Chapter 74 : You, Become My Companion (2)
Chapter 74: You, Become My Companion (2)
To truly gain freedom of movement in the Upper District, Lee Taebaek needed to bring at least one of the Ten Wings over to his side.
Even if they didn't become allies, maintaining at least a friendly relationship was absolutely indispensable.
“So, what does such a refined young noble want from a beggar like me?”
“You certainly didn't come here to give alms.”
He had chosen this slyly smiling old man as the ideal candidate.
Beggar King Hong Geolgae.
There were two main reasons for selecting him...
“So you're trying to intimidate your counterpart from the very first meeting.”
“Speaking as the one on the receiving end, it isn't exactly pleasant.”
“This subway station is my headquarters.”
“I merely installed a few security measures in my own home.”
“So don't look at me like that.”
“Isn't your security system a little too extreme?”
“Is it any worse than MegaCorp?”
“These things are nothing more than puppets.”
“But MegaCorp is turning living people into something even less than puppets.”
“As a member of the Resistance, you should understand that better than anyone.”
“Wouldn't you agree?”
First of all...
Beggar King was the world's one and only puppeteer.
He manipulated puppets by drawing his Internal Energy out into thread-like strands.
It was his signature technique.
One that no one else could use.
His Gifted ability allowed him to materialize his Internal Energy.
Combined with the overwhelming amount of Internal Energy he had been born with, the result was this puppet technique.
As for its scale...
Well...
It was impossible to estimate the radius by eye.
In fact, Beggar King's puppets were scattered throughout every corner of Lake City.
He was the reason the Beggars' Sect specialized in gathering information from the streets.
'That puppet technique is seriously broken.'
'I want it.'
Even the countless puppets filling this entire subway station represented less than half of his full strength.
Just like Dojon, every one of these so-called strongest figures in the world insisted on hiding their true power.
Lake City really did make people paranoid.
At least I wasn't the only one.
In any case, the important point wasn't the Beggars' Sect's information network.
The Chaos Order already served as my eyes and ears.
The reason I'd come here was for the combat resources Hong Geolgae could mobilize.
“Since we're both busy, I'll get straight to the point.”
“I want you, Hong Geolgae, to cooperate with the Resistance.”
In other words...
Numbers.
“Hm.”
“Aren't you already friends with Sobang?”
“He was the one who told me you wanted to meet.”
“As far as I know, the Beggars' Sect already enjoys a good relationship with you, Lee Taebaek.”
There was a reason the Blue Garment Faction's Branch Masters worked in banking.
Anyone who thought their vaults contained nothing but money would be gravely mistaken.
The Blue Garment Faction had been granted its independence by Hong Geolgae only after accepting those conditions.
“Thanks to those people called the Chaos Order, rooting out the insurgent forces ended much sooner.”
“Even the ones hiding among us were members of the Beggars' Sect.”
“They knew exactly where the Beggars' Sect would search and where it wouldn't.”
“But from the perspective of an outsider, they stood out immediately.”
“I can't say all the credit belongs to you.”
“But at least half of it does.”
“You have my gratitude.”
Although Hong Geolgae wore a warm smile throughout his speech...
He never once gave Lee Taebaek an opportunity to respond.
He could have at least glared while saying it.
Apparently, he'd read exactly what Lee Taebaek was thinking.
Woooooo—
The grandfatherly warmth vanished from his eyes, which immediately sharpened into a fierce glare.
Even the pressure in the air changed.
The fallen puppets rattled noisily.
They looked ready to leap up the moment he gave the order.
“But as far as I know, you've already received quite enough from the Beggars' Sect.”
“To ask for even more now seems rather greedy.”
“Lee Taebaek.”
“It appears your opinion differs from mine.”
“......”
He was remarkably skilled at burying knives inside polite words.
Translated into plain language, what he really meant was—
You want even more?
Do you have a death wish?
He had simply wrapped it in elegant phrasing.
“...Listen properly when someone speaks...”
But I couldn't afford to back down.
“I'm not trying to squeeze anything out of the Beggars' Sect.”
“I'm asking you personally, Hong Geolgae.”
“Haha.”
