Chapter 286 : Silk Road (3)
Chapter 286: Silk Road (3)
The night sky over the wide-open grasslands was draped with the Milky Way, revealing its secret beauty.
Il-mok had been momentarily captivated by that beautiful river of stars, but the shouting that rang out again quickly yanked him back to reality.
"Slaughter every vermin who doesn't believe in Allah!"
"The women will become wives for our brave warriors, so kill only the men and the elderly!"
Mixed in with the incomprehensible shouts came a familiar cry that he could actually understand.
"Allahu Akbar!"
Unlike the beautiful scenery stretched high across the heavens, hideous creatures were screaming and charging forward on horseback.
Some of the nomads who had welcomed them so warmly earlier were now rushing out of their tents, hastily grabbing their bows and yelling something or other.
"Young Master!"
His companions looked at Il-mok, waiting for him to make a decision.
All except one guy.
"Hahahaha! Perfect timing, my body's been itching for a fight anyway!"
God knows what he was so happy about, but Dokgo Pae pulled out his massive sword and was ready to jump at the fanatics.
Watching him, Il-mok couldn't help but think that no wonder people from the Central Plains think the Demonic Cult is full of murder-crazed lunatics when fuckers like this keep showing up everywhere.
"Stop right there! The Young Master hasn't given the order yet!"
The team leader who had smacked Dokgo Pae earlier was trying to hold him back, but everyone else looked at Il-mok with conflicted eyes.
Il-mok knew exactly what they were worried about.
Just like Jin Hayeon earlier, it was because of the Heavenly Demon's orders.
They were worried that picking a fight with the Muslims would be a huge mistake, since they were supposed to open trade with the West.
To ease their concerns, Il-mok spoke in a calm tone.
"Members of the Great Heavenly Demon Divine Cult do not repay kindness with betrayal."
As their eyes went wide, Il-mok pointed his Ascension Sword toward the Muslims.
"Give the gift of death to those villains who attacked the people who treated us as guests."
As if they'd been waiting for exactly those words, Dokgo Pae swatted away the Squad Leader's restraining hand and launched himself toward the enemy with his lightness skill.
"Let's go!!"
Actually, Dokgo Pae wasn't the only one who'd been waiting for Il-mok's words.
"Kill them!"
"Bring divine punishment down on these villains who oppress the weak!"
The moment Il-mok's command dropped, the Black Tiger Corps members charged at the Muslims in unison.
Even the Squad Leader who'd been holding Dokgo Pae back was already running forward with wild eyes.
Just then, some of the Muslims who'd been closing the distance shifted in the darkness and pulled out bows that had been hanging from their horses.
"Looks like we'll need to guard this place."
It'd be a problem if their goods got damaged by stray arrows, and he wasn't too keen on the nomads who'd hosted them getting hurt either.
"Miss Jeong, please support the Black Tiger Corps with your archery."
"Y-yes, I will."
While Il-mok, Jin Hayeon, and Ju Seo-yeon deflected the blind arrows to protect both their goods and the nomads—
"Kill them!"
"Gaaahhh...!"
—Ouyang Hyeok led the rest to slaughter their enemies like a pack of wolves attacking sheep under the moonlight.
As the Black Tiger Corps was mowing down the Muslims...
"There! Attack over there!! Grab the women and kids! If we use them as shields, we can live!"
Someone shouted in an incomprehensible language, and several Muslims immediately wheeled their horses toward the nomads' tents.
Il-mok, who'd been leisurely swatting away spells and arrows near the tents, let out a dumbfounded laugh at the sight of these idiots coming to their deaths.
"They must really want to die."
The moment Il-mok's muttering ended, a sharp whistling sound rang out and the Muslim at the very front tumbled from his horse.
It was thanks to an arrow Jeong Hyeon had shot.
Whiiiiish!
Several more fell to Jeong Hyeon's arrows after that, and about a dozen Muslims survived to reach the vicinity of the tents.
What greeted them was Ju Seo-yeon's ferocious spear technique and Jin Hayeon's chilling energy.
Especially now that Jin Hayeon had begun to walk out of Extremity, the White Hand Demonic Art she unleashed emanated a cold that seemed ready to freeze the entire area solid.
By the time Jin Hayeon, Ju Seo-yeon, and Jeong Hyeon had finished off all the Muslims who'd approached the tents, the Black Tiger Corps members who'd likewise dealt with the attacking Muslims began returning to the tent area.
The difference in strength had been so overwhelming that Il-mok hadn't even needed to step in.
"I've ordered two squads to pursue the Muslims who fled."
Il-mok nodded at Ouyang Hyeok's report.
"Thank you for your hard work, Black Tiger Corps Leader."
"Hahaha. Can you even call this much work? Compared to the bastards who attacked us back then, these guys were nothing in terms of numbers or skill."
He seemed to be referring to the attackers from Il-mok's days at the Hall of the Demonic Way.
After laughing it off and finishing his report, Ouyang Hyeok soon wore a serious expression and asked cautiously.
"But was it really okay to attack them? Don't get me wrong, it felt great to cut them down, but I'm worried this might mess up the mission the Supreme One gave us."
