n

n

n62 Advance Preparation

n“Are we finally getting over the fog?”

nDorma asked with a trembling voice. Byeong-gap nodded slowly.

n“Yes, I’ve been delaying it, but I think it’s time to see the results. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to stay here forever, but what is our ultimate goal?”

nHe asked nobody in particular. The Goblins opened their mouths wide.

n“Oh, Ashvilam’s…”

n“Yes, it is the reconstruction of Ashvilam. I mean, I don’t know if Ashvilam was originally stuck in a mountain like this. Isn’t that right, Dorma?”

n“Yes! I heard that Ashvilam was the strongest kingdom that encompassed the whole world and commanded all continents!”

nDorma responded in an excited voice. A strong desire flashed in his eyes.

nByeong-gap also felt a surge of emotion at the same time.

n“Okay, so let’s get out of here! We’re going out and building a real kingdom, not a playhouse! You don’t have to be afraid of anything other than the fog. Who would dare stand in our way? Isn’t that right?”

n“That’s right!”

n“If Lord is with us, then we’re not afraid of anything!”

n“Let’s go! Let’s go!”

n“Woooooooo!”

nSuddenly, the restaurant was buzzing. Ea was so surprised that she dropped her spoon. Byeong-gap waved his hands and calmed the Goblins down.

n“Come on, calm down. As I said, I’m not saying we’re leaving right now. We have a month to prepare.”

n“What do you mean by prepare?”

n“Well, that’s a good question, Kiriyan.”

nHe looked at the entire restaurant.

n“Our goal is to make this place an impregnable fortress. We need a completely self-sufficient system and infrastructure. Our family should be three times as big as it is now.”

nHe paused for a moment. The next thing he had to say was hard to speak of.

n“And I’ll have to pick the ones who have to stay here and won’t be coming with me.”

n“Huh?”

n“I can’t take everyone with me. Someone has to stay and take care of this place.”

nThe Goblins became solemn. They seemed concerned that they might be chosen to remain.

n“For now, keep that in mind. And Gobung…”

n“Yes, yes!”

n“See me when you’re done eating.”

nGobung’s eyes trembled slightly. The boy licked his lips and answered in a hoarse voice.

n“Yes…”

nThe little raucous breakfast was over.

nByeong-gap went back to his tent and spread a large drawing paper on the wide desk in front of him, jotting down drawings and notes.

nAs he was about to do some work, Gobung walked in.

n“Lord, I’m here.”

n“Oh, you’re here. Come sit.”

n“Yep.”

nByeong-gap and Gobung sat face to face. Unlike his usual countenance, Gobung’s expression was dark. He seemed to guess what the Lord had called him for.

n“Do you know why I called you?”

n“A little. I think I know.”

n“Tell me.”

n“I’m supposed to stay here, aren’t I?”

n“That’s right.”

nGobung bowed his head, and Byeong-gap smacked his lips.

n“Don’t you like it?”

n“Well, that’s not true. It’s complex… Lord. Breaking up. Because I’m sad.”

n“Gobung.”

n“Yep!”

n“I like you the most among the Goblins. You’re the one I trust the most.”

nHe pointed to the drawing paper on the table. On top of the blank sheet, something was written in the alphabet.

nIt was the word ‘Somnium.’

n“Do you understand what that means?”

n“I don’t know.”

n“Somnium. It means dream.”

n“What does it mean by dream…?”

n“I’ll name this place Somnium because this is where our dreams started… Do you think it’s childish?”

n“Oh, no, it’s not! It’s cool!!”

nGobung waved his hands quickly. Seeing this, Byeong-gap grinned.

n“Hoho. You can’t just leave it to anyone if it’s such a precious place, can you?”

n“That’s right.”

n“That’s why I’m leaving it to you.”

n“Ah…”

nGobung was struck with a small admiration.

nByeong-gap cleared his throat with a few coughs. After that, he opened his mouth and spoke in a serious tone.

