Episode 295:


    I’ve been thinking about this for quite some time.


    What department should I apply to if I enter the main corps of Maeng?


    ‘It was a bit of a headache.’


    There were many conditions to consider.


    First of all, it was not allowed to be a department that was strongly influenced by the Maengju faction or the Elder faction.


    Because the scope of activity will decrease.


    For the same reason, simple military organizations such as the Four Gods were not established.


    I did not move my workce to the headquarters to belong to an organization that only receives orders from superiors and carries them out.


    ‘If I just wanted to get a high rank, I wouldn’t have passed up the opportunity for promotion several times.’


    It wasn’t for nothing that I applied to the Sacheon branch rather than the Blue Dragon branch due to the privilege given to the winner of the Yongbong branch.


    I had no intention of settling down and being satisfied with just being a key member of the group.


    Any department was merely a passing point to ultimately reach the final goal, the Senate.


    I shouldn’t have forgotten that.


    ‘The most important thing is to secure the authority to act independently.’


    All departments that make up the organization, as well as past organizations that have now disappeared and remain only as records, were all nominated and reviewed.


    That is how the name of the organization, Cheonan Gambu (天眼監部), was discovered.


    Of course, the reason I wanted to revive the Cheonan Government Department was not because I had a strong sense of justice.


    This is because I decided that there was no more ideal position.


    ‘You can get rid of pests like Jongri Soyeon, avoid situations where you are being checked by idiots, and expand your range of movement.’


    One of the main tasks of Cheonan Gambu was inspection.


    Using his authority, it was possible to unexpectedly visit the branches of the League established in various parts of the central ins and conduct internal inspections.


    In other words, if he obtained the position of head of Cheonan Gambu, he would not be tied to the headquarters of the Maeng and could not move as he pleased.


    ‘It is inevitable that we wille into conflict with the elders, who are hotbeds of corruption. But it’s well worth it.’


    It was definitely a shame to lose out with my respected seniors.


    However, joining the senior faction right now was a clear handshake.


    In the end, what was needed to enter the Senate was influence within the Senate.


    It’s not like the elders are giving me a favorable look.


    ‘Overtaking the position of vested interests means that you have to be prepared to sh with them. Conflict is inevitable anyway.’


    No superior in the world wants a subordinate to rise to the same level as him.


    Would it be any different if they were the elders of the tribe?


    It was too naive to think that one could be an elder by joining the elder faction and gradually rising through the ranks.


    “……”


    The silence passed in vain.


    Hwabaek Joo rarely gave an easy answer.


    My mind must have been dizzy.


    If you say you want to lead a third force that is not influenced by either the ruling faction or the elder faction, who wouldn’t feel ufortable?


    ‘But in the end, I will have no choice but to give permission.’


    All the achievements I had worked so hard to achieve were for this moment.


    Preparation to ensure that the upper echelons of the alliance never reject my demands.


    As mentioned earlier, the influence of individuals over the country has be so great that even leaders and elders cannot ignore it.


    It was not for any other reason that Painter Joo hesitated and was unable to immediately respond to a request that he would have rejected outright.


    “Lord.”


    “okay. I will do whatever you wish. “Let’s call a formal meeting.”


    “thank you.”


    “However, the general military and I will not be of much help in persuading those gathered in the conference room. “I hope you understand that we are in an impossible position.”


    “of course.”


    * * *


    Meeting room within the Maengjubu (盟主部).


    I sat down in the seat rmended by Joo Baek, looked around, and inwardlyughed.


    ‘I think more people gathered than when I delivered the vision of the Old Daemun Sect and the Five Great Families obtained from the artificial ruins in Gwiju to the headquarters.’


    There were quite a few faces I was seeing for the first time.


    It was a sight that showed how sensitive the high-ranking members of the Maeng were to the topic of the revival of the Cheonan Gaembu.


    “Absolutely not!”


    “To revive such an anachronistic department!”


    “There is already a reason for reviving the Cheonan Inspection Department when the Inspection Department and thew enforcement party already exist!”


    “Isn’t this just a measure for internal reorganization, meaning that one more axis of power will be added? If we are not careful, the alliance may be divided before the final battle with the Demonic Cult can be fought!”


    just as expected.


    As soon as the meeting started, shouting broke out.


    Artist Joo smiled bitterly at the reaction, which was exactly as expected.


    The interesting thing was that no one spoke to me, the person who actually raised the agenda.


    ‘I feel like I’m being ostracized.’


    This time, neither Sohyeongeom nor Manjunggeom nor Unseonggeom helped me.


    Of course, I didn’t expect to receive their help either.


    Cooperation was only possible when mutual interests coincided.


    The air in the hall became heavy.


    Everyone was praying heavily, as if revealing their will to never pass the agenda.


    I waited with a calm expression for the disturbance to subside.


    “Quiet! Be quiet!”


    The atmosphere finally calmed down due to Zhuge Huan’s repeated shouting.


    I got up from my seat after receiving a nce from Joo Baek, took a breath, and opened my mouth.


    “Before I tell the story, I want toy down one premise.”


    “……?”


    “I think it’s natural for concerns to be raised. “I don’t know how vicious the gangsters belonging to that departmentmitted before the Cheonan Inspector General disappeared.”


    Power groups were bound to eventually be corrupt.


