Chapter 1402: Side Story 11
Chapter 1402 - Side Story 11
The matter regarding the passageway connecting the Gaia Continent and the Western Continents was something that countless media outlets and players were paying attention to. The broadcasting stations’ cameras followed Minhyuk, the kings, and the emperors as they headed toward the west coast for the discussion.
Of course, the community sites were also actively discussing this matter.
[If he fails to connect the passageway, then he’ll be in big trouble. Minhyuk has to compensate us!]
The Fallen had spread all over the world ever since the day Minhyuk took his throne as the Master of the Western Continents. These people often exaggerated highly probable stories and used them to undermine the status and authority of Minhyuk and the Beyond the Heavens Empire.
[Millions of players were active in the Gaia Continent. What happened here?]
[The Gods of Olympus closed the passageway after they felt that Minhyuk had used them in the fight with Heaven.]
[Millions of players were in the middle of quests in the Gaia Continent, you know?]
[They were doing countless quests from one-day quests to SSS-rank quests that took six months to a year to complete.] [After working hard and almost nearing the end of their quests, the players heard these notifications:]
[Ring!]
[You have been expelled from the Gaia Continent.]
[The ??? quest will be terminated.]
[Do you understand how we feel? Minhyuk and the Beyond the Heavens Empire have to compensate us!]
[Compensate! Compensate!]
[Do you hear that?]
[Alright! I failed my test yesterday because of Minhyuk! Compensate me!]
[Anyway, these bastards do not have the qualifications and are all suffering from a f*cking severe inferiority complex.]
There weren’t that many people who fell for the Fallen’s instigations. Nonetheless, it was true that many players had been affected by the sudden closure of the passageway connecting the Gaia Continent and the West. Those players sought to be compensated in some way.
[Beyond the Heavens! You bastards! I’ve been doing a class-change quest! But because of you, I failed! Compensate me!]
[Funny enough, the person Minhyuk sent to discuss the reconnection of the passageway is none other than Philos.]
[Philos…? The kid?]
[Yepyep. It’s something worth knowing, right?]
[That doesn’t make sense. Shouldn’t he do something serious about this? How can a child go and persuade the Gods of Olympus?]
Amidst the loud and noisy comments on community sites, a post surged to the top of the list. The Fallen gave their enthusiastic support, raising the number of views and even increasing the number of likes and recommendations.
[If they fail to reconnect the passageway, let’s go and invade the Beyond the Heavens Empire!]
With the current situation and the incitement and agitation, the number of the Fallen grew exponentially.
Meanwhile, Carusso Empire’s Emperor Ihran and the kings, who followed Minhyuk, talked in hushed voices.
“What if the Gaia Continent chooses to approve the reconnection of the passageway?”
Ihran saw the anxiety flashing on the faces of the kings. Of course, he knew full well why they were anxious. After all, he also inflated the amount that he demanded for compensation by ten times the true price that they had transacted with the Gaia Continent.
“How much did you increase your transaction amount?”
“I increased it by five times the original.”
“Mine is three times the amount.”
“Mine’s five hundred times the original transaction amount.”
“...?”
“...?”
All of the kings turned to look at the person who boldly inflated the declared amount by five hundred times the original transaction amount. They all looked at him as if he were a madman.
Ihran shook his head. “Even if that brat went to the Gaia Continent, what can she do? It would already be nice if she could get a good meal. We can already consider that a good job.”
To be honest, none of them knew the reason why Minhyuk chose to send Philos to the Gaia Continent. Regardless, it did not matter. What mattered was the fact that they had to drive Minhyuk away.
“Do you even think a little brat like that can win the hearts of the Gods of Olympus? Have you not heard the stories about the Gaia Continent?”
They had heard many stories from foreigners.
“According to those stories, the gods of the Gaia Continent loathe the Westerners. Especially the Gods of Olympus. They even go so far as to present overwhelmingly difficult trials and ordeals, those that they couldn’t do either, to the Westerners just to kill them.”
This was a fact. Too many people had been beaten black and blue because of these trials. That just went to show how much hatred the Gods of Olympus held for the people of the West.
“Perhaps that girl named Philos had already died. Besides, even if the passageway gets reconnected…”
“Even if it gets reconnected…?”
Everyone turned their attention to Ihran.
“Will the Gods of Olympus allow him to look into the transaction ledger between the kingdoms and empires and the Gaia Continent?”
Regardless of where they were, demanding someone to show their transaction ledger would be considered rude.
“There’s absolutely no way for Minhyuk to find out. We just increased it by five… ten… Ahem…” Ihran coughed, his gaze lingering on the king, who said that he increased it by five hundred times. “F… five hundred times. He just has to accept that.”
The king who declared five hundred times the original amount said with a trembling voice, “Then, what if he got that one in a million chance…?”
‘You’ll probably be the first to die…?’ Ihran wanted to say those words, but he chose to swallow them down. He recalled a time when Minhyuk was able to make the impossible possible, despite having only a 1% chance of success. At that moment, a thought flashed in his mind. This thought left a chill down his spine.