n“Hmmm. From today on, Gobung, I appoint you as the lord of Somnium.”

n“What do you mean by ‘lord’?”

n“As far as Somnium is concerned, you are the lord. So take responsibility and rule.”

n“Huh? Although… For me. I’m going to…”

n“Hey, don’t feel too pressured. Just because you’re a lord doesn’t mean you’re grand. You just have to continue what you’re doing, teach the kids well and work hard.”

nGobung swallowed his words several times. In many ways, he seemed to be in a complicated state of mind. But that was only for a while. After a moment, his face was filled with motivation, and he nodded vigorously.

n“Yes! I’ll do my best!”

n“Yes, yes. I’ll officially declare it to the kids later, so be quiet until then.”

n“I see.”

n“And even if we move over the fog, we’ll still come to the Somnium regularly. I’m also planning to have a communication network so that we can communicate anytime. So you don’t have to think that you’re never going to see me again.”

n“I… Really?”

n“Ah, would I lie to you?”

n“No!”

n“Well, anyway, I have a lot to teach you before we leave, so be on your toes.”

n“Yep!”

nGobung’s expression got brighter, and Byeong-gap was relieved to see that.

n***

nOne day has already passed in 2026.

nAs soon as Byeong-gap woke up, he visited a used car store. He didn’t go there to eat, of course.

n“This is a 21-year-old car model with only 90,000 mileage and is like-new. You can’t find a property like this at this price anywhere.”

nThe dealer’s flamboyant tongue teased him.

nByeong-gap glanced at the blue one-ton truck. It looked like it was going to roll well.

n“Yes, I’ll take this.”

n“Oh, that’s a good choice!”

nOn the same day, he bought two one-ton trucks. Altogether, it was less than half the price of his new SUV.

nHe drove the new trucks he had bought to his favorite junkyard, along with ten 200L drums. It was all washed clean.

nThere was no time to rest. He loaded up the drums and went to the cheapest gas station in town. It was spectacular to see the ten drums being filled up.

n‘Ten drums can be used for half a year, right?’

nHe sent all the trucks and drums filled with diesel to Ashvilam. The eyes of the Goblins opened wide when they saw it.

n“Lo… Lord. This. What’s going on?”

n“You’re going to ride these from now on.”

n“Huh?”

nDuring the day, he picked some smart Goblins and taught them how to drive. As a car was such a dangerous thing, Byeong-gap was quite nervous.

n“Eek!”

n“Ah, brake! Step on the brakes!”

n“B—brake? Gasp!”

n“That’s the accelerator!”

nWell, as expected, the driving skills of the Goblins were abysmal. Even the accelerator pedal and brake were confusing for them.

nHis blood pressure broke through the threshold by the time he was teaching the third Goblin. By the fifth one, he realized that it was all a wreck.

n“Yaaah!!! Stop the car!”

n“Yes, yes!”

n“Do you have any bad feelings for me? Just tell me if you have any complaints, dude! Don’t drive to protest!”

n“Oh, no, that’s not it! How dare I…”

n“Then what’s wrong with you? If you step on it, it goes faster, and if you take your foot off, it stops. What’s so hard about that?”

n“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

n“Get off!”

n“Huh!”

n“Lo… Lord, it’s too scary…”

nEven Gobung, whom he trusted, thought so. Byeong-gap thought he should seriously give up.

nWhen he became angry, the Goblins couldn’t breathe properly. A tender-hearted one even shed tears.

nIn the meantime…

n“Hmm? Is that it? It’s really easy.”

nThe talent came from an unexpected place.

nEa, who had come out to watch, drove the car too easily. She pulled over after a leisurely lap around Ashvilam.

n“I love this driving thing! I love it to the point where I want to do it all day.”

n“Thank you… Thank you so much.”

n“Oh, are you crying?”

nByeong-gap, sitting in the passenger seat, was shedding tears. They were tears of emotion.

nThat was how their driving education ended, leaving scars for Byeong-gap, or for the Goblins… or both. They finished the day by creating a fuel bank in the chilly weather.

