The background investigation continued in a good atmosphere. 'New Day' answered my questions obediently and told me the truth.
"It must have been hard raising your younger siblings."
'New Day' hesitated for a moment and shook his head.
"It was a little difficult, but fortunately, there were a lot of people around us who helped us."
I didn't miss the moment when a shadow crossed his face.
'There's something.'
While they were busy trying to survive while fighting a war with the Iroquois confederacy, would their neighbors really care about them?
Naturally, questions arise. I slowly got to the point.
"You probably know why I came to see you."
'New Day' is the most suspicious one according to the investigation by the Information Inspectorate. There is circumstantial evidence, but no proof.
The 'Swift Deer' tried several times to get a confession from him through direct questioning, but all attempts failed.
"...."
He spoke calmly to 'New Day', who was standing still as if he had become mute, as if he knew everything.
"Unfortunately, after investigating the Iri Tribe trainee warriors who attempted to assassinate me, I found that there was someone who had contact with them. And that person had contact with someone else besides them?"
'A new day' I saw the corners of my eyes twitch slightly for a moment. I didn't miss that moment and deliberately assumed a sloppy posture.
I naturally raised my head and checked the map window.
'Red?'
The color of the 'new day' in front of me was blue and then suddenly changed to a red dot. Eyes full of life. It seemed as if the 'brave wolf' and the 'fast-footed deer' behind me would attack the 'new day' at any moment.
But he quickly raised his hand to stop them.
"I don't want you to make a mistake that you will regret for the rest of your life. I don't know what conditions he has set for you, but I can give you more than that."
"...."
It worked. Before I knew it, the red dot displayed on the map window began to blink and turn blue.
"Confess to me honestly. If you confess who he is and what conditions he imposed, I promise not to hold you guilty of any crime. I swear on my name as a son of God and a warrior."
"...."
'New Day', which had been filled with conflicting eyes, let out a short sigh as it made a decision.
Phew!
"Since His Majesty the Emperor seems to know everything… I will tell you the truth."
"Yeah, that was a very good decision."
I looked back at the map window and checked his status, which was glowing with a blue dot.
"After the war with the Iroquois Confederacy, when the entire tribe was in turmoil, one day a man named 'Pouring Rain' who lived in a neighboring village approached me and spoke to me in a friendly manner. Although he was from the same Iri tribe, I was wary at first because I didn't know him well. However, when he occasionally visited us and shared food with us and took care of my siblings, I began to open my heart without realizing it."
You're a tribal person? I couldn't help but be a little taken aback, as it was completely different from what I had expected, which was that he was from the Iroquois Confederacy.
I asked again with eyes full of doubt.
"Are you sure the person who approached you is a tribal person?"
"Yes. He spoke our Iri language very naturally. Also, there were people among my acquaintances who knew him."
The word 'him' came out of the mouth of 'New Day' again. That means that the boy always thought of him as a benefactor.
I thought about it for a moment and asked.
"Can you tell me who knows that guy?"
"yes."
As 'New Day' named the three people one by one, 'Swift Deer' behind him quickly wrote their names on a piece of paper.
"Keep talking."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
For a while, talk of a 'new day' continued. After a while, 'New Day' picked up the cup on the table and drank some water because he was thirsty, then continued talking.
"And then a few months later, he came to see me as I was entering training camp as a trainee warrior."
'New Day' glanced at me and made a hesitant expression.
Phew!
I could guess what he was trying to say.
"He secretly asked me to assassinate him."
"yes."
"A new day," he replied briefly in a crawling voice, then made an excuse.
"At first, I immediately rejected his ridiculous request. However, after that, he kept coming to me and making various sweet proposals, explaining the reasons for his assassination of His Majesty the Emperor. Before I knew it, I had fallen for his persuasion and was planning to assassinate His Majesty the Emperor with a great sense of mission."
After that, 'New Day' continued to speak with a guilty expression. As expected, he said that seeing and experiencing the 'very big' city in person brought about a change of heart.
* * *
"I apologize, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
With his head bowed, 'New Day' offered a heartfelt apology. I patted his shoulder and offered comfort, not consolation.
"You must have had a hard time."
"...."
I said again, looking at the 'new day' with tears streaming down both cheeks.
"Since you confessed as promised, I will no longer hold you accountable for this matter. And I will take good care of your younger siblings, so forget about the past and focus on training from now on."
"Thank you very much, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
Before I knew it, 'New Day' was shaking and sobbing. After a while, 'Roaring Thunder' took the slightly calmed 'New Day' outside with the warriors.
After quickly gathering my thoughts in his office, I immediately gave instructions to the 'brave wolf' and the 'swift deer'.
"I think it would be better to investigate on our own rather than asking someone so lacking."
The 'swift deer' nodded as if agreeing with my opinion.
"First, let's ask around about the person called 'Pouring Rain' and the people who know him."
