Surviving in the 121st Century - Chapter 48



Only Noblemtl

The hog stopped for a moment. A stone wall was visible in the distance. Beyond the stone wall, buildings were visible, built of brick and tile. The overall view was like looking at an old, quiet, rural coastal town in Europe.

Moreover, because it was built as if perched on top of a steep coastal cliff, the village looked like towers rising above a high fortress.

Jincheol, who was looking at the village, said.

“Do you know that town?”

It was a question directed at Ramien. She poked her head out from between Jincheol’s sides, checked the appearance of the village, and then shook her head.

“I don’t know. It’s a town I’ve never seen before.”

“hmm···”

Should I go into that village now? Maybe the Rabito swarm is chasing me. But I needed to figure out where I was. I needed to know where I was so I could figure out where to go and run. And Jincheol needed more information, especially since he had to find the meditation gathering.

“Okay. Let’s hide the hog nearby and go in. It’ll stand out for no reason.”

Jincheol moved the hog that had stopped and looked for rocks and shrubs nearby. He placed the hog behind a rock and covered it with shrubs, which gave him some camouflage.

In Hog’s saddle was a leather bag that belonged to the racers who had originally owned Hog, containing small bottles of liquor, orders, ammunition, and the like. Jincheol hid the submachine gun he had taken in there and slung it over his shoulder.

“let’s go.”

Jincheol took the lead. He didn’t know what kind of attitude the villagers would show, but he had to give it a try. Ramien followed behind with a very nervous expression. Only Doljukji was absentmindedly putting a handful of forest berries in his mouth and munching on them.

As they strode into the village, a quiet and peaceful atmosphere greeted them. There was no one walking along the village street.

“Where did they all go?”

“If they are honest rabbits, they would each be concentrating on their own work···”

As Ramien answered, it was still a time when people should be working. If they were farmers, they should be farming, and if they were fishermen, they should be out on their boats.

At that moment, Jincheol caught the gaze of someone peeking out from the corner of the alley and observing this way. However, when Jincheol looked in that direction, the observing Rabito was startled and disappeared into the alley.

I quickly went over there and saw the little Rabito boy running away in a panic. He was wearing old and shabby clothes.

“Hey! Then you’ll fall over!”

Just as Jincheol was worried, the child who was running on two feet tripped once, fell, and then ran away on all fours. That kid is good at running.

“It’s an inn.”

When I turned my head at Ramien’s words, I saw a signboard with a food sentence on the opposite alley where the child had run away. It was a building with a wooden frame and white walls, and it was about four stories high. Since there were no other sounds around, Jincheol and the two approached the inn.

As he approached the inn, something caught Jincheol’s eye.

“What is this?”

There were some papers tacked up on the wall next to the inn door. The large, rectangular pieces of paper had vivid pictures on them, like giant fists breaking chains or beating up small, dark rabbits.

To Jincheol, it looked like some kind of propaganda poster. He recalled the Rabito letters he had learned from Mr. Parum and read one of them out loud.

“Overthrow corruption… in the name of the general?”

“I’ve seen this political post before, written by the Siapo Fisheries Cooperative Association…”

Ramien’s expression brightened.

“If you’re from the Shiapo Union, you have a non-aggression pact with those Urata guys! Those Urata guys won’t be able to enter this town!”

Oh my. Rabbits are doing everything. Jincheol looked at the posters with trembling eyes. There wasn’t just one poster.

Starting with what he had read a little while ago, he drew a cute little Rabito who looked like a child and wrote on top of it, ‘The happiness of this 6-year-old girl is in your hands! Enlist now!’, a picture of Rabito in magnificent and gorgeous attire looking up with ‘For the father of the nation!’, a picture of the happy Rabito family with white fur with ‘The nation protects its people with your support. Join the local party now!’, a picture of Rabito with a hunched back and a disgustingly distorted face with ‘Disability is a curse of the evil god Marx!’, a picture of a Rabito woman hugging children with ‘Women of Sciapo! Teach your children true love! Homosexuality is a curse of Marx!’ and so on.

The papers were filled with propaganda, incitement and hate, ranging from very old and worn-out posters to clean posters that were clearly pasted up a few days ago.

Jincheol, who checked them out, naturally laughed out loud. The propaganda of war and hatred that had burned down his era was lined up here. And in the most outdated of outdated ways. Damn, this is ridiculous.

