Chapter 53
053 – Little Trick
While Myung-jun was in a meeting with Director Song Yeon-bi, a person urgently contacted him through the emergency communication channel. The person calling was Marshal Brook, the head of the EDF responsible for gate-related practical matters in the U.S. government, who had previously met Myung-jun at the U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek. As soon as Myung-jun answered the phone, the desperate voice of Marshal Brook resounded.
“Yes, this is from the Liberal Clan…”
– Please take down the content you’ve just posted on the website immediately! –
Although he was speaking in English, to Myung-jun, who had received a multilingual translation implant, his words sounded fluent in Korean.
Myung-jun responded in Korean with a nonchalant attitude toward Brook. In any case, whatever he said in Korean would be heard as English by the other party.
“Why is that?”
– It’s a problem if you make such an announcement about gate-related matters without consulting with the U.S. government! Aren’t you underestimating the international implications of the equipment you’ve created too much, Mr. Myung-jun? –
“If you put it that way, did the U.S. government consult with our Liberal Clan when announcing the gate compensation plan?”
– Well… –
“At the moment, the U.S. government’s announcement was practically an attempt to hold us back in plain sight. That’s why we took the steps we could in the current situation. By providing merits stronger than money, we also want to receive appropriate requests.”
At that moment, Soo-jeong, who had been listening to the conversation, approached Myung-jun intentionally. She spoke loudly and clearly so that Marshal Brook could hear.
“After yesterday’s announcement by the U.S. government, most of the governments that had canceled their requests have contacted us again. They want to know if they can re-contract under new conditions.”
Upon hearing this, Myung-jun also ‘intentionally’ continued the call with Marshal.
“We have our turn here, so please wait if you don’t mind being in line. Just remember that the priority of the request we submitted first was also canceled at the time of cancellation.”
“Then, will new turns be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis?”
“I’ll think about it. Just hang on a bit. Alright.”
Myung-jun then resumed his call with Marshal.
“I apologize. Our customers have been constantly reaching out to us since the announcement of the new service.”
It was a blatant production with a business atmosphere, exuding phrases like ‘limited stock’ and ‘last chance.’ But Marshal couldn’t immediately determine if this show was genuine or not.
In reality, the Liberal Clan’s new service had just been announced, and the timing was ideal for the governments that had canceled their requests to contact them. Marshal had no choice but to push through, whether the conversation was staged or not.
‘The issue at hand now is whether it was staged or not. It’s not an odd time to receive numerous contacts. If it’s genuine, there’s a risk that Myung-jun’s Rank 3 equipment will be provided to other countries. Whatever happens, I have to stop it…’
But he had no legitimate grounds to do so. In any case, it was the U.S. government, not Marshal, that sought to monopolize the gate conquest rights with money. Marshal had to push forward as if everything was just a misunderstanding.
– Hahaha. Well, the reason I’m calling you is to resolve the deep misunderstanding between the U.S. government and the Liberal Clan and to apologize for the misunderstanding that arose. So, would you please listen to what I have to say for a moment? –
“Well, go ahead. ‘So far,’ the Liberal Clan and the U.S. government are still partners in a cooperative relationship.”
The word ‘so far’ in Myung-jun’s statement was a veiled threat to Marshal Brook, signifying that he would turn the tables if things went south. However, Marshal chose not to question the word but rather swiftly launched into his prepared justification.
– First of all, it seems like the Liberal Clan believes that the U.S. government made an announcement of the gate compensation plan to pressure the Liberal Clan. But it’s different from what you’ve seen. –
“Is there another reason?”
– As Mr. Myung-jun knows very well, the U.S. government recently received facilities for producing high-strength coating agents from you. Do you remember? –
“I remember.”
– And to produce that high-strength coating agent, you also need Crystal Stone. –
“So, are you saying that the U.S. government wanted to buy gates from other countries with money because they lacked gates on their vast land in the United States?”
