Episode 049
Not only Han Sang-ah and I, but Lee Se-eun also succeeded in signing an additional contract. Apparently, no one knew what she was thinking this time, but Lee Se-eun had quoted an extremely low hiring fee.
Since Embarco Tower already knew what had happened during the train's transport—and since they had to keep watch anyway—
Despite Lee Se-eun's request, they hired her at the full standard rate.
"Pretty generous of them."
The place we arrived at was Canterbury, England.
"It's quite far from where the shield generator will be installed."
There was a distance of about 22 kilometers. At my words, Lee Se-eun pulled out her pipe and replied.
"We're not a guard unit. We're a suppression team."
The troops and hunters who normally protected the shield generator naturally stayed in Denver. But that wasn't our role—we were to be dispatched only if something happened and a report came in.
"So it's fine even if we're a bit far away. Besides, there are way better accommodations in Canterbury than in Denver."
So, in other words, they were giving us a bit of preferential treatment. If we weren't doing guard duty, then until something actually went down, we'd have complete free time.
Which meant that the minimum conditions needed to fulfill our original purpose for staying in Canterbury had been met.
"So how about you?"
At my question, Han Sang-ah replied.
"I've finished contacting them. Once I explained the details of the deal I made with you, my family didn't really say much."
"That's a relief. Honestly, I expected to hear at least a few complaints."
She shook her head at my words.
"We're not in Korea right now, but what happened during the Siberian crossing has already been reported extensively back home."
I was already worried about the day we'd eventually return.
"Anyway, it seems the Geumyang Group family is thinking of you as my future spouse."
"Well then, should we share a room tonight? I wouldn't mind at all."
Marrying the beautiful daughter of a chaebol family—at that point, it beats Bitcoin hands down. At my words, Han Sang-ah nodded.
"Sure. Since it's come to this, it might be good to make it a fait accompli. That'll give us something to say when we visit them."
"What are you two even talking about right now?"
Listening to the conversation, Lee Se-eun looked back and forth between Han Sang-ah and me with an exasperated expression.
"You still don't know how to deal with him?"
"…So it was another joke."
Han Sang-ah replied with a somewhat vexed tone. From crossing the Netherlands, boarding a ship to Dover, and finally reaching Canterbury, she had been getting caught up in my jokes every chance I got.
Once you get used to it, it's actually pretty fun to tease her.
"This place is in pretty rough shape too."
Many of the buildings looked like stripped mackerel—nothing left but skeletal frames barely holding together.
They had torn out all the wood from the timber buildings and used it as firewood.
"Still, the fact that the government is even functioning is kind of a miracle."
As we talked, a car escorted by soldiers approached from the distance.
Since the British Prime Minister and the head of the British Hunters' Association were scheduled to personally visit Canterbury, where we would be staying.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Vanessa Bradley, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom."
Two people got out of the car and approached us. A middle-aged woman with slightly dull blond hair greeted us first. So this was the British Prime Minister.
"I'm Dominic Hedy, the Association President."
The man introduced himself next.
"You've come a long way. Sorry to trouble you."
At Lee Se-eun's greeting, Prime Minister Vanessa shook her head.
"Trouble? Not at all. Even though it's a short-term contract, we'll do our utmost to ensure you're comfortable during your stay."
After finishing her words, Prime Minister Vanessa turned her gaze to Han Sang-ah and me.
"I know about you two as well. I hear you've accomplished some remarkable things in a very short time."
Then, in a slightly softened voice, she spoke to Han Sang-ah.
"Geumyang Construction's 3D-printing construction technology is truly unrivaled. We've received a great deal of help from it."
3D-printed construction.
Once the basic foundation work is done, buildings can be erected directly on top of it using 3D printing technology. Geumyang Construction holds an unrivaled position in this field.
It only takes a single day to build a three-story structure. You can intentionally leave space for piping and wiring during construction, but—
Outside of Korea, even if such spaces are left, there's often not enough infrastructure to actually install utilities, so it doesn't mean much.
What matters is building cheaply, quickly, and in large quantities. After all, if monsters from the contaminated zones attack, the buildings will collapse in an instant anyway.
Simply put, they're more like temporary tents called "houses."
"Help? It's just business. We do it for money."
"Well, about that—"
Just as Prime Minister Vanessa was about to continue, Han Sang-ah cut in firmly.
"If it's anything related to the Geumyang Group, speaking to me about it is pointless."
Vanessa stopped mid-sentence at Han Sang-ah's swift, ironclad refusal. As a politician, it had probably been a while since she'd encountered such blunt speech.
"Is that so?"
Vanessa looked disappointed. I smiled and spoke to the Prime Minister.
"We're hunters here to carry out a commission."
I understood the desire to squeeze out a bit more benefit since we'd come all this way, but it was better not to get into unnecessary conversations.
"The Association has reviewed the requests submitted by the three hunters, including Hunter Lee Se-eun, and we plan to provide as much of the requested support as possible."
Chairman Dominic's gaze turned to me.
"As for the byproducts that fell under Hunter Yoo Chan-seok's share during the Siberian crossing, we've received word that they've been recovered by Daebak Junk Shop and are currently being processed."