At least the main characters in the picture were cute rabbits. If human-like Olog or Esai had been doing this, the shittiness would have been doubled.

Jincheol pulled the end of the poster slightly to check the material. The paper quality was not bad. The flying battleship and the hog were also great, and these rabbit friends had great skills.

“Did you guys do something like this? Enlist in the Jasso Federation?”

“···”

Ramien didn’t answer. When Jincheol checked on her, she was looking at a poster with a gloomy face.

There was a picture of a rabbi woman with an active figure, but clearly wearing a skirt and blouse, with her arms bent to form a thong. The text read, ‘A great country needs great mothers! Become patriotic mothers!’

Jincheol, who had been looking at her and the posters for a while, tapped her shoulder.

“···?”

“Let’s go in.”

“···okay.”

Jincheol opened the inn door without hesitation. The door was set to fit Rabito, so it only reached Jincheol’s chest, but when he bowed his head and went inside, the ceiling height was so high that he was able to straighten his back.

As I entered, I saw the sight of an ordinary bar. Round wooden tables and chairs, a bar table that filled one wall, and beyond that, Rabito was wiping glasses. He was probably the owner of this place.

He opened his mouth when he found Jincheol inside.

“Oh, Esai, it’s been a while. Come on in.”

Ramien and Doljumeok followed Jincheol. The innkeeper looked at the three of them as if they were curious about their combination.

Jincheol approached the bar table, placed a silver coin on it, and spoke.

“Let’s each have a drink first.”

The innkeeper took the silver coin, checked it, smiled slyly, and shook his head.

“This alone is only worth one drink.”

“What? What’s so expensive?”

“This is the currency of the Federal Reserve. The bank there failed, so now it can only be accepted in metal value.”

“···”

No matter how much the currency value fell, the silver coin was still made of silver. Because its specific gravity was good, it was recognized as valuable in Shiol and could be used as currency.

So, no matter how much you compromise, a drink for a silver coin is still a waste of money for a foreigner. Now, the innkeeper is trying to eat Jincheol’s back.

Then Ramien opened his mouth.

“The posters posted outside are very old. Who is responsible for managing the propaganda posters?”

The smiling innkeeper’s expression hardened slightly.

“Well, first of all… I’m the one in charge. But who are you…?”

“The poster fell and was blown away by the wind, but you didn’t collect it or repair it? If you report it to the Public Order Protection Bureau, it seems like they’ll dispatch the police right away.”

“Poem, report? Reporting to the Guardians for something like that···?”

“Why? Do you think you can’t do it?”

As she spoke, she opened her leather coat slightly. A military uniform was seen inside. And the innkeeper’s face drooped in fear as he saw the uniform.

“Sorry, sorry. There was a mistake in managing the post···”

“Repair it as soon as possible.”

“Yes! Over there, wherever you are, please sit down! I’ll get you something to drink right away!”

Without saying a word, Ramien picked up the silver coins Jincheol had placed and walked to the inner seat. Jincheol and Doljumeok looked back and forth between Ramien’s back and the innkeeper who was hastily preparing the glasses, then followed her and sat down in the corner.

Jincheol leaned towards Ramien while sitting on a slightly smaller chair.

“What happened? Aren’t you from Jassoyeonbyeon?”

“···I never said I was a soldier of Siapo. He just misunderstood after seeing the uniform.”

Are you kidding me? Jincheol snickered. Ramien, who saw that smile, wrinkled her nose as if embarrassed.

“Just, they’re asking ridiculous prices. Even though the Federal Reserve Bank has collapsed…”

“No. Good. It’s better than just beating everything up because you used a dump.”

After a while, the innkeeper came to the table with wine, glasses, and a plate full of pickled fish. Ramien, who was looking at the wine and food, opened his mouth again.

“The color is nice. Am I the meat here?”

“Yes? Oh, yes! If you say Amachi Herring, it’s a pickled herring that is well-known around here! It’s the pride of our Amachi town! In the past, it was even exported to foreign countries!”

“Hmm. I’ll eat well.”

The innkeeper bowed and backed away. Judging from the way he took out a blade and a razor from inside the bar table, it seemed like he was really trying to repair the posters.

And after confirming that he had left and it had become quiet, Ramien opened his mouth.

