Chapter 224
Chapter 224
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 224
Chapter Title: Upheaval in Nine Dragons (3)
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The scorching summer sun streamed in, blinding me.
“Ugh, I'm dying…”
I’d spent all night drinking at the celebratory dinner for joining the Black Dragon Corps, and now my head was spinning.
Clutching my spinning head, I got up and looked out the window to see the vibrant, dynamic city of Hanzhong.
“Everyone's working so hard.”
For the past month, Hanzhong had been burning like a furnace.
Refugees who wished to return home were mobilized to begin repairing the road leading to the Western Regions.
The War King Arts, having absorbed the Black Dragon Gate, was engrossed in training, beads of sweat pouring down their faces.
The Hanzhong Merchant Guild tidied up the market streets to welcome visiting merchants.
And that wasn't all.
Refugees who wished to stay in Hanzhong were leased nearby fertile land at low prices to farm, causing the population to explode.
A tremendous amount of capital was being invested now, but soon Hanzhong would take on the appearance of a major city. The vision was so clear in my mind that my chest swelled with pride.
With everyone working so hard, I couldn't just sit around either.
“First, I'll get some more sleep.”
Rest is an extension of work, after all. It's important to get enough of it.
Just as I was about to lie back down on the bed.
“The main force of Nine Dragons Fortress has annihilated the remnants of the demonic path.”
Yu So-pyeong entered and announced the end of the war.
A moment later.
“…So, they're telling us to leave for Nine Dragons Fortress right now? With the Lord's corpse?”
“Precisely.”
“Why are they making us do it?”
“They probably think it's the fastest way. They intend to handle the awarding of merits at the same time as the funeral.”
“What a pain…”
It's not because I'm scared of the corpse.
Definitely not.
“We have to go at some point anyway to get reimbursed for the funds we spent on the war. And we have to participate in the awarding of merits.”
Thinking of the contract signed by the Grand Chancellor, I couldn't help but nod.
“…You've finished the paperwork, right?”
“Hehe, I even fooled Chief Myo. She'll never figure it out, so don't you worry.”
“If you even managed to fool my sister, an accounting expert… Perfect.”
That's right.
To cover our lack of funds, we planned to inflate the expenses we spent on the war and submit them.
Of course, we didn't write down a completely absurd amount.
We only added the donations from the Merchant Guild's merchants and Hanzhong's influential figures who wanted us to win the war; we didn't list money we hadn't spent.
In other words, it was a lie with a basis in fact.
We're trying to fool the great Grand Chancellor, after all. This much is necessary.
“Khuhuhu, now we're rich.”
“…”
Still, to be this happy while swindling his own father.
I have no idea how he ended up like this.
*'At this rate, I don't think even hell would take him.'*
I shook my head.
He started acting strange after hanging out with the people from the Red Dragon Hall.
*'You really do have to choose your friends wisely.'*
***
The procession to Nine Dragons Fortress was a modest one.
It consisted only of six warriors to carry the Lord's coffin, Yu So-pyeong to handle negotiations, Jeok Hwa-ran who wanted to visit her hometown after a long time and her guards, and the Great Pure Adept.
Some argued that the procession was too small for the War King Arts, the heroes of the victory, but it was an unavoidable choice.
We wanted to transport the Lord's body as intact as possible.
After all, he had saved my life.
And so, we covered a fifteen-day journey in just seven.
We attended the grand funeral held to mourn the Lord.
White flags, each bearing the image of nine dragons, were raised throughout the inner and outer fortresses.
On the large altar where the Lord's body lay stood the chief mourner, the Green Dragon Hall Master. Below, countless warriors guarded it like an iron wall, and a ceaseless procession of commoners paid their respects.
The scale and solemnity were comparable to a state funeral.
In fact, in a way, it was only natural.
In this martial world, where the principle of non-interference between the government and martial artists I'd read about in novels didn't exist, the Lord of Nine Dragons Fortress, who ruled the west, was practically a king.