“What unbelievable shamelessness.”
Beggar King?
One of the Ten Wings?
So what?
He was still my creation.
“The shameless one isn't me.”
“It's you.”
Lee Taebaek deliberately lowered his voice.
Shamelessness was your specialty, wasn't it, Lee Taebaek?
Just do what you did to Kang Hyunseong back in the Brain Prison.
“The reason you staged this horror movie scene after asking what I wanted couldn't be more obvious.”
“‘Since you've used the Agreement, I'll grant you one meeting. Now leave.’”
“This is the first time in my life I've ever experienced such a shitty way of telling someone to get lost.”
Beggar King looked genuinely speechless at Lee Taebaek's choice of words.
He simply stared with his lips parted.
“And...”
Lee Taebaek deliberately paused for breath.
At the same time, he used a restriction to apply a Buff to his Mental Strength, then continued.
“Building a friendly relationship with me won't benefit me...”
“It'll benefit you.”
“No.”
“It'll benefit the Beggars' Sect as a whole.”
“How can the Beggar King see one thing while remaining blind to the next...?”
“Just as Sobang told me.”
“You're so unbelievably rude that even saying you eat manners with your meals doesn't begin to cover it.”
“You've practically buried them in an outhouse.”
That bastard Jin Sobang.
Talking behind my back?
I was definitely having a talk with him after this.
“Still...”
“This isn't unpleasant.”
“Back when I wandered the Central Plains.”
“The fellow who joined the Beggars' Sect back then had exactly the same personality as you.”
Apparently amused by something, Hong Geolgae quietly chuckled to himself.
Just then, the station's automated announcement informed them that a train was approaching.
“Tsk.”
“How annoying.”
His enjoyment interrupted, he clicked his tongue.
Then he casually gestured toward the electronic display board.
The next moment, something both astonishing and utterly ridiculous happened.
[The train bound for ＠＃＄％, originally scheduled to arrive shortly, has been delayed by five minutes. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to our passengers…….]
This was it.
The second reason.
The very reason Lee Taebaek was risking everything to negotiate with Beggar King.
“Now then.”
“You have five minutes.”
The subway connecting the Upper and Lower Districts also rested upon Beggar King's web.
He held absolute control over the underground transportation network throughout this area.
“Convince me before then.”
Tick.
Tock.
The countdown timer inside Lee Taebaek's head began ticking.
[＃1 Small-Scale] Version 1.9.3.3 Patch Notes
(……)
Beep-
[The scale of the patch is enormous.]
[Changing patch size from Small to Medium.]
》》 Auto Save……
》》 Applying Patch.
“...That old man really knew how to make an exit.”
“He sure did.”
Two members of the Resistance chatted idly while staring at the steadily cooling bowl of mala-tang.
The steam had become so faint it was barely visible.
Even then, it had only remained hot for so long because its spice level was an unbelievable eleven.
When it had first been served, the mala-tang had looked like a bowl filled with molten lava.
“Hey.”
“That was the hero Elder Seopunggae just now, wasn't it?”
At those words, his companion nodded.
“Yeah.”
“I crossed paths with him once before.”
“That breathtaking bad breath of his hasn't changed.”
“For the Beggars' Sect, smell is their ID card.”
“They recognize each other by their stench.”
“If that really was Elder Seopunggae...”
“Then I guess that rumor's true.”
“The one about Lee Taebaek—the rookie—being close with the Beggars' Sect.”
Rumors that Lee Taebaek had become acquainted with the beggars spread from time to time.
The fact that the Beggars' Sect had provided the funding and labor for the construction of the Baekbaek Order's Second Branch was one of those open secrets known only to those in the know.
Among all the Resistance battalions, the 3rd Battalion happened to be one of the quickest to hear rumors.
Their commander, Tang Ji-hye, had recently been spending more and more time outside headquarters at the Baekbaek Order.
Because of that, the members naturally assumed it had something to do with Lee Taebaek.
“...Then I guess that rumor's true too?”
“You mean the one saying the commander and the rookie had a showdown?”
“Shhhhhh!”
The man immediately pressed a finger against his lips.
