Chapter 183
Chapter 183
‘Fear . ’
Sungyoon chewed on that word after Hyunwoo left . He went over his memories, but he couldn’t find a clear instance where he had felt fear .
He lightly rubbed at his chest .
However, he couldn’t worry over it for too long . Another guest came knocking .
“Who is it?”
Emily, who had gone out to greet the guest, asked the question . The visitor was a middle-aged man who looked very fit . It seemed he had worked out a lot when he was younger .
“Is this the lodging of Jungbum?”
“Yes . That's correct . ”
“Then you must be Ms . Emily Ross . ”
Wariness appeared in Emily’s eyes .
The middle-aged man then took out a business card .
“This is who I work for . ”
Emily’s eyes turned round when she read the business card .
The consulate general of Russia had come calling .
“May I enter?”
“P . . . please wait a moment . ”
Emily quickly went inside . It seemed she wanted to discuss the next steps with her party members .
The Consulate General was well at ease as he waited .
He didn't have to wait long . The door opened once again, and a large man appeared from within the building . Tim invited him inside .
“Please come in . ”
“Please excuse me . ”
The Consulate General entered the house .
He did a quick scan of his surroundings . It wasn’t that great of a house .
This building was suitable for Connectors affiliated with a middle-tier company . But the Consulate General hadn't expected London’s Knight to reside in such a house .
Sungyoon and his party greeted him . The Consulate General’s gaze remained on Sungyoon for a brief moment .
This was the second time today that Sungyoon had to prepare a beverage for his guest . He served the coffee and sat down across the Consulate General . Sungyoon then looked at him as if trying to discern why the man had come here .
“What brings you here?”
Sungyoon didn’t bother with diplomatic rhetoric in order to put the other man at ease and went straight to the point . However, it seemed the Consulate General didn’t mind this approach . He revealed why he had come here .
“We would like to scout you, Mr . Woo . ”
Grace, who had been sitting next to Sungyoon, sucked in her breath .
Sungyoon responded calmly .
“Are you asking me to go to your country and become naturalized?”
“I could ask for nothing more if you would do that . However, you have turned down similar offers from England and other countries . I doubt you’ll go along with such a request . ”
“Then what are you asking of me?”
“You probably know this, but we are building a new Lunar city . ”
Sungyoon nodded .
“We would like you to move your base of operation from Armstrong to our city . ”
“You're aiming for a publicity stunt . ”
Grace spoke .
The violence that had broken out in Armstrong had allowed China and Russia to smoothly launch their plan for building a new Lunar city .
However, it wasn’t enough . Since their city was still new, it needed an advantage over Armstrong . In such a situation, Sungyoon was a chess piece that sounded very attractive, for he was currently the most famous Connector on Earth .
If he moved his base of operations to the new Lunar city, its promotional effect on the city would shoot up through the roof .
It seemed the Consulate General had no intention of hiding their plan .
“That’s right . Of course, you’ll be compensated for the move . ”
The Consulate General then looked around the house in an exaggerated manner . It was clear that he was assessing the house .
“You're living in a small house compared to your fame . I’m sure Armstrong is charging an exorbitant amount for you to rent this place out . ”
He then let out a bright smile .
“First, we will gift you a house in our city . It’ll be your house . You don't have to pay rent to the city . In fact, you can rent out the place if you so desire . Of course, the house will be several dozen times better than this place . ”
It was a surprising offer . In Armstrong, there were no real estate transactions . One could only rent .
The offer didn’t end there .
“Moreover, we will allow you to invest in the city . Honestly speaking, many parties are interested in investing in the city that we will build . They have smelled the opportunity to make money . Countries, companies, and wealthy individuals are constantly calling us about investing in the city . However, we can’t allow everyone to invest . An investment means rights to a part of the city . Every additional investment means we lose part of the pie . However, we are willing to let you become a shareholder . ”
Basically, Sungyoon would be given the opportunity to buy a stake in the city . It meant he would be part of a group like the one that ruled Armstrong . He would be one of the higher-ups in the second Lunar city .
