Chapter 120

Alexandro was a strong man.

Not just physically strong—he possessed an unyielding will and powerful mental fortitude.

Even before awakening, he had been strong.

After awakening, he naturally became even stronger.

With his immense power, he gathered subordinates and formed the White Bear Caravan.

All of it was for the survival of the Yakutsk Colony.

Yakutsk lacked everything.

Except for the area where the colony stood, everything else was desert, and unusually large magical beasts were abundant.

Rather than developing civilization like Neo Seoul, they were in a constant struggle just to survive each day.

To magical beasts, Yakutsk Colony must have seemed like a storehouse full of delicious food.

There were many humans gathered there—and humans were the favorite prey of magical beasts.

Because of that, attacks never ceased.

The ones who rose to defend against them were Alexandro and his White Bear Caravan.

They fought against the magical beasts, protected the Yakutsk Colony, and sought contact with survivors outside.

By doing so, they expanded their forces by connecting with those who had survived beyond the colony, and they regularly hunted down magical beasts.

Thanks to this, Yakutsk Colony barely managed to survive under constant threat.

The next thing Alexandro did was to fully mobilize the caravan.

Although they had managed to survive, long-term survival required trade with other colonies.

Risking their lives, Alexandro and the White Bear Caravan set out to find them.

In a world turned into desert, finding another colony was harder than finding a needle in the sand.

More than anything, what plagued them were the magical beasts that attacked constantly.

Back then, they had no information.

They didn’t know the types of beasts, their habitats, or even their danger levels.

Alexandro and the White Bear Caravan learned everything through direct confrontation.

Through relentless effort, they eventually discovered another colony over a thousand kilometers away and established trade.

From that point on, Yakutsk Colony finally found some breathing room.

The expensive goods brought in from outside slightly improved life there—but it was still far from comfortable.

They needed more trade.

Desperately, Alexandro continued searching for other colonies—and that’s when Neo Seoul appeared on his radar.

He had heard rumors about Neo Seoul before.

But most of them sounded so exaggerated that he had dismissed them.

A hyper-advanced civilization surpassing even pre-collapse humanity.

A megacity with over ten million people.

From the harsh environment of Yakutsk, such claims sounded absurd—like nothing more than legend.

However, as he began preparing to head south and gathered information, he realized Neo Seoul was real.

And after tremendous effort, he finally reached it.

The city he once thought was just a legend.

And now, he stood face-to-face with the man who built it.

His first impression of Jin Geumho, the mayor of Neo Seoul, was simple:

Fear.

On the outside, he looked like nothing more than a dignified middle-aged man.

His neatly combed hair, stylish beard, clear and deep eyes, and well-fitted suit made him look like a model from before the world collapsed.

But to Alexandro, he didn’t look impressive.

Instead, goosebumps crept along his arms.

His body reacted before his mind—instinctively sensing Jin Geumho’s strength.

It was the first time he had ever responded to someone’s presence like this.

“So this is the man who built Neo Seoul… Truly extraordinary.”

Alexandro suppressed his turbulent emotions and maintained a calm expression.

Jin Geumho looked at him with interest.

Even that simple gaze made Alexandro feel as if his entire body was tightening.

Then, Jin Geumho smiled and spoke.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jin Geumho.”

“My name is Alexandro Purtchenko. It’s an honor to meet the mayor of Neo Seoul.”

“It’s been years since we’ve had a visitor from outside. I’m quite pleased. So, you’ve come from Yakutsk?”

“Yes.”

“Remarkable. If I recall, Yakutsk is an extremely cold region. To think survivors managed to build a colony there.”

“You know of Yakutsk?”

“I saw it on the internet before the world fell apart.”

“…The internet?”

“Ah, you wouldn’t know. Back then, we used computers and satellites to share vast amounts of information. It was humanity’s golden age. Though now, Neo Seoul has advanced to a comparable level.”

Internet. Computers. Satellites.

Words he didn’t understand at all made Alexandro unconsciously furrow his brow.

If he didn’t know who Jin Geumho was, he might have thought the man was simply spouting nonsense.

“A monster who has lived for at least 140 years since before the Great Cataclysm.”

He had endured the peak of human civilization, its fall, the great collapse, and the rebirth of Neo Seoul.

He was, quite literally, living history.

There was no way his words were meaningless.

“What is the situation in Yakutsk?”

“It’s the same as any other colony. We constantly suffer under the threat of magical beasts.”

“I see.”

“Compared to that, Neo Seoul appears peaceful. You must have faced countless attacks as well, yet you’ve achieved such a civilization—it’s truly astonishing.”

“Many sacrifices were made to reach this point. We will never forget them.”

“We feel the same.”

“As you should. That is the proper mindset for those living in this age of ruin. Many of the younger generation lack that, but you seem to have your head on straight.”

Jin Geumho smiled in satisfaction.

Carefully, Alexandro brought up his purpose.

“As you know, our colony is extremely harsh. So, if permitted, we would like to trade with Neo Seoul using the goods we brought.”

“Of course, I permit it.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. We should help each other survive.”

“Then… should we conduct trade through you, Mayor?”

“That won’t be necessary. You may trade at your own discretion.”

“You mean… our caravan can handle transactions independently?”

“Of course. It’s been a long time since we’ve had guests. The least I can do is offer that much.”

“Thank you.”

