Chapter 454: Barbarian Revolution (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 454: Barbarian Revolution (3)
When people come together, an organization forms—even with just four people.
Once we'd gathered four people to take care of the administrative side of things, I quickly dumped the full backlog of work on them to divide and conquer. They divided up the tasks by what best suited their specialties. Among the four of them, Shavin Emoor was due the highest credit.
"Mary, you'll be overseeing the data organization and analysis on your own," said Shavin. "For now, let's focus on looking over all the data that the former elders left behind."
"...A-Are you really sure I can manage that? I'm looking at some of the data, and it's hard to understand any of it. I can barely even make out the handwriting."
"Just do your best. I'll come by and help you too."
"All right..."
Mary Jane was in charge of statistics and managing the files.
"Mr. Ramden, I'll have you take care of the coming-of-age ceremony taking place in a couple of days."
"The... The coming-of-age ceremony...?"
"I know you're new to it all, but it's just a small event within the barbarian tribe. I'm sure you'll handle it just fine. But if there's anything you aren't sure about, you can ask Ms. Fenelin. That's all right with you, right, Ms. Fenelin?"
"R-Right! Of course! You can ask me!"
"...Then what should I do after preparing for the coming-of-age ceremony?"
"Once we have the data analyzed, please write up a budget. Not a yearly one—just month by month for now."
"...All right."
Shepherd Ramden was in charge of financial planning and management.
"Mr. Anderson... I don't have to tell you what to do, right?"
"Yes... I'm in charge of land..."
"It seems that nothing has been done for this project yet. So for now, head into the woods and survey the land. We'll be laying new roads there eventually, so try to clear a path if possible. Oh, and make sure to also set some land aside for a place to raise the children. We should go ahead and make them a new nursery."
"...Isn't this basically an entire city plan?! I-Is it really okay for me to be in charge of something so important?"
"I'm giving you the authority, so you can do whatever you want. Don't worry, we're not going to tackle the entirety of the holy land right away. We'll start selling pieces of land from the outskirts, so you can just focus on that for the time being."
"...I'll do my best."
Rick Anderson was in charge of transportation, infrastructure, and urban development.
"Right now, we're just dividing the tasks amongst ourselves, but when we hire more people in the future, we'll function as a proper organization. When that happens, you'll all be the head of your respective departments."
And naturally, Shavin Emoor would be the head of all of it. Hm, perhaps this was the place where all her passion for work came from. I never expected her work ethic and skills to be so impressive. She didn't complain about starting from nothing and quickly assigned the staff tasks in accordance with their skill sets so they could tackle the largest problems ahead.
She's an even better employee than I thought she'd be...
I'd only ever seen her as a woman who visited the dessert shop whenever she could. But as I stood on the sidelines and watched the barbarians' administrative team slowly take form, it struck me that I'd had no idea she had this hidden side to her all this time.
"Excuse me..." Mary Jane, who was in charge of data, carefully raised her hand. "Wh-when do we get off work...?"
Instead of answering, Shavin glanced my way. I guess she felt she didn't have the authority to answer that. Unfortunately for them, time was money right now, so I quickly responded, "Why would you get off work?"
"...Pardon?"
"Are you all not right in the head? If you work through the night, your salary will be doubled!"
They all stared at me blankly, unable to comprehend what I was saying.
Shavin Emoor had to step in on my behalf to interpret. "Right now, we have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time. It's not like we haven't worked overtime before, and luckily for us, we'll be properly compensated this time. We've all rested long enough, anyway. It's not so bad to be busy with work again, right?"
"...Right."
With that, the barbarians were headed for new horizons.
***
After forming the administrative team, I headed over to the former chieftain's tent. There was something I hadn't been able to ask him during my last visit.
"Bjorn, son of Yan—"
"It's Chieftain."
"...Right, Chieftain. What is the matter?" He got straight to the point.
"I'd like to know more about Balkan."
"Ah, the man behind your first title."
Balkan, son of Shalik, also known as Kagureas, was a barbarian hero who died twenty-one years ago at the age of fifty-five. I'd only just recently found out his real name. Before that, I had always assumed he had died so long ago that there was no need to look any further into him.
"So what are you curious about?"
"Everything about him."
"It's going to be a long story. Go sit or lay down." The former chieftain sighed in an obvious display of irritation but chose to answer me anyway. "By the time I underwent my coming-of-age ceremony, Balkan was already a famous warrior within the tribe. Back then, it was an undisputed fact that he was the strongest."
