Chapter 84
After eating a hearty meal provided by the Green Forest, the Imugi returned to its nest and sprawled out on its back.
That nest was also provided by the Green Forest. A cave was located halfway up Muak Mountain…, filled with clear and refreshing energy.
With a large entrance and a spacious interior, the Imugi could roll around to its heart’s content in its true form rather than its human form.
Because of this, the Imugi liked its new nest in many ways.
Right…, it definitely liked it at first…
-Mmm…
“Oh…, it’s moving. It’s moving.”
“But doesn’t it eat?”
“They said it ate before coming here.”
“Ah, really?”
-Mmmmm…
“Oh, it’s moving again?”
“When one looks closely, it’s actually a little cute…”
“Mom! Why is it sleeping during the day?”
-Kuaaaah-! I can’t take this anymore-!
It had tried to get some sleep, but it was unable to do so because of the whispering humans right in front of it, so the angry Imugi raised itself.
ROAAAR-!
The sight of the Imugi letting out a bizarre shriek and raising its body was definitely an intimidating scene that would make one’s hair stand on end, but the people…
“Ooooh-!”
“It finally woke up!”
…cheered as if they had been waiting for that very sight.
-Haa…
Seeing the humans rejoicing at the sight of it, the Imugi felt a sense of identity confusion.
Until now, to humans, an Imugi was a being of fear.
‘Aaaah! It’s an Imugi-!’
If they ever happened to encounter one on the road by chance, humans would usually run away without looking back.
Among them, there were occasionally those who didn’t run away and fought back, but…
‘You Imugi bastard! I’ve come to take your inner core!’
CRUNCH-!
…if there were such humans, it just had to kill or eat them.
But what on earth was this current spectacle…
This was all…
“Ehe-, calm down! We can’t startle the guests!”
…because of that man.
“And right now is the time you’re supposed to show them you’re sleeping, remember? Let’s just stick to the given script. If you show that kind of appearance too often, your rarity will drop, and we can’t have that.”
-…Ugh.
Having lived a long time, the Imugi knew something about the habits of humans.
Some humans would lock up cute or flashy animals in cages and watch them.
And that man…, had now dared to turn it, an Imugi, into such an ornamental display.
The Imugi knew that Muyeon was receiving shiny stones in exchange for making it a spectacle for people.
What a truly terrible person…
“You’re the one who begged this terrible person to take you in.”
-…
Because those words were true, the Imugi couldn’t argue back any further.
No matter what anyone said, the one who had stubbornly insisted on staying here was the Imugi itself.
And even now…
-…I don’t regret it.
…the Imugi did not regret its choice.
The Imugi had clearly seen it.
The people who saved it from the black things that had pounced on it…, and the face of the man who had been at the very center of them, were there.
This was the primal instinct of a Beast that still remained within it.
Now, there were only a few years left until it became a dragon. Staying here was the best way to safely become a dragon.
It had endured for hundreds of years to become a dragon, so could it not endure a mere few years?
And…
-…
“Oooooh-! So cute!”
‘Aaaaaah-! Save me!’
“It’s looking this way-!”
‘G-go away! You monster!’
…the sight of humans, who used to always freak out just by looking at it…, their eyes now sparkling as if it were fascinating…, didn’t seem all that bad.
It was a little…, fascinating, one might say. Anyway, it was a profound feeling.
Slither-.
Because of that, the Imugi didn’t cause a huge fuss and instead watched the humans who were observing it.
“Ooh! It coiled up.”
“Seeing that pose is giving me a surge of inspiration!”
-…Inspiration?
Come to think of it, the humans who came today were scribbling something down on paper while looking at the Imugi.
Curious about that, the Imugi asked Muyeon, who was next to it.
-…Hey, what are those humans writing down anyway?
“Ah…, they’re holding a contest for your name right now.”
-…Huh?
For a moment, the Imugi wondered if it had misheard.
‘…No, why are you guys deciding that?’
Unlike the dumbfounded Imugi, Muyeon smiled brightly as if he were having fun, receiving the papers from the people and reading them.
