We Do Business In Full Auto [EN]: Chapter 238

238

The Last Struggle (2)

“Yes. I am Emperor Lee Yoosung of the Crystal Empire.”

“Gasp! How could His Majesty be here?”

“I brought food because I was saddened to see you starving. For the next three days, you will receive free rations. After that, you will have to pay a fair price for food. The land is devastated, and you are exhausted from the long war. I will pay you with food for your labor, so work hard.”

“Oh!”

The eyes of the territory residents lit up.

Until now, they had been living a life worse than death. But things would be different from now on.

Someone shouted.

“Long live the Emperor!”

“Waaaah!”

A cheer echoed throughout the territory.

This place would likely be rebuilt quickly. And it was certain that the entire empire would be as well.

The Crystal Empire’s Imperial Palace.

Except for the nobles who had gone on expeditions, all the high-ranking officials gathered.

Since Soojung was leading the charge as commander-in-chief, the southern part of the empire would also be quickly organized.

Duke Kalburn reported.

“Your Majesty! Duke Kaion, in the southernmost part of the empire, is gathering lords from nearby territories and preparing for resistance.”

“Resistance?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Any word from the headquarters?”

“The Princess said she would take care of it herself, but I wonder if we should provide some support…”

“What is the size of the enemy forces?”

“Approximately 150,000.”

“They’ve gathered quite a lot. Mostly farmers, I presume?”

“Yes.”

This was giving me a headache.

After sweeping away the major forces, foolish lords were gathering innocent farmers to prepare for war.

“I will provide support.”

“If you do, it will greatly relieve the Princess!”

The nobles now looked relieved.

Of course, it would take some time for Soojung to advance to the Kaion territory, but the nobles were still anxious.

Soojung is the official successor.

She became the Crown Princess and possessed a genius mind. Even without imagining the future, it was obvious that the empire would develop because of Soojung.

What if something happened to Soojung?

It was something the ministers couldn’t even imagine.

“And Duke Kalburn.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“I have secured about 100 million tons of food from various countries on Earth.”

“100 million tons!?”

“Yes. Assuming that the people here consume about twice as much food as Earthlings, it’s enough to feed them for five years.”

“That’s an enormous amount. Considering the production volume, if we apply preservation magic properly, it should last for more than ten years.”

“We must increase food production by then, no matter what.”

“Hahaha! Indeed!”

Exclamations erupted from everywhere.

The biggest problem for the empire right now was food.

Due to the long war, people’s livelihoods were ruined, the economy had completely collapsed, and many were starving.

It was something that couldn’t be understood by Earth’s standards.

What if food was added to this?

It would be possible to recover at an incredible rate.

“Duke Kalburn, distribute the food to the entire empire first. Give out about three days’ worth of food generously, but anything more than that will be paid as wages to those who participate in the repair work.”

“Yes!”

“We need projects throughout the entire country: road construction, water management, fortress restoration, farmland reclamation, and more. Also, there are refugees and the poor wandering around the continent, so we need to provide them with houses. Humans can only be motivated when their basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter are met.”

“We obey Your Majesty’s command!”

“There should still be some time left before the Crown Princess reaches the Kaion territory, right?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It seems there are about two days left.”

“I will depart tomorrow. You all move immediately.”

“Yes!”

That night.

After finishing various tasks, I was finally able to meet my wife.

Lisa always greeted me with a gentle smile.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Lisa.”

I nestled in my wife’s arms.

I realized that I was getting closer to my dream.

We went out to the terrace for a while and decided to have some wine.

The empire was devastated, but the capital was still showing off its beauty. It felt bustling at a glance.

Pour, pour!

I filled Lisa’s glass with wine.

“Before we knew it, we are about to unify the continent.”

“I know, right? I never imagined that the continent would be unified so quickly.”

“Let’s focus on raising our levels from now on. You have to live with me for a long, long time, right?”

“I’m trying to gain enlightenment to reach the 6th Circle [a high level of magical mastery] these days.”

“Good. Ask me if you have any questions.”

“Yes. I want to live with you forever too.”

Is eternal life really possible?

Even a god could die due to some event. But my wife was saying that she wanted to live eternally with me.

The dream of all humans is immortality.

The famous elixir of life sought by Qin Shi Huang [the first emperor of China] also originated from the human desire not to die.

But a challenge is possible.

“Good. I’ll try too.”

There’s nothing more terrible than living eternally alone.

I’d probably go crazy at some point.

But what if we achieve immortality together? There might be some boredom, but I wouldn’t go crazy from loneliness.

Establishing an eternal empire here and ruling it together.

That is my dream.

