“Hmm...”

Wiggins stared outside the hotel room window, his expression unreadable.

Lee Hyeon-Su tilted his head. “What’s the matter, sir?”

“It’s nothing,” Wiggins replied with a simple head shake. “It’s just that finding a suitable place to install a portal has proven frustratingly difficult so far. I’ve contacted the Round Table to see if it’d be willing to share information with us, but the Master told me their relationship with the Americans has soured in recent times. Expecting help from that side seems unrealistic at this stage.”

“Really? Why did their relationship sour in the first place, though?”

“Truth be told, the relationship between the Americans and those in the UK has always been peculiar, for a lack of better description. One might say the two nations are thick-as-thieves alliance partners. But it’s also somewhat true that the two nations are the worst enemies imaginable. In short, the era and the circumstances will significantly alter the dynamics of their relationship.”

Wiggins paused briefly before adding one last bit.

“Unfortunately, it seems this relationship is at a low point right now.”

“At a low point? Why? I don’t think anything particularly notable has happened in global politics recently, though?”

“The Americans have a rather dim view of the Round Table joining hands with the Martial Assembly.”

“Really? Could it be... racism?”

“Well, we can’t completely eliminate that possibility since we’re talking about America. However, this and that are different issues. The Americans believe even the martial world’s hegemony should belong to them. Hence, their unhappiness with the Round Table’s decision to join hands with the Koreans instead of them; they had been actively courting the Round Table for a long time, you see?”

“Really? The Americans have been doing that?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Even America can’t do everything by itself. That’s why it seeks to form alliances.”

“No, that’s not what I meant, master,” Lee Hyeon-Su tilted his head in confusion. “The Americans approached first, yet the Round Table said no? I’m confused. Why would it refuse to join hands with the Americans?”

“That’s a complicated story in itself,” said Wiggins with a casual shrug. “I’m sure you’ll find this story strange to behold, but Europeans always had this... complicated feelings toward the Americans. They might begrudgingly accept America’s superior might these days, but their acceptance is laced with a certain sense of superiority as well as inferiority complex. Superiority, because they know America has its roots in Europe. Inferiority, because they have fallen so far behind America in modern times.”

“Actually... I don’t find that story strange at all, master.”

Why did it feel like Lee Hyeon-Su had heard of that situation before? Many times, as a matter of fact?

“I see. Then, it becomes easier to understand. Also, the Round Table has this tendency to uphold European traditions and customs. When nicely put, it tries to protect the legacies of its forefathers. But when not so nicely put...”

Lee Hyeon-Su furrowed his brow. “A bunch of stuck-up boomers?”

Wiggins grimaced a little. “I... wouldn’t say that’s an apt description, but I can’t think of something better, so let’s say that is the case. That’s why it’s never been open to the idea of forming an alliance of equals with the Americans.”

“Hmm...?”

Lee Hyeon-Su’s head tilting intensified. He still couldn’t comprehend something here.

“Hang on. The Round Table having that kind of inclination makes sense to me, sure. But I always viewed the Master as a pragmatic man, you know? I just can’t imagine a man like him, who prioritizes practical benefits over immaterial things like pretexts, refusing to work together with a global superpower like America just because of some petty personal feelings.”

“You can blame the system the Americans currently employ for that,” Wiggins sighed deeply. “You see, America has no history.”

“Hang on? I think I’ve heard that one before, too...?”

“No, no. I’m not trying to belittle America. It’s merely a part of my explanation. Mister Lee, what do you think is the fundamental essence required for a martial society to exist in a country?”

“...? Wouldn’t that be martial arts?”

“Indeed. However, if we expand that idea a little more... It’d be the adoption of martial arts by the masses before scientific progress has been made. If a non-martial artist is given a choice between a cultivation technique and a powerful firearm, what will that individual choose?”

“If it was me? I’d go with the firearm, sir.”

“Indeed, you would. But that wouldn’t be only you. Everybody would have made the same choice. A complete novice will need to undergo harsh training for at least a decade or more to surpass firearms. Worse still, that fight would still need a couple of conditions in the novice’s favor, such as the battlefield not being an open plain and the distance between the combatants being inconsequential.”

