“He seems to understand?” Taesoo asked as he glanced over at Doral.
Joonbum answered, “This world has people called the Ainos and Magnos. They are not humans but different races. Think of them as elves or dwarves for comparison.”
“Elves and dwarves?”
“Yeah. They have some similarities with those races in books.”
“I see.”
“I was helped by them when I first came here. They know everything about me too.”
“So, you taught them about our world with the things you brought here?”
Taesoo quickly understood the situation. In fact, it was actually Taesoo who provided Joonbum with all of his goods.
“Whoa, you catch on fast,” Jinpok commented and Taesoo nodded. He had realized that he was facing the emperor of the empire of this world and the commander of the army. He needed their help.
“Oh- I’m sorry about what happened in the past…”
“Ah, let’s not talk about the past. Let’s just be who we are.”
Jinpok casually dismissed it and Joonbum smiled.
“Yeah. Let’s not bring up formalities here.”
“Sure. Thank you,” Taesoo answered. They continued to speak further into the night, continuing with Jinpok and Joonbum’s stories. The stories lasted until the next morning.
“Sir! The gate has closed!!”
Todd, who rushed through the door, seemed very excited.
“Is that right? It’s been a year already?!”
It wasn’t exactly a year, but it was within the expected time frame for Jackson.
“So, have you prepared the cold weather gear to be sent over to the soldiers?”
“Yes, sir. We are ready for the train to arrive.”
“Make sure we only send the high-quality one. You get what I mean?”
“Yes, sir. We have audited all processes and punished anyone trying to corrupt the process.”
“Good. Any objections?”
“There are some from the old nobles.”
“Any problems?” Jackson asked casually and Todd shook his head with a smile.
“No, sir. None. The new nobles from the empire welcome the strict rules against any corruption. Also, the entire army fighting against the monsters are very loyal to the emperor. There is no chance for the nobles to object to the empire.”
Those were confident words. Jackson understood Todd’s reaction very well.
“Haha. Todd, we must tread carefully. History proves that a strong nation can always crumble from within. Isn’t that so?”
“Yes, sir,” Todd answered and Jackson continued speaking.
“It’s good that you’re confident of what we’re doing, but we cannot be arrogant and get ourselves into trouble because of pride. We must always be careful and double check everything.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jackson smiled. “What of the new weapon?”
“Development is complete, sir. We will move it to Lown Peak by train soon.”
“I see. It’s a shame, it would have been great if it was a bit earlier…”
“Yes, sir. It would have lessened our casualties at the peak.”
“At least we have it now. What about Hallis? I heard he’s putting up some work out there.”
“Oh, right. I heard he’s been busy, sir. But he earned the nickname ‘Mad Dog’. There are countries raising complaints against him from all sides. Our foreign department is asking if we can get him to be more careful.”
Todd answered quickly and Jackson looked back curiously.
“Mad Dog?”
“Yes, sir. It seems that he never backs off when he fights. Now they just back off after hearing his name.”
“Haha, that fits him.”
“Mad Dog… I’m sure the Commander will not be happy to hear that,” Todd said but Jackson shook his head.
“Nah, I think he’ll like it. That’s the kind of man he is.” Jackson smiled and turned to the window. There was the view of the city outside the Empire’s Castle, bustling with people moving through the tall buildings.
“How about the refugees? Do we have enough food?” Jackson asked Todd, who had walked closer.
“Yes, sir. We have enough food for the entire continent.”
It was a very confident answer and Jackson smiled. Jackson himself also had a sense of pride in that.
“Our corn grows faster than any other crop and we can harvest them four times a year, sir. We also have enough in storage, not to mention potatoes and sweet potatoes. We also have wheat and rice.”
‘I see.’
Jackson didn’t even need to ask. The empire never lacked food and even helped other countries with food supplies.
“I’m sure we can handle any number of refugees. I’m sure gaining more refugees will eventually lead to the unification of the continent.”
Jackson smiled and answered, “Todd, you’re getting ahead of yourself. We have a lot more things to do before having refugees tp be prepared to become citizens of the empire. We have food, but humans don’t just survive with food. We need cities, villages, houses, and schools. They will need jobs as well. That’s when they can become our citizens.”
“Is that necessary, sir?”
Jackson nodded and pointed at the people on the streets. “I’m sure there are people out there working for their own countries, disguising themselves to become citizens of the empire. Why would that happen? It’s because they long for their homes. That can’t be changed.”
Todd glanced in that direction and smiled bitterly.
“They are despicable, sir.”
Jackson shook his head, “No. They are patriots of their own country. If they become ours, they will be very valuable assets. But…”
“But?”
Jackson smiled ominously as he trailed off.
End of Chapter