Game Opportunities Become Reality, Episode 200
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Game Opportunities Become Reality, Episode 200
46. We're on the Same Side, Right? (4)
"Isn't this a very good deterrent between China and the Korean Peninsula? If we use them, we could solidify South Korea's elevated status after the Great Disaster."
The Director of the National Intelligence Service, who had been flustered by the President's remarks, couldn't help but agree with the idea that the unfamiliar intruders could be useful if handled well.
"Of course, I'm not saying we'll just use them one-sidedly and take all the benefit. Depending on the situation, we could even continue cooperation at the level of an allied nation if needed."
Of course, how this would be handled politically would partly depend on the other side's attitude, but President Kim Min-guk felt an inexplicable fondness for the mysterious islanders who had taken the wind out of China's sails.
"Send some capable personnel to extract as much information as possible. And if possible, it'd be even better to arrange a meeting between representatives."
"Understood. I'll take the necessary measures."
It would have been nice if he had simply nodded and withdrawn, but the Director of the National Intelligence Service suddenly recalled something and raised an objection.
"But what do we do if North Korea raises a fuss over territorial waters violations?"
"North Korea? Haha, leave them be. They don't have the capacity to worry about external matters right now."
Currently, North Korea is in a state of intensified power struggles.
The cause is that North Korea's supreme leader, at a young age, couldn't survive the Great Disaster and kicked the bucket.
During the Great Disaster, he abandoned his people to save himself and crawled into a bunker, only for that bunker to collapse in an earthquake.
But the problem is that the people who crawled into that bunker with the supreme leader were North Korea's high-ranking officials.
Thanks to that, North Korea's power structure collapsed, and amid the chaos of the Great Disaster, a civil war broke out.
In a way, it's an opportunity to achieve the long-desired South Korea-led unification, but because of the Great Disaster, they too had no leisure to pay attention to North Korea.
Only recently, as disaster recovery has been somewhat completed, have they begun showing interest in North Korea.
But the problem is the country beyond North Korea, which has great interest in the Korean Peninsula a nation called 'New Balhae.'
"But wouldn't it be hard to ignore Balhae above North Korea?"
"Those Chinese bastards Balhae, my ass. Just call it East China."
Balhae is a new nation that seceded from China, centered around the Three Northeastern Provinces north of the Korean Peninsula.
While there are quite a few ethnic Koreans in the Three Northeastern Provinces, the vast majority of the nation's members are Han Chinese, and their calling themselves Balhae was seen by South Koreans as nothing but a provocation and historical distortion.
That's why the President made a sharp remark to the Director of the National Intelligence Service, as if merely hearing it made his blood boil.
"S-sorry. What do we do if East China interferes?"
"What do we do? We just ignore them. They're the ones who keep ignoring our warnings not to interfere in North Korea. Do we need to be intimidated by those bastards?"
At the President's consistent reaction, the Director of the National Intelligence Service smiled bitterly.
President Kim Min-guk was competent, but he had a stubborn streak when he believed he was right, he pushed through with hardline force.
The Director of the National Intelligence Service had to withdraw, saying he understood.
"I'll be waiting for good news."
"I'll do my best."
After the Director left and the President was alone in his office, he let out a sigh.
But soon, the corner of his mouth crept upward, as if revealing an emotion inversely proportional to his sigh.
"All the neighboring nations have been weakened, but our South Korea preserved its strength without major damage. In a way, the Great Disaster might be a gift God has given Korea... I need to make the most of this opportunity."
President Kim Min-guk, in his second year of office.
He was an ambitious man beyond what the public knew.
"I wonder what kind of disposition our new friends have."
* * *
Having stayed on Earth for exactly two hours to leave some free time, I returned to Rondel and moved quickly.
Because I planned to purchase the goods needed by Reiers County and deliver them right away.
First, I stopped by the Mage Tower to pick up the Vanguard equipment sets that were scheduled for shipment...
"Y-your Highness the King! Those are items that were about to begin delivery!"
"Report that they fell into the sea during transport due to a storm."
"What? That kind of excuse would never fly...!"
"Instead, I'll double your performance bonus this month."
"I'll do my best!"
Next, I stopped by the Mage Tower research facility on Ophelia Island and commissioned the production of four types of artifacts.
Surveillance and attack artificial satellites.
