Chapter 124
Seven years was never a short amount of time.
It was enough time for a child to become an adult, and long enough for a self that had once been as frail as a sapling to grow into something vast and strong like a great tree.
Just like Damian, who now stood before Zeon.
The boy who had once been so fragile seven years ago no longer existed.
His tightly pressed lips, his unwavering gaze, his straight posture—everything about him made it clear that Damian was no longer a soft-hearted boy, but a man with firm convictions.
The problem was that Zeon had no way of knowing what those convictions were.
Unless he were a god, there was no way for him to fully understand what had brought Damian here.
Damian, who had been smiling at Zeon, finally spoke.
“Hyung! Can I ask you one thing?”
“Sure.”
“Did Lord Deioden achieve what he wanted?”
“He did.”
“Then Hieltun… isn’t something that exists in this world, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then what about Lord Deioden?”
Instead of answering, Zeon looked up at the sky.
A trace of sorrow appeared on Damian’s face.
“I figured as much. Still, since he fulfilled his life’s wish, he must have passed on in peace.”
“I suppose so.”
“How have you been, hyung?”
“I’ve just been wandering around here and there.”
“Honestly, when I look at you, the world feels pretty unfair.”
“What do you mean?”
“Some people struggle like crazy to find their path, but you just roam the desert freely like it’s your own backyard.”
“Your abilities are more than broken too. You know that.”
“I do! I’m just saying because the difference is still huge.”
Damian pouted.
“Don’t make a face that doesn’t suit you.”
“Was it that obvious?”
“Very.”
“Guess I’ve still got a long way to go. I thought I was getting pretty natural.”
“Let me ask you something too.”
“What is it?”
“Elharun.”
“….”
For a moment, Damian’s face stiffened.
As if by magic, his smile vanished completely.
“Did you find it?”
“What about you?”
“I asked first.”
“Not yet. But it won’t be long.”
“Really?”
“What about you?”
“I haven’t found it yet.”
“I figured. It’s not something that’s just lying around in plain sight.”
A cold smile spread across Damian’s face.
Zeon studied that expression carefully and asked,
“If you find it, will you tell me?”
“Of course I will, hyung. I made a promise with Lord Deioden.”
“Can I trust you on that?”
“At the very least, I always keep my promises.”
“I’ll believe you.”
This time, it was Zeon who smiled.
Damian looked at him with a strange expression.
—
By the time Zeon and Damian returned to the White Bear Caravan, Brielle had already finished shopping.
Zeon asked her,
“Did you find anything you liked?”
“Yeah… but everything was so expensive, I couldn’t buy much.”
Brielle looked a bit down.
The goods brought by the White Bear Caravan were things that were nearly impossible to obtain in Neo Seoul.
Naturally, their prices were unimaginably high.
Because of that, Brielle could only buy a few items instead of everything she wanted.
“Still, this should be enough for me to try some of the alchemy I’ve always wanted to do.”
“That’s something, at least.”
“Yeah! By the way, did things go well with Damian?”
“They did.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Yeah.”
Zeon nodded.
In his field of vision, he saw Damian speaking with a serious expression to Alexandro.
Although Alexandro was the leader of the White Bear Caravan, he was listening closely to Damian.
That alone made it clear—
who the real master of the White Bear Caravan was.
He’s grown a lot.
The problem was that he had grown too much.
On the outside, he hadn’t changed much from before, but inside, it felt like there were at least ten cunning serpents coiled within him.
Zeon shook his head slightly and said to Brielle,
“Let’s head back now.”
“Okay!”
The two of them left the fortress of the White Bear Caravan.
After they had moved a fair distance away, Brielle carefully asked,
“What kind of person is Damian?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Well… he has so many items that elves and dwarves would love. And those are all really hard to obtain.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. There were tons of things I’d never even seen back in my hometown. Especially the Blue Laurel Leaves—I’d never seen such a treasure before.”
“Blue Laurel Leaves are that valuable?”
“They’re useless to other races, but to elves, they’re incredibly precious. Just carrying them boosts vitality. There’s nothing better for enduring the harsh desert climate.”
“Sounds like something perfectly suited for elves.”
Items like that existed from time to time.
Things that had little effect on most races, but were incredibly powerful for a specific one.
The Blue Laurel Leaves seemed to be one of those.
Originally, Blue Laurels had been very common in Kurayan. But in the desertified Earth, they had become extremely rare treasures.
So rare that even Brielle’s homeland—home to High Elves—didn’t have them.
“How on earth did he get his hands on Blue Laurel Leaves? If I could, I’d kidnap him just to ask.”
“Then if Brielle feels that strongly, other elves must be even worse, right?”
“Probably. They’d all go crazy over it.”
“Hmm!”
Zeon turned his head and looked back at the fortress.
At the very top, he could see Damian watching him.
***
“I’ve never seen you take such an interest in someone before.”
“That’s because he’s a man worth that much.”
