Chapter 46
46.
The Reason Why Martial Alliance Lords Are Often Gray-Haired
After confirming the death of the Black Ship Fortress Lord, Dokgo Saeng strode somewhere and stood before the executive who had thrown the harpoon at him.
The executive, with his wrist severed, was trying to stop the bleeding when he looked at Dokgo Saeng.
Dokgo Saeng knelt on one knee and glared at the executive.
The executive then slapped Dokgo Saeng across the face with his good hand.
Smack!
Everyone expected Dokgo Saeng to kill the executive, and so did I. However, after being slapped, Dokgo Saeng chuckled once and stood up again.
Dokgo Saeng acted as if the Elder was not worth dealing with since his hand was cut off.
He was truly a strange man.
Dokgo Saeng looked at me.
"Lee Jaha, it seems you'll have to take over as the next Fortress Lord."
I beckoned Dokgo Saeng with a flick of my hand. Dokgo Saeng strode over, only to be slapped across the face by me.
With a smack, Dokgo Saeng fell flat on his back.
I approached Dokgo Saeng and grabbed him by the hair.
"Why are you acting up like this? Should I send you to the Fortress Lord's side?"
Dokgo Saeng and I glared at each other as if we would kill each other. No matter who glared better, it was Dokgo Saeng who would die.
Dokgo Saeng said,
"You killed the Fortress Lord, so what else can I do?"
Frankly, since arriving at the Black Fan Stronghold, Dokgo Saeng's words were the most shocking.
People can just live their own lives.
Was it because he had lived under someone who gave orders since birth? He couldn't escape the idea that something terrible would happen without a leader.
Even Dokgo Saeng, who had a rebellious spirit stronger than anyone else.
'This is a faction with a lot of problems.'
I let go of Dokgo Saeng's hair, then stood up and looked around.
'This is troublesome. Very troublesome.'
If it were a faction composed entirely of Martial World people like the Black Cat Clan, I could absorb them cleanly. However, these people were mixed with commoners, making it difficult to distinguish who was a Martial World person and who wasn't.
Because they were in such a strange environment, it seemed impossible to mix them with the Hao Moon Path.
What should I do in this situation?
I tried to liberate them by killing the leader, but they were slaves waiting for the next leader.
If the situation turned out like this, I would be the most responsible.
After all, I had beaten the Black Ship Fortress Lord, the leader of the slaves, to death.
'Damn it...'
After much deliberation, I decided to bear this burden.
Since I had committed the sin of beating a person to death, I had to pay the price.
"Dokgo Saeng, gather all the guys in the positions after the executives and come to the Main Hall. Give some treatment to the Elders who were lucky enough to survive. Those who survived should live."
With a few gestures, nods, and a couple of words, Dokgo Saeng wrapped up the situation and waved his hand, telling the Chiefs to enter the Main Hall.
* * *
I watched the Chiefs enter from the head seat where the Black Ship Fortress Lord used to sit.
Some sat confidently, while others hesitated and sat in the lowest seats.
In any case, keeping these guys alive was the only good thing the Black Ship Fortress Lord had done. I even wondered if he had anticipated his defeat and left for heaven with the old men.
Or not.
By the way, did these guys sit in order of rank?
Dokgo Saeng was sitting to my left.
"Is everyone here?"
The youngest Chief, sitting in the lowest seat, replied.
"Yes, all the Chiefs are here."
I took a deep breath and organized my thoughts.
There was only one thing I wanted to tell them.
Even if it wasn't me, you would be in danger of being annihilated by some expert in the future. However, I couldn't say such a thing, and I would surely be treated like a madman. Even though I was a madman, telling them a story that hadn't happened yet wouldn't serve as any warning.
I opened my mouth.
"For me, the best option is for me to appoint the Fortress Lord, and for the entire Black Fan Stronghold to come under my faction."
There should have been questions, but because I had caused such a ruckus outside, no one asked.
I asked what I was curious about.
"Is there anyone stronger than Dokgo Saeng?"
As soon as my question ended, Dokgo Saeng glared at the other Chiefs.
Wow, was this guy's temper this bad?
