Ch.244244. Dongrae (1)

The momentary shock of encountering a national hero who suddenly appeared didn’t last long.

“Gregory, Gregory! Are you alright? That man earlier, what did he do…?”

“…No, no. I was just surprised to see someone I never expected to encounter. I’m fine, Sophie. So please don’t worry too much.”

Only after hearing Sophia’s words was I able to return to reality. After calming her down, I regained my composure and thought coldly about the man who shared a name with a hero from the past.

In truth, if I put aside all personal feelings… there’s probably no actual connection between that man and the real Admiral Yi Sun-sin.

This world, while remarkably similar to Earth, has significant differences in the details.

I can’t deny the thought that if I get too caught up in the similarities and feel a sense of kinship, I might end up becoming overly fixated on this 2D world.

However, I don’t think this world is completely independent either.

At one point, I strongly suspected I might have been reincarnated into a game or novel world. That theory was quite convincing then, and even now, after moving somewhat away from that idea, I still can’t help wondering if that might be the case.

Just looking at distinctions like lower-middle-upper ranks, or the effects magic produces, seriously makes me wonder if this is some game world or a reality based on one.

But that’s that, and this is this.

Even if the origin of this world might be someone’s imagination or simply a repetition of zeros and ones in a machine, does that negate the existence of the world I’m living and breathing in?

No, it doesn’t. I could be certain of that.

No matter what truth might be hidden about this world, as long as I exist here, this is an undeniable life.

Rather than entertaining outdated conspiracy theories like the simulation universe theory that was debunked long ago in my previous life, or chasing after clouds, it would be more useful to think about what Sophie and I will eat tomorrow in this reality where I undoubtedly exist.

And in that sense…

“…It’s even becoming nostalgic now.”

After docking at a port with a somewhat indigenous atmosphere, following what appeared to be pilot ships from the Kingdom of Corea, Sophia and I immediately made contact with the officials stationed at this port.

“Here’s the entry permit that the Naval Commander gave us. Read it.”

“…The, the Naval Commander?”

Of course, they were typical bureaucrats of this era with somewhat arrogant attitudes, but the moment I presented them with the entry permit from the Three Provinces Naval Commander—equivalent to the Chief of Naval Operations in the real world—everything changed.

“We, we apologize for our rudeness! Please enjoy your stay!”

This document, certifying that my rank was upper-class and that I was visiting for tourism purposes, instantly subdued these haughty officials and brought them to their knees.

In particular, this document will likely be extremely useful for traveling throughout the Kingdom of Corea.

The various nations of the Eastern Continent, especially the Wu Empire and its neighboring countries, generally maintain closed societies, making such identification documents essential for foreigners to move around.

Usually, countries in the Western Continent have frequent exchanges, so it’s not particularly strange for foreigners or outsiders to travel between different nations.

Of course, in rural territories, the only people moving around might be peddlers, but generally, relatively developed regions have quite a large floating population.

In contrast, the Eastern Continent… especially the Kingdom of Corea, cannot have a large floating population.

One reason is that over 70% of the national territory consists of unexplored mountains or forests, so there’s no option to travel by “safe roads” as in the Western Continent.

Another reason is that society is generally stable, and thanks to the rule of wise kings, people can live in their own villages without problems unless they’re merchants.

And finally, there’s the ongoing pioneering project to convert forests and unexplored lands into cultivated fields, distributing land to wanderers who couldn’t inherit property.

Unlike the Western Continent, which teems with bandits, slash-and-burn farmers, mercenaries, and adventurers, stable societies have fewer floating populations and don’t look favorably upon people who wander around.

Therefore, for a peaceful and stable journey, such means of proving one’s identity are absolutely necessary.

One might say this shows an excessively exclusive tendency toward outsiders, but knowing the reality, I found these measures understandable, albeit annoying.

In this age of barbarism and violence, I can understand just by considering what people who sneak into my estate might attempt.

Poaching, kidnapping, spreading illegal religions (cults), anti-state activities, inciting rebellion, pickpocketing, robbery, theft, murder, assault, rape, fraud, financial scams, and so on…

To be frank, the risks of allowing outsiders far outweigh the benefits, and 99% of merchants who come all the way across the sea are either prospective pirates or quantum mechanical pirates, so their reactions are understandable.

…Though it’s inevitably inconvenient for genuine tourists like us.

※ ※ ※

Anyway, after landing at this port city… Dongrae Port, we now had to part ways with the sailors who had brought us here.

“Thank you for your hard work, Captain.”

“Oh no, it was our pleasure to sail safely…!”

The contract I made with them was originally for a one-way journey, and considering that we could easily and quickly return through teleportation magic, this was only natural.

But now it was time for us to part ways. The captain, who seemed momentarily regretful, soon understood after hearing my explanation, and so we concluded our voyage on good terms…

“…Shall we look around here for a while?”

“Sounds good.”

First, we decided to explore Dongrae Port, one of the few open ports in the Kingdom of Corea.

Dongrae Port, roughly equivalent to Busan in reality, was bustling with merchants who seemed to be coming from the Southern Islands and the Yamato United Kingdoms. I heard it’s the center of triangular trade between these three regions.

Thanks to this, the streets of this place, which is quite open and international for a kingdom modeled after Joseon, had a certain charm worth exploring even for us who have toured quite a few places.

First of all, countless different races were coming and going in the bustling area of this port.

Humans and halflings were visible everywhere as usual, and surprisingly, half-elves and half-dark elves also caught my eye in considerable numbers.

But the most numerous beings I saw, making up over 60% of the total, were beastkin.

This race, which inherently possesses some physical characteristics or habits of terrestrial mammals, is actually grouped into similar broad categories, but when examined closely, each beastkin is classified as a different race according to their nature.

Just as wolves and dogs are essentially the same species, yet dog beastkin and wolf beastkin are classified as different races. These beings, whose birth process almost certainly involves the intervention of some absolute entity, are close to warrior races.

Of course, one might mistakenly think that if a species that is naturally physically inferior to humans becomes beastkin, they wouldn’t be very strong, but animals and beastkin with animal characteristics are separate races to begin with.

Therefore, the physical abilities of rat beastkin, despite their small build, are comparable to those of mediocre human warriors, and beastkin can overwhelm ordinary militia without special training.

Meanwhile, the cityscape was also a sight to behold.

Perhaps due to international exchanges, dozens of architectural styles harmoniously resonated together in this city, naturally drawing one’s eyes to the exotic colors.

And while we were happily taking in the surroundings…

“Ex-excuse me! Do you need a local guide?”

A small child ran up right in front of us as we were absorbed in observing our surroundings.

Presumably making a living by guiding tourists around this port, this girl who looked about 5 years old clearly recognized us and spoke to us, leaving us both startled.

Because…

“Can you see us?”

“Yes! …Um, is there a problem?”

This little girl, trembling as if she thought something was wrong, had recognized us when she shouldn’t have been able to, and moreover, she had spoken to us before we even noticed her.