Chapter 274
Chapter 274
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 274
Chapter Title: Kingmaker (3)
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The next evening.
As promised in my contract with the Red Dragon Hall Master to cooperate in finding Bukgung Chusan’s inheritance, I made my final preparations and headed to the Red Dragon Hall.
And then.
“Silence! Are you all in your right minds?”
“Well, it was a plan we all put our heads together to come up with…”
I couldn’t help but roar at the executives.
My blunt words made the executives forming Jeok Sa-jung’s election committee pout, their lips sticking out a mile, but this time, it couldn’t be helped.
“Seriously! You want to get votes by threatening the common folk? And right in front of the polling station, no less… How could you possibly think of such a thing unless you’re insane?”
It was because they had devised a completely flawed plan.
“We weren’t suggesting threats, but rather… persuading them nicely…”
And even now, they still didn’t understand what they had done wrong.
Frustrated, I slammed my hand down on the ebony table, shattering it.
*Crash! Crack.*
[That was expensive…]
[…]
Jeok Hwa-ran sent a disgruntled mental message, but since it wasn’t my money, I coolly ignored it.
After shifting the mood, I looked around and couldn’t help but shake my head.
Every single one of them had a murderous look on their face. Some even had long knife scars, making them look so menacing that a crying child would stop just at the sight of them.
*I must make sure these guys are never part of the campaign trail.*
Just then, Jeok Il, appearing as if he’d sprung from the ground, tapped my shoulder and tried to calm me down.
“Ahem, Mujeon… no, Hall Master Jin, you should calm down a bit.”
*Right. He was here.*
The thought that there was at least one sane person left put my mind at ease, and as I nodded, he whispered into my ear.
“If persuading them in person seems too difficult, how about we quietly leave them a letter instead? Telling them that something unfortunate will happen if they don’t vote for my grandfather.”
“…”
I stand corrected. There wasn’t a single sane person here.
At this point, I was amazed the Red Dragon Hall had managed to function at all.
Still, a contract was a contract, so I had work to do.
“Alright, listen up!”
I drove a Battle Lord Arrow into the wall and hung a large bundle of paper from it.
It was a PPT I hadn’t made in a long time.
In an era where information was exchanged only through text, the sight of charts immediately drew everyone’s attention.
*Flick.*
“There are four candidates for Vice Fortress Lord. Your master, the Red Dragon Hall Master, as well as the Hall Masters of the Gray Dragon, Gold Dragon, and Blue Dragon Halls. Does anyone want to guess where our Red Dragon Hall Master ranks among them?”
“First place, of course.”
“Hear, hear!”
I slowly shook my head and answered.
“...Last place. And by a landslide.”
“Th-that’s absurd…”
Sighing, I turned to the next page.
“What does it say here?”
“It says thirty thousand.”
“Correct. That’s the total number of people living in the Nine Dragons Fortress. It’ll be slightly less if we exclude children, but we can assume about this many people will vote. Now, out of these, how many do you think are martial artists and their families?”
Jeok Hwa-ran, who was listening from the back, raised her hand. We had arranged beforehand what questions and answers we would exchange to liven up the presentation.
“I think it’s a little over four thousand.”
I nodded at her answer and turned to the next page.
“That’s right. That leaves about twenty-six thousand people. So, who should we be targeting?”
*Tap.*
I pointed the end of my baton at the two characters for ‘common people’.
That’s right. Targeting only the martial artists would never win the election.
Moreover, the warriors belonging to the halls participating in the election were certain to vote for their own masters. Therefore, the victory or defeat of this election hinged on how well we could win over the absolute majority—the common people.
“But here’s the thing. Do you really think the common folk like the Red Dragon Hall? Anyone here ever gotten so much as a free bite to eat in the marketplace?”
“…”
A heavy silence fell over the room.
It was understandable. There was an unwritten rule among the people of the Nine Dragons Fortress to avoid the warriors of the Red Dragon Hall on sight; that’s how feared they were.