“Wow…, there are a lot of really good names… Baemsuni, Baemdori, Imugi, Ilmugi, Jangmugi, Imugi-He-Who-Dares-To-Be-Called-A-Legend… I’ll be drawing one of these by lottery soon, so keep praying. Pray that a good name comes out.”
-No…, you’re even picking it by a lottery draw…
‘Should I just bite them all to death and become an evil dragon…’
For a moment, the Imugi genuinely had to consider it.
* * *
It was only around sunset that the Imugi viewing course came to an end.
Since it must have been tired from being with cockroach-like humans all day, I left the Imugi alone and came down with the spectators.
“Phew…”
Returning to my room, which was located in the very center of the Muak Mountain Stronghold, I collapsed onto my bed.
I was incredibly exhausted after moving around all day, dealing with humans alongside the Imugi.
It was tiring, but what could I do? Until the Imugi Business was fully established, I, who had the best business acumen, had to do the legwork myself.
Still, the Imugi Business was quickly and successfully taking root. If I personally stepped up just a little longer, it would run smoothly later even if I left it to the Youngest or my other Subordinates.
Right…, the Imugi Business is going very well right now.
However, in order to fully accept the Imugi into our Green Forest, there were still problems that needed to be dealt with.
I pondered for a moment before calling out to Jeokyeom, who was outside, to handle one of those problems right now.
“Hey, Jeokyeom-!”
“Yes, Leader.”
“Go and bring the Haomun Leader and 'that kid'.”
“'That kid'? Ah… Yes, understood.”
Jeokyeom tilted his head for a moment at the title 'that kid', but soon nodded as if he had realized who it was.
There is only one person in our Mountain Stronghold right now who could be called 'that kid'.
And so, Jeokyeom went out to carry out my order and soon returned with two people.
“Great Hero, I heard you had called for us.”
One of them was the Haomun Leader, and the other was…
“…”
…Gong Huiran of the Moran Escort Agency, who was originally supposed to transport the Imugi to the Heavenly Demon Cult.
It had already been well over a month since we released the Imugi, which had been the Moran Escort Agency’s escorted goods, yet Gong Huiran and the rest of the Moran Escort Agency people still remained in our Mountain Stronghold.
They said they wouldn’t return unless we gave back their escorted goods…
Even after we later informed them that the true identity of their escorted goods was an Imugi, they did not express any intention to leave.
Thanks to that, those guys were sticking around our Green Forest like Uninvited Guests…
They were the type who wouldn’t yield even to threats of just killing them and burying them in the back mountain, so I had been worrying about what to do with them, but I had finally figured out how to use them.
I spoke to Gong Huiran, who wasn’t even looking in my direction.
“Gong Huiran, Young Agency Head of the Moran Escort Agency.”
“…”
“Our Green Forest wants to invest in your Escort Agency.”
“…What?”
When talk of investment came up instead of talk about the escorted goods, she turned her head in surprise, as if she hadn’t expected it.
“…What are you talking about?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. Your Escort Agency… I heard it’s staggering because you have debts piling up and no funds to operate. We can bail you out of that.”
“…!”
When Gong Huiran heard my words, her eyes shot wide open.
Of course they would.
In the first place, the reason those guys were obsessing over the escorted goods was all to save the Moran Escort Agency.
“We will at least guarantee the name of the Moran Escort Agency, the management rights, and the succession of employment.”
“The name and management rights and succession of employment…”
Of course, if they were acquired by the Green Forest, Gong Huiran would become nothing more than a proxy for the Moran Escort Agency.
However, that couldn’t be helped.
Without immediate bailout funds, the Moran Escort Agency would be torn to shreds by countless creditors and wouldn’t even be able to maintain its lineage or form.
Still, for the Moran Escort Agency, which was already on the verge of sinking, these conditions were practically a ray of light.
“…”
Gong Huiran must have known that too, as she showed signs of deep contemplation.
And then she asked me cautiously.
“…Why are you trying to show us such favor?”