“Is that so?”
At Damian’s answer, Alexandro’s eyes gleamed.
They had known each other for a full seven years.
So he knew—
just how extraordinary Damian’s abilities and intellect were.
A Navigator.
Just as the name implied, one who guides the way.
There were countless awakened individuals in this world, but those who awakened as Navigators were extremely rare.
And even among them, someone as exceptional as Damian was rarer still.
Through exchanges with other colonies, Alexandro had come to realize something.
That Damian was absurdly talented—on an almost unbelievable level—as a Navigator.
Because of him, they were able to interact with other colonies with minimal casualties, and it was thanks to him that the White Bear Caravan had grown this much.
No matter how strong the awakened from Akutsk Colony or other places were, Damian never paid them any mind.
Today was the first time he had ever shown interest in another awakened individual—
at least since Alexandro had known him.
“A magic-type awakened?”
“Who knows. It’s hard to define… Ah, I’ll just not say anything.”
“Why? Did you swear to keep it a secret or something?”
“I owe him a debt. So I want to at least keep some basic loyalty.”
“Hmm.”
“More than anything, I don’t want to get on his bad side.”
“Is he that frightening to you?”
“…Honestly, yes. I’m afraid of him. At least on this desert, there’s no one who can match him.”
“Hmm.”
Alexandro let out a low hum.
If Damian is speaking this seriously, then he’s definitely someone to be wary of.
At that moment, a hot emotion surged up from deep within his chest.
Alexandro knew exactly what he was feeling.
It was a competitive drive.
The desire to fight—and defeat—someone strong.
Though he was now the leader of the White Bear Caravan, he was, at his core, a powerful awakened and a warrior.
When he saw someone strong, he wanted to fight them—and crush them.
Someday, I’ll get the chance to face him. For now, Damian’s matters come first.
He suppressed his competitive urge and forced himself to calm down.
Just then—
in the distance, another group could be seen approaching from Neo Seoul.
Just by their clothing and equipment, it was obvious.
They were awakened.
It seemed that groups other than Dongdaemun and Sinchon had also heard the rumors and come seeking them out.
Alexandro shouted to his subordinates,
“We have guests. Prepare to receive them!”
“Yes, sir!”
A strong response came from below.
As Alexandro was about to head down, he suddenly turned back to Damian.
“Damian!”
“Yes!”
“When should we open the fifth floor?”
“After we’ve drawn enough attention.”
“Understood. We’ll do that.”
Alexandro went down, leaving Damian alone atop the fortress.
Damian watched until Zeon completely disappeared into the slums.
***
As soon as they returned to the slums, Brielle ran straight home.
She was eager to test the alchemy using the items she had bought from the White Bear Caravan.
Zeon, on the other hand, headed for the street of stalls where old man Kleksi did business.
Even though the sun was still high in the sky, Kleksi already had his stall open.
As Zeon approached, the old man greeted him.
“What brings you out in broad daylight? You’re usually the type who only moves after sunset—what wind blew you out this early?”
“And why are you open so early? It’s not even your usual hours yet.”
“Well, it’s peak time.”
“Peak time?”
“The whole of Neo Seoul is buzzing thanks to that caravan from outside. Even the guys who never show their faces during the day are out since morning. If a merchant misses a chance like this, he might as well quit.”
“I went to see the White Bear Caravan myself, so I got up early.”
“Oh? You’ve already been there?”
Zeon didn’t miss the sharp glint in Kleksi’s eyes.
More than any organization in Neo Seoul, this old man was the one most keenly tracking the movements and information of the White Bear Caravan.
If nothing else, he had probably already mobilized Argos’ Eyes to gather intel on them.
“So? What did it look like inside, from your own eyes?”
“It’s a perfect fortress in itself.”
“A fortress?”
“Its defenses are strong enough that Dongdaemun tried something and ended up humiliating themselves.”
“Tsk. Not surprising those fanatics would try something.”
Kleksi clicked his tongue.
He had already expected as much.
What surprised him was only how quickly they had acted—and how quickly they had been exposed and embarrassed.
“They won’t give up easily. Fanatics tend to cling to something to the very end once they get obsessed.”
“The White Bear Caravan won’t go down easily either.”
“Oh? You rate them that highly?”
“I saw their strength firsthand.”
“Then I can trust that. If nothing else, your eye for things is exceptional.”
It was an acknowledgment of Zeon.
In truth, Kleksi held him in high regard.
“But you didn’t come all the way here just to eat, did you? What’s your real business?”
“If you notice any unusual movements from the White Bear Caravan, let me know.”
“Unusual movements? Do you have something in mind?”
“Just a bad feeling.”
“Hmm.”
Kleksi narrowed his eyes.
Since getting to know Zeon, this was the first time he had seen him wear such a serious expression.
That alone made his instincts uneasy.
“Fine. If I notice anything strange, I’ll inform you first.”