– It may be hard to believe, but that’s the truth. The process of not consulting with the Liberal Clan is entirely a mistake on our government’s part. Today, we’ve contacted you to apologize for that and to provide you with a ‘reasonable’ compensation. –
As Myung-jun was about to retort by asking if Marshal thought he was a fool, Soo-jeong approached and put her hand on Myung-jun’s shoulder. She then whispered in
“Myung-jun, I understand that you want to question them, but doing it at this moment could be counterproductive.”
“So, you think I should just accept the apology?”
“Final decision is up to you, as the representative. But in my opinion, they’re not trying to deceive the Liberal Clan. There are probably many competent advisers at the White House. So, the real meaning behind their words is this. They want to apologize, and now they want you to hear the compensation they offer.”
“Are you saying I should accept the apology, even when they blatantly lie?”
“Their intention is not to deceive the Liberal Clan. They probably have a hidden agenda. It’s not too late for you to decide whether to get angry or accept it after hearing the compensation they’re offering. Right now, you can probably get most of the compensation they demand.”
However, because the U.S. government was likely to demand the cancellation of the recently announced Liberal Clan’s gate conquest compensation plan, Myung-jun hesitated for a moment.
Then, he asked Marshal, swallowing his irritation.
“Do you have any specific demands from us in exchange for the compensation?”
Marshal waited and then conveyed the conditions the U.S. government wanted.
– For now, we’d like you to withdraw the promise that you would provide Rank 3 equipment as a reward for clearing the gates. –
“But that promise is official. We can’t just cancel it without good reason. We also need to secure gates from our side. So…”
With negotiations underway, the White House offered the Liberal Clan the authority to freely access the gates they had purchased from the U.S. government, as compensation. In return, the U.S. government would receive half of the materials produced from those gates and half of the Crystal Stone Myung-jun would obtain, which they had originally secured when providing the facilities for producing the high-strength coating agent. However, Myung-jun swiftly rejected this condition.
If they handed over half of the materials at this point, the U.S. government would immediately discover that the materials came from a gate of higher rank than the Rank 1 they had handed over to the Liberal Clan. So, Myung-jun firmly declined the offer.
Myung-jun wasn’t trying to monopolize the gate overruns on his own. He simply thought it was too early to publicize the information.
Furthermore, equipment needed to be supplied to countries, whether the U.S. government liked it or not. Consequently, Myung-jun’s current goal was to clear as many gates as possible, produce equipment from the materials obtained within them, and distribute them to hunters from various countries.
When an agreement could not be reached, the U.S. government even proposed reverting everything to square one. Myung-jun rejected this proposal. Unlike the Liberal Clan, which had no means of contacting foreign governments other than through passive means of receiving requests, the U.S. government had diplomatic channels connecting them to the world.
If the U.S. government used their back channels to preemptively clear gates, there would be no merit for the Liberal Clan to submit a request, as they could not simply provide free clearance. Furthermore, even if the U.S. government were to give up, there was a possibility that other countries like China or Russia might attempt the same approach, leaving the Liberal Clan with no choice but to respond in the same way.
When Myung-jun emphasized this point, Marshal agreed with the Liberal Clan’s current situation.
– Well, let’s try to find a more productive solution through dialogue. Currently, the U.S. government’s main concern is that the effect of the Snowball Myung-jun receives through the contract with us might be diluted because equipment produced by the Liberal Clan is distributed too early. –
“So, you’re saying the timing of equipment distribution is the problem, not the distribution itself? Your goal is to maintain an advantage over other countries in the current situation, isn’t it?”
– We want to maintain an advantage, at least over potential adversaries, if not allies. –
At that moment, a brilliant idea popped into Myung-jun’s head. It was a way to help solidify the “appropriate level of advantage” that the U.S. government desired, without revealing specific methods to raise the gate Rank.
He immediately presented the idea to Marshal.
“What about this? We will provide the U.S. government with merits that go beyond just the difference in equipment Rank.”
– Is there a specific merit you’re talking about? –
“We’ll allow members of the Liberal Clan to participate as helpers in the gate conquest operations conducted by the U.S. government.”