Standalone equipment for establishing a communication channel without the Hollywood System.
Radiation measurement equipment to distinguish nuclear missiles.
Equipment to intercept incendiary missiles.
Those four, that is.
"What? What use could these possibly have?"
"If you make them properly, I'll double your performance bonus this month."
"I'll do my best!"
And then I visited the Elysian Coalition to purchase the Spirit Tower, a scaled-down version of the Heaven-Piercing Fortress.
Because of the demon worshipper incident, the Coalition leadership was almost excessively kind to me.
The Spirit Tower is built by Elvenheim, the nation of Elves.
Ultimately, with the final approval of the Elf Queen, Claudia Hielven, the Spirit Tower can be purchased.
The problem is that the Spirit Tower has never once been sold abroad.
This was a measure to prevent technology leakage.
"You truly wish to purchase under these conditions?"
"Yes, that's correct."
So I quickly imposed various restrictions to get things done.
"Double the price, no use for research and development purposes, no public use in Rondel? Also, if the technology is leaked or the above clauses are violated, it will be considered a breach of contract and I will pay compensation amounting to 100 times the purchase cost... huh."
"With this much, wouldn't selling be free of any backlash?"
"That's true, but why would you go this far to buy a Spirit Tower? Aside from its small size, the Spirit Tower is a lower-tier version of the Heaven-Piercing Fortress. Moreover, per the contract terms, it would end up being for personal collection."
To be precise, I said I wouldn't use it in Rondel I never said I wouldn't use it on Earth.
Naturally, the Elf Queen expressed doubt, and I gave an ambiguous smile, saying I didn't wish to elaborate.
With that, we had to engage in a lengthy staring contest.
"Hoo, with this much, there's no reason not to sell. Very well. I accept the sale request."
In the end, the Elf Queen agreed to the contract.
With this, I became the first person not affiliated with the Elysian Coalition to obtain a Spirit Tower.
"The number I want is ten units. If you have stock, I'd buy them right now."
"Ten units?"
"Yep."
"Well, alright. If I scrounge around the warehouses, ten units should be more than enough."
"Good."
The Spirit Tower is famous for its cost-effectiveness its base price is about one-tenth of the Heaven-Piercing Fortress, so even buying ten at double price costs the same as two Heaven-Piercing Fortresses.
However, when it comes to defensive capability for a stronghold, it's known to be on par with the Heaven-Piercing Fortress.
For the current Reiers County on Earth, it's an essential item.
Its size is about 20 meters in diameter, so a high-grade subspace artifact can easily store it.
I paid on the spot and even generously purchased a subspace ring.
"You seem to be in a hurry."
"I have matters to handle quickly. After finishing that, I plan to rest a bit."
"I see. Would you perhaps visit again if the opportunity arises later?"
"Huh?"
Having finished my work, I was exchanging farewells with the Elf Queen Claudia Hielven when she made an unexpected request.
I expressed confusion, and the Elf Queen's answer was simple.
"It's because I wish to become closer with Your Highness the King, Grand Duke Lawrence. Let's have a meal together sometime."
"Ah, if that's the case, you're always welcome. Very well. I'll visit again when I have the time."
Thanks to the Elf Queen's courtesy, I was able to complete the Spirit Tower purchase very quickly.
And finally, having gathered the food and daily necessities I'd instructed Blue Moon to purchase,
"Y-your Highness the King?"
I spoke to Benjamin, the Singaporean I'd been neglecting lately.
"Please write down all the information regarding your younger sister without omission."
"What?"
I plan to receive the information about Benjamin's younger sister from him and bring her to Korea.
Then, next time I go to Earth, I can go with Benjamin.
Benjamin looked puzzled but faithfully carried out my orders.
And holding his note, I said,
"You'll be able to meet your younger sibling soon."
"R-really? Is that true?"
"Yes, in fact, I'm sorry it took so long."
I didn't give him, who wore a shocked expression, any detailed explanation.
Because once he experiences it himself, he'll understand everything.
"Thank you! Thank you so much."
Today, I feel like I'm hearing words of gratitude a lot.
With that, I finished Rondel's business quickly and left Arcia, Blake, and Selin behind to visit Earth alone.
And like Santa Claus, I unpacked the gifts I'd brought from Rondel one by one in front of the Count of Reiers.
