WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Little Prince in the Ossuary

Chapter 73

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After the Rain (3)

The landscape on the way back to Fort Roberts looked very different from before. Across the vast nearby land, thousands of straight gouged lines cut through in dark soil, making it feel like they were entering a giant farm.

That farmland was still expanding in real time. Dozens of U.S. military trucks pulling seeding rigs crawled forward at two miles per hour, carving line after line. They were not actually farming, of course. They were planting mines, not seeds. A large heavy plow split the earth, mines dropped into the deep furrow, and a broad steel plate pushed dirt back over it.

A dismounted infantryman followed behind at a normal pace. His job was to check with his own eyes that the mines were properly buried.

Farmers planting death.

Gyeoul found his own absurd metaphor amusing.

How many sparks were waiting to sprout in that wide field?

One Automated Mine Dispensing System (M57 ATMDS) could bury 2,300 mines in half a day. 「Combat Sense」 called up 「Insight」. An estimate appeared on his augmented reality UI. In the visible area alone, about 27,000 were already buried.

Every one of them was an anti-tank mine. Mostly an access-denial measure against 「Grumble」. They could smash tanks and blow armored vehicles apart, so even a 「Grumble」 would die the instant it stepped on one. They would be dangerous to other special mutants too. Most of them were heavy.

From Gyeoul’s perspective, there were clear pros and cons. Defense would definitely get stronger. But in an emergency, escape routes would be limited. The odds were low, but if the defensive line collapsed or infection started spreading inside the fortress, it would cause serious problems.

The driver grinned and asked,

“Is that a love letter, by any chance?”

Hm? Gyeoul blinked, then followed the soldier’s teasing glance down to his hand. Right. Without noticing, he had been fidgeting with the neatly folded letter the whole ride.

“It’s not that romantic.”

“Come on, don’t be like that. You looked pretty serious while reading it. Who sent it?”

Every soldier riding with him showed open curiosity. In America right now, few people were more famous than Gyeoul. And a celebrity’s private life was good gossip. If romance was involved, even better.

A strange rumor could spread if he handled this badly. Gyeoul shook his head.

“I told you, it’s not like that. The sender isn’t even a woman.”

“No way. So men are your type?”

“......”

Not a funny joke.

The sender introduced himself as a member of the 「Triad」 and said he was the joint representative of survivors from Wo Shing Wo and Shui Fong.

In the letter, he first praised Gyeoul’s virtue and achievements in lavish language, then got to his real point.

「Boss! We no longer wish to recognize Li Qinzhen. It is true that he was once the Dragon Head of Sun Yee On, but if he wants to become Dragon Head again, tradition requires formal election.」

「Also, we were originally separate from Sun Yee On. I know Boss may see us as one group. Broadly speaking, yes, we all fall within the larger Triad framework. But even within that, organizations and lineages split. Just as Triad branches can exist within the Black Society.」

「Still, we were few in number here, and we needed somewhere to shelter with our families. That is exactly why Li Qinzhen has discriminated against us all this time. He was the first to break the pledge to treat us as equal brothers. I heard Boss also stayed wary of that and did not join the Triad. Truly wise.」

「Despite that discrimination, we had no choice but to endure it. While we remained in the Triad, we had already severed ties with other compatriots. Even if we became independent, sacrifice would be unavoidable, and we were not even sure we could survive after our numbers dropped.」

「And many among us are orphans and widows. When Corpse Rot spread, the brothers who stepped forward to save compatriots never returned. As a Baizishan of Wo Shing Wo, I promised to take responsibility for their families in their place. Shui Fong is in the same situation. Please do not think we are only gangsters. In Chinese, displaced people and thugs are written with the same word (liumang).」

「Boss! Please take us in. We wish to follow you, who always uphold righteousness, benevolence, and chivalry. You may become the first Dragon Head of 「Hwa-Su」, or you may bring us into the 「Gyeoul Alliance」. We will repay this grace without fail. We beg you.」

At the end of the letter, packed tight in tiny handwriting to save paper, there was a postscript-like note on how to contact them in secret.

If the contents were true, there was room for relief. A gangster’s crimes were a gangster’s responsibility. You could not impose collective guilt on their families too. If those people were truly in hardship, accepting the request was worth considering.

