Chapter 153
The story of Seoul has come to an end, and now we begin the long-awaited tale of Pohang.
Thanks to the efforts of the Balhut Cult, Pohang, which was liberated, has been busy every single day without exception.
Fishing boats set sail at the port to secure food supplies, and trade with Japan, Vietnam, and Indonesia began through an agreement reached at the International Organization Reconstruction Conference held in London, along with container ships coming from the United States.
In reality, Pohang could become the economic center of the Balhut Cult, and as a result, the city experienced its second golden age.
“It feels like it’s been a long time since I set foot on land. Every day is so busy.”
Naturally, Baek Seol-hwa, who was given the task of governing Pohang under the orders of Bahamut, began to gradually gain more authority.
In particular, as she personally took on the role of admiral to protect the East Sea, the Balhut Cult also realized that the safety of the East Sea must be ensured for their faction to continue to exist.
However, the Priestess of the Dragon wasn’t just a being meant for battle; she also took part directly in governance.
Of course, just like Yuna, the final responsibility for the administration of Pohang fell to Seol-hwa, who had to be directly involved to ensure proper functioning.
Fortunately, for Baek Seol-hwa…
“Ah, you’re here, Seol-hwa. You’ve returned earlier than expected.”
To protect the East Sea, Seol-hwa had a loyal subordinate who took care of internal affairs in her stead, as each day was a fierce battle.
Seo Un-jae, one of the former three great camp leaders of Pohang and now Baek Seol-hwa’s advisor and administrative official, greeted Seol-hwa upon her return and smiled warmly, speaking with a dignified air.
“Yes, it was settled quicker than expected. We won a decisive victory on the Ulsan front, and we’ve discovered that the ghost fleet appearing in the East Sea is linked to the Immortal Cult.”
“That’s truly a joyful victory. This is great news. After all, the new members of the parliament are starting to doubt General Jung Dong-gun’s abilities. This victory will put an end to those doubts.”
They had figured out which faction the ghost fleet belonged to, and they also secured a decisive victory on the Ulsan front.
Upon hearing this, Seo Un-jae warned that the time had come for the newly elected members of parliament to start questioning Jung Dong-gun’s abilities.
Baek Seol-hwa, looking somewhat astonished by the news, turned to Seo Un-jae and spoke.
“Is this the kind of talk that’s going around?”
“Yes. The Bahamut Association and the Constitutional Democratic Party. The victory of both factions in the general elections is clear, but neither side had a complete overwhelming victory. The rise of a third political faction is inevitable, Seol-hwa.”
The two political factions had achieved certain successes, but neither could claim an overwhelming victory.
The emergence of a third faction was permitted, and the newly established party was now striving to assert its presence by attacking the flaws of the bureaucrats who had worked in the existing cabinet.
At the same time…
“More importantly, I’ve noticed that there’s a far-right faction within the Balhut Cult.”
These weren’t just ordinary political factions but were dangerous forces that could be considered far-right by pre-apocalypse standards.
“Is that dangerous?”
“No, it’s actually natural. In fact, it would be strange if there weren’t a far-right faction in such a chaotic world. In this apocalypse, the more extreme the statements, the more power they gain. Disillusioned citizens who are disappointed by the moderate stance of the Bahamut Association and the Constitutional Democratic Party may gravitate toward extreme factions.”
Baek Seol-hwa, expressing some anxiety at the term “far-right,” asked if it wasn’t dangerous, but Seo Un-jae advised that the rise of a far-right faction was only natural.
The world was so difficult that the emergence of extreme forces was inevitable, and the reality was that extreme statements were gaining strength.
If you always spoke rationally, it would be boring—extreme statements could attract attention and provide the dopamine rush people craved.
Of course, if this became a reality, it would be an illogical delusion, and if it did come to pass, most citizens would be in trouble, but it could be ignored.
“I don’t know anything about the parliament. So, Seo Un-jae… you’re also part of the parliament, right?”
“Yes, I’m a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party. I’m a servant of the Priestess of the Dragon. Naturally, I must belong to the Constitutional Democratic Party.”
Baek Seol-hwa, looking puzzled, raised both hands, and Seo Un-jae asked if she wasn’t part of the parliament.
To that, Seo Un-jae answered that he was indeed a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party, and since he was serving the Priestess of the Dragon, it would be difficult not to be part of the party that held the Priestess of the Dragon in high regard.
“Oh, there’s also the Bahamut Association.”
“Haha. I do respect God Bahamut. However, right now, my lord is Seol-hwa. At least for now, let me continue with my explanation on the far-right.”
Baek Seol-hwa mentioned Bahamut first, but Seo Un-jae firmly stated that he only wished to work for Seol-hwa at the moment and continued his explanation.
“It’s been said that there are many inside the Balhut Cult who are dissatisfied with its rule. This is happening not only in the old North Gyeongju area but also occasionally appearing here in Pohang.”
