Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Four Waterwheels
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'At first, when Rakrak discovered the steel scrap, I thought we could make some good weapons out of it.'
But upon checking the steel scrap's information, it turned out to be something too difficult to handle at our current civilization level.
It wasn't completely impossible to work with, but the efficiency would be abysmal. So, we had two options: disclose the truth and sell it at a low price, or pretend it was pristine scrap and scam someone. Those were the choices.
Rakrak knew both methods but discovered a third way.
'The ancients knew how to make even better steel. So why can't we do the same?'
Rakrak showed the scrap to tribes with advanced technology and asked if they could smelt it.
Autonomy was just one of those tribes. Rakrak hadn't held high hopes at first.
But Hwi-kyung was a man with a special idea.
'People with unique thoughts aren't just me. Even a beggar in the market corner knows at least one idea that could help others, like how to grow more grain on limited land or preserve food longer. But they don't have assets like mine.'
Hwi-kyung not only had a special idea but also ample assets—and the willingness to invest those assets into it.
A few coincidences piled up, turning it into an event far grander than anyone involved intended.
Structures with high fame—landmarks, as they were called—provided diplomatic advantages proportional to their renown.
Assume an Autonomy merchant travels far for trade. Saying "I'm from Autonomy" garnered more trust than just "from the northern or western lands."
Ancient ruins were landmarks in their own right, so adding Autonomy's fame expanded merchants' reach even further.
'Next up... war preparations.'
Seong-un learned detailed information about the North Coast from Eldar, the elf player and god.
Though called the "North Coast," it referred to the entire northern coastline of the Third Continent—a vast area.
There were three players total. Eldar bordered the south, first among them. The second was Solongos, a nomadic tribe holding expansive lands.
That second player alone piqued Seong-un's interest.
"Centaurs?"
"Yes, my lord."
Lost World featured rare races.
With low population and few tribes, they were nearly impossible to select as a starting race without incredible luck.
Of course, such rare races had drawbacks equal to their advantages, so competitive players rarely sought them out for high win rates.
'Centaurs have equine bodies with humanoid upper torsos. They're mounted by default, but that makes population growth hard and resource consumption high. Unsuitable as a first race.'
Honestly, even if Seong-un had found centaurs, he wouldn't have chosen them first.
'But when someone else picks them, they're a nightmare to face.'
All enemies as cavalry? Flat terrain battles would be a disaster.
But what truly caught Seong-un's attention was the final player: Im Chun-sik.
"What's the player's nickname again?"
"Im... Chun-sik, my lord. Ahem."
Seong-un clearly saw Eldar stifle a laugh with a fake cough.
'This guy's Korean, huh.'
Pointing it out would reveal Seong-un's own nationality, so he let it slide. Koreans were common in the game anyway—not vital info.
The key was that Im Chun-sik had formed a "loose alliance" with the other two: Solongos and Eldar.
In Lost World, formal alliances required stringent conditions, so informal pacts formed and broke frequently without system support.
'Not an alliance—more like Im Chun-sik has the other two as subordinates?'
Hegemonia clashed with Im Chun-sik and the others due to conflicting interests. Outnumbered and poorly positioned on the North Coast for defense and growth, Hegemonia fled—a choice only nomads could make easily.
"Did Hegemonia fight Im Chun-sik directly?"
"No. Hegemonia never shared a direct border with Im Chun-sik—mostly clashed with Solongos and me."
"So Hegemonia preserved their forces."
Eldar's expression showed wounded pride, but with main forces crushed by Seong-un, he had no retort.
Regardless, Im Chun-sik warranted caution.
"Ogres are tough to handle."
"I know, my lord. But Im Chun-sik, god of the ogres, overcame their racial limits."
Ogres weren't rare.
But their penalties were so severe that during Lost World's peak popularity, they were meme fodder.
'Ogres are simple: insanely strong, but dumb as rocks.'
Lost World was a civilization-building game.
Low intelligence crippled progress, forcing reliance on plundering. High difficulty made them rare in ranked games or even PvE—not recommended.
Winning as ogres once trended among streamers.
'Not the worst choice. With luck, ogres can be top-tier.'
Fix low intelligence with blessings, done.
Seong-un blessed Lizardmen with the Subdomain: Bugs, granting black scales, tough hides, immense strength, and poison resistance.
Blessings from subdomains offered more than physical boosts—many varieties.
Choosing humans as a second race allowed three blessings.
One from Livestock: "Vigilance." Detects physical threats quickly. Stats showed it boosted racial survival rates by percentages—a popular pick.
Another from Meadow Grass: "Vitality." The only physical booster for humans, enhancing overall athleticism.
Last from Seawater: "Foresight." Provides intuition for unpredictable events. Debated usefulness, but Seong-un insisted it worked from personal play.
Players could bless individuals via acquired subdomains from skills or slain monstrosities.
Including intelligence boosters.
"Ogre average intelligence is 10...?"
"Yes. Usually below 5—not even listed on stats..."
Seong-un nearly laughed imagining smart ogres, but it was no joke. Average 10 meant outliers up to 15-20.
'Enough for tribal leaders to advance civilization. Even diplomacy.'
Im Chun-sik gambled and won.
"So that's why you're suddenly asking me to send tribute?"
"Yes, my lord."
Eldar cleared his throat.
"Ahem. After Hegemonia vanished, Im Chun-sik lost a trade partner and now demands excessive tribute from Solongos and me. But sandwiched between the North Coast above and the wasteland below, I can't meet it."
"It's 2 vs. 1. Why not fight?"
"Im Chun-sik, god of ogres, is too strong... And Solongos favors him."
Seong-un nodded. It made sense.
"Im Chun-sik treats Solongos better, right?"
"Er... yes."
"Ogre tribes are settled; Solongos's centaurs are nomadic."
"Does that matter?"
Seong-un explained.
"Settled folk must control nomads. That vast land won't have only centaurs, right?"
"Other NPC nomadic tribes exist."
Seong-un knew of NPC tribes spanning the wasteland and North Coast.
"Nomads check each other now, but eventually one will unify. Even smart ogres would be in danger."
That danger already existed.
Seong-un's Black Scale tribe was such a unified nomadic force.
Nomads typically rode with high warrior ratios for livestock and raids on settled outposts—battle-hardened.
Nomads outmatched settlers inevitably.
"With Hegemonia, two mega-nomad tribes checked each other. Hegemonia gone, Im Chun-sik... the ogre god had to favor Solongos's centaurs."
"Then why me...?"
Seong-un described not personal grudges, but inevitable settler-nomad dynamics.
Settler-settler relations were simple too.
Seong-un scratched his nose through the mask.
"Land measures power for settlers. Rivals by nature—land's finite. Why favor someone you'll eventually conquer?"
"Ah, you mean..."
Seong-un played innocent.
"Don't get it? Sometime, somehow, you'll be betrayed."
"Hm."
"Betrayal? Nah, you've just been on the receiving end so far?"
Shadow fell over Eldar's face.
Seong-un smirked inwardly. Perfect reaction.
"But if that happens, I'm in trouble too. A big northern power means more fronts to watch."
"Is that so?"
"I think we can help each other. What do you say?"
"But with my main forces and priest gone, how useful am I...?"
Seong-un waved it off.
"Your subdomain seems plenty useful."
"My subdomain? I haven't mentioned it yet."
"Your divine name was 'God of the Dancing Shadows,' right?"
"Yes."
"Then, probably your subdomain is..."