Etranger

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 activity and prepare to the best of their abilities.

Everyone readily agreed to these three conditions.

San and Biyeon were busy preparing 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 three companies, one being a general 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, their 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 progress 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 in 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 would be a long trip. They would have to traverse a distance of over 500 km. It was the largest transportation convoy that the House of Essen had ever undertaken.

Though no one said anything aloud, everyone expected that the journey would be long, arduous, and life-changing.

Though few others in this world would agree, the people comprising this caravan, outside of San and Biyeon, felt that the trip would be relatively safe and fun. However, the world’s people were never friendly in front of valuable things. The crew member’s innocent outlook would soon drastically change. Ahead of them was a difficult life test that would exceed their expectations.

Almost all the forces in the north would move against them. Groups of corrupted mercenaries, large-scale armed warriors, elite shamans, and other Awakeners were waiting to take advantage of the caravan and steal its precious cargo.

The Dark Guilds were also mobilizing their forces. The Dark Guilds was comprised of various guilds that specialized in assassination, mystical magic, religious cult practices, espionage, and other subversive fields. The mobilization of all these underground forces exemplified how important and rare the caravan’s cargo was. 

The larger organizations in the large cities also mobilized their forces. Clans were at the top of the food chain. Among the clans, there were inevitably high-level warriors who were held back by the limited resources they possessed. For these elite clansmen, the caravan’s cargo was something that they couldn’t pass up. No matter what, they needed to obtain these materials.

Therefore…

The mobilization of all these forces for the purpose of robbing the caravan of their cargo was far beyond the naive imaginations of the caravan’s crew. Only the courage and determination of the two captains and their wisdom to read all situations and translate them into a suitable reaction would determine their fate. Thus, the ‘Legendary Tale’ and its epic song opened its chapter from the start of this adventure…

Episode 2. Book 2: Planning – Chapter 8

It was their first road trip.

They were going somewhere in a different world, with different people, and unfamiliar places. The road was rough and treacherous, and the weather was not kind. The broad roads would narrow and often abruptly end. Troubling matters that were initially small would become larger and persist for a long time.

The various roads that they were planning to traverse were hardened and visible due to the many people who used them, but after a season of unuse, the paths would return to nature with lush green vegetation taking over the beaten paths. Nature didn’t deliberately make roads for people.

Even on the same spring day, spring in the south was much harsher, like a mature newlywed bride who lost her sense of shyness and embarrassment. Various flowers, trees, and other vegetation, supporting and tangling with each other, covered the old roads.

Passages from the mountainous north to the great plains and gorges of the south were limited and rare. These passages all had a story to tell. They led people to new places, helped transport goods and information from one place to another, and still held traces of humans’ past sins and punishments.

The evening soon came as the sun started setting. The fairly large procession was advancing through a rough patch of road. Three normal-looking wagons were placed in the middle. Four horsemen were at the head and six horsemen made up the rear. It appeared like any other small or medium-sized merchant caravan that was familiar to people of this era.

“We’re traveling roughly 10 km per day… based on our current speed, I’m certain that it’ll take much longer to get to Porato City than we initially expected,” muttered San.

“It’s not economical to construct paved roads in this mountainous area. Unless there’s a powerhouse empire, like the Roman Empire that actively built and utilized roads, I think we’ll have to continue down this rough terrain,” responded Biyeon atop a horse.

“Can you bear it?” San looked towards Biyeon and asked. His expression was filled with sadness and pity.

“Everything else is bearable except the chaffing on my inner thighs. I think my skin has been rubbed clean off. We’ll need to come up with a solution this evening.”

Biyeon sighed and made a sad expression.

“Actually, it hurts a lot for me too. It’s really hard to adapt to this world’s horse…”

San and Biyeon were tired of riding this world’s ‘horse’. Like a horse from Earth, these creatures were herbivores and looked similar to the horses that they knew of. However, that was where the similarities ended.

The horses here were much larger and riding them felt uncomfortable. They had rough leather skin and thick prickly hair, which scratched and gnawed at their clothes and skin. Although the animal was gentle in nature, it turned into a ferocious beast during battle. At least, this was what they were told.

The two were initially curious about the horses, but having spent a whole day atop of one, they had completely changed their minds.

It was uncomfortable to take the necessary posture to ride one, and it was difficult to hold one’s balance atop the constantly shaking horse. If they had to constantly maintain a state of tension in their bodies while riding these beasts, their accumulating fatigue would likely affect their combat ability. In addition, it was difficult to ‘break in’ the beasts because these were also ‘products’ that they planned to sell.

“This is… torture! We have to take action. Why didn’t we think of making stirrups? Ah! I’m stupid” San exclaimed while grinding his teeth.

“There were no chances for us to ride horses in our time. Having said that… I would rather walk.”

Biyeon was holding the reins tightly with her gloved hands with a grumpy expression. Her little hands were shaking softly. They had to maintain an even pace for the caravan that followed behind them, so they were forced to endure this torture to maintain their dignity as captains.

As they started downhill after crossing over the foot of a mountain, Biyeon’s expression became noticeably brighter. The ends of San’s mouth also went up.

They thought they may be able to rest a little now…

“I see some buildings down there. Whose territory is that… Did you say it was the estate of the Marquis of Norian?” San asked.

“Yes, that’s correct,” Biyeon answered, having memorized the information of their trip.

“That guy… he’s an Awakened Warrior too, right?”

“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 (1st 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 Goddess and Apostle. Because the goddess’s highest-ranking Apostle 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.