“This is the public sentiment.”
“…”
“And in this state, no matter how many times you run for election, you won’t become Vice Fortress Lord, not even Vice-Vice-Vice-Vice-Vice Fortress Lord.”
*Murmur, murmur.*
Finally grasping the reality of the situation, the executives began to mutter among themselves with serious expressions.
*Clatter.*
The Red Dragon Hall Master was so shocked he even dropped the teacup he was holding.
I had known from the beginning that the Red Dragon Hall Master’s approval rating was at rock bottom.
But I had a plan to overcome that problem, which was why I had stepped up as the campaign chairman despite knowing the situation.
“However, none of you here need to worry at all.”
“…”
“Because you have me.”
*Rip!*
I tore the paper with a flourish.
“The Image Strategy. Using the characters for 'Benefit,' 'Beauty,' and 'Wisdom.' The core of this election is to make the Red Dragon Hall Master into a hero who is beneficial, admirable, and wise.”
“H-how is that even possible?”
“I’ll explain the details now.”
After I explained the election strategy I had devised to the executives…
“We’ve won!”
“Damn it, I knew we could trust you!”
“War Dragon Hall Master must be the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang!”
“Jin Mujeon! Jin Mujeon! Jin Mujeon!”
My name echoed throughout the grand hall.
***
The next day.
I headed to the Red Dragon Hall before the sun had even risen and made my way to the basement of the grand hall.
“Hey! Be careful over there!”
“Are there any more woodblocks?!”
“You idiot! You have to let the ink dry before you stack them!”
Twenty warriors were sweating profusely, pressing woodblocks onto paper.
*They’re working hard.*
This was the first step of the ‘Image Plan’ to change the Red Dragon Hall Master’s grim and cruel image: the flyer promotion room, or ‘Flyer Room’ for short.
“You’re here.”
The executive in charge of the Flyer Room approached me.
“How much progress have you made?”
“We’ve completed twenty thousand copies as you instructed.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
I picked up a finished flyer to check its contents.
“Let’s see…”
[A New Nine Dragons, a Clean Nine Dragons, Vote Number 2, Jeok Sa-jung.]
Career History.
- Graduated second in his class from the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion.
- Served as Deputy Commander of the Red King Corps.
- Served as Commander of the Red King Corps.
- Current Special Advisor to the Intelligence Pavilion.
- Current Red Dragon Hall Master.
Achievements.
- Attempted assassination of the Ten Demon Alliance’s Dark Sect Lord.
- Attempted assassination of the Ten Demon Alliance Lord.
- Participated in the Southern Barbarian War.
- Participated in the Demon Subjugation War.
- Founded the Red Blossom Distillery, supplying affordable liquor throughout Sichuan.
- Currently sponsors dozens of war orphans.
“Hmm…”
I couldn’t help but be impressed by the flyer’s contents, which were sprinkled with a little MSG.
“Well made.”
“Still, I’m not sure if this is really okay.”
“What is?”
“Well, the content is a bit…”
“Exaggerated?”
“…Yes.”
“Where?”
“Pardon?”
“Where do you think it’s exaggerated?”
“…”
His eyes darted around for a moment before he spoke again.
“Never mind. I must have been mistaken, War Dragon Hall Master.”
“Tsk.”
“Ah, no, Chairman.”
I had decided to thoroughly conceal my identity for this election.
If a rumor got out that I was helping the Red Dragon Hall Master, it could cause misunderstandings with the other Hall Masters.
“By the way, everyone looks tired.”
“Not at all. There’s nothing we wouldn’t do if it means our Hall Master gets elected.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course.”
I looked around at the warriors of the Red Dragon Hall, who were nodding in agreement.
I could see a fiery passion melting within their resolute gazes.
“Then, please continue making them. Throughout the entire election period.”
“…Pardon?”
“If it’s too hard, you don’t have to. By the way, I wonder if the Hall Master has woken up yet. I was hoping to see him while I’m here…”
“What are you all doing! Get back to making flyers, now!”
