Vol 20 Chapter 9 (1/2)

ACT 9 Lobbyist

“It is confirdom We haven’t discovered the identity of the obelisks but it is certain that the gressive than nores have received considerable dae”

“Hoe deal with it?”

“The main instruction provided to the Lords of each territory is to protect the citizens and destroy the obelisks Therefore each territory has received insignificant additional dae and the number of obelisks has decrease by 1/3rd Yet the overall situation with the obelisks hasn’t had any large results……”

They were in Selebrid’s royal castle Various affairs dealing with the kingdom were reported in a seriousthe black obelisks The black obelisks had sidoms on the same day The problem wasn’t the black obelisks but the unidentifiedwas that the ion’s folklores that had been passed down

Leviathan was also the sa sailors as the ‘monster that tells the end of the world’ Ark hadn’t understood it when he disposed of Leviathan but when recovering the goods, a black obelisk had been found underwater The Mero so the obelisk was probably the reason why it resurrected The Mermaid Queen alsounderwater Anyway, these events had turned the Schudenberg Kingdom upside down

Of course, the kingdom always had numerous monsters But the monsters from the obelisks were different Furtherressiveness and tended to flock together to attack territories The balance of the game had completely collapsed Meanwhile the troops dispatched to each territory and village in the territory had destroyed the obelisk and additional da afterwards, there was a new obelisk so it just led to a vicious cycle Therefore public senti was called to develop a way to calm the turmoil

“It is unnecessary to say but the people are shaking in fear It is essential to show a fir has declared ular troops will be sent to take control of all roads and towns”

“Eency martial law……”

The King stroked his beard and sighed If he declared ht In other words, the areas unrelated to battle would co e of the obelisks but the backlash couldn’t be ignored

“Does this situation really require martial law?”

A noblee of state affairs stated in a resolute voice

“Many people don’t know this yet but the daination Especially thanks to the er that can eat their victie into their shape The only way to e is to declare e”

“But the dae of martial law to the economy……”

“We have to concentrate on reducing today’s dae”

“I understand I will entrust the authority to you”

The King nodded towards the governe of state affairs Ark’s face hardened at the same time

‘I’m screwed!’

After receiving the su the Letter Move that he flew so quickly The central subject of thiswas the martial law No, to be exact it was the problem of provisions when martial laas declared

Martial Law Section 5: The borders will be blocked under martial law With the checkpoints closed, movement between territories (see exceptions) is strictly prohibited

The border and territory checkpoints will be closed and movement between territories prohibited! In other words, all types of trade within the kingdom would be forbidden It was a naturalthe unnatural monsters……

‘I’ve just recovered Gold Dream and nohat it this?’

Ark wasn’t happy He was the Chairman of a business with hundreds of staff (Sailors on Gold Drea post, etc) It wasn’t easy to lead a business If there was a standstill then the business would undoubtedly suffer and receive tremendous losses He still had to pay the monthly salary to the staff as well as rent for the warehouses Was that all? If heof the sale then he would lose tens of thousands of gold The business would undoubtedly suffer a deficit Now all trade was blocked in Schudenberg Kingdo to walk only to die

‘I haven’t even old profit from Gold Dream yet First it had been sed by a monster and I had to pay the costs of repairs and now trade if banned?’

It was to the extent that Ark thought he was cursed

‘I didn’t realize the situation was so serious when hearing about it from Global Exos the other day……’

It wasn’t just talk any more No, now Ark’s life was at stake If this continued then there was no guarantee when the martial laould end It couldn’t be si them The reason was that……

“What is the true identity of the obelisks?”

Soician replied

“We still can’t deteruess is that it is some kind of curse”

“A curse?”

“That’s right The cursed obelisk pollutes the surrounding environment and causes ‘illusions’ and ‘memories’ of the evil in this world to be amplified”

“Illusions or memories? What do you mean?”

“The h the excessive fear of the population This is the part where the curse becomes tricky In this case, the fear that the people feel are so amplified that the monsters actually beco the object”

“But didn’t thewhen the obelisk was broken?”

“It is a temporary phenomenon The obelisk is just the vehicle for the curse Unless the source is destroyed, the obelisks will just be refor artifact with the power of a God will completely destroy the obelisk but that isn’t a viable solution”

“What should we do then?”

