I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 421

As the colossus known as the Heavenly Demon began her movement in earnest, the world showed no small amount of interest.

And for good reason—this was an incident originating in the Central Plains. The Central Plains had a massive population and was a region where all sorts of commerce flourished.

In particular, the business acumen of the Central Plains people was famous worldwide, and they engaged in vigorous trade.

In such a place, the Heavenly Demon—and her entire faction—had raised a rebellion against the Imperial Court. What did this imply?

Title) My stocks, f*ck

(Picture of plummeting Central Plains stocks)

Demonic Cult motherf*ckers. Why did my stocks end up like this?

ㄴYou too? Same here;;

ㄴAren’t Central Plains stocks famous for being unstable in the first place?

ㄴYeah, the sects fight among themselves at every opportunity, so it’s subtly nerve-wracking.

ㄴDuring the Orthodox-Demonic War, countless stocks turned into toilet paper lolol

ㄴAnd even then, the Central Plains people—the merchants, that is—probably bent over backward doing backflips to pull them back up lol

Title) Upvote if you think the Heavenly Demon is a piece of sh*t lol

(Picture of stocks turned into waste paper)

Upvoting starting with me first lolol

ㄴUse that paper when taking a dump. That oughta be convenient lol

ㄴDon’t worry. It’ll crash like that and go right back up.

ㄴHow do you know that?

ㄴAs if this kind of thing has only happened once or twice in the Central Plains?

It meant capital was violently fluctuating. Since ancient times, whenever a civil war or a battle tantamount to one broke out, investment funds were bound to shake.

The Central Plains in particular possessed a massive landmass compared to other nations.

Occupying what was essentially an entire continent on its own, even the smallest tremor was equivalent to a major earthquake.

Yet on this vast land, sects fought each other at every chance, grand wars unfolded, and capital shook with frequent regularity.

On top of that, hoping for imperial intervention like in an ordinary nation was out of the question. Upholding the sacred principle of Non-Interference Between Government and Martial World, the Central Plains Imperial Court never interjected in the martial artists’ violent struggles, despite possessing overwhelming military might.

So, was it enough just to stay on good terms with the Imperial Court?

Stripping away the illusions, far from it.

Even the tense staring contests over ’Non-Interference Between Government and Martial World’ were often political battles between factions like martial sects and the Imperial Court.

If there was any silver lining, it was that those well-versed in the Central Plains understood these quirks so thoroughly that they possessed a sort of specialized know-how.

Title) Eh. Way too much fuss lol

The Heavenly Demon might be strong, but the Imperial Court has the ’Army.’ That one thing makes everything else completely pointless.

It’s not like you can treat the military, the strongest force in human history, like a joke, right? XDDD

For now, I’m looking for Heavenly Demon Cult-related stocks.

ㄴ???

ㄴLook at that plot twist at the end lolol

ㄴAre there stocks for the Demonic Cult too?;;

ㄴHeard they’ve been selling wild ginseng recently and working in logistics/distribution.

ㄴApparently, whoever’s running the brains over there is doing surprisingly well, so it’s quite solid?

Thus, after the declaration, the economy began to tremble slightly, yet noticeably.

From the Imperial Court’s perspective, they had to take swift action. However, total war was not an option.

Commencing total war was in itself an admission that the Demonic Cult’s power was equal to that of the Imperial Court.

For now, the Imperial Court intended to slowly lay groundwork beneath the surface. Originally, their top priority was economic pressure.

Title) Hair Growth Herb -> This thing is broken

Just looking at its effects, it wouldn’t be surprising if they traded with the Western kingdoms.

Maybe that’s why there are rumors lately that the Demonic Cult is trading with port cities.

If you can export and sell just this, you’ll hit the absolute jackpot of jackpots.

ㄴDid someone say Western kingdoms have a uniquely high number of balding people?

ㄴYeah, strangely enough, there are so many people suffering from hair loss.

ㄴKnights in particular get stress-induced hair loss all the time from fighting monsters so much lol

ㄴHope it gets imported soon. I’d pay a fortune just to get my hands on it.

ㄴSir... is your hair perhaps...?

ㄴSTFU

However, with the emergence of that unprecedented miracle herb known as the Hair Growth Herb, economic pressure had become impossible.

Moreover, wherever the capital rolled in from, the Demonic Cult’s wealth was formidable.

The Imperial Court had no choice but to harbour deep suspicions. How could the Demonic Cult, tucked away in such a remote region, possess such abundant financial power?

