Chapter 301 : The Grasslands (1)
Chapter 301: The Grasslands (1)
With preparations complete, Il-mok and his party departed Lanzhou and headed northwest.
As always, Jin Hayeon, Jeong Hyeon, and Ju Seo-yeon accompanied him, along with roughly fifteen others trailing behind.
Ten of them were martial artists, but the remaining five served different roles. The most notable among them was Physician Seo Jae-pil.
A physician was certainly needed for this journey, but that wasn't the only reason he was here.
"My research on the plague and Butterfly Dream Grass poisoning symptoms is more or less complete. So please, let me come along, Young Master!"
Seo Jae-pil had latched on with sheer tenacity, eager to pursue new research under Il-mok's wing.
Having joined without even hearing the full purpose of the trip, Seo Jae-pil grinned and tossed out a question.
"I heard we're heading north, but what exactly are we planning to do in the northern grassland region?"
Jin Hayeon answered on Il-mok's behalf.
"Our mission is to open a trade route stretching from Gansu Province all the way to the Western Regions, Physician Seo."
Just as Jin Hayeon said, this was the plan the Heavenly Demon had originally laid out.
The Northern Route.
In other words, reaching the Western Regions via the grassland road.
The only reason they used the Desert Route last time was that getting that western trade going was a massive rush.
But Il-mok had absolutely no intention of using the grassland road in its entirety.
"Taking the Northern Route means making way too huge a detour. We're only heading north right now to put up a front."
"The Northern Route requires far too long a detour. The reason we're heading north right now is purely for the sake of misdirection."
Jin Hayeon organized her thoughts for a moment, responded as if she had grasped his intent.
"Do you mean this journey is meant to deceive the Orthodox Faction, Young Master?"
"Exactly. I plan to act like we're opening a route, starting with the northern nomads around Gansu Province and stopping right around the Tianshan Mountain Range."
From there, the plan was to cross through the fringes of the Tianshan Mountain Range into Xinjiang, then use the previous desert route.
Jin Hayeon posed another question. "If we proceed that way, there's a risk of being discovered later. Do you have some countermeasure in mind?"
Her tone wasn't one of doubt.
She was saying that her own insight fell short of grasping Il-mok's grand plan, and she wanted him to explain so she could execute it without a hitch.
But she was mistaken about one thing.
Il-mok wasn't confident they wouldn't be found out.
"There's no such thing as an eternal secret in this world. No matter how desperately we try to hide it, if someone digs hard enough, they'll uncover it eventually."
As the old saying goes, everyone has a few skeletons in their closet.
No matter what tricks they employed, the truth would come out sooner or later.
Merchants from the Central Plains who'd reached the Western Regions by sea could spread the word bit by bit until the truth surfaced. Or martial artists of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult traveling the grassland road might be exposed while using Demonic Arts.
"But right now, the Central Plains doesn't have the resources to dig into us. All we need to do is hold out during that window. Besides, it wouldn't even matter in the end, even if we managed to perfectly deceive them under the name of the Maitreya Luminous Cult."
"???"
Both Jin Hayeon and Seo Jae-pil wore puzzled expressions, so Il-mok clicked his tongue lightly and continued.
"Think about it. When the Central Plains finally finish fighting among themselves, do you really think those Orthodox hypocrites will just let the Maitreya Luminous Cult sit on a goldmine trade route to the West?"
"Ah..."
Basically, no matter how great their disguise was, the Orthodox guys were definitely going to attack the Maitreya Luminous Cult to steal that route. When that happened, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would only be left with two options.
Surrender the Maitreya Luminous Cult's territory and trade routes to keep their identity hidden, or reveal the Cult's true nature and fight back.
The latter was the only real choice.
"The sparks of their war are going to catch up to us once the Central Plains calm down. That's why we need to trade with the West as much as humanly possible to brace for the future. Especially now, when everyone from tiny sects to massive superpowers is busy wrestling in the mud just to grab a little more territory."
That was why the plan was to trade with the Western Regions while putting up just enough of a front to keep eyes off them.
