Episode 227
Episode 86. The King of Balipoa and (1)
It took ten days to Balipoa.
In the meantime, Yuma and the others were changing wagons and boats, worried that something might happen on the boat again.
Fortunately, no more tiring incidents occurred at sea. Igor, who is vulnerable to motion sickness, just vomited hard.
The two passes and the fake ID that Santi had prepared were perfect. During the trip, Yuma and his party learned that wherever they went, there was a group that had a relationship with ‘Yuma’s Wing’.
All of them showed goodwill when they saw the pass that Yuma had given them. It was because of the ‘Yuma’s Wings’ mark on the pass and fake ID.
“It seems that the righteous merchants of Sylmar are supporting the great people.
Please rest in peace.”
Most of the people who gave up a room to a party after looking at their ID were like that.
Every time Yuma was surprised by the results achieved by the Shurian group.
“Is there any news from the spirits?”
“huh. There has been no news from the spirits since I found Igor. In particular, Taroun shows only a faint response to my call, no matter how far he has gone.”
Yuma licked his lips and nodded. In fact, if the spirits had found the information, they would have brought something within the three months that they had fainted.
At that time, while he was in a state of suspended animation by devoting all his life force to Yuma, his communion with the spirits scattered throughout the East slightly faded.
Therefore, Yuma and the others really had to scour the entire eastern land like teeth to find their comrades.
Yuma had no choice but to put his hopes on someone who said he was the king of Balipoa.
He was a mad buyer of Western slaves, so he might have a clue about Natalie and Katherine Serril.
‘Natalie is a venomous and strong woman, so it’s probably not a big deal. Miss Catherine and Cheryl are the problem. Huh…
Yuma thought while inhaling the smoke from his pipe. He purposely did not see the vision of Natalie engraved on the artifact of Ballinan even while he was coming to Balipoa.
It was because he would hate himself if he saw the welcome of his lover even though he had not yet found all his colleagues.
Besides, didn’t Cog leave Kantai and follow him? It was impossible to miss Natalie while watching the vision alone in front of such a cog.
Kog tried not to express it, but Yuma could tell from time to time that he loved Kantai very much.
“Miss Yuma. I’m sure everyone will be fine. Do I feel bad again hahaha!”
Igor said while walking towards the gateway to Balipoa.
“If you meet a thug with the cheeky title of Myungwang, you’ll be able to outline anything. Because Ballinan and Cog also found it while chasing slave traders.”
“Is this also violence? Yu Ma-sama Aang!”
“… Wow, I almost punched out for real. Igor, please, how can you not do that damn cuteness?”
“brother! After all, hyung is the coolest when he beats everything up!”
“I see you guys have a misunderstanding, but I’m the kind of person who always prioritizes conversation. However, most of those who think they are in power only realize the importance of dialogue and communication after they break up.”
Cog and Igor Ballinan shook their heads without Yuma’s knowledge.
Balipoa was indeed the territory of the Eastern Empire, Kantra.
From the entrance gate, it exuded a grand atmosphere that was incomparable to that of Nabaluna or Lucan Principality Sylmar.
There were two passages at the gateway, which seemed to have been carved out of a huge stone mountain.
One was a passage used by the people of Cantra, and the other was a passage used by outsiders.
There was a huge stone statue between the aisles, which was modeled after Leon Raizin, the first ruler of Kantra.
Looking at the stone statue up close, even with its head completely bent, it was impossible to gauge its height and scale.
Yuma and the others waited for their turn while waiting in line in the aisle used by outsiders on the left.
From here on, I had to use another pass without the symbol of ‘Yuma’s wings’.
It was because there were not many forces in Cantra that had a favorable relationship with the ‘Wings of Yuma’ yet.
In addition, there could be an awkward problem between the King of Balipoa and ‘Wings of Yuma’.
“Pass!”
When it was Yuma’s turn, the gatekeeper shouted in an overbearing manner. On the other hand, the gatekeepers dealing with the Cantra people on the other side were exuding a very friendly atmosphere.
The gatekeeper raised his eyebrows as Yuma sullenly handed out the pass.
“Are you Westerners?”
“however. Any problem?”
“Are you from Kyle?”
“I came from the Kyle Empire.”
“Hmm… go in.”
The gatekeeper said with a strange smile. His eyes full of savory expression, knowing in advance that Yuma and the others would surely be unhappy.
Yuma saw the gatekeeper’s eyes and was convinced.
Even if he didn’t have to go looking for it himself, the thug who asked if he was the King of Balipoa would send someone on his own.
Just by the attitude of the gatekeeper, Yuma was able to gauge the influence of the king of Balipoa on the region.
According to Shurian’s group, only one of the influential people in Balipoa was interested in the West. that was the king
When the gatekeeper dared to ask if he was a Westerner, it meant that the king was also reaching out to the administration of Balipoa.
When Yuma explained this, Cog tilted his head in puzzlement.
“For some reason, there are many cases in the east where small men put strength on their shoulders, Yuma-sama. This is unthinkable for Kyle…
“Cog. That’s because Touhou, like Kyle, divides real classes based on money, not status. Every country and every region has one big gangster. They do anything that makes money.”
Even after hearing Ballinan’s answer, Cogg seemed unable to understand.
In the West, there was no dark group big enough to influence state institutions, except for the Rose Society of Haseo in the past.
Of course, until one of the rose society came under Yuma’s command, it was the world’s highest level dark group.
