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HEL SCANS
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Chapter 259: The Greatest Worry (1)
Recommending the next city to be extorted… It was indeed a devilish idea.
Considering Jeong Yeongwoo's martial prowess and objectives, his visit would be disastrous.
‘It's like playing hot potato with a bomb. Where should I send this guy?’
Tian Zhulin pondered seriously.
Which city could take down this madman?
‘It must be a large city with many powerful fighters.’
To the north of this place was Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning Province, with a population of nearly 9 million.
There would undoubtedly be many masters there, but...
‘To keep him in check, ordinary masters won't do. It has to be a monster-level expert.’
Thus, Zhulin thought it had to be an unusual city.
So, which city in the area was the most peculiar?
‘Hmm.”’
As Tian Zhulin fell deep into thought...
“Tongliao...?”
One of the swordsmen in the group mentioned the city of Tongliao.
It was a city in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region that could be reached by traveling north past Shenyang.
The distance from Dalian was also several hundred kilometers, making sending the Strongest Sword far away advantageous.
Additionally, Tongliao was where Han Chinese and Mongolians lived in equal numbers, and there had been recent anti-government protests.
The atmosphere had been agitated since the Reset, and crucially...
‘Given its history of being a problematic city, Im Dupyeong would be aware of it.’
Therefore, the senior official dispatched there would not be an ordinary person.
Among the nearby major cities, if there were one most likely to advance on Beijing, it would undoubtedly be Tongliao.
“Tongliao? Is it alright there?”
Yeongwoo, catching the swordsman's suggestion, asked, and Tian Zhulin nodded.
“Yes… If we have to pick one place, I would recommend Tongliao.”
“It seems to be a rather fierce place.”
Knowing the intent behind the question, Yeongwoo subtly probed, and Tian Zhulin's expression hardened.
“...”
However, Yeongwoo was hoping for a strong area to be recommended.
Since new variables appeared daily, he thought it best to weaken the enemy's forces from the start significantly.
‘If they’re recommending it as a strong place, then Im Dupyeong wouldn’t have sent just anyone there. I might even meet a high-ranking official sooner than expected.’
It was time to leave Dalian.
Yeongwoo sheathed his sword and bowed slightly to Tian Zhulin.
“I'm sure you don't feel good about this, but I have no personal grudge.”
“...”
“But since the times are chaotic, someone needs to hold power and establish at least minimal order.”
Tian Zhulin's expression darkened in a flash of anger.
“Order? Extorting money from city to city is establishing order?”
“It’s a process to establish order. In any case, someone needs to become stronger than Im Dupyeong to defeat him.”
“...”
Tian Zhulin fell silent again.
She partially agreed but also found it challenging to agree entirely.
She consistently believed that Im Dupyeong, who aimed to become a dictator before and after the Reset, should not seize control of China again.
However, the idea that the person to replace him might be the madman in front of her, someone from the Korean Peninsula, was distasteful.
It wasn’t just about agreeing or disagreeing; it evoked an emotional repulsion.
“I don't think I'm being unreasonable. Most cities probably think the same way. As a Chinese, being ruled by a foreigner is unpleasant.”
“That would be the same for any country. But...”
Yeongwoo thought of Zhang Jaham of Shandong Province, who had warmly welcomed him.
According to Tian Zhulin, Zhang Jaham, who willingly accepted a foreigner, was an unusual minority.
But thinking in reverse, didn’t it also mean that someone like Zhang Jaham was the fittest for survival?
“As I said earlier, it’s an era of survival of the fittest. The outdated ones will soon perish.”
“...”
“Seeing many martial artists, I’ve become quite good at judging people. In my opinion, Tian Sword Master is not a bad person. So, I hope you live long. Please prepare the money.”
Yeongwoo left with a promise to return in two hours and mounted his four-legged steed.
Thump!
The black iron horse emitted a strange sound and glowed with a menacing light, clearly not of this world.
No one dared to challenge this proof that Jeong Yeongwoo allied with extraterrestrial forces.
Tian Zhulin also raised her hand slightly in a gesture of farewell.
Unlike the two martial artists from Shandong, she couldn’t bring herself to salute fully but made a farewell gesture nonetheless.
“See you later. Take care...”
Finally, Yeongwoo turned completely northward.
Then.
Boom!
At a tremendous speed, he sped away from Dalian City.
* * *
Current time: 4:43 PM.
As Yeongwoo headed north toward Tongliao, the next destination recommended by Dalian City, he realized something was off.
‘Wait... the distance?’
According to the map provided by Dalian City, the distance to Tongliao was a whopping 600 kilometers.
Even if Yeongwoo was riding a steed from another world, he couldn't possibly make a round trip in just two hours.
In other words, it was highly likely that...
