The Overlord of Blood and Iron

Chapter 281

Chapter 281 . Kwak Jung, Kwak Jun, and Lee Ji-Tae

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“Oi, Kwak something . ”

Kwak Jung said .

Yes .

“You saw that right?”

I did .

Kwak Jun, the tactician of Lord Vito Clemenza replied over the screen .

“Our king is this awesome, hah!”

Kwak Jung shrugged arrogantly .

“In other words, your trickeries have nothing on us!”

Haha, what do you mean by trickeries… that’s an exaggeration . I had to gain Vilhelm’s trust… .

Kwak Jun denied Kwak Jung’s accusations .

“Oh? You bastard still haven’t learnt your lesson after that beating… . ”

Ah, if tactician Kwak says so, then it must be true . Yup, definitely true .

Kwak Jun smiled and tried his best to curry favor with Kwak Jung .

“Changing words, are we?”

Not at all .

“Well, if you do it again then I will break your bones into tiny pieces . ”

……

“Anyways, how is the Baldur conquest going?”

Good .

“Any chance of a third superpower emerging from the Baldur region… . ”

I will prevent that at all costs!

Kwak Jun promised .

“Hmm! Sounds good . Alright, keep up the good work . ”

Yes .

“Good to see you working hard, huh?”

Haha! It’s all thanks to the Supreme King of the West and tactician Kwak’s everlasting care and love .

“Keh… bastard knows how to flatter… . ”

Not at all!

“You must have breezed through army . ”

Yes, I’m quite… .

Despite the ongoing casual conversation, Kwak Jung was incredibly cold towards Kwak Jun inwardly .

There’s a chance that you bastard may become the third superpower . You think I will let that happen?

Kwak Jung was hiding a dagger behind his laughter .

He was fine with letting Kwak Jun grow his influence, but he would never let him be a bigwig .

“Well then, continue to report in the future . ”

Certainly .

“Ah, and . ”

Anything else?

“If Vilhelm looks for you… you know what to do, right?”

Of course!

Kwak Jun immediately replied .

---

I will report every detail of the conversation without mistake . Nothing… .

At that instant .

Gasp!

Kwak Jun was taken aback .

“What is it?”

A-An incoming call from Vilhelm!

“……!”

It’s classified as ‘top secret’ some more . Seems like he wants to have a secret conversation .

“Hmm… ok, hurry take the call . ”

Kwak Jung nodded .

“Let me reiterate… . ”

I will definitely report every single detail .

“Good . ”

Well then, I will go talk to Vilhelm… .

“Be my guest . ”

Alright!

Beep - !

The call ended .

“Hmm… Vilhelm seems to be in the soup, huh?”

It was obvious as to why Vilhelm was looking for Kwak Jun .

Vilhelm was in a politically precarious position .

He had already lost the war due to Mei Ling’s trolling (?) and had lost the trust of many Lords . Vilhelm desperately needed an opportunity to turn things around .

The fact that he gave Kwak Jun a call meant… .

“Now now… it’s going to be interesting! Keke!”

Kwak Jung grinned .

***

Overlord rank 9 .

Atal Ramanujan .

His specialty was to increase population and overwhelm his enemies with sheer numbers, just like Ao Xin . He was the true ruler of the Baldur region, who governed the Shatyameba territory .

Of course, Atal Ramanujan wasn’t a man with the abilities to become the ruler of one of the three large divisions of Pangea .

He could amplify his population to activate his domestic economy and cultivate a large army, but that was all .

Shatyameba was a tropical territory with harsh terrains . It was impossible to feed that many people .

Moreover, the territory lacked a skilled magic-engineer, thus the level of technological advance was extremely meagre . Regardless of the population, Shatyameba was inferior to other territories .

Because of this,

“I have to get out of this cursed land no matter what… . ”

Atul Ramanujan wished to advance towards the center of the Baldur region .

“And recruit talents… . ”

He also wished to have capable subordinates under his wing .

Despite the large population, talents were nowhere to be found . This drove Atul Ramanujan insane .

“Now’s really the opportunity . . . we need to make a move now… welps… . ”

In his office,

Atal Ramanujan kept licking his while reading the map .

