Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert-Chapter 576
Chapter 576
What conclusion Liala and Hera had reached, even Zeon did not know.
After finishing their conversation, the two leaders immediately left the Steel Fortress with their subordinates.
Whether Liala would be able to safely bring the humans back here, and whether the elves would join them, no one knew.
Everything depended on their decision.
No one in the Steel Fortress, including Zeon, could help them or influence them.
Knowing that fact, the people of the Steel Fortress quietly continued with their own work.
Under the command of Urtian and Deborah, a large building was being constructed around the place where the portal had been installed.
It was a measure to protect the portal.
Tesserina imbued several spells into the building surrounding the portal.
Without permission from the one managing the building and the portal, it became impossible for anyone to enter.
The manager of the portal was appointed as Deborah, Urtian’s wife.
Because she had played the role of a mediator in the middle, many people of different backgrounds had been able to live together without any sense of discord.
Many people acknowledged Deborah, and they naturally accepted her becoming the portal’s manager.
After handing over the authority of the portal’s management to Deborah, Zeon immediately left the Steel Fortress.
Once they had moved a certain distance away from the Steel Fortress, Levin suddenly turned back and spoke.
“Looks like this will be the last time we walk all this way.”
“Are you disappointed?”
“I’m saying it because I like it. I hope the portal connects to the World Tree village soon as well. Then Brielle would be able to come and go freely too.”
“We need to think a little more about installing a Teleport Gem in the World Tree village. The High Elves won’t want it.”
“That’s true.”
Levin quickly agreed.
The World Tree was not simply a large tree.
Spirits and countless mysteries were born within the embrace of the World Tree.
Once the World Tree regained its original form, Earth would certainly change greatly.
Such a World Tree could not be made easily accessible to everyone.
Even if a portal were installed, the beings allowed to enter the World Tree village would have to be limited to only a very small number.
For that reason, even if one were installed there, only a few people would be able to use it.
Zeon said,
“Let’s visit the World Tree village later and discuss it then.”
“Got it, hyung!”
Levin answered without the slightest hint of disappointment.
Zeon felt reassured seeing Levin like that.
When they first met, he had been just one of many kids who lived without much thought. Now he had become a warrior capable of taking on a hundred enemies alone.
He had become someone Zeon could trust the most.
Once they had moved far enough away from the Steel Fortress, the three of them immediately flew into the sky.
Zeon moved by riding the sandstorm, Levin turned into a ghost, and Tesserina simply used a flight spell.
Perhaps in this world, there were no others who could travel across the desert as freely as these three without the constraints of distance.
Because of the unique presence that Tesserina emitted, flying magical beasts did not even dare approach them.
Thanks to that, the three of them flew comfortably through the sky and easily returned to Neo Seoul.
The moment Zeon landed on the ground, he spoke.
“Everyone must be tired, so let’s rest well today.”
“Sounds good!”
“Hyung, I’m going to stop by the office. I left it to the kids, but I’m still a bit worried.”
Tesserina wanted to return quickly to her lair that had been left empty for a long time, while Levin was curious about the situation at the problem-solver office.
Zeon smiled as he spoke.
“Then let’s disband for today.”
“Disband!”
“Yes, sir!”
With that, the three parted ways and headed toward their respective destinations.
Zeon did not stop anywhere else and returned straight home.
“Hoo…”
The moment he returned home, he collapsed onto the sofa.
It felt good how the sofa enveloped his entire body.
There was no sofa like this anywhere else.
That was because the materials used to make it were themselves difficult to obtain.
Sitting on the sofa, Zeon looked out the window.
The tall city hall building came into view.
It felt as though city hall, or rather, Jin Geumho, was calling him.
“Right. It’s not time to rest yet.”
Since he had already returned to Neo Seoul, he needed to meet Jin Geumho and resolve the portal issue while the iron was still hot.
Zeon immediately left his house and headed toward city hall.
Meeting Jin Geumho was not difficult.
That was because Jin Geumho had already been waiting.
“Welcome.”
“You knew I would come?”
“I had a feeling.”
Jin Geumho said with a smile.
Seeing him after some time, Zeon thought his expression had become extremely gentle.
Before, his eyes had been sharp like blades, but now they formed a very soft curve.
It was not difficult for Zeon to guess where that change had come from.
‘It must be because of Lemura.’
After learning about the existence of the underground city, Jin Geumho had been visiting frequently.
Officially, it was said that he was inspecting the underground city, but the real reason was to meet Lemura.
Lemura was the only person who treated Jin Geumho without any fear.
She treated him truly like a real grandfather, and Jin Geumho had gradually become fond of her.
In that way, the two had greatly influenced each other, and Jin Geumho’s expression had become as gentle as it was now.
Jin Geumho gestured to a seat and said,
“Please sit.”
“Thank you.”
Zeon did not refuse and sat in the seat Jin Geumho offered.
Jin Geumho personally brewed coffee and served it to Zeon.
“Have a drink.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m the one who should be thankful. Thanks to you, Neo Seoul remained safe.”
“It was thanks to everyone’s help.”
“Yes. The sacrifices were great. Because of that, both city hall and the districts will find it difficult to project force outside for a while.”
Jin Geumho let out a faint sigh.
The most important thing to him was Neo Seoul.
To protect Neo Seoul, many awakened were needed.