That was when Wiggins sneakily mumbled, Well, magic isn’t like that, but...

Of course, Lee Hyeon-Su cleanly ignored that.

“However, America was founded only after firearms had already been widely adopted by humanity. In other words...”

Lee Hyeon-Su slowly nodded. “Aha. America didn’t have the time to develop a proper martial society like other countries.”

“Correct,” said Wiggins while glancing outside the window again. “Isn’t it splendid here? Indeed, we’re in a nation as splendid as one’s imagination can take them. By saying all this, I might sound like a man insulting this country out of his insecurities and inferiority complex, but...”

“Even without an established martial society, America remains a global powerhouse.”

“Indeed. Indeed...” Wiggins nodded while rubbing his beard. “But that is the crux of the problem we face. Americans are fully aware of how powerful they are. And they also know that maintaining their power requires even greater effort on their part. In a way, it’s greed. And I mean that in a good way. It wishes to become even stronger. Even greater. And it wants to exert even more influence around the globe. Whether that’s in the surface world or the one hidden away from the public’s eye...”

Wiggins glanced back at Lee Hyeon-Su and casually shrugged again.

“Americans waged information warfare against the Soviets during the Cold War. People like that obviously would have all the information necessary on the martial world. Thankfully, the target of their war was the Soviets, whose martial society never had much influence to speak of like the Americans. If they had engaged, say, the Chinese instead... The world order would look rather different right about now.”

“Does that mean...” Lee Hyeon-Su asked, his expression getting strange. “The American government itself is nurturing martial artists? Like the Chinese have done?”

“You have it the other way around, Mister Lee. It’s the Chinese that have benchmarked the American method instead. In the American government’s view, the American martial artists are simply another part of its armed forces. In other words, the American government is actively nurturing and managing the American martial artists. Our counterparts in this country never had the chance to establish an independent martial society like South Korea.”

Lee Hyeon-Su slowly nodded.

The concept of martial artists who were basically soldiers was something Lee Hyeon-Su had pondered several times before. He wondered if that would be a viable method for the martial world to integrate back into the surface world.

Just like how China, which never had seen much credit card usage in the past, was moving away from cash payments and straight into mobile payment systems while bypassing card payment systems altogether... The United States of America could very well be creating the prototype of the future martial world, the one the next generation of martial artists would follow.

“So, that means... Mm...!” Lee Hyeon-Su looked outside the window while grimacing. “The one paying close attention to the Assembly Master’s presence in America isn’t the American martial society, but the American government itself.”

“Indeed.”

“What the... That’s kinda scary, isn’t it?”

Lee Hyeon-Su shuddered grandly.

He didn’t feel much of anything from the term “American martial society.” In the martial world, South Korea used to rank dead-last in East Asia’s three nations. Even then, Korea still boasted enough strength in both its martial society and national strength to act like a thug in any other region beside East Asia.

As such, Lee Hyeon-Su didn’t feel the need to fear the still-unknown American martial society. However, that story would have to change somewhat now since their opponent was the American government instead.

After all, wasn’t it the top global powerhouse nation? Some experts even believed that America had a fair chance of winning in a war against the rest of the world. That was the kind of country they were talking about here. So, to think that the government running such a country was paying close attention to Kang Jin-Ho?

Holy sh*t. I might wet my pants here.

Lee Hyeon-Su hurriedly shook his head, as if he didn’t even want to imagine it.

“Doesn’t that mean the Assembly Master is currently under surveillance even as we speak?”

“I’d say they had already begun monitoring him the moment he applied for a visa. Didn’t I tell you earlier? There has to be a reason why they approved his entry into this country.”

“Hang on? That means being here is more dangerous than we thought, no?”

“Well, about that...”

Wiggins contemplatively stroked his beard. Could it be dangerous for them here?

If the American government tried to eliminate Kang Jin-Ho or threaten him, then things could get dangerous without a doubt. However, Wiggins believed the odds of such things happening were practically non-existent.

First of all, the Americans had nothing to gain by provoking Kang Jin-Ho. Besides, provoking him rarely, if ever, ended well for the other party, anyway.