An aristocrat asked with a pain expression Then the court ician pointed to a northern area of the continent on a map

“Froinated in the Sinius Principality Schudenberg has 273 black obelisks Bristania has a sily the Sinius Principality has 700 of thedom that it won’t be able to easily be resolved And……”

The court ht was eraed froe which appeared was a city iht ti like a black fog The city covered by darkness was being attacked by a huge nu their weapons to block but the attacks were relentless In the end, the hter to occur everywhere in the city It was a hell like scene

“This is the current situation of the Sinius Principality It’s only been a few days and the deformed monsters had already taken over 60 of the Sinius Principality The areas taken by theand the environ is the root of the curse produced by the black obelisk The proble close to the borders of the Schudenberg and Bristania kingdoms”

“What the hell is going on? I’ve lived for 60 years and I’ve never seen or heard of such a thing!”

A nobleician looked at the King and see nodded and the courthis mouth

“No, this is not the first tio but there reo…when the Dark Lord descended to earth”

“W-what?”

The nobles burst out with surprise Their faces were enveloped with shock After a moment, a nobleman asked carefully

“……D-did you say the Dark Lord?”

“That’s right”

The court ician replied calmly

“Are you saying that the Dark Lord has been resurrected?”

“That’s not it If the Dark Lord was resurrected then the situation wouldn’t end here The darkness would’ve already spread across the whole continent Just like in the past when the continent was seized by darkness We’ve checked and that isn’t happening Judging from the current situation, this is just the precursor to the Dark Lord’s resurrection In other words, so to revive the Dark Lord”

Fear appeared in the eyes of the nobility None of the nobility here had experienced the Dark Century Yet the people of the continent grew up hearing about the Dark Century The Dark Lord was like an existence of fear to theician stepped back Then the King opened his ain

“Now you’ve realized the seriousness of the problem If this situation isn’t settled then it would become even worse If the Dark Lord is resurrected……”

The King let out a heavy sigh

“……The current doency martial law If the Dark Lord is resurrected then this situation orsen This is a life and death situation for the whole continent so I quickly reement We will send an expedition to the Sinius Principality”

“Expedition? Frodoms?”

“Yes The priainst both kingdo the Sinius Principality I think there is no one ill oppose this decision”

All the nobles nodded along with the King It concerned the fate of the continent so how could they object?

‘That’s right Isn’t this the corresponding scenario that Ho Myung-hwan talked about?’

When Ark first heard about the situation at Global Exos, Ho Myung-hwan told him that New World would respond to the situation withan expeditionary army were also part of that scenario

‘But what if the expedition fails?’

In fact, Ark had thought Ho Myung-hwan’s ‘in the worst case scenario there is a possibility of service being suspended’ was just an exaggeration Why would they stop a gas? However, he noasn’t an exaggeration after participating in theIf the expedition failed then the continent would be covered in darkness like the Sinius Principality Many cities and villages would be captured by monsters If that happened then users won’t be able to play the game normally anymore They wouldn’t be able to receive quest or even rest at a village Furthermore, level 200~300 monsters appeared in a level 100 area so they couldn’t even hunt properly Wasn’t it natural that New World’s service would have to be suspended?

‘Then what about all the money I invested in Ark’s Corporation?’

The NPC villages would disappear and he wouldn’t be able to trade If the Dark Lord was resurrected than Ark’s investold would fly away

‘I don’t knohether the Dark Lord is a devil or not but I can’t leave it alone!’

If his business which he suffered so much to build was destroyed then wasn’t the devil his adversary? It was absolutely unacceptable Saving the continent? He would’ve left it to the ones anted to become heroes But if it was to keep his own property? He had to absolutely obstruct the Dark Lord’s resurrection in order to defend his business Ark’s head instantly recognized the Dark Lord as his biggest and worst eneain

“I have two reasons for holding this ain your consent for the martial law and the other reason is to appoint a commander to lead the expedition”

The aristocrats started buzzing after hearing the King’s words After a long period of discussion, the candidates were narrowed down to 3 nobles The 1st was an old general known for his aran, KuranThe other person was Earl Ballen in charge of the royal guard And to Ark’s surprise, the last candidate was Viscount Haverstein, the Lord of Jackson

“The previous Lord of Jackson was a war hero with various achievements in the Continent War Viscount Haverstein who succeeded hie nu the band of thieves that had been causing a headache for ages, and various other military achieveeneration I think it would be better to have an unconventional young Commander than a stereotype”

Marquise Halben spoke skillfully and eloquently

‘Lord Jackson is even recognized by other nobles’

Ark looked at Haverstein after hearing Marquis Halben speak But Haverstein was justa bitter expression