    Cheonan Gambu, which was created by selecting only those with a strong sense of justice, was no exception.


    Authority that greatly exceeds that of the modern inspection department and thew enforcement party.


    Is there anyone who would not have used that enormous power to satisfy personal desires?


    While the Murim Maeng was stabilized over several decades, the inside of Cheonangambu slowly festered.


    And that became a good excuse for the other two factions to attack Cheonangambu.


    “I don’t want to be the head of the three major factions and brag about being in power. “As long as we can build an environment where we can fully focus on the war against the Demon Cult, that will be enough.”


    Most of those gathered here had the misunderstanding that I was a survivor of Wolhwajang or rted to it and was seeking revenge on the Demonic Cult.


    I decided to take advantage of that.


    “What do you want to say?”


    “It’s simple. I hope that the activities of the Cheonan Inspector General will be recognized only until the Great War against the Righteous Demons is concluded. “What I want is not the permanent existence of Cheonan Gambu.”


    “…!”


    The rumbling noise spread.


    This was a statement to reassure the high-ranking figures of the Murim League gathered in the conference room, but it was also a safety measure for myself.


    Shouldn’t he be prevented from joining the Senate due to being tied to the position of head of the Cheonan Government Department?


    “Hmm.”


    “If that’s the case….”


    Cheonangambu will be resurrected, but its period of activity will be limited to until the end of the war against the Demonic Cult.


    It was a prerequisite to kill the cause put forward by those who previously raised their voices against it and at the same time give strength to my argument.


    Some people who did not belong to the Maengju faction or the Elder faction nodded their heads and expressed positive opinions.


    Of course, that didn’t mean the atmosphere changed right away.


    Hu Zhengquan, an elder from the Kunlun Sect, red at me with sharp eyes and said.


    “Even if you limit the period of activity, power is power. “What guarantee is there that you will not abuse it?”


    What he meant was whether it could be guaranteed that the revived Cheonan Government would not be as corrupt as it was in the past.


    I replied, tilting my head slyly.


    “I don’t understand the intent of the question. It’s a guarantee that you won’t abuse your power. “If you think about that, who in this world can hold power?”


    Although it makes sense, the answer misses the most important point.


    There was a furrow between the eyes of the middle ss people, including Ho Jeong-kwon.


    “However, you can judge me as a person based on what I have shown and what I have done so far. “It’s hard to say it with my own mouth, but I think I have shown no shame whatsoever as a member of the group.”


    I patted my face and patted myself on the back.


    Because I knew that no one here would dare disparage my reputation and achievements.


    In times like these, there was a need to be more shameless.


    “I think everyone knows. “As a side effect of the rapid expansion of power through the Yongbong branch, internal crackdown is not being carried out properly.”


    “…….”


    “If you leave the affected area unattended, it will fester. Unless you boldly cut out the rotten flesh, new flesh will not grow. “The establishment of a new department with a higher level of authority is essential now that proper crackdown is not possible with the inspection department and thew enforcement party alone.”


    A wless justification.


    Added to this was an overwhelming feat that none of the leaders of the Tanggeum Murim League could match.


    The figures of the Maengju faction and the figures of the Elder faction.


    Even if I wanted to oppose it emotionally, I couldn’t open my mouth.


    Because there are many eyes watching.


    I didn’t know that if I went out blindly and word spread, I might incur antipathy from the general believers.


    ‘There’s one more thing.’


    Maengju faction and senior faction.


    The conflict between the two factions worked to my advantage.


    The worst situation for a leader is for me to side with the elders.


    On the contrary, for the elders, the worst situation was for me to be on the leader’s side.


    He said it was a lesser evil than the worst.


    Both sides must have calcted that it would be better for a third force to beunched than for the bnce to be lost.


    ‘It was a fight I won from the beginning.’


    If I wasn’t confident of winning, I wouldn’t have raised the agenda in the first ce.


    At the end of the tedious meeting, I obtained the position and personnel authority of Cheonan Inspector General.


    It was a moment when a major change was scheduled in the power structure of the Murim Alliance.


    * * *


    “Thank you for your help.”


    “What? “I received something, so I have to pay for it.”


    The window of the base overlooking Dongdong Lake.


    I clinked sses and exchanged pleasantries with Hu Zhengquan, an elder from the Kunlun faction.


    In fact, Gojeongkwon was my ally unknown to the outside world.


    The harsh tone he used throughout the meeting to pressure me was merely a recitation of a script he had written in advance.


    No matter how clear a cause you have, it is meaningless if you cannot put it into words.


    Therefore, I exchanged a set question and answer with Gojeong-kwon in front of everyone.


    So that I can make my point fully.


    Some quick-witted people would probably have noticed my rtionship with Gojeongkwon.


    “How are you feeling?”


    “As the mental illness went away, my health naturally recovered.”


    “Fortunately, the.”


    The mental illness mentioned by Hu Zhengquan came from the reduction of his position due to the fall of the Kunlun faction.


    No one extended a hand to him, who had lost his foundation of power and was struggling.


    Except for Hwayang Trading Company, which has newly signed a supply contract with the Murim Alliance.


    “Eat to your heart’s content. “You don’t have to worry about your junior’s wallet.”


    “I won’t refuse.”


    Ho Jeong-kwon, who wasughing, emptied the alcohol in his ss in one go.