– The U.S. government has plenty of awakeners who can participate in gate conquests. If Myung-jun isn’t participating directly… –
“All of them have experience clearing gates 10 times or more with ranks of 3rd or higher.”
– Rank 3 gates? Where on earth did they clear so many high-rank gates… –
“It’s an ability.”
Myung-jun replied firmly.
“Similar to how we created the high-strength coating agent manufacturing facilities, I can use my abilities to produce special equipment that can raise the gate Rank by 2 ranks. We’ve already acquired operational rights for 10 Rank 1 gates from the Korean government, and we cleared them all to Rank 3.”
– Is it possible to provide that equipment as well? If you want, the amount of money is negotiable… –
“I understand your urgency, but it will be impossible for you at your current awakeners’ level. Although we do have equipment available, it’s basic equipment designed with a focus on versatility. The difficulty between Rank 2 and Rank 3 gates is vastly different. If handled incorrectly, awakeners who have been painstakingly nurtured could be wiped out in an instant.”
Despite Myung-jun’s words, he knew that the other side would not give up. Because of the vast difference in materials and Crystal Stone between Rank 1 gates and Rank 2 gates, the temptation of Rank 3 gates was too great to resist. As expected, the U.S. government showed a strong interest in the gate Rank raising equipment Myung-jun mentioned.
– We’ll pay up to $5 Million for one gate Rank raising equipment. If the members of the Liberal Clan are dispatched to assist in gate clearances, we’ll pay an additional $5 Million. –
“In that case, our gate clearance support policy…”
– You can proceed as it is. Even if another country starts clearing Rank 1 and 2 gates with your equipment, our Awakeners will be working on clearing Rank 3 gates. With that level of advantage, we should be ahead of foreign awakeners, at least for a while. Of course, this is based on the assumption that we exclude the Liberal Clan’s forces, which are almost equivalent to irregulars at the moment. –
‘$13 million for helping with one gate conquest.’
It wasn’t a bad offer. After all, once the supply of Crystal Stone increased in a little while, there would be a time when it was possible to buy Crystal Stone with money, and there was a need to replenish the empty account that Soo-jeong had shown during the establishment of the Clan headquarters.
Besides, after this period, it would be difficult to receive such a large amount for a request.
In the end, Myung-jun decided to accept the U.S. government’s request.
“Then let’s agree on that.”
After Myung-jun accepted the proposal, an excited Marshal added one more proposal. Since the awakening law in Korea was still pending in the National Assembly, it was about coming to the United States and participating in gate conquest operations while waiting.
But Myung-jun was concerned about the presence of Hee-cheol, who was closely monitoring the Liberal Clan. Then, Marshal told Myung-jun that it wouldn’t be a problem.
– No problem at all. Come to the Pyeongtaek base, just like last time. You can come directly to the U.S. mainland by a U.S. military plane without going through a Korean airport. The Korean government probably won’t be able to find out that the Liberal Clan members left the country. –
“Are you saying to come secretly?”
– The gate conquest operation that the Liberal Clan will participate in will be a covert operation anyway. –
Unable to find any issues in the proposal from the other side, Myung-jun accepted Marshal’s offer.
Then, when Soo-jeong hung up as soon as the call was over.
“Gate Rank-raising equipment? We don’t have such a thing, do we? What we actually do is sprinkle blood on Crystal Stone and throw it into the gate.”
Then Myung-jun smiled as he answered Su-jung’s question.
“Well, that’s right.”
“Then you’re going to tell the U.S. government how to overrun the gates without providing any specific method?”
“That’s not it, Seniors.”
“Then?”
“We can just deceive them into thinking there is such equipment without revealing any specific methods, Seniors.”
Myung-jun replied.
“Nothing with any actual function, but could you make a box that looks extremely impressive, Seniors?”
Then, immediately grasping Myung-jun’s intention, Soo-jeong burst into laughter for a long time. After wiping the tears from her eyes, she said.
“Oh, I see. I’ll make you a box that looks really impressive.”
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