nDriving training continued the next day and the day after that. Although the Goblins’ driving skills were hopeless, they couldn’t give up their cars.

n‘We need a car, no matter what.’

nThere were endless ways to use a car. Efficient work, moving large quantities of material, as well as rapid movement. In this barren place, it was truly a universal key.

nFortunately, the Goblins eventually learned. Although their progress was slow, they’d improve day by day.

n“Oh, right! Look. If you do what I say, you’ll be fine.”

n“Hehe… That’s right!”

n“Come on, Gobung. Let’s turn right here.”

n“Yep! Right, right!”

n“Yaaah!!! It’s on the right, you idiot!”

n“Gasp!”

n“Stop the car!”

n…As mentioned, progress was slow.

nApart from bringing in cars, many other things changed in Ashvilam. Several new buildings were built in a day, and all kinds of modern supplies filled the space. There would be a lot of new family members in the future, so they had to prepare diligently.

nOf course, there are always obstacles.

n‘I’m sorry too.’

nThere were only two things that Ashvilam did not have. It was infrastructure and professional technology.

nByeong-gap wanted to build a lot of modern facilities. For example, a freezer, modern toilets, and public baths. But public baths were crap. The reality was that they didn’t even have basic infrastructure.

nShould they manually drill the groundwater and install gas pipes? It was practically impossible to do.

n‘It’s a mountain over a mountain… I don’t know about the bathhouse, but we urgently need a freezer and toilets.’

nEven now, the food materials that had gone rotten were thrown away in one place. Dealing with decomposing food was also a major headache, so a freezer was absolutely necessary.

nThe issue of toilets was another headache, to say the least. So far, they had solved it by taking care of their business in the corner of the forest and burying it in the ground, but it was not a wise way in the long run.

n‘If you don’t know, you have to learn. If you don’t have teeth, you have to eat with your gums.’

nFrom that day on, Byeong-gap studied and researched until he fell asleep. His short-term goal was to build a freezer and toilet.

nTime passed and the second week of 2026 dawned on them.

n‘Done. This should be enough.’

nByeong-gap looked at his own blueprint and smiled. Was the gap between his skills and knowledge huge? He could just fill it in with the ancient shop and his creativity.

n“Today will be a historical day.”

n“Huh? What?”

n“Everyone, put on your gloves.”

nFirst of all, they were making a freezer.

n‘Ancient Shop.’

nAncient Shop

n-Construction

n-Techniques

n-Miscellaneous Goods

n-Others

nCrystals on Hand: 5,170,860

n‘Good. I have enough capital.’

nEven while he was away on the expedition, the Goblins diligently mined crystals. As a result, they had collected over 500,000 crystals.

nIf it weren’t for the Balrog, it would have been over 6 million.

n‘What can I do? I’ve already used it.’

nHe cleared the bitter taste from his mouth and looked for his desired product.

nPerennial Ice of Mt. Cheondosan

n-Price: 3,300 Crystals

n-Description: Non-melting ice collected from the top of Mt. Cheondosan. It exhales out a chill on its own. May peel off your skin when touched with bare hands.

nByeong-gap bought a lot of the ‘Perennial Ice of Mt. Cheondosan’. It was a key ingredient in his Ashvilam freezer.

nEven just one lump of it exuded tremendous results.

n“Uh… This is… It’s dangerous.”

n“Suddenly, it’s really cold.”

n“Everyone, be careful. You might get hurt if you touch it with your bare hands.”

n“Us. What can we do?”

n“Get these things in there.”

nThe Goblins began to move the ice into the designated building.

nThat building, too, was no ordinary building. Its outer walls were covered with red soil, which minimized the cold air from leaking out by blocking the gaps.

nAn hour later, the floor of the building was covered with ice. Above the ice sat a plastic palette.

n‘Oh, that’s right.’

nGoosebumps rose on his arms even though he was there for only a while. The cold air from all directions synergized with each other, and the temperature continued to drop.