“Let’s go straight to the king of Balipoa.”
Yuma’s party didn’t stop at an inn or restaurant, and headed straight for the wagon.
Because it was a big city with so many travelers, Yuma and the others didn’t seem to stand out in particular.
Cogg put his luggage on the ground for a moment and reached for the wagon. Within a few minutes, a coachman stopped in front of Yuma and asked where they were going.
“Where are you going?”
“I want to go to the residence of the king of Balipoa. Do you know where it is?”
“Who is in Balipoa who does not know it? Looking at them, they seem to be tourists from the West, but there are ugly rumors going around this area these days. Why do you want to go that way…?”
The driver showed a worried look and fanned his hand.
“I have some business to do, so just go. Give generously.”
“Okay. What if it is?”
The carriage was not very large. With Cog and Igor Ballinan in the back seat, the inside of the carriage was so full that there was no room to move.
“There aren’t enough seats like this. May I sit on my horse and go?”
“Um… do that.”
Dalgrak Dalgrak. The well-paved stone road and the pleasant sound of horseshoes colliding continued. Yuma smoked a pipe and sat on a horse to see the city of Balipoa.
Every street was made up of two-person garrisons, and the streets were full of lanterns using the power of the spirits.
At night, a beautiful, shining landscape will unfold like the night view of the empire.
At first glance, Balipoa seemed to have clear administration and security. However, on the other side of this well-formed city, there was an outstanding bastard named Myeongwang.
The reason why the investigation of outstanding was not different. It’s because King Myeong is in control of the entire city.
Humming a song, the coachman ran down the main street and entered a winding alley.
Yuma looked at the coachman and wondered what kind of person the king of Balipoa was.
It was because Yuma realized one thing that he had been thinking about for a long time while passing the alley.
“Hey coachman.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’d rather not do anything stupid.
I’m getting curious about your boss right now. I mean, what kind of guy is he?”
Even the coachman was a minion of King Myeong.
Yuma was able to spot several dark group members wearing camouflage while walking around the alley.
And that they and the coachman were exchanging signals using clandestine gestures.
“One by the window of the alley I just returned from, and two by the wall of the dirt road I passed earlier.
Even a cursory glance is enough.”
It was a plain tone, but the coachman could feel the murderous spirit in Yuma’s voice.
Among the group sitting in the luggage compartment, only Igor, the sword master, noticed that Yuma’s mood had changed.
Yuma was admiring the person called the King of Balipoa. Yuma and the others arrived in Balipoa less than an hour ago.
‘Perhaps the gatekeeper put a pipe on King Myeong’s side to say that Western travelers had arrived, and immediately sent a subordinate disguised as a coachman. Seeing how natural the connection is, it may be that he has always been catching Western travelers like this.’
why the hell
It was that part that Yuma was most curious about. The reason why King Myeong invested considerable money to aggressively buy Western slaves and kidnap Western travelers.
The king of Balipoa seemed to have great hostility towards the West. Or that there are circumstances that Yuma doesn’t know about.
If it were not so, there would be no need to gather Westerners like this.
Yuma thought that maybe the person named Myungwang might not be a simple bastard.
Although the skills of his subordinates in the ambush were not great, they gave off a feeling that they were strangely trained to be ordinary gangsters.
“Haha guest. What kind of joke are you talking about?”
The coachman was very nervous, contemplating whether or not to take out the dagger in his bosom.
To alleviate his troubles, Yuma split the pipe he was smoking and disassembled it in half.
Then, he threw to the side a few small memorized notes hidden inside.
The memory flew like a flash and stuck on the shoulder of another Myungwang who was watching the carriage from the window of the building next door.
The coachman felt the hairs on his body stand up and lowered the hand he was slowly lifting.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Because it’s a memorization with paralysis poison, that friend probably won’t be able to wake up for half a day. Can you make me the same?”
“Oh no no.”
“Yeah, that’s good. It’s my first time in Balipoa, so I don’t know where the King’s residence is. Feel free to ask for guidance.”
The coachman did not dare to meet Yuma’s eyes and drove the carriage without looking straight ahead.
“And by the time we get to the shelter, if there are any more friends waiting in ambush, we’ll signal that there’s a problem. So that your friends can come and meet me. got it?”
Saying so, Yuma was in the middle of reassembling the pipe and sucking in the smoke.
About 30 minutes later, the party was able to arrive at King Myeong’s residence.
The king of Balipoa quietly watched Yuma get off the carriage through the curtains on the top floor of the mansion.
He was wearing a suit made of black leopard skin, befitting the nickname Myeongwang. Whoever could see it, it was the appearance of a dignified underworld boss.
A report about Yuma had just reached him.
The king snorted once and turned to face a woman behind him.
“…For now, I’ve gathered some usable kids, but what is that guy? Even though it doesn’t look like much from the outside, they said they noticed that our kids were ambushing them.”
King Myung treated her with respect as if he were treating someone in great difficulty.
“What does it look like?”
There was a faint hint of loneliness in the woman’s shrill voice.
Like that of a person who gave up after waiting for something for a long time.
“A light-blonde young man… A blue-haired kid with dirty chest hair and a brown-haired porter? It’s an odd combination.”
The woman jumped up and pushed Myeongwang roughly, because he was covering the curtains.
And the woman who checked out the window felt grateful to all the gods in the world for the first time in her life.
‘Yuma!’
It was Natalie who was momentarily choked and unable to pronounce her name out loud.
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