Chapter 108

Chapter 108: Desire.

Kim Ki-woo had a plan. 

He wanted to explore the western sea and find the mysterious continent of Asia, where he hoped to obtain priceless treasures and become rich. 

He was not the only one who had this ambition. 

Many merchants and adventurers in the Wakan Tanka Empire dreamed of sailing to the unknown lands and discovering new wonders.

But things did not go as Kim Ki-woo planned.

“Hehe. What a wonderful world we live in. We can make so much money here.”

“I wish it would always stay like this.”

At that time, the Wakan Tanka Empire was enjoying a golden age.

They sold cheap goods produced by the empire to the natives of the central and southern continents, and in exchange, they acquired gold, silver, copper, guano, rubber, sugar, cocoa, and other valuable resources. 

They sucked them in like a black hole.

The empire used these precious imports to fuel its development in the mainland.

And recently, the finance department raised the interest rate and poured the money collected into heavy industries such as steel, which increased the money supply in the market.

As a result, wages went up and various products targeting these consumers appeared, stimulating the market.

It was not strange to see workers buying expensive luxury goods.

And among those luxury goods, the most popular ones were those that came from Europe.

“Ah… If only I could bring in some of the rare treasures from other continents, it would be a jackpot.”

“Who doesn’t know that? But who knows when the ban will be lifted?”

The merchants looked at the European treasures that were circulating in a very small scale and felt regretful.

Their prices were astronomical among the wealthy classes.

The Wakan Tanka Empire had a very short history.

Therefore, the imperial citizens tended to value ancient relics more than anything else, and they were crazy about the antiques that came from Europe.

“I heard that there are more ancient and beautiful relics in a place called Asia. The merchants who bring them in will be really lucky.”

And they had already heard rumors about Asia from their limited contact with Europe.

Many merchants imagined being the first to bring in expensive treasures from Asia.

But until then, there were no merchants who actually tried to realize this dream.

The ban on ocean navigation was one of the reasons, but the most important one was the fear of plague.

But this was only until vaccines were administered on a large scale.

As soon as the vaccination started, some people began to think differently.

“Maybe we are safer now from deadly plagues? We got vaccinated, right?”

“There must be Asia if we go to the west sea…”

They were burning with desire.

It was a mix of curiosity and greed. 

They wanted to explore new worlds and become rich by bringing in treasures from other continents.

“Hey! How dare you disobey the ban issued by His Majesty himself? You should wait until the time comes and the ban is lifted. Don’t be greedy for nothing.”

“If you break the ban, you will never be able to set foot on the mainland again.”

Many people warned them like this, but…

“Surely there are many people who think like me. If I let them take the lead, I will regret it later.”

There were already quite a few people who were blinded by their desire.

“And what if I don’t get caught?”

With this thought, many of them began to put their plans into action.

One of them was Sharp Eyes.

He had his own ships, three of them.

He was a veteran who had been trading in the west sea for a long time.

Sharp Eyes planned boldly and confidently.

At that time, there were quite a lot of vaccines that were not counted properly because they were distributed so intensively.

There were many people who wanted to get vaccinated first just in case.

But because of this, there were cases where they had to wait for a long time.

However, since it was a matter of life and death, some of the imperial citizens wanted to pay more money and get vaccinated before others.

“Please sell me this vaccine. I will pay you more.”

“…Why do you want to buy so much? Don’t tell me you want to resell it?”

“Does that matter?”

“Hmm… You know what happens if you get caught, right?”

The man made a gesture of cutting his own head with his hand.

“There’s no risk. I’m leaving for the southern continent soon anyway.”

“Wow… Well, you can sell it for more there, I guess.”

The man’s face finally relaxed a bit.

The slender-eyed man did not miss the opportunity and handed him the money pouch.

“Please check it. You’ll be satisfied.”

“Hmm.”

The man took the money pouch and discreetly checked the amount.

Then, his face completely softened and a smile appeared on his eyes.

“Good. Make sure you take it to the southern continent. Don’t let anyone else get it. Here, take this.”

“Haha. You made a wise choice.”

After getting the vaccine in his hands, the slender-eyed man headed straight for the southern continent as promised.

And he began to lure the residents there.

“Do you know what this is?”

“I don’t know.”

“It’s the vaccine that’s being distributed in the mainland.”

“Vaccine? Is that true?”

The newspapers issued by the empire were also circulated in the southern continent, so the residents there knew about the vaccine.

But the vaccine had not yet reached the faraway southern continent.

“Don’t be fooled. With this, you can survive in the disaster that might come someday.”

“…!”

Kim Ki-woo’s actions were not only watched by the mainland imperial citizens.

The empire’s influence was so widespread that the southern continent residents were no different.

And to them, Kim Ki-woo’s policy seemed like an attempt to prevent the future disaster.

