Chapter 97

Chapter 97: A Solid Pillar.

Meanwhile, after Kim Kiwoo had set up a neutral zone in the Andes region and occupied several areas, many Andean people had joined the empire.

A Solid Pillar was also one of the men who became imperial citizens at this time.

“Father, I want to live in the mainland.”

“What? How can you leave the land we have lived in and go all the way there? Didn’t I already tell you that it’s impossible?”

“I’m sorry. I’m going even if you oppose.”

“You, you…!”

White Eagle’s face turned red at A Solid Pillar’s defiance.

But A Solid Pillar did not flinch.

His current life was not bad.

This region had also undergone rapid development after being absorbed by the empire.

Thanks to that, he was able to enjoy a prosperous life that was incomparable to before.

“Hoo…”

White Eagle let out a deep sigh.

His son’s expression was different from last time. It was very firm.

He looked like he had made up his mind and came to him. No matter what he said, his son’s will did not seem to change.

“Fine. Let’s go inside and talk. What is the reason why you want to leave your family behind and go to the far north land?”

At his father’s direct question, A Solid Pillar poured out his desire.

“I have only seen the brilliant appearance of the empire through newspapers and rumors. The people who have been to the empire praised the excellence of the mainland until their mouths dried up. I want to see that sight with my own eyes.”

“…”

Even after his words ended, White Eagle could not say anything.

Unlike usual, his voice was full of vitality when he talked about going to the empire.

Because of that, he could clearly feel how great his son’s desire was.

“We have no intention of crossing over to the mainland. Even if you go, you have to go alone. It won’t be easy to settle down in the mainland by yourself. Are you sure you can endure it?”

“I will.”

At his son’s resolute words, White Eagle finally gave in.

“…All right. Do as you wish.”

“Thank you, father. I will come back successful from the mainland!”

***

There were twists and turns until he made his decision, but A Solid Pillar’s actions were fast after everything was settled.

He said goodbye to his family and went straight to the port to board a ship to the mainland.

“Are you also immigrating to the mainland, sir?”

“Yes.”

“Haha. You made a good choice. I hope you will be blessed by the spirits in the future.”

A Solid Pillar nodded briefly at Sailor, Warm Gold’s words.

‘There are many.’

He looked around and saw that there were quite a lot of people who were trying to immigrate to the mainland like him.

From those who were going with their hard-earned money like him, to those who were immigrating with their whole family, their types were also diverse.

Complex and subtle emotions such as anxiety, hope, expectation, etc. flowed out of them.

After the voyage began in earnest.

Time passed quickly.

The ship that left from Andes soon arrived at Oceanus.

“Wow…”

A Solid Pillar exclaimed as he stepped foot on Oceanus region.

This region was not the mainland, but it was so developed that it was incomparable to where A Solid Pillar lived.

This shock did not go away until he unpacked his luggage in the city.

‘I want to look around more.’

A Solid Pillar left the inn right away.

They had a day off to rest on land, so they had plenty of time to explore this enormous city.

“Hey, bro! We meet again.”

Then, a familiar voice came from behind.

The sturdy pillar turned around and looked at him.

As expected.

The man who called him was none other than the sailor, the warm gold.

“Ha ha! Is this what they call fate? How about it? Do you want to join me if you’re bored?”

“Would that be okay?”

“Of course. I was just feeling bored myself.”

The sturdy pillar smiled at the warm gold’s words.

He didn’t know anyone in this strange land.

Moreover, the man in front of him was a sailor of the empire.

That meant he probably knew this city well.

They exchanged names.

And his guess was right.

“Just follow me. I’ll show you the best sights of this city, brother.”

“I trust you, bro.”

The two soon became close and wandered around the city.

“Wow…!”

The sturdy pillar exclaimed as he saw the huge statues erected in the square.

He recognized the identity of the largest statue in the middle at a glance.

It was no wonder, since it had the same face as the one on the gold and silver coins.

“Ha ha. Isn’t it magnificent? I always stop by here whenever I come to this city. To pray for blessings for the next voyage.”

“I didn’t expect to see such a big statue of His Majesty here.”

“Well. There aren’t many in Andes yet. But you’ll get used to it soon. There are statues of His Majesty in every city, even in every village, on the mainland.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course. Why do you think we live so well? It’s all thanks to His Majesty. Even if it’s small, there should be a statue of His Majesty!”

The warm gold’s voice, which was always cheerful and light-hearted, became serious.

It was a moment when he could tell how much he respected Kim Ki-woo.

“But who is the statue kneeling next to His Majesty?”

“Oh, that’s the sturdy steel sword. He made great achievements since the first war in the Creak era, and established a foothold in Yanghae as the expedition commander-in-chief.”

“I see.”

The warm gold then explained the identities of the other statues in the square.

