Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert Chapter 568
Chapter 568
By the window, Jin Geumho gazed across Neo Seoul.
Shadows deepened over all of Neo Seoul as the sun dipped below the horizon.
In most places, night would silently engulf everything in darkness, yet Neo Seoul defied nature's rhythm, igniting its lights to blaze even more brilliantly than daylight.
Daytime Neo Seoul exuded grandeur, but nighttime pushed it to dazzling heights of magnificence.
First-time visitors to Neo Seoul always felt awestruck by its radiant glow.
Jin Geumho was a figure whose feats commanded universal respect.
This thriving metropolis amid the desert owed its existence to him alone.
Any average person would rest content with such triumphs, but Jin Geumho stood far above the ordinary, refusing to settle for mere this.
“We require at least ten more cities on this grand scale. Only then will humanity truly flourish.”
Among the rare few, he still recalled Earth's former glory.
Perhaps he alone preserved those memories.
Humans rarely survived beyond a century.
Seoul, New York, Tokyo, Beijing, London…
Prior to the Great Cataclysm, megacities housing over ten million souls had dotted the world.
That had seemed utterly commonplace back then.
An age when every nation boasted its own mighty capital or sprawling metropolis.
Jin Geumho had lived through and witnessed that golden era firsthand.
Thus, a single Neo Seoul could never fulfill him.
He constantly mulled over ways to fortify Neo Seoul further.
Not a single day had passed since its founding without this relentless reflection.
“Hoo!”
His mind ached from the relentless cascade of thoughts.
Just as he prepared to slump into his chair, unable to bear it longer—
“Mayor!”
Seo Taeran burst in urgently.
“What’s wrong? Today’s official duties should be finished.”
“You need to head to the underground city right away.”
“Why there?”
“Levin claims he has urgent news only for your ears. He demands to deliver it personally…”
“Levin?”
Jin Geumho creased his forehead.
He realized Levin’s message stemmed directly from Zeon.
When Zeon, out in the desert, dispatched Levin with word, it signaled no small affair.
“I pray it’s nothing dire. Let’s move.”
“Yes!”
Seo Taeran led Jin Geumho to the elevator.
This wasn’t the outdated one.
The brand-new elevator linked straight to the underground city.
Shuuu!
Upon entering, it plunged downward at breakneck speed.
Moments later, it hit the depths vertically, then shifted to horizontal travel.
Straight through without halting, it delivered them to the underground city.
Doors parted to reveal the now-familiar sight.
A compact city tucked inside an enormous subterranean cavern.
A colossal orb hovered overhead, mimicking the sun’s glow.
Jin Geumho had bestowed this gift.
Newly invented magical power generators from Neo Seoul produced this artificial illumination.
Far superior to older models, it harnessed magical beast byproducts to cast a soft light for twelve hours daily.
A surface-like setting had been meticulously replicated.
Since installing this faux sun, illnesses in the underground city had sharply declined.
Paradoxically, better conditions spurred more Awakenings.
Especially in children.
Shockingly, their Awakening classes stood out.
The majority of these young Awakened turned out as Healers or buff-types.
Such a trend was extraordinarily uncommon.
Typically, magic or martial classes dominated Awakenings.
Certainly, rare variants like mechanized ones existed, but support classes surging exclusively from the underground city felt deliberately orchestrated.
Healers and buff Awakened remained exceedingly scarce.
Neo Seoul hosted similar types, yet their power levels stayed modest.
Evidence lay in Jin Geumho’s sniping incident, where they merely stanched his injuries without full recovery.
Lemura’s instant save marked true exceptionalism, far from the norm.
Yet underground city children differed markedly.
While surface Awakened mostly ranked F or E, these kids often hit D or even C-rank.
Some unique force clearly influenced the underground city.
This justified Jin Geumho’s lavish backing.
Most residents there were surface outcasts who had fled below.
Initial bitterness toward Jin Geumho had run deep, but his unstinting aid and enhancements shifted their views dramatically.
Jin Geumho firmly believed these children, upon maturity, would bolster Neo Seoul immensely.
Unlike their cave-adapted parents, the Awakened youth could thrive aboveground.
For Neo Seoul’s tomorrow, they demanded meticulous nurturing.
After admiring the underground city briefly with satisfaction, Jin Geumho inquired.
“Where’s Levin?”
“At Lemura’s place.”
“Hurry, let’s go.”
“Yes!”
They hastened their pace.
At Lemura’s home, Levin awaited alongside Zetoya.
Both wore gravely stern faces.
“Levin! You sought me out?”
“Mayor!”
Levin rose to welcome Jin Geumho.
“Stick to the key points. What occurred?”
“Well…”
Levin steadily narrated the Steel Fortress events.
Jin Geumho and Seo Taeran’s faces grew utterly impassive as they absorbed it.
