Chapter 63

The first condition was that no slaves would be permitted to come. Each individual was responsible for his or her assigned tasks . Furthermore, work must be done by the traveling participants in cooperation with other crew members. Everyone must treat each other as equals.

Second, they would follow military rule and absolute order. If any person was to break any of the ground rules, the captains would designate a suitable punishment befitting the misconduct.

Third, one hour each day, the entire group would spend communal time together and participate in a group activity. All participants must be fully engaged in the activit y and prepare to the best of their abilities.

Everyone readily agreed to these three conditions.

San and Biyeon were busy prepar ing the things needed for this commissioned transportation convoy task. As it was their first time traveling openly in this world, they wanted to make sure that they were fully prepared to overcome the difficulties that long-range travel entailed.

San and Biyeon organized their traveling party of thirty-odd people into t hree companies, one being a g eneral support team. They were creating a reduced version of a fully functional battalion. Each company commander would be responsible for maintaining and properly distributing food, supplies, and other logistical services. In fact, there was another reason for forming this chain of command…

They prepared their foodstuff before their plans and expectations were solidified. Their work actually started from the day they came back to the Essen estate. Their tastes had become more refined and discerning after experiencing their first taste of ‘food’ in the outer world .

Furthermore, t heir taste in food demanded royalty-level food in this world’s terms. They boiled all kinds of freshwater fish, meat, vegetables, and natural sweeteners to find a recipe similar to MSG. In the end, they made some progres s and were now successfully concocting their creation into a powder form.

‘The romance of living out in the field is eating… if one eats poorly, everything becomes boring and everyone becomes unhappy!’ This is what San believed.

‘Field rations and food should be simple! But one must not give up taste for simplicity ’s sake!” This is what Biyeon thought.

Their thoughts about eating were roughly the same. That simple and fierce belief soon resulted in the birth of an all-around seasoning in powder form, much like modern ramen soup. The powder was placed i n leather pouches and jars. They made enough seasoning to last two people for a whole year.

Their ‘MSG’ would be used in almost every dish they ate . It would also provide a ‘Korean’ flavor that suited the two’s taste. With this newfound seasoning, they’d be able to make Korean-style meat and vegetables, soups, and hot pot dishes.

Of course, if the other party members didn’t like the taste, they wouldn’t recommend it for them. They decided to respect each side’s palate …

In addition, it was necessary to develop noodles and cereals for long-term storage and convenience. This, too, was not for the sake of the party, but rather a personal preparation for a more pleasant journey. People here ground grains and baked them in the form of bread and rice cakes. These foods were their staple foods.

There was also thinly baked bread like tortillas in Mexico or Naan in India. However, those bread-related foodstuffs were certainly not a taste familiar to or sought out by Koreans. Eventually, this problem had to be solved. Under Biyeon’s direction, noodles were made by cutting grain flour dough lengthwise. The strands were separated into dried noodle packets, fried in oil, cut into pieces for a soup, and stored for consumption later on. A storage box was created with diluted nectar used as the preservative, so there was unlikely to be any spoilage.

In addition, Biyeon carefully designed clothes, gathered medical supplies that they’d need for long-term travel, organized recording tools, and prepared the necessary repair tools for their equipment.

In their final inspection, all the items were checked off one by one, and various tasks were assigned to each of the three company units.

***

They set off. In the early dawn hours, before the morning dew had even dried, they left quietly with multiple carriages and a dozen horses. It w ould be a long trip.

“He’s an Awakened Warrior from the Ki-Jang Clan, one of the Absolute Clans. Unlike Count Essen, he’s said to be very wild and greedy. If I recall correctly… the estate’s management method and economy depend heavily on slaves. He’s a villainous pimp and a ringleader of bandits.”

“ Son of a bitch… He’s probably very interested in our goods. What’re the chances that he’ll make a move on us?” San’s eyes turned serious after asking the question.

“It’s more than 90%,” Biyeon answered in a low but firm voice.

“What’s the possibility of successfully negotiating with him?”

“Even if negotiations go well, he’ ll request more than 20% of our inventory. The locals say that it’s the average toll charge for anyone who wants safe passage through his lands. Of course, the cost of accommodations and meals are not included .”

“So, it’s at least 40% if we return by this road, right? Marquis of Norian… He’s a real grave robber… In the end, Count Essen will never be able to secure an independent position as long as this guy is blocking him.”

“The Count entrusted everything to us. What would you like to do?”

“We can’t get fleeced before even starting our plans, right ? I’m going to feel dirty throughout the whole journey if I pay a toll as well.”

“I agree. Shall we trample on him before we pass his territory?”

She smiled lightly while making eye contact with him. He opened his eyes wide and then closed them tightly.

As if he had just yawned, a bit of water surrounded his eyes. Suddenly, his heart was racing. He felt something going down his throat. Its aftertaste was cool and sweet. He felt that she was becoming more decisive.

“What about the safety of our party?” San asked.

“Depending on the operation, we may have to reorganize.”

“What’s the strength of their forces?”

“Around 500 security guards and fifty warriors in the Master Warrior (1 st Stage of Acceleration) level or higher.”

“How about the variables?”

“There are three separate groups following us covertly. It seems our chessboard has been set .”

Immediately, Biyeon continued their conversation in their non-verbalized communication channel.

[And I’m quite concerned about how one of our partners will react.]

[You think Dite might be a problem?]

San tilted his head.

[We’re getting played by both the G oddess and Apostle . B ecause the goddess’s highest-ranking A postle is in our group, our actions will serve as a natural marketing and recruitment opportunity for the goddess. Our success will become her success. Conversely, from Dite’s point of view, it would be easier to spread the power and popularity of the goddess if she deliberately makes any and all conflicts larger since she knows we ’ll have to take care of it in the end .]

[Is that so?]

[It will be a headache. If there’s no issue, she will create one, and it will eventually become something we’ll need to resolve. She has that much authority and power. In addition, it’s not a violation of our contract to spread rumors through human mouths. It’s my premonition, but I feel that this trip will be an arduous one for us.]

[Damn it… Can we make her go back? Doesn’t the contract start in 5 months? Is there any way we can benefit from this?]

San’s face became distorted.