Chapter 297: Chapter 297

“Just leave us alone! Get lost!”

Demon No. 139 seemed to despise the explosion constellation. Upon seeing the other party show interest in the explosion constellation, he reacted with hostility.

All the demons under the demon constellation that Choi Yeonseung had met were composed individuals. No. 139 was also like that normally, so his current attitude was quite unexpected…

-Well, there are some constellations that do not synergize at all.

‘Just like the two of them.’

-Indeed. They can’t get along.

Of course, the explosion constellation didn’t really care about No. 139’s reaction. As long as two constellations had a long-standing conflict with each other, they couldn’t care less about some nonsense coming from a household member.

The explosion constellation disregarded No. 139 and asked a question.

[’Endless Linked Explosions’ asks if you have allied with the ‘Demon of Contract and Order.’]

“You don’t have to answer, Hunter Choi Yeonseung. You can ignore that constellation’s question!”

“...Don’t you think that saying this out loud pretty much answers his question?”

Choi Yeonseung looked at Demon No. 139 with a dumbfounded expression. Wasn’t the fact that the two of them were together an answer in itself?

[’Endless Linked Explosions’ says he asked because he already knew.]

Demon No. 139 flushed with embarrassment.

[’Endless Linked Explosions’ says it is a fascinating alliance.]

[’Endless Linked Explosions’ says he has been monitoring your actions lately.]

“...?”

Of course, the incarnation of training had suddenly become highly prominent and Choi Yeonseung was also famous on Earth. Thus, it was only natural that other constellations would be intrigued by that.

However, the words of the explosion constellation seemed to have a different meaning.

It sounded like the explosion constellation had taken a liking to Choi Yeonseung!

-Do you feel like that’s the case?

-Yes. I always pick up on stuff like that.

-...You figured it out because the goddess of balance sent you a message, right?

Choi Yeonseung refused to answer in order to protect the honor of the goddess of balance!

‘Anyway, why would this constellation take a liking to me?’

There was no reason for the explosion constellation and Choi Yeonseung to get along.

First of all, they had a history of going against each other. More than that, they were naturally incompatible because they embodied the conflict of good against evil!

No matter how outstanding and talented Choi Yeonseung was, constellations almost never accepted other constellations if they didn’t suit their taste.

[’Endless Linked Explosions’ says that the recent riots in France have been quite satisfying.]

“...”

Choi Yeonseung was embarrassed. Why did he have to mention it here?

“What nonsense... It has nothing to do with me.”

[’Endless Linked Explosions’ says that your name and face keep coming out during the riots.]

“...”

-......

There was no denying this. It was true that Choi Yeonseung’s name and face kept appearing during the riots caused by President Georges this time!

“Let’s avenge Choi Yeonseung!” was the strange chant that the rioters shouted over and over again. Seeing that, the explosion constellation had become quite fond of Choi Yeonseung. He had managed to create a decent commotion.

[’Endless Linked Explosions’ says he will continue to ask for such disorder in the future.]

“...I think you’ve got it wrong. This was just a coincidence. I normally don’t cause turmoil like that .”

[’Endless Linked Explosions’ says you seem to have a talent for creating disorder.]

“Enough! Stop approaching us!” Demon No. 139 interjected firmly. He was worried that Choi Yeonseung would fall for the words of the explosion constellation.

Of course, Choi Yeonseung was a constellation and couldn’t do that, but Demon No. 139 couldn’t possibly know that.

[’Endless Linked Explosions’ says he has no intention of approaching the dwarfs any further.]

[He declares that he has no interest in the dwarfs once the chaos has already ended.]

‘Oh.’

Choi Yeonseung was relieved that he didn’t have to fight other constellations over the Skyhammer Tribe. As for the explosion constellation, he seemed suspiciously friendly, but that wasn’t a problem for now....

[’Endless Linked Explosions’ predicts that you will certainly cause more chaos.]

[’Endless Linked Explosions’ declares that he will look forward to that time with great anticipation.]

‘...’

The prophecy of the explosion constellation was especially unpleasant because it was weirdly plausible and hard to refute.

***

-What if the hunters of Dragon Industry take charge of Monterre’s security?

-The French government allows the influx of overseas hunters? The reaction of the French hunters was...

-Alland responded strongly, saying, ‘It will never happen.’

-President Georges verbally remarked, “Traitors like Alland are corrupting the land of France..’

France was currently in turmoil, but it was a good thing for Dragon Industry.

First of all, the fact that the French cities had been taken over by foreign hunters was of great significance in itself. Hunters from other clans whispered among themselves that they had no idea what type of magic Choi Yeonseung used.

“Did he threaten the president while holding a knife to the back of his head?”

“I don’t think the president would accept that even with a knife at the back of his head…”

“Choi Yeonseung is amazing. I thought they would be distraught by the disappearance of Dragon Hwang...”

Hunters from various clans responded very sensitively to these issues. In order to survive those times, hunter clans had to be good at more than just raiding. They had to dabble into politics in order to get various lawmakers to cooperate with them. Moreover, they had to learn how to make profits by collaborating with a few large companies.

Clans that only knew how to kill monsters couldn’t expand beyond a certain point.

Of course, there was no way Dragon Industry would be concerned about expanding their sphere of influence like that. Some clans were seriously considering going under Dragon Industry.

“But going under a company doesn’t basically make us slaves?”

“Well, it depends on who your master is. Honestly, isn’t it worth a shot to go under Dragon Industry, even if it means being more or less slaves? I think there will be a lot of hunters over there.”

“Yeah, you have a point.”

This topic emerged even among the clans owned by Parker Group.