Rather than making the journey needlessly long and convoluted just to fool someone, it was better to take out a minimal insurance policy and maximize the number of trades over a shorter distance.
'If I stretch the route all the way to the Western Regions via the Northern Route, the number of trade runs drops and the costs double. It's a net loss.'
And it was absolutely positively not because he just didn't want to deal with the annoying hassle of crossing the steppes.
***
Following the government road northwest, the group made one final pit stop at Jiuquan County before turning their course due north.
They rode toward the northern grassland region where countless nomadic tribes lived for some time...
'Wait, this feels kind of familiar.'
Stepping out of the Central Plains and actually setting foot in the northern steppes gave Il-mok a weird sense of déjà vu.
"They call it grassland, but it looks a lot like the West."
A barren sea of sand stretched out endlessly, with only tiny specks of mountains and little patches of green scrub breaking up the wide-open horizon.
Just like the Western Regions, the landscape here was a wild mix of desolate trails and sudden bursts of grassland.
After trekking through the yellow sea of sand for quite a while, they finally reached the grassland zone visible in the distance. There, they spotted several yurts erected in a row.
Near the yurts, some nomads were herding livestock, while others had apparently noticed the approaching group and were whispering among themselves.
"N-nomads are in sight, Young Master."
Jeong Hyeon with her sharp senses had also spotted the distant nomads and reported to Il-mok.
"Let's get a bit closer first. They might get startled, so we'll move slowly."
But the second they started riding straight toward the camp, the nomads went into full scramble mode. The herders bolted back to the safety of the tribe, and a handful of them even got into fighting stances, looking like they were bracing for a possible fight.
When the distance had closed enough, Il-mok spoke to Ohalak.
"Alright, start translating for me."
Il-mok had brought Ohalak all this way specifically to communicate with the northern nomads.
"We are merchants from the Central Plains trying to cross into the Western Regions. If you can provide us with food and shelter, we will repay you accordingly."
Ohalak translated Il-mok's words into the nomadic language, and Jin Hayeon opened a chest of silver she'd been carrying at the ready.
But for some reason, the elder who appeared to be the tribe's leader started shouting something, forcing Ohalak to stammer back with hand gestures and body language to keep the conversation going.
Only after the elder finally nodded did Ohalak turn to Il-mok.
"Different tribe. Language is a little different."
"Hmm. You can't communicate at all?"
"I think we can manage to some extent."
"Well, that's a relief at least."
One wrong turn and bringing Ohalak along could have been a complete waste.
'Then again, his tribe's homeland is a good several thousand li from here, so some differences in language aren't surprising.'
Il-mok figured it was something like a dialect. He had no way of knowing which was the standard and which was the variant, though.
Since the other side seemed to have given their consent, Il-mok took a few pieces of silver from the chest Jin Hayeon was holding and handed them to Ohalak.
Ohalak took the silver and approached the nomads alone. The elder pocketed the silver and spoke.
"He says guests are welcome."
Guided by Ohalak's translation, Il-mok and his entourage also approached the nomadic tribe.
The elder shouted something to his tribespeople, and Ohalak translated again.
"He says they'll prepare a meal. He's inviting us into the yurt."
Il-mok entered the yurt that the elder indicated, bringing only his attendants and Ohalak.
Just as when they'd visited Ohalak's tribe, the elder offered them cups filled with some thick, white liquid that could have been sheep's milk or mare's milk.
Il-mok took a polite sip, and the elder relayed something
For some reason, Ohalak's expression turned slightly odd before he translated.
"He says the road west is dangerous. Many hostile tribes."
As he translated the old man's warning, Ohalak thought to himself.
It was pretty obvious that anyone dumb enough to attack this crew would be the ones actually in danger.
After watching firsthand how these guys absolutely slaughtered the Muslims raiders, the old man's advice just sounded hilarious to him.
"Hahaha. I appreciate the concern. By the way, are there any places along the western route where we might find water or provisions?"
Il-mok gave a casual response to the warning and steered the conversation forward.
They talked for a good while, covering everything from important matters to idle chatter.
"So you mainly use bows for hunting. As it happens, one of our party members is an exceptional archer. How about a friendly match?"
