BXBX NOVEL Chapter 171
Chapter 171: Exposed
[Did the Griff family commit horrific atrocities?]
[Secret facility locations revealed! US embassy officially confirms!]
[Kim Minwoo, did he have a reason to confront the Griff family? The story behind the new guild member, Han Siah!]
[The German government launches its own investigation! Chancellor Meckanen declares they will not stand idly by if any wrongdoing is found…]
— Wow, they threw the first punch hard lmao
— Looks like the US is backing this up too? It’ll be hard to bury this now.
— When he told Germany to back off, I almost lost it with his audacity;;
— Oh? More articles are coming out.
[Saudi King Abdullah, enraged by the heinous acts! Restricting oil exports to Germany…]
[Isabella strongly criticizes the Griff family’s atrocities!]
[France, adding momentum to this public opinion war?]
[Chinese President Li joins the criticism? Restricting exports of key resources to Germany…]
— So Saudi Arabia, the US, France, and China are all moving together?
— Kim Minwoo’s international power is insane
— Can the Griff family withstand this?
— Until a moment ago, it seemed like they could endure it… but now, I’m not so sure?
— There’s a good word for this: cutting ties ♂️
— Even considering that, it seems difficult for them to easily cut ties. The top echelons of the financial and political worlds are all intertwined. Did they really not know about all this XD
— This is so entertaining to watch lol
— Totally Fr. They were being jerks at the airport. This is a perfect lesson, right?
— Still, we don’t know yet. What can they do even if the Griffs endure? They’re not going to actually arrest them.
“That’s true, but…”
Kim Minwoo nodded as he looked through the articles on his smartphone.
He had already spoken with the US president. From the battery business to education and guild shares, he had quite a few ties with the US.
The same went for China.
Both countries were easy to mobilize. What he offered in return was education. In China’s case, there was already a precedent for receiving his education, and they readily agreed to apply pressure due to the outstanding results they had seen.
The US was no different.
‘If they’re moved by just a bit of tutoring, that’s quite cheap.’
With a little effort on his part, he could crush Griff.
And Isabella…
“Is this enough? I’ve also spoken to my home country to some extent, so they’ll likely participate actively.”
“It’s sufficient. Then, I’ll let you know.”
Heart Fist’s education.
He had requested this public opinion war as one of the prices for it.
Honestly, it was a very cheap price.
‘I can get more of this and that in the future.’
Isabella was also included in the list of those guided by fate. Because of that, it was information he had to share anyway.
So, there was no regret.
It wasn’t even something he had created in the first place.
Gulp.
Isabella swallowed.
“Are you aware that there’s a world beyond the material plane?”
“…A world beyond the material plane?”
“Simply put, Heart Fist is a technique that can only be utilized by transcending the perception of the material plane.”
“How do you transcend perception?”
“It would take a lot of time to do it on your own. It would require countless contemplations. There is one shortcut…”
“Tell me.”
“Ask the Sword Saint for help. After all, seeing such things often is the best way.”
“I’ve asked him many times. But he never taught me.”
“Just a moment.”
Kim Minwoo picked up his smartphone and made a call. Before it rang three times, a familiar voice answered.
— Minwoo?
“Yes, sir. It’s about Isabella. Could you help her with Heart Fist?”
— It’s not difficult. Tell her to come.
“Thank you always, sir.”
— It’s nothing. By the way, I heard the news. You have something going on with the Griff family?
“Yes.”
— Need any help? Will you be okay on your own?
“I’ll be fine. It’s something I have to do alone.”
— Alright. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call.
“Yes, sir. Goodbye.”
— Okay.
The Sword Saint hung up after a cool reply. Kim Minwoo looked at Isabella.
“You can go to the Sword Sect now.”
Isabella blinked.
She had been visiting the Sword Sect almost daily for the past month.
Yet, instead of teaching her the technique, he had only shown her the basics.
With just a single phone call, everything was falling into place.
It was only natural for her to be dumbfounded.
‘Was it this easy?’
In other words, it meant that Kim Minwoo’s influence was so great that it even reached Korea’s top experts.