Now was really the right time .

Alex Rothschild, who wasn’t an Overlord but was affluent enough to pose a heavy influence on the Baldur region had suddenly disappeared from the ranking page .

Furthermore, Overlord Lee Chae-Rin and Lord Vito Clemenza’s army were fractioning the Baldur region from the west and east respectively .

In addition, six Lords who ruled over the central region of Baldur had mysteriously vanished, which instigated rebellion and uproar in those territories .

Therefore, if an Overlord like him could advance to the central region of Baldur, Atul Ramanujan could be the second person to claim the crown after Kang Chul-In .

“God damn it… where are the talents… . ”

The problem was that he lacked a genius who could command his huge army and share his insights regarding the political scene in Pangea .

“Hmm… . ”

At that moment .

“Your Majesty, an explorer named Lee Ji-Tae requests to be in your presence . ”

A servant spoke .

“Lee Ji-Tae?”

“Yes, Your Majesty . ”

“Peculiar name . But how can a mere explorer request to meet me?”

“A-Actually… . ”

“Speak . ”

“This explorer named Lee Ji-Tae has promised to hunt down and tribute to you the level 70 ‘Gulag lizard’… . ”

“G-Gulag lizard!”

Atal Ramanujan gasped in shock .

The Gulag lizard was a native species only found in Atul Ramanujan’s territory . It was a terrifying monster which spewed out toxic gas .

There was even a consensus amongst the explorers that hunting level 80 monsters was more beneficial than hunting a Gulag lizard .

And this stranger had just promised to kill this monster .

“A raid party?”

“No . ”

“No?”

“He claimed to have hunted down the lizard alone… . ”

“……!”

“There are witnesses as well . I believe Lee Ji-Tae is quite a skillful… . ”

“Hurry!!!”

Atal Ramanujan bellowed .

“Summon this explorer named Lee Ji-Tae in the Lord’s hall, now!”

“Yes, Your Majesty . ”

“I shall personally speak to him!”

Atal Ramanujan’s face was red in excitement .

A powerful explorer who could even solo kill a Gulag lizard had walked into his territory of his own volition .

It was akin to chancing upon a wallet on the street .

Talents like such didn’t come by often!

***

30 minutes later .

In the Lord’s hall of Shatyameba .

“So, you are Lee Ji-Tae?”

Atal Ramnujan asked the explorer charismatically, who was kneeling on one side .

“Yes, Your Majesty . I indeed am . ”

“You claim to have hunted down a Gulag lizard alone… is that true?”

“Yes . ”

“Woah… then you must be really powerful! That’s already as good as a general in Valhalla!”

“Not at all, Your Majesty . ”

Lee Ji-Tae was humble .

“How could I compare to the ferocious generals of Valhalla? I may be able to fight one or two Gulag lizards, but they can take down four or five . ”

“I-Is that so?”

“Yes, Your Majesty . Moreover, Kang Chul-In, the Supreme King of the West, will just treat the Gulag lizards as mere pets . ”

“Right… you speak the truth . ”

Atal Ramanujan was aware of the reality . He agreed with Lee Ji-Tae .

“But that is not to say your combat abilities are insignificant . It is rare to find an explorer who can hunt down a Gulag lizard alone . ”

“You flatter me, Your Majesty . ”

“Well then, raise your head . Let me have a look at your face . ”

Lee Ji-Tae revealed his face .

Hmm! Seems familiar… .

Atal Ramanujan thought he had seen the face from somewhere .

Who is it… I definitely recognize this face… ah, Lee Gong-Myung!!!

The stranger’s face closely resembled Alex Rothschild’s tactician, Lee Gong-Myung’s face .

However,

No, that’s not it . Lee Gong-Myung’s eyes were not blue . His hair as well… those traits are more like Alex Rothschild’s… .

The stranger was definitely not Lee Gong-Myung himself .

At the same time, he wasn’t Alex Rothschild . He had a strange mixture of both of their traits .

Don’t tell me… he recognizes me?

Lee Ji-Tae, no, Lee Gong-Myung was slightly nervous .

