Volume 58 Chapter 1.3: World Unification (3)
"Alcatra-nim."
"Yes."
"We must clean out the resistance. Let's take care of them within this week and move onto the conquest of the Brent Kingdom."
"Roger that."
"But you must not kill anyone or damage any buildings."
"That's..."
"You can do it, right? Shall I bring the Hermes Guild if you are not up to it?"
"I will see to it that it is done."
It was even easier to conquer the Brent Kingdom, the last task on the agenda of the unification of Versailles! Many players swarmed in from all over the continent, joined with the Arpen Empire's forces and disarmed the Brent kingdom knights one by one.
"No violence! No violence!"
"Mages! Put them to sleep !"
The mage unit marching towards the palace numbered in the tens of thousands.
The warriors and mages led by Slayer Calcus and Lamifter respectively from the Hermes Guild also joined the war.
"Do we have to come as well?"
"Today is the day the continent will be united, so we all must be present. We will have to make some points with Weed for a while."
The Hermes Guild arrived full of discomfort and watched the siege on Castle Nehales of the Brent Kingdom.
"We overtook the gate of the inner wall!"
"The royal knights surrender!"
"The knights are surrendering at once."
The Brent Kingdom couldn't even raise a finger in resistance.
The soldiers fired a few arrows, but the dwarf warriors led by Oberon withstood against them with their bodies before walking over and subduing them.
"Emperor. We will follow you, so please spare us."
The king of Brent willingly surrendered and the war ended in thirty minutes.
< The Brent Kingdom has surrendered.
Castle Nehales has become the territory of the Arpen Empire.
There is no longer a nation that resists against the will of the empire.
National reputation increased by 50.
Trade routes across the entire continent are now secure.
Commercial growth is accelerated.
Population increased significantly.
The loyalty of imperial knights and soldiers reached maximum points. The current standings will not change easily.
The citizens aspire to the Arpen Empire's emperor who accomplished a historical achievement. >
"Longevity to the Arpen Empire!"
"Versailles is whole at last."
"Hooray Weed!"
"Long live Emperor Weed!"
In the townsquare and streets of Castle Nehales magical lights danced in an ocean of colour.
The players from the Central and Northern Continent sprinkled flower petals.
"Should we try it too?"
"Yeah, of course."
The mages of light cast their magic into the sky.
Wondrous, colorful beams of light dressed the empty sky and celebrated the conquest of the Arpen Empire.
Weed rode on top of Wyvern3 instead of a baraag that could induce fear and watched the scene.
"K-hmm. For this day to actually come..."
- Master, are you crying?
"No. Just a bit of dust in my eyes."
His emotions were dry like a desert, but his eyes teared up slightly.
They were tears of joy from thinking about the remaining days of his life.
"Now I'm set for life even with just collecting taxes. I can be rich without having to work so hard. If I tax them like taking monthly rent..."
The citizens of the entire continent were basically his tenants!
Then, a message alert spawned for all players of Royal Road.
Blink!
< The Arpen Empire has united the continent.
The empire that was born from a small village called Morata in the Northern Continent is now the ruler of the entire continent.
Humans, dwarves, elves and orcs.
The four races that roam the continent have welcomed the Arpen Empire.
All territories in Versailles have been conquered.
The governance of the empire is spreading to all corners of the deserts, lakes, steep mountains and the frozen lands. >
Then a secret message came up just for Weed.
< You have accomplished the achievement of uniting Versailles.
The Emperor of the Arpen Empire!
You are the player who is unprecedented in history and will be difficult to parallel; you have accomplished the achievement of the conqueror.
You deserve the respect of the people.
You will enjoy unrivalled authority.
All citizens across the continent are now under your rule.
The Conqueror achievement grants 100 points to all stats.
Effects of Mentality, Honor, Fighting Spirit, and Elegance are increased by 40%.
You are now a presence admired by all humans.
Each race will visit you with rare offerings.
Every action of the ruler will transform the continent.
You are now capable of starting trades with other races, adventures into new worlds and technological research.
You may be able to uphold the will of God or the devil.
Your decisions will be reflected on the Versailles Continent. >
The unification of Versailles.
Weed, who accomplished the grand mission, smirked and laughed.
"Mapan-nim."
- Mapan: Yes!
Mapan had remained in Morata.
The restoration project was well under way, and as the unification of the continent was defined, he also took on the duties of transporting huge amounts of crops and supplies.
"The merchants are ready for war?"
- Mapan: Confirmed. All merchant councils including the Northern councils have been mobilized for this day to come.
"It will be a week from now. Release all the supplies."
- Mapan: Your command will be delivered. It will commence simultaneously at the capitals and major cities.
It was a festival in celebration of the empire's unification of the continent!
It was at a scale never seen before, providing alcohol and food to all citizens.
Being a special occasion, a bit of overcharging was righteous.
***
"Ah..."
Hegel of the Black Lion Guild was extremely jealous after seeing the message alert informing that Weed had united the continent.
"They say the future is untold, and this is how it unfolds."
When he first saw Weed in the university, Weed seemed like an incompetent returning student. Now, people were envious of Hegel just for being an acquaintance.
Roam of the Roam Guild visited Hegel.
"You know Weed-nim?"
"Yeah. We went to the same program."
"And you took classes together?"
"Sure. We even had lunch together. Well he ate often with Seoyoon, the Grass Porridge Goddess."
Hegel's words were true, but they were misleading half-truths.
"We went on excursions and adventures together."
"Adventures with Weed-nim?"
"Yeah. It was nothing big. The fact is, I was there too at the Melburn Mines. Everyone in the Black Lion Guild knows about it."