Anyway.
Kim Minwoo had kept his promise to teach her. He had helped with the public opinion war, but it was a meager price compared to Heart Fist.
“…Thank you. I’ll repay the favor later.”
“Yes.”
As she started to leave for the Sword Sect, a message popped up in front of Kim Minwoo’s eyes.
[Target, ‘Isabella’s’ affinity has increased.]
[25 → 57]
“Oh.”
Maybe because her affinity was low, it went up significantly at once.
He looked through the affinity list.
[Current list of companions who can be guided by fate]
[1. Park Siwoo, Affinity 83 → 85]
[2. Seo Yerim, Affinity 75 → 80]
[3. Isabella, Affinity 25 → 57]
[4. Han Siah, Affinity 21 → 69]
Park Siwoo and Seo Yerim.
Both of their affinities had surpassed 80.
‘It makes sense.’
He had spent 30 trillion won on strengthening the two of them.
While spending wasn’t everything when it came to affinity, it could be a part of it.
After all, if he wasn’t generous, would they spend money so readily?
Isabella had also surpassed 50, making rapid progress.
Han Siah had simply taken off like a rocket.
‘Good speed.’
Overall, maintaining a balanced affinity was crucial. He would mainly utilize Park Siwoo, the swordsman with the highest affinity, but there was no rule against using others.
Archers.
Martial artists.
Priests, and so on.
Depending on the stage, he could switch them out as needed.
In that sense, this was a very satisfying achievement.
“Oh right. I should call King Abdullah too.”
China, the US, and France were bashing Germany because they had a stake in it.
Saudi Arabia’s participation was something he hadn’t even considered. He had made a clean deal and thought it would end there.
Of course, he had the direct line.
“Ah, yes. Your Majesty. It’s me, Kim Minwoo. I was really surprised by your great support this time.”
— Haha. We’ve exchanged Allah’s blessings with each other, haven’t we? We’re practically brothers.
“I’m honored to hear you say that. I’m really happy. Ah, have you heard the news? Our Ilsung Group has developed a decent battery.”
— …I have. I was quite surprised when I saw the report. Perhaps the era of oil is coming to an end. So, speaking of which… is investment possible? Your guild or Ilsung Group, either is fine.
So that’s why he supported the public opinion war.
He would have to share the profits, but considering that it would lead to a good relationship with Saudi Arabia, it wasn’t a bad deal.
“Alright. Shall we discuss it slowly?”
As you sow, so shall you reap.
The seeds he had sown here and there were sprouting everywhere.
This is why popular people are always busy.
***
The prestigious Griff family of Germany was in turmoil.
They had lost Kim Haeun and Han Siah.
Nearly 10% of their forces were taken prisoner in Korea. The horrifying thing was that the real disaster was just beginning.
Even among the same group, not all secrets are shared.
Even the highest echelons of power in Germany had secrets they didn’t know.
For example, they knew that children were being kidnapped, but they didn’t know that they were German children.
The head butler tore at his hair.
“Damn it! How did they find out this information?”
“I don’t know. The security was definitely tight… Could Jonas have betrayed us…?”
“No, absolutely not. He doesn’t know this detailed information. Neither does that bitch Han Siah.”
Too many things didn’t add up for it to be Jonas’s betrayal.
The secret facilities he knew about were just the tip of the iceberg.
On the other hand, the information Kim Minwoo had revealed had completely exposed the Griff family.
Honestly, they could have somehow covered it up until that point.
Was it a secret that the Griff family had a shady past?
It was practically common knowledge.
Even the Germans knew it.
The financial and political worlds also knew it.
Yet, they turned a blind eye because Griff had given them so much. Because he hadn’t monopolized everything.
Because he had set a good example as their leader.
“Ungrateful bastards. How dare they… They don’t even know who raised them…”
Could Germany have risen to the 4th strongest Awakened nation without them?
Not a chance.
And yet.
— Head Butler! What are we going to do now? We can’t cover this up as it is. The information has already spread…
— Ahem… If this is really true, our Krupp family can’t offer any more help…
All sorts of riffraff were whining.