‘I’m sure they won’t sell me enough to have a great influence in the city . ’
However, Sungyoon would gain many rights and interests through that move . The Moon only had two cities, and Sungyoon could get a piece of the action in one of the cities . It was a very lucrative offer .
“I’m going to be honest . It isn’t an exaggeration to say that the Connectors are exploited by Armstrong city . This city doesn’t properly appreciate the abilities of Connectors . They do not appreciate the sacrifices you make . The reason they can do that is simple . They have no competition . If Connectors want to improve their status, the second city needs to be a success . It’ll allow connectors to gain leverage . ”
‘He’s coming at it from a logical point of view . ’
Many Connectors were unsatisfied with how Amstrong treated them .
In some ways, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call the newly built city a land of opportunity for the Connectors .
“Of course, we’ll allow Korea to make a significant amount of investments into the city . Korea was late coming into raiding the labyrinths . That's why they do not have many rights within Armstrong . We are well aware of this fact . ”
‘He is trying to tap into my patriotism . ’
It seemed the Consulate General had made a significant amount of preparation for this meeting . However, Sungyoon shook his head from side to side .
“I'm thankful for the offer, but I’ll have to turn it down . ”
“May I know the reason behind your decision?”
As expected of an experienced diplomat, he was calm with his question .
“I have to clear the Great Labyrinth of Armstrong . ”
“We discovered another Great Labyrinth near where our city will be built . ”
“It can't be that Great Labyrinth . It has to be the Great Labyrinth of Armstrong . ”
The Consulate General’s expression didn’t change when Sungyoon gave a firm answer . However, he thought this was a debacle .
He had observed Sungyoon’s words and expression and discerned the great resolve behind Sungyoon’s words . It would be very difficult to change his mind .
Sungyoon didn’t budge even when money, honor, and patriotism were all mentioned . It seemed he wanted something that could be only offered by Armstrong’s Great Labyrinth .
The Consulate General's superiors had put in a lot of effort in order to scout Sungyoon . He sighed at the thought of having to explain his failure .
“That really is too bad . But if you change your mind, please contact us . ”
The Consulate General handed his business card to Sungyoon . Then he looked at the rest of the party .
“I’ve only been speaking to Mr . Woo until now, but the offer is valid to all of you . Would any of you like to join us?”
The first one to shake his head from side to side was Tim .
“We're Sungyoon’s party . ”
Tim almost worshipped Sungyoon . There was no way he would leave him .
It was the same for Emily . She nodded to indicate that she felt the same way as Tim .
There was only one person left . When the Consulate General’s gaze landed on Grace, she smiled .
“Do you really think I’ll agree to join you?”
“Not at all . ”
The Consulate General stood up .
“It has been nice meeting you . Our offer will always remain open . If you are interested, please contact us at any time . I’ll leave with this warning . The profit you can gain from this deal diminishes as time passes . ”
As a last-ditch effort, he gave a little threat before leaving .
***
After they entertained two separate guests, Sungyoon’s party headed toward the Beginner’s Labyrinth .
Since they had acquired high-rank Gems, they had to familiarize themselves with the new Gems before going into the Great Labyrinth .
However, they couldn’t gain entry into the Beginner’s Labyrinth .
A large steel fence had been erected in front of the entrance, and several people guarded it .
Some Connectors complained to the guards about not being able to enter the Beginner’s Labyrinth .
“… We should have expected this . Of course they would seal it off considering what happened . ”
Sungyoon mumbled .
What if some idiot messed with the labyrinth again? Armstrong would be razed to the ground once again .
Moreover, they now had a rival city, whose slogan said that they were the safer city .
Still, this action by Armstrong city felt a bit too little, too late .
The guards shouted at the Connectors that they were making a new Beginner’s Labyrinth outside the city . They told the Connectors to be patient .
“What should we do? Should we go to the Great Labyrinth? Or should we go to one of our Personal Labyrinths?”