Some parts were suspicious. Corpse Rot was the Chinese-style name for the Morgellons plague. It meant a disease where skin rotted like a corpse. So during the infection spread on North America’s west coast, criminals from Wo Shing Wo and Shui Fong stepped up to save Chinese people? Was that real? Did human butchers who ran gambling dens, sold women into brothels, and trafficked drugs really have that much humanity?

Gyeoul judged that it was possible.

Gangsters, well... people like that cared about image. They might really have stepped up just to put on a show for their own side. They collected protection money, didn’t they? Maybe they planned to make a show of going out, hide somewhere safe, kill time, then come back.

Or, with very slim odds, maybe a massive disaster had changed them for real.

Either way, this was not a decision Gyeoul should make alone. At minimum, he needed advice from the two Vice-Captains. If nothing else, he needed to show them respect.

There was no rush.

Some vehicles entering the base went straight to construction sites. The timber boards, kiln-dried and cut to standard size, were usable with almost no extra work.

Gyeoul supervised material distribution. Cooperation groups under alliance protection had requested oversight so no corruption would occur during allocation. Whether the boy officer officially had that authority was not important.

As they moved section to section unloading materials, most people treated Gyeoul as the one in charge. Even the Engineering Corps, the original supervisors, did.

“Cam on! Cam on!”

People who came to receive supplies thanked Gyeoul. The U.S. soldiers found it odd.

“Why are they telling us to come over?”

“In their language, it means thank you. It’s not ‘come on.’”

“Ahh.”

The refugee district had striking ethnic diversity. People from East Asia and Oceania had gathered there, with dozens of nationalities by passport count.

Still, the population was mostly Korean, Chinese, and Japanese. Australian and New Zealand refugees had been transferred to another base, and refugees of other nationalities were only a handful. At the extreme end, there was exactly one family from Tuvalu.

Because their numbers were so small, they were all put into one settlement block, and even that was across from the Chinese settlement. In daily life, they almost never crossed paths.

Only after finishing that did Gyeoul head to the alliance area. The alliance zone was where construction had started first. The groundbreaking ceremony had also been held there.

“Boss, just getting back now? You really worked hard again today, hahaha.”

An unfamiliar man approached. He wore heavy clothes, and on his right arm he had the alliance symbol, a Snowflake knot, worn like an armband. That marked him as a mid-level manager. His smile was slightly servile, and his waist naturally bent.

“Ah, yes. I’ve seen you a few times... Sorry, what was your name again?”

Gyeoul asked even though he already knew. The man’s mouth twitched slightly. Only for a moment. He smiled so broadly his eyes nearly disappeared and introduced himself.

“Oh no, no need to apologize. You have so much on your plate, it is easy to forget. My name is Baek San-ho.”

“I see. Can I borrow your radio for a moment?”

“Yes! Here it is!”

Construction sites did not use military channels. For Gyeoul, borrowing someone’s radio was easier than changing settings on his own. The man held it out with exaggerated politeness. While this was happening, people working on the scaffolding also greeted Gyeoul. Hello, sir, hello. The boy answered with a few short bows, then called the Vice-Captains over radio.

“Vice-Captain Jang Yeon-cheol, Vice-Captain Min Wan-ki. This is Han Gyeoul. Do you copy?”

「Yes. Go ahead.」

「I hear you!」

“I have something to discuss. Please return to headquarters for a bit.”

「I’ll head there immediately.」 「Coming right away!」

Their replies came back almost at once and overlapped. Headquarters was the same tent where Gyeoul first met the alliance members. Now most of the residents had changed. It functioned as the alliance administrative office.

Gyeoul returned the radio to Baek San-ho. Then he quietly looked over the man’s clothes and offered a handshake.

“Then keep up the good work.”

“Haha, yes. You too, Boss.”

Baek San-ho’s bare hand was warm. Smooth too, without roughness.

He ran straight to the construction site. People nearby all turned to look at least once. Some tilted their heads. Others frowned, glancing between him and Gyeoul. It was far, but with the 「Firearms Mastery」 bonus, Gyeoul could see clearly.

No smell of sweat.

Of course, not every task at a worksite made you sweat.

Gyeoul stared at the hand he had just shaken. The evening wind slipping between his fingers was cold.

