Chapter 119
The leaders of the caravan entered Neo Seoul under Logan and the Awakeners’ escort, passing through the slums.
News of their arrival quickly spread throughout all of Neo Seoul.
“A caravan?”
“Yes, sir.”
At Kim Jaekyung’s report, Johan’s eyes gleamed sharply.
Neo Seoul was now in a festive mood at the news that a caravan had made contact for the first time in years.
It wasn’t just Neo Seoul—the people in the slums felt the same.
Caravans brought goods unique to their regions for trade. It was certain their wagons were filled with items never before seen in Neo Seoul.
“How valuable are the goods they brought?”
“We haven’t confirmed yet. The mammoth refused to enter Neo Seoul and stopped…”
“Because of the anti-magic force.”
“Yes. It’s only because it’s such a massive mammoth that it managed to approach this close. If it were a smaller species, it would’ve stopped dozens of kilometers away.”
“Hm! That makes sense.”
Johan pushed up the glasses slipping down his nose and looked out the window.
Beyond the high wall, the city hall building was visible.
“They’ve probably entered city hall by now.”
“Yes.”
“This is a meeting after decades. If it were an ordinary caravan, they wouldn’t have made it this far. They must have brought extremely valuable goods.”
Behind his glasses, Johan’s eyes glinted ominously.
No matter what goods the caravan had brought, they wouldn’t make their way into the slums.
Even if they did, it would be much later.
Johan wanted to confirm the cargo immediately—and if possible, make it his own.
“Find a way to contact the caravan.”
“Yes, sir.”
“If possible, brainwash someone at the leadership level.”
“Understood.”
Kim Jaekyung nodded.
Johan muttered,
“An unexpected variable has appeared at a completely unforeseen moment.”
Johan preferred perfectly controlled situations.
He hated unpredictable variables like this.
“Others will be moving quickly as well.”
This was the first meeting with another colony in decades.
Not just Mayor Jin Geumho, but the rulers of each district within Neo Seoul would surely be making their moves.
Not only the caravan’s goods, but also the route they traveled, the state of the desert, and the distribution of magical beasts—every piece of information would become power.
And that power could be strong enough to completely shake the balance of authority within Neo Seoul.
None of the powerholders would miss this opportunity.
“If I fall behind here, I’ll never catch up to them. To advance into Neo Seoul, I must get my hands on that caravan no matter what.”
The White Bear Caravan that entered Neo Seoul consisted of seven members.
All of them wore their robes’ hoods pulled low, hiding their faces.
Logan tried to sneak glances at them, but ultimately couldn’t gather any useful information.
He escorted the caravan members into city hall.
Though he had carried out many missions in Neo Seoul, this was his first time entering city hall.
Because of that, Logan’s face was stiff with tension.
Perhaps because news of the caravan had already spread, they were allowed through the main gate without any procedures.
When they reached the first-floor lobby—
“You must be the White Bear Caravan from the Yakutsk Colony. Nice to meet you. I’m Seo Taeran, the mayor’s secretary.”
A beautiful woman in a tight-fitting red outfit greeted them.
Her neatly combed blonde hair, not a strand out of place, along with her sharp nose and strong yet elegant gaze, made her resemble a goddess from ancient Northern Europe.
She was Seo Taeran, a martial-type Awakener and secretary to Mayor Jin Geumho.
Though she maintained a polite attitude, there was an undeniable confidence and cold aura about her.
Gulp.
The moment Logan saw her, he swallowed dryly.
As a fellow Awakener, he could sense her strength.
He couldn’t determine her exact rank, but he knew she was at least stronger than him.
The goosebumps running down his back and neck confirmed it.
At that moment, a particularly large man stepped forward from among the White Bear Caravan members and removed his hood.
His true face was revealed.
Though bald down to the crown, his fierce impression, piercing eyes, and deeply set gaze resembled a violent brown bear. His tightly shut lips exuded powerful determination.
He introduced himself.
“Nice to meet you. I am Alexandro Purtchenko, the master of the White Bear Caravan.”
“So you are Master Purtchenko. We sincerely welcome your visit to Neo Seoul.”
“Please, call me Alexandro. Thank you for your warm welcome.”
“It’s only natural—we haven’t had visitors in years. Could you introduce the others as well?”
“Ah, these are the Awakeners who protect our caravan. Remove your hoods and greet them.”
“Yes!”
At his command, all the Awakeners removed their hoods.
Their presence was as formidable as Alexandro’s.
Seo Taeran examined them one by one, but her gaze stopped at the last man.
He had a completely different aura from the others.
While the rest had sturdy builds and strong impressions reminiscent of white bears, the last man was slender with refined features.
Rather than a rugged man, he looked more like a handsome youth.
Curiosity flickered in Seo Taeran’s eyes.
“Is he also an Awakener?”
“Yes. Personally, he is my nephew.”
“I see. May I know your name?”
“My name is Demian.”
The Awakener answered directly.
His voice was as pleasant as his appearance.
Seo Taeran smiled.
“Then I’ll call you Mr. Demian.”
“You can just call me Demian.”
“Alright, Demian. Welcome to Neo Seoul. Now, shall we go meet the mayor? He’s been waiting for your arrival.”
