118 – Propose Ring (2)
[For the transfer of artifacts, the ‘Blue Merchant’ will visit your territory!]
[Remaining time: 2 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds]
As soon as Kim Hyun-woo purchased the proposal ring, a red gem disappeared in an instant, leaving only 9,200 stones. Nevertheless, Kim Hyun-woo felt an exhilarating emotion.
‘Finally, can I know…!’
The reason was that finally, Kim Hyun-woo could know the reason he had fallen into this world.
Even if he couldn’t know the truth, he smiled at the thought that he could still obtain clues now. Meanwhile, Kim Hyun-woo thought,
‘Come to think of it… why isn’t it ringing?’
Upon reflection, when one purchases a proposal ring, there is usually a commotion, and rumors spread throughout the town that the lord is planning to use a proposal ring, or in other words, a magical ring.
[For the one who purchased the proposal ring, a special gift will be prepared by the blue merchant.]
As if responding to such thoughts, an alert window appeared in Kim Hyun-woo’s mind, and he sighed softly.
In fact, he wished that there wouldn’t be a commotion like a festival.
However, at the point of purchasing the proposal ring, he was already aware that it was inevitable. So, Kim Hyun-woo shrugged his shoulders subtly.
“Then, three days later…”
When he was muttering with an expectant expression,
Clank!
“Dad!”
“…Shadra?”
Kim Hyun-woo made a puzzled expression as Shadra suddenly opened the door to the study and entered. She laughed and said,
“What Dad said, I made it!”
####
“Did my friend come?”
In the underground of the Blacksmith Guild headquarters.
Kim Hyunwoo walked towards River, who was laughing energetically, and she extended a black cuboid towards him as if she had been waiting.
“Is this the fuel?”
“Yes.”
Nodding at Hyunwoo’s question, River looked at Shadra and spoke.
“To be honest, there are still various improvement processes left, but with what Cheongtapju made, it’s possible to launch missiles.”
“How about that? Am I impressive?”
Looking at Shadra, who proudly puffed out her chest, Kim Hyunwoo gazed at the cuboid with a blank expression.
Naturally, he didn’t know how this cuboid was made.
However, the reason he was so astonished was that Shadra produced the fuel much faster than Hyunwoo originally thought.
“I never even thought the fuel would be made in the first place.”
Actually, even after hearing Shadra talk about the fuel and saying he would give it a try, Hyunwoo honestly didn’t think the fuel would be made.
Of course, Hyunwoo didn’t know much about science, but he knew that developing things like next-generation fuel was an incredibly difficult task.
“…So now, with this, can I launch missiles as I mentioned ten years ago?”
As Hyunwoo stared blankly at the cuboid and asked, River, after hesitating for a moment, replied.
“Well, to be honest, it’s possible even now.”
“Really?”
“…If we strip all the gold coins from Lartania as they are?”
At Gang’s words, Hyunwoo made a blank expression for a moment and then spoke.
“Our territory, still, there should be quite a bit of saved gold coins, right?”
“I know because my friend told me. But in the current situation, it seems difficult to make one with just that, right?”
Kim Hyun-woo involuntarily parted his lips at River’s words.
“…Even if we invest all the gold coins in Larvania, it will exceed 300,000 gold coins, and yet you say it’s not enough? We’ve already made missiles, haven’t we?”
“As I told you, my friend, the missile itself isn’t the problem. After all, the money spent on making missiles isn’t that much, it’s just that the price of the fuel… is a bit steep.”
“How much is this fuel?”
When Kim Hyun-woo asked, Shardra spoke with a slightly awkward expression this time.
“…About 30,000 gold coins each?”
“30,000, gold coins?”
At Kim Hyun-woo’s unintentional gasp, Shardra spoke with a helpless expression.
“Well, it’s the first time after all, isn’t it, Dad? I’m not omnipotent either. You should praise me for making this in less than two months, shouldn’t you?”
“Of course, I know that.”
Kim Hyun-woo, gently stroking Shardra’s head as she spoke with a slight tone of complaint, asked River.
“How much fuel is needed to launch a missile?”
