Etranger Chapter 198

D-120

Construction in the Gijan Estate was beginning. The Gijan territory had previously been administered and overseen by a provincial officer who was dispatched by the emperor.

The central city of Gijan, which became the name for the entire estate, was a very small town with a population of about 2,000.

It was difficult to farm in Gijan because there were no large plain areas, and the steep mountains and small rivers formed swamps across the land.

However, there were more people living within the vast territory than official citizens.

Unregistered people, people who had never been welcomed had gathered in various areas to form unique liberal and free enclaves and communities.

The encampments were usually transitory, mainly resting places for hunters who lived on the move, bandits and thugs waiting for passing merchant caravans, and slaves who escaped from other territories. Biyeon estimated that the area was the size of Earth’s South Korea.

Many people were arriving one after another. It was about 30,000 in total.

There were many nobles with the ranks of viscount and baron. They were assigned these noble titles by the two who received the title of Grand Duke from the emperor. Behind them were large swaths of commoners who were recently freed from slavery.

These were the people who were drawn from each province directly under the emperor’s special order and would now be stationed in Gijan.

Of them, 5,000 were combat personnel, and the rest were all personnel that would provide the necessary labor for construction. In addition to this mass of people, there were also some very special people who were tasked with special missions.

The warriors belonging to the Absolute Clans, the figures belonging to the Dark Guilds and Black Guilds, and many intelligence groups working in connection with the imperial family were also included.

Looking at their rigid expressions, it seemed that the work they were planning to take on in this new region would be quite formidable in scale.

In addition, the scale and depth of the groups of people illustrated just how important the emperor considered this endeavor. It went beyond just a simple level of trust and respect for two young people who had rapidly risen through the empire’s ranks.

“When did the Grand Duke and Duchess say they would return from their trip?” Yekin asked.

“I don’t know. They might come someday soon, or they may not come at all,” Raron replied.

“What kind of answer is that?”

“Before leaving on his journey, the Duke left three words to me and me alone.”

“Yeah? What does he say?”

“First, eat well and live well.”

“Okay… that seems natural and like him. Second?”

“Second, don’t wait. If they don’t come, interpret it as if they died.”

“Wow, such a way with words. Who can kill them? Anyway, third?”

“Don’t play, do your job properly. If they ever do come by… Ah… I’m so moved by what he said that I don’t know what to say next.”

“Well, it seems nothing has changed.”

“Nothing has changed. Damn…”

The two stared intently at each other. Yekin was given the rank of Viscount by the emperor. Raron obtained the title of Baron.

The other previous Essen crew members also received titles of nobility, all above the knighthood level. It was an unconventional awarding of lofty titles, but no existing noble argued or made a fuss.

There would have been no justification for objection, as they weren’t inferior to any of their peers in terms of ability and performance. The emperor liked it because he was gaining skilled and talented people underneath him, and the other nobles were happy that things progressed without having to sacrifice their share. 

“Let’s start work. Gather your crew.” 

“All right. Do you remember what we did in the Essen estate?”

“Yeah. It was fun back then.” 

“It’ll be fun here too.”

Gijan’s construction work progressed rapidly. Temporary buildings were erected here and there, and the foundation for work was being laid in various places.

All the work was led by the emerging nobles previously from the Essen estate.

They had a special sense of ownership with this newly acquired territory, had a lot of experience in organizing large scale works, and were proficient in design and construction.

Their work progressed quickly and efficiently. They were so quick, in fact, that many of the Imperial advisors who followed along could only shake their heads in disbelief.

“Do your best to avoid any setbacks,” Hanyoung said as he finished his instructions. 

The warriors of Han-Sung Clan moved in unison. The Han-Sung Clan had stationed more than a thousand people in the Gijan area.

Surprisingly, the construction of the clan base was done under the direct direction and supervision of the empire’s top military general and advisor. Han-Young designated Hanmok, an Awakened Warrior who could wield three skills, as the main leader of the clan base.

“What does a broken moon signify?” Hanyoung said as he looked up at the sky.

“The broken moon is moving a little faster. I heard that something big would happen in the future when the broken move moves so quickly, but…” Hanmok replied cautiously.

“The world is changing. Change has already started,” Hanyoung said.

“I heard that the southern seas have gotten rough. It is said that the storms and lightning have made boats unable to float. It is said that millions of birds have flocked from the east and killed many people. What the hell is going on?”

“There will come a time where things become much more unstable than they are now. The broken moon will disappear, the land and sea will overturn, and rain will fall from the sky. The world might start over from its ashes. If the prophecy of the sages really comes true…”

“Their words scare me.”

“I’m afraid as well. Thus, we have to be prepared.”

“You mean here?”

“Gijan is one of many places where we’re making our arrangements. However, the most important preparations will be made here. Your role is huge. Please send detailed drawings whenever construction is completed. I will now go to Porato City. Make sure you stay in touch.”

"All right. By the way, what’s happening in Porato City?”