“Favor? It’s surprising that you think of it that way. Naturally, there’s a condition in return.”
According to the Haomun Leader, the Moran Escort Agency was an agency that had made a great name for itself in Guangxi Province in the past. It was no exaggeration to say that it had held all the distribution rights in Guangxi Province.
“We will provide you with as much funding as you want, so you guys can reclaim the distribution rights of Guangxi Province.”
“…What?”
“Still, you guys have experience, so it shouldn’t be that difficult a task, and once you reclaim the distribution rights of Guangxi Province…”
Tap.
I continued speaking while pointing at the map hanging on the wall of my room.
“Try expanding into Guangdong Province right next to it.”
“…!!”
“That way, we’ll make Guangxi Province and Guangdong Province part of our Faction.”
Guangdong Province shared many borders with Hunan Province and Guangxi Province, and in order to trade smoothly with the Central Plains, it had to use the mountain paths of Hunan Province.
Both regions, just like Hunan Province, also lacked a Faction reigning as Hegemon.
If the Moran Escort Agency could regain its former reputation and seize the distribution rights of Guangxi Province and Guangdong Province…, just as we had made Hunan Province the territory of the Green Forest, we would be able to incorporate those two provinces into our Faction as well.
Gong Huiran, who seemed to have caught on to my intentions, wore a blank expression before soon coming to her senses and putting on a skeptical look.
“But…, that’s not as easy as it sounds. Even if Guangxi Province and Guangdong Province are quiet areas, they are each full-fledged cities, so there are various conflicting interests…”
“I’m not telling you to do it alone. That’s why I called another person to be next to you.”
Hearing my words, Gong Huiran glanced to her side and asked.
“Come to think of it, who is this person…”
“The Haomun Leader.”
“…What?”
The more remote and marginalized a region was, the greater the influence of Haomun.
“Haomun Leader, there are Haomun branches in Guangxi Province and Guangdong Province too, right?”
“Of course.”
At my question, the Haomun Leader nodded as if it were obvious. Gong Huiran stared blankly in surprise at the sight of my talking so naturally with the Haomun Leader.
I grinned at her and continued speaking.
“Our Green Forest will support you with a lot of money, and Haomun will help you too. How about it… do you think you can do it then?”
“…”
She remained in a daze for a moment, but soon after…
Nod.
She nodded her head without a word.
“All right, then let’s start with the contract first.”
After that, the night quickly deepened as we discussed various things.
* * *
“Phew…”
Quite a long time had passed as we talked about how much funding was needed, the detailed contents of the contract, and our future plans.
Exhausted by this, we decided to take a short break, and I stepped outside for a moment to get some fresh air.
Before I knew it, a full moon was hanging high in the sky.
As I was quietly gazing at it, I heard the sound of the door opening behind me, and the Haomun Leader came out and stood next to me.
“To think you would expand our Faction all the way to Guangxi Province and Guangdong Province…, it would have been nice if you had given me a heads-up beforehand.”
“Sorry, I just suddenly thought of it too.”
Even so, the Haomun Leader asked me in a cautious tone.
“How did you come to have such a thought? Expanding our Faction is one thing…, but wouldn’t you say your current method doesn’t suit you, Great Hero? It’s too rushed, and there are parts that are somewhat unreasonable.”
“…”
Her words were correct.
No matter what, it was a matter of expanding the territory of our Green Forest to two cities. It would be safer to proceed a little more carefully and gradually.
However…
“…It feels like we don’t have much time.”
“…Pardon?”
…From a certain point on, I had been feeling anxious.
No matter how far away it was, the Imugi was ultimately a target of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
And since the Imugi is here right now, our Green Forest is bound to catch its attention one way or another.
The possibility wasn’t high, but still, you never know…
“It wasn’t planned, but… I think we need to build up our strength a bit quickly.”
“…”
I didn’t give the Haomun Leader a detailed explanation.
However…
“If that is what you wish, Great Hero.”
She merely nodded her head, as if she understood whatever order I gave.