.
"Hmm? So are you sending the slaves home now?"
Releasing them here felt like a bad idea too. They'd only end up as bandits or highwaymen.
"Why would we send them back? After all that effort? There's canal work to be done."
Ah. So they can't go home after all. Sorry, friends. Hang in there a little longer.
"At least feed them something tasty now and then. They look pitiful."
"There are plenty of potatoes, my lady."
These people have no blood, no tears, nothing. Then again, I'm hardly one to talk, being their leader and all.
"Ah, something I've been wondering for a while — Chancellor, why is it only your family that holds the office?"
"Because no one else will take it?"
Oh? That's unexpected. Why not? Isn't it practically the highest seat of power in the land?
"Why won't they?"
"The work is crushing. If it weren't for my grandfather's dying wish, I wouldn't have taken it either."
"What did he say?"
"That if I quit halfway, he would follow me all the way to hell."
Ah... well, that IS a weighty threat. Back in the day, when I told the wealthy folk about hell and reincarnation, they believed it with iron conviction.
"So you do it even though you hate it?"
"No. Strangely enough, it suits me?"
That's the truly miraculous part. His father was such a gentle soul, you see? But watch him in a council meeting and he's the only vicious one in the room. In the old days he'd beat people with his fists — now he flays them with words. People looked like their ears were bleeding when he got going.
"What a relief. At least I have you."
"I know. And I'm grateful, do understand that."
"R-right... of course..."
He was such a sweet little thing as a child. How on earth did he turn out like this? Still, there's a weakness I can exploit: skip a generation and they're all identical — even full grown, they cling and nuzzle like toddlers. This one in particular bathed with me right up until he grew body hair.
"Is the relocation going well?"
"Yes. With the roads all finished and ships running so frequently, there's far less resistance than before."
"That's a relief."
Sinsi really was getting overcrowded. The sewers were built on such a grand scale that there were no other problems, but I worried people who'd moved away might all come flooding back.
So I'd given speeches in front of the settlers, handed out gifts, worked hard to soothe them.
"Also, my lady — why do you keep telling us to prepare for expansion into the north?"
"There's plenty up there worth taking."
"It's frozen land where crops barely grow, is it not?"
True. At this stage, they naturally think fertile farmland is everything.
"Instead, it's got enormous amounts of iron and the like."
"We have plenty of iron already?"
"Plenty for our current population. What happens when it grows tenfold? A hundredfold?"
"That many people?"
See? Eyes gone perfectly round. He seemed to be wondering whether the population could really swell that much — but if we could sustain it, I'd happily build it up a thousandfold.
"I told you, didn't I? Any land that can be farmed, farm it. It may look like distant frontier to you now, but I can see it — the plains that will one day feed all those countless people."
"Of course. You see the far future, my lady. I will trust you."
Sorry. You're all thinking in terms of a hundred years, but I'm planning in the thousands.
"Life up north will be hard, so build fortresses and watchposts instead. But keep the roads coming, steadily."
"Yes, my lady."
No, seriously. Wasn't I supposed to be taking a break? There's just so much work...
So I ran away from home.
Time to try working on a ship at Ryeonhwa.
"Hmm? A young lady wants to do shipboard work?"
"Yes! I can do it!"
"You look awfully frail, though?"
Ugh... critical hit.
"I'm stronger than I look! And I cook well too!"
"Hmm... cooking, you say... I suppose we could use you?"
"I'll do anything you ask!"
"Good! Hired as the ship's cook."
Oh? Accepted after six interviews. I'd heard that in the Middle Ages women were barred from ships as bad luck — apparently no such superstition here.
The ship behind him looked square but sleek, its length something like thirty meters. But the sail was absolutely enormous. Wouldn't the mast snap?
Day three at sea.
This isn't a simple cargo ship, is it? Sinsi, Danhwa, and Pyeonghwa are all within three days' reach — so we're still in open water?
Squeak, squeak.
Ah, whatever. Time to cook. The ship will go where it goes.
As for cooking ingredients, there wasn't much to look at — dried meat, rice, and potatoes, and that was it. I figured if I just gave everything a rough stir-fry in oil, the crew would eat it up happily.
"Oho! Well, what do you know! You really can cook, young lady!"
"Thank you!"
This is absurd. Does stir-frying something decently count as being a good cook? What do people normally eat at sea?
Hmm. Glancing at the water casks stowed on one side, I guessed we'd be putting in somewhere within a month at the latest.
"Ahem~ ahem, hmm~"
What work could a cook possibly have on a ship of sixty-odd souls? Cook when it was time, and fish in the spare hours — that was about the size of it.
And the fish I occasionally caught made for another delicacy when cooked up. The crew loved it too.
"Oho~ Fishing again, Ha-eun?"
"Yes. I was bored."
"Can we have fried fish again tonight?"
Last time I'd filleted a fish and stir-fried it over rice, and they'd gone absolutely feral for it — though with salt as the only seasoning, I couldn't even tell what it was supposed to taste like. I suppose anything goes down delicious when you're used to... whatever they eat.
"By the way — what did you all eat before? Everyone kept saying it was delicious."
"Oh, this and that. Raw potatoes, rice soaked in water, whatever we could get our hands on."
Ah... still true primitives after all. There's plenty of this and that to work with, so why don't they? Strange people.
"You never cooked it?"
"I cook on the side sometimes, but it comes out even worse, so I gave it up. You're the first person aboard who actually cooks."
"It must have been hard, going out to sea..."
"*Sniff...*"
He's crying. Crying again. No wonder he seems delighted just to have something edible appear in front of him.
