The Scorched Desert's Sand Mage (Novel) - Chapter 120

Chapter 120

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Aleksandro was a strong man. He was not merely physically strong, but a true man with strong mental strength and will. Even before he awakened, he was strong. After awakening, he naturally became even stronger. With his great power, he gathered subordinates and created the White Bear Caravan. All of it was for the survival of Akutsk Colony. Akutsk lacked everything.

Other than the spot where the colony stood, everything was desert, and an unusually large number of giant demonic beasts inhabited it.

Far from developing civilization like Neo Seoul, they were in a position where they had to worry about survival day by day.

To the demonic beasts, Akutsk Colony must have felt like a storehouse full of delicious food.

There were humans gathered there in great numbers, and the meat demonic beasts liked best was human flesh.

Because of that, the attacks of demonic beasts continued without end.

The ones who shone in that time were the White Bear Caravan led by Aleksandro.

They fought against the demonic beasts, protected Akutsk Colony, and attempted contact with survivors outside.

In that way, they made contact with those who had survived outside the colony, increased their numbers, and periodically subjugated demonic beasts.

Thanks to that, Akutsk Colony was barely able to survive the threat of demonic beasts.

The next thing he did was to properly put the caravan into operation.

They had barely survived the attacks of demonic beasts, but for continued survival, they had to make contact with other colonies and trade.

Aleksandro and the White Bear Caravan set out to find other colonies at the risk of their lives.

In a world turned into desert, finding another colony was harder than finding a needle in a sandy field.

More than anything, what tormented them were the demonic beasts that attacked them constantly.

At the time, they had no information at all.

They did not know the types of demonic beasts, their habitats, or even their danger levels.

Aleksandro and the White Bear Caravan learned all of that by throwing themselves against it.

In that way, after arduous effort, they found another colony more than a thousand kilometers away and were able to trade with it.

From that point on, Akutsk Colony was able to breathe.

The goods brought in from outside at a steep price made life in Akutsk Colony a little more comfortable.

Even so, it was still no different in that they had no room to spare.

Trade with other colonies was necessary.

Aleksandro desperately set out to find other colonies, and Neo Seoul entered his radar.

He had heard rumors about Neo Seoul for a long time.

But there had been so many vague and absurd stories that sounded like castles in the air that he lost interest.

That it had achieved a highly advanced civilization even more developed than the civilization before the Great Ruin, or that it was a megacity where more than ten million people lived.

Those stories were so absurd that a place as barren as Akutsk Colony could not even imagine them, so he had assumed they were no more than legends spun from someone’s imagination.

But after he began seriously preparing to advance south and gathered information, he was able to learn that Neo Seoul truly existed.

After that, through tremendous effort, he was able to reach Neo Seoul.

That city he had thought was no more than a legend.

And he was able to face the man who had built the legendary city one on one.

His first impression upon seeing Jin Geum-ho, the mayor of Neo Seoul, was that he was frightening.

Outwardly, he was only a dignified middle-aged man.

Neatly combed-back hair, a stylishly grown beard, clear and deep eyes, and a well-fitted suit.

If this had been before the world had fallen apart like this, one could have taken him for a middle-aged model.

But Aleksandro did not find him handsome at all.

At some point, goosebumps had risen along his forearm.

His body had sensed Jin Geum-ho’s strength and reacted before his mind did.

This was the first time he had ever reacted so strongly to another person’s presence.

‘So he really is the one who created the Neo Seoul of today. Truly incredible.’

Aleksandro barely concealed his turbulent feelings and maintained a calm expression.

Jin Geum-ho looked at Aleksandro’s face with an expression of interest.

Even that seemingly casual gaze made Aleksandro feel as though his whole body were shrinking.

Suddenly, Jin Geum-ho smiled and opened his mouth.

“It’s a pleasure. I am Jin Geum-ho.”

“My name is Aleksandro Purchenko. It is an honor to meet the mayor of Neo Seoul.”

“A guest has come from outside for the first time in years, so I am very pleased. So, you came from Akutsk?”

