Chapter 85
In the end, the outcome of the information exchange was merely a formal agreement that both nations would cooperate to safeguard their respective sea routes.
In truth, the pirates appearing in the Atlantic weren’t just one or two groups, and there was no guarantee that the ghost fleet in the East Sea was the only one of its kind.
The Pacific, including the East Sea, was vast, and the Atlantic, teeming with pirates and countless variables, left no choice but to stabilize the sea routes through mutual cooperation.
Neither the United States nor the Balhut Cult could independently muster enough power to oppose the threats emerging in these seas to secure the waterways.
Both powers had more urgent issues at hand, whether internal or external, than the problems of the sea.
“The Cult must expand outward.”
Indeed, it was time for the Balhut Cult to focus on external matters.
[Expand, you say?]
“Yes. Pohang has now stabilized, and I believe what matters most for the Cult right now is exchange with other nations. That is why Gyeongju must once again advance outward.”
Within the Balhut Cult, some officials were beginning to assert that it was time to push forward again, now that Pohang had been stabilized.
Although advancing into other regions would typically fall under the jurisdiction of Jung Dong-gun, who oversaw military matters, this time, the suggestion came from Lee Hyuna, an economic official.
Lee Hyuna argued that the most crucial task for the Cult was international exchange and emphasized that Gyeongju must expand somewhere new.
In essence, this was a call to stop the current internal policies and assert the majesty of the Balhut Cult across the Korean Peninsula.
[Then, where should we aim?]
“Ms. Lee Hyuna, where do you think we should advance?”
Surprisingly, Lee Hyuna’s suggestion seemed to resonate well with both the dragon god Bahamut and the upper echelon of the Balhut Cult.
Perhaps emboldened by the recent interactions and alliance with the White House, no one opposed or questioned her suggestion. Instead, they eagerly asked her where they should advance.
Frankly, while the newly established route to the United States left something to be desired, the Balhut Cult was undeniably on an upward trajectory, with its influence growing continuously.
Thanks to the massive resources flowing in from the United States, Gyeongju was undergoing a redesign to become a city dedicated to awakened individuals, while Pohang was emerging as its supportive base.
‘The timing aligns perfectly with the completion of the first batch of awakened individuals under my project. Expanding somewhere now shouldn’t suddenly overwhelm us.’
Unlike before, the emergence of new awakened individuals had provided a sense of leeway.
Now was the time not only to address Gyeongju’s internal matters but also to focus on the broader situation of the Korean Peninsula.
‘After all, we need to reclaim the entire Korean Peninsula eventually. Sooner or later, it’s an inevitable task.’
To normalize the Korean Peninsula, every city would need to be reclaimed, so the task was ultimately deemed unavoidable for achieving the objective.
“Ulsan and Busan.”
[Ulsan and Busan, you say. But Daegu in the west is missing. Why is that?]
Lee Hyuna proposed reclaiming the major cities of Ulsan and Busan near Gyeongju.
Hearing this, Bahamut looked at her, seemingly puzzled as to why Daegu had been excluded.
“Ulsan and Busan will strengthen maritime exchanges with the United States. Additionally, they will facilitate smooth trade with neighboring Japan. However, inland Daegu cannot achieve this.”
Lee Hyuna explained with economic reasoning that Ulsan and Busan were vital to the Balhut Cult because their coastal locations and connections to the sea enabled trade with Japan.
However, Daegu, located inland, faced the significant drawback of being connected to other countries solely through air routes.
[Indeed.]
Her argument was undeniably valid.
In terms of harbor value, it was well known that Busan and Ulsan far surpassed Pohang.
While Pohang had been established as the Cult’s port due to current circumstances, if greed were to take hold, reclaiming Ulsan and Busan to utilize their harbor areas freely would be the natural next step.
“Busan is South Korea’s largest trade port. If we reclaim Ulsan and then Busan, we will regain the economic backbone that once supported South Korea.”
Although it wasn’t explicitly stated, Ulsan, located above Busan, was South Korea’s largest industrial city, surpassing even Pohang.
Even if attention were to shift to Daegu, it couldn’t rival the economic importance of the two coastal cities.
This was why Lee Hyuna prioritized reclaiming these two cities over Daegu.
“Considering our location, Japan is closer than the United States, after all.”
Moreover, given the Cult’s geographical position, it was only logical to prioritize exchanges with nearby Japan over crossing the Pacific to reach the United States.
Yoo Soo-sung, who had been silently observing the discussions, voiced agreement with Lee Hyuna, stating that Japan, being geographically closer, would naturally come first in terms of trade.
While trade with the United States had already brought great benefits to the Cult, they seemed to expect that trade with Japan would similarly yield substantial advantages.
“Of course, it’s not just about Japan. Reclaiming the ports of Busan and Ulsan also stabilizes the sea route connecting us to the United States. That’s why the Balhut Cult must secure these two ports.”
“Moreover, Fukuoka City in Japan has already been reclaimed even before Pohang. Trade routes via Fukuoka are also possible.”
Lee Hyuna clarified that her proposal wasn’t solely focused on Japan but also accounted for stabilizing U.S. exchanges. This logic persuaded both the Cult officials and Bahamut.
Any potential objections about Japan’s inability to engage in trade with the Cult were swiftly addressed by Administrative Official Lee Sua. She explained that Japan’s Fukuoka City had already been reclaimed and could serve as a functional trade route, further supporting Lee Hyuna’s proposal.
As Lee Hyuna and Lee Sua, the sisters, made their arguments, Jung Dong-gun, who had been silently observing the meeting, finally spoke.
