Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert - Chapter 157
Sand Mage Of The Burnt Desert Chapter 157
Episode 157
The mayor’s office where Jin Geum-ho conducted public affairs was on the fiftieth floor, the top floor of the city hall.
The elevator carrying Jeon and Seo Tae-ran moved to the fiftieth floor without a sound.
I don’t think it was even ten seconds since I got on the elevator, but I was already on the fiftieth floor.
“Please get off.”
Seo Tae-ran got off first and Jeon followed.
As soon as I got off the elevator, the spacious interior of the office came into view.
The wide, unobstructed window made the viewer’s eyes feel refreshed.
A middle-aged man stood against the background of a large glass window.
Hair combed neatly without a single hair out of place, and stubble under the nose and on the chin. And there was nothing about it that wasn’t stylish, including the tight-fitting suit.
That person was Jin Geum-ho, the mayor of Neo Seoul.
Jin Geum-ho said with a faint smile.
“Nice to meet you. Jingeum Holse, the market of Neo Seoul.”
“This is Xeon. nice to meet you.”
“Welcome. “Welcome to Neo Seoul.”
“thank you.”
Jeon bowed his head and greeted Jin Geumho.
The opponent was a legendary figure who built a huge city on a ruined land.
If it weren’t for him, the people of this land would not have escaped medieval civilization like other colonies.
He and Deioden took the lead in establishing Neo Seoul, and thanks to them, humanity was able to regain its former civilization.
For his accomplishments alone, Jin Geum-ho was a man worthy of respect.
Jin Geum-ho’s face as he greeted Zeon was full of composure.
“There’s a lot I want to talk about, so please take a seat.”
“yes!”
Jeon did not hesitate and sat down across from Jin Geum-ho.
“What to drink?”
“Water will do.”
“I will prepare.”
Seo Tae-ran immediately went to get water.
“I heard you live in the slums. “What is it like there?”
“It’s worth staying.”
“okay?”
“It’s comfortable because it’s where I originally lived.”
“That could be possible.”
Jin Geum-ho shook his head in response to Zeon’s answer.
Jin Geum-ho treated Jeon comfortably.
He looked unassuming, uncharacteristic of a Neo-Seoul leader. However, Zeon was not fooled by Jin Geum-ho’s appearance.
“I heard you are a sand wizard.”
“I was lucky enough to awaken as a sand wizard.”
“Luck also comes when you have the will and ability.”
“Thank you for your high opinion.”
Zeon answered with a relaxed expression.
Jin Geum-ho looked interested in seeing Jeon like that.
Everyone gets nervous when they see themselves.
No matter how comfortable you are, the pressure the other person feels is never small.
Even if he did not put special pressure on the opponent or show any force, the opponent who faced Jin Geum-ho could not help but feel intimidated.
The same was true of Danju Alexandro of the White Bear Caravan whom we most recently encountered.
However, Jeon, who was relatively young, showed no signs of being intimidated even when facing Jin Geum-ho.
The faint smile on his lips and confident eyes reminded Jin Geum-ho of someone.
“You remind me of my friend.”
“A friend?”
“I have an old friend. “You and he have different looks and vibes, but there are some similarities.”
“is that so? “Can you tell me who your friend is?”
“Deioden! His name is Deioden. The man who was my only friend and competitor. “Without him, we wouldn’t have been able to rebuild Neo Seoul.”
“Where is your friend…?”
“You’re gone!”
“Where do you mean?”
“I don’t know either. “One day he left here and was never seen again.”
“Your friend’s name is Deioden?”
“That’s right. “It’s a name you can never forget once you hear it.”
There was a subtle smile on Jin Geum-ho’s lips as he mentioned Deioden.
I couldn’t tell if his smile was because he really missed Deioden or if he was trying to deceive.
Deioden said this about Jin Geum-ho:
– Although he is sneaky, he is still someone you can trust and rely on when you are on the same side.
While Deioden faced the demonic beast from the front, Jin Geum-ho supported him from the rear.
While fighting against demonic beasts for decades, the walls of Neo Seoul were built.
Although they later had a falling out, Deioden still did not blame Jin Geum-ho.
Jin Geum-ho said.
“Why? Even though your temperament and appearance are so different, the reason why I am reminded of that friend when I look at you is…”
“I don’t know.”
“I’m sorry. “For no reason, I invited a precious guest and only talked about absurd things.”
“no.”
“Thank you!”
“yes?”
“Didn’t you stop the Balrog? “Thanks to you, we were able to prevent the damage.”
“If the Balrog runs rampant, my house is just starting to fall apart.”
“Anyway, thanks to that, the entire slum was safe. “If the slums had collapsed, Neo Seoul would have suffered great damage.”
Jin Geum-ho’s words were full of affection for Neo Seoul.
Although the slums were mentioned, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was just a ritual.
What was important to Jin Geum-ho was not the slums but Neo-Seoul.
The slums were merely breakwaters to protect Neo Seoul.
Jin Geum-ho asked.
“What do you plan to do now?”
“What do you mean?”
“There will be quite a few places contacting you, but have you decided which one to join?”
“I haven’t done it yet.”
“I thought so.”
“Why did you think that?”
“Didn’t I say you look like my friend? A person with that kind of eyes and temperament will never fall under someone else. So that’s what I assumed.”
“I think you overestimate me.”
“Don’t you really underestimate the sand wizard profession?”
Jin Geum-ho got up from his seat and approached the window.
