“Before that, first…”
Before heading to Elvenheim, I entered the secret space where the golden goblin was hiding—a place where reinforcement stones, magic stones, and gold coins were piled up like a mountain.
“…Why did you take all this out like this?”
Although I didn’t care much about reinforcement stones or gold coins, magic stones were items that could be accommodated in the dimensional account. A magic stone, piled up together with treasures—this was a scene where you could really feel the golden goblin’s desire to show off.
Swoosh!
The portal opened with , creating a strong wind.
Charrrrrrrr!
Gold coins and gold nuggets piled up everywhere came crashing down, and magic stones and reinforcement stones hidden here and there were quickly stored inside the subspace. It was truly ironic. The precious gold that was piled up like a mountain was now nothing more than impurities to me. Still…
“This is really good.”
The balance had ballooned to over 100,000—an amount that seemed daunting just a short while ago. It flowed into my account in just a few seconds. Of course, the more you have, the more it feels like a shortage, which is also a characteristic of ‘money.’
“Because the expenses increase that much…”
The amount required to reach subspace level 7 is a whopping 250,000 magic stones. It wasn’t enough to level up right away, but it wasn’t a meaningless amount of money.
“Let’s see, what abilities have been released this time…”
The only ability unlocked at level 6 is . Since I had no money left, I wasn’t able to look into the remaining two abilities in detail.
Tiring!
Pax highlighted the items that could be opened.
—-[Openable Items]—-
[Cost 10,000]
◈ Portal Transport
-Transportation between portals without passing through subspace is possible.
◈ Product Order
-You can automatically ship items registered in the subspace upon receiving an order.
(You can freely set order qualifications, product types, costs, and conditions, and receive review messages from orderers.)
※ However, automatic shipping is only possible up to the shipping distance.
———————-
“…It’s definitely good.”
It was a pretty useful ability. The condition that there was no need to go through subspace meant that even if an object couldn’t be accommodated in the subspace right away, it was possible to move it to another safe location.
The ability to order products was not bad either. Pax FC shelters located all over the country—up until now, I had been unilaterally providing materials to people. But if I could receive orders or requests, I would be able to provide convenience more easily. Naturally, this would lead to an increase in the number of Pax FC members.
“Open both of them.”
[Understood.]
[You have received 20,000 magic stones.]
[You have 95,443 magic stones remaining.]
This was the end. With the Lycian mine and new abilities in hand, I headed to the subspace portal.
Ellie of Elvenheim. To ask her about the identity of the Occupy Stone.
Park Dong-kwan and the Koreans who guided me to the Lycian mine—for now, they were sent to Elvenheim, not Korea. Thanks to the continued exchanges with the Paxmen, Elvenheim had now become a warm village community that could not be found anywhere else on Earth.
And…
“Ahhhhhhhh!”
Park Dong-kwan and his group of Koreans felt that ‘affection’ without a doubt.
Rain, rain.
Park Dong-kwan’s cheeks swelled up as if they were going to burst.
Buck buck.
What he was scratching was a giant bowl of porridge. Inside was a light mountain vegetable bibimbap packed with bracken, crown daisy, knotweed, eggplant, and more, which had now become a staple food for elves.
Well well.
A fern with a mouth that stuck out like an octopus’s leg.
And even a thick stew of simmered seaweed and soybean paste stew.
“Ugh!”
After the destruction, Koreans were unable to hold back their tears when they saw proper ‘Korean food’ for the first time.
“Oh my, it’s okay. It’s okay.”
“Ahhhhhh! Grandma! Huuuuk!”
It was ironic. Comforting him were elven elders who were twice as old as his grandmother.
Wheeee…
Elvenheim, a place filled with rural scenery. Among the world trees that grew tall like reeds, Koreans felt at home. The hometown they left years—no, decades—ago.
Meanwhile, Ellie, the leader of the elves, was also there.
And that girl…
“…Ellie?”