“You've really got no fear talking like that in front of the deputy commander!”
“What the hell are you imagining, idiot?”
“I was going to say the commander was trying to straighten the rookie out because he'd been getting too full of himself!”
Laughter broke out.
“Anyway.”
“Why did Elder Seopunggae take the rookie away?”
“Maybe they're trying to recruit him into the Beggars' Sect?”
“The rookie's pretty popular even inside the battalion.”
“I don't think it's recruitment.”
“They're building that Baekbaek Order Second Branch these days, right?”
“They've been spending a ridiculous amount of money.”
“So I bet a Law Beggar stepped in to set things straight.”
“Something like...”
“‘How dare you squeeze money out of the Beggars' Sect?! Get over here!’”
“The Blue Garment Faction's loaded, though.”
“It's just a figure of speech, you inflexible bastard.”
Even while they joked among themselves, Zhang Quan had completely tuned them out.
His attention remained fixed solely on the bowl of mala-tang.
There was something in his eyes.
Trust.
Faith.
Emotions so firm they clung there like eye crust.
“Deputy Commander.”
“You actually believe the rookie's coming back?”
“He'll come.”
The firm reply startled the member.
“Based on what?”
“He understands the romance of this era.”
“Seriously...”
“You're unbelievable too, Deputy Commander.”
The member sighed in exasperation.
At that exact moment—
Everyone, including Deputy Commander Zhang Quan, turned toward the entrance.
The shop's canvas flap was thrown open.
Someone hurried inside.
Everyone immediately recognized who it was.
“Hey, all of you!”
Of course.
It was Commander Tang Ji-hye.
She must have run all the way there.
She was breathing heavily.
Seeing their commander appear so suddenly, Deputy Commander Zhang Quan silently offered her a cup of water.
Everyone watched for a moment as she gulped down the plain water.
After wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she shouted,
“Have any of you seen Lee Taebaek?”
“Ah, yes...”
“He stopped by a little while ago.”
“Where did he go?”
“And with whom?!”
“With... a beggar...”
“A beggar?!”
“What beggar?!”
Tang Ji-hye's fierce glare left the member completely flustered.
Only moments ago, they'd been joking about her.
But she was still their terrifying battalion commander.
Despite her cute appearance and young age, she was infamous for her ruthless methods.
No wonder she handled assassinations and interrogations.
“A Law Beggar came to take him away about thirty minutes ago.”
“But what's happened?”
“What could possibly make the commander this agitated?”
Zhang Quan asked as he took back the empty cup.
His calm tone finally helped Tang Ji-hye bring her racing heartbeat under control.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, she spoke.
“The Beggars' Sect...”
She shook her head.
“No.”
“Beggar King is meeting with the Supreme Commander.”
“......!!”
A silent scream swept through the restaurant.
Everyone expressed their shock in their own way.
At last, Zhang Quan managed to stammer,
“W-Why?”
“I only found out myself a moment ago.”
“That's why I've been looking for him.”
“But what does that have to do with the rookie—”
He stopped mid-sentence.
A quiet sigh escaped him.
Elder Seopunggae had taken Lee Taebaek somewhere.
Not long afterward, Beggar King met with the Supreme Commander.
The connection was impossible to miss.
—Before the mala-tang gets cold.
Hadn't he meant he'd return before then...?
Even now...
A thin stream of steam still rose from the bowl.
Inside the Supreme Commander's office.
Even the Supreme Commander, who always remained perfectly composed, was visibly flustered.
Perhaps he had put it on in a hurry, because even his helmet sat crooked.
“...Are you saying you wish to establish an alliance with our Resistance?”
“Indeed.”
“I-I must admit...”
“This is rather shocking.”
The man opposite him merely sipped his green tea.
“At least tell me why.”
Even the state-of-the-art lenses covering the Supreme Commander's vision were incapable of discerning the true intentions of the man seated before him.
The other man quietly set down his teacup.
Then he tapped his thumbs together and smiled.
“Hear it from the person himself.”
The moment Beggar King finished speaking, the office door opened.
The man who entered with complete confidence hardly needed an introduction.
Step.
Step.
Lee Taebaek walked in.