Chapter 259 – Survival of the Fittest (3)

After hearing unexpected good news from Myeongwoljin, there was only one thing left to do.

“Shall we go meet the prince next?”

“Yes, let’s.”

Samamaeng nodded at Hongyeonhwa’s question, her bag feeling lighter after removing the valuable items.

The reason we returned to Gwangdong Province was for the reconstruction of Samasega and the establishment of a new Sapa organization for that purpose.

Although we say Sapa organization, we will join hands with the Mureimmaeng and the royal family.

Anyway, now that we have decided to start in earnest, we must inform our partners of this fact.

There is no need to ask where the Mureimmaengju is.

Although it is a temporary base, it is a proper mansion, and the highest-ranking person always stays in the best room.

Soon we arrived at the central hall.

“Please wait a moment.”

And two warriors blocked our way.

Unlike the lower-ranked warrior we met at the entrance, their energy was quite strong, indicating that they were at the peak of their power.

Even if they are weaker than Pung Soso or Samayeoryeong, they are talented enough to be a unit leader of a considerable military force.

Seeing them being used as gatekeepers, it seems that they have come well-prepared.

“Currently, the prince and the Daeyoungban are in a meeting. Can you tell me why you came?”

“Oh my. It’s lucky that both of you are here… I have come as the head of the Samasega.”

Samamaeng, who had been walking ahead, smiled softly and then immediately exuded the unique dignity of the Myeongga family as he spoke.

“Can you pass it on to the inside? The head of the Samasega has come.”

***

“Hmm? The head of the Samasega is not alone, everyone came. It’s been a while. I was just brewing some good tea, would you like to taste it?”

“Haha! Sorry that it’s not alcohol! I was in the middle of an important conversation… Oh, did I talk too much? Don’t just stand there, come in!”

The white-haired old man of the Senpung Dogol, who always uses polite language, is the Mureimmaengju.

The tall and sturdy man with a stiff impression and the middle-aged man in a golden armor, the Daeyoungban, who always wears a stern expression, as usual.

There was no significant difference from the last time we saw them.

Well, it’s only been about two months since we last saw them, so how much could they have changed?

“It’s been a while, both of you.”

The main character of this event is Samamaeng. So, she was the first to greet them, who always followed us.

Just with that, the Mureimmaengju nodded his head, understanding the purpose.

“I suppose this is related to the proposal I made earlier.”

“Yes, that’s right. Since our break is over, I thought we could come and check and adjust our plans one last time… but I didn’t expect both of you to be here.”

It’s understandable if it was during the height of the war, but now it’s natural for the Mureimmaeng and the Daeyoungban to live separately.

They’ve been fighting over the distribution of the items obtained from Samamaeng, and they’ve always had a tense relationship between the court and the martial arts, so it’s uncomfortable for them to be together.

“We didn’t expect the head of the Samasega to come as well.”

The Mureimmaengju, who said that, took a sip of his tea and asked the Daeyoungban.

“Hmm. Since we’ve finished our previous conversation, why don’t we move on to the Samamaeng’s business? Daeyoungban, what do you think?”

“I agree. It doesn’t seem like something that needs to be resolved immediately, so there’s no need to force ourselves to think too hard.”

What’s going on? Why have they been talking privately since earlier?

It’s quite nerve-wracking, but I agree that Samamaeng’s business should come first.

Samamaeng, who felt our gaze, cleared her throat lightly and spoke.

“I don’t have anything particularly important to say. As I mentioned earlier, I just came to check and adjust our plans.”

I wonder if they had already decided what to do.

To summarize the conversation that followed, there were no major issues, so they decided to proceed with their plans as originally planned.

However, it was a bit surprising that Samamaeng had more authority than expected.

In other words, she was putting the court and the Mureimmaeng behind her, but to put it negatively, it was like starting as a mere manager.

Of course, the most important thing, the reconstruction of Samasega, was certain, and since Samamaeng had her own thoughts, there must be something else she was preparing for…

There was no need to treat us as equals from the beginning.

