Chapter 262
Choi Yeonseung gave up on asking the other constellations for advice. While the other constellations were familiar with ruling or invading kingdoms in the Abyss, they knew virtually nothing about Earth.
“Aine, can you explain it to me?”
“Yes. I was already going to do that. As we all know, there was once a time when it was popular for hunter clans to control countries.”
“...?”
Choi Yeonseung was puzzled.
“Was there such a trend?”
“It happened when you weren’t here...”
“That’s right. Including the Aiden clan, there have been many instances of hunters ruling countries.”
In the early days when the gate opened, humans were rather powerless. Back then, they lacked information regarding magic, monsters, and the Abyss...
In the meantime, monsters constantly emerged from dungeons, making it seem like the world was really about to end. However, humans were adaptable beings. After withstanding such a crisis brought on by the great invasion, hunters grew stronger and gradually gained more experience.
The era of clearing dungeons for profit, not for survival, had come.
Having survived the initial crisis, hunters used the abilities they had improved, accumulated wealth, and established connections with politicians. They also caused problems here and there, the developed countries, or those faced with political instability, being among their targets.
Hunters either overthrew the governments of their own countries, or they went to different countries and established themselves as the new leaders. Such things had happened so frequently that they were now listed as examples.
Choi Yeonseung listened attentively to Aine’s explanation, seemingly captivated. He asked, “So what happened? Are there any countries where things went well?”
“Um... Most of them were ruined.”
Aine’s secretary, who was next to her, cautiously opened her mouth.
The hunter clans were just like every dictator that quickly got ousted because they had no clue as to what they were doing.
At first, they suppressed the citizens with powerful magic that couldn’t be matched by modern weapons. However, they soon lost their advantage as people quickly became unafraid of magic and realized that hunters were still human.
Hunters could easily block the projectiles of tanks when they were on the defensive, but when they were left defenseless, a single pistol bullet was enough to knock them down.
The foreign hunters arbitrarily oppressed the citizens using force and failed to govern the country properly. Naturally, the people of that country had no reason to tolerate such treatment. There were rebellions and revolutions!
“The clan that established the ‘Hunter African Republic’ was decimated, with only one person making it out alive. The clan that settled in the Yemen Republic fled because military groups joined forces and rebelled... Also...”
“There’s not a single case where things went well?”
Choi Yeonseung was slightly sullen. It was rather unpleasant to find out that the hunters on Earth had just been messing around during his absence.
Aine comforted him. “Hunters are so greedy… How could they possibly run a country well?”
Those hunters had worked hard to get into a position of power, but made a fuss in order to get their money’s worth. Then they ended up ruining it.
“It’s not very comforting... Don’t you have something more positive to tell me?”
“Um... Following the revolutions and whatnot, hunter clans gave up on the idea of unnecessarily occupying a country, so they started running corporations.”
“...”
“I-Isn’t that better?”
Aine was really flustered by Choi Yeonseung’s sullen reaction and tried to cheer him up somehow. She had never seen him like this before.
“It saddens me to hear that they have become experts in having fun and living comfortably, rather than engaging in raids like clans should do...” said Choi Yeonseung.
“The SSL is also popular.” The secretary tried to help, but only managed to annoy Aine.
“Why are you talking?”
“I-I’m sorry...”
Choi Yeonseung sighed and shrugged. “It can’t be helped.”
“Right?” said Aine, seemingly relieved by Choi Yeonseung’s response. She continued trying to cheer up Choi Yeonseung. “Learn from the mistakes of those hunter clans and do better.”
“You’re right.”
“In addition, aren’t there clans that are doing alright?”
Aine showed him the data she had brought with her. The data was about the Aiden clan’s rulership of the republic. Even though other hunter clans had failed and had been driven out, the Aiden clan were holding their own!
The secrets of their success could be summarized in a few main points:
1. Good relations with neighboring countries.
2. A strong force with A-grade hunters.
3. Household members of powerful constellations.
4. Received huge investments from foreign companies.
5. Securing a national surveillance system.
Etc etc.
Choi Yeonseung wondered, “...You want me to refer to this?”
“Well, not to every single point...” Aine slightly lowered her voice, signifying that this whole conversation was making her a bit uncomfortable.
“So roughly speaking, I should be familiar with the dictatorships close to our country and use force when people have complaints... Wait, this is strangely familiar.”
“You don’t necessarily have to do that, but I definitely recommend number four. It’s a suitable business and it’s good for everyone.”
Most countries usually lost their vibrancy after they were occupied by evil god constellations. The industries that relied on international business were hit hard after contact with the outside world was cut off.
Most of the constellations simply banned contact with other countries without being aware of the consequences. Only after they realized their mistake and regretted it did they reopen the industry. The constellations had a hard time realizing that the way in which countries on Earth functioned was more difficult than they had assumed.
However, looking at it from the other side, the constellation in charge could easily start any business if they decided to do so.
Why had hunter clans tried to take over countries? They had done it in order to gain an extreme amount of wealth without paying any taxes. Of course, Choi Yeonseung wasn’t going to go that far, but the opportunity was clearly there.
“In addition, unlike other countries, the United Kingdom is highly developed when it comes to technology and manufacturing...”
Choi Yeonseung cocked his head. “Even if you say that, I can’t really touch anything right now. They know I’m an outsider. I think it’s better to play it safe for now rather than do something rash and cause trouble.”
