Chereads / The King of Knights Returns with the Gods / Chapter 239 - Pyongyang Special Autonomous Region

Chapter 239 - Pyongyang Special Autonomous Region

The World Tree is so large that it can be seen from neighboring countries.

The tree towers so high in the sky that it can be seen from China and Japan as well as Korea. But there's a catch: the weather has to be clear and it has to be broad daylight.

"Mom, what is that?"

"Oh my god------"

And now, on a night when the wounds of the Second Civil War are finally being cleaned up everyone has seen the light.

A giant tree towers over the capital of a defunct rogue state and its endless branches sparkle with the light of life, lighting up the world.

Citizens walking home from work in the neon lights of the city center, fishermen hauling in their nets late at night, the People's Army operating in the unoccupied mountains, or the National Army searching for them, an airliner flying overhead or astronauts rebuilding a crashed space station, they saw that clear light that lit up the night sky, the clear, beautiful light of life.

* * * * *

"Wow~ Mom, look over there, the tree is so big!"

The first tourist visas were issued after reunification.

Even though the entire peninsula is under the South Korean government, a visa is still required because it is a special autonomous region that is nominally South Korean territory.

Arriving at Pyongyang Station by train. Having traveled from South Korea to Pyongyang, they could not hide their admiration for the city outside the window.

The branches of the giant tree, which has grown so large that it can be seen from Seoul, stretch out in all directions, and a few people can be seen walking through it.

The city that was once a sterile and uninspiring place has become an eco-friendly city surrounded by the mysteries of nature.

-Bam! Attention passenger organisms traveling on this special Pyongyang train.

All eyes are on the screen in the train as a stunningly beautiful gray-haired girl begins her announcement with an expressionless face.

The sight of Yappy's human body, which they had seen five minutes earlier on the train from Seoul, is a sight to behold.

-Thirty seconds later, the train arrives at Pyongyang Station. A guide is waiting for you, so please follow the instructions and act accordingly.

-Pyongyang Special City maintains a legal system similar to the continental law of South Korea, but under the TTG Temple Special Law, there are principles that are more important than the law.

-Review the tourist guide precautions.

The guide distributed to tourists heading to Pyongyang included a number of warnings.

-No hunting for elves.

-If you are caught by a tree man throwing out the trash, you will be beaten head first.

-Respect anyone wearing a full plate.

-Throwing food to a dragon could get you killed.

It's a lot to take in, and it's something you're thoroughly educated about when you get your visa in Korea.

Although it is an autonomous city within the Republic of Korea, Pyongyang Special Self-Governing City is an independent city with Naju TTG Temple, or the Lionheart King of the Otherworld, Leon, as its backing.

Due to TTG Temple fame, they are required to follow Lionheart's rules, recognizing that the laws of Lionheart's kingdom are different from Earth's.

-Isn't Pyongyang also our land? That's a bit of a stretch for a democracy.

-Don't eat the blessed crops if they're too small.

-It would have been okay if they had built a hyperloop in Seoul for free.

-If Sir Yappy hadn't built the Star Iron semiconductor factory in Kaesong, South Korea wouldn't have been able to absorb North Korea. There was unification, but taxes did not increase haha.

-Is it true that you can play at 16K 240 frames with only a CPU without a camera?

-Ah, just hit it lol.

The discussion of the Pyongyang Special Self-Governing City has been a hotly debated issue in Yeouido.

In order to prevent the ruling party's approval rating from rising, the opposition party united to block the establishment of Pyongyang Special City, but as corruption issues among opposition party members and slush fund exposure cases continued to arise, the Pyongyang Special City was passed smoothly.

Above all, the support of the entire nation was great, and the popularity of the pantheon that defeated Rakshar, the Lord of Chaos and led to victory in the Second Korean War, was beyond imagination.

-Honestly, wouldn't it be nice to have another holy site on the Korean peninsula?

-Look at Naju. It was a rural village with nothing but rice fields, but now it is an economic city that exceeds Busan. It is possible because of the blessed crops and the iron workshops here.

-What about Mokpo? The Kikiruks are bringing huge economic benefits without overlapping with human settlements. Have you seen the submarines they've been building? The U.S. Navy has ordered twenty of them.

-What about the TTG Temple satellites? Lord Yappy is the best.

-The whole world is on a tear to get the TTG Temple. We should be grateful that His Majesty Leon is in South Korea.

North Korea is the poorest country in the world, more than 100 times poorer than South Korea, and the South Korean government, which has absorbed and reunified North Korea as a pawn, needs a lot of money.