“While you’re at it, it would be good to fill the back side too. It looks a little plain.”
“…Print the back side as well!”
Leaving the frantically moving warriors behind, I went outside.
Jeok Hwa-ran was leading a group of about fifty women, all waiting.
*What a sight for sore eyes.*
They were the courtesans from the Red Blossom Pavilion, the finest pleasure house in the Nine Dragons Fortress.
“Gaga.”
“Don’t get too close. You’ll start strange rumors.”
“Hmph.”
She puffed out her cheeks.
“And stop trying to act cute.”
“Hmph!”
“Hey now.”
As we bickered, two warriors finally emerged from inside carrying twenty thousand flyers.
Seeing them, Jeok Hwa-ran spoke in a cool voice.
“Begin.”
“Yes, Young Lady.”
*Rustle.*
At her single command, the fifty courtesans took bundles of flyers.
That’s right.
I had mobilized these women, who could be considered the idols of the Nine Dragons Fortress, to distribute the flyers.
Who could possibly refuse a flyer handed to them by a smiling courtesan?
*A hundred times better than having some grim-faced old men hand them out. Yes, absolutely.*
It was a strategy that only the Red Dragon Hall, which directly operated the pleasure house, could use.
Furthermore, the flyers weren’t the only thing I had prepared.
*Thump-thump-thump-thump. Thump-thump-thump.*
*Clang-clang. Clang. Clang-clang-clang.*
I even mobilized a band of musicians to follow the courtesans, ensuring they would draw attention wherever they went.
*Boombastic, Boombastic, yeah.*
*Boombastic, Boombastic, yeah.*
The first day of the election campaign began with the clear voices of the courtesans spreading far and wide.
***
One breezy autumn day.
The commotion began suddenly on what was otherwise an ordinary morning.
Gorgeously beautiful courtesans began to roam every corner of the marketplace, their eyes smiling.
“It’s Number 2, Jeok Sa-jung. Hoho.”
“Oh my? I haven’t given a flyer to this great warrior here.”
“You must vote for Number 2, okay?”
“Hohoho, you attend the Black Dragon Martial Academy? How very gallant. If our Hall Master saw you, he would have recruited you as a warrior on the spot…”
“Please take a look. It summarizes the life of the Red Dragon Hall Master, a hero of the realm.”
Men accepted the flyers as if mesmerized by their heartwarming beauty.
In particular, some courtesans subtly brushed their hands against the men’s shoulders or arms, completely melting their hearts.
“From this day forward, I shall bow towards the Red Dragon Hall every day.”
“I will wash my face twice before bed until the day I die.”
“I shall place this flyer under my pillow and treasure it for the rest of my life.”
Soon.
“Vote Number 2, Jeok Sa-jung!”
“Vote Number 2, Jeok Sa-jung!”
The men who had received the flyers began to follow the procession from the Red Blossom Pavilion, voluntarily promoting the cause.
It was the moment Jeok Sa-jung’s name began to spread throughout the Nine Dragons Fortress.
“N-no way…”
Meanwhile, Jeok Hwa-ran, who was watching the scene unfold, stared with wide, unbelieving eyes.
“Gaga is truly…!”
In truth, until she had received the flyers, she had been half-skeptical.
Everyone knew her grandfather’s name, so she had wondered how much help handing out mere scraps of paper would be.
The only reason she had mobilized the courtesans of the Red Blossom Pavilion was simply to save Mujeon’s face.
However, the result was beyond her wildest imagination.
Although it was only men for now, as time passed and the farther the courtesans moved, the number of common people following the procession grew exponentially.
*Rumble.*
“Th-there they are!”
“Drat! There are so many people. At this rate, we won’t even get to see their faces!”
Jeok Hwa-ran, who witnessed the spectacle with her own two eyes, nodded.
*Indeed, Gaga is the only one for me.*
It was a moment that reaffirmed her feelings for Mujeon.