“The abnormal occurrences in the North are happening more frequently. It’s said that large-scale earthquakes occur frequently, and volcanoes beyond the Orom Mountains are starting to erupt. It’s said that the eruptions are so large that the northern sky burns red even at night. With volcanic ash coming down after being carried by the strong wind currents, the sky above Porato City has already become a grayish world.”

“A great disaster is coming,” Hanmok said with a frightened look.

“It must be a sign that something is about to happen. But there’s another serious problem right now.”

“More problems?”

“It’s said that a huge number of monsters have been observed moving southward.”

“Did you say monsters? Aren’t they blocked by the Orom Mountain Range? They were not able to cross in mass before…”

“It seems that a southern pass from the previously isolated northern regions has appeared because of the earthquakes. Furthermore, if the flowing lava became bedrock after cooling, it would be possible for a new path to be created. If that’s true, then the bars of the beast and monsters’ cages have come loose."

“That’s a disaster.” 

“Yes, it’s quite the ordeal.”

“We have to take action.”

“We need to gather human power. I will make a decision after doing a few checks,” Hanyoung recalled the advice he received from San and Biyeon.

‘I’m really worried for humanity. If this movement of the monsters is not a simple natural phenomenon…’

Hanyoung raised his eyes to look up at the sky once more. A broken moon, a quarter the size of a full moon, glided across the sky with tremendous speed.

Hanyoung was full of anxiety and nervousness as he left Gijan. Unanswerable, big questions were constantly running through his mind.

‘What is this Pian that they’re preparing for? Is it a large fire? A flood? Or a giant tornado? The King of Sages, Senun… how far can we trust his words?’ 

A warm gust of wind blew through Gijan.

The Han-Sung clansmen were hard at work in Gijan. The other warriors from the Absolute clans were also busy in their own way.

When the Han-Sung Clan dispatched a decorated and accomplished leader as their Gijan base commander, the other Absolute Clans and organizations also began to send commensurate leaders. If there were three individuals who could wield three Awakened skills in one territory, their presence highlighted the importance of this barren land as a formidable nation-state.

These appearances seemed to be urging the world to look forward to something great happening in Gijan.

Once security and other basic facilities were secured, a large number of upper-level offices and workshops dispatched surveying teams to set up a Gijan branch.

The strategy for constructing a planned city in such a short period of time was progressing smoothly.

D-110

“What’s the matter? Why did you tell me to come during such a busy time?” Nakun said with a frown as he entered Siluone’s nest.

“Long time no see, Siluone.” Next to Nakun, a woman beautiful enough to dazzle one’s eyes materialized and greeted Siluone.

“Oh, I see Satan came too. Good. I have a lot of questions. There are so many things that a sage’s knowledge is not enough to comprehend. That’s why I called upon you both, the ‘King of the Sages’ and an ‘Original Being’.” Nakun frowned at Siluone’s sarcastic tone.

“I heard you cut off communication with the outside world. Have you discovered something new?” Nakun said like a true curious sage.

“Since you even called me, it must be something regarding human beings,” Satan said as her eyes twinkled.

“Yeah, it’s about those two.”

“Didn’t we decide to leave that to me?” Satan’s lips twisted.

“I lost two of my babies. I’ll conduct my revenge my own way. No matter how hard you try, you can’t stop me.”

“That attitude doesn’t help our efforts. Is it really your answer to continue in this manner?”

“I didn’t call you here to talk about this. If you’re not interested in what I have to say, you can leave. I can solve it by myself.”

“If you needed to call us, it’s probably not something simple. Let’s try to resolve your problem together.”

Siluone brought up a multidimensional image with a very dissatisfied expression. She would have tried resolving the problem alone, but she was pressed for time.

Furthermore, she had to know. The phenomenon she saw was not so easy to understand.

“Hmm…”

“Ugh…”

After the tenth hour, the first moan sounded out. Satan’s initial relaxed face had gradually hardened.

What they were seeing was the recent changes in San and Biyeon’s physical condition. Also, there were visual clips of the couple’s movements and actions. There was also various time-stamped data about the termination deadline clause and nectar.

All the data were expressed in three-dimensional constructs. These three beings knew the meaning behind the data. However, they were each interested in different fields. The commonality was that all the data, no matter what field they were observing, was off the charts.

“This is… awesome. Is that supposed to be a stage of Acceleration?” Nakun said as he let out another groan.

“Termination deadline? How is such a movement possible?” Satan said briefly.

“Is it another variation?” Siluone chimed.

On the screen, all the signal patterns and data emanating from San and Biyeon filled the space and fluctuated.

Body and mind, reason and instinct, emotion and understanding, joy and urgency, thirst and satisfaction…

All these data points came together and flowed like a magnificent panorama scene.

Despite not knowing what the overall picture meant, the patterns were beautiful to look at, delightful, and surprisingly intense.

In one video clip, San and Biyeon’s bodies seemingly fused into one consciousness and being. In another video, their behavioral data during their fusing was being drawn in real time.

Two energies were exploding from two sources. Those auras were clearly converging into one energy as they physically hugged each other.

At every moment, almost every measurement was moving back and forth between the upper and lower extremes. The data was destroying all the common sense and understanding they possessed about human beings.

Chapter end