Chapter 345

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Chapter 345: Affiliated Businesses (1)

Affiliated Businesses.

A venue that installs public execution platforms for weddings?

Jiseon couldn’t help but be astonished.

— What kind of people live there…?

Unconsciously, she found herself looking up at the sky.

— ...

For the first time, she thought she might understand her son a little better—the crazy boy who spent every free moment staring at the sky.

But even so…

“Oh, really? So you can set up different tiers for the guest seats as well?”

She doubted she’d ever fully understand her son, especially when he said things like this without a hint of shame.

“Like first class for the biggest cash gifts, second class for the next tier, and if a new top donor arrives, the current first class gets bumped down to second class, and second to third!”

As Yeongwoo enthusiastically described his ideal seating arrangements, Kubu blinked slowly, expressing his disapproval in silence.

— That’s something you should discuss further with the affiliated business.

He then turned his gaze back toward the north.

He was once again surveying Gwangjin District, where the wedding venue was to be set up.

— We’ll summon the installation team to Gwangjin District. However…

“…However?”

— Since Metal Seoul’s city level is currently at ‘3,’ the mayor’s approval is required for any external access.

“Oh?”

This was unexpected.

For the first time, they now had a say in whether external forces could enter.

“Wow… So at level 3, we can start regulating access.”

Of course, major forces like Dogo, Mara, and Lemu could still come and go as they pleased, but it was a start.

It was just a tiny sliver of autonomy, but compared to before, it was a significant step forward.

“This is about city-level access, though, not planetary access, right?”

When Yeongwoo asked this, Kubu answered immediately, as if it wasn’t a difficult question.

— That’s correct.

In other words, other areas outside of Metal Seoul remained open to external forces.

At this, Yeongwoo turned to his mother and said:

“Now do you understand why Metal Seoul must become Earth’s new capital?”

— …You crazy brat, I haven’t said a word yet.

Jiseon shuddered.

Then, noticing the abandoned armor lying nearby, she turned to Yeongwoo.

— Isn’t that one of your spoils of war? Don’t forget to take it with you.

“Oh.”

Prompted by his mother’s remark, Yeongwoo suddenly remembered Tsushima.

The battlefield where he had left behind the Strongest Swords and his brothers.

“Lord Bang.”

— Speak.

“Now that the immediate crisis is resolved, you should return to Tsushima. That war needs to be wrapped up as well.”

At this, Lord Bang tilted his head and looked at Yeongwoo.

— What about you? Are you saying you’re not returning to the battlefield?

“I plan to return before the war ends, but…”

Yeongwoo’s gaze drifted northward again.

After all, planning his parents’ wedding was as important as the war on Tsushima.

“First, I need to check on the wedding venue.”

— ...I see.

Lord Bang couldn’t hide his disappointment at the war being relegated to second place.

Yeongwoo, noticing this, tried to soothe him by adding:

“When you return, there should be equipment left behind by the Lemu faction. You and the brothers can divide it among yourselves.”

He was referring to Lemu’s combat robots and the laser swords distributed to Japanese swordsmen.

“I’m sure the Japanese side brought some of their own gear as well. Discuss it with the Strongest Swords and distribute it accordingly.”

Not that there would be much.

Given that fighting naked was a baseline requirement for the war, personal equipment was mostly limited to accessories.

— And you? Don’t you need anything?

When Lord Bang asked this, Yeongwoo thought for a moment before replying simply.

“If there’s any equipment resistant to abilities or that mitigates damage, I’d like that.”

Though he didn’t have high hopes.

Equipment like that had a low drop rate.

It was far more likely that Yechan, currently traveling the world to deliver wedding invitations while networking with merchants, would find such equipment.

‘I hope Yechan comes back alive and well.’

As Yeongwoo thought this, another idea came to him, and he called out to Lord Bang again.

“Lord Bang.”

— What now?

Lord Bang, who had been heading toward the tower, turned back.

“The Strongest Swords’ equipment is stored at the upper levels of Tsushima’s tower.”

— That makes sense.

“And you have administrative control over the transport routes, don’t you?”

— I do.

“You might not realize this yet.”

— What do you mean?

“If you lock the transport routes before the war ends and demand money from the Strongest Swords, you could extract a significant amount. You could then use that money to power Darwin’s dimensional gate and rescue more of your brothers.”

In simpler terms, he was suggesting holding the equipment at the top of the tower hostage to extort money from the Seoul Alliance.

— ...Little Foot.

As expected, Lord Bang gave Yeongwoo a scolding look, as if addressing a misbehaving child.

— You seem to accumulate karma with every breath you take.

“They used to pay protection fees daily anyway. But now, since I’m not charging them, their situation has actually improved. They’re rich, trust me.”

In Yeongwoo’s view, taking a little now wouldn’t hurt.

Moreover, activating the dimensional gate would let him strengthen his void fragments, effectively killing two birds with one stone.

It was, in essence, embezzling Seoul’s assets.

But there was no way Lord Bang would use such cunning tactics.

— If it’s truly justifiable, you do it yourself.

“I can’t. I’m the mayor of Seoul—I can’t exploit my own citizens.”

The mayor’s actions could always come back to haunt him during election campaigns.

But his brothers were different.

Even though they had gained control of Seoul’s Guro District and were effectively citizens of Seoul, they weren’t public officials.

