Chapter 586

Jin Geumho, when Levin suddenly showed up and asked him to come along, thought perhaps another place had been connected by a portal. But he never imagined that the place it led to would be such a vast forest.

“Ha ha!”

He was so astonished that laughter came out instead of words.

The same went for Seo Taeran.

Having lived her entire life in Neo Seoul, this was the first time she had ever seen such an expansive forest.

There were forests within Neo Seoul as well. However, they were incomparably smaller than the one before her now.

She had already been given a hint by Zeon, but she never dreamed a forest of this magnitude truly existed.

Jin Geumho’s gaze shifted to Serian, who stood beside Zeon.

“I heard you left with Zeon. So you were here.”

“It seems we meet again here.”

“Judging by the look of it, you’ve already spoken with the people here.”

“I met relatives after a long time and talked through the night.”

“That’s good!”

Jin Geumho nodded and looked toward the dark elves.

Dark elves were stationed throughout the forest.

Just by looking at them, one could tell.

Who the guardians of this forest were.

“A forest raised by dark elves?”

“They are the ones who guard it.”

“Guardians? Then that means there are others who raised it.”

“Yes.”

“I’d like to meet them. I want to express my reverence to whoever accomplished such a great undertaking.”

At that moment, Go Duwon stepped forward from among the people.

“I am Go Duwon, the village chief and guardian of this forest.”

“I am Jin Geumho, mayor of Neo Seoul. Are you the one who raised this forest?”

“We all joined forces to grow it.”

“You have accomplished something truly remarkable.”

Then Jin Geumho bowed his head to Go Duwon.

Startled by the sudden action, Go Duwon reacted in surprise.

“What are you doing?”

“Look at the great feat you have achieved. Upon barren sand, you have cultivated such a lush forest. You have created a miracle that no one else on Earth has accomplished. I sincerely respect you.”

Jin Geumho’s voice trembled.

At his attitude, Go Duwon could not hide his flustered expression.

In his view, the one who deserved respect was Jin Geumho.

He himself had grown the forest easily thanks to Har, but Jin Geumho had created a massive city from absolute nothing.

Neo Seoul was the cradle of humanity and its foremost base.

He could hardly believe that such a man was sincerely bowing to him.

Zeon had said that the existence of Har and the spirits must not yet be revealed. If it became known that spirits existed, there was no telling what El Harun might do.

So Har and the spirits were kept deep within the forest.

Even if part of the forest were opened, Har and the spirits would not appear before people.

Zeon asked Jin Geumho,

“What do you think?”

“What do I think? How could something like this be put into words?”

Jin Geumho’s voice trembled.

He had been moved when he first visited the Steel Fortress, but it did not compare to entering the Primordial Forest.

In his lifetime, he thought he would never see such a vast forest again.

Seo Taeran, who came with him, was no different.

“A forest like this…”

Cracks had formed in the always cold and composed expression on her face.

There was a forest in Neo Seoul as well, but the Primordial Forest possessed an overwhelming vitality that could not be compared.

Even she, who was usually numb to such things, could feel it clearly.

In a trembling voice, she asked Go Duwon,

“Would it be possible to go a little further inside?”

“Of course.”

Go Duwon readily led Jin Geumho and Seo Taeran further into the forest.

Even so, it was merely the entrance of the Primordial Forest.

Go Duwon spoke,

“Please understand that deeper inside cannot be entered, as a barrier has been set up to protect the forest.”

“I see.”

Seo Taeran could not hide her disappointment. But soon her expression changed.

Simply standing at the forest’s entrance made her feel refreshed.

She reached out and gently brushed the grass beneath her feet.

The sensation of the blades brushing against her fingertips felt incredibly pleasant.

It was her first time experiencing such a feeling, and she found herself smiling without realizing it.

This was the first time Seo Taeran had ever let her guard down to such an extent.

However, Jin Geumho understood her reaction.

Because he felt the same way.

Not just them, anyone who came here would feel the same.

“Whew…”

Jin Geumho took a deep breath.

The crisp air, something that could never be experienced in Neo Seoul, filled his lungs.

As he breathed in, his gaze changed.

He had felt enough awe. Now it was time to judge and decide with a clear mind.

He looked at Serian.

“Will you be in charge of handling exchanges with this forest?”

“Yes. I’ve already finished discussions with the owners of the forest. From now on, communication with this forest will be unified through me.”

“That works out well.”

Jin Geumho nodded.

He wasn’t speaking lightly.

Serian was an elf with a strong sense of reality.

That was because she had led other races in Neo Seoul for a long time.

She understood well that one must give what should be given and receive what must be received.

It was easier to negotiate with someone like her.

Jin Geumho said,

“Discuss what you want from Neo Seoul with Taeran. But nothing will be free. We also need to gain something.”

“Of course.”

“Then leave the rest to Taeran. I’d like to experience the forest a bit more.”

“Please do.”

As if she had expected that, Serian answered immediately.

Jin Geumho left it to Seo Taeran and walked through the Primordial Forest. Zeon followed beside him.

After a moment, Jin Geumho spoke,

“You must have helped them, didn’t you?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“If that weren’t the case, there would be no reason for them to treat you with such respect.”