“To do that, we need to help Soojung completely pacify the continent.”

“I believe in you.”

She leaned on me.

She had given birth to two children, but she was still lovely.

“Shall we have a third?”

“If you want to, let’s do that.”

“No, we have to want it together.”

My wife nodded.

We only had two daughters, so why wouldn’t I want a son?

But until now, the situation was too bad, so I avoided it.

Now there was no need to avoid it anymore.

The next day morning.

I spent a passionate night with my wife and woke up a little late.

Since the main force would need about another day to enter the final battleground anyway, it didn’t matter if I went late today.

The Imperial Palace kitchen.

The chefs were standing with bewildered expressions, and my wife was preparing breakfast as usual.

It was a warm Korean meal, and the chefs admired my wife’s skills and tried to emulate them.

The chefs realized that it was my taste.

Soon, a breakfast consisting of kimchi stew, seasoned vegetables, and several side dishes was prepared.

“Honey, have breakfast.”

“Even though you’ve become an empress, you haven’t changed, have you?”

“Hehe. Of course. How can a person change overnight?”

I tasted the kimchi stew.

It was definitely my wife’s kimchi stew.

In some ways, it was even more developed than the kimchi stew my mother used to make. After living as a housewife for 10 years, her skills had improved.

The side dishes were also neat and without unnecessary additions.

“The chefs need to step up their game.”

“We are deeply honored, Your Majesty.”

“Hehe. These people are specialists in Western cuisine, so don’t blame them. They’ll probably be able to make Korean food soon.”

“Can I trust you?”

“Of course! We are researching how to make Korean food properly.”

I thought the most important things for humans were food, clothing, and shelter.

Among them, the pleasure of eating can never be left out.

Since my wife couldn’t cook every day, the chefs here also had to make an effort.

After finishing the meal, I put on my armor.

My wife fastened the leather straps of the armor.

“Be careful. If I lose even one of you, Soojung or you, I won’t be able to live.”

My wife didn’t express her opinions much.

But occasionally, her opinions popped out, and I had to follow them. When my wife spoke, it meant she had thought about it dozens of times.

“I will.”

“Then, have a safe trip.”

I opened the gate right there.

Soldiers were encamped.

Seeing the gate open, Soojung was immediately reported, and Soojung ran over in her armor.

“Dad!”

“Oh, Soojung!”

“Thanks to Dad, we have plenty of food!”

“That’s why I went.”

“Mom!”

“Soojung, you’re working hard.”

“Hehe. It’s fun. I think I’m suited for war.”

“What are we going to do about this? The war will be over soon.”

“Are there no other continents here?”

“Maybe?”

“That’s a shame…”

Soojung seemed to really think so.

How could such a young child be suited for war?

I decided to part with my wife here.

“I’ll be back.”

“Be careful! Soojung, be careful too!”

“Yes, Mom!”

We crossed the gate again.

It had been a day since we came to the south.

In the meantime, the soldiers had advanced, and soon we could see the huge fortress in the distance.

The Kaion Fortress is said to be the last fortress of humanity. The height of the walls alone reached 100 meters, and it could accommodate 1 million citizens on its own.

It was self-sufficient, and all facilities were prepared so that they could hold out here if the worst happened.

And if it seemed like this place would really be occupied, they could mobilize warships and load them with supplies and food. If they found an uninhabited island, they could start a new life there.

While fighting the undead for 300 years, the emperors had many thoughts.

In a way, this place could be called a fortress for the human preservation project.

“It’s enormous.”

The surrounding knights were busy wiping away the sweat.

It was winter in the central region, but here it was midsummer. It was safe to say that the climate was similar to a desert.

“If we had tried to capture a place like this with just a siege, it would have been very difficult, right?”

“Wouldn’t it have been impossible?”

“I think so too.”

Without special abilities, a siege alone could have taken several years.

It was indeed worthy of being called the last fortress of humanity.

“Rakshasa.”

Swish!

“Yes, Master.”

Rakshasa, one of the Four Heavenly Kings [powerful guardians], appeared.

If Soojung had tried to attack such a huge fortress, it might have been a little difficult. There could have been casualties.

When an undead died, you could just replace them, but human casualties could not be restored. Once a person died, it was over.

I had to say that I came at the right time.

I wished the enemies would just surrender if possible, but that was just my wish, and everywhere I looked, there were determined expressions.

“Go as an envoy.”

“I will. What should I say?”

“What to say…”

First, I’m sending an envoy to start the war, but the reason is that I want the enemies to surrender. What should I do to make that happen even a little bit?

“Tell them I will show them my power, and that I will give them an hour after that.”