"How strong was he?"
"I would be no match for him the way I am now."
Well, with praise like that, it was safe to assume that he was also much stronger than I currently was.
"Some people thought he was 'humanized' because he didn't socialize with his fellow warriors, but in my eyes, Balkan was more of a warrior than anyone else. The only thing he was interested in was becoming stronger."
"Wasn't everyone like that back then?"
"Haha! That's true. Those sure were the days! Unlike today, there used to be hundreds of adventurers capable of exploring the eighth and ninth floors. The six races were all practically racing against each other to see who could get furthest into the labyrinth, and it was common for each one to lend their Genesis Treasure to their greatest warriors, who stood at the front lines. Balkan was one of those warriors." Like everyone his age, the chieftain seemed to like to talk about the Golden Generation.
"But that all ended when a dimensional collapse wiped out most of the top adventurers, right?" I asked. Titana Akurava was also a member of that generation and had experienced the catastrophe firsthand and survived. Maybe that was why, even after all this time, the royal family was still looking into the cause of the dimensional collapse and enforcing strict control over the labyrinth.
"Excuse me..." Mary Jane, who was in charge of data, carefully raised her hand. "Wh-when do we get off work...?"
Instead of answering, Shavin glanced my way. I guess she felt she didn't have the authority to answer that. Unfortunately for them, time was money right now, so I quickly responded, "Why would you get off work?"
"...Pardon?"
"Are you all not right in the head? If you work through the night, your salary will be doubled!"
They all stared at me blankly, unable to comprehend what I was saying.
Shavin Emoor had to step in on my behalf to interpret. "Right now, we have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time. It's not like we haven't worked overtime before, and luckily for us, we'll be properly compensated this time. We've all rested long enough, anyway. It's not so bad to be busy with work again, right?"
"...Right."
With that, the barbarians were headed for new horizons.
***
After forming the administrative team, I headed over to the former chieftain's tent. There was something I hadn't been able to ask him during my last visit.
"Bjorn, son of Yan—"
"It's Chieftain."
"...Right, Chieftain. What is the matter?" He got straight to the point.
"I'd like to know more about Balkan."
"Ah, the man behind your first title."
Balkan, son of Shalik, also known as Kagureas, was a barbarian hero who died twenty-one years ago at the age of fifty-five. I'd only just recently found out his real name. Before that, I had always assumed he had died so long ago that there was no need to look any further into him.
"So what are you curious about?"
"Everything about him."
"It's going to be a long story. Go sit or lay down." The former chieftain sighed in an obvious display of irritation but chose to answer me anyway. "By the time I underwent my coming-of-age ceremony, Balkan was already a famous warrior within the tribe. Back then, it was an undisputed fact that he was the strongest."
"How strong was he?"
"I would be no match for him the way I am now."
Well, with praise like that, it was safe to assume that he was also much stronger than I currently was.
"Some people thought he was 'humanized' because he didn't socialize with his fellow warriors, but in my eyes, Balkan was more of a warrior than anyone else. The only thing he was interested in was becoming stronger."
"Wasn't everyone like that back then?"
"Haha! That's true. Those sure were the days! Unlike today, there used to be hundreds of adventurers capable of exploring the eighth and ninth floors. The six races were all practically racing against each other to see who could get furthest into the labyrinth, and it was common for each one to lend their Genesis Treasure to their greatest warriors, who stood at the front lines. Balkan was one of those warriors." Like everyone his age, the chieftain seemed to like to talk about the Golden Generation.
"But that all ended when a dimensional collapse wiped out most of the top adventurers, right?" I asked. Titana Akurava was also a member of that generation and had experienced the catastrophe firsthand and survived. Maybe that was why, even after all this time, the royal family was still looking into the cause of the dimensional collapse and enforcing strict control over the labyrinth.
"It was a terrible tragedy, but that had nothing to do with Balkan's death."
"Then how did he die?"
"Nobody knows. One day, he and his comrades entered the labyrinth, and they never returned."
"I see. And since our Genesis Treasure returned to the tribe when he disappeared, no one looked into it."
"Do you think he might still be alive?"
"Maybe he did something similar to what I did?"
"Pfft, haha! Well, knowing when and how to doubt is a good skill to have as a warrior." The former chieftain seemed to disagree with my theory, but he didn't criticize me or try to change my mind.
