Chapter 127 – Hospitality

Chapter 127 – Hospitality

Lai had been beaming recently.

“Boss! Are there no more product shipments?”

The Man kept wanting to fight…

I was tired of him constantly asking on the Bridge, ‘Are there no more products?’ so I eventually had to hand over command of an Observation Ship so he could fight on his own.

“Thank you, Boss! You’ll be blessed!”

The Man’s face brightened at my not-so-considerate consideration…

The Man had only one reason.

“Products! More are coming.”

The Man truly saw the Monsters as products.

This was naturally due to the Mana Stones harvested after catching the Monsters, and I was collecting all Mana Stones of sufficient size using the Water-type Anti-Gravity Field.

Among the Mana Stones, those caught by Rai were handed over to The Man after deducting the fee for using the Anti-Gravity Field…

“Minju Boss! Please do it again!”

“Yes…”

Minju was sending all of The Man’s Mana Stones to Incheon.

Therefore, it was overwhelmingly Rai’s achievement that the villagers from Nepal, who came with Rai, were able to settle comfortably in Incheon.

‘He’s really acting like a foreign worker… ‘

It was ironic. Of course, Rai’s earnings were even better than some mid-sized companies, so there was a disconnect in calling him a simple foreign worker.

Meanwhile, Rai was also handing over a huge amount of delivery fees to Minju. However, Minju was gradually struggling with moving a significant amount of Mana Stones to the other side of the world.

However, as Minju knew how important this was to Rai, she was transporting it without a word of complaint.

“Sister! Tteokbokki when you come back!”

“I want chicken!”

“You guys figure it out yourselves!”

On the way back, she was also delivering food from the market to Seongjae, Sua, and Seoyeon. Contrary to Rai, this was always done with ‘a lot’ of complaints.

‘Well, it’s good training, I guess.’

Since further developing her abilities was something to be encouraged anyway, I unknowingly cheered her on.

What I can do is really not much…

“You’ve worked hard again today.”

“Yeah!”

The Woman’s face brightening at my words was a truly pleasant sight.

* * *

Passing through the surging blue… no, blood-red sea.

It was a little after leaving Japan that we arrived on the American continent. As land slowly began to appear on the horizon, the Bridge was more boisterous than usual.

“Hmm… Is that The Man San Diego?”

“No, Father! San Diego!”

Deokchan confusing the name of the City we were arriving at and…

Sua correcting him.

“Ugh, it feels like it’s going to be hot.”

“Boss, are we shipping products to the United States too?”

Seoyeon already cringing at the dry weather felt from the screen, and Rai’s eyes sparkling with excitement at the thought of catching Monsters. And finally, Seongjae…

“San Diego Legoland! SeaWorld! Here I come!”

He was practically there for sightseeing.

When Minju stepped forward and said that sightseeing would probably be difficult, Seongjae became noticeably dejected, then eventually turned to me and began to plead.

“Then please… can’t we at least go to the Aircraft Carrier Museum where the Midway is docked? Even if I go alone…”

At his earnest plea, with tears in his eyes…

“Alright, go with Seongmin.”

I ultimately had no choice but to grant permission.

“Yahooooo!”

He seemed satisfied with just that.

* * *

Meanwhile, I exchanged communications through Apoin and eventually docked the Fleet at San Diego International Airport.

As my Assault Landing Ship, which was so large that a Boeing 747 looked tiny, and Photon Destroyers began to dock, along with other ships that had lost air superiority and a place to go, just gathering dust.

The citizens generally seemed to be cheering.

‘They have every right to be surprised, though…’

It seemed they had all heard the news in advance.

Of course, I had also made contact through Apoin beforehand, but I hadn’t anticipated such a reaction at all.

‘Was the Western Alliance like this?’

I briefly searched my memories of the previous rounds.

Since the United States was the last country to survive, I eventually had no choice but to head there for survival.

Thanks to that, I remembered the situation within the United States as clearly as the situation in Korea.

‘It was just as complicated.’

Especially the story of the Western United States Alliance, formed by the three states of California, Oregon, and Washington, which border the Western United States coast, was even more so.

As the Apocalypse progressed and the United States federal government eventually lost the Central Plains of the Continent, the Western United States thought, ‘We’ve been abandoned.’

Of course, this was not true.

Being close with William, I knew very well how hard the federal government in the Eastern US had tried to maintain its connection with the Western United States.

But the Western United States didn’t see it that way.

After pouring immense resources and personnel into maintaining the front lines and ultimately failing, they thought they had only been exploited and abandoned. Consequently, they came to this conclusion.

They would no longer waste a single drop of blood.

Especially not for others. When I happened to encounter them in the wilderness, they were almost hostile.

‘It was truly surprising that they didn’t fight.’

Perhaps because they considered fighting also a waste of blood, they didn’t pick fights.

But… they also didn’t let down their guard.

Maintaining formation, weapons in hand, quietly waiting to exit the sphere of influence, it was enough to remind one of the Cold War.

‘But… they were as fierce as them.’