Brock, who had come through the portal with them, recognized her. Ellie, who faced him, also couldn’t hide her bitter smile.
“As expected… I thought you’d stay in Lysium like that, ignorant.”
[…]
As I expected, Ellie clearly knew what the ‘Occupation Stone’ was for.
“It’s one of the ways the Chamber of Commerce uses it. They try to train the Awoken here on Earth to become another ‘invader’ by offering some kind of compensation.”
Forces from other dimensions invading Earth.
They were all beings who had once experienced the crisis of destruction.
But some of them managed to survive the destruction and were chosen by the Chamber of Commerce to take on new roles.
By reversing the destruction that had just befallen him, he himself became his own destruction.
“Putting aside the tempting fruit, the winner of the fight gets to take all the rewards. It provides a primal sense that by fighting, stealing, and taking, you can become stronger.”
Coveted rewards and exclusivity.
That was the identity of the Lyceum mine that the Chamber of Commerce had planted on American soil.
“…That’s what it was.”
Ellie wasn’t the only one talking to him.
Park Dong-kwan nodded his head with bloodshot eyes.
Since this happened in the United States, he had a lot of information to share.
“There were people from not only California, but also Colorado, Utah, and even as far away as Dallas in the central region. They all flocked like dogs when they heard they could get reinforcing stones.”
“Did you all get the message from the Chamber of Commerce?”
“Yes, but they didn’t explain it in detail. I don’t know for sure… I think they encouraged us to fight like crazy while taking over the mine.”
Moreover, that was not all.
The vast land of America.
Because the ‘occupied territory’ that the Chamber of Commerce had established was not only Lyceum.
And…
The issue had now escalated into a full-blown war.
“There’s a full-blown war going on in the East right now. The South is under the control of extremists made up of Awakened beings… They say that side has the upper hand.”
The collapse of the United States.
It was said that there was a weekly battle going on, but before we knew it, the northern and southern forces had joined forces and were reenacting the past American Civil War.
The pictures were also similar.
Southern extremists who worship the power of awakening.
Because they were killing the unawakened and enslaving them, their power was rapidly increasing.
Ellie added with a serious expression after hearing the story.
“If a final winner emerges who has been tamed by the Chamber of Commerce, it will be quite dangerous. From then on, the Chamber of Commerce will give all its support to that force. Perhaps after the situation in the United States is sorted out…”
“…They’ll probably come out too.”
Now, it wasn’t just the forces of another dimension that were the problem.
By the Chamber of Commerce, new invaders were being bred from within the Earth itself.
A new enemy had emerged, but its presence was an internal enemy that had grown like a cancer cell.
With infinite growth potential, just like ourselves.
It was clear that one day its evil influence would reach even here in East Asia.
Furthermore…
“The Chamber of Commerce’s support has already begun.”
Ellie added.
Occupied territories scattered throughout the United States.
It was a place where powerful resources such as reinforcement stones and guardians were hidden.
If the southern invaders fostered by the Chamber of Commerce took possession of these golden lands, their power would surely increase exponentially.
My lips felt dry.
But fortunately, there was still time.
“We won’t be able to secure the occupied territory right away. Most of the areas that have been merged are far stronger than the Earthlings.”
It was like that from the beginning in Elvenheim.
Behind their bony appearances, they were armed with a high-ranking, skilled archer unit.
Even in the case of the Lyceum mines, it was not thought that ordinary Awakened people would be able to defeat the Golden Goblins and Guardians.
It was thanks to Gordon, who was working with the Golden Goblin, that they were able to make a nest in Lyceum.
Ellie continued speaking.
“So, a full-scale war of occupation won’t start right away. But after the North and the South have grown enough through war…”
“There’s going to be a large-scale war.”
“That’s right. It would be heartbreaking for Earthlings.”
It was a real civil war.
It’s a fight between the ‘North’ and the ‘South’ of America.
The number of troops could range from several hundred thousand to several million.