"Speaking of the Genesis Treasures, I heard that our tribe wasn't the only one who lost theirs."
He sighed. "I can't believe you already know about that too. Is this what it means to have a noble's information network?"
I'd actually heard about that from Baekho Lee, but there was no reason to tell him that. "Then who else lost theirs?"
"To my knowledge, the elves and the dwarves."
"I see..." I probed further, asking if he had any other insight into the day of my coming-of-age ceremony when each race's Genesis Treasure was stolen. Sadly, I didn't get the answer I wanted. "I can't say for sure. From what I know, nobody has any idea where the Genesis Treasures are."
Damn, I was hoping he would know something.
"Oh! But now that I think about it, there's something I should tell you about the Genesis Treasures."
"What is it?"
"Several years ago, a mystery person left a letter for us while the old chieftain was away. The letter predicted that there would be a war for the sacred relics in the near future and that someone would steal our Genesis Treasure on the first day of the third month of Year 153."
Well, about that...
Ignorant of the truth, the former chieftain continued to explain. "Isn't that fascinating? Our ancestors were surely looking after us that day! That's what the shaman told us, anyway!"
I didn't know why the shaman said something like that, but since we were on the subject, I decided to ask, "So what happened after the chieftain saw the letter?" I'd honestly assumed they had just never gotten my letter, but by the sounds of it, the barbarians did in fact read it. So what happened?
The ex-chieftain gave me the rundown. "At first, we thought the letter was just the young warriors playing a prank. However, when the War of Sacred Relics actually happened, the old chieftain realized that the letter was truly special."
It did make sense that they wouldn't believe it until war broke out. "Then what about the Genesis Treasure? If you knew about the theft beforehand, how was it stolen?"
"I'm not sure. I made sure we were well prepared to protect it, but when you and the others left for the city after your ceremony, the warriors that stayed behind in the holy land all fell unconscious."
"And you didn't share the letter with the other races?"
"No, we didn't do that."
"Why not?"
"Do you really think they would heed a warning from our ancestors?"
Yeah, fair enough.
The former chieftain then explained to me in detail what measures were taken to prevent the Genesis Treasure from being stolen.
"It was a terrible tragedy, but that had nothing to do with Balkan's death."
"Then how did he die?"
"Nobody knows. One day, he and his comrades entered the labyrinth, and they never returned."
"I see. And since our Genesis Treasure returned to the tribe when he disappeared, no one looked into it."
"Do you think he might still be alive?"
"Maybe he did something similar to what I did?"
"Pfft, haha! Well, knowing when and how to doubt is a good skill to have as a warrior." The former chieftain seemed to disagree with my theory, but he didn't criticize me or try to change my mind.
"Speaking of the Genesis Treasures, I heard that our tribe wasn't the only one who lost theirs."
He sighed. "I can't believe you already know about that too. Is this what it means to have a noble's information network?"
I'd actually heard about that from Baekho Lee, but there was no reason to tell him that. "Then who else lost theirs?"
"To my knowledge, the elves and the dwarves."
"I see..." I probed further, asking if he had any other insight into the day of my coming-of-age ceremony when each race's Genesis Treasure was stolen. Sadly, I didn't get the answer I wanted. "I can't say for sure. From what I know, nobody has any idea where the Genesis Treasures are."
Damn, I was hoping he would know something.
"Oh! But now that I think about it, there's something I should tell you about the Genesis Treasures."
"What is it?"
"Several years ago, a mystery person left a letter for us while the old chieftain was away. The letter predicted that there would be a war for the sacred relics in the near future and that someone would steal our Genesis Treasure on the first day of the third month of Year 153."
Well, about that...
Ignorant of the truth, the former chieftain continued to explain. "Isn't that fascinating? Our ancestors were surely looking after us that day! That's what the shaman told us, anyway!"
I didn't know why the shaman said something like that, but since we were on the subject, I decided to ask, "So what happened after the chieftain saw the letter?" I'd honestly assumed they had just never gotten my letter, but by the sounds of it, the barbarians did in fact read it. So what happened?
The ex-chieftain gave me the rundown. "At first, we thought the letter was just the young warriors playing a prank. However, when the War of Sacred Relics actually happened, the old chieftain realized that the letter was truly special."
It did make sense that they wouldn't believe it until war broke out. "Then what about the Genesis Treasure? If you knew about the theft beforehand, how was it stolen?"
