Ch.6262. Negotiation (2)

Surprisingly, the negotiations after that proceeded very smoothly.

The Balhut Cult clearly acknowledged that Gyeongju couldn’t overwhelm Pohang in terms of size, and they were properly settling the blood price without provoking Pohang’s pride.

Additionally, it was evident that the negotiations went well because Seo Un-jae also recognized Gyeongju’s superiority and made maximum concessions to avoid provoking the cult.

“Currency, diplomacy, and military matters in Pohang are non-negotiable.”

“I understand that. If we were to give those up as well, the Balhut Cult couldn’t be considered the victor. We’ll willingly give up the three major camps in Pohang.”

However, there were things the Balhut Cult couldn’t compromise on.

Namely, the currency used in Pohang, diplomacy, and military matters.

If the Balhut Cult were to concede these to Pohang as well, they would no longer be the victors.

It would be meaningless to recapture Pohang only to hand over the fruits to Pohang.

Seo Un-jae, seeming to understand this well, cleanly gave up on those points, as if promising not to cross the line set by the cult.

“So in conclusion, our Pohang will have local autonomy, and we’ll get the operational rights to POSCO and Pohang’s industries.”

“We’ll retain your economic and food sovereignty, though.”

“That’s only natural. With all our crops ruined this year, we’d have to catch fish from the sea to supply our own food. As for the economy, we don’t have the credit to issue our own currency. I’ve heard that the currency used in Gyeongju is issued directly by Dragon Lord Bahamut, not the cult. So we’ll have to trust and follow that.”

Moreover, although Pohang had its economic and food sovereignty taken by Gyeongju, the truth was that Pohang, just beginning reconstruction, couldn’t possibly supply its own food or have the power or credit to manufacture its own currency.

While the Hyeongsan River area was a breadbasket, the apocalypse had completely ruined this year’s harvest, so Pohang had no choice but to depend on Gyeongju for food.

‘But we’ve protected everything we could. At least I won’t have my body and head physically separated by angry Pohang citizens.’

Instead, through these negotiations, Pohang had gained local autonomy and, most importantly, had secured the operational rights to POSCO and its industries.

This alone was enough to argue to the citizens of Pohang that they had gained everything they could.

‘Somewhat disappointing.’

Having thought that he’d at least avoided being physically dismembered by the citizens of Pohang, Seo Un-jae felt a bit disappointed.

‘I’d really like to demand more.’

Human greed knows no bounds.

With the negotiations ending so peacefully, Seo Un-jae felt somewhat unsatisfied and wanted to demand something additional from Gyeongju.

However, they had already secured local autonomy and the operational rights to Pohang’s industrial facilities and steel mill with the blood price Pohang had paid.

If he wanted to demand something more from the Balhut Cult at this point, he would need something that could provoke the cult. Something that could provoke the Balhut Cult… that would be…

‘If that’s the case, I could demand independence… No, no. That’s a bad move. It would be suicide. I was momentarily blinded by greed and had a crazy thought.’

Independence.

Seo Un-jae had considered the extreme card of independence but immediately erased the plan from his mind.

Even he himself judged that the very mention of independence would be suicidal.

It would be an act of crossing the line set by the Balhut Cult, blinded by immediate benefits.

‘If it were just the Balhut Cult, if we could somehow restore Pohang’s status, we could gain the upper hand in future negotiations or negotiate for independence. But…’

It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought it through.

If the Balhut Cult were only governing Gyeongju, and if Pohang could properly restore its status in the future, they could potentially overwhelm Gyeongju, the Balhut Cult’s base, with that status.

Additionally, Pohang had the South Korean navy and ships from before the apocalypse, which could serve as a card for another negotiation.

‘Even if we had adequate fuel supply and could properly use the navy’s power, could we defeat that dragon? I think it’s impossible.’

However, Seo Un-jae believed that none of this would work against Dragon Lord Bahamut, who had demonstrated overwhelming power.

Seo Un-jae was also an Awakened who had witnessed Bahamut’s descent.

The overwhelming power Bahamut had shown had sent shivers down Seo Un-jae’s spine, and he had witnessed how the dragon’s blessing could turn an ordinary person into a warrior worth a hundred men.