Grace asked for Sungyoon’s opinion .
“Let’s immediately head toward the Great Labyrinth . We can experiment a little bit in the grasslands . ”
“Do you think they shuttered the Great Labyrinth too?”
“There is no way they would do that . ”
Sungyoon allayed Emily’s worries .
“The Beginner’s Labyrinth can be replicated in other labyrinths . But there can be no replacement for the Great Labyrinth for Armstrong city . In fact, they might encourage Connectors to go to the Great Labyrinth instead, because it might help them find answers to the mysteries of the labyrinths . ”
“Then let’s hurry up and go!”
Tim snorted like an impatient horse and a child who had acquired new toys . He really wanted to test out the powers of his newly-acquired Gems .
“Let’s do that . ”
Sungyoon's party turned around and walked straight toward the Great Labyrinth .
***
The green grassland and the blue skies were the hallmarks of the 1st floor of the Great Labyrinth . However, this beautiful scenery was home to some monsters . These hidden monsters were a great threat to the safety of Connectors .
However, these very monsters were being rolled at that moment .
Kah-ahk!
The Brutal Worm flew through the air with its creepy mouth open . It was targeting Tim .
“Ha-ahhhhht!”
Tim took it head-on as he roughly swung his shield .
Kwahhhng!
Kwehhhhk!
The Brutal Worm’s body was sent flying . Tim had never displayed such immense strength before .
“Ms . Grace!”
Sungyoon called out . Grace turned her head and saw five Mad Dogs running toward the party in the distance .
She raised her staff .
Kwahhhhhng!
An enormous explosion erupted between the Mad Dogs . Intense heat burned the grassland, and the blackened remains of the Mad Dogs were sent flying into the surroundings .
This spell was the Flame magic that Grace liked to use . But her activation speed had now become twice as fast, and the power of her spell had also doubled .
Duhp-suhk!
A Brutal Worm used this opportunity to bite Tim’s leg . However, its teeth couldn’t penetrate Tim's newly-acquired armor .
Kwah-doohk!
Tim stepped on the head of the Brutal Worm, which let out a scream as it fell back . Tim’s ax chased after it and split apart the Brutal Worm’s face .
“Ha! This is amazing!”
Tim used his foot to tap at the region where the Brutal Worm had tried to bite .
It had been a monster that resided within the Great Labyrinth that bit the armor, yet nothing had happened . Tim was normally the shield of his party, so he was extremely satisfied with the result .
However, someone else became dissatisfied with his action .
“Do you have a death wish!”
Emily hit her brother with her staff .
However, Tim’s armor was too sturdy . Of course, the staff wouldn’t work against the armor .
Tim grinned as he answered her .
“I have to see how sturdy this armor is . Also, if I did lose my leg, you can reattach it again . ”
Emily had acquired a very powerful healing Gem .
It was as Tim had said . The new Gem's healing ability was so powerful that Emily could reattach or regrow a limb if she wanted to .
“It isn’t something that should be used lightly! I can use it only a couple of times, and the cooldown is really long!”
As expected of a powerful healing Gem, there were onerous restrictions to the Gem .
Sungyoon watched the siblings bicker with each other . Then he turned to look at Grace .
“How was it, Ms . Grace?”
“The power of my spell was greatly enhanced, and the activation speed became faster too . It really is good . ”
Jean Fajardo was a close-range fighter, so his Gems were optimized towards close-range combat, healing magic, and support magic that boosted his healing magic .
Tim had picked the Gems related to close-range combat . Emily had bought the Gems related to healing . And Grace had purchased the magic support Gem that Jean had used to boost his healing magic .
Everyone was satisfied with how the Gems were distributed .
Since they were now well acquainted with their newly-acquired Gems, they no longer needed to stay in the grasslands .
“Well, everyone . . . ”
Sungyoon swept his gaze over his party .
“Let’s break through the plateau this time . ”
His party members nodded in a confident manner .