"I'm not sure. I made sure we were well prepared to protect it, but when you and the others left for the city after your ceremony, the warriors that stayed behind in the holy land all fell unconscious."
"And you didn't share the letter with the other races?"
"No, we didn't do that."
"Why not?"
"Do you really think they would heed a warning from our ancestors?"
Yeah, fair enough.
The former chieftain then explained to me in detail what measures were taken to prevent the Genesis Treasure from being stolen.
They did all that, yet nobody knows what happened on the day of the coming-of-age ceremony?
What really happened that day? Now that I was the chieftain, I was going to have to dig deeper. If I could get a hold of our Genesis Treasure again, I would surely have the upper hand against Baekho Lee. After all, it was an end-game piece of equipment.
"But what happened to the letter? Do you still have it? I would like to read it myself."
"I'm not sure? I heard the former chieftain had it, but he never gave it to me. He must have lost it."
"I see..." If the letter had been lost in the past, then it was best to leave it at that. I asked my final question. "But what happened to the shaman? When I asked his apprentice about him a while ago, he told me that he retired."
"Oh, if you're talking about the old shaman, he got sick, so he's bedridden."
"Bedridden...?"
"He's alive but in a coma. I figured we should just kill him since he wouldn't wake up, but his apprentice begged me not to, insisting that he would wake up soon. So I've been leaving them alone for now."
Hm, so that's where he's been.
"If you're done asking questions, get out. I've been talking to you for so long that I'm getting hungry."
"All right." I could see his frustration with all my questions mounting by the second, so I hurried out of the tent, but not before asking where the old shaman's tent was located.
Swish.
I pushed open the flap and stepped into a dark tent that was inundated with the thick, heavy scent of incense. I walked through the unpleasant, gross-smelling smoke clouds hanging in the air and walked over to the bed where the former shaman lay, still as a corpse.
"...Ch-Chieftain?!" The apprentice I'd met once before burst into the tent in a panicked flurry. "Y-You can't! I-I still have so much left to learn from him! S-So please don't kill him! I'm making sure to work extra hard to pay for his share as well!"
Uh... His tent was just on my way back, so I figured I'd say hello.
"I beg of you... he may be old and dying, but he's still my precious teacher!"
In the end, I felt pressured to excuse myself from the tent and head back.
***
Having Shavin's help in building an administrative team gave me some breathing room, but there were still plenty of things I needed to get done before my next quest. I was now a baron, the head of the Anabada clan, and the chieftain of the barbarians. I not only needed to prepare for the labyrinth but also care for my tribe.
I'm sure next month will be even busier...
Next month, I'd also have to sit in on a meeting with Melbeth, an association of non-human nobles. Then after that, I'd have to put my nose to the grindstone and start selling pieces of the holy land.
It's nice that Melbeth is holding the meeting the day after the labyrinth closes...
If they'd decided to hold the meeting this month instead, I didn't know how I would have found the time to take a day off and attend.
I heaved a sigh. The thought of my constantly growing workload was making me depressed. What else could I do, though? These were all quests I needed to complete, and skipping them was not an option. It was too late to turn back now.
"Chieftain, everything is ready," Ainar called into the tent, interrupting my brooding.
[20:58]
It was already time. I quickly stepped out of the tent and walked with Ainar to our destination.
Fwooosh!
Deep within the forest, there was an open clearing illuminated not by LED streetlights but, instead, by flickering torches. Every corner of it was filled to the brim with muscular barbarians.
Step.
This was the very same place where I first opened my eyes to this world.
Step.
As I stepped into the clearing, which had a pile of various weapons sitting slightly to the side, the eyes of our young warriors all zeroed in on me. In those eyes, I saw a mixture of both excitement and nerves.
...What a strange feeling.
I looked around at the young warriors before shouting at the top of my lungs, "Congratulations, young warriors!"
Just like I had heard in the forest that day.
"As of today, you will leave the holy land and be reborn as true warriors!" There was no need for overdone explanations, so... "Now, step forward one by one and choose the weapon that suits you!"
Oh, but I had one more thing to say to them this time, of course.
"You will each be given two potions and leather boots too!"
It was time to enter a new era.
"Behel—aaaaaah!"
The young warriors let out a roar of approval overjoyed that they would be the first generation to benefit from this new system. I didn't purposefully rile them up, but thanks to that, it was easy to spot him.
