Chapter 357
Chapter 357
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 357
>Chapter Title: Intelligence Report (2)
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While Il-mok was making various preparations to deceive the Martial Alliance.
A stranger set foot in Tianshui County, Gansu Province.
The common folk living in Tianshui County showed no particular reaction to the appearance of this unfamiliar man.
As the closest county to Shaanxi Province, it was something of a transportation hub in its own right. Though it couldn't compare to the provincial capital Lanzhou, it was fairly developed, and outsiders showing up wasn't all that rare.
The stranger entered an inn near the marketplace and asked the innkeeper.
"Any spare rooms?"
"Hahaha. We've got rooms aplenty. How many days will you be staying?"
"Nothing set in stone, but it looks like it'll be quite a while."
"Then I'll give you a discount."
The innkeeper replied like that and called over a server boy.
The man followed the boy to a room, unpacked his belongings just enough, then stepped back out.
"Could you bring out some dumplings, simple as that?"
After placing his order with the innkeeper, the man took a seat at a table with a view of the marketplace beyond the door.
He gazed at the marketplace scenery for a moment. Then, with a clunk, the server boy set down the dumplings at his table.
"Thud."
"Hmm. Tianshui County has quite the lively atmosphere."
When the man casually addressed the server boy, the young lad turned to look out the door.
Like the man, he watched the marketplace for a bit, then smiled as he replied.
"Hearing you say that makes me realize all over again just how great the Maitreya Cult's benevolence is."
At the boy's sudden worship, the man hurriedly schooled his expression and asked.
"Maitreya Cult? What's that place got to do with anything, that its name pops up out of nowhere?"
"Ah, you must not have been in Gansu for the last few years? The Maitreya Cult is..."
In response to the man's question, the boy beamed and began extolling the greatness of the Maitreya Cult.
The man memorized the boy's words, eyes shining, then slowly finished all the dumplings before standing up.
"I'll step out for a bit."
"Yes. Take care."
The man headed into the marketplace, blending into the crowd and naturally strolling about, observing the people.
Every now and then, he approached a stall or shop to inspect the wares.
As he examined a stall selling cheap trinkets, the elderly vendor spoke up.
"Heh heh. New face. From out of town?"
"That's right."
"Seeing an outsider like you fills me with fresh gratitude toward the Maitreya Cult."
At the old man's sudden worship, the man struggled to keep his expression neutral as he asked.
"...What does my coming here have to do with the Maitreya Cult?"
"Heh heh heh. You didn't know? Just a few years back, there were bandits around these parts. They preyed on merchants coming from Shaanxi to here, but the Maitreya Cult took care of them. Thanks to that, folks can pass through Tianshui County in peace now."
"Hmm. So that's how it is."
Ending the conversation, the man bought a cheap ring and moved on.
This time, he bought an apple from a stall, took a bite, and murmured.
"This apple's sweet."
"Hohoho. Isn't that thanks to the Maitreya Cult's benevolence too?"
Only then did the man realize.
The common folk here weren't suddenly worshipping the Maitreya Cult.
They were habitually devoted to it; he had merely witnessed it abruptly.
Recalling his mission, the man forced himself to ask.
"...What does the tastiness of this apple have to do with the Maitreya Cult? Do they run orchards too?"
He continued wandering the marketplace, gathering information for a while.
As the sun began to set, the man returned to the inn.
Unlike during the day, he took a seat at a table in a dim corner and ordered a bottle of liquor and some food.
As he leisurely sipped his drink alone, the inn's tables gradually filled with patrons.
Common folk working in Tianshui County started conversing loudly, fueled by alcohol from all around. The man covertly perked up his ears, focusing on their talk.
Then. A certain melody caught his ear.
"Bright~ness, brightness, Maitreya Cult~."
He turned to see the server boy wiping a nearby table while humming a bizarre tune.
"...What's that tune?"
"Ah, you said you arrived today, right? It's a Maitreya Cult hymn. Singing it makes hard work feel better. Hahaha."
"......"
The man failed to keep his expression in check, looking utterly baffled.
"Bright~ness, brightness, Maitreya Cult~."
The boy resumed humming the tune as he went about his chores.
"A river~ like peace for me."
"A river~ like peace for me."
Before long, everyone in the inn was taking turns singing various hymns together.
Why was that?
Watching them all smile happily as they sang, goosebumps prickled along the man's arms.
He spent several days in Tianshui County, steeped in that bizarre atmosphere.
One day, the server boy approached him.
"Today the inn is closed."
"The inn's closed? Is the innkeeper ill or something?"
"No, today is the day of the Maitreya Cult's sermon. All the believers take the day off. Why not join the gathering instead, sir?"
Seeing it as a chance for bigger intel, the man nodded.
He ended up following the boy to a manor bearing a plaque reading [Maitreya Cult].
By the time the gathering ended.
"Maitreya has come!! Salvation for all!!"
He was shouting the slogan alongside the crowd, his eyes glazed over.
* * *
About a month later.
In the Alliance Leader's quarters of the Martial Alliance, Alliance Leader Cheok Pae-myeong and Chief Strategist Gong Son-hyeon were reviewing dozens of letters.
They were reports from spies sent to various locations where the Maitreya Cult had taken root, centered around Gansu.
The letters summarized what they had observed over the past month, filled with all sorts of content.
How deeply the common folk worshipped them. How devotedly they had served the common folk.
And.