“That’s not bad either. Being humble is better than being arrogant.” Aine had confidence in Choi Yeonseung’s business skills, but she would support him if he wanted to go slowly.
“Do you have any recommendations?”
“Yes, Hunter Choi Yeonseung,” said one of the secretaries in a tone that suggested he was highly confident about his idea.
“What is it?”
“Do you know what the United Kingdom has?”
“Let’s see… Um... There are various kinds of resources, and various manufacturing technologies, or factories…?”
“You’re right, but there is one more thing.”
“...?”
“There are artifacts that have been looted from all over the world!”
“Oh...”
Choi Yeonseung was intrigued by the secretary’s unexpected words.
Britain boasted a splendid collection of relics, which was displayed in the British museum, consisting mostly of relics from other countries. One couldn’t obtain such relics by merely acting as a gangster for ten or twenty years. Rather, those relics could only be acquired by being the big bullies of the world for over one hundred years!
The United Kingdom had taken relics from Greece, Egypt, China, India, and so on. Quite a few of them had awakened and turned into artifacts after the gate had opened, but even those that hadn’t changed were priceless.
Choi Yeonseuug was impressed by the secretary’s words and asked, “That’s right. So you’re saying that I should return the relics and have those countries invest in us?”
“Huh? No. Uh... Why don’t we just sell them to rich people around the world...?”
“...”
“...”
Everyone present was baffled by this insane suggestion. Even Choi Yeonseung was dumbfounded.
“What did you just say?”
“But Hunter Choi Yeonseung, The British didn’t pay for them, so what’s the problem if we sell them? Moreover, if we sell the relics to the countries that originally owned them, wouldn’t we be doing them a favor?”
The secretary’s suggestion strangely made more sense, and Choi Yeonseung was instantly fascinated by it.
“Wait. Aren’t there quite a few Korean artifacts in the United Kingdom?”
“Indeed, there are quite a few.”
“Hey. Sit down,” said Choi Yeonseung in a stern voice as he changed his mind.
The secretary sat down sullenly.
“This guy’s opinion is a mess, but since we have now got our hands on the United Kingdom, it’s better to talk to the constellations and properly gain access to the relics. Every single one of them is very valuable.”
Whether it was an artifact or a simple treasure, they were all valuable, and it was a good idea to obtain them.
“Hmm. How about setting up an artifact development factory in the United Kingdom?”
“Doesn’t seem like a bad idea.”
“What about establishing a research institute that researches, develops, and synthesizes materials from the Abyss?”
“I like that.”
“What about a factory that can make food from ingredients from the Abyss?”
“...Do you really need that?”
***
It was nice thinking about what to do with the new acquisition, but the good always came with the bad.
The atmosphere in the Abyss had suddenly shifted as many entities wanted to keep in check the newly rising constellation.
Of course, Choi Yeonseung didn’t care about this. His new ranking was in front of him.
‘Is it the twenty-ninth place?’
Choi Yeonseung was thrilled by the enormous power flowing through him.
His current amount of power of existence was on a completely different level compared to when his ranking was in the three digits. He felt like if he put his mind to it, he could make any being strong!
-...While it’s good to do that, try using your power of existence a bit more flexibly. I know it is difficult, but your current abilities are too focused on combat.
The words spoken by the goddess of sloth hit the nail on the head. Despite acquiring various powers and getting stronger, Choi Yeonseung always…
He always only used physical strength.
-Ugh. That’s true.
-Indeed. I’m always right.
[The ‘Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead’ is congratulating you for the shared victory.]
[She proudly says that she is ranked seventy-seventh.]
“...?”
Choi Yeonseung was flustered for a moment. Given that the previous victory had raised his rank to twenty-nine, he had assumed that the goddess of balance would at least land in the top thirty. Had she suffered that much damage?
‘Still, isn’t it strange?’
-Perhaps... I think it’s likely because the humans in the United Kingdom are sending their faith to someone else.
-What does that mean?
-Think about the fight that just took place. If you were British, who would you find more reliable?
The goddess of balance and her household members hadn’t appeared during the battle. On the other hand, despite being in the middle of a fight, Choi Yeonseung had beaten up the police officers in order to evacuate the citizens.
Moreover, there had been rumors that he had wiped out all the nobles who lived by relying on the collector constellation. The moment the British people heard these rumors, they looked forward to the reign of this new constellation. After all, wasn’t it going to be better than the rulership of the collector constellation?
-...It’s troublesome.
Choi Yeonseung was quite embarrassed.
The victory that the goddess planned and achieved hadn’t been split evenly. He was the one who had gotten all the credit. No matter how generous the goddess was, this was something she had to be angry about. A constellation was bound to be furious about something like this!
“Goddess, I’m sorry. I went overboard, so you didn’t gain enough...”
[The ‘Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead’ is shaking her hand in surprise and saying that this isn’t the case!]
[The ‘Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead’ declares that she’s not a constellation who holds grudges over such things!]
[The ‘Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead’ declares that she is so broad-minded that no other constellation can match it.]
[The ‘Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead’ says that if you really feel sorry about this incident, it isn’t a bad idea to tell your master to help with the work more. Of course, she isn’t forcing it. It is just a minor adjustment to the work...]
“...”
Choi Yeonseung was left speechless by the unnecessarily long speech of the goddess of balance, which was delivered in a rather shy tone.
Meanwhile, the goddess of sloth was deep in thought.
Was the goddess of balance that sloppy? Could she really fake something like that through acting?
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