The others didn't say it out loud, but they looked like they agreed with Ouyang Hyeok.
Il-mok took a second to gather his thoughts, then spoke calmly.
Il-mok hadn't made this decision purely on emotion.
He’d been thinking about this issue ever since the nomads told him about the fanatics, and even after he talked to Jin Hayeon about her worries.
After tossing and turning without sleep, Il-mok had considered several possible scenarios, including the possibility of ending up in combat with Muslims, just like now.
"There's no need to worry too much. Based on what I've investigated, the Muslim faith is a lot like the Orthodox Factions."
Not quite understanding what Il-mok meant, Ouyang Hyeok furrowed his brow before asking.
"You mean they're hypocrites?"
"Well, there is that. But what I meant is that they're split into different cliques. We always lump them together as the Orthodox Faction, but those guys aren't exactly one big happy family, are they?"
He'd said he learned this through investigation, but in truth, Il-mok was drawing on his modern memories.
As a mere civil servant, Il-mok hadn't been particularly well-versed in Islam, but he'd occasionally encountered news about it.
News about situations exactly like this one, actually.
Stories about Islamic extremists like ISIS attacking somewhere, or kidnapping someone to extort money. And whenever anti-Islamic sentiment spiked around the world, there were always stories about other Muslim groups who just lived peaceful lives.
‘Basically, there are extremists who kill and raid for breakfast, and there are moderates who just want to get along with everyone else.’
Of course, there were those who claimed that the 'moderates' were merely walking on eggshells and that the true nature of Islam was all the same.
Seo Ji-hoon had also honestly felt that dividing them into 'moderates' and 'extremists' was peculiar.
‘I mean, what kind of religion slaughters civilians, uses women and kids as human shields, or blows people up with suicide vests just because they went "extreme"?’
Isn't religion supposed to be about protecting the weak and respecting human rights?
Even Seo Ji-hoon, a die-hard atheist, thought that’s what religion was supposed to be.
But what mattered now wasn't the true nature and reality of Islam.
The most important thing was that their factions were likely divided.
"Think about the Orthodox bastards in the Central Plains. They're divided into the Nine Sects and One Gang, the Seven Great Families, and so on. They act like best friends, but aren't they always waiting for a chance to stab each other in the back?"
"You mean the Muslims are the same?"
"I can't be certain, but it's highly likely. So, we don't need to be buddies with all of them. We just need to find the ones we can actually talk to. And since they're split into factions, that makes our job easier."
Ouyang Hyeok couldn't quite see the link between them being split up and it being easier to find someone to talk to.
Seeing his confused look, Il-mok spelled it out for him.
"If there are multiple factions, they definitely want to get rid of their rivals. So, we find the moderates, offer them a profitable trade deal, or help them wipe out their enemies. That’s the easiest way to make friends."
Only then did Ouyang Hyeok nod in understanding. Those around them who'd been listening were exclaiming in admiration at Il-mok's wisdom.
Just then, Jin Hayeon's indifferent voice pierced Il-mok's ear.
"Young Master. Just in case, what if all the Muslims are exactly like these ones? What if there isn't a single person we can communicate with?"
Jin Hayeon asked while pointing at the Muslim she'd frozen to death.
Il-mok shrugged like it was no big deal.
"Then we just give up on trade and go back. If Master learns that all the Muslims in the Western Regions are trash like this, he'll obviously order us to do exactly that."
Jin Hayeon and everyone nearby nodded with convinced expressions.
Just then, one of the nomads timidly approached them.
It was the middle-aged guy who spoke broken Chinese and paled in fear when questioned about Islam.
"Thank you for saving us. Thank you. Debt. Must pay."
Il-mok had been about to casually brush it off since he hadn't done it expecting anything in return, but then something occurred to him and he grinned.
"Repayment, you say. How about you repay us with your body?"
"!?"
At Il-mok's words, the eyes of the man who'd come to express his gratitude shook violently.
***
The next morning, Il-mok and his companions left the nomads' tents and set out on their journey westward.
Strangely enough, that middle-aged man who knew the Central Plains language was traveling with them too.
"Hahaha. Don't be scared. We'll keep you safe." Il-mok smiled, trying to calm the poor guy down.
"We're coming back here as soon as we finish our business. I just need you to translate for us until then."
That was why Il-mok had requested the middle-aged man, Ohalrak, as repayment.
Although Ouyang Hyeok knew a little of the nomadic language, he wasn't anywhere near as good as Ohalrak.
On top of that, being a local, Ohalrak knew a lot more.
Like right now, for instance.
They were heading exactly where Ohalrak told them to go. He’d said there was a village where Muslims had settled about two days' distance away.
After traveling for about half a day, they hit another small patch of desert and set up camp at sunset.
Then they started moving again from the morning and by noon had left the small desert behind.
As the sunset approached again, they were able to reach the village Ohalrak had mentioned.
Even though it was getting dark, everyone in the village was gathered together to cook or enjoy a meal.
Seeing the lively crowd, Il-mok looked pleased.
"Look at that happy atmosphere. Must be some kind of festival."
Ohalrak scratched his head and corrected him.
"Not celebration. Funeral."
"......"