nFinally, he put a thermometer in a place where they could see it well. The temperature inside was surprising.

n‘The highest temperature is 0 degrees Celsius, and the lowest is around negative 20 degrees Celsius. It’s perfect!’

nIt was worthwhile to divide the sections on purpose. This would allow both refrigeration and freezing at the same time.

n“Guys, I’m sorry, but we have to move right away.”

n“What else are we going to make?”

n“Oh, we’re going to make a bathroom this time.”

n“Toilet. You mean?”

n“Yes, everyone, lift your shovels.”

nFifty or so Goblins grabbed their shovels and grains.

nByeong-gap led them to the site he had selected earlier.

n“Keep digging until I say it’s done.”

n“Dig the ground. Do you mean?”

n“Yes, you have to dig deep and wide, so be prepared.”

n“Yes, sir.”

nThe Goblins clung to the ground. Byeong-gap rolled up his sleeves and helped them. They had to dig a well that measured twenty meters wide, ten meters long, and five meters deep.

nAfter about two hours of digging, they got the depth and width he wanted.

n“On the count of three, everyone lift it at the same time.”

n“Yep!”

n“Come on, get ready. One, two, three!”

n“Heehee!”

n“Carry!”

nWhat they were carrying was a specially-made rectangular barrel. Its external material was like a septic tank.

nThey placed the huge barrel into the hole they just dug. It was a perfect fit, as if it had been measured with a ruler.

nAfter that, they poured soil into the barrel. One meter above the floor was enough.

n“By the way. Lord. This. What is it?”

n“What is it? It’s a worm house. Why?”

n“Huh? Worms?”

nByeong-gap crouched down in front of the barrel and opened the ancient shop.

nTooth Earthworm Colony

n-Price: 1,600 crystals

n-Description: Predators living in deep soil. They are the best cleaners who eat up even animal bones. Their vitality is very strong.

nA key ingredient in the bathroom were these worms.

n‘I’m going to test these guys for eating… Uh-huh.’

nByeong-gap actually raised tooth earthworms for several days, giving them his own human waste to eat. The results showed that they ate it very well. It was almost unbearable for him to handle them himself.

n“Don’t fight with one another because you’ll have enough food.”

nHe released a cluster of earthworms into the wide barrel. There were about 10,000 of them.

n“Hoo. Finally, the clean septic tank of Mt. Ashvilam is complete.”

nOf course, this was not the end of the story. Byeong-gap laid a custom-made iron plate on top of the septic tank. It would be a huge problem if they fell while doing their business.

nHe put a building on top of it. Unfortunately, the internal structure had to be removed and reconstructed.

n“Gobung.”

n“Yep!”

n“Bring the things I brought yesterday.”

n“The white ones. Do you mean?”

n“That’s right. Take the kids and bring them all here.”

n“Yes, sir.”

nThe Goblins rushed to fulfill his orders. They carried in some smooth and white things, which were none other than toilets.

n‘Actually, they can just do it like a pushover, but since they’re doing things right anyway, we should do this right too.’

nHe placed a toilet in each space divided by the compartment. Silicon was applied to prevent the bottom from falling, and it turned out to look quite plausible.

nIf they dealt with their business here, their waste would fall into the septic tank, and immediately, the tooth worms would eat it up. Then there was no need for them to pile up.

n“It’s over!”

n“Wow!”

nIt was already evening when they finished the construction of the bathroom.

n‘I never thought I’d build a freezer and a bathroom with my own hands.’

nByeong-gap burst into laughter as he looked at the two buildings that had risen in style.

nSince becoming the Goblin Lord, he had done a lot of things that were out of touch with his life, and he didn’t know he could even do such things.

n‘Still, it’s rewarding, and I feel good.’

nOne thing was for sure; he enjoyed all this.

n“You all did great. Job well done. Let’s go eat now!”

n“Lord, thank you for your hard work!”

n“Yay! Yay!”

n“Let’s eat!”

n