“If you’re an Amachi of Siapo… this is near the border. If you go east, you can get to the Siapo capital, and if you go north, you can get to the Keredi Cross Alliance.”

“What about the south? Is that the country called the Urata Union?”

“···That’s right. It was originally the land of our Jasso Federation.”

Jincheol scratched the back of his head. Was it time to roughly decide on a route to take? He asked Ramien.

“I think it’s time for each of us to decide where to go. Where are you going?”

“···I have to go back to Solkain.”

“Where is that?”

“The capital of the Jaso Federation.”

Jincheol raised one eyebrow.

“I don’t think it would be safe there if the national leader and the military were to flee all the way to Shiol.”

“That’s right. It’s probably a mess from the last bombing and Urata’s attack. But I have to go. There’s someone I absolutely have to meet there.”

She took a pendant out of her bosom. The metal opened with a click, and inside was a small black-and-white photograph. Oh, this guy is really pulling off a dangerous foreshadowing.

While Jincheol was thinking about random things, he checked the appearance of Rabito in the photo.

“Are you my lover?”

At those words, Ramien looked back and forth between Jincheol and the Rabito in the photo, then hesitated and answered.

“···that’s right.”

“Oh. That guy is handsome.”

Ramien’s eyes widened at the compliment. Then, as if he had suddenly heard something so funny, he began to laugh loudly. And Jincheol smiled awkwardly at that laughter and drank his drink. In fact, he still couldn’t tell whether Rabito was handsome or ugly.

The rabbits looked like rabbits, and to Jincheol, they all looked the same. Even the rabbits in the picture that Ramien showed him had round eyes and smooth fur, but they didn’t seem handsome. But wouldn’t you like it if your lover said you were handsome? People laugh in an embarrassing way.

At that moment, the stone fist that had been quiet until now opened its mouth.

“The flesh looks so tender and delicious-”

The desk shook violently and Doljumuk’s mouth stopped. He looked at Jincheol with a resentful look on his face, holding his shin. Jincheol didn’t care. That tactless brat.

Fortunately, instead of being terrified like before, Ramien smiled gently while looking at the photo.

“It’s more lovely than that.”

“···Heh heh.”

What the hell. Who would live sadly without a lover? Suddenly, I remembered the squad member who had promised to introduce me to his younger sister. At the time, I hated him because his hair was long, but in reality, it wasn’t that bad. If the war had ended without any trouble, I might have actually met her.

“···”

Jincheol scratched his eyebrows. It was a pointless thought. If you think about it deeply, it was a time that you can’t go back to. The woman in the photo probably turned to dust long ago. Ten thousand years is a long time for that to happen.

At that moment, the stone fist that had been rubbing its shins opened its mouth again.

“Then don’t you need bodyguards?”

“what?”

Doljukkim continued speaking to Ramien, who was looking at him.

“It would be difficult to go to enemy territory and rescue your lover alone. Fortunately, there are two top-class mercenaries here who will protect you from the ends of the earth if you give them money. Just like General Donchaba, if you don’t break your promise of payment, we will also keep our promise.”

Who did this kid sneak in? Jincheol, who was about to say something, stopped talking. Esai, who was supposed to be Ishanka’s daughter and was called the ‘White Butcher’, was a rebel from the Jaso Federation. So, to find her, shouldn’t we head to the Jaso Federation’s capital? If the country is in ruins, it seems like the rebels would have taken over the capital.

When he turned his head to Ramien, she was looking at Jincheol with bright eyes. Her eyes were asking if he really wanted to go with her.

“···Have you ever heard of a meditation meeting?”

“A meeting of meditation?”

Ramien tilted her head and became lost in thought at Jincheol’s unexpected question. After thinking for a while, she let out an “ah” sound as if an idea had occurred to her.

“You mean the Baika scholars from the tribe? I’ve heard of them.”

“Where? Where have I heard of it?”

“From Rostang. I came here to do some historical research, and I remember them advertising that our Federation’s history was so great that people from abroad were coming to see it…”

“Rostan? Where is that?”

“It was a border city between our Federation and Urata. The war started when the Urata people claimed that the city’s historical origins were theirs···”

Ramien dipped his fingers in alcohol and drew a rough sketch on the table. A long western coastline was drawn, and three countries were drawn next to it, layered like layers. From the southernmost, the Urata Trade Union, the Free Salt Trade Federation, and the northernmost, the Siapo Fisheries Union, where they were now.