In truth, this was revenue gained from selling the Snow Ginseng and Internal Energy pills provided by Grylls.Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping . com.

It was not for nothing that Wi Seol-ak revered Grylls as a god; he had completely resolved their fatal vulnerability—their finances.

In the end, the Imperial Court’s choices were bound to be limited. As mentioned earlier, mobilizing the military was a last resort.

One option was to wage a proxy war using factions closely affiliated with the Imperial Court.

Title) Sichuan Tang Clan destroyed

(Picture of the half-destroyed Sichuan Tang Clan compound)

(Picture of the Heavenly Demon standing loftily)

(Picture of the Heavenly Demon leisurely carrying tools)

I’m a disciple of the Sichuan Tang Clan. The Sichuan Tang Clan just got swept clean by the Heavenly Demon.

Heard one of the elders tried to hit on or provoke the Heavenly Demon back in the day.

That aside, the Tang Clan sent assassins after her, got thoroughly humiliated in reverse, and now it’s this mess;;

It won’t be completely destroyed, but it’s gonna take time to recover;;

ㄴShe went all the way from the Namgoong Clan to the Sichuan Tang Clan? Isn’t the distance f*cking far?

ㄴYeah, but somehow or another she invaded right away;;

ㄴIn the middle of all that, she’s still holding that potted plant lolol

ㄴThe elder shouldn’t be weak, but he got completely crushed;;

ㄴBut that elder was an annoying bastard from the start, so nobody helped him out anyway lol

ㄴWait, what is the Heavenly Demon carrying away?

ㄴThose are apparatuses used for compounding medicine in the Sichuan Tang Clan.

ㄴWhy is the Heavenly Demon taking those?

ㄴDunno, probably gonna go boil some medicine.

ㄴShe looks super young on the outside, but she’s already taking tonic medicine lol

It was tangled right from the start. The Sichuan Tang Clan, which had traded with the Imperial Court, was half-destroyed.

It was a clear warning: the moment anyone crossed the Demonic Cult, their sect would be shattered immediately.

Thinking back, the Heavenly Demon already held the absurd achievement of regicide—assassinating the Emperor.

For someone with a record of slaying the Emperor, dealing with the head of a martial clan would be a piece of cake.

Ultimately, the situation in the Central Plains sank deeper into chaos. Seeds of division spread through politics as well.

As nice as power might be, was it more precious than life? All that remained was a choice.

"The Central Plains, huh..."

Emperor Arnold of the Messiah Empire, a distant Western nation far from the Central Plains.

He lost himself in thought while reading the report handed to him by his attendant.

At first, he had thought it was just news from a distant realm, but it was growing increasingly ominous.

Like it or not, the Messiah Empire and the Central Plains conducted mutual trade.

In particular, various medicinal herbs and silk arriving from the Central Plains were crucially important goods.

’At least the Heavenly Demon Cult hasn’t completely seized control of the port cities yet... but this is troublesome.’

A full-blown civil war hadn’t broken out yet. A true civil war required armies clashing against armies.

For the time being, it would take the form of proxy battles, so capital would fluctuate less violently.

However, if the Imperial Court’s military moved, the story would change. That would impact not just the Messiah Empire, but the entire world.

From Arnold’s standpoint, it was an irritating situation in every respect. He was already dying of busyness, and now the very thing he dreaded had erupted.

"Count Gorgon."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Was there any separate news from the Central Plains?"

Arnold sought an opinion from Count Gorgon, a man who could now proudly be called his close confidant.

Recently, the count had successfully struck a deal with Grylls—namely, selling a scrambler device to obtain mithril.

That mithril was sold on the black market to fill the imperial treasury. Giving Count Gorgon a performance bonus along the way was an added extra.

Having achieved such modest yet extraordinary results, Count Gorgon was someone he could place absolute trust in, far beyond mere reliability.

"Not as of yet. However, given the proud nature of the Central Plains, it is highly probable that they will not request assistance for the time being."

"And the reason?"

"Because no matter how strong the woman known as the Heavenly Demon may be, the Grand General resides there."

"The Grand General, huh..."

Arnold nodded. Just as the Messiah Empire had Ash, the Central Plains possessed the Grand General.

Though less famous than Ash, he could by no means be underestimated.

The very title of Grand General symbolized the supreme military force of the Imperial Court.

’When the Emperor was slain, the Grand General happened to be on leave.’