“Well, naturally, it depends on how far you want to launch it at this point, doesn’t it? But even if we take the shortest route, at least 10 are needed.”
“…10 would be 300,000 gold coins?”
“Since we’ve succeeded in making them, if we adjust the mixture here and there, we might be able to lower it to 20,000 gold coins, Dad. Of course, it will take some time.”
At Shardra’s response, shaking her head slightly, Kim Hyun-woo said,
“Then, please put in a little more effort.”
“Don’t worry!”
With a confident smile, Shardra immediately rushed out of the blacksmith guild to experiment with a new mixture, leaving behind her words to Kim Hyun-woo, who was watching her.
As Kim Hyun-woo tried to move his body,
“Hey, Maengwoo.”
“Yeah?”
Kim Hyunwoo turned his head at the sound of River’s voice.
“Well, um… I’ve been working hard too, you know.”
With a subtle hint of anticipation in his reddened eyes, River turned his gaze as if expecting something. Understanding what was going on, Kim Hyunwoo nodded as if to say he got it.
Thump!
“Thanks for all your hard work, River. If there’s anything you want, just let me know. I’ll listen to everything I can within reason.”
Kim Hyunwoo said, placing his hand on River’s shoulder.
For a brief moment, he wondered if he was offering too much compensation, but he quickly dismissed the thought. In fact, considering it rationally, River was the reason why Kim Hyunwoo could defeat the Demon Legion and effectively demonstrate his power in other neighboring territories.
If anything, Kim Hyunwoo thought it was too late to offer compensation when he considered all of that. So he opened his mouth.
From Noble mtl dot com
Upon hearing Kim Hyunwoo’s words, River asked with a slightly surprised expression.
“Everything I want?”
“Well, within reason, of course.”
River’s expression became very serious, as if he was deeply thinking about something, and after contemplating several times, he asked.
“Um, can I think about this a bit? Is that okay?”
“Of course. Whenever you’re comfortable, let me know.”
“Oh, okay…!”
River’s behavior was as if he had obtained a very important opportunity.
‘…What is he going to ask for?’
In the sight of her, Kim Hyun-woo paused for a moment, then lightly nodded his head and stepped outside the guild.
“…”
He began to walk towards the Yeongjuseong, observing the countless people bustling about on the street that had rarely seen any activity until the guild was established.
####
Three days had passed since Shadra discovered the proper fuel for the missile and started its improvement.
Of course, there had been no significant communication from Shadra during those three days.
Similarly, the territory was peaceful, and the only noteworthy event was that the mercenary guild, the first to be built in Lartania Territory, was slowly nearing completion.
However, despite such peaceful circumstances, the reason why Kim Hyun-woo was spinning around in his office without even properly doing his work was because of the notification window.
[The “Blue Merchant” is coming to the territory to deliver an artifact!]
[Remaining time: 0 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes, 22 seconds]
The Blue Merchant, who had come to deliver the proposal ring, would arrive in just 20 seconds.
That’s why Kim Hyun-woo was eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Blue Merchant.
[The Blue Merchant has arrived in the territory!]
As soon as the timer reached 0 seconds, Kim Hyun-woo smiled and the newly updated notification window appeared.
Beep-beep-beep-beep!
He couldn’t help but turn his gaze towards the distant, booming sound.
“…Huh?”
Kim Hyun-woo could soon see it.
In the distance, passing through the outer gates and entering the inside, a procession of carriages led by a blue carriage, befitting the Blue Merchant, followed by several tropical carriages.
However, the reason why Kim Hyun-woo paused was not because he saw the blue carriage.
The blue carriage, though undoubtedly appearing elegant and incorporating various magical technologies, didn’t particularly stand out at first glance.
However, despite that, the reason Kim Hyunwoo found himself staring blankly at the blue carriage was the large banner hanging over it.
Even Kim Hyunwoo could see it if he squinted his eyes—a massive sign that hung above the carriage, proclaiming, “[Congratulations on the Lord’s Marriage!].”
“…Ah.”
Kim Hyunwoo felt a momentary dizziness.