“That is correct.”

“Remarkable. As far as I know, Akutsk is a very cold region, and yet survivors established a colony in such a place.”

“You know of Akutsk?”

“I saw it on the internet before the world fell apart like this.”

“The internet?”

“Ah, you wouldn’t know. Back then, people shared vast amounts of information using computers and satellites and the like. It was a period that could be called humanity’s golden age. Well, Neo Seoul has now developed to a comparable level.”

At the meaningless-sounding words, internet, computers, and satellites, Aleksandro unconsciously furrowed his brow.

If he had known nothing about Jin Geum-ho, he would have thought the man was speaking nonsense just to mock him.

‘A monster who has lived at least a hundred and forty years from before the Great Ruin.’

From the moment human civilization reached its height, through its collapse, the Great Ruin, and the revival of Neo Seoul, he had endured and overcome all of it with his own body.

He truly could be called living history.

There was no way the words from such a person’s mouth could be pure nonsense.

“What is Akutsk’s situation like?”

“It is the same as the other colonies. We are always suffering under the threat of demonic beasts.”

“I see.”

“Compared to that, Neo Seoul looks peaceful. You must certainly have suffered attacks from demonic beasts, and yet it is wondrous that you were able to create such a civilization.”

“Many people sacrificed themselves for us to reach this point. We never forget their sacrifice.”

“We are the same.”

“You should be. That is the true state of mind for those living in the age of ruin. Among the young people these days, many are not like that, but you seem to have your head on properly.”

Jin Geum-ho smiled as though pleased.

Aleksandro cautiously brought up the real business.

“As you know, our colony is extremely barren. So, if you permit it, I would like to trade with Neo Seoul using the goods we brought from our colony.”

“Of course I should permit it.”

“Thank you.”

“It is nothing. We should help one another and survive.”

“Then should we release the goods through you, Mayor?”

“There is no need for that. You may trade at your own discretion.”

“Do you mean that our caravan may handle the trade however we see fit?”

“Certainly. You are a guest who has come after a long time, so I should at least grant that much courtesy.”

“Thank you.”

Aleksandro was sincerely grateful.

That was because Jin Geum-ho meant to abandon the exclusive right to the enormous profit that could be gained from trade with another colony.

The cargo wagons brought by the White Bear Caravan were filled with valuable goods.

The corpses and magic stones of demonic beasts hunted by Akutsk Colony’s Awakened, weapons and armor made by craftsmen, and even items obtained while subjugating dungeons.

It truly contained everything of Akutsk Colony.

That was how much the White Bear Caravan had wagered on this trade.

So Aleksandro had been prepared to hand over a significant share of the profits to Jin Geum-ho, but unexpectedly the man had said he would give up all such gains.

Aleksandro became curious about Jin Geum-ho’s intentions.

Jin Geum-ho looked at Aleksandro and calmly asked, “But I am curious. How did you find Neo Seoul?”

“Pardon?”

“I truly am curious. There are no satellites, no navigation. In this cursed world, not even a compass works. So how did you identify Neo Seoul so accurately and find your way here? That is what I want to know.”

“That….”

Aleksandro’s eyes wavered for a moment, and Jin Geum-ho stared straight into his face.

* * *

When Aleksandro came out of the mayor’s office, his back was soaked with sweat.

“Caravan Master!”

“Are you all right?”

The Awakened waiting outside hurried over to him.

Aleksandro nodded and said, “I’m fine, so let’s go outside.”

“Yes.”

Under the escort of the Awakened, Aleksandro boarded the elevator.

Once she confirmed the elevator doors had closed, Seo Tae-ran went into the mayor’s office.

Jin Geum-ho was seated in his chair, looking down over Neo Seoul through the full-window pane.

Seo Tae-ran stood beside him in silence, waiting only for his orders.

A moment later, Jin Geum-ho’s eyes caught sight of Aleksandro and his group leaving City Hall.

Perhaps sensing Jin Geum-ho’s gaze, Aleksandro raised his head and looked straight up.

