Chapter 586
Jin Geumho, when Levin suddenly showed up and asked him to co along, thought perhaps another place had been connected by a portal. But he never imagined that the place it led to would be such a vast forest.
“Ha ha!”
He was so astonished that laughter ca out instead of words.
The sa went for Seo Taeran.
Having lived her entire life in Neo Seoul, this was the first ti she had ever seen such an expansive forest.
There were forests within Neo Seoul as well. However, they were incomparably smaller than the one before her now.
She had already been given a hint by Zeon, but she never dread a forest of this magnitude truly existed.
Jin Geumho’s gaze shifted to Serian, who stood beside Zeon.
“I heard you left with Zeon. So you were here.”
“It seems we et again here.”
“Judging by the look of it, you’ve already spoken with the people here.”
“I t relatives after a long ti and talked through the night.”
“That’s good!”
Jin Geumho nodded and looked toward the dark elves.
Dark elves were stationed throughout the forest.
Just by looking at them, one could tell.
Who the guardians of this forest were.
“A forest raised by dark elves?”
“They are the ones who guard it.”
“Guardians? Then that ans there are others who raised it.”
“Yes.”
“I’d like to et them. I want to express my reverence to whoever accomplished such a great undertaking.”
At that mont, Go Duwon stepped forward from among the people.
“I am Go Duwon, the village chief and guardian of this forest.”
“I am Jin Geumho, mayor of Neo Seoul. Are you the one who raised this forest?”
“We all joined forces to grow it.”
“You have accomplished sothing truly remarkable.”
Then Jin Geumho bowed his head to Go Duwon.
Startled by the sudden action, Go Duwon reacted in surprise.
“What are you doing?”
“Look at the great feat you have achieved. Upon barren sand, you have cultivated such a lush forest. You have created a miracle that no one else on Earth has accomplished. I sincerely respect you.”
Jin Geumho’s voice trembled.
At his attitude, Go Duwon could not hide his flustered expression.
In his view, the one who deserved respect was Jin Geumho.
He himself had grown the forest easily thanks to Har, but Jin Geumho had created a massive city from absolute nothing.
Neo Seoul was the cradle of humanity and its foremost base.
He could hardly believe that such a man was sincerely bowing to him.
Zeon had said that the existence of Har and the spirits must not yet be revealed. If it beca known that spirits existed, there was no telling what El Harun might do.
So Har and the spirits were kept deep within the forest.
Even if part of the forest were opened, Har and the spirits would not appear before people.
Zeon asked Jin Geumho,
“What do you think?”
“What do I think? How could sothing like this be put into words?”
Jin Geumho’s voice trembled.
He had been moved when he first visited the Steel Fortress, but it did not compare to entering the Primordial Forest.
In his lifeti, he thought he would never see such a vast forest again.
Seo Taeran, who ca with him, was no different.
“A forest like this…”
Cracks had ford in the always cold and composed expression on her face.
There was a forest in Neo Seoul as well, but the Primordial Forest possessed an overwhelming vitality that could not be compared.
Even she, who was usually numb to such things, could feel it clearly.
In a trembling voice, she asked Go Duwon,
“Would it be possible to go a little further inside?”
“Of course.”
Go Duwon readily led Jin Geumho and Seo Taeran further into the forest.
Even so, it was rely the entrance of the Primordial Forest.
Go Duwon spoke,
“Please understand that deeper inside cannot be entered, as a barrier has been set up to protect the forest.”
“I see.”
Seo Taeran could not hide her disappointnt. But soon her expression changed.
Simply standing at the forest’s entrance made her feel refreshed.
She reached out and gently brushed the grass beneath her feet.
The sensation of the blades brushing against her fingertips felt incredibly pleasant.
It was her first ti experiencing such a feeling, and she found herself smiling without realizing it.
This was the first ti Seo Taeran had ever let her guard down to such an extent.
However, Jin Geumho understood her reaction.
Because he felt the sa way.
Not just them, anyone who ca here would feel the sa.
“Whew…”
Jin Geumho took a deep breath.
The crisp air, sothing that could never be experienced in Neo Seoul, filled his lungs.
As he breathed in, his gaze changed.
He had felt enough awe. Now it was ti to judge and decide with a clear mind.
He looked at Serian.
“Will you be in charge of handling exchanges with this forest?”
“Yes. I’ve already finished discussions with the owners of the forest. From now on, communication with this forest will be unified through .”
“That works out well.”
Jin Geumho nodded.
He wasn’t speaking lightly.
Serian was an elf with a strong sense of reality.
That was because she had led other races in Neo Seoul for a long ti.
She understood well that one must give what should be given and receive what must be received.
It was easier to negotiate with soone like her.
Jin Geumho said,
“Discuss what you want from Neo Seoul with Taeran. But nothing will be free. We also need to gain sothing.”
“Of course.”
“Then leave the rest to Taeran. I’d like to experience the forest a bit more.”
“Please do.”
As if she had expected that, Serian answered imdiately.
Jin Geumho left it to Seo Taeran and walked through the Primordial Forest. Zeon followed beside him.
After a mont, Jin Geumho spoke,
“You must have helped them, didn’t you?”
“I’m not sure what you an.”
“If that weren’t the case, there would be no reason for them to treat you with such respect.”