“Hreat knights But it isn’t possible to have 3 wonderful knights as commanders Fortunately, there is still time before the expedition sets off so we can discuss thethe intervening days and ”

The King finished before getting up and leaving The aristocrats ian to discuss the contents of theAs expected, Lord Haverstein was surrounded by 10 nobles theended

“Lord-nim”

“Oh, Ark You caht you wouldn’t come……”

“I received a notification and hurried here An idonorance”

To be exact, he wanted to prevent thebanned But the ed thinking about the huge loss that would occur in the future but now he had to think about the expedition Ark diht that the expedition was a way to solve his problem When Ark approached, Lord Haverstein excused hiroup

“Did Jackson receive any dae?”

“Fortunately the dae isn’t as serious as other territories”

A fast response As expected, he truly had the qualifications necessary to be the commander of the expedition forces

“By the way, I truly hadn’t expected that you would be nominated as a candidate”

“Is that so?”

Lord Haverstein replied lightly Ark had a reason for thinking that

‘He still see to me’

Haverstein had only been 15 years old when Ark first encountered him It had been 2 years since then Time sped 3 times faster for NPCs then users so 6 years had passed Haverstein was already a youth in his twenties His physique was sturdy and his body had becoer than Ark’s But Ark still had theof Haverstein as a child

“CongratulationsTo be nominated as a candidate for the coe, doesn’t thatyour abilities?”

“That’s not necessarily the answer”

Just like when he was first noave a bitter smile as he replied

“I’ve been nominated as a candidate because there are a lot of civil servants in Marquis Halben’s faction Although they are dissatisfied because I don’t have as much battlefield experience, they have no other choice”

“Huh? Marquis Halben’s faction?”

“Hmm, of course you wouldn’t know about it”

Haverstein thought for a bit before saying

“It is better that you know this The Schudenberg aristocrats are actually split into 3 factions The head of one faction, Duke Sarkin was the one who recommended Kuran while the one who recommended Ballen was Marquis Daltin and I was recommended by Marquis Halben”

In modern tiressmen who could withdraw from their political party, it was almost permanent once a Lord entered a faction No, it was ordinary for the next generation to be raised in the same faction Because the most important virtues of an aristocrat were honour and trust An aristocrat in Schudenberg kingdo to a faction would find it difficult to exert any power

“The three factions are always politically opposed but if a danger appears that risks the Royal Palace then they will unit That is the reason why the factions didn’t oppose the martial law or the expedition force But the problem of the commander candidate is different”

The fate of the Schudenberg kingdom depended on the expedition force If the expedition failed then everything was over But if the expedition achieved their goal and saved the kingdom and continent then the commander would undeniably a hero That was the reason why each faction noed to their faction then they would have a political advantage

‘Whether a game or reality, all politicians are the same’

Ark looked around at the aristocrats The factions were fighting while there was a chance the continent could perish? Wasn’t it si the IMF crisis that Korea suffered? Well, Ark had more reason to be worried about the crisis than the nobles……

“I’e”

It was the reason why Haverstein smiled bitterly when he was nominated However, Ark shook his head and spoke firmly

“That’s not right I’ve known Lord-ni so I know better than anyone I don’t knohat kind of person Kuran and Ballen are, but I think Lord-niht person for this position I will definitely be supporting Lord-nim”

“I’m thankful for your words”

Haverstein then looked at Ark with serious eyes

“Despite my sense of humiliation, I also desire the spot of commander This is a chance to make my family shi+ne It will certainly not be easy But if you are near me to help then I have confidence that I can accoreat warrior you are”

“If you are the commander then of course I will risk my life to help”

Ark answered There was nothing Ark wanted more This expedition was a collective effort of the Schudenberg troops The King ordered this mission directly so there would be various quests and rewards associated with it Then wasn’t it best to have a high intimacy with the NPC Coiven more opportunities than other people?

‘But that isn’t the i!’

There was a chance that Ark’s Corporation would become bankrupt However, if Haverstein became the commander of the military expedition then there was a way to solve that proble about the expedition force

‘For the sake of Ark’s Corporation, I have to ask Haverstein to beco squad……’

Ark was thinking that when he was interrupted

“I’hly unlikely that I will become the commander”

“Huh? Why is that?”