Well, since he had a temper that allowed him to curse at the Elders, the other Chiefs probably couldn't easily challenge him.
"Dokgo Saeng will take over as the next Fortress Lord."
Dokgo Saeng's mouth seemed to be itching, so I pointed at Dokgo Saeng with my finger.
"Do it if I tell you to."
Dokgo Saeng shut his mouth.
I gave an order for the change of the Black Fan Stronghold.
"The first thing to do as Fortress Lord is to mobilize everyone and destroy this old fortress wall."
Dokgo Saeng retorted.
"The fortress wall first?"
Wow, how should I explain this?
It's just my feeling... should I explain it like that?
I suppressed my temper and asked the other Chiefs.
"Do you need an explanation?"
The Chiefs answered in unison.
"Yes."
I slapped my forehead once and explained.
"The fortress wall is too closed off. You think it's a good fortress wall that protects you, but it's no obstacle to the experts of the Martial World. It couldn't even protect the life of the Black Ship Fortress Lord, who was the strongest among you. It's a kind of mental Battle formation. You keep looking inward and creating various laws to bind each other."
"Is that the problem?"
I nodded.
"It is a problem."
"Why?"
"You generally can't communicate with people who live outside, right? It's too closed off. Things won't change unless you understand what I'm saying. Ah, I'm tired."
I took a break, catching my breath for a moment.
My mouth tasted sweet, and I was dizzy because of the Chiefs' unpleasant body odor.
I slapped my cheek again and continued.
"Start by tearing down the fortress wall. Go outside more often too. The world is bigger than the Black Fan Stronghold. If the fortress wall disappears, you'll have to get rid of the name 'Fortress' too."
'Fortress' originally meant a small castle.
It seemed they had given themselves this name because they were a faction that started inside the fortress wall. Black Fan just meant a black fan, which referred to the shape of the fortress wall.
"The next time I come, if you're running a slave auction house, or going around collecting debts with loan sharks because of gambling debts, or anything that pisses me off, I'll kill Dokgo Saeng first, and all the Chiefs whose faces I remember will die too. You'll go to heaven and give my regards to the Black Ship Fortress Lord. 'Have you been well?' You'll say something like that."
One of the Chiefs asked me.
"Please tell us the method in more detail."
"I don't know, you bastard. Think about it in detail. Isn't the Chief's position given to you to think about things in detail? What's this bastard's name?"
The other Chiefs told me his name, affiliation, and which Chief he was.
I pointed at him.
"Ask that guy for all the details and proceed."
Still, since there were many ordinary people mixed in here, it was a moment when I had to put strength into my words.
"Get rid of the name Black Fan Stronghold and report a new name to me after you decide on it among yourselves. Especially don't use the character 'Black.' You bastards, you black-hearted mongrels."
A middle Chief with a slightly dim impression retorted.
"Then can we use 'White'?"
I looked at him and replied.
"Don't ask questions. Until the end of the meeting."
"Understood."
Damn it, the flow was suddenly cut off.
"..."
I was about to just move on, but I got angry and lashed out at that guy.
"Are you fucking Baekdo?"
"No. Not that."
"There's a way to name a faction."
"Understood."
I calmed down and said to the executives.
"Ask if you have any questions."
"We only know your name. We don't know what you do."
I scratched my forehead for a moment. Introducing myself to the Heukdo, start.
"I am."
"Yes."
"Lee Jaha, who used to be a Shop Assistant in Ilyang Prefecture. Now I'm the Sect Leader of the Low Filth Sect. A regular at Chunyang Restaurant. The Black Cat Clan is gone. What else is there? Not a Fake Martial Brother."
As I continued to worry about useless things, one of the Chiefs stopped me.
"That's enough."
"Should I? By the way, how many laws do you have in total?"
"Many. More than a hundred."
I ordered Dokgo Saeng.
"Reduce it to three."
"Suddenly reduce a hundred to three?"
I glared at Dokgo Saeng and said.
"Start with three. If there's a law you really need to add, you guys can get together and add them one by one with a vote. However, let's make the point of adding a new law after you guys tear down that black fortress wall together."
The other Chiefs replied.
"Understood."
Meetings were harder than fighting.