Had the Grand General been steadfastly guarding him, the assassination of the Emperor would have been impossible.

Even if it were possible, both sides would have suffered tremendous bloodshed.

Arnold slowly scanned the report and moved on to the next section.

’The Ghost Ships are still roaming the skies. Currently, the downed Ghost Ships belong to Mephisto and Setan, respectively.’Enjoying the story? Read on at no​velping.com.

Arnold clutched his throbbing head. World affairs had been fluctuating far too violently lately.

Amusingly enough, the center of all these occurrences was a single individual: Grylls, spending the winter in the Forest of the Four Seasons.

Of course, he himself had gained immense profits through Grylls, but the chaotic global climate was nauseating.

"Whew... Is there nothing else besides these?"

"Well... there is one thing."

"What is it?"

"There are reports of a conflict breaking out on the border between Alfheim and Mountain."

"That is a daily occurrence, isn’t it?"

Border disputes were common occurrences between nations.

From the perspective of high-ranking figures like Arnold, it could hardly be called an incident—just a minor happening.

Furthermore, Alfheim was currently conducting a tree-planting campaign due to their crazy queen.

Mountain had protested against this, but Alfheim casually ignored them, causing disputes to occur frequently.

"Indeed. However, this conflict is different. The Alfheim side claims they did not plant any trees."

"What?"

But this time, the situation was noticeably different. Elves possessed great pride, but their brazenness was equally grand.

Thus, they tended to maintain a shameless, brazenly confident attitude regarding actions they had actually committed.

This phenomenon had intensified since the Queen of Elves ascended the throne, serving as the main reason dislike toward elves had spiked.

Of course, despite being disliked, the species retained a certain fundamental honesty.

"As far as I know, those point-ears might be shameless, but they don’t tell outright lies."

"That is correct. Which is precisely why various nations are clashing over the matter."

Elves at least did not tell meaningless lies. If they felt wronged, they expressed genuine indignation.

Therefore, Arnold had no choice but to find the border conflict between the two nations suspicious.

Stroking his chin, he asked in a tone of disbelief,

"Could Mountain have staged a provocation?"

"We cannot rule out that possibility."

"The reason?"

"Do you recall what that man declared previously? His promise to support any country that receives a declaration of war."

"Ha."

Arnold let out a dry laugh. He remembered it vividly.

When Alfheim revealed their Artificial Guardian, Mountain had reacted with practically epileptic frenzy.

And understandably so, considering the Artificial Guardian looked like a war weapon to anyone with eyes.

They even claimed they would use Artificial Guardians to plant trees, so it would have been weird if Mountain didn’t go crazy.

It was a relief Grylls realized the situation and took swift measures, otherwise it would have turned dangerous.

"As Your Majesty knows, to dwarves, mithril is more than just a divine mineral. It is impossible for them not to feel greed."

"Aren’t there dwarves devoid of greed?"

"Unless it is a dwarf drowned in alcohol every single day, they will feel that instinctive greed."

"..."

Arnold suddenly recalled a certain fixed handle user on the gallery, but quickly glossed over it. That wasn’t what was important.

"Ahem. At any rate, we cannot rule out the possibility that Mountain staged a self-engineered drama. Furthermore, I hear they acquired a relic-tier tool from a Ghost Ship."

"Ah. I have heard of that. Was it a tool said to easily split even colossal boulders?"

Because of that, the Messiah Empire hadn’t shot down any Ghost Ships either, wondering if they might obtain some useful tool.

Besides, didn’t the Elf Queen go a step further and successfully strike a deal?

There were far too many things to do. And those tasks multiplied every time Grylls did anything.

’Can’t he just stay still and do nothing?’

Such was Arnold’s earnest wish, but sadly, it could not come true.

Because the winter in the Forest of the Four Seasons was gradually coming to an end.

As soon as winter ended, Grylls would resume his exploration and investigate countless secrets.

’I’d better pray he escapes as soon as possible.’

Rather than having more work dumped on his plate, Arnold prayed for Grylls’s speedy escape.

While the outside political climate was turning ominous, inside the Forest of the Four Seasons...

As the winter—which had felt uniquely long—finally drew to a close, Grylls readied himself for exploration.

"First, let’s head to the library. I need to pick up some books."

"What are you planning to borrow this time?"

"I’m gonna head over and check it out first."

Contrary to someone’s desperate wish, Grylls was extraordinarily diligent.