Alexandro was sincerely grateful.

It meant Jin Geumho was giving up exclusive control over the immense profits that could be gained from inter-colony trade.

The cargo wagons of the White Bear Caravan were filled with valuable goods.

The cargo of the White Bear Caravan was filled with everything Yakutsk Colony had to offer.

The corpses of magical beasts hunted by its Awakeners, magic crystals, weapons and armor crafted by artisans, and even items obtained from clearing dungeons.

It truly contained the entirety of Yakutsk Colony’s resources.

That was how much the White Bear Caravan had staked on this trade.

Because of that, Alexandro had been prepared to hand over a significant portion of the profits to Jin Geumho.

Yet unexpectedly, Jin Geumho had declared he would forgo all such gains.

Alexandro couldn’t help but wonder about his intentions.

Looking at him, Jin Geumho asked casually,

“But I’m curious. How did you find Neo Seoul?”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m genuinely curious. There are no satellites, no navigation systems. In this damned world, even compasses don’t work. So how did you pinpoint Neo Seoul and find your way here so precisely?”

“Well…”

Alexandro’s eyes wavered for a moment.

Jin Geumho stared straight through him.

***

When Alexandro came out of the mayor’s office, his back was drenched in sweat.

“Master!”

“Are you alright?”

The Awakeners who had been waiting rushed toward him.

Alexandro nodded.

“I’m fine. Let’s head out.”

“Yes!”

Escorted by his men, Alexandro boarded the elevator.

After confirming the doors had closed, Seo Taeran returned to the mayor’s office.

Jin Geumho was seated, gazing out through the large window at Neo Seoul.

Seo Taeran stood silently beside him, awaiting orders.

After a moment, Jin Geumho’s eyes caught sight of Alexandro’s group leaving city hall.

Perhaps sensing his gaze, Alexandro looked up directly toward him—but only briefly, before disappearing from view.

Only then did Jin Geumho speak.

“Taeran.”

“Yes, Mayor.”

“Select a few from the Shadow Unit and have them monitor those people.”

“Understood.”

“There must be a capable navigator among them. Find out who it is and what abilities they have. If we’re going to expand Neo Seoul’s territory, we’ll need one.”

“I’ll take care of it. But…”

“What is it?”

“Why did you allow the White Bear Caravan to trade freely? Wouldn’t it be better for us to monopolize their goods and release them into the market ourselves?”

At her question, Jin Geumho gave a faint smile.

“That would certainly keep things quiet. Neo Seoul would remain peaceful.”

“…So you don’t want peace?”

“After Deion left Neo Seoul on his own, the current power structure became fixed. It’s been that way for far too long. It’s about time we introduced some change.”

Seo Taeran’s face flushed slightly.

She understood what he meant.

“So the Mayor has finally decided to shake the board.”

It wasn’t that Jin Geumho lacked the power to control the other factions.

He had a grand ambition—and he had been fully focused on achieving it, leaving no room to concern himself with other matters.

That was why he had ignored the districts outside the central zone.

And in that gap, the rulers of the four districts had grown strong.

But now, Jin Geumho no longer wanted their power to grow further.

“A caravan from another colony is like irresistible prey. There will be many who covet it. All we need to do is lay the stage for them to run wild. After that, they’ll sort things out themselves.”

That was the way of the world.

And no one understood it better than Jin Geumho.

***

Zeon walked through the Goblin Market.

“They said the White Bear Caravan came from Yakutsk Colony, right? I wonder what kind of goods they brought.”

“Whatever it is, it must be valuable. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have come all this way.”

“I’m really looking forward to what items will hit the market.”

Voices of merchants and customers filled the air.

Every conversation revolved around the White Bear Caravan.

After decades without one, its arrival had everyone excited.

The merchants of the Goblin Market, in particular, had high expectations.

If new and unseen goods entered circulation, more people would come, and the market would thrive.

It was a rare opportunity for profit.

What mattered to the merchants now was how much of the caravan’s goods they could secure.

The more they obtained, the more money they would make.

Because of this, many merchants were already lining up, trying to curry favor with city hall and the rulers of each district.

They expected the caravan would supply its goods exclusively to one of the five powers.

“What’s the situation in the southern district?”

“Does the northern district have a chance?”

“Still, the central district controlled by the mayor seems most likely, right?”

Listening to their excited chatter, Zeon continued walking.

“This caravan has everyone in an uproar.”

After all, a caravan hadn’t appeared in decades.

It was certainly valuable—but the atmosphere was becoming overheated.

If things continued like this, there was no telling what might happen.

“I should stay home for a while.”

Recently, he had been unintentionally dragged into too many situations.

He wanted to avoid getting entangled in anything more complicated.

Just then, a suspicious conversation reached his ears.

“Twenty Explosion Scrolls, nerve toxin extracted from Redback Scorpions, and ten bags enchanted with subspace. Check them.”

“Isn’t that too few bags? We need at least thirty.”

“You think items enchanted with subspace are easy to come by? I barely managed to get these. Remember—if we don’t succeed, we’re finished.”

“Don’t worry. There’s no way we’ll fail. If this works, we’ll be rich.”

“Let’s hope so, damn it!”

It was a hushed exchange between a Goblin Market merchant and a group of men.

Zeon let out a quiet sigh.

“So the moths drawn to the flame are here too.”