“A… anyway! That’s impossible. Absolutely impossible!”
Before they knew it, they had arrived at the summit hall on the coast with Minhyuk.
[The Gaia Continent and the Western Continents Summit will begin in one minute.]
“The best case scenario is Gaia choosing not to participate in the summit.”
There was a possibility of that happening.
“After all, Master of the Western Continents Minhyuk was the one who asked for this meeting. They are not obligated to respond to his request.”
“Come to think of it, if the Gods of Olympus do not come, then Minhyuk will be embarrassed. Based on what they feel about him, they would definitely like that, no?”
“Ooooh!”
“That’s right!”
“If it were me, then I wouldn’t go either.”
[The Summit will begin in ten seconds.]
Ihran smiled leisurely. He looked calm and relaxed as he lazily raised the teacup that his servant had served him.
“Let’s just sit back and watch.”
[The Summit will now begin.]
The sea sparkled while the sky remained blue and calm. Nothing happened at all.
At that moment, a flash of embarrassment appeared on Minhyuk’s face.
‘What? Why…’
Were they not coming? According to the notification, they had to come here.
‘Has a variable that I’m not aware of appeared?’
Meanwhile, a deep smile settled on the faces of Ihran and the kings. Ihran savored the scent of the tea as he tilted the cup in his hands to take a sip.
“The scent of the tea smells much better today. It seems like it’s just as I expected, right?”
At that moment, a bolt of lightning fell from the sky.
“Huh?”
Crackle!
A child appeared floating in the air alongside the lightning bolt that fell from the sky. The child was none other than Philos.
When they saw Philos appear, the kings and Ihran scoffed.
“It seems like they’re not going to participate in this summit. Are they saying that they should take back the brat that was sent over to them?”
“It seems so!”
“Ooooooh!”
“Now, we only need to wait for the compensation from the Beyond the Heavens Empire!”
They were ready to enjoy the situation, like vultures circling their prey.
[Hoho. You rascal. Why did you come out first like that? What am I going to do with you?]
That was when they heard a kind and gentle voice ring. At the same time, countless bolts of lightning fell from the sky.
Crackle!
Crackle!
Crackle!
Crackle!
The bolts of lightning struck around the young girl named Philos.
[Olympus’ Greatest God Zeus is participating in the Summit.]
[All of the Gods of Olympus are participating in the Summit.]
The entire world was thrown into chaos at the appearance of all of the Gods of Olympus in the summit hall. The Gods of Olympus hated and detested the people of the Western Continents.
[Our pretty Philos~]
Hera looked at Philos with a kind and gentle smile on her face as she carried her with one arm.
What was happening here? Well, the explanation was simple. Philos had dealt with the Copying Monarch. Because of that, the Gods of Olympus’ favorability toward her increased by leaps and bounds. Furthermore, as the Gods of Olympus stayed longer with Philos, her Heart Thief continued to enamor them to her. In the end, she stole all their hearts, and they adored her dearly.
Minhyuk stared at Philos, who was in Hera’s arms and not his, with wet and misty eyes.
“Zeus, once again…” Minhyuk said.
Before he could finish his words, Hera raised her hand and stopped him.
“We, the Gods of Olympus, hate the people of the Western Continents with all our hearts…”
“Hera, speak nicely.”
Who was Hera? She was the embodiment of jealousy and vengeance, Olympus’ greatest villainess, and the first goddess that would come to mind when Olympus was mentioned. Yet, this goddess smiled kindly when she heard Philos’ words.
Hera nodded slowly in agreement and said, “Because of Philos, this child, the Gods of Olympus decided to reopen the passageway connecting the Gaia Continent and the Western Continents. After all, this child has to travel back and forth from her hometown to our continent.”
[The Gods of Olympus promise to open the passageway connecting the Gaia Continent and the Western Continents again!]
The faces of Ihran and the kings all turned white.
‘Wait. No. Just for that reason? Just to make it easier for that child to go home?’
At that moment, Minhyuk spoke up cautiously. “I’m sorry to say this, but can I check the ledger recording the transactions and trades between the Gaia Continent and the kingdoms and empires of the Western Continents?”
The faces of the Gods of Olympus grew distorted when they heard his request. Hera’s lips twisted into a frown. The God of Wine Dionysius laughed mockingly as he drank his wine.
Zeus frowned, ‘This bastard! He constantly tests our bottom line…!’
But then, Philos chimed, “Why?! It’s not so difficult, right?! Just do it. Give it to him. Didn’t I tell you? We all have to get along!”
“...”
Ihran and the kings looked at Philos incredulously.
‘Did you think that Hera would listen to you just because you said those words…?’
“I see. Should we?”
‘What? Are you a daughter-con…? No, no. Let’s have some hope. Zeus will not…’
[If our Philos said so, then so be it.]
‘What? There’s another daughter-con here?’
“Our dear Philos told us to get along, so there’s no helping it.”
‘What?’
The pupils of Ihran and the kings all shook violently.
“You can get the ledger detailing the transactions between the West and the Gaia Continent from the God of Trading right away.”