“Think of the brothers still left on your home planet.”

— My brothers wouldn’t want to survive by oppressing others for their money.

“The Strongest Swords aren’t weaklings, Lord Bang.”

— The strong don’t get extorted. Which means the only one here who isn’t weak is you, Little Foot.

Lord Bang then silently looked at Dragon Song Jiseon.

It was as if his gaze was saying that Jiseon, forced to accept a wedding involving an execution platform, was also a victim in her own right.

— M-Master…

Jiseon, impressed by the Orc Lord's profound insight, unconsciously muttered the title "Master," while Bantubangtong began walking toward the tower again.

-To my eyes, Mara also seems like someone who pays back debts no matter what. Does that mean Mara, too, possesses a sense of 'justice'?

“……!”

-I still don’t quite understand what ‘justice’ is. It seems you don’t fully understand it either, so keep pondering.

Finally, Lord Bang reached the lower levels of the tower.

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He stepped beyond the widely arching outer wall and informed Yeongwoo:

-Today, I will not draw my sword twice.

This meant he would not extort money from the top swordsmen after the war ended but instead let them go.

Yeongwoo couldn’t help but admire him and bowed deeply to send Bantubangtong off with respect.

“I will have to think deeply about this. I respect the Master’s will.”

As Bantubangtong entered the tower, his body ascended to the heavens, glowing with light. Witnessing this, Jiseon slowly approached her son and spoke.

—You’re the only garbage in this city.

“People who don’t bring wedding gifts are garbage too. Let’s go build the execution platform.”

* * *

Gwangjin District.

The official battleground of Seoul as designated by Metal Seoul Mayor Jeong Yeongwoo and also the wedding venue for Yeongwoo's parents.

A place where even beings from the higher echelons of the universe might attend was, for now, literally an empty wasteland.

—How do you even set up a wedding venue here?

Jiseon looked over the desolate Gwangjin District landscape and asked, to which Yeongwoo habitually looked to the sky.

“Nothing’s impossible in the universe. I think setting it up will take less than 10 seconds if the configuration is ready in advance.”

—But the venue you’re setting up isn’t a normal one, is it?

“If there’s a related business, doesn’t that mean someone has done a similar task before?”

Saying this, Yeongwoo glanced at Kubu, who was blinking nearby.

The pitiful administrative agent closed his eyelids, then gave a report instead of a direct response.

–The installation company has arrived and is requesting entry into the city. Shall I allow it?

Though still invisible, the wedding hall company was waiting for permission to open its gates somewhere beyond the sky.

Yeongwoo nodded.

“Yes, let them in. But only allow entry into the Gwangjin District.”

When Yeongwoo added this condition, Kubu blinked a few more times and reported:

–The affiliated business has been granted access to Gwangjin District.

At almost the same moment, a small black hole appeared in the sky, and from it, something resembling a rusty monkey wrench shot out.

Shreeeeek!

As the object quickly grew in size, it became evident it was some sort of spacecraft.

—What is that?

Watching the suspicious vessel, Jiseon voiced the ominous question.

The crude-looking object was heading straight for the wedding venue.

Yeongwoo, knowing that the appearance of a vessel often reflects the nature of its occupants, had a gut feeling.

“No matter how you look at it, that’s not a wedding company.”

When Yeongwoo looked to Kubu for clarification, Kubu blinked his large eyes and replied:

–The venue for the ceremony must fulfill the mandatory requirements set by the family court.

Kubu explained that as long as the stage for exchanging gifts, seating for the guests, and an outer wall of a certain specification were in place, the physical form of the wedding venue would suffice.

“So? Then as long as it meets those requirements and we add an execution platform or two, there’s no problem, right?”

When Yeongwoo demanded further clarification, Kubu’s eyelids trembled slightly.

–Typically, the ‘additional structures’ for ceremonies include thrones for special guests or devices to harmonize with planetary atmospheres.

“So, are you saying my requested execution platform doesn’t qualify as an ‘additional structure’?”

When Yeongwoo asked, Kubu answered him head-on for the first time.

–That’s correct!

“What?”

–I judged that the requested ‘additional structure’ cannot be installed through the ceremony service provider.

“…Huh?”

Something wasn’t adding up.

If that’s the case, what exactly was the company descending from the sky?

Swoosh.

“Then what is that? Didn’t you say it was an affiliated business?”

When Yeongwoo pointed to the sky, the strange vessel crashed into the northern part of Gwangjin District.

Boom!

It was more of a crash than a landing, and Kubu blinked rapidly as he spoke.

–Quaya’s Hammer.

“Quaya’s Hammer?”

–A prison construction company.

“What?!”

This guy hadn’t summoned a wedding-affiliated business; he’d brought in a company for execution platforms.

“Is this guy insane?”

As Earth’s absolute martial master, Yeongwoo gaped in astonishment.

But Kubu added even more shocking details as if prepared for this moment.

–Regardless of the process, as long as the mandatory requirements are met, the venue will be officially recognized. So, if you use them, it’s theoretically possible to build a wedding venue with an execution platform.

“……”

Indeed, one is influenced by the company they keep.

Yeongwoo had to admit that his dark energy had seeped into Kubu as well.

“That’s a brilliant idea. Let’s do it.”

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