Rostang was a city located in the south of the Jasso Federation and north of Uratagen. From where the three were now, it was quite a distance to go southeast.

“Then where is Solkain?”

“···here.”

Solcain was further inland, north of Rostang, but also further east than Rostang, making it farther away.

Jincheol, who had learned the general location, scratched his head. Where should he go first?

Even if it was a gathering of meditation, it seemed impossible to excavate relics in the middle of a war. With the giant flying battleships firing at each other, there seemed to be no room for a Byka scholar to intervene.

But there was no certainty that Ishanka’s daughter would be found in Solkain. They had to find the Jaso Federation rebels, but the land seemed to have been occupied by Urata at the time.

Jincheol, who had been scratching his head for a moment, decided to think simply.

“Yeah, is there any money in the house?”

A question a thug might ask when trying to extort money. But that question actually brightened Ramien’s expression.

“Of course! I have stock in the mining company too! If I could just cash it out, I could pay you a lot of money!”

“Are you really going to hire the two of us as bodyguards?”

“If you agree!”

Jincheol looked at the map drying on the table. If he went to Solkain and then to Rostang, it would be a journey close to a tilted ridge. However, considering the moment of the dump a little while ago, moving with Ramien could be a very good choice.

For one thing, she knew her way around, which was a huge advantage in an age where navigation systems were hard to come by.

Moreover, even though he was a member of the military, his actions and thoughts were extremely flexible, as shown by the way he had just tricked the innkeeper. He even accepted the role of bait this morning without a word.

Considering the Rabito officer I met on the crashing airship and the soldiers who passively followed his orders, Ramien could almost be considered a different species. As a comrade, he was a very good person. At least, he was better than the stone fist who was just eating the herrings next to him.

Jincheol, who had been lost in thought, looked at Ramien and smiled.

“I thought about it, and I’d rather receive something other than money.”

“Anything else?”

Jincheol said to Ramien, who was blinking.

“There are people I’m looking for. One is the daughter of someone I know, and the others are some guys I want to beat up. I’ll help you get to Solkain, so help me find them.”

“···”

Ramien was lost in thought, just like Jincheol. But soon she slowly nodded and smiled. She held out her hand. Jincheol smiled and took her hand.

“Okay. If you help me meet Ipani, I’ll help you find people.”

“Is your lover’s name Ipani? Okay. Let’s go and look for her together.”

The two men shaking hands turned their gazes to the stone fist licking the plate next to them. He licked his lips and said.

“I get paid. I will work only as much as I get paid.”

“···Okay. I’ll just hire you.”

“Let’s write a contract.”

“good.”

The two took out the piece of paper that was rolling around in their bags, turned it over, and finished writing the contract. It was a contract written twice, in Rabito, Olog, and Green Tea. Doljumeok looked at the piece of paper with very satisfied eyes.

That was when the three of them were clearly grouped together.

Someone came in quietly from the door that the innkeeper had left open. Sensitive Jincheol sensed the presence and looked to see that it was a shabby-dressed little Rabito. Looking closely, he saw the kid who had run away from them in the alley a little while ago.

“···”

The guy froze when he met Jincheol’s eyes, not knowing there would be people inside. But soon he looked back with an anxious look, then ran to the bar table and hurriedly grabbed the bread and fruit that were there.

“···what?”

While everyone else was just watching in bewilderment, the guy picked up a basket and started filling it with food.

Then the innkeeper came in.

“You! You little punk!”

“!”

As the innkeeper ran towards him, the boy quickly rolled over the bar table and dodged his hand.

“Oh my!”

“···”

The innkeeper fell over with a thud, and the man hesitated for a moment at the sight of him falling, then turned around and ran away.

“···?”

As Jincheol and the two others looked at the scene with bewildered eyes, the innkeeper got up, approached them, and bowed.

“I, I’m sorry···”

“What’s going on?”

When Ramien asked that question with a fake seriousness, the innkeeper lowered his head and said.

“Rice, it’s nothing. It’s just that, that guy, what is he, he’s the troublemaker of the village···”

“Even if you’re a troublemaker, why would you steal food in broad daylight? And in plain sight of the owner? Explain in detail what happened!”

“That··· That···”

As Ramien went out strongly, sensing something strange, the innkeeper’s nose began to flare incessantly.