Even if Bahamut didn’t interfere in human conflicts, if someone with the dragon’s blessing, which could make them a warrior worth a thousand, came to retaliate against Pohang, Pohang had no forces to stop them.

‘In the current era, the most important military power of the Awakened is already a decisive victory for Gyeongju. Our advantages are only that we have industrial facilities and a steel mill, and that we can operate a navy at sea. There’s no reason to gamble on that alone.’

And all of this was assuming Pohang could safely restore its status; at the current point, Gyeongju had an overwhelming advantage in military and economic power.

The only advantages Pohang had right now were its industrial facilities, steel mill, and ships.

‘And now that it’s winter, with our crops ruined for the year, our food sovereignty has already passed to Gyeongju. There’s no need to be greedy for a tiny benefit here. No need for both sides to get red-faced.’

Additionally, Pohang’s internal food and energy resources had reached their limits.

Considering how harsh and severe South Korean winters could be, if Pohang wanted to safely get through this winter, they desperately needed the food and energy resources the Balhut Cult would provide.

‘To reclaim the breadbasket area around the Hyeongsan River, we need the cult’s power.’

In particular, Pohang was eager to reclaim the breadbasket area situated around the Hyeongsan River.

Seo Un-jae knew better than anyone that reclaiming that breadbasket area required the cult’s Awakened army, not Pohang’s marines.

“Good. Let’s go with that then.”

Finally, abandoning the desire that had been nagging at a corner of his mind, Seo Un-jae cleanly suggested ending the post-war reconstruction negotiations.

“Yes. Then, next is the discussion about the mayor you will serve.”

There was still much to discuss.

When Park Cheol-gon brought up the topic of the mayor who would govern Pohang, Seo Un-jae spoke to him slowly with a tense expression.

“Since it’s local autonomy, naturally the mayor should be elected by us in Pohang, right?”

“Yes. The cult has no intention of interfering with that. However, there is a condition. This was directly proposed by Bahamut to you all, so we can’t retract it.”

While the mayor would be elected by Pohang, there was a condition.

It was said to be directly proposed by the Dragon Lord Bahamut of the Balhut Cult.

At the mention that even the Balhut Cult couldn’t retract it, Seo Un-jae’s expression darkened slightly, but he soon composed himself.

‘Well, I expected this. They need to have some preventive measure against Pohang’s potential betrayal.’

But he understood the underlying intent.

Since they couldn’t know when Pohang might betray them, they needed someone who could exert Gyeongju’s influence.

Seo Un-jae judged that they had calculated that if they could exert influence from the highest position, they could govern Pohang.

‘It’s not bad. We can also exert Pohang’s influence. If I were in their position, I wouldn’t compromise on this either.’

He thought that even if he protested here, they would definitely not compromise on this.

They had even mentioned upfront that Bahamut had directly proposed it.

“The mayor of Pohang should be elected as Bahamut’s contractor.”

“By Bahamut’s contractor, do you mean the Dragon Lord’s contractor?”

He received an unexpected answer from Park Cheol-gon.

Seo Un-jae, as if he had misheard, asked Park Cheol-gon again, and Park Cheol-gon, seeming to understand his confusion, explained the reason with a bitter smile.

“Yes. This is Bahamut’s promise. And as proof of that promise, he intends to contract with your mayor.”

“Even the cult’s leader, Yu-na…”

“Yes, she is Bahamut’s Priestess.”

“Hmm. This is truly an unexpected and radical proposal.”

After hearing Park Cheol-gon’s explanation, Seo Un-jae fell into thought.

He considered it a truly radical proposal.

Just from the expressions of Park Cheol-gon and Hwang Geun-chul, it was clear that this proposal was unprecedented even within the cult.

By combining their attitudes and the explanation just given, Seo Un-jae could reach one conclusion.

‘Indeed. In a sense, this is a clear declaration that Pohang belongs to the Balhut Cult.’

This contract would clearly place Pohang under the influence of the Balhut Cult.

‘The option of independence I was just considering has been greatly reduced, but conversely, Pohang’s safety has been secured.’