But only for a moment, and soon Aleksandro and the Awakened disappeared from sight.

Only then did Jin Geum-ho open his mouth.

“Tae-ran.”

“Yes, Mayor.”

“Take a few children from the Shadow Unit and have them watch those people.”

“Understood.”

“There is definitely a useful guide among them. Find out who the guide is and what kind of ability they possess. If we are to expand Neo Seoul’s territory, we absolutely need a guide.”

“I will see to it. But….”

“What is it?”

“Why did you permit the White Bear Caravan to trade freely? Wouldn’t it be better for us to monopolize their goods and release them onto the market ourselves?”

At Seo Tae-ran’s words, Jin Geum-ho smiled slightly.

“If we did that, there would be no particular noise. Neo Seoul would remain peaceful as well.”

“You… do not want peace?”

“After Dayeoden left Neo Seoul on his own, the current balance of power hardened into place. Too much time has passed like that. It’s time to bring about some change.”

At that moment, Seo Tae-ran’s face flushed slightly.

That was because she understood what Jin Geum-ho meant.

‘So the Mayor is finally planning to shake the board.’

It was not because Jin Geum-ho lacked power that he had left the other factions alone.

He had a grand ambition, and he had been racing at full speed to realize it.

Because of that, he had no room to turn his eyes elsewhere.

That was why he paid no attention to the districts other than the Central District.

In that gap, the rulers of the four districts had been able to build up their strength.

Jin Geum-ho no longer wanted their power to grow any further.

“A caravan from another colony is a mouthwatering prey. There will surely be many who covet it. All we need to do is lay out the board so they can play to their hearts’ content. After that, they will sort things out on their own.”

That was the logic by which the world turned.

And Jin Geum-ho understood that logic better than anyone.

* * *

Zeon walked through the Goblin Market.

“They said the White Bear Caravan came from Akutsk Colony, right? I wonder what kind of goods they brought.”

“Whatever it is, it’s definitely something valuable. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have come all this way.”

“I’m really looking forward to seeing what goods will be released onto the market.”

He could hear merchants and customers chattering.

Every last one of them was talking about the White Bear Caravan that had entered this time.

People were excited by the appearance of a caravan for the first time in decades.

The merchants of the Goblin Market especially had high expectations for the White Bear Caravan.

If goods people had never seen before were released onto the market, then naturally many people would come, and the market would become more active.

They would be able to enjoy the special boom.

What the merchants cared about was how much of the White Bear Caravan’s goods they could secure.

The one who secured the larger quantity would earn that much more money.

Because of that, there were already countless merchants lining up to curry favor with City Hall and the rulers of each district.

That was because they expected the White Bear Caravan would supply its goods exclusively to one of those five places.

“How are things moving in the South District?”

“Does the North District look promising?”

“Still, it’s probably the highest chance that it’ll be the Central District, which the mayor controls, right?”

As he listened to the merchants’ excited voices, Zeon moved onward.

‘The caravan has thrown everyone into an uproar.’

A caravan visiting after decades was certainly worth that much.

But the atmosphere was growing overheated beyond what was necessary.

If things kept heating up like this, there was no knowing what might happen.

‘I should probably hole up in my house for a while.’

Lately, he had gotten tangled in various matters unintentionally and lived a busy life.

If possible, he wanted to avoid getting caught up in anything more complicated than this.

At that moment, suspicious conversation reached Zeon’s ears.

“Twenty Explosion Scrolls, the neurotoxin extracted from red-backed scorpions, and ten backpacks enchanted with subspace. Check it.”

“Isn’t that too few backpacks? There should be at least thirty.”

“Do you think items enchanted with subspace are that easy to come by? I barely got even this much. Keep in mind that if we don’t produce results, we’re completely finished.”

“Don’t worry. There’s no way we’ll fail. If we succeed, we’ll be rich.”

“We’ll see. Fuck.”

It was a secret conversation between a Goblin Market merchant and a group of men.

Zeon let out a sigh.

‘So the moths were here too.’