“Haven’t you noticed? You’re strangely innocent in so was a type of play 3 candidates were nominated but everybody already knoill be the commander will be Lord Kuran The reason is simple It is because the forces that support Duke Sarkin are the largest Lord Kuran also has no blemishes so there is no reason for him not to win”

Ark finally understood the general situation after hearing Haverstein’s words Despite the factions no 3 factions, the winner had already been decided So the King ended the ive the appearance that Marquise Daltin and Halben’s opinions were being considered

‘damn! What the? It’s like that?’

Ark bit his lips If that happened then wasn’t it the end for Ark’s plan? While Ark was busy thinking, Haverstein pointed towards Kuran

“But I am a little anxious Duke Sarkin…um, I shouldn’t say this but…he already controls dom so if his candidate becomes the commander and succeeds……”

Haverstein looked at Marquis Halben having a conversation with other nobles and sighed

“The only way is to have Marquis Daltin withdraw his candidate Lord Ballen and push the one Marquis Halben recommended But it won’t be easy”

Ark’s eyes lit up at that moment In fact, this was the first tiine the ratio of the factions

‘If Marquis Daltin pushes Marquis Halben’s candidate then they can prevent Duke Sarking fro Based on what I heard, I can conclude that Marquis Halben’s faction consisted of 30, Marquis Daltin 30 and Duke Sarkin 40 Either Lord Halben could give up and push Daltin’s candidate or vice versa So there is a chance Haverstein can become the commander!’

Of course, like Haverstein said it wasn’t easy The relations between the political factions were deeper and more complicated then it seeive up their own candidates in order to unite Ark who had just become an aristocrat couldn’t understand the secret strife between factions which continued for hundreds of years but he could profit off it

‘I don’t understand but there is still so I can try!’

The fate of ould become the expedition commander depended on thisArk started to desperately think of a plan

————————————————————————————————————–

“Are you Baron Ark?”

Daltin looked at Ark with an arrogant expression Ark paid a visit to Marquis Daltin’swould occur again

“I’ve heard about some of your actions But why did you happen to visit?”

“I know that I ahted There haven’t been any chances in the meantih ranking nobility and greet them If you’re not busy then can we talk for a bit?”

“Hrs?”

Daltin carefully looked at Ark His eyes suddenly moved to a female nearby and he asked

“We can talk But who is this lady next to you?”

“My mother”

“Mother?”

“Youappearance but she is actually an ahjumma (female version of ajusshi+ ie aunt)……ouch!”

So-mi pinched Ark’s side because of his playful introduction After her appearance changed to that of a teenage, her behaviour had seely more childish Anyway, Daltin see that actions between mother and child

“I’ve heard that foreigners don’t age but I arown up son looked older than the er exists then I will offer my entire fortune to learn it”

“Becoer?”

“Not for me but for my wife”

“You must love your wife very much”

“I’m not ashamed to openly admit it”

Daltin replied without hesitation So-mi’s eyes sparkled with admiration and she said

“So Marquis-nim is a romantic Hoonderful The one who receives the Marquis’ love never needs to worry Is there a chance I can meet her?”

“I’ve been waiting for that In fact, one of uests”

Marquis Daltin s his wife After a while……

‘T-this is the same as a thief!’

Those words rose in his throat Judging from his appearance, Daltin was approximately 50~60 years oldBut the Marchioness who appeared with the servant was only 17~18 years old If he guessed correctly, there was at least a 30~40 year age gap

‘No wonder why he wants to becoer’

“Please tell me I want to meet a husband who loves me as much as yours does”

“You have to find a good man”

Daltin winked lightly towards So-mi Daltin was an old man with the personality of a Casanova Despite that ood He see his reactions to So-mi But that was just his superficial appearance Daltin was the leader of one of the factions in Schudenberg Kingdonificant rival

“Since you came all the way here, did you have some business?”

As expected, Daltin’s ated when the two of therandfather to a politician

“I previously mentioned that I already heard your naner has been appointed as an aristocrat in Schudenberg so many people are curious And they also know the decisive person who allowed you to become an aristocrat Vicsount Haverstein”

Daltin mentioned in a quiet tone

“If you know Viscount Haverstein then ould you come to the head of a different faction?”

“I’m still not a part of a faction”

Ark answered lightly and Daltin’s eyes turned cold as ice

“I hate ungrateful humans the most”

If Haverstein was the one who made him a noble then of course he should join the sa the head of another faction, he was still dissatisfied with that behaviour Ark answered with a laugh

“That makes sense And I’m not that type of person either If I receive a benefit then I should repay that person That is why I decided to visit the Marquis”