-Isn’t Parker Group making excessive demands recently? Hunters have a bad temper, and their dissatisfaction is at a dangerous level.

-I understand. Let me think about it.

“Damn it! When the hell will their failure be exposed?!”

Jacob threw down the newspaper in an annoyed voice. The article about Dragon Industry was terribly infuriating.

“How can they be so convinced by expectations alone? Stupid hunters! Nothing has actually been accomplished!”

Looking at it objectively, nothing had actually been accomplished yet.

Alland’s city assignment still hadn’t been confirmed, and the Abyss crop farm, which was an experiment conducted by Dragon Industry this time, hadn’t yielded any results.

Despite that, people were deluding themselves into thinking that some big change was going to happen. The fact that Parker Group was taking a hit due to such fantasies was truly absurd.

“Don’t worry, Jacob. The ridiculous idea of growing the Abyssal plants will soon fail. No matter how hard they’ll try to hide it, the truth will eventually come to light.”

“Can’t we send a spy to the United Kingdom to expose them?”

In corporate business, it was regular practice to send spies to other companies in order to dig out any dirt they had and expose it… However, the United Kingdom wasn’t an ordinary country in its current state. Constellations currently ruled that country, which made it terribly challenging to send spies there as opposed to other countries.

“Don’t stress too much about this. They won’t be able to hide it.”

“Ugh....”

“Besides, isn’t there a presentation now?”

“Ah...!”

Jacob’s eyes shone when he heard the secretary’s words. They were talking about the presentation of the American Hunters Association. The name wasn’t anything special, but the event itself wasn’t trivial.

This event had originally started as a gathering of American hunter clans in the early days of the gate in order to share the latest advancements in terms of magic, artifacts, and combat methods.

However, the presentation had gradually grown more and more popular. With so many hunters being active in the media, it was naturally interesting to see hunter clans leak undisclosed new technologies.

Soon after, various sponsors and companies got involved...

Presently, this presentation was no longer just a small social event. It was a huge, popular event where all types of big clans and big companies displayed their strength.

“Will Dragon Industry present their artificial farm? Surely they'll present many other things other than that, right?”

"There’s no doubt about it, since they’ve already announced it. Won’t it be noticeable if they leave it out? They’ll show it even if they have to manipulate the results.”

“...!”

Jacob clenched his fists.

This presentation would not only show off the technology made by Parker Group, but also break the wings of Dragon Industry!

“Okay. Be prepared! We need to see through any kind of deception they attempt!”

“Yes! I will do my best!”

***

“Gyeongryong hyung really went to all types of events,” said Choi Yeonseung

Nguyen Bao, the CEO of Dragon Artifact, nodded and replied, “Indeed, he was that responsible.”

“...”

‘I thought he just had a lot of free time...’

Choi Yeonseung was about to say that but stopped himself as he didn’t want to break Bao’s illusion… But frankly, Hwang Gyeongryong participated in too many useless events.

Choi Yeonseung had agreed to take over Hwang Gyeongryong’s role, but to him, it really seemed like he would only need to participate in one-tenth of the events.

“What is Dragon Industry going to present this time?”

“Well, the Frozen Blue Short Sword, of course. Didn’t we develop it together?”

“It’s embarrassing to say that I developed it...”

Choi Yeonseung had merely followed the instructions of the cat constellation. He hadn’t done anything else. Thus, he felt bad as he saw Bao look at him with such respect. Bao had studied artifacts all his life, and yet he looked at Choi Yeonseung as though he were looking at a god.

Well, Choi Yeonseung was indeed a god-like being, but...

“The Frozen Blue Short Sword is already being sold, so can we make another announcement about it?”

“Yes. I’m going to give a presentation on the advanced combat techniques related to this artifact. The hunters at the company helped a lot.”

“I see.”

Choi Yeonseung and Bao got off the private plane. The vast area was already crowded with thousands of people. Judging from the overflowing magic power, it seemed like hunters accounted for almost half of the crowd.

‘Aine said she would come here first and wait for me.’

“Uh, are people from South Korea also coming?”

“Yes. It may be an American event, but it’s so famous that companies from all over the world pay separately to participate.”

It was such an influential event that companies from all over the world participated. Among those, there were Korean clans and companies that knew Choi Yeonseung’s name.

“Are you kidding me? This is obviously the position we were assigned.”

“I-I understand your frustration but I’m afraid I can’t help you. I’m sorry.”

“?”

Choi Yeonseung heard an argument and curiously looked over.

Bao spoke knowingly, “Looks like there’s a problem. It’s one of those things that happens every time. The spectating area is quite large, but there are some spots that are more popular. Therefore, many spectators strive to get the best positions.”

“If that’s the case, they should’ve made a reservation, right? What happened?”

The person was complaining unjustly, but perhaps because they were from South Korea, the people in charge of the presentation apologized profusely while stubbornly telling them that they couldn’t do anything.

“Companies and clans from abroad are at a disadvantage. It’s an American presentation, so it’s likely that the American companies and clans have priority when it comes to seating. That person’s position was probably changed at the request of an American clan.”

“Can they do that?”

“I don’t think it’s right. Treating guests from other countries like that is shameful. I think it’s a Korean company. Hunter Choi Yeonseung, why don't you say something? If you talk to them it’s likely that...”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t want to get into a fight.”

“Is that so?”

Choi Yeonseung decided to look at the company name before turning away. It was Hanseong Group.

“...Wait. I have to tell them something.”

“I knew you would,” Bao replied as though he had been sure he would change his mind.

Choi Yeonseung responded with a hint of indignation, “I’m not taking action just because we’re from the same country.”

“It’s fine, you can be honest with me...”