“Well, I did offer a few small bits of help, but the ones who built this forest are entirely them.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

At Zeon’s immediate nod without hesitation, Jin Geumho smiled faintly.

“The other races in Neo Seoul will be pleased.”

“Not just anyone will be allowed to enter.”

“Of course, it should be that way.”

“And for the time being, its existence will remain secret.”

“That as well.”

“Aren’t you disappointed?”

“Heh. Revealing the Steel Fortress is more than enough. A good hand is meant to be kept hidden. That’s why you’ve kept this hidden all this time, haven’t you?”

“Well…”

Zeon trailed off, but Jin Geumho didn’t mind.

He was in too good a mood.

Something massive entered his view.

It was Arkelon, resting on one side of the forest.

“So Arkelon was here. Has the Motte tribe come along?”

“Yes.”

“And is that old man Pabilsa still alive?”

“I’m right here.”

From behind Arkelon, Pabilsa walked out as he answered.

A smile appeared on Jin Geumho’s lips.

“So you’re still alive.”

“You’re still alive as well, Jin Geumho. It wouldn’t make sense for someone younger than you to go before you.”

“So you’re telling me to die first.”

“Is that how it sounds? In any case, it’s been a while.”

“I told you to come to Neo Seoul, but you refused. Have you decided to settle here instead?”

“As you can see, Arkelon has taken a liking to this place.”

Pabilsa shrugged.

It might have seemed impudent, but Jin Geumho said nothing.

Their relationship went back a long way.

In the early days of Neo Seoul, Jin Geumho had received much help from Pabilsa.

Pabilsa had supplied many of the resources Neo Seoul lacked using Arkelon.

Though time had passed and they had grown distant, there was no ill will between them, which allowed them to speak comfortably like this. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

“Does Arkelon like it here?”

“As you can see, it has no intention of leaving.”

“It’ll be a loss for you.”

“I’m thinking of settling down this time. I’ve pushed Arkelon too hard all these years.”

“Pushed it too hard…”

“It has spent its whole life carrying us across the desert. It’s about time it got some rest.”

“You’ve chosen a good place.”

“If it weren’t here, I wouldn’t have considered settling down at all.”

“I suppose so.”

Jin Geumho nodded.

If he had been riding Arkelon, he would have made the same decision as Pabilsa.

“Did you also come here because of Zeon?”

“I ran into him by chance and ended up traveling together. Thanks to him, I found a good place. Without him, I would never have known such a place existed in the desert.”

“In any case, it’s a good outcome for you and Arkelon. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

At Jin Geumho’s sincere words, Pabilsa nodded.

After that, the two old men chatted for quite a while, and Zeon quietly stepped away on his own.

＊＊＊

Acting on behalf of the Primordial Forest, Serian was able to reach a satisfactory agreement with Seo Taeran.

Seo Taeran was as ruthless as her title, the Ice Witch, suggested.

She approached negotiations without a trace of mercy.

If Go Duwon or Floa had dealt with her directly, they would have suffered great losses.

Having lived their entire lives in the desert, they lacked the political acumen and negotiation skills that Seo Taeran possessed.

That was why Serian stepped forward.

Though she appeared innocent on the outside, Serian was an elf who had experienced countless trials.

She was neither naive nor ignorant.

Rather, when it came to negotiating with humans, she knew better than anyone how to handle it.

Serian was a negotiation expert equal to Seo Taeran.

Serian pushed so relentlessly that even Seo Taeran showed a weary expression, and only after a long time did they finally reach a result satisfactory to both sides.

For the time being, the Primordial Forest would remain a secret.

All communication would be unified through Serian.

Key figures of City Hall, including Jin Geumho and Seo Taeran, would have the right to visit the Primordial Forest.

City Hall would recognize the autonomy of the Primordial Forest and provide as much support as possible.

There were also a few additional minor conditions.

It was an agreement that brought no disadvantage to the Primordial Forest.

With a tired expression, Seo Taeran said to Serian,

“How is it that you seem more calculating than a human?”

“I learned a lot while negotiating with you.”

“Ha… Anyway, I look forward to working with you.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

The two women clasped hands.

Regardless of how the negotiations had gone, there was no longer any reason to exhaust or provoke each other’s emotions.

Jin Geumho watched them with a faint smile.

“It seems everything was handled well.”

“Yes, it went well.”

“I suddenly have two more places to worry about. I’ll be quite busy from now on.”

“Please continue to take care of the underground city as well.”

“That’s my top priority.”

The Steel Fortress and the Primordial Forest were both important.

But to Jin Geumho, the underground city came first.

After all, Lemura was there, and he felt more for those who had lived lives worse than humans for so long.

“Now that you mention it, I should visit the underground city today.”

“Right now?”

“With a portal that allows instant travel like this, what’s the problem? I’ll go ahead first.”

“Yes. Safe travels.”

Escorted by Zeon, Jin Geumho and Seo Taeran stepped into the portal.

“Whew…”

After they disappeared, Zeon let out a sigh.

Just dealing with the two of them had consumed a considerable amount of his mental energy.

‘Now all that’s left is to go to the World Tree village… I just hope nothing happens before then.’

His gaze turned toward the northern sky, where El Harun lay.