- Brightness, brightness, Maitreya Cult. Brightness, brightness, Maitreya Cult. Brightness, brightness, Maitreya Cult. Brightness, brightness, Maitreya Cult. .... Maitreya has come, salvation for all. Maitreya has come, salvation for all. Maitreya has come, salvation for all. Maitreya has come, salvation for all. ....
Mixed in were some oddly creepy letters that gave you chills just reading them.
As Gong Son-hyeon brushed the goosebumps from his arms, the Alliance Leader tossed aside a letter and spoke.
"I have no idea what sort of people they are."
Gong Son-hyeon cautiously opened his mouth, eyeing the Alliance Leader who had grown irritable since tangling with the Maitreya Cult.
"Still, it's not like we gained nothing. After checking all the letters, a few peculiarities stood out."
"Peculiarities, eh. Tell me."
"First off, they're buying up an inordinately large amount of food. Mostly things like rice and jerky that keep long-term. Especially since the Ami Sect fell—they've been purchasing massive quantities from Sichuan, which has plenty of rice and provisions."
"I know that. Half gets distributed to the common folk, and the other half the merchant group takes west, right?"
"That half alone is a huge amount. Unless the Western Regions are paying top dollar for our Central Plains food, there's no reason to buy that much. For the merchant group, it'd be more profitable to load those wagons with goods to sell in the west."
The reason the Maitreya Cult's Celestial Mandate Merchant Company was stockpiling vast amounts of food was simple.
To supply the newly absorbed northern nomads, plus the existing believers in Qinghai, Xizang, and Xinjiang.
Half was transported via Maitreya Cult manpower to Gansu, northern Sichuan, Qinghai, and Xizang. The other half was delivered directly by the Celestial Mandate Merchant Company to the northern steppes and Xinjiang.
Unaware of this, the Alliance Leader nodded in realization only after hearing Gong Son-hyeon out.
"True, it's excessively large even for merchant operations."
"Exactly, Alliance Leader. And it's not just once in a blue moon—they do it regularly, every time. It looks downright like they're stockpiling for war."
"Hmm. Then we should focus less on the common folk and more on that merchant group and the northern trade routes."
"I'll issue those orders."
* * *
Some people were passing through northern Shaanxi and Ningxia, entering the northern steppe regions.
Crossing the Han borders into the barren savage lands, they veered from their northbound path toward the west.
Not long after galloping across plains too desolate to call steppes.
After days of travel, a village came into view far ahead.
They rode toward it.
As they approached, a nomad stepped forward from the village and shouted.
"Who are you, and from where?"
His accent was rough, but it was unmistakably Central Plains tongue.
"We're merchants from the Han lands. On our way west—mind if we stay the night?"
In response to the man's question, the nomad who spoke Central Plains replied.
"Please wait a moment."
The nomad returned to the village and soon emerged again.
"The chieftain permits it."
The self-proclaimed merchants were allowed into the village.
It had a peaceful atmosphere.
Children played here and there, occasionally humming songs.
The self-proclaimed merchants found the sight somehow eerie.
"A river~ like peace for me."
"A river~ like peace for me."
They were clearly northern nomadic savages, yet for some reason singing in the Central Plains language.
Even these rumored primitive northern nomads were eating rice and dried fruit.
Eyeing the oddly bizarre nomads sidelong, the merchants gathered in one spot and settled.
Once the merchants finished their meal there, an elderly chieftain and a man wearing an enraged Four Heavenly Kings statue mask approached them.
He introduced himself as a missionary of the Maitreya Cult.
After chatting idly with the chieftain and the Maitreya Cult missionary for a bit.
"Oh, right—you said you're heading west? Be careful. Lately, brutal tribes in the north have been raiding as bandits."
At the Maitreya Cult missionary's warning, the self-proclaimed caravan leader asked back.
"I've heard the Maitreya Cult's Celestial Mandate Merchant Company travels west too—is that one safe?"
"The Celestial Mandate Merchant Company is having headaches too. They're just managing to keep going thanks to Maitreya's divine protection."
"I see. Thanks for the warning."
"I merely passed on what needed saying."
They exchanged small talk a bit longer before the chieftain and Maitreya Cult missionary departed.
"We've kept you too long. Rest well."
The next morning early, the self-proclaimed caravan left the village and headed west again.
Thereafter, they found nomad villages every day or two.
Surprisingly, each one had a similar vibe.
Each had a Maitreya Cult missionary, the children hummed bizarre Central Plains songs, and they enjoyed meals ill-suited to the harsh north.
Leaving another village after an overnight stay, heading west.
"Looks like the Maitreya Cult has charmed even the northern nomads."
"Heh. Taming those savages. No idea what wicked tricks they're using."
As they conversed in a way unfit for merchants, the lead man urgently shouted.
"Nomads approaching!"
Bandits assaulted them.
The self-proclaimed merchants resisted with outstanding martial prowess unlike any traders.
Crunch!
But the bandits wielded skills absurdly advanced for mere bandits.
The most terrifying among them was the bandit leader.
"Try blocking this seat's sword!!"
He was a tremendous master swinging a massive blade while bellowing nonstop.
Every swing of his greatsword cleaved the self-proclaimed merchants—and their weapons—in two.
In an instant, the merchants were swept away, and the last survivor stared at the master in a daze.
"Kuhahaha!"
Unlike his skills, his savage laugh and licking the blood from his cheek made him look every bit the bandit leader.