He cut off contact with other continents and tried his best to make vaccines that could eradicate diseases.

The problem was that the benefits were prioritized for the mainland citizens, so the external residents were anxious.

“How can you be sure that’s a real vaccine?”

But soon, a negative remark came out of the mouth of the village representative, Fine Sand.

A man who suddenly came and brought a vaccine.

How could he easily believe him?

“Haha. Did you think I was going to sell it?”

“Then are you saying no? Did you bring it to show off?”

“Of course not.”

Fine Sand’s face frowned at the increasingly suspicious words of the slender-eyed man.

“I don’t have time to play with you.”

“It’s not a joke. I’m going to vaccinate those who join my crew with these.”

“Crew?”

“Yes. I’m going to leave for a new continent beyond that vast sea.”

“…Ha, surely you know that the emperor of the empire has not lifted the ban on ocean voyages.”

“That’s right. But that’s only the law of the empire. It doesn’t apply to you.”

“Aren’t you an imperial citizen?”

“Haha. I have a plan for that. Don’t worry.”

“…”

He was speechless at the confident answer of the slender-eyed man.

But he did not care and continued his words.

“I will vaccinate those who join my voyage with these vaccines. Also, I’m willing to give some of the precious treasures I brought from other continents. They sell for a huge price in the mainland, so if you come back alive, you can become a rich man.”

“Ha! You’re defying even your emperor’s command for money.”

“Does loyalty feed you? Does he pay you heaps of money?”

The slender-eyed man did not hide his greed for money.

“You better choose well. Do you think I’m the only one who thinks this way? There must be others who think like me. And if they successfully go to another continent and come back? Then there’s a high chance that diseases will spread as he wishes. But by then, are you sure that vaccines will be supplied here?”

“…!”

“Maybe the mainland will be quite safe from the plague, but I’m not sure about other regions. Even if the vaccine is supplied, it will cost a lot of money. Do you have that much? But if you accept my offer, you could make a lot of money.”

As he spoke, the villagers, including Fine Sand, were speechless.

Fine Sand closed his eyes for a moment, gathered his thoughts, and opened his mouth.

“You know very well that your actions could cause a disaster. Do you really want that?”

“Of course I’ll be careful. But like I said, even if I don’t act, these things could happen because of others. So you have to choose wisely. What is the best choice for you?”

His sharp eyes were confident.

He knew that his words had worked.

Not only Fine Sand, but also the faces of the people gathered were very serious.

‘Nothing stimulates the imagination more than the fear of the unknown.’

He had instilled that fear in them.

But he didn’t lie.

He sincerely believed that the plague could spread soon, not only by him but by others.

“The choice is yours. Whether you wish for no disaster to happen every day, or whether you take action to overcome the disaster. I don’t have much time either, so please answer me as soon as possible.”

“Sigh… Fine. I understand.”

***

The decision was made the next day.

The villagers’ choice was to agree.

“Haha. You made a good decision.”

“Sigh… I don’t know if this is the right choice, but since we decided to act together, I hope you’ll help us.”

“Likewise.”

After that, he selected the crew members who had experience as sailors.

“But what are you going to do now? Your ship must be registered, right? And it looks like you have a lot of sailors…”

“Don’t worry about that. Just come to the port with the sailors tomorrow night. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Hmm… Okay.”

The answer was very suspicious, but Fine Sand let it go.

The sharp-eyed man executed his plan after parting with the villagers.

“Did you finally come? I thought my neck would break from waiting.”

“Haha. I should have brought this later. It would have been a chance to see your neck break.”

“That would be a rare sight indeed!”

He was greeted by the sailors as he boarded the ship and pointed behind him.

“I was late because I brought this. Do you need alcohol for sailing?”

“As expected! The captain knows us very well!”

“Hehehe.”

The sailors smiled very satisfied as they saw the large amount of alcohol that the sharp-eyed man had brought.

The sharp-eyed man also smiled at the corner of his mouth.

But there was no smile in his eyes.

***

“Come on, drink and die!”

“Cheers!”

The first night of sailing.

A drinking party started on the ship.

On three ships, the sailors drank like sailors.

“Captain, have a drink too!”

“Haha. No thanks. I’ll drink this.”

The sailor offered him a drink, but the sharp-eyed man refused with a smile.

“You’re so picky anyway.”

The night went on.

And the incident happened in the early morning when everyone was asleep.

Thud, thud.

The sharp-eyed man slapped the cheek of the sailor who had offered him a drink earlier.

“You sleep well without knowing your fate.”

“Hehe. Of course. They’re very powerful stuff. They won’t wake up easily until morning.”

“Until morning? Don’t you mean forever? Haha!”

The three men looked at each other and smirked wickedly.

The sharp-eyed man had tampered with the alcohol when he brought it.

So that they wouldn’t wake up until everything was over.