This signaled total concentration.
Even post-recount, their composure lingered.
Only after a long pause did Jin Geumho speak.
“What’s the Steel Fortress’s inner size and populace?”
“More importantly, Behemoth—”
“No. Steel Fortress internals matter most to me.”
Jin Geumho knew of the Steel Fortress vaguely but lacked specifics, so now he sought details.
“But…”
“Honesty aids cooperation on your end.”
Cornered by Jin Geumho, Levin divulged all he knew.
“A massive underground lake exists? With crowds dwelling atop it.”
“Yes!”
“Capacity?”
“Brother Zeon believes it could squeeze in hundreds of thousands if needed.”
“Hundreds of thousands…”
“Yet it’s too distant to matter much—”
“Housing that many survivors holds immense value. Expansion could fit even more.”
Jin Geumho’s eyes gleamed gold.
His Heavenly Eye skill engaged.
Heavenly Eye held limits.
Without baseline knowledge, it couldn’t unveil worldly flows. Yet mere awareness of something often sufficed to illuminate paths.
Jin Geumho glimpsed boundless potential.
Visions of Neo Seoul’s great tree sprouting branches, forking into twigs.
The Steel Fortress emerged as Neo Seoul’s vital offshoot.
“Excellent!”
With the grand vision clear, finer plans could now unfold.
Thus operated Jin Geumho’s command of Neo Seoul.
Levin eyed the contemplative Jin Geumho awkwardly.
He’d arrived to alert on Behemoth’s advance, but Jin Geumho fixated on the Steel Fortress, leaving him adrift.
Seo Taeran interjected for Jin Geumho.
“So this Behemoth beast bypassed the Steel Fortress, marching on Neo Seoul?”
“Yes!”
“Immense in size?”
“Matches a sizable sand dune.”
“Intent on Neo Seoul’s ruin?”
“Yes!”
“Got it.”
“Pardon?”
Levin blinked at Seo Taeran’s unnervingly steady tone amid the Beast of Destruction’s approach.
Reading his confusion, Seo Taeran grinned slyly.
“What do you take Neo Seoul for?”
“Pardon?”
“Think no threats ever menaced this desert-born colossus during construction?”
“Well…”
“Anti-magic shielding is basic defense. It alone won’t repel all magical beast assaults. Neo Seoul’s true might exceeds your grasp—rest easy.”
Seo Taeran’s resolute assurance silenced Levin.
Her intensity overpowered him utterly.
Behemoth held no terror for Jin Geumho or Seo Taeran.
Humanity’s bastions vanishing—that alone chilled them.
Behemoth paled beside such catastrophe.
From their vantage, naturally. Reality painted it graver.
Then Jin Geumho summoned Seo Taeran.
“Taeran!”
“Yes, Mayor!”
“Dispatch mobilization orders to every district now.”
“Which tier?”
“Highest, obviously.”
“Understood.”
Seo Taeran responded with an icy grin.
The populace remained oblivious.
They ignored City Hall’s staggering might.
District autonomy stemmed not from City Hall weakness.
Without Jin Geumho’s and City Hall’s sanction, no independence would exist.
In granting it, Jin Geumho imposed one rule.
During Neo Seoul crises, their Awakened must mobilize.
No district dared defy such orders. Noncompliance meant total autonomy loss.
Hitherto, orders issued thrice.
Common folk never learned, battles raging remote from Neo Seoul.
Jin Geumho declared,
“No foe shall scratch a single hair on Neo Seoul.”
No bravado—this drew from a century’s honed expertise and tech.
“Well then.”
Levin rubbed his head sheepishly.
This vibe felt alien to him.
His grave demeanor now seemed ridiculous.
To Jin Geumho, Seo Taeran said,
“I’ll head out first.”
“Good. Your presence underscores the threat’s severity.”
“Yes. Looks like a hectic night.”
Flashing a frosty smile, Seo Taeran departed.
Levin questioned Jin Geumho,
“Not joining, Mayor?”
“No need for my direct involvement.”
“But rallying districts might demand your authority—”
“Taeran suffices. True defiance brings the Numbers—worry not.”
“I’m not worried—”
“You’ve served well. Early warning lets us ready ourselves.”
“Just duty.”
“Now, urgent business settled, back to the Steel Fortress talk.”
“Pardon?”
“Steel Fortress.”
“No, wait—”
“Spare no detail, however minor. Spill it all.”
A shiver gripped Levin.
Somehow, sleep seemed impossible tonight—and so it proved.
Ultimately, Levin bared every secret to Jin Geumho through the night.
Having extracted all from Levin, Jin Geumho remarked,
“Steel Fortress is just the start. I anticipate Zeon’s further revelations.”
Certainty etched Jin Geumho’s features.