Il-mok subtly guided the conversation toward something the nomads would enjoy.
He was drawing on his experience meeting Ohalak's tribe.
The elder readily accepted Il-mok's proposal, and soon they stepped back outside the yurt to set up an archery contest.
When the middle-aged man reputed to be the tribe's best archer stepped forward, Il-mok gave Jeong Hyeon a look.
"I'm counting on you."
Jeong Hyeon's reaction to his encouragement was less than enthusiastic
What Il-mok was counting on her for wasn't the archery.
It was what came after.
The match between the nomad and Jeong Hyeon went on for several rounds. Just as in the contest with Ohalak's tribe, Jeong Hyeon won against the nomad without much difficulty.
"Hahaha. She says she'd love to chat with you guys about archery techniques if you're interested."
Jeong Hyeon hadn't opened her mouth once, but Il-mok spoke as if he'd read her mind.
"How generous of you!"
"What a wonderful opportunity."
Since all the tribesmen who loved hunting were excited about it, the old man couldn't exactly say no.
Naturally, those interested in archery flocked around Jeong Hyeon, and her little class began.
"Wh-when you aim your b-bow, you should hold it like th-this..."
She shared tips on improving their shooting in a trembling voice. After a hard swallow, Jeong Hyeon mustered her courage and carried out the task Il-mok had assigned her.
"So, um, everyone. Do you happen to know the Way?"
The mission Il-mok had given Jeong Hyeon was to proselytize.
"Ahem. If you b-believe in our M-Maitreya Luminous Cult, the blessed M-Maitreya will watch over you, and your, um, your arrows will fly t-truer."
* * *
When the proselytizing was done, Jeong Hyeon returned looking noticeably more haggard.
"Young Master. Is this r-really necessary?"
She was starting to wonder if Il-mok was just bullying her.
Il-mok flashed a grin at her.
"Think back to the nomads in the West, Miss Jeong."
While Jeong Hyeon just looked confused, Jin Hayeon suddenly realized what he meant and answered for her.
"Are you referring to how they were split between nomads who kept their traditions and those who'd adopted Islam?"
"Spot on."
Hearing Il-mok’s confirmation of Jin Hayeon’s guess, Ju Seo-yeon suddenly perked up her ears with an 'As expected of Senior Hayeon!' expression plastered on her face.
Ignoring her reaction, Jin Hayeon looked at Il-mok and asked. "Rather than opening the road through trade or combat with the nomads, you intend to open it through proselytizing?"
"That's right. If we win them over through trade or force, there's always the risk of betrayal. Especially since we're not actually using the Northern Route, if these people leak information to the Central Plains, things get complicated fast. But if they become our believers, that changes the equation entirely, doesn't it?"
The Muslim converts were mostly fanatics, so attempting to proselytize among them risked backfiring. But with the nomads, there was a much higher chance of success.
It was a brilliant plan he only came up with because of everything they'd gone through out West. And dragging Ohalak along was entirely to make this street-preaching go more smoothly.
After all, if they were just going to murder their way through the steppes, they wouldn't have needed a translator in the first place.
Jin Hayeon mulled over Il-mok's intentions, and soon her face lit up with an expression of admiration uncharacteristic of her usual composure.
"Ahh. So this too was part of the grand vision you've been painting, Young Master. As one who serves you, I'm ashamed that I couldn't keep pace with your design."
"...What grand vision?"
When Il-mok asked back with a sudden sense of dread, Jin Hayeon looked directly at him and answered.
"Aren't you trying to spread our religion to all the northern nomads, so that the Divine Cult's teachings can eventually take over the whole world?"
"......"
Nope.
No.
Fuck no.
'I-I literally just made this up because opening a real trade route sounded like way too much work...?!'
While Il-mok was completely too stunned to speak, the others chimed in.
"As expected of the Young Master!"
"I-If that's why we're doing this, then I-I'll give it m-my all."
Ju Seo-yeon and Jeong Hyeon gazed at him with pure awe.
Feeling the weight of their stares, Il-mok just felt this creeping sense of dread.
He realized that from now on, literally anything he did was going to be treated like some master plan for world domination.