Immediately, bringing North Koreans' dire educational and health conditions up to par with South Korean citizens would require massive infrastructure investment, and the economy would need to be rebuilt for the next hundred years.

But the presence of the TTG Temple could solve all of these problems once and for all.

Blessed crops are grown all over North Korea, solving nutritional problems, and the advanced planned city of Yappy and energy supply plans have been announced.

And when it came to defense, TTG Temple was the strongest military force in Korea.

"Oh! Mom, we've arrived!"

"Really? I didn't even hear it stop------"

The Pyongyang Special Line maglev train, which Yappy had arranged for Seoul, made the trip from Seoul to Pyongyang in five minutes, and tourists got off one by one to find their guides.

"Hello, I'm Han Ha-ri from the Korean Hunter Association, your daily tour guide today, and welcome to the Pyongyang Special Self-Governing City!"

"Wow~ Han Ha-ri!"

"The youngest S-class Hunter!"

Tourists cheer as Han Ha-ri, the youngest S-class Hunter in his country, comes out as their guide.

They cheer as they follow him out of the station.

"Awesome------"

"Wow, look at that. Elves! There are dwarves!"

"There's even a race that looks like real trees!"

Tree men roamed the streets, beautiful elves served customers, and dragons flew in the sky - an unreal sight.

In the half year that Pyongyang has been discussed as the Lionheart's Special Autonomous Region, the heterogeneous races of the Lionheart, created through the World Tree, have made their nests in this Pyongyang Special Autonomous Region and are prospering.

"Isn't it dangerous?"

Parents visiting Pyongyang with their children were uneasy at the sight of the dragons and inhuman tree men.

Even modern humans who had grown accustomed to the strange people beyond the gates had only ever encountered them as monsters.

"Not at all, they are peace-loving people."

Ha-ri smiled broadly and waved to a passing tree man, who gave his own welcome to the outsiders.

"Come on, let's get started with sightseeing. We'll start by taking a magnetic levitation bus──"

Sightseeing in Pyongyang is organized through tour packages, which Yappy organizes through big data.

First, a health promotion package.

This is a package for middle-aged and elderly people to visit holy sites and stay overnight.

Visitors can stay overnight at the Ryugyong Hotel, where the world's first tree is located, and are provided with a diet of blessed crops.

"Wow, this is the blessed crop diet I've been hearing about."

"Eat it all! It costs hundreds of thousands of won or millions of won outside!"

Then there's the pilgrimage package.

This is where you can visit the sanctuaries of the Ten Thousand Gods, built around the world's capitals, and pray to the gods.

The religion was already spreading around the world, and at this rate, it would soon surpass the three major world religions and become one of the four major religions.

Considering that holy sites like Jerusalem, the Vatican, and Istanbul are always packed with pilgrims, it's no wonder that so many people want to visit Pyongyang, the new home of the TTG Temple.

Many pilgrims stayed overnight and visited the sanctuary daily, as they were lucky enough to see the relics of the knights, including Leon's, on display.

"This, this is the Grail of the Lionheart!"

"Noble---just looking at it seems to purify my heart!"

"There's also Lord Georgic hammer, which is said to be used by Lord Koo Dae-sung! He must not be in battle right now. How lucky!"

"The hammer flies by itself!"

The pilgrims couldn't wait to see the holy relics as they could feel the tremendous effects just by being in their presence.

Third is the technology travel package.

Pyongyang is a nature-friendly city with branches of the world's trees spreading all over the city, home to elves and tree men, but it is also a huge technology city.

It is a high-tech mecca where high-tech factories in neighboring cities such as Kaesong and Nampo are close by, and such technologies are announced one after another.

There's even talk that the annual Consumer Electronics Show, which used to be held in Las Vegas, will move to Pyongyang this year.

"Look at this VR capsule, it's real virtual reality like I've only seen in novels!"

"Project Matrix? That's a cheesy name."

And then there's the Lionheart Full Package, which encompasses it all.

It's worth 10 million won for two nights and three days, including a stay at the top-notch Ryugyong Hotel, an interracial exchange meeting, a health-promoting diet, and early access to cutting-edge technology!

-Honestly, this was all planned by Yappy, right?

-Wow. 

[These accounts have been deleted for serious violations].

By the end of the day, Pyongyang was becoming Asia's leading city.

* * * * *

Under Leon and Beatrice's harsh and unrelenting "education," the Black Dragon hasn't been left unscathed lately.

Forbidden to fly, he had to learn to resist magical interference, and was taught hand-to-hand combat by the Lion King, whose strength surpassed that of his giant body.