That man had been working outdoors in wind and cold without gloves, yet his hand was warm, and there was no dirt or sawdust on it.

Gyeoul looked at a metal drum stuffed with firewood. Several shelters like that had been set up, but very few people were actually resting.

The same went for the mid-level managers wearing Snowflake knots. All of them were dressed lightly for the weather.

The boy shook his head.

I should tell them to use them for now, then cut them loose.

There was also the option of pointing things out and waiting to see whether they corrected themselves. That might even be fairer. But the alliance was still a new organization. The credibility of the initial officer group was a critical issue.

The line between what was fair and what he would actually do was almost the same as the line of his own limits.

The HQ barracks was nearly empty. A few men and women lowered their heads to Gyeoul as he entered. In one corner sat a mute elder. Elder Kang Yeong-sun greeted his return with a gentle smile. She made hand signs with both hands, though it was not real sign language. It meant there was a note for him.

No need to get it right now. Gyeoul gestured that he would see her in a little while, then went farther inside.

There was an oil stove and a table there. Gyeoul pulled three chairs close to the stove. He sat near the heat for a moment, warming himself, and Jang Yeon-cheol arrived first. Being young, he had strong stamina. His breathing was rough, probably from running. Gyeoul pointed to the chair across from him.

“Please sit. This will take a little time.”

Min Wan-ki arrived a bit later. He gave Gyeoul a slight bow and, without rushing, took the remaining seat.

Gyeoul explained the situation.

“...For those reasons, I think we need to decide our position. What do you two think?”

Their answers split.

“I support it!” “I oppose it.”

Jang Yeon-cheol was the first, Min Wan-ki the second. Seeing the two Vice-Captains turn and look at each other, Gyeoul naturally smiled a little.

============================ Author’s Afterword ============================

1. Lately, the recommendation count compared to views looks weird. If views are 100, shouldn’t recommendations be around 1000?

What? You think something is strange?

No way. I learned math from Transparent Dragon. I at least know that if you subtract 300 from 999, 600 is left.

I might be a genius...

2. Now I can use Seal Breaker. It’s only page 3... so do I just keep writing until sunrise... kekeke... I’m going feral...

3.

Q. Cheongnyuryeon-nim: @Yesterday you didn’t upload your childlike, pure writing, so I started rereading Halkeginia from the beginning. I’ve marathoned Halke about six times and Ossuary seven times already, but it still feels fresh every read! When you serialize a new work, you’ll announce it, right?

A. Huh... you’re already looking forward to a new work... no, more than that, that reread count... wow...

When I start a new serial, I don’t plan to post an announcement. In fact, after I started writing Ossuary, I did not tell Halkeginia readers for quite a while. Later, everyone found it on their own and told other readers through comments, so I felt there was no point hiding it anymore and announced it in an afterword.

Q. Dohwawon-nim: @I thought childlike innocence came from an immature frontal lobe! Do all the great ancients live in the world of childlike innocence?!

A. The entrance to Dreamland where I live is in Songpa-gu, Seoul. I plan to relocate soon. :)

Q. RGZ95-nim: @I see... maybe I still don’t have enough childlike innocence... I’ll train harder @[email protected]

A. Keep it up! The best way to cultivate childlike innocence is textbook-focused learning centered on Korean, English, and math!

Q. Ajenjang-nim: Your mindset is different from writers these days. Usually writers stab readers in the back and switch to premium for profit... Reading your work makes me want to tell you to go premium, because both quality and volume are excellent. (truncated)

A. There is no @ in this comment, but I want to say something, so I’m writing it here.

Please do not think writers who switch to premium are stabbing readers in the back... they have their own difficulties too.

I did not mention this before because I didn’t think readers needed to worry about it, but Joara recently revised its terms and removed the settlement ratio from the contract terms. Instead of giving an exact percentage, they changed it to “follows the service’s settlement policy.”

When I asked, they answered that repeatedly revising terms every time the ratio changes is inconvenient. That means they can change the settlement ratio later without revising terms.

They say they will make sure writers don’t lose out, but how can we trust that?

Even if they keep that promise, a contract that does not specify the revenue-sharing ratio is not right. It is normal for writers to feel uneasy.

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