‘Damn it, it’s beyond my control.’
He had scoffed when Kim Minwoo first revealed the information.
He thought they could just reprimand a couple of people in charge and move on. If necessary, they could even apologize.
But the aftermath wasn’t at that level. The US, China, Saudi Arabia, and France had all jumped on board.
Before they knew it, the scale of the issue had grown out of control.
Would things quietly settle down now even if they fired a couple of people in charge?
Not a chance.
Sanctions had already begun, and the more Germany tried to protect them, the more damage they would suffer. And the more resentment towards Griff would grow.
The financial and political worlds would also feel the increasing burden of the people’s resentment.
The head butler bit his lip.
He thought of the family head, who was in seclusion training.
“…I have no choice. I’ll go see the family head.”
“Are you sure? He said not to be disturbed by anyone…”
“Is there any other way? If we could solve it with our own power, we would have done so already.”
The executives became silent. Indeed, no one in the family had a higher status than the family head.
This was especially true after he absorbed Han Siah’s talent.
The absolute ruler of Griff.
They desperately needed him now.
The head butler stood up.
In the middle of the family’s territory, a massive 222-story tower stood tall. The family head was undergoing seclusion training at the very top.
After absorbing Han Siah’s immense talent, he had been refining it for a long time.
Because of this ongoing training, hardly anyone visited the 222nd floor.
The head butler approached the door and carefully infused it with mana.
A dark, spider web-like pattern appeared. It was a signal they had set up for emergencies.
Creak.
Thud.
The door opened.
An old man with a pale complexion appeared.
His limbs were thin and withered.
But the pressure emanating from his frail body was beyond imagination.
Gulp.
The head butler, dripping with cold sweat, quickly bowed his head.
“I greet the family head.”
“What is it?”
“We’ve lost Han Siah. And also…”
It was impossible for him to dare lie.
The head butler reported the situation in detail.
After hearing everything, Lucas’s brow furrowed slightly.
He reached out his hand.
The smartphone in the head butler’s hand flew towards him. Lucas, with an impassive face, dialed a number.
A moment later, a voice came through.
It was the Chancellor of Germany, Meckanen.
— Head Butler. I told you not to call unless you had a solution to my problem…
“Meckanen. Who put you in that position?”
— …Gasp! F-Family Head? Is that you?
“You’ve become a bad dog since I last saw you. Daring to bite your master.”
— T-That’s not it… The situation is just so bad…
“You’ve become quite talkative.”
— I-I apologize!
“Close your eyes and shut your ears. Isn’t that what you do best?”
— …I’ll keep that in mind.
Click.
Lucas hung up the phone and looked at the head butler.
“I’ll contact the Shadows.”
The head butler gulped.
The Shadows.
They were a secretive organization.
They were so secretive that no one except the family head knew how to contact them.
All the head butler knew was that they worshipped an evil apostle and that their power was beyond imagination.
Especially the evil apostle.
A statue resembling a spider.
It was placed throughout the family’s estate.
Even Lucas would bow his head respectfully and pray to it, showing how powerful it was.
“Will it be alright? They will definitely demand a price…”
“It’ll be too late if we move after the fire spreads. Besides… the apostle’s reaction is unusual.”
Lucas’s gaze turned towards the statue of Hardronox.
While he was in seclusion training, he felt the power of the Shadows within him subtly swirling.
The power had started to rampage as if it was overjoyed.
This had never happened before.
Seeing this, he was certain that something must have happened to the apostle.
However, Lucas didn’t know the reason.
He had received power, but not the ability to communicate.
Only the High Priest within the Shadows could directly communicate with Hardronox.
“In a delicate situation like this, there must be no disruption in communication. It’s important to understand the apostle’s intentions.”
“I understand.”
“You may leave now.”
The head butler bowed his head and left. Lucas was left alone, deep in thought. A faint glow emanated from his eyes.
Soon, he took out a crystal ball.
As he infused it with mana, a figure wearing a dark robe appeared.
It was the High Priest of the Shadows.