There, standing in the middle of the shouting crowd, was a warrior who was nervously glancing around with a terrified look on his face.
Gulp.
As soon as I laid eyes on him, I bit my lip without even realizing it.
The odds are 100 percent.
That right there was a newbie.
They did all that, yet nobody knows what happened on the day of the coming-of-age ceremony?
What really happened that day? Now that I was the chieftain, I was going to have to dig deeper. If I could get a hold of our Genesis Treasure again, I would surely have the upper hand against Baekho Lee. After all, it was an end-game piece of equipment.
"But what happened to the letter? Do you still have it? I would like to read it myself."
"I'm not sure? I heard the former chieftain had it, but he never gave it to me. He must have lost it."
"I see..." If the letter had been lost in the past, then it was best to leave it at that. I asked my final question. "But what happened to the shaman? When I asked his apprentice about him a while ago, he told me that he retired."
"Oh, if you're talking about the old shaman, he got sick, so he's bedridden."
"Bedridden...?"
"He's alive but in a coma. I figured we should just kill him since he wouldn't wake up, but his apprentice begged me not to, insisting that he would wake up soon. So I've been leaving them alone for now."
Hm, so that's where he's been.
"If you're done asking questions, get out. I've been talking to you for so long that I'm getting hungry."
"All right." I could see his frustration with all my questions mounting by the second, so I hurried out of the tent, but not before asking where the old shaman's tent was located.
Swish.
I pushed open the flap and stepped into a dark tent that was inundated with the thick, heavy scent of incense. I walked through the unpleasant, gross-smelling smoke clouds hanging in the air and walked over to the bed where the former shaman lay, still as a corpse.
"...Ch-Chieftain?!" The apprentice I'd met once before burst into the tent in a panicked flurry. "Y-You can't! I-I still have so much left to learn from him! S-So please don't kill him! I'm making sure to work extra hard to pay for his share as well!"
Uh... His tent was just on my way back, so I figured I'd say hello.
"I beg of you... he may be old and dying, but he's still my precious teacher!"
In the end, I felt pressured to excuse myself from the tent and head back.
***
Having Shavin's help in building an administrative team gave me some breathing room, but there were still plenty of things I needed to get done before my next quest. I was now a baron, the head of the Anabada clan, and the chieftain of the barbarians. I not only needed to prepare for the labyrinth but also care for my tribe.
I'm sure next month will be even busier...
Next month, I'd also have to sit in on a meeting with Melbeth, an association of non-human nobles. Then after that, I'd have to put my nose to the grindstone and start selling pieces of the holy land.
It's nice that Melbeth is holding the meeting the day after the labyrinth closes...
If they'd decided to hold the meeting this month instead, I didn't know how I would have found the time to take a day off and attend.
I heaved a sigh. The thought of my constantly growing workload was making me depressed. What else could I do, though? These were all quests I needed to complete, and skipping them was not an option. It was too late to turn back now.
"Chieftain, everything is ready," Ainar called into the tent, interrupting my brooding.
[20:58]
It was already time. I quickly stepped out of the tent and walked with Ainar to our destination.
Fwooosh!
Deep within the forest, there was an open clearing illuminated not by LED streetlights but, instead, by flickering torches. Every corner of it was filled to the brim with muscular barbarians.
Step.
This was the very same place where I first opened my eyes to this world.
Step.
As I stepped into the clearing, which had a pile of various weapons sitting slightly to the side, the eyes of our young warriors all zeroed in on me. In those eyes, I saw a mixture of both excitement and nerves.
...What a strange feeling.
I looked around at the young warriors before shouting at the top of my lungs, "Congratulations, young warriors!"
Just like I had heard in the forest that day.
"As of today, you will leave the holy land and be reborn as true warriors!" There was no need for overdone explanations, so... "Now, step forward one by one and choose the weapon that suits you!"
Oh, but I had one more thing to say to them this time, of course.
"You will each be given two potions and leather boots too!"
It was time to enter a new era.
"Behel—aaaaaah!"
The young warriors let out a roar of approval overjoyed that they would be the first generation to benefit from this new system. I didn't purposefully rile them up, but thanks to that, it was easy to spot him.
There, standing in the middle of the shouting crowd, was a warrior who was nervously glancing around with a terrified look on his face.
Gulp.
As soon as I laid eyes on him, I bit my lip without even realizing it.
The odds are 100 percent.
That right there was a newbie.