While this meant they couldn’t choose the option of independence, conversely, if that powerful Dragon Lord declared protection over Pohang, Pohang’s safety would be perfectly secured.

Instead of an uncertain independence, it was a way to secure definite safety, and in this apocalypse, definite safety was a proposal with sufficient merit in itself.

Above all, for Pohang, which was about to embark on reconstruction, external threats would be more frightening, and this would secure definite safety from those frightening threats.

‘It’s not bad to secure a definite safety zone in the apocalypse. Especially if it’s guaranteed not by the Balhut Cult but by the dragon himself…’

Above all, he was pleased that it was guaranteed directly by Dragon Lord Bahamut himself, not the Balhut Cult.

“Then, are there any conditions for the mayor to be elected?”

“As long as they’re an Awakened, it doesn’t matter who it is.”

“Anyone at all.”

There were no stringent conditions for the mayor’s election; rather, anyone could be eligible as long as they were an Awakened.

If they could satisfy such an easy condition, they could receive the dragon’s protection, which was something they could easily maintain.

Rather…

“Does that mean anyone can contract with Bahamut?”

“Yes, it doesn’t matter. This contract is to keep the promise to protect Pohang. You just need to elect a Priestess of the dragon who will become the mayor of Pohang.”

“In that case, we have no objections. In any case, the formal mayor will be Bahamut’s Priestess, and we can exercise our rights beneath that.”

Initially, he had thought of electing a powerless individual as mayor and making them a puppet.

That way, they could secure Pohang’s safety through Bahamut’s promise while also maintaining and enjoying the vested interests of the three major camps of Pohang.

“…Indeed.”

Park Cheol-gon quickly noticed Seo Un-jae’s suspicious movements.

‘He’s thinking of putting forward a figurehead mayor. He might even present a contractor who can’t discern right from wrong.’

Naturally, he was concerned that Pohang might act strangely.

‘But is that possible? Even Yu-na, who was an ordinary student, has changed greatly through her contract with Bahamut and continues to grow. It’s frightening to watch.’

However, at the same time, he thought that someone chosen by the dragon would not be ordinary.

As evidence, he pointed to the fact that Choi Yu-na, who had been an ordinary student, had become a powerful Awakened beyond the reach of ordinary Awakened through her contract with Bahamut.

Considering that she had grown at a terrifying pace and had become the firm ruler of Gyeongju, could an ordinary human control a Priestess of the dragon who had contracted with the Dragon Lord?

‘The contract with the Dragon Lord is a special event beyond what we humans expected. But there’s no need for me to mention that.’

In the end, all of this would come down to Pohang’s choice.

Even if they regretted it later, Park Cheol-gon thought it would be Pohang’s responsibility.

“Then the negotiations end here.”

“Yes, it’s been a good negotiation.”

With that, the negotiations were declared over, and they shook hands with friendly smiles, hiding their true thoughts.

“Oh no! I forgot that unlike the Balhut Cult, we are a coalition government!”

And not long after, as Seo Un-jae was quietly reviewing the contents of the negotiations, he realized that unlike the cult, the three major camps of Pohang were not his own faction but a coalition government that included other survivor camps, and he rapidly began to regret.

“This could potentially cause division and bloodshed in Pohang!”

And for good reason.

‘It could concentrate immense power in one faction…!’

Seo Un-jae thought that being chosen as the Priestess of the dragon meant gaining the qualification to govern Pohang on behalf of Bahamut, and it was impossible that the three major camps of Pohang wouldn’t covet that position.

Naturally, they would strive to elect an Awakened from their own camp as the Priestess of the dragon.

Above all, while some camps had gained definite benefits from these negotiations, others had suffered significant losses.

‘This is dangerous!’

What would the camps that had suffered losses from these negotiations think?

Seo Un-jae could easily imagine that to compensate for these losses, they would covet the position of the Priestess of the dragon proposed by Bahamut even more.

And how much blood would flow for that?

‘To gain the right to elect the Priestess of the dragon, a civil war could break out in Pohang.’

Seo Un-jae’s face rapidly turned pale as he realized his mistake.