He, the offspring of a great dragon, must endure such hardships.

[How long must I endure these hardships?]

[Endure it, my firstborn, until you become an agent of gold and covenant].

Dragonia favored the newborn black dragon with all the dignity of a proud dragonkin.

[Our race has been on the path to extinction for thousands of years. As much as I hate to admit it, I must admit that the Holy Knights of Lionheart are powerful.]

Not that the Black Dragon doesn't recognize that. Karina alone was able to overpower his quasi-adult self from the start, and Leon, the pinnacle of that, is strong enough to wear him down.

[Our people have barely surpassed ten. It is a self-evident fact that we need the help of the World Tree until we can reproduce sufficiently and spread the species.]

[But---is this really necessary?]

[It is for the prosperity of the Dragon Clan. Take it.]

Until then, there is nothing unreasonable about the race prospering under the shadow of the Great Divine Hall. There's nothing I can't understand──

"Wow, a dragon!"

"I've never seen a dragon before------"

In front of the sanctuary of Dragonia, the god of gold and contracts, the black dragon snarled ferociously at the citizens who were making a spectacle of themselves.

"Kaaak! The dragon is angry!"

"Da, let's go the other way!"

The tourists changed course, frightened by the Black Dragon's ferocity. Dragonia said.

[My first offspring! How many times has this been an opportunity to spread the faith!]

[My firstborn--is this truly the way to spread the glory of the dragons?]

The Black Dragon, tasked with spreading the faith among the tourists of Dragonia's sanctuaries, was sullen.

[Didn't I tell you, simply making them use the contract won't attract much faith? Only by truly serving and respecting me will quality faiths gather.]

[Still---!]

[The elven priest in the next sanctuary is increasing the number of worshippers day by day, you should take note.]

Dragonia fretted.

It took holy power to keep birthing new dragons, and Dragonia's contract was not enough.

Dragons are a race that grows over hundreds of years. If they don't give birth to many semi-adults right away, they won't reproduce and the race won't prosper, and in what timeframe?

Look at the high elf priest next to you, selling the faith of the forest and trees.

"Oh, so you've been following us on Instagram? Would you like to discuss this further in our sanctuary?"

"Green groups are always welcome! Oh, you're campaigning to protect the lungs of the earth? The tree men of our sanctuary would be delighted to meet you, so here's your signature──"

"The elves are concerned, too. We're a predominantly female race, and it would be nice to have the opportunity to interact with a strong man."

[Look at that, look at that! Such a request, attracting horny males to sign up for a green campaign! Shame on you, forest goddess!]

[What? Our children can have a little lovemaking. I'm a liberal in that regard.]

[Using her looks to gain adherents-- what!]

Petos, god of war and fire, attracts soldiers and hunters from around the world.

Not to mention Demera, goddess of life and fertility,

Poma, god of the sea and its waves, is worshiped by all who depend on the sea for their livelihood, including the Kikiruks.

Heto, the god of iron and blacksmiths, had recently been expanding into high technology with his resurrected dwarves.

It's frustrating for the newbie god Dragonia to see the pantheon of gods finding their own ways to spread their faith after securing their own city.

If only she could put aside her pride and spread the faith at the level of the common people.

Dragons are a noble and noble race. Unlike the other gods' subordinates, how could they stoop to the level of lesser mortals?

It is something they can only become accustomed to through years of training.

Irmin sensed that this new god would be wandering for a long time.

[The golden pact is the only thing to trust.]

Dragonia's choice of gold and covenant divinity was not a mistake.

This is still a transitional period, so the spread is slow, but once the world-wide contract spreads, it will naturally become the standard contract for the planet Earth.

Dragonia had seen the far future, and it was a vision worthy of the King of Dragons.

"Black Dragon. There you are."

Karina appeared in front of the Black Dragon, the sanctuary of the god of gold and contracts, after a series of unsuccessful sales pitches to tourists.

[What the hell, human]

The Black Dragon still gave Karina a fierce glare, not liking the fact that she had put him aside and was the Holy Knight of Dragonia.

"A dungeon break. You, me, and plus one more."

[One more?]

Karina shrugged and jerked her thumb at the green-armored knight following behind.

"Uhm--- Black Dragon-sama. Take care."

Koo Dae-sung gave the dragon an awkward bow with an awkward expression.

[Hmm---!]

He was one of his favorites among the Holy Grail Knights, and──

[You'll have to persuade him, his vote is a valuable one]

A Holy Knight with the right to vote in the upcoming election for mayor of the Pyongyang Special Autonomous City was worth a hundred votes.