I could see a gorgeous view of Neo Seoul beyond the large window. However, Jin Geum-ho’s gaze was not towards Neo Seoul, but towards the endless desert beyond the castle walls.
“It’s barely like this.”
“yes?”
“This is the only land of man that I have worked hard to obtain all my life. “No matter how hard we tried, we could not secure any more land suitable for human habitation.”
Although it was gorgeous, Neo Seoul was not that big.
As many as ten million people live in such a small area of land. Including the slums, more than 20 million people live together in this small city.
Several attempts were made to expand the city, but they all failed.
“Outside this city is the territory of demonic beasts. The farther away you are, the more powerful demonic beasts inhabit it. It is impossible to expand human territory there. At least for ordinary awakened people. But you are different. “With your abilities, you can expand the human realm beyond this.”
Jin Geum-ho turned around and looked at Zeon.
His eyes were shining strongly.
Jeon thought that this was Jin Geum-ho’s real face.
“I want to expand the realm of humans. I’m not just satisfied with Neo Seoul; I want to secure more land. Neo Seoul has now reached its limit. We can’t accommodate any more population being born. “It’s literally on the verge of explosion.”
What Jin Geum-ho said was true.
There was now no land to build more buildings, and it was impossible to expand vertically. The population continues to grow, but there are no houses to accommodate it.
“So I need your help.”
“If you ask me to remove all the sand around Neo Seoul, I can’t do that. “No one has the power to move such a huge amount of sand.”
“I know. If humans had that level of power, this land wouldn’t have been ruined like this.”
“But why?”
“I will expand the land. Please get me just one thing I need. Then I will take care of your convenience.”
“What if it’s convenience?”
“I will take care of all the troublesome beings that approach you.”
“Do you mean places like the East District or the West District?”
“I assure you, they will never bother you. “If only you would do me a favor.”
“Then do I have to come into city hall?”
“That would be nice, but you don’t have to work at city hall.”
“That’s interesting.”
Lee Chae appeared in Zeon’s eyes.
I had no idea that Jin Geum-ho would make such a suggestion.
Given Jin Geum-ho’s greed for power and talent collection, he naturally thought he would suggest that he come under his command.
“We will give you a house to stay in Neo Seoul and citizenship. “If you want, I will also give you citizenship for the children living with you.”
“What is it that you are asking me to do when you go to such lengths?”
“Please catch just one demon beast.”
“yes?”
“There is a project I have been working on for a long time to expand the human realm. “You need the heart of a certain demon beast there.”
“Aren’t there many awakened people in Neo Seoul?”
“There are many awakened people, but you are the only one who can catch this guy.”
“What is that?”
“His name is Moby Dick.”
“Moby Dick?”
“It’s a huge whale that lives in the sand.”
“Was there such a demon?”
“It’s a demon beast that Pathfinder Team 1 recently discovered.”
Neo Seoul operated the Pathfinder team to find land suitable for human habitation.
One of them made an incredible report.
“They say it is a very large demonic beast with a length of 120 meters and a body circumference of over 30 meters.”
“It’s hard to believe. “Such a huge monster.”
“It’s the same for me too. It was hard to believe. But since we sent you this evidence, there is no way not to believe it.”
Jiing!
At that moment, one wall of the mayor’s office opened and a huge white pillar appeared.
“This?”
“They’re Moby Dick teeth.”
The object that looked like a white pillar was actually the tooth of Moby Dick, a land whale.
I could feel enormous mana from Moby Dick’s teeth.
“hmm!”
“Isn’t it huge? So I was surprised when I got my first tooth. “The purity of the mana contained in the teeth is so high.”
“My mind is dizzy.”
Zeon spoke honestly.
I have never seen a magical beast attachment containing such high purity of mana.
The mana of the appendages that fell from the main body of the demon beast was bound to diminish.
“A mere tooth can hold so much mana, so what about the heart?”
“What are you planning to do with the heart of Moby Dick?”
“I can’t tell you that much. However, I am certain that what I am trying to do will only help humans and will never harm them.”
“….”
“This thing swims through the sand like a sandworm. So ordinary awakened people cannot be found or killed. “It was through luck that the Pathfinder team discovered Moby Dick.”
Moby Dick was a whale that lived in the sand.
It had all the characteristics of a whale.
Because you can breathe in the sand, you don’t have to come out of the sand.
Because of this, Pathfinder Team 1 also lost track of Moby Dick. We searched the area for 10 days, but all we found was its teeth.
“You, the sand wizard, are the only people in this world who can find and kill Moby Dick.”
“So that’s why you found me.”
“That’s right.”
“No matter how much I call myself a sand wizard, it is impossible to find Moby Dick in this vast desert.”
“But you can sense it if it’s nearby, right?”
“I think it’s possible if it’s within ten kilometers.”
“Then that’s it. If you happen to detect Moby Dick someday, catch him. “If I can take out its heart and bring it to you, I will be satisfied.”
Zeon closed his eyes.
It was unclear what Jin Geum-ho was saving Moby Dick’s heart for. However, it was not a harmful proposal to Zeon.
If Moby Dick really had whale-like properties, he would swim for tens of thousands of kilometers.
Even if you search for it your whole life, there is a high probability that you will not find it.
Jin Geum-ho’s suggestion was not necessarily to find and catch him. It was a request to hunt them down if they happened to meet them.
Jin Geum-ho looked straight at Jeon.
“What do you think? Will you accept my offer?”
His eyes were shining eerily.
It was as if he would not accept Zeon’s rejection.