71. Break through the supply route
“Woah!”
An old compact car with a mileage of just over 300,000 km raced through the wilderness. The road wasn’t cleaned, so when the car passed, a dense cloud of dust rose. Still, it had no problem running.
“Doran, put your head in and close the window.”
“But, Lord! This feels great!”
“Sigh.”
Doran cheered wildly, head half out of the window. She looked like a child full of mischief.
‘Well, she is a kid, right?’
Ko Byeong-gap smiled and pressed the accelerator pedal more. When the speedometer needle went over 90, the car rattled. The more he did, the more Doran’s cheers grew.
‘I didn’t get anything after all that.’
They circled a 20-kilometer radius around Valtadren, but he didn’t find anything significant. At best, only a few Grugles were roaming the wilderness.
‘Well, it was said that the Spirits lived in the mountains.’
Ea said most of the continent was a wasteland. Even Spirits couldn’t live in such a barren place. At least the mountains were worth living in, so the Spirits dug into the mountains.
‘But I found this good place, so let’s be satisfied.’
It wasn’t that they had no harvest at all. They found a large stream and a wide mountain range. It was a good reference should they build a third base in the distant future.
“Let’s go back soon.”
“Okay!”
They turned their heads around to get back to Valtadren. The sunset hung in the western sky, and a wonderful sunset unfolded. He didn’t know anything else, but the beauty was amazing. Ko Byeong-gap stopped the car.
“What? Lord, why?”
“I’m going to take a picture. You get off, too.”
“Picture?”
He and Doran got out of the car. Ko Byeong-gap turned on his cell phone camera and took some pictures of the sunset. Doran stood next to him and looked at him with a strange look. While he was at it, he turned the lens and took a picture of Doran.
Click! She flinched as she heard the sound.
“What? What did you do?”
“Look at this.”
“Wow! This is me, right? How did you do that?”
He gave Doran a rough explanation of what the picture was. She was quick to understand because she was so smart.
“Then I’ll take a picture of you, Lord.”
“Me? No, thanks.”
“Hurry up!”
“Well…”
He pretended to be reluctant to hand over his cell phone. Doran took a picture poses.
‘It’s pretty good.’
The background was amazing, so even though she took it roughly, she got great pictures. In particular, the Mindung Mountain, where the sunset hung, was a specialty. They took pictures for a while and got back in the car. They quickly arrived at Valtadren as he drove the car while enjoying the scenery.
“Open the door!”
“Lord. He’s back!”
The guards at the gate hurriedly opened the gate. Ko Byeong-gap opened the window and waved.
“You’re doing quite the hard work!”
“Not at all!”
“Thank you for your effort.”
The Goblins were slowly wrapping up their work. Valtadren, which was almost a ruin, gradually took on the shape of society.
A group of Goblins walked past while they carried the rubble of a building. Ko Byeong-gap habitually opened his mouth.
“Guys, where’s Gobung…”
“What?”
“Oh… no. Finish what you were doing.”
‘Right, Gobung isn’t here.’
It had become his habit to look for Gobung first when something had to be done.
‘Thanks to Gobung, it was easy to get the job done.’
He felt the empty space that Gobung left.
‘I’m gonna have to pick a few people for the job.’
Ko Byeong-gap moved on and thought of some of the candidates. He headed for a residential area. He went inside one of the buildings that had been cleaned up.
“Oh, Lord. You’re here.”
A little boy stood up and greeted Ko Byeong-gap.
Ko Byeong-gap skimmed through the house. There was only one piece of furniture. In one corner, empty milk powder bottles were stacked on top of each other.
“How’s everything?”
“Yeah. Everything’s fine, but…”
“But?”
“He keeps eating. It won’t rest from eating.”
Said the little Goblin, glancing sideways at the bed. A good baby was lying on the bed, sucking powdered milk with a very fierce spirit.
“Today, it had three. He ate. Eat. Eat. It just did that.”
“Hmm….”
“If I don’t feed it, it will cry loudly.”
Three days ago, he picked up a child from a Harpy’s belly. If it were a normal monster cub, he would’ve just killed it. However, what came out was a human child, so he couldn’t let it die.
Ko Byeong-gap answered with a deep sigh.
