Pros and Cons

The first empire's location, called Triton, was on the northeastern coast and was fairly isolated when compared to others in Arcadia.

However, its territory was quite restricted, to the point where Park wondered if something else was going on. There was still a lot of untapped land around it, keeping it a viable option.

The location of the second empire, Gruzia, was in the middle of the continent, west of the central mountain chain.

Its territory was quite unique because it spanned and seemed to grow along the mountains' flank. This unique characteristic made the western unclaimed territory relatively safer when compared to its counterparts.

The last empire, Igoba, was on the southwest coast and was directly next to the ocean. It seemed to heavily rely on fisheries, as it limited its dominion to the coast. Its unclaimed land situation was thus similar to Gruzia's.

The overview of the 3 locations was nice, but it wasn't enough. Ji-ho needed to know more.

"System, can you tell me more about these empires?"

[Request denied. Only Arcadia's 3 strongest empires can have part of their information divulged]

The engineer was briefly surprised before thinking it made sense. The balance of