"That's right. If they haven't disappeared, bring them here quietly without the Iri tribesmen knowing."
"Then we will deploy more soldiers from the Intelligence and Inspection Department."
As I nodded, this time the 'brave wolf' spoke with a cautious expression.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can trust the 'new day' yet. I plan to keep an eye on him and monitor him."
As the head of the Department of Defense, I respected his decision because I knew his loyalty to the 'Sun in the Sky' and to me.
"And there may be more assassins, so we will continue to investigate in consultation with the head of the training center, 'Roaring Thunder.'"
I, too, have come to some realizations through this assassination incident.
'Even though it's annoying, I have to examine each one with my own eyes.'
After consulting with the two leaders, I left the long training camp.
* * *
A 'very big' city, a large farmland. The grains in the large fields that had been planted last spring were ripening and turning yellow.
Corn, beans, wild rice, pumpkin, etc. It was a bumper crop. The whole city was busy harvesting autumn crops. People, men and women alike, lined up in a row, holding sickles, harvesting autumn crops.
"Cut carefully so that no grain falls."
"Okay, let's start here."
Wild rice was cut from the stem and transported onto carts. Corn was piled up in a large basket. Even warriors in training camps were mobilized due to a shortage of manpower.
"This white man is here."
"Oh, Baek In Dae over there."
The crop results were so good that smiles appeared on the faces of the workers. Some people livened up the atmosphere by singing traditional tribal songs together.
'Splendid Sunset', who was looking around the farmland with me, reported with a slightly excited expression.
"The crops are very good. Almost all regions have reported bumper crops. Your Majesty the Emperor!"
She then began to analyze this bumper crop in her own way.
"There are probably many reasons. I think it was the maintenance of the water facilities and the improvement of the soil's fertility with the compost made by His Majesty the Emperor that led to such good results."
As expected, it was a precise analysis worthy of a genius. Of course, the weather helped a bit too. But this luck won't last forever.
Corn, a major crop, is very energy-intensive, so the land quickly becomes desolate.
'Compost has its limits.'
To increase grain production, there was a need to quickly develop chemical fertilizers. One of the reasons the distant future United States emerged as a global grain producer was chemical fertilizers.
Of course, the biggest reason was that it had a vast granary along the Mississippi River. My current chemistry skills are beginner level.
It seemed that one would need to be at least intermediate level to be able to make chemical fertilizers.
'I need to focus on improving my chemistry skills from now on.'
If you have the skills to make chemical fertilizers, you can probably make gunpowder too. I continued to listen to the report of 'Splendid Sunset' with eyes full of anticipation.
"If we estimate the current grain harvest, it will be enough to sustain the entire population of the 'Sun of the Sky' until next winter."
Grain production will continue to increase in the future. So stockpiling and preserving food was very important.
"It would be good to continue building granaries and have the government directly manage food."
"And now, another thing has piled up."
'Splendid Sunset' answered vigorously, writing down what I had instructed on paper.
"From now on, I will make sure that the government manages food thoroughly."
* * *
Upper Death River (Roanoke River). The top companies operating in the 'Sun of the Sky' have dispersed to various places and are on the rise.
The head of the Ministry of Commerce, 'Singing Water', was moving quickly towards the territory of the Tutello tribe, this time with the upper part of 'Land'.
The size of the upper part is approximately five hundred people. Since it was a transaction between tribes, the number of people had to increase more than before.
The fully armed warriors on top maintained formation and stood guard around the people carrying heavy loads on their backs.
"Minister of Commerce and Industry! We will probably arrive at the Tutello tribe village around noon."
The head of the 'Land' upper group, 'Turtle Shell', who has a slim body and excellent fighting skills, welcomed the report from 'Singing Water'.
"It's been a long time since I've been able to rest comfortably in the village."
"I think everyone feels the same way as you, sir."
'Turtle Shell' is a quiet person who only speaks what needs to be said, unlike other upper-level leaders, so 'Singing Water' was able to go up this time with ease.
I took some time alone again and leisurely looked around the 'singing water'. At that time, the escort warriors who had been scouting the front returned and reported.
"Chief! Up ahead, it looks like a few Tutello men are being chased by Cherokee warriors."
At the mention of the Cherokee tribe, the 'Singing Waters' took on a serious expression.
'Have the Cherokees already started slave hunting?'
After a brief moment of doubt, 'Singing Water' immediately went into confirmation.
"Is this a slave hunt?"
"That's what I'm guessing. And if we continue on this path, we're likely to encounter not only the Tutelo tribe but also Cherokee warriors. What should we do?"
"hmm…."
'Singing Water' quickly gathered his thoughts as he fell into deep thought. It seemed that the Tutello tribe was in danger, and I couldn't just ignore it.
'Singing Water' gave direct orders to 'Turtle Shell', the person in charge at the top.
"Get into battle formation now! Protecting the Tutello tribe people is our top priority."
"Understood, sir!"