As I sat there thinking, my eyes were drawn to the Green Dragon Hall Master on the altar.
*'As expected.'*
His aura was formidable, as befitting a warrior who had transcended the peak. He wasn't even trying to contain it.
*'He's probably warning everyone not to try anything funny.'*
He seemed to be declaring that the position of the next Lord was his.
Of course, he wasn't the only absolute master in Nine Dragons Fortress.
*Thud.*
“I heard you went through a lot.”
“Master… No, Grand Master.”
*Twitch.*
Because there was my master, Bukgung Baek, whose eyebrow twitched at the title 'Grand Master'.
Now that the Lord was dead and the Great Pure Adept had decided to retire, you could say that Master Bukgung was the strongest in Nine Dragons Fortress.
Perhaps because the Lord, with whom he'd had a love-hate relationship, had died, even the great Master Bukgung looked a little haggard.
“Ahem, with the Lord's passing, you must be emotionally…”
“What nonsense are you suddenly spouting?”
“…Weren't you close with the Lord?”
“He's already dead. It's best to forget him as soon as possible.”
“Then why do you look so haggard?”
“I couldn't sleep because I was catching up on all the drinking I missed during the war.”
“What?”
Shouldn't you at least pretend to be sad at a funeral?
He was reacting the exact same way as the War King—like father, like son.
“So, you met my father?”
“You mean the Great-Grand Master?”
*Twitch!*
“…”
A great ripple passed through Master Bukgung's eyes.
“The Grand Ancestor… was an intense person in many ways.”
“…Sounds like you got close.”
“He has such a great personality…”
“No need to sugarcoat it for my sake. I know that man has a shitty personality.”
“Yes, well… I suppose he was a little like that.”
Master Bukgung said with his characteristic mocking smile.
“He's always been like that. He'd show up once every few years, calling himself a father, just to toss me some elixirs and martial arts manuals before disappearing.”
“What? So you learned martial arts by yourself?”
“Half I learned by myself, and the other half I learned through real combat.”
“My goodness.”
A true genius was right here.
No matter how I looked at it, the one to rebuild the Bukgung family seemed to be him, not me.
“So, where did he say he was going?”
“…Excuse me? Who is going where?”
“My father. Now that the fighting's over, he must have left for somewhere else.”
“…I'm living with him and taking care of him, actually.”
“What?!”
Bukgung Baek said, his face a mask of surprise.
“…He has a serious case of wanderlust. How did you get him to settle down?”
“Well, I have my secret methods.”
At first, Grand Ancestor War King was convinced to stay by my divine gift of gab, but he completely melted at the charm and cooking of my sister, Myo Hyang.
*'Grandfather, it's time to eat.'*
*'Hohoho, so it is. Today's side dishes are… Wait! This is!'*
*'I heard you like steamed carp, so I tried making some. Please, eat up. Ah~.'*
That old man's body could no longer live without my sister's cooking.
*'What if he decides to stay for good?'*
“That's good… No, thank you. For giving my father, who wandered his whole life, a place to settle down.”
“He is an elder of our school. Of course, we should take care of him.”
I waved my hands dismissively, and Master Bukgung gave a small smile.
He seemed grateful that I was looking after his only living relative.
“By the way, what do you think will happen now?”
I asked, looking at the Green Dragon Hall Master. It was an abrupt question, but my master seemed to understand and nodded.
“I don't know either.”
“I imagine quite a few people will come looking for you.”
The support of one absolute master would carry the same weight as the support of two Hall Masters.
Since there are no election laws in the martial world, he could promise his support and receive piles of gold.
“I didn't want to be bothered, so I chased them all away.”
Of course, you can't force someone to do something they don't want to.
“Seriously?”
Shouldn't you be a little more involved?
“Instead of doing that, why don't you…”
“But one thing is certain.”
Master Bukgung continued, looking at the Green Dragon Hall Master and the other seven Hall Masters.
“Nine Dragons Fortress is about to fall into great chaos.”
“…Is it that serious?”