“Well, I did offer a few small bits of help, but the ones who built this forest are entirely them.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
At Zeon’s imdiate nod without hesitation, Jin Geumho smiled faintly.
“The other races in Neo Seoul will be pleased.”
“Not just anyone will be allowed to enter.”
“Of course, it should be that way.”
“And for the ti being, its existence will remain secret.”
“That as well.”
“Aren’t you disappointed?”
“Heh. Revealing the Steel Fortress is more than enough. A good hand is ant to be kept hidden. That’s why you’ve kept this hidden all this ti, haven’t you?”
“Well…”
Zeon trailed off, but Jin Geumho didn’t mind.
He was in too good a mood.
Sothing massive entered his view.
It was Arkelon, resting on one side of the forest.
“So Arkelon was here. Has the Motte tribe co along?”
“Yes.”
“And is that old man Pabilsa still alive?”
“I’m right here.”
From behind Arkelon, Pabilsa walked out as he answered.
A smile appeared on Jin Geumho’s lips.
“So you’re still alive.”
“You’re still alive as well, Jin Geumho. It wouldn’t make sense for soone younger than you to go before you.”
“So you’re telling to die first.”
“Is that how it sounds? In any case, it’s been a while.”
“I told you to co to Neo Seoul, but you refused. Have you decided to settle here instead?”
“As you can see, Arkelon has taken a liking to this place.”
Pabilsa shrugged.
It might have seed impudent, but Jin Geumho said nothing.
Their relationship went back a long way.
In the early days of Neo Seoul, Jin Geumho had received much help from Pabilsa.
Pabilsa had supplied many of the resources Neo Seoul lacked using Arkelon.
Though ti had passed and they had grown distant, there was no ill will between them, which allowed them to speak comfortably like this.
“Does Arkelon like it here?”
“As you can see, it has no intention of leaving.”
“It’ll be a loss for you.”
“I’m thinking of settling down this ti. I’ve pushed Arkelon too hard all these years.”
“Pushed it too hard…”
“It has spent its whole life carrying us across the desert. It’s about ti it got so rest.”
“You’ve chosen a good place.”
“If it weren’t here, I wouldn’t have considered settling down at all.”
“I suppose so.”
Jin Geumho nodded.
If he had been riding Arkelon, he would have made the sa decision as Pabilsa.
“Did you also co here because of Zeon?”
“I ran into him by chance and ended up traveling together. Thanks to him, I found a good place. Without him, I would never have known such a place existed in the desert.”
“In any case, it’s a good outco for you and Arkelon. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
At Jin Geumho’s sincere words, Pabilsa nodded.
After that, the two old n chatted for quite a while, and Zeon quietly stepped away on his own.
＊＊＊
Acting on behalf of the Primordial Forest, Serian was able to reach a satisfactory agreent with Seo Taeran.
Seo Taeran was as ruthless as her title, the Ice Witch, suggested.
She approached negotiations without a trace of rcy.
If Go Duwon or Floa had dealt with her directly, they would have suffered great losses.
Having lived their entire lives in the desert, they lacked the political acun and negotiation skills that Seo Taeran possessed.
That was why Serian stepped forward.
Though she appeared innocent on the outside, Serian was an elf who had experienced countless trials.
She was neither naive nor ignorant.
Rather, when it ca to negotiating with humans, she knew better than anyone how to handle it.
Serian was a negotiation expert equal to Seo Taeran.
Serian pushed so relentlessly that even Seo Taeran showed a weary expression, and only after a long ti did they finally reach a result satisfactory to both sides.
For the ti being, the Primordial Forest would remain a secret.
All communication would be unified through Serian.
Key figures of City Hall, including Jin Geumho and Seo Taeran, would have the right to visit the Primordial Forest.
City Hall would recognize the autonomy of the Primordial Forest and provide as much support as possible.
There were also a few additional minor conditions.
It was an agreent that brought no disadvantage to the Primordial Forest.
With a tired expression, Seo Taeran said to Serian,
“How is it that you seem more calculating than a human?”
“I learned a lot while negotiating with you.”
“Ha… Anyway, I look forward to working with you.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
The two won clasped hands.
Regardless of how the negotiations had gone, there was no longer any reason to exhaust or provoke each other’s emotions.
Jin Geumho watched them with a faint smile.
“It seems everything was handled well.”
“Yes, it went well.”
“I suddenly have two more places to worry about. I’ll be quite busy from now on.”
“Please continue to take care of the underground city as well.”
“That’s my top priority.”
The Steel Fortress and the Primordial Forest were both important.
But to Jin Geumho, the underground city ca first.
After all, Lemura was there, and he felt more for those who had lived lives worse than humans for so long.
“Now that you ntion it, I should visit the underground city today.”
“Right now?”
“With a portal that allows instant travel like this, what’s the problem? I’ll go ahead first.”
“Yes. Safe travels.”
Escorted by Zeon, Jin Geumho and Seo Taeran stepped into the portal.
“Whew…”
After they disappeared, Zeon let out a sigh.
Just dealing with the two of them had consud a considerable amount of his ntal energy.
‘Now all that’s left is to go to the World Tree village… I just hope nothing happens before then.’
His gaze turned toward the northern sky, where El Harun lay.
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