It seems that the court has placed the Sapa warriors in their sights to prevent a repeat of the war, and the Mureimmaeng can extend their influence to Gwangdong Province, and they can easily take care of any Sapa warriors who cross the line.

We start from scratch and become losers in one region, while supporting each other…

It seems like the ultimate goal is a symbiotic relationship where everyone benefits.

I sent a slight signal to Samayeoryeong and asked her.

“Sometimes I wonder if Jinrang is bright in this direction but dark in others. It’s simple. Her mother already has a backing.”

“Already? But the court and the Mureimmaeng…”

“Not them. I mean Jinrang and Yeonhwa unni.”

“I guess it was strange that we didn’t know anything about it from the beginning.”

Even when Samamaeng first talked to me, she said that there wouldn’t be any problems since Hong Yeonhwa and I were there.

I even said that I would help with anything that was needed recently.

Perhaps Hong Yeonhwa had the same thoughts as me.

And if you look at it from an outsider’s perspective… it might seem like Samamaeng is putting me and Hong Yeonhwa behind her.

Now I understand why Samamaeng was so generous with her conditions.

It’s like a bribe, like all the precious medicines I received when I was bedridden after the explosion of my innate power.

She’ll treat us well, so let’s get along well in the future.

I looked at Hong Yeonhwa to see if she felt the same way, and she nodded her head calmly as if she was satisfied with this.

What? Was I the only one who didn’t know?

Was I so nervous that I thought I would interfere if I had the chance?

It seems like people around me think so.

As the conversation was coming to an end, the Mureimmaengju asked.

“Oh, by the way, we decided to change the name. Have you thought of a new name?”

“Of course.”

Samamaeng, who had taken a sip of tea, spoke calmly.

“Sado-ryeon. That’s the name of the new alliance I’m creating.”

“Hehe. You took out ‘ma’ from Samaryeon and put in ‘do’ instead. Excellent.”

“Sado-ryeon… I don’t know if it will work, but at least there will be less resistance from the common people than when using Samaryeon’s name.

The Mureimmaengju seemed satisfied, mentioning the followers of the Tao, and the Daeyoungban nodded their heads.

With the new name, was everything finished? Even though they looked at each other as if they had something else to say, no one opened their mouth.

“I think that’s it. Thank you for welcoming us even though we came suddenly. We’ll proceed as planned, and we’ll take our leave now.”

Taking Samamaeng’s farewell as a signal, our group stood up from our seats.

Hong Yeonhwa seemed to have some leftovers, so she quickly grabbed them, but just as we were about to say goodbye…

“Wait a minute, Cheonmagnim.”

“Hmm? Huh?! M-my lady didn’t take anything!”

Hong Yeonhwa was startled and clenched her fist. However, since her hands were small, a piece of pastry was sticking out from her fingertips.

Seeing her like that, the Mureimmaengju chuckled and nodded his head.

“It’s not because of the refreshments. If you want more, we can prepare them separately for you.”

“Mmm… Thank you. Then why did you summon me, my lady?”

“Didn’t we agree to share all the information we’ve gathered with Cheonma? Although the minor details can be sent through letters, this particular content is too sensitive to be written down…”

Hong Yeonhwa tilted her head, looking at the Mureimmaengju who was obscuring the end of his sentence.

“Is it about what we were discussing before we arrived?”

“Yes. We found information about the Hyeokrang Seosaeng that Cheonma was curious about.”

Hyeokrang Seosaeng.

A monster who always wears a mask, calling himself Hyeokrang Seosaeng even when asked for his name.

A strategist who incites rebellion in the Ungaja and teaches the brutal but efficient methods of looting to the Samaryeonju.

And a corrupt faction member who is presumed to have come from the same world as Hong Yeonhwa.

The Mureim and the royal court have finally located his whereabouts.

It seems like there’s a slight problem, though.