“For now, keep feeding it. Better than to starve it.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The sun had set before they knew it, and the Goblins gathered around for dinner. Ko Byeong-gap picked 10 Hob Goblins among them. Only the ones who had been in Ashvilam for a long time.
“As of today, you are work leaders.”
“Work leaders?”
“What’s that?”
“There’s nothing hard to think about. You can take care of the kids and take care of their work like you used to when you were in Somnium.”
“Oh…”
“At the moment, just know that there’s nothing you can do.”
“Alright.”
‘I should name the children.’
In order to call them easier in the future, he had to name them. Ko Byeong-gap thought about it during the night. The next day, he had breakfast in his officetel.
As he decided to work in Ashvilam that day, he skipped going for subjugations. For the past three days, he had been going to two cracks every day.
He had a quick breakfast and headed to a large stationery store. Ko Byeong-gap bought ten armbands and name tags for each.
“What should I name them? This is a pain in the neck.”
Ko Byeong-gap hesitated for a long time with a marker. Suddenly, he started to write things down.
“Let’s go easy. One, two, three…”
To be honest, he couldn’t help but sigh at his level of creativity. Anyway, he took the armbands and name tags and went to Ashvilam. The Goblins had just finished breakfast and were preparing for their day.
Everyone just happened to be in one place.
“That’s great!”
He shouted out loud.
“Come on out, the guys I appointed as the work team leaders yesterday!”
“Oh, yeah!”
Ten Hob Goblins came out in a rush. Ko Byeong-gap gave them armbands and name tags and held a brief inauguration ceremony.
“Listen, what they will be saying from now on is a message from, so keep that in mind and follow them.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Alright, work leaders, come with me for a second.”
Gathering them to the front, Ko Byeong-gap set the mood.
“Starting today, we’re going to work on making roads in the mountains.”
“Which mountain?”
“The mountain where Sommium is located. Fortunately, the slope is gentle, so I think we can finish it easily by putting away some stones and trees and putting your hand here and there.”
“Oh, is that so?”
The work leaders nodded in admiration. Ko Byeong-gap groaned and divided the working class into two categories. He divided some to the left, while the rest were on the right.
“You’re going out with me. Well… Excluding the little ones, we have 70 people for each group. Bring an ax, a shovel, and a hoe. Do you understand?”
They exchanged glances and nodded.
“We understood. 70 people. Pack an ax, shovel, and hoe. Did we understand?”
“Yes, you understood correctly. You did a good job.”
“The gathering area. Where?”
“Gather in front of the south gate.”
“Okay!”
The workforce leaders who were ordered disappeared. This time, he entrusted the work to those that remained.
“You guys finish your work here while we’re out. Just do what you’ve been doing.”
“As it is. You mean? I see.”
“Oh, and…”
“… Ah! Yes!”
“Pick about 20 little guys and go to the river and get some dirt.”
“Do you mean soil?”
“Yes, you can take a bucket or something and take it easy. I’ll tell you where to stack it.”
“I see. But how much do you want us to get?”
“Just keep going until I get back.”
“I see.”
“I’ll tell the guards, so if a Gruggle appears, you should flee to the castle immediately.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
After saying that, Ko Byeong-gap went to visit Doran. He told Doran to stand by the gates, armed with the 1st and 2nd infantry.
“Yes, I understand. That’s all I have to do?”
“Oh, and go to the freezer and get 510 combat food. Take that much bottled water too.”
“510? Yes! I’ll take care of it like that.”
“I think we should have lunch outside. Anyway, I leave it to you.”
“Don’t worry! Whoo!”
“When you’re done, come to the south gate.”
The preparations went smoothly. Ko Byeong-gap gave orders around, and in the meantime, the workers gathered in front of the south gate. He drove the light car and went there.
The waiters looked dumbfounded when they saw their Lord appear with the car. He got out of the car briefly and checked the personnel and supplies. There was no problem with everything.
“Doran.”
“Yes, Lord. By the way, why did you take the car?”
“I’m going to go first and take a picture of Somnium. You lead the children well and come to the rocky mountain. You can do that, right?”
“Of course! No problem.”
“Then let me tell you. Take your time. Don’t rush.”
“Yes!”
“Okay, I’ll see you then.”