On the other hand, I also held them in high regard. They had stubbornly endured for a long time, surviving with their spirit.

Of course, they possessed the same combat power.

‘Especially the Western 1st Brigade was the most intense.’

They were probably regiment-sized now, but it wouldn’t be long before their strength was recognized and they were promoted to brigade-level.

There was even a joke that the Western United States’ operations basically meant other units just had to hold out until the 1st Brigade arrived.

And behind their immense military power, the enormous economic strength of the US West Coast was also backing them up. For example, California’s GDP alone was double that of the Republic of Korea.

It was no exaggeration to say that California was virtually a complete nation. Not to mention the technology originating from Silicon Valley. They also produced a significant amount of oil and were strong in agriculture through irrigation canals.

‘Even so, they eventually walked the path of the Apocalypse due to insufficient military power.’

It was also a regrettable matter.

But now that I’m here…

‘Should I have a talk with the Commander-in-Chief?’

This time, it was going to be different.

* * *

And a few days later…

I received an invitation from the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Alliance…

‘What on earth is going on?’

I was very, very confused.

Where had the fierce and stubborn Western United States gone? He had mobilized dozens of Korean-speaking attendants and was receiving me with great hospitality.

‘What, is this really the Western United States?’

I even wondered if I had fallen into another dimension without realizing it. Whether they knew my feelings or not, Minju and Seongjae, who accompanied me, were enjoying the food ravenously.

And what’s more, it was mainly Korean food, made by tracking down chefs from Koreatown…

It was truly a noticeable act of consideration.

The attendants greeted the two with gentle smiles.

“I hope you enjoy the food.”

Seongjae gave a thumbs-up to the attendants.

“Wow. As expected of Los Angeles, the LA Galbi is the best, isn’t it?”

Minju shook her head, looking at Seongjae.

“Seongjae… this isn’t Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles in LA Galbi isn’t that Los Angeles…”

She seemed embarrassed, but…

“Hahahahahahahaha!”

“Indeed!”

“Your jokes are quite amusing!”

…the attendants’ ability to play along was top-notch.

* * *

Meanwhile, I observed these people with a subtle expression.

“Hmm…”

No matter how much I thought about it, it was hard to figure out why the Western United States was treating me this way.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Western United States Alliance was looking at me with an uneasy expression. He seemed somehow uncomfortable.

“Is the food not to your liking? If you tell us your preferences, we can prepare any cuisine from anywhere in the world.”

The Commander-in-Chief, who was treating me like some kind of host, had the nickname ‘Rattlesnake’. He was a man with a sharp impression, one who would kill anyone who crossed him, no matter what it took.

He was a man who symbolized the will of the Western Alliance.

For such a man to treat me this way…

‘Why is this old man acting like this…?’

It was even to the point of being burdensome.

I decided to ask him directly.

“Why are you being so good to us?”

The Commander-in-Chief’s face grew serious.

The Man hesitated for a long time…

“Whew… Then let’s get straight to the point.”

He opened his mouth with a sigh.

“First of all… well, as you might guess, our Western United States Alliance operates its own Apoin intelligence team.”

“Yes, that’s usually the case.”

“I’d like to tell you that we are also accurately aware of the fact that the Magitech Civilization led by the Lord is influencing not only the Korean Peninsula but also Japan, China, and even Vietnam.”

“……?”

At his words, I tilted my head.

‘He said he’d get straight to the point, so why is he beating around the bush like this-.’

It was when I was thinking that.

“We also… want to be with the Lord.”

The Commander-in-Chief dropped a bombshell.

It was a bit surprising.

“Together… what does that mean?”

When I asked for more explanation-.

“Please accept us into the Lord’s sphere of influence.”

He lowered his head this time.

It was the moment when a pumpkin… no, the US West Coast rolled in whole.

***

There was no way I could refuse. While I was at it, I even brought in Seongmin, the Contract Ability User, to finish it off properly with Fire Manipulation.

He readily handed over all authority to me.

He even handed over some of the operational authority of the Western 1st Regiment. It seemed like he was willing to give me everything.

They’re so cooperative…

‘Am I really getting this for free?’

I was actually worried.

But soon, I changed my mind and—

‘Well, good is good, I guess.’

I decided to think positively.

After all, I had a lot to do in North America.

“Anyway, I have no intention of stopping here.”

The US West Coast was just a stepping stone for The Man.

***

Meanwhile… at the same time, on the US East Coast.

“Fourth Circle. Fireball.”

As a man quietly chanted the spell—

Whoosh!

A vast amount of mana was drawn up.

Flicker—

It became a lump of Fire Manipulation.

The Man, and the moment The Man threw the Fire Manipulation lump, the castle where over a dozen soldiers were stationed instantly collapsed.

Rumble!

“What… is that all?”

The man wore a sneering smile.

“Screech!”

Along with The Man, countless monsters advanced at that opportune moment. With their overwhelming numbers that seemed to cover the ground, and their uncanny timing, the face of the man leading the battle at the front turned pale.

“Damn it! We can’t retreat yet!”

Behind the man’s back… the White House was manipulating fire.