"I'll fish my very best for you..."
"We're truly glad to have you aboard."
Once deep-sea routes were opened and spices started coming in, there'd be so many genuinely delicious things to make.
No wait — do we really have to go only by ship? The Silk Road! Right, that thing existed!
I'd have to set aside time and go take a look. If I sent people, they'd die in droves on the way — better I go myself.
Hold on — don't my Mongol friends snatch up Europeans too? I should tell them to try opening a trade route.
Then... what would we sell? Uh... ah! Silk! Yes, that's why it's called the Silk Road!
"Heh heh heh."
"Hm? What's got you laughing?"
Ah. My thoughts leaked out loud again.
"Oh — nothing! I was just thinking about dinner."
"Simple pleasures. Well, we're counting on you."
"Yes, sir~"
Sniff sniff.
"Huh? What's this?"
This is fascinating! This drinking water is just sitting in plain wooden casks? How does it last this long? It should have spoiled ages ago...
"What are you staring at so hard?"
"Ah! Sir? I've been wondering — why hasn't this water gone bad?"
Do they have some secret know-how of their own?
"Ah~ right, this is your first time on a ship, isn't it, Ha-eun? Well, it's a bit of a secret... you mix in a little Holy Water. Don't go telling people, though — the Temple would have things to say about it."
Ah. So it's exactly like drinking the water I spat back out... it truly gets used for everything.
It's my own water, so I'll drink whatever I like, but there's no need to reveal the truth to everyone else. Sorry about that...
"Ahaha..."
But what exactly do these men do? The hold is stuffed to the brim with nothing but food.
I'd find out soon enough. I had a feeling. The water running low meant it was nearly time to drop anchor.
"Wahahaha! Land!"
"We've come farther this time!"
"Wonder what we'll find and how much of it."
About a fortnight at sea, wasn't it? Later I'd have to float up into the sky where no one could see me and take a look around.
They're sailing straight upstream? Fetching water will be easy, then. And there's smoke in the distance — someone must live there! So they have trading partners.
"Ha-eun, stay aboard. We'll be right back!"
"Just leave me here?"
"Someone has to guard the ship, no?"
Huh? Fair enough. That does make sense. And with that, the men loaded the empty casks onto carts and headed off toward the distant smoke.
They're not bringing anything to trade, are they?
"Let's go! Chase off the women and seize the men!"
"What's there to ask? Isn't it obvious?"
Wait — what? What are these people saying? I'd better follow them.
Float up a little and the sun will keep me well hidden, right?
"Charge! Run! Wahaha!"
"Let's go!"
So THAT'S where all that muscle goes — they'd clear a hundred meters in nine seconds. Insanely fast.
"!#$!#%"
"!@#$"
There are people over there too. Children? Tiny little kids coming out with a stone spear apiece.
But our sailors — surely unarmed and barehanded is fine even if they're just capturing people? A stone will still hurt if it sticks in you, won't it?
"What the! Why are these things so small!"
"They look awfully scrawny, don't they?"
"Did we tank this deal?"
Look at the sailors, not worried in the slightest. Sirs, a stone spear will kill you just fine.
Meanwhile, the sailors were unbelievably nimble. Wow — even the way they trussed people up with rope was pure artistry.
Tie one down, go grab the next — this was clearly not their first or second rodeo.
The other side is way too weak, though. Isn't this child abuse?
"Whoa! What's THAT now?"
Some sailor grabs a primitive by the scruff of the neck with one hand and simply lifts him off the ground. The poor man can't resist at all.
Oh. So weapons were never needed in the first place.
"Hey! Watch your back!"
While one sailor is absorbed in tying up a primitive, another sneaks up behind him and drives a stone spear into his back.
Thud. Crunch.
"Ow! That stings! What the—!"
Huh? What is this? He got stabbed, but the spearhead only sinks in a little before the shaft snaps off? And he lifted it slightly and says it just... stings?
Oh, so THAT'S why they don't wear armor — they don't need it. Their muscles ARE the armor...
Then he pulls some water from his belt and smears it on the wound. Don't tell me that's Holy Water? An age where spit actually heals wounds has truly arrived.
Where on earth are we? I'd better go up into the sky and check. The peninsula should be up that way...
"Ah... it's Japan."
People always said the Japanese were on the small side, but apparently even smaller than me.
This still seems to be prehistoric times. What happens if history gets recorded like this? Are we going to end up as the thug nation of Northeast Asia?
Deflating. I'll just go back to the ship.
"Wahaha. Small, but we caught plenty."
"Right. They're weak, so they'll fetch less per head, but there are so many of them it'll even out. Let's haggle hard on the grounds that they eat little."
Right — these men are slave traders. That explains it. No wonder there wasn't a single thing on board worth trading.
Well, either way, merchants they are...
But these people really are tiny? Almost all of them are my height or shorter. Two or three heads shorter than the sailors. No wonder they got hauled off without even a fight.
Ugh, and they look so pitiful. Sweat streaking their faces, all gaunt and hollow from eating badly.
"Alright, kids — this is called a potato. Eat up, one each."
I tossed a few potatoes in among the penned-up slaves.
They stared at them suspiciously for a while, but they at least had sense — they quickly gobbled them down. Must have tasted good.
"Looks like life's been rough for these wretches. When you get there the work will be hard, mind, but you'll eat your fill. Might actually be better for you, come to think of it."
Which is better — a well-fed slave, or a free man starving? I honestly couldn't say.
But they're this small — what work could they even do? Wait... if I fought them, wouldn't I actually win?