Breath of The Interferer - Chapter 98
Only Noblemtl
#98 – Breath of the Interferer_Key – 1684702
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The Scarecrow King of the Horned Deer Dynasty
‘Thousand-faced ball’
The body of the divine spirit is surrounded by a thin sphere of ice. It is not a perfect sphere, but is made up of numerous surfaces, so if you don’t look closely, you might pass it by without noticing its existence. It is a stealth magic that utilizes the refractive properties of ice. Its weakness is that it is easily detected in places where there are multiple light sources due to the irregular reflection of light.
So you have to move while the sunlight is still bright and there is only one light source. If it is a little later and the torches or lights are turned on, you cannot sneak out of the palace. Electricity is created by burning oil. Since oil itself is a strategic material for making magic samples, electricity is only available to nobles and royalty.
The servants are busy preparing for the banquet. Unlike the palace maids who live in the palace, the servants go to work in the morning and evening. A day like today when there is a banquet is the day the servants hate the most. They have to work late into the evening and go home by torchlight in the dark of the night.
Because of that, the servants who mostly worked outside in the cold would ignore anything strange because it was annoying. They were only thinking about quickly finishing their work of moving ingredients, drawing water, and carrying heavy objects and going home. Thanks to that, Shingi was unable to fully use the Thousand Face Magic due to his lack of experience, but he was able to escape the palace without being caught. Shingi was lacking in the use of magic other than attack magic.
Shingi was amazed by his genius in using magic and went to see the native sorcerer. The natives had no concept of currency, so he couldn’t use the method of throwing a gold coin and asking for favors. He also had a hard time because he couldn’t communicate with them.
“Liberator, follow me.”
Despite the cold weather, an old man wearing short sleeves spoke to Shingi. Shingi was happy to meet someone he could talk to and asked the old man a question.
“Can you guide me to the sorcerer?”
The old man nodded and walked ahead, leaning on his cane. He was wearing short sleeves and his pants were loose. Shin-gi felt a power different from magic from the three feathers the old man had on his head. It was clear that those feathers were protecting him from the cold.
Perhaps because he was bored while walking, the old man explained the feather to Shingi. It was as if he knew Shingi’s curiosity.
“These three feathers are called the feathers of the owl. It is a bird belonging to the owl family that always faces north, and it molts every spring. We call it the ‘north-facing face’ or the ‘northern face’. It varies from person to person, but usually, dozens of feathers are needed to ward off the cold. The closer a person lives to nature, the fewer feathers they need.”
“So, the great sorcerer only needs one feather?”
“Even a great sorcerer usually needs five to seven feathers. These days, children lack the heart to worship nature, so they are unable to fully embrace the great spirit.”
The old man showed off the necklace he had on his neck to the magician.
“This is the beak of a parrot that only lives on the Southern Continent. If processed with magic, it can be used to communicate with people who speak different languages. Thanks to this beak, our sorcerers can communicate with people, animals, and even nature. There are only a few beaks left because the connection with the Southern Continent has been cut off for hundreds of years.”
The old man wearing short sleeves showed the god the wolf symbol tattooed on his right arm.
“I am a shaman of the Frostwolf tribe. My people have lived in this land for thousands of years. However, when they claimed it as our own, we retreated south. We are vassals of this land, not its masters.”
“Then the mutant spirits invaded and hundreds of years passed. These days, young people think that the southern lands are our lands that were taken away by the mutant spirits. That is a very wrong idea. We are just uninvited guests who live on the land with the permission of the land.”
Shin-gi was absorbed in the old man’s story. The old man walked ahead and continued to talk.
“Every spring, we hold a ritual to ask the land for permission. If the land permits, we have a good harvest that year. If the land does not permit, we have to move to another land. Sometimes the heavens are angry and do not send rain. Then we hold a ritual until the heavens permit. Sometimes the earth and the heavens do not accept us, and we humbly accept it and gird ourselves.”
“That’s how we’ve clung to this land for so long. But as the spirits mutated, the world changed, and the thoughts of the people changed. Even this old man cannot go against those thoughts. And he has no intention of going against them for the sake of the tribesmen. Liberator who has appeared in every prophecy for hundreds of years, take us south. Divine spirit who heads south, unlike the gods who only look north.”
They have no concept of territory. They just stay on the land that accepts them. If the land rejects them, they move to another place. However, after living in Canada for hundreds of years, people have developed a concept of ‘ownership’. They want to live freely on ‘their own land’ without being ruled by others.
“I needed someone to give me directions, and this is a good opportunity. I think you know my destination, so please take care of it until then.”
“The mutant spirits are leaving nature alone. Nature needs beings like us humans to devour her. That’s how change is possible. The land to the south keeps calling us, but we haven’t been able to move yet because no liberator has appeared.”
As I focused on the old man’s words, I arrived at an unfamiliar place. Of course, there is no place in Canada that is unfamiliar to Shingi, but the reason I said it was unfamiliar was because the scenery changed in an instant.
“It’s a spell. A spell that swims on land. We are now in Ottawa, the capital of the Antlers’ Dynasty. There is someone who wants to see you.”