I couldn't bring the new artifacts that were complex to manufacture, but the fact that I'd secured 10 Spirit Towers and 1,100 sets of Vanga equipment alone should be enough to show that my offer to help was sincere.
Thanks to that, the Count of Reiers and the young lord burst into tears.
"You really brought back the Spirit Towers. How did you manage to get something the Elysian Coalition would never sell..."
"You gathered all this for us in just half a day?"
Half a day (6 hours) on Earth is about 3 days in Rondel.
I patted the shoulders of the two, who kept repeating their gratitude through their tears.
With this, Reiers County's combat capability skyrocketed.
To the point where even most dukes and marquises couldn't even hold a candle to them.
At this level, there shouldn't be any risk of dying a violent death.
"Any notable events while I was away?"
At my question, the Count of Reiers nodded.
"People were sent from the country you mentioned South Korea. Unlike that country called China, they did feel like we could communicate with them."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, the President, the head of state, requested a meeting with us politely, saying they wanted to see us."
I was surprised that Korea had made contact this quickly.
Since I'd crossed into Rondel during the previous President's term, I didn't know exactly what the current President was like, but I could tell they were a very proactive person.
"How much information did you disclose to them?"
"We told them we came from another world and were drifters who arrived here due to an accident of unknown cause. That we were looking for a way home but it wasn't easy, and that all of us were bewildered by the current situation and needed someone to talk to with open hearts rather than hostility."
"Well done. Keep a close relationship with them. Of course, make sure you don't get taken advantage of."
"Yes, I will."
How must the Koreans who visited Reiers County have perceived life in Rondel?
Skyscrapers stretching beyond the heavens, holographic billboards oozing cyberpunk vibes, flying cars racing through the air, human fighter Vangas soaring on hoverboards, and the Heaven-Piercing Fortress, unrivaled in its grandeur.
It must have looked like a future straight out of science fiction.
But the feudal system an outdated political framework combined with commoners who couldn't properly enjoy that advanced technology, probably didn't sit entirely well with Korea, a democratic nation.
'Well, does it even matter?'
I believe that in diplomatic relations, what matters most isn't the other side's political system, but whether there's mutual benefit.
If both sides consider each other's interests, Reiers County and South Korea should be able to maintain a good cooperative relationship.
"Is there anything else you need?"
"No. If I had any decency, how could I ask for more than this? This is more than enough. We're now indebted to you for a kindness we'll never forget for the rest of our lives."
I looked at the information on the Lord and the young lord displayed in the Myriad Mirror with satisfaction.
[Relationship: Awe / Reliance]
[Status: Admiration / Favor]
Even without formally establishing a master-servant relationship, this was already practically the same as one.
If I just kept nurturing this relationship a little longer, they'd likely pledge their loyalty on their own.
I stood up from my seat.
"You're leaving already?"
"There's one more thing I need to take care of."
"That's a shame. Then we'll look forward to Your Highness the King's next visit with joyful hearts."
"Stay strong."
"Yes!"
I left them behind and, using an invisibility spell, teleported to Seoul, the capital of South Korea.
* * *
A moment later, I arrived at a hospital in Seoul.
-Beep. Beep.
I stood before a patient in one of the hospital rooms.
His face looked young, but the equipment plastered all over his body spoke of a dire physical condition.
Around me, men in black suits who appeared to be his bodyguards were lying face-down on the floor, knocked out.
At first glance, the luxurious VIP room and the presence of bodyguards made it clear that the person before me was someone of no ordinary status.
For the record, I put the bodyguards to sleep with a simple sleep spell.
Why did I come to a place like this...?
To secure a limb that would move as I wished.
A force that moves for me alone, separate from the South Korean government.
The patient before me would become the key figure of that force.
"Ugh."
Just then, the sleeping patient opened his eyes.
His eyelids fluttered up with difficulty, and his pupils, which had been rolling around, soon fixed on me.
"Ah, has the time come for me to die?"
The voice heard through the oxygen mask was weak and unclear, but I could understand it.
He looked as if he had attained enlightenment.
But it would be a problem if he died so easily.
According to the information I had gathered during my brief stay on Earth, there was no better line to use than that.
"Do you want to live?"
I brought my face close to his, whispering like a demon.