It was because they and I lived in different worlds.
There's a reason why the successive Martial Alliance Lords often appear with white hair.
Trying to gather the opinions of these guys in one place is bound to turn your hair white.
It's hard enough to have meetings with these idiots, how much harder would it be for the Martial Alliance Lord?
Originally, having meetings with smart guys drains you even more.
The leader of a prestigious orthodox sects, who was in a battle of wills, Martial Alliance Lord, that's a bit...
The Elder from a Clan, please reconsider.
The strategist, who is said to be the smartest in the Central Plains, but this is a bit concerning.
Listening to this kind of crap makes you want to draw your sword.
But I'm the Martial Alliance Lord, so I have to be patient, and only my hair turns white.
I muttered according to the flow of consciousness.
"That's why Martial World people have to live with swords."
The stupid Chief opened his mouth again.
"That's right."
I sighed.
"...I must be patient."
Pressing down on the thought of wanting to escape, I said to the Chiefs.
"Keep my words in mind. Still, it'll be difficult to gather like this, so let's have a meal together today and I'll leave. Prepare some food. For everyone to eat together."
"The Fortress Lord didn't eat with us?"
I snapped my fingers.
"Good. Then from now on, the Chiefs will gather and eat three meals a day. Get rid of the tolls, and release the people you've captured. Burn all the documents related to the bounty, and open the Fortress Lord's warehouse and don't embezzle the assets. Use it for the people who are having a hard time for the time being. And build the houses here properly. Hire outside people and give them fair money to build the buildings. Even the Beggar Clan beggars live cleaner than you guys."
Saying it made it sound quite difficult.
I naturally passed the responsibility on to Dokgo Saeng.
"Understood?"
Unexpectedly, Dokgo Saeng nodded and replied.
"I will. I understand what you're saying."
I asked with a slightly flustered expression.
"You understood?"
Dokgo Saeng replied calmly.
"It's the right thing to do, so there's no reason not to."
"Did this guy suddenly attain enlightenment? He understands what I'm saying. Summarize it."
The other Chiefs also watched Dokgo Saeng in unison.
Dokgo Saeng summarized my words in a still angry tone.
"Tear down the fortress wall."
I replied.
"And."
"Go outside more often."
"That's right. Next."
"Live mixed in with the people of the world."
I closed my mouth like the other Chiefs and looked at Dokgo Saeng. Dokgo Saeng continued to speak.
"Don't kidnap and run a slave trade. Gambling is prohibited. Don't extort tolls from the sailors of other places. Live cleanly. Demolish the old houses and build new ones. Use the assets accumulated by the Fortress Lord for the expenses needed for that. Don't let the Chiefs embezzle that money."
At this moment, I couldn't understand why the atmosphere of the other Chiefs was sinking. Anyway, Dokgo Saeng's words continued.
"Get rid of the name Black Fan Stronghold and make a new name. Eat with the Chiefs. Reduce the laws. Discuss and add them one by one."
Why did the atmosphere become so solemn?
"Start all of this after tearing down the fortress wall together."
I looked around and replied.
"You summarize well. But why is the atmosphere like this? Suddenly."
A clueless Chief said to me.
"Chief Dokgo used to say these things often in the past. Not all of them are exactly the same, but they're similar. Right? Everyone's heard of it, right?"
"I've heard it often."
I suddenly closed my mouth and glared at Dokgo Saeng. Dokgo Saeng was still glaring at me. This guy was angry from beginning to end.
There were many stories in Dokgo Saeng's eyes.
While I was making eye contact with Dokgo Saeng, I had more conversations silently than when I was speaking garrulously.
I suddenly remembered the conversations with Dokgo Saeng in a disorganized way.
How's the atmosphere in the Black Fan Stronghold these days?
What else? Full of idiots.
Lee Jaha, it seems you'll have to take over as the next Fortress Lord.
You killed the Fortress Lord, so what else can I do?
In the midst of an ambiguous and awkward silence, the stupid Chief broke the silence.
"Um, should I prepare some food?"
The Chiefs were all waiting for my answer.
I sighed briefly and replied.
"Forget the food. Bring some alcohol."
I should drink a bit today