Seo Taeran led Alexandro’s group into the elevator.
Whirr—
The elevator swiftly carried them to the top floor of city hall.
Alexandro let out a gasp of admiration.
“Ha! Neo Seoul has surpassed the technology from before the collapse. Truly remarkable.”
“It’s all thanks to the mayor’s efforts.”
“He must be an extraordinary man.”
“Yes! He’s an incredible man. Without him, Neo Seoul as it is today wouldn’t exist.”
“Our Yakutsk Colony is barely managing to defend against magical beast attacks. We couldn’t even dream of achieving such advanced civilization. I’d like to meet the mayor as soon as possible and learn his secret.”
“You’ll get your chance soon. Just beyond this door.”
The elevator opened, and the door to the mayor’s office appeared before them.
Seo Taeran gently knocked on the door and said,
“I’ve brought the master of the White Bear Caravan.”
“Let them in.”
“Yes!”
With Jin Geumho’s permission, Seo Taeran opened the door.
Beyond it, standing against the backdrop of a large window pouring in light, was Jin Geumho.
Seo Taeran turned to Alexandro.
“Please, go in.”
“Thank you.”
Alexandro nodded and stepped into the mayor’s office.
Just as the escorting Awakeners tried to follow, Seo Taeran blocked their way.
“Only Master Alexandro may enter the mayor’s office. The rest of you will have to wait here.”
“That’s unacceptable.”
“We are the ones who protect the master. We cannot be separated.”
The Awakeners raised their voices angrily.
Their presence was like that of enraged bears.
Despite their threatening demeanor, Seo Taeran’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.
Still smiling, she replied,
“It’s the rule of the mayor’s office. Only one person may meet the mayor at a time. Since you’ve come to Neo Seoul, I’d appreciate it if you respected its rules.”
“How can we trust Neo Seoul and leave our master alone?”
“Then you’re free to turn back.”
“What?”
Her words immediately provoked them.
They looked ready to shove her aside and force their way in.
At that moment, the slender young man—Demian—spoke.
“Brothers!”
As if by magic, the Awakeners stopped their threatening actions.
Demian continued,
“Do you really think the mayor of Neo Seoul would harm our master? Let’s just wait here for him to come out.”
“…Hmph.”
“Fine. Let’s do that.”
Watching the fierce Awakeners calm down so suddenly, Seo Taeran thought to herself,
“So the real center of this group is that boy, Demian. No wonder he felt different.”
***
The White Bear Caravan set up camp in the middle of the desert, far from Neo Seoul.
The cargo wagons the mammoth had dragged all the way from Yakutsk were made of special materials—lightweight yet durable, and incredibly tall.
Arranged in a circle and stacked in five layers, they formed a fortress.
This was one of the caravan’s secrets to surviving in the desert.
With such a structure, they could safely protect their people even from attacks by magical beasts.
Because the wagons were so large and high, it was impossible to see what was happening inside from the outside.
As a result, everything remained shrouded in mystery—the number of people, how many Awakeners there were, and what goods were being carried.
After staring at the camp for a while, Brielle asked Zeon,
“Have you ever been to Yakutsk?”
“No.”
Zeon shook his head.
Over the past seven years, he had traveled to quite a few colonies. However, his travels had mostly been concentrated in the south and east of Neo Seoul.
He hadn’t had time to go west, and the north was simply too far to attempt.
In fact, today was the first time he had even learned that a colony existed in Yakutsk.
Yakutsk, once the capital of the Sakha Republic in Russia’s Far East, was known for its extreme cold, with winter temperatures dropping to minus fifty degrees Celsius.
It was an environment nearly impossible for humans to live in—but paradoxically, that was precisely why people had managed to survive and build a colony there.
Russia and the Yakutsk region had also turned into desert, but the temperature was different. Being far north of Neo Seoul, it was much colder.
Thanks to that, many people survived and were able to gather their strength to build a colony.
“They must have had quite a capable leader. Even with better conditions than Neo Seoul, establishing a colony wouldn’t have been easy.”
For a moment, Zeon wondered who the leader of the Yakutsk Colony might be.
But he soon lost interest.
From experience, getting too deeply involved with other colonies had never ended well.
Keeping a certain distance was always more comfortable.
“Let’s head back.”
“Already?”
Brielle looked disappointed at Zeon’s words.
Zeon smiled.
“If you’re curious, you can stay and watch.”
“Really?”
“Just don’t get too close. They may look calm, but mammoths are ferocious magical beasts. If it goes berserk, the slums could be wiped out.”
“Okay!”
Brielle nodded energetically.
Zeon watched her for a moment, then turned away.
The streets were filled with people who had come out to see the caravan.
It had been a long time since such an unusual spectacle had appeared, and it stirred the curiosity of the slum residents.
In their eyes, as they looked at the fortress-like structure in the distance, various desires flickered.
Zeon clicked his tongue softly.
“So Brielle isn’t the problem.”
Desire was the driving force that moved people.
Good desires could lead to growth—but misguided ones could bring not only oneself but also those around them to ruin.
Zeon had seen it happen countless times.
He only hoped that this time would be different.