[You have acquired the Gaia Continent and the Western Continents Transaction Ledger.]
The ledger slowly floated down from the sky and landed on Minhyuk’s hands.
[Since the discussion is over, we will return now.]
“Already?”
[It’s time for our dear child to take a nap.]
Minhyuk saw Philos rubbing her eyes sleepily. At the same time, he thought, ‘Philos hates me, but she still did her best to make the Gods of Olympus make a choice that benefits the Beyond the Heavens Empire. Thank you, Philos.’
Just like that, the Gods of Olympus disappeared with Philos. The moment they disappeared, a servant appeared with a chair in hand. While Minhyuk sat on the chair, the community sites were left boiling with heated discussions.
[Wow… For real? Philos was able to reconnect the passageway connecting the West and the Gaia Continent?]
[As expected of the Glutton Siblings.]
[But what is Minhyuk doing right now?]
[Ah. Before they left for the summit, a promise had been made between Minhyuk, the kings, and Emperor Ihran.]
After reading through the other netizens' kind and detailed explanations, one person voiced their doubts.
[They shouldn’t worry, no? I don’t think they’re crazy enough to try and cheat the Master of the Western Continents, right?]
[I know, right? They’re not madmen.]
[But… why are they all sweating so much?]
“Phtew!” Minhyuk spat on his hand as he slowly flipped open the ledger and turned over the first page. Then, he said, “Is there anyone who wants to step forward and say something to me before I fully open this ledger?”
His words immediately silenced the kings and emperors. In just a blink, Minhyuk’s secretary appeared right beside him. The secretary handed over the book that contained the amounts claimed by the emperors and kings before.
The kings and emperors all fell silent. At that very moment, they were racking their brains to try and come up with a trick that will help them get out of this situation somehow.
‘What should I do? Should we argue that the ledger has been fabricated? That it’s fake?’
‘No. We can’t do that. There’s no way anyone will believe that.’
Minhyuk coughed lightly. “Since you don’t have anything to say, let’s proceed. All of you have made a vow. You have promised that if the amount you declared is false, you will have to pay five times the amount I am willing to compensate you. You have sworn in Athenae’s name, yes?”
None of them answered.
Minhyuk just cleared his throat and continued, “Purden Kingdom. According to my secretary’s records, your transactions totaled one billion two hundred million platinum. The ledger says… oh?”
Minhyuk’s lips twisted into a smirk.
“It’s just one hundred twenty million? It seems like you increased the amount by ten times?”
“Your… Your Majesty… Th-that…”
“Just shut up for a minute. I’m still looking.”
“Pasdan Kingdom. It says here that it’s only three million platinum. Huh? You lied to me. You said that I have to compensate you with thirty million platinum.
“The Forden Kingdom’s transaction has also increased from ten million platinum to twenty million platinum.”
“Cainia Kingdom’s transaction amount went from three million platinum to sixty million platinum? Huh? Twenty times? You declared sixty times the original amount? Look at this crazy bastard?”
“Your… Your Majesty… No matter what, cursing us is…”
Minhyuk grinned at him and said, “Do you think I’ll only curse you?”
Minhyuk flipped to another page.
“Let’s see. How much did the Lukanu Kingdom inflate their original amount…”
The king of the Lukanu Kingdom was the king who increased the amount by five hundred times. Before Minhyuk could check the ledger thoroughly, he quickly cried out, “Your Majesty!”
“...?” Minhyuk turned to look at the king with confusion on his face.
“I will pay you with my life! Please look after my kingdom!”
Then, he killed himself. Minhyuk was left flustered and confused.
“N, no… You just killed yourself like that…”
The viewers also reacted the same way.
[No. Why did he kill himself…?]
[Why the hell did he suddenly decide to kill himself?]
[I don’t understand at all…]
Minhyuk stared at the Lukanu Kingdom’s King, who killed himself, in confusion. Then, he looked down at the ledger and checked the transaction.
“The goods he traded were worth five hundred thousand platinum. And the amount of compensation that he asked from me is… two hundred fifty million platinum? Five hundred times over…? Is that why he killed himself…?”
Minhyuk blinked. At that moment, he felt both lazy and exhausted and no longer wished to look at the transactions in the ledger. He just stared coldly at the kings and emperors and said, “Just now, what did the king of the Lukanu Kingdom say to me?”
Ihran recalled the words.
–Please look after my kingdom.
His words meant that he would carry the sin himself and that he wished for his kingdom to be absorbed by the Beyond the Heavens Empire.
“I don’t want to go on and on about this. Just pay me five times the amount that you demanded. Otherwise…”
Minhyuk stood up from his seat. Then, he pointed his chin at the figure of the king of the Lukanu Kingdom. After that, he turned around and left. He showed no hesitation at all.
As for the kings behind him? They all drew their swords and killed themselves one after another. Emperor Ihran, who saw them fall one by one, also took his sword and put it to his neck. He stared at the back of the Master of the Western Continents and deeply regretted joining the Fallen. It was the greatest regret of his short life!