‘They pointed out a city that’s not just tough but as far away as possible. I’ve been tricked.’
However, the other cities weren’t exactly close either.
They were all at least 230 kilometers away.
So, in a way...
‘Maybe they did pick a faraway place on purpose, but all the cities worth going to are pretty far.’
Such was the scale of the continent.
When he operated in Seoul, the travel distance was at most 20 kilometers.
But in China, the basic distance unit had become 100 kilometers.
‘At least I’m riding Negwig. Others probably can’t travel around because of the distances.’
Yeongwoo finally understood why the collection team had only arrived in Dalian today.
‘There wasn’t some grand reason; it was too far.’
It might seem laughable initially, but for Yeongwoo, who dreamt of 'world peace,' it was troublesome.
‘This makes it physically impossible to collect money from all over China.’
He thought Im Dupyeong was using collection teams to save face, but it turned out there were practical reasons.
‘Dupyeong hyung must have a lot of worries.’
And those worries would soon increase.
He would soon learn that a competitor had appeared in the same line of work.
‘From now on, my dream is to become 'Im Dupyeong's greatest worry.'’
As Yeongwoo resolved to this new dream and continued northward, he soon encountered a group of swordsmen traveling south along the road.
Yeongwoo slowed Negwig down and blocked their path.
Thud!
“Excuse me, can I ask for directions?”
The man at the front of the ten swordsmen scrutinized Yeongwoo from head to toe.
“…Who are you?”
Assessing the opponent’s equipment and martial prowess quickly was an essential survival skill in this world.
“…”
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The man at the front made his judgment in about one second.
He naturally lowered the arm that had been resting on the hilt of his sword.
“You’re asking for directions…?”
His tone became much more cautious, indicating his understanding of the situation.
“Where is the largest city around here?”
Yeongwoo asked, showing the map provided by Dalian City.
The man’s expression grew even more tense.
Though, Yeongwoo, who mainly operated in Seoul, didn't know maps in this world were very expensive.
Especially in a vast country like China.
A detailed map that included small towns could cost over ten million Karma.
Of course, the map given to Yeongwoo by Dalian City was a more straightforward form that only showed significant cities and nearby terrain, but still, at least...
“That’s a good map. It must be worth at least two hundred thousand.”
“Are maps that expensive?”
“Yes, indeed.”
The man accepted Yeongwoo’s map respectfully and then glanced around.
“If I may ask, why are you looking for a large city? It seems this is your first time in the area.”
It was clear to anyone that this outsider didn’t fit in here.
Asking about the largest city while carrying a map worth at least two hundred thousand Karma...?
“Hmm.”
As Yeongwoo pondered what to say, the man bowed his head slightly and softly waved his right hand, which should have been holding a weapon.
“We’re wanderers with no fixed abode. We roam near cities and hunt stray monsters to make a living.”
“I see.”
When Yeongwoo nodded without further comment, the man continued.
“As you can see, we travel on foot. If we pick the wrong city to visit...”
The man explained that they might not find food or a place to stay.
So if he was going to attack a city, please be honest so they could avoid it.
“You’re quite straightforward. Don’t you mind that I’m a foreigner?”
When Yeongwoo asked this, the man wiped his nose once.
“For people like us, being overly honest is a way to live longer.”
And this was true.
His words made Yeongwoo feel like telling them his true intentions.
“Strictly speaking, I’m not going to conquer a city. I’m going to collect some money.”
“A businessman, I see.”
“Yes. The city won’t be destroyed so that you can visit it by tomorrow. So, where should I go?”
When Yeongwoo finished speaking, the man looked northwest and shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand.
“If you travel for about two hours in that direction, you’ll reach Ansan.”
“Ansan?”
“Yes.”
Coincidentally, the city had the same name as Ansan in Korea.
‘If he thinks it takes two hours... with Negwig, it could be done in thirty to forty minutes.’
This meant visiting Tongliao late tonight or tomorrow.
The few words from this wanderer had changed the fate of two cities.
“The largest city here is Shenyang, but you won’t reach it before sunset.”
“I see. Thank you.”
Yeongwoo was about to head straight to Ansan but stopped Negwig again.
Thud!
The swordsmen, who were about to leave quickly, turned back in surprise.
“What is it?”
Yeongwoo took out three gold commemorative coins from his pocket and threw them.
“For guiding me.”
“This, this is...”
The man was shocked to see Yeongwoo's face engraved on the coins.
He blinked at the name 'Jeong Yeongwoo 07' written under the portrait.
Since the characters on the coins didn’t translate, the man couldn’t read what was written.
Even though the man didn’t ask, Yeongwoo read it aloud for him.
“Jeong Yeongwoo 07, the Strongest Sword of the Korean Peninsula.”
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