‘I can’t just leave it alone…’
Now there was a ‘Lyceum Mine’ in the United States, declared as my territory.
Moreover, for the sake of Korea, it was necessary to prevent the growth of invaders from the American South.
There is no guarantee that their greed will remain limited to the American continent.
Either way, there was no doubt that we had to intervene in the American civil war.
And for this…
“We need to have that kind of power too.”
Ellie nodded.
But…
‘…It’s difficult.’
Although he had brought together the leaders of East Asia, the actual force he could deploy was only a few hundred, or at most a few thousand.
The same goes for Pax FC.
Although it recently boasted of surpassing 100,000, it was nothing more than a sham.
Because the majority of them were people who were desperate to survive and could hardly be considered proper combatants.
The conclusion was simple.
‘…We need a well-managed, well-organized force.’
And…
There was only one person I could share this story with.
Yoo Seong-cheol, Chief of Operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
After finishing the conversation in Elvenheim, I entered the subspace portal to meet him.
“I see. That kind of thing happens in America…”
Yoo Seong-cheol nodded.
But while he agreed that sending troops to the United States was necessary, he shook his head at the idea of actually organizing a large number of troops in Korea.
“It will be difficult. The Awakened ones will not come forward.”
It’s not Korea; it’s the United States.
It was not easy for the Awakened who were desperate for survival to risk their lives.
Even if weapons or abundant food were given in return, it was the same.
Of course, there were heroes who spared no expense in protecting their people, just like the representatives of each region.
But even they…
“They have a strong tendency to prioritize their own region. Although the situation in Korea has stabilized a lot, monsters are still emerging without any particular signs.”
“What that means is…”
“Life is equal, but… everyone puts their family, friends, and colleagues first. Most Awakened people don’t go out rashly. Even if they do move, they move with their families.”
It was a completely understandable situation.
Didn’t I, too, prioritize finding my family above all else immediately after the destruction occurred?
“That’s…”
It wasn’t an easy task.
As I was deep in thought and feeling frustrated…
My eyes suddenly opened as a memory flashed before my eyes.
I spoke straight to Yoo Seong-cheol.
“That… seems like it could be completely resolved?”
“Yes?”
The key was two new unlocked abilities.
A groundbreaking use case that could put Korea under the mobile communications revolution had just occurred to me.
The first was ‘portal transport.’
You don’t have to go to subspace.
If you use the installed portal as a means of transportation, you will be able to return home immediately if something happens to your family.
Moreover, even if they were not themselves, all of Pax FC’s forces would be able to quickly gather to the location where the monster appeared.
However…
Yoo Seong-cheol pointed out one problem.
“The response will be faster, but… the bigger problem is that we don’t even know if something has happened. All communications are paralyzed nationwide. We can’t have all Koreans use walkie-talkies…”
“That’s no problem either. Just let them make a direct rescue request.”
The second was ‘Product Order.’
Unlike the shipping skill, itself did not have a separate range restriction.
It means that you can request me to order products from places far away from the portal.
What that means is…
“There’s no rule that says you have to sell only things. You sell services. For example… the ‘112 service’ needed when a monster appears, or the ‘119 service’ when someone gets hurt. And…”
There was a third.
‘Write a Review’ is an additional function of the ability.
There was no rule that only ‘reviews’ had to be written here.
“We’ll link it with the Chamber of Commerce’s messaging system so that people can actually text each other. If we work on it a little bit… it might even be possible to completely restore communications in Korea.”
Pax FC goes beyond logistics centers and looks beyond mobile carriers.
At that greedy octopus’s claws, Yoo Seong-cheol made an expression of disbelief.
“How is that possible? How on earth do people send messages?”
“It’s just impossible. But…”
It was Pax who explained it from the beginning.
In order to use the ability, a separate medium is required to transmit the information.
And, I can choose the medium myself.
So, I decided.
“…We’re going to give smartphones to people. A lot of them.”
Selling free phones in South Korea.
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