Many awakened had been expended to stop Behemoth, and it would take a great deal of time to raise others like them again.
“It would have been nice if we had at least obtained Behemoth’s corpse, but I heard it turned to powder and disappeared.”
“Yes.”
“That’s unfortunate. If we had obtained the corpse alone, we could have made up for all the losses. For the time being, we’ll have to tighten our belts.”
Operating magical beast hunting teams and dungeon raid squads all required money.
Of course, if hunting and dungeon raids succeeded, they could gain far more in return, but not every attempt was successful.
Still, city hall’s situation was relatively better.
That was because it possessed stronger finances and technology than the other districts.
The real problem was the districts.
They did not have foundations as solid as city hall.
For them, this battle with Behemoth had brought nothing but great losses.
They needed a way to compensate for it.
Zeon looked at Jin Geumho for a moment before bringing up his purpose.
“What would you think… if it became easy to travel to and from the Steel Fortress?”
“Then Neo Seoul’s territory would expand accordingly. And if Neo Seoul’s territory expands, that means humanity’s domain grows as well.”
Jin Geumho’s eyes, which had been soft, suddenly sharpened.
His pupils were already shining with a golden light.
His Heavenly Eyes had been activated.
He spoke.
“So there is a way.”
“Yes.”
“What price must I pay?”
“Please acknowledge the Steel Fortress’s autonomy.”
“Autonomy… Very well.”
Jin Geumho accepted Zeon’s proposal readily without even thinking. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
Zeon was rather taken aback by how easily he agreed.
“You’re accepting it that easily?”
“Why? Is that strange?”
“Yes.”
“One thing I realized while running Neo Seoul is that nothing should ever be monopolized. Monopoly hinders development, and excessive concentration of power only obstructs growth. I swear on my honor, Neo Seoul will never infringe upon the authority of the Steel Fortress.”
“I believe you.”
Zeon nodded.
It was not Jin Geumho’s words he believed, but Jin Geumho himself.
At least in matters like this, he was not someone who would lie.
“But there is one thing you should know.”
“What is it?”
“If you establish exchanges with the Steel Fortress, you may become complete enemies with El Harun.”
“So what?”
“…Pardon?”
“Have you forgotten? Who do you think caused Earth to end up like this in the first place? They were my enemies from the beginning. I simply left them alone because I lacked the strength at the time. But if they come at us on their own? Then I should be grateful instead.”
A smile appeared on Jin Geumho’s lips.
It was a smile filled with chilling killing intent.
After confirming Jin Geumho’s resolve, Zeon nodded.
“Then you can come with me.”
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
“That’s possible?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Like this.”
Zeon took out the main Teleport Gem and infused it with mana.
The portal immediately activated.
Jin Geumho’s eyes widened.
“This is…?”
“It’s the gate to the Steel Fortress. Would you like to come with me?”
“Gladly.”
Jin Geumho answered without the slightest hesitation.
Zeon entered the portal first, and Jin Geumho followed behind him.
A dizzying sense of floating and intense pressure filled his body.
Jin Geumho kept his eyes wide open as he accepted every sensation with his entire being.
Whoosh!
A moment later, a brilliant light appeared, and the scenery changed instantly.
Just a moment ago they had been at the top of the tallest building in Neo Seoul.
Now they stood in the center of a shabby building.
When he turned around, he saw the large portal behind them.
At that moment, someone’s voice was heard.
“Lord Zeon?”
The middle-aged woman looking at them from the entrance of the building was Deborah.
She had been outside and had come in after noticing the portal opening.
Zeon bowed his head to greet her.
“I’m sorry for coming so suddenly, Lady Deborah.”
“That’s not the issue… Did you really come from Neo Seoul?”
“Yes.”
“Then the person next to you…?”
“He is Lord Jin Geumho, the mayor of Neo Seoul.”
“Gasp!”
Deborah unconsciously covered her mouth.
She had never imagined that the first guest to visit the Steel Fortress through the portal would be Jin Geumho, the ruler of Neo Seoul.
Back when Urtian had been the leader of the scavengers, meeting Jin Geumho had been something they could not even dare to imagine.
He had been a being as high as the sun in the sky, someone they could never dream of standing face to face with.
She could hardly believe that she was now meeting Jin Geumho in person.
Seeing Deborah frozen in shock, Jin Geumho greeted her first.
“I apologize for visiting so late at night. I am Jin Geumho, the mayor of Neo Seoul.”
“I am Deborah, the wife of Lord Urtian, the ruler of the Steel Fortress. It is an honor to meet you.”
Deborah bowed politely as she greeted him.
Then she asked Zeon,
“Then does that mean we can go to Neo Seoul through this portal right now?”
“Yes. You can go straight to the mayor’s office.”
“You’re not planning to keep the portal in the mayor’s office forever, are you?”
“Of course not. It will be relocated to another place, somewhere everyone can use.”
Where exactly it would be installed in Neo Seoul would be decided after discussion with Jin Geumho and the leadership of Neo Seoul.
Jin Geumho spoke to Deborah.
“Would you guide me around the Steel Fortress?”
“Of course. Please follow me.”
Deborah opened the door of the building where the portal was installed.
A completely new world, entirely different from Neo Seoul, unfolded before Jin Geumho’s eyes.
“Hahaha!”
Jin Geumho’s laughter echoed loudly throughout the Steel Fortress.