Once processing was complete, the British Hunters' Association would receive them and deliver them to me.
"As for the additional items you requested, everything we could prepare has already been transported to Canterbury. We'll do our best to secure and send the rest as well."
These were things I'd requested for the training we'd be conducting going forward. Lastly—
"As for the items requested by Hunter Han Sang-ah, we're currently securing as much quantity as possible."
"We'll be purchasing them under the Geumyang Group's name. Everything's already been arranged, so there won't be any issues with payment."
What Han Sang-ah had requested was the supply of elixirs I'd previously mentioned as my tuition. Since Geumyang Group would be paying immediately, there was absolutely no downside for the Association.
"The accommodations prepared for you are three detached houses near Old Dover Road. All the requested equipment and supplies are ready."
A short distance from Old Dover Road was the junction with Dover Road proper. True to its name, if you drove along Dover Road, you'd reach Dover in no time.
"It's a suburban area, but the scenery isn't very nice. Every last tree has been cut down…"
At Dominic's words, Prime Minister Vanessa shot him a subtle look. It wasn't exactly pleasant to air your country's poor circumstances in front of foreigners.
"We're not here on vacation. We've already been treated very generously."
Lee Se-eun responded breezily. And I agreed—after all, it wasn't like we lived off the scenery.
"Then we'll guide you there right away. Ah, as we informed you beforehand, the area you'll be staying in is equipped with radio equipment linked to the Dover garrison."
"Once an hour, right?"
Since they might not always be able to contact us, we needed to check in regularly as well.
At my words, Chairman Dominic nodded.
"Yes. Please be sure to adhere to that. Then, we'll take you to your living quarters for the duration of your stay."
We got into the cars and headed to the accommodations. During the drive, we didn't see a single civilian. They must have taken precautions in advance.
"We've successfully received the relief supplies that were transported this time. We'll make sure they're used where they're truly needed."
While we were driving, Prime Minister Vanessa spoke to Lee Se-eun.
"They're nothing extraordinary, but I hope they're put to good use."
At Lee Se-eun's words, Vanessa replied,
"No matter how many times we express our gratitude to the foundation you operate, it's never enough. There are many people who exert a positive influence on the world, but Miss Lee Se-eun is special even among them."
The Prime Minister was practically singing Lee Se-eun's praises at an industrial washing-machine level. Lee Se-eun, apparently well accustomed to this sort of thing, listened without any change in expression.
"In the UK, we also support hunters' activities in various ways. Of course, differences in the scale of support are unavoidable…"
Korea's strength lay in absolute safety and the ability to throw around cash backed by a functioning economy. In Britain's case, neither safety nor cash dumping was possible—but there was one clear advantage.
Complete tax exemption for hunters. A drastic measure meant to keep hunters from leaving.
Whether you bought real estate, purchased a car, even transferred or received assets, made money through stocks, or earned income from bank interest—
They didn't even collect value-added tax when you bought goods.
Complete tax exemption. The British government took not a single penny in taxes from hunters or hunter companies. Prime Minister Vanessa and Chairman Dominic were desperately emphasizing this point to us.
"I understand Korea has recently expressed dissatisfaction with this policy."
"…That's true."
After briefly gazing out at the utterly desolate landscape, Lee Se-eun spoke.
"How long do you think you can maintain that policy?"
There was no clear answer. In the current situation, there were virtually no countries that could stand up to Korea if it expressed displeasure.
"We intend to hold out for as long as possible."
"I hope you can."
Prime Minister Vanessa's expression darkened, naturally so. It was essentially a declaration that Britain was not being considered. Her gaze turned to me as well.
I answered calmly.
"I plan to focus on eliminating Class-1 erosion sources."
"What?"
Prime Minister Vanessa and Chairman Dominic both snapped their gazes toward me at once. It was the look of people thinking, What is this guy talking about?
"This job will be the last time I guard a specific area or transport something."
After my time in Britain ended, I intended to focus solely on eradicating erosion sources, and unless others shared that same objective, I had no intention of cooperating with other hunters.
"I admire the courage, but—"
"I don't need approval from the British government to act, do I?"
The Chairman, who had been about to say more, hesitated and then nodded.
"That's correct."
Lee Se-eun looked back and forth between me and the Chairman with obvious amusement. Meanwhile, the car kept rolling until we reached our destination.
"This is it."
Just as we'd been told, three adjacent detached houses had been provided as our lodgings.
Since we couldn't expect proper infrastructure, LPG tanks, small generators, and a large above-ground water reservoir had been prepared.
"If there's anything inconvenient, please let us know at any time."
Once the tour was finished, the Prime Minister and the Chairman left immediately. They were busy people, after all.
If Lee Se-eun or I had shown even the slightest opening, they probably would've pitched a tent here and stayed to persuade us—but we'd made it clear that we had no intention of remaining in Britain.
While I checked that everything I'd requested before arriving had been delivered properly, Lee Se-eun verified the radio connection with Dover, and Han Sang-ah quickly cleaned the houses.
"Alright. Let's die once, shall we."
Unless something happened in Dover, we were about to spend some truly hellish days here.