They jumped over a thousand kilometers in less than ten minutes while conversing. Even the magicians’ teleportation techniques cannot cover such a long distance in one go.
“Because the land permitted it. If the land did not permit it, I would have had to walk on two feet.”
We entered a manor house that was a little more shabby than the main house in Gangwon-do.
“This is the palace of the Horned Deer Dynasty. The young king wishes to see you.”
As I entered the room, which was a bit too small for a large room, a boy of about sixteen suddenly stood up and rushed towards the shrine. The boy suddenly stopped in front of the shrine, grabbed the shrine’s hand, and shook it violently.
“Greetings, Liberator. I am George Washington, King of the Antlers Dynasty, and Regulator of the Predestined Lands of the South.”
“I am Shingi, the third prince of the Republic of Korea, the ruler of Gyeonggi Province, and a peerless great magician with the title of Count.”
After making his humble introduction, Shingi asked the shaman of the Frost Wolf Tribe in Korean.
“Does this person look white?”
“Even within our tribe, if we lack faith in nature and destroy it excessively with greed, we are exiled. On the other hand, those who know nature are treated the same as our tribesmen, even if their skin color and language are different. We do not discriminate between people based on bloodline, knowledge, or ability.”
Shingi nodded. Those who are not greedy and live in tribal units with nature as their friend have difficulty getting together and doing something. This is because they respect each other’s opinions and follow the will of nature. However, nature does not have the will to drive out the monster. They need someone who can lead them ‘artificially’ rather than ‘naturally’.
“My goal is to go to the South American continent. So I need guidance. Of course, I have a prophecy, so if it doesn’t interfere with my purpose, I will help you.”
In response to the news, George Washington detailed his plan.
“According to the information I’ve gathered so far, there are fewer monsters and less changes on the east coast than on the west coast. I’ll go down from Ottawa and occupy the east coast and create a defensive line. Then, once I’ve connected with the southern continent, I’ll borrow their sorcerers and warriors to occupy the west coast and create a defensive line.”
“Once this side is stabilized, we will help them drive out the monsters from the southern continent. The reason we must liberate this continent first is because it has a lot of flat land, making it advantageous for farming and building roads to create a transportation network. Once we have sufficient resources on this side, we will use them to drive out the monsters from the southern continent as much as possible. Perhaps in two hundred years, the United States of America will become the best and freest country in the world to live in.”
The nation George Washington envisions is a union of nations. It is not a union based on land boundaries, but rather a union based on tribes. It is a union of nearly fifty tribes in Canada and nearly seventy tribes in the southern continent. No one will own land, but will have the freedom and right to live freely on all lands in the United States.
There are no other duties except the duty to participate in the invasion of foreign powers and the subjugation of monsters. Tribes that do not fulfill their duties will have their rights revoked. And they will be forced to live in the desert areas of the southwest. A country where you can enjoy freedom and rights if you fulfill your duties was the most ideal form of country that George Washington envisioned.
“Yes, so you’re saying we’re going all the way south along the east coast? If that’s the case, I can go alone. Of course you’ll take me by the fastest route, right?”
Washington nodded. The goal is to quickly connect with the southern continent and join forces. We must secure land where we can live comfortably and secure a stable supply of resources. And based on those resources, we will slowly drive out the monsters through regular subjugation. We will create strongholds in each element to counter the monsters, and the ultimate goal is to establish a stable monster defense line on the east and west coasts.
“The southern lands and the southern continent are also rich in natural resources. Since they are far from Japan, the birthplace of monsters, the number of monsters we have to deal with is much smaller than that of the Korean Empire or the British Empire. If we create a country that is good to live in, talented people will come here. The center of the world will move from the Korean Empire and the British Empire to our United States.”
“The United States will not covet colonies like the British Empire, nor will it seek to subjugate neighboring countries like the Korean Empire. It will become a nation that knows freedom and equality, rights and duties, and will become a guardian that protects the world.”
Shingi is not interested in Washington’s ideals. His goal is to complete all the quests as quickly as possible, save the world, and live comfortably. Even if he tries to be lazy now, he cannot slack off because he has an obsession with completing quests. It was okay until the Silver Dragon’s Arrogance quest, but starting with the Red Dragon’s Ferocity quest, he has a strong feeling in his head that he must proceed quickly.
“I want to leave as soon as possible.”
At Shingi’s words, the shaman of the Frost Wolf tribe took off the necklace, placed it on his hand, and muttered something. After a while, the parrot’s beak turned to dust and scattered in the wind. The shaman said something to Washington. Shingi could not understand it.
“Now, let’s go. Six hundred thousand warriors and sorcerers will be the vanguard. Six million tribesmen will follow behind us. Let’s take just one photo to commemorate the first meeting between the liberator and the adjuster, and for the great new history of humanity, let’s go.”
At Washington’s request, Shingi took a photo with him. Washington, dressed in his splendid military uniform, took the photo and led Shingi out. The mercenaries who had been guarding the shabby mansion that was too shabby to be called a palace tried to stop Washington, but they were too scared to move by the sight of thousands of armed tribesmen swarming in.
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