He knew these stories through his brother Vindel, the dwarf warrior. He also knew that his brother was not very close with Weed either.
However, only the fact that Hegel knew Weed personally spread to the other guilds.
"Do you still keep in touch with him?"
"We're both busy. But, we do send regards once in a while. After all, we are friends."
"Friends... Let me know if you have any trouble. I will support you with any equipment that you need."
"Haha, shucks. Give me some money while you're at it."
Hegel was ripping off the other great lords!
Hegel took advantage of his relationship but he was still jealous.
"Ah... Weed is too well off."
***
- Arkhim: Weed has conquered the entire continent.
Bard Ray received news while hunting in Aberian Forest, one of the 10 forbidden regions.
"So it happened."
As the Hermes Guild lowered its head to the Arpen Empire, the unification was predetermined.
"Do you care for a drink?"
Boemong came with a crimson-colored grape wine.
"The rich scent seems like that of a great wine."
"It is from Morata."
"Morata."
"I plan to offer a glass to all Hermes Guild members."
Bard Ray could see through Arkhim's intentions.
He was a man who loved the Hermes Guild more than Bard Ray himself whose life objective was to attain greater power.
"Wine, to toast the unification of the Arpen Empire. The taste will be rather special."
"Yes. It will have an unforgettable flavor."
Bard Ray drank the wine in one shot.
It was bitter, but smooth and smoky.
"I can never forget this richness."
"It will be the same for all members. Unfortunately, the next glass will have to be at Morata."
"We must become stronger if we want to go to Morata."
"Yes. More powerful, if we want to plant our swords in the soils of Morata."
The sword of the Hermes Guild did not wear out.
It was only being sharpened and honed by the anticipation of the guild members who were waiting for their opportunity.
***
Lafaye heard the news while quietly travelling the North.
"The Arpen Empire..."
He reminisced about the days of Haven Imperial rule, but he knew that they were fundamentally different. It was an empire raised from the establishment of the Northern Continent revolving around Weed who led the novice players.
Lafaye predicted that the history of Versailles will not remain in its current state.
"This is a newly born empire. Its power is growing, but once it reaches the peak it can only come down. The Hermes Guild..."
The Hermes Guild was more packed and bunched up than he thought.
Lafaye pulled them forward, but even after he left the Guild was well up and running.
"Did the crisis turn them stronger than I had imagined? Well I guess that is not for me to be concerned about anymore."
Still, he was full of expectations as to what would happen in Versailles.
The history of this rugged continent will certainly not end with the Arpen Empire's unification.
There was the Hermes Guild and other ambitious individuals growing their factions; many players in fact were becoming more powerful.
"The embers of war will be set aflame once again."
***
The Unicorn Corp speedily announced press releases.
- Versailles Continent, united at last!
- God of War Weed has risen to the ruler of the continent.
- Castle Serabourg planted with the flag of Arpen!
- Unicorn Corp has announced to keep its promise to emperor Weed from the pioneer stages of Royal Road.
- 10% of the monthly revenue. Just how much would it be?
The news of the rewards from Unicorn Corp delivered to Weed for uniting the continent spread among the community.
The presses were interested in the amount of the reward.
- Unicorn, leaders of new culture with Royal Road. What will be their monthly profit?
- Unicorn has become a mammoth organization with its recent mergers and acquisitions.
- Weed. The reward is 10% of the one-month profit made from the gaming realm.
Yoo Byung Joon asked AI Versa after reading the news.
"How much is the monthly revenue for Unicorn?"
AI Versa calculated rapidly and answered.
- It is about 73 trillion won.
It ran the global service of Royal Road and had over 4 billion players worldwide.
The charges were different for each country, but the annual revenue went over 800 trillion won.
"Only 10% of the monthly revenue. 7 trillion... Hah."
Yoo Byung Joon deemed it was quite hefty, but just pocket change compared to the money he will leave as inheritance.
Considering the company's core subsidiaries and affiliate companies, real estate and financial assets, the amount was indeed a small change.
'The 7 trillion is enough to call him rich. However, the money that I will leave as inheritance is incomparable. The amount can turn the economy upside down.'
It was a sweet revenge against the world that did not recognize his talent!
'Oh I wonder how much I've spent throughout my life?'
A sudden curiosity slipped inside his mind.
Since he was young, he devoted entirely to research and stayed up night after night.
He didn't even want to spend time eating, fought hunger and created Royal Road. Now he accumulated outstanding wealth in the world.
'According to Weed, there is a man who earns money and there is another who spends money. Now that I think about it, why am I leaving all this money as inheritance?'
Yoo Byung Joon was painfully jealous, but he decided to follow through with his decision.
Carrying out the initial plan was the right path, or else the decades of his life would be rendered meaningless.
- Do you want to proceed with transferring all your assets to Weed?
"Please do so."
- What about the superhuman project?
Modification via biological technology.
There was even the process for maximizing physical abilities.
"Same for that project too. But there are side effects, yes?"
- Individuals with a weak mind may not wake up after the brain capacity activation process.
"What are the chances of that happening?"
- In a dire situation, the mind can break. The will to survive is required.
His plan was to provide Weed with an enormous fortune, a perfect physical body and intelligence. It was a reward for the one who unites Versailles, but there was a chance that one would not make it through.
The AI will induce nightmares of the subject's worst fears during the process of the superhuman project. If one's will is broken in the dream, the chances of waking up are even more slim.
Yoo Byung Joon thought of Weed in Morata. He was the hero among the mass.
"If he doesn't wake up, that's his fate."