The gates opened. Ko Byeong-gap quickly ran away with the car. He stepped on the accelerator pedal and headed for the rocky mountain. He took a few minutes to gallop through the dreadful wilderness. He quickly reached the rocky mountain.
However, the real thing began from now on. It was quite a long way to Somnium.
‘I have to take pictures before the kids come, so I have to hurry.’
He released his strength, much like in battle. In an instant, his body seemed to become hazy, and he climbed the mountain without hesitation. He moved like a wolf or a peregrine falcon.
Suddenly, when he felt a little out of breath and exhausted, he took out the beef jerky he had prepared.
‘Beef jerky made of gold dragon meat.’
It was a beef jerky that cost 2,000 crystals. He couldn’t eat it all since it was such a waste, so he just bit it to the size of a finger. The savory taste lingered on his tongue, and soon after, the energy he lost rose again.
He climbed the mountain with overflowing force and reached halfway where Somnium was located in 30 minutes.
“Gasp! Gasp! Oh my God, I’m dying.”
He walked out of the forest and saw a huge wall in front of him. There were also Goblins that stood guard over it. It was when he raised his arms to see if they would spot him.
“Lord! The Lord is here!”
Suddenly, a loud voice came from over there, and the gate opened.
‘Fools, making such a fuss.’
The first people to welcome him as he entered were the guards. They repeatedly called for him, expressing their welcome.
“Where’s Gobung?”
“Maybe. By the cave. He would be there.”
“Really? Okay. Everyone, take care of your business.”
The land of Somnium, which he stepped on for the first time in a long time, was very welcoming. Ko Byeong-gap walked slowly, taking in the atmosphere.
“Hey, they’ve expanded the henhouse? The fields are plentiful.”
At first glance, they seemed to be doing well. The Goblins, who were working in a field or the henhouse, found Ko Byeong-gap. Their eyes widened, and then, they ran all of a sudden.
“Lord! Lord!”
“Lord, when did you get here?”
“Lord!”
“How are you doing, you bastards?”
Ko Byeong-gap greeted them with a bright smile. They must’ve detected him from inside the cave due to the disturbance he caused outside. Someone peeped out of the cave. It was Gobung.
“Lo… Lord!”
“Oh, Gobung!”
“Lord is here! Everybody out! Lord is here!”
“What? Lord?”
After a while, the Goblins came out of the cave. Everyone ate well and slept well. Their complexions were fine.
“Lord! When did you come?”
“I just got here. Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, Gobung.”
“Yeah! Long time no see. Oh my God.”
“Oh, come on, you’re crying again? Disgusting.”
The eyes of the Goblins turned red. They were sentimental, unlike what they looked like anyway.
“Don’t you have any problems with your stay? Do you eat well?”
“Yes, without starving. We ate well.”
“Well, that’s a relief. How about that?”
“Lord left. Appeared a few times. But that was once or twice.”
“I was worried, but that’s a relief.”
“By the way, why are you here? Alone?”
“Somehow, I’m just here to see how you guys live.”
“Really, Lord? Really. I missed you.”
“Oh, stop saying such disgusting things.”
Even as he said that, the smile didn’t leave Ko Byeong-gap’s face. He then spoke up as if he had just remembered something.
“Oh, yeah, I do have one thing to do.”
“Hmm? In Somnium. Is there anything left to do?”
“Oh, I have a job to leave to you.”
“Uh… What?”
Instead of answering, Ko Byeong-gap opened the ancient shop.
[Ancient Shop]
– Construction
– Techniques
– Miscellaneous goods
– Others
[Crystals on Hand: 10,089,469]
“Finally, you’re available.”
Yesterday, the number of crystals they had exceeded 10 million. Ko Byeong-gap found the product he wanted by scrolling his fingers without hesitation.
[Seed of Enlightenment]
-Price: 10,000,000 Crystals
-Description: Seed of Yggdrasil as a free hunter, the World Tree. It contains the spirit of a race that bought the wrath of God and eventually lost its wisdom. When the world tree sprouts, the long-standing aspirations of the race can be fulfilled.
Ko Byeong-gap said while looking at the shop window with joy.
“It’s not a big deal. You just need to grow a tree like you raised a chicken.”
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