“Ha ha. I got too excited. I’m such a chatterbox.”

“Not at all. Thanks to you, I had a lot of fun.”

“That’s good then.”

After that, they continued their sightseeing.

And the sturdy pillar’s admiration continued as well.

“This is how amazing Yanghae is, how incredible must the mainland be?”

At that, the warm gold smiled brightly.

“The mainland is amazing too. But don’t get me wrong, Yanghae is not the mainland, but it’s as prosperous as any other major city. Don’t forget that this is the trade center of Yanghae, Andes, and the western part of the central continent.”

As the warm gold said, Yanghae had been growing rapidly with transit trade, and now it was one of the most prosperous regions in the empire.

“Oh, I see…”

Only then did the sturdy pillar agree.

Come to think of it, it was true.

Even at this moment, a huge amount of goods were moving across the city.

After realizing this, he looked around again with new eyes.

‘There are so many different people here.’

They looked different depending on their region.

The mainlanders and Andes people like him, and even the natives of the central continent.

The solid pillar was amazed by everything.

He had seen many things since then.

He couldn’t visit every area of the city, but thanks to the warm gold, he was able to see many important places.

“I wish I had more time to see the rest of the places.”

“I agree with you.”

The two left their regrets behind and entered a pub.

And there, the solid pillar had a fateful encounter.

“What is this…?”

“Have you heard of it? This is a food called chicken.”

“Oh! Is this chicken?”

The solid pillar nodded his head.

He couldn’t recognize it at first because of the fried coating, but upon closer inspection, he noticed the distinctive shape of chicken meat.

Chicken had been introduced to Andes a long time ago.

As a result, chicken was a very familiar livestock to the Andes people.

The solid pillar had eaten many chicken dishes, but he had never tasted chicken.

However, his mouth began to water at the smell of frying that tickled his nose.

“Go ahead and try it. I’m sure you’ll love it. Here, this leg part is the best, you know?”

After grabbing the leg that warm gold handed him, the solid pillar took a big bite.

Crunch!

“…!”

And his eyes widened as much as they could.

The crispiness of the chicken, the sweet and spicy sauce, and the unique greasiness blended together and gave him a taste he had never experienced before.

“How is it? Delicious, right? Haha! I knew it. This place is really a gem. I always come here whenever I visit this city, you know?”

Warm gold chattered excitedly, but this did not reach the solid pillar’s ears.

He was like a man possessed, eating chicken without thinking.

Warm gold realized this and smiled wryly, then spoke to the owner.

“Haha. This guy seems to be totally hooked on your chicken.”

“Of course! No one can resist our special sauce!”

The round shield, who ran the pub, said with a thick pride in his voice.

Chicken was already a very common food in the empire.

Especially since it was a food made by Kim Ki-woo himself, the imperial people wanted to taste chicken.

However, in the early days, chicken was not popularized due to the shortage of cooking oil, but when cottonseed oil was refined for edible use, the supply of cooking oil became smooth.

As a result, chicken gradually became popularized and many pubs and restaurants started selling chicken.

Among them, round shield’s pub was famous for its taste even within the empire.

While they were having a conversation.

Chomp, chomp.

The solid pillar sucked on the sauce stuck on his chopsticks and came to his senses.

‘…!’

He looked at the plate.

But there was nothing left but bones.

He had eaten a whole chicken without realizing it.

‘I want more…’

Even though he was very full, he couldn’t get rid of the fantastic taste of chicken in his head.

“Then have a good trip to the mainland, brother. It was nice meeting you.”

“Yes, thank you.”

This continued until he finished drinking and went back to the inn.

And this was also the case at that moment when he headed to the east port the next day.

‘I have to go to the mainland…’

Would he be able to taste chicken like yesterday on the mainland?

If he left like this, would he regret it?

That thought made the solid pillar’s footsteps heavy.

He stopped!

“Phew…”

He finally halted his steps.

And turned around.

‘Yeah. I can always go back to the mainland, right?’

The border region seemed like a nice place to live.

More than anything, he felt a strong destiny from the chicken he ate yesterday.

He headed straight to the pub he visited last night.

As expected, it was too early in the morning and the door was not open.

But he waited in front of the shop without hesitation.

How much time had passed?

Round Shield came with some ingredients for the shop.

“Hmm? Didn’t you say you were leaving for the mainland this afternoon?”

“I did, but I changed my mind. Please take me as your disciple. I will serve you as my master!”

“…”

Round Shield could not answer right away at the sudden absurd words.

But seeing how serious he was, Round Shield gestured him to come in.

“Come on in.”

“Yes, master!”

“Haha. This guy.”

He followed Round Shield into the shop.

And so, the legend of Solid Pillar, who would shake the food industry in the future, began in the border region.