“I also find no issue with this proposal. The first batch of awakened individuals currently training at Bahamut’s Shrine will soon graduate. Existing awakened individuals responsible for maintaining order can be reassigned to expeditions, while the first batch can take over the duties of maintaining security.”
Jung Dong-gun agreed with the two sisters’ opinions, stating that the Balhut Cult now had some leeway.
He explained that the awakened individuals created through the Awakener Project were about to complete their training and graduate, allowing the awakened previously assigned to security activities to be deployed in expeditions.
In essence, he claimed that the forces they could operate had more than doubled, expressing confidence that the Cult’s soldiers would be capable of reclaiming Ulsan and Busan.
[But isn’t there Daegu to the west of Gyeongju? Isn’t Daegu militarily important?]
Even so, God Bahamut mentioned Daegu, as it seemed odd even to military official Jung Dong-gun that the city to the west had not been brought up.
While Daegu couldn’t facilitate external exchanges, its sheer size was comparable to Ulsan and Busan.
“There was some resistance even in Pohang. How much resistance can we expect to encounter in Daegu? From Gyeongju’s perspective, it’s easier to first secure Ulsan to significantly increase our strength, and then aim for Daegu or Busan.”
[Well, that does make sense.]
Choi Yuna countered Bahamut’s question on the spot.
Just as Seo Un-jae had emphasized Pohang’s scale while securing its interests, cities like Daegu and Busan could similarly emphasize their scale to protect their own stakes.
In other words, from Gyeongju’s perspective, Daegu was a major city that could potentially swallow them up if mishandled. It made sense to bolster the Cult’s internal strength before attempting to subjugate it.
Bahamut, recognizing the strong resistance faced in Pohang, nodded in agreement with Yuna’s reasoning.
[Even so, you prioritized Ulsan over Daegu.]
“Most importantly, from Daegu’s perspective, excluding Gyeongju, which we govern, the other three sides are surrounded. We don’t need to actively pursue Daegu.”
At that point, Jung Dong-gun added another geographical explanation.
Unlike Gyeongju, Daegu was surrounded on three sides. Including Gyeongju, it was effectively an isolated island surrounded on all four sides.
From Daegu’s perspective, its eastern border with Gyeongju was safe under the Balhut Cult’s control, preventing further zombie incursions. However, its northern border with Daejeon, western border with Gwangju, and southern border with Busan remained overrun with zombies.
Given that the three sides surrounding Daegu were occupied by zombies, it was highly likely that the city would continue to face waves of zombie incursions.
From the Cult’s perspective, controlling its home base in the east and the north had already halved its zombie frontlines. Subjugating Daegu would expand their frontlines to three sides once more.
[Indeed. If we prioritize safety, targeting Ulsan and Busan along the coastline would be easier.]
Thus, securing Ulsan and Busan along the coastline to fully normalize the southern part of the Korean Peninsula was in the Cult’s best interest.
After listening to Jung Dong-gun’s explanation, Bahamut immediately acknowledged its validity.
[Then we must begin preparations for the Ulsan campaign. To my knowledge, Ulsan and Busan are larger cities than Pohang.]
“Yes. Ulsan is twice the size of Pohang.”
The Balhut Cult began preparing for the campaigns to reclaim Ulsan and Busan.
Lee Hyuna pointed out that Ulsan was twice as large as Pohang.
“And Busan is three times the size of Ulsan.”
[Oh my. From our perspective, it was challenging to seize control of even Pohang. The obstacles ahead seem formidable.]
She explained that Busan was three times the size of Ulsan.
Given the challenges faced in Pohang, the obstacles in these two cities were expected to be even greater.
Bahamut sensed that the road ahead would be filled with difficulties.
“However, it’s also an opportunity.”
Contrarily, Lee Hyuna expressed excitement, telling Bahamut with a voice filled with anticipation that the upcoming endeavors were an incredible opportunity.
“We have already been officially recognized by the White House as the sole government of the Korean Peninsula. Securing Ulsan and Busan alone will enable the Cult to establish itself as a proper nation, asserting our presence on the Korean Peninsula.”
[A new nation on the Korean Peninsula, you say.]
Having already gained recognition as a government from the United States, the Balhut Cult now had the legitimacy to present itself as a powerful and legitimate government—a nation—on the Korean Peninsula.
Indeed, Lee Hyuna was urging Bahamut to establish a new nation on the Korean Peninsula by securing Ulsan and Busan.
“In that sense, wouldn’t it be fitting for the name of the newly established nation to be decided by God Bahamut? It would perfectly symbolize a nation ruled by a dragon.”
“That’s an excellent idea. It’s perfect for a nation protected by the Dragon God!”
Yuna enthusiastically supported Lee Hyuna’s suggestion that God Bahamut himself should name the new nation, calling it a truly brilliant idea.
The other officials seemed to agree, believing that having God Bahamut personally name the nation would add a strong symbolic meaning to a nation ruled by a dragon. They all eagerly looked toward the Mirror of Perspective, where Bahamut’s image was visible.
“Haha. That’s quite a wonderful idea.”
“It also aligns with the very reason this nation came into existence.”
Wasn’t it true? Instead of brainstorming names among the Cult’s officials, having the Dragon God himself name the nation added a far more impressive narrative.
‘Is this for real? Are we really just going to let the nation’s name be decided like this?’
However, Bahamut, seeing the officials’ expectant expressions, felt overwhelmed.
He sincerely wanted to complain about being entrusted with such a significant responsibility.
[Let me think about it.]
“Thank you!”
But he couldn’t possibly crush the hopeful looks directed at him.
‘What should I do? Should I just call it Seorabeol and be done with it?’
Bahamut resolved to give serious thought to the name of the newly established nation.
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