He had absorbed Alex Rothschild, hence his appearance carried some of his traits .

In other words, it wasn’t surprising that Atal Ramanujan found Lee Ji-Tae’s face familiar .

“Your Majesty . ”

At that moment, Lee Ji-Tae quickly spoke .

“May I request something… . ”

“Ah, do you have anything to say?”

“Please take me in . ”

“……!”

“If you take me in as your subordinate… I, Lee Ji-Tae, swear on my life to make Your Majesty the king of the southern region!”

“K-King of South!”

Atal Ramanujan exclaimed with delight .

King .

Ah, what a magnificent title!

The other Lords would look up to him, just like how they respected Kang Chul-In, who was the King of the West .

In addition, if he managed to establish a kingdom, he could become the one and only ruler of Baldur, unlike the Gullveig Alliance in the North .

Just like Kang Chul-In!

“Hmm!”

However, Atal Ramanujan immediately regained his composure .

The King of South?

A grand title indeed, but it was easier said than done .

He understood that Lee Ji-Tae was powerful enough to hunt down a Gulag lizard alone, but that was far from enough .

“Lee Ji-Tae, was it?”

“Yes, Your Majesty . ”

“Are you patronizing me?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I understand that you are proficient in combat, but that alone is insufficient to make me a king . ”

“I’m not talking about my combat abilities . ”

Lee Ji-Tae replied .

“I plan to make you a king using my brain and tactics . ”

“T-Tactics?”

“Yes, Your Majesty . ”

“Even though you are strong enough to hunt a Gulag… . ”

“To assume that a strong soldier is not brainy is a stereotype . ”

“……!”

“My combat abilities are far from perfect, but I am confident in my tactics and strategies . ”

That was hardly an arrogance .

Lee Gong-Myung (now Lee Ji-Tae) was a genius who had once pushed that incapable Alex Rothschild up to the same ranks as Kang Chul-In and Vilhelm .

He could do the same for Atal Ramanujan .

“I-Is that true?”

“Yes, Your Majesty . ”

Lee Ji-Tae replied firmly .

“Northern Expedition!!!”

“……!”

“Your Majesty currently rules over the southernmost area in Pangea, but you have to advance to the north to rule over the whole continent!”

Ba-dump!

That statement made Atal Ramanujan’s heart race .

Ah, the Northern Expedition!

What an exciting phrase!

“Don’t you boast a huge population? Your Majesty, think about your home country India and also China!”

“India and China… . ”

“These two nations invigorated their domestic economies by taking advantage of their large population . They eventually took over the world economy!”

He was right .

Population directly affected a nation’s economy, and a strong economy became the foundation for a strong army .

“What forms the fundamentals of a nation is none other than the people . ”

“……!”

“In that sense, Your Majesty possesses an attribute which is far more valuable than that of Kang Chul-In or Ao Xin!”

“I-Is that so!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Keh… I think you are right . ”

“However!”

“……!”

“As time passes by, both the Gullveig Alliance and the Valhalla Kingdom will enjoy an increase in population . ”

It was a race against time .

Both the Gullveig Alliance and the Valhalla Kingdom were equipped with a huge talent pool, abundant resources and advanced technology . Their populations were increasing exponentially .

In contrast, Atal Ramanujan’s finance was starting to take a toll due to the increasing population .

Thus, if Atal Ramanujan delayed his Northern Expedition and failed to advance to the center of Pangea, then he would never get a chance to rule over Pangea!

“Your Majesty!”

“What is it?”

“If you grant me 30,000 soldiers, I will conquer the Itaracia territory for you!”

“I-Itaracia!”

It was a strategic location that Atal Ramanujan had to conquer for his advancement .

The problem was that it had harsh terrain similar to the 18 peaks, and also burning hot weather .

In addition, the fortress was located 3000m above sea level, so it was wise to give up before trying in normal circumstances .

“Yes, your Majesty . ”

“Is that… even possible?”

“I will make you proud!”

A strong confidence!

Lee Ji-Tae was 100% sure of himself .

Why?

It was because he was Lee Gong-Myung, the tactician of Alex Rothschild!