No matter what government, there would always be dissent.
Depending on the policies a regime pushes forward, people’s opinions would naturally differ, and fighting for trivial matters was human nature.
Until now, under the banner of the apocalypse, even if there were policy complaints, they had been ignored, and when necessary, strong responses were used to push policies forward.
However, after the general elections, the Balhut Cult, being a democratic state, couldn’t avoid the gradual rise of dissatisfaction.
One of the main issues of dissatisfaction was the Dragon Slayer platform proposed by the Korean First Party.
‘Among the factions that entered the parliament, one proposed the insane platform of Dragon Slayer… but no matter how I think about it, I can never let Seol-hwa know about this.’
However, Seo Un-jae was quite aware of this.
When this fact is revealed to Baek Seol-hwa, no one could predict how she would act.
She might be so angry with the Korean First Party that she would personally step in to destroy the party, which had proposed the Dragon Slayer platform.
Seo Un-jae could not bring himself to report this to Seol-hwa, as he was trying to protect the members and supporters of the Korean First Party.
‘To be honest, this is all their own doing. It’s not the first time they’ve caused trouble.’
Of course, Seo Un-jae didn’t show sympathy for the extreme political views of the Korean First Party.
After all, the party was responsible for proposing the Dragon Slayer platform, and so the blame lay entirely with them.
What Seo Un-jae was most worried about was…
‘I might be made to appear as though I’m using the Priestess of the Dragon to stage a political assassination.’
If Seo Un-jae directly reported this to Seol-hwa, it could be made to look like he was asking her to carry out a political assassination.
No matter how foolish someone might be, a member of the Korean First Party was still an elected official, chosen by the citizens in an election.
It was unsettling to think of that member being shot by the Priestess of the Dragon and killed horribly in the middle of a street in broad daylight.
“By the way, what’s this I’m hearing about Pohang?”
“Oh, recently there has been an increase in people coming to Pohang from outside. If we put it nicely, they’re refugees. If we put it badly, they’re displaced persons or even outsiders.”
So, Seo Un-jae decided to change the subject and turn the conversation to a different issue, the one about the uninvited outsiders coming to Pohang.
There was another topic he had to report to Seol-hwa, not only about the Korean First Party but also about the unknown outsiders arriving in Pohang.
Seo Un-jae mentioned that there were unidentified refugees arriving in Pohang.
“It’s only natural that people would come to a safe place to escape the apocalypse, isn’t it?”
Seol-hwa replied that it was only natural, and there was no problem with it at all.
Indeed, refugees were a natural occurrence in this apocalypse, and there were many refugees heading toward the Balhut Cult as well.
It was truly an ordinary, everyday story.
“But these refugees are disturbing the order in Pohang. From their perspective, it feels like suddenly, another country has set up within the territory of the Republic of Korea. They’re struggling to adapt to this unfamiliar environment.”
The problem was that these refugees were disrupting the order of Pohang.
After all, Pohang had severed its ties with the Republic of Korea and joined a new nation, so it was expected to see unfamiliar sights.
But still, wasn’t it essentially still part of the Republic of Korea?
Seol-hwa looked at Seo Un-jae with a puzzled expression as he explained.
“Really? Is that true?”
“Yes. Many of the refugees who have come to Pohang are struggling to adapt to the current atmosphere. Most of all, the Balhut Cult, the most foreign organization on the Korean Peninsula, is in control, so there’s bound to be psychological resistance.”
Seol-hwa looked somewhat stunned, but responded.
“If they see God Bahamut, everyone will believe.”
“Haha. That would certainly be effective, but most people would either fall into fear or frenzy.”
Seo Un-jae explained that if God Bahamut himself descended, all the complaints would likely vanish.
He also warned that while it would be effective, it would also cause chaos, with many people falling into fear or madness.
Baek Seol-hwa didn’t deny this.
After all, Seo Un-jae himself had witnessed God Bahamut’s descent and the resulting surrender of the Balhut Cult, which had been a significant event.
At the time of the Pohang negotiations, Seo Un-jae had pushed for Pohang’s interests, even if it meant a little forceful negotiation.
‘Looking back, I was fearless.’
Now, he saw it as a part of his past and just shook his head calmly.
“So, Seo Un-jae, if you’re bringing this up to me, it means there’s something we need to do immediately. While I supervise the East Sea, please summarize the situation inside Pohang.”
“It’s simple.”
However, Seol-hwa believed that the refugee issue could be handled by Seo Un-jae alone, as she had given him the authority to manage it.
More importantly, as she had just said, the appearance of refugees in this apocalypse was a completely natural event, and there was no need to report every little issue as a major concern.
Still, Seo Un-jae emphasized the importance of the situation…
“We need to restore the order in Pohang, which has been disturbed by these outsiders.”
The influx of refugees was indeed disturbing the order of Pohang.
This meant that Pohang was now facing an overwhelming number of refugees from across the Korean Peninsula.
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