My master was not one to make empty statements.
For him to be so certain meant that the power struggle over the Lord's position was more severe than I'd anticipated.
“It will become clear once we see who steps forward from the Hermit Grove.”
As he walked away, I felt a thick sense of unease from his retreating back.
***
Seven days later.
As soon as the funeral ended, the awarding of merits began.
There was nothing better for reversing the somber mood.
For the fifth-class merits, the names of all warriors who participated in the war were listed, and they each received ten silver taels.
It wasn't a large sum for risking their lives, but since there were well over a thousand of them, it gave a significant boost to the stagnant economy of Nine Dragons Fortress.
For the fourth-class merits, the unit commanders who led the warriors were named, and they received twenty silver taels.
The third-class merits marked the beginning of the real ceremony. From this point on, awards were presented. Most of the Hall Masters were named for third-class merits.
In truth, holding an awards ceremony when the Lord's seat, the representative position, was vacant was absurd. In a way, the Hall Masters were evaluating themselves and giving themselves awards.
However, since this was the martial world, there was little corruption. If one were to overestimate their contributions, they would be met with a torrent of criticism and lose a great deal of face, so there was an atmosphere of self-restraint.
And so, the Grand Chancellor called out the names of the Silver Dragon, Gold Dragon, Black Dragon, Gray Dragon, and White Dragon Hall Masters, and they were granted B-class access to the Nine Dragons Armory and the Nine Dragons Archives.
The second-class merits went to the Red Dragon Hall Master and the Blue Dragon Hall Master.
The Red Dragon Hall was likely recognized for bringing the intelligence, and I heard the Blue Dragon Hall had mobilized the most warriors.
And then.
“For the first-class merits, we name Outer Hall Master Bukgung Baek, Green Dragon Hall Master Dang Hyeon, and War King Arts Master Jin Mujeon!”
Finally, it was my turn.
“…”
Since the funeral had just ended, there was no applause.
The people who had received merits before me were all expressionless.
I, too, walked forward, keeping my face as impassive as possible.
The Green Dragon Hall Master was standing right next to me.
If I dared to even smile here, he might just knock all my teeth out.
However.
*'This is it!'*
I couldn't help but feel ecstatic inside.
To put it bluntly, the living must go on.
And frankly, no one had tried harder to save the Lord than I had.
I even gave him a Great Heavenly Immortality Elixir, an SSS-rank HP potion, even though we weren't that close.
The problem was that he himself had lost the will to live.
Anyway, as I walked forward with these thoughts, I came face to face with the stern expression of the Grand Chancellor, who was acting as the Lord's regent.
*'Money! Money is fine! Concessions would be good too.'*
Now that I was an outsider, I wouldn't be granted A-class treasures from the Armory and Archives.
In that case, I thought it would be better to receive as much money as possible.
“To the Outer Hall Master and the Green Dragon Hall Master, we grant an A-class weapon from the Nine Dragons Armory and an A-class manual from the Nine Dragons Archives. To the Master of the War King Arts, we grant the taxation rights to the lands south of Gansu, including Lanzhou, and a B-class weapon from the Nine Dragons Armory.”
“…!”
They were giving me land.
And not just any land, but the very land that had become useless because we had burned and destroyed it in the last war.
I looked up in bewilderment and saw the corners of the Grand Chancellor's mouth turned up in a smirk.
*'N-no way!'*
That was it.
That man was doing this on purpose.
And there could only be one reason.
*'I knew it was strange that he approved the huge sum of over two hundred thousand taels so easily…!'*
He had realized we'd padded the bill.
*Shudder.*
Looking at the Grand Chancellor's gaze, which seemed to say, 'You're not on my level yet,' I thought.
Nine Dragons Fortress was not a place to be underestimated.
As soon as the chaotic awards ceremony ended.
[Let's have a talk.]
[How about a cup of tea?]
[It's been a while. I should see my grandson-in-law's face.]
Numerous telepathic messages rang in my ears.