Now that Japan had crumbled, South Korea was the sole bulwark against China. In the martial world, of course.

America hadn’t set up the United States Forces Japan or the United States Forces Korea for fun on the surface world. They played a key role in keeping China and Russia in check. And in the martial world, that role was now being played by the South Korean martial society.

Since that was the case, the Americans might even try to protect Kang Jin-Ho from the Chinese instead!

Wiggins calmly muttered, “If Americans are capable of acting rationally...”

Lee Hyeon-Su grunted. “That’s gonna be dangerous for us, then.”

“...Let me correct myself. If Americans care about their national interests...”

“We’ll be safe, then.”

Wiggins frowned slightly. Why did he get slightly irritated by Lee Hyeon-Su understanding him so well?

After fake-coughing to clear his throat, Wiggins resumed his explanation.

“In any case... Those are my thoughts regarding this matter. The Americans might not be happy with my lord joining hands with the Chinese government, but that alone won’t be a reason enough to eliminate him. No, the smart thing is to offer even more benefits to win him over to their side. That’s how the Americans operate, after all.”

“Mm...”

Lee Hyeon-Su submerged deep into his thoughts. How should he describe this situation, then? Didn’t it... eerily mirror the political situation in the surface world?

On one side was the United States of America, and on the other side was the People’s Republic of China, two massive global powerhouses. And South Korea found itself caught smack-dab in the middle of the two titans.

China and America growled menacingly at South Korea at every chance they could find, demanding it to choose its ally once and for all.

At least the Korean martial society was in a better position than the Korean government, since its economic survival didn’t depend on the whims of China and America.

However, even that was not a guaranteed thing. What if America began pressuring South Korea economically? And destabilized Korea’s economy as a result? If that happened, neither MK nor the Martial Assembly would survive the incoming storm unscathed.

Lee Hyeon-Su didn’t even want to entertain the possibility of going against the American government.

“I guess the solution here is to maintain an amiable relationship with the Americans,” said Lee Hyeon-Su.

“Indeed. I also think so. However...” Wiggins continued to caress his beard, his expression unreadable. “When we look back, all of our wars began this way, didn’t they? We all said something about resolving conflict through dialogue and some such. Can you remind me what happened in the end, though?”

“...In the end, things devolved into bloodshed.”

“And why did that happen?”

“Our Assembly Master decided he had enough and started rampaging around.”

Wiggins dazedly stared at the ceiling as if he didn’t want to continue explaining. However, he did continue regardless.

“Trying to explore life’s mysteries is easier than most people think, Mister Lee. But what’s difficult is trying to predict my lord’s bouts of madness.”

“Yup, I agree with you there, master.”

Every executive in the Martial Assembly would agree, as a matter of fact!

“Without a doubt, the Americans will try to contact my lord first. And I can’t help but worry about how my lord will respond.”

“Hmm...?” Lee Hyeon-Su frowned, then shrugged helplessly. “Well, I guess we better explain the situation to him first, then.”

Wiggins tilted his head. “That’s not going to change anything, though?”

“That’s not entirely true, master. One thing will definitely change.”

“Such as?”

“Knowingly causing a scene should vaguely feel better than unknowingly creating a scene, wouldn’t you agree?”

“...”

“Shall we go, then?”

Wiggins chuckled helplessly while pushing himself up from the comfy chair. He might as well, since he also had a different topic to discuss with Kang Jin-Ho, anyway. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

“Since my lord’s dear friend has emerged as a champion, I was hoping to let him enjoy the moment a little longer, at least for tonight. Unfortunately, our situation simply does not want us to enjoy such luxuries, it seems.”

“Nah, it’ll be fine,” Lee Hyeon-Su resolutely replied. “The Assembly Master isn’t the type to dwell on such things for too long, anyway.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Besides, I think knowing about such things ahead of time will help him relax a bit more.”

“Mm...!”

Wiggins nodded weightily, then exited the room first.

I hope this situation won’t spiral out of control...

They would have to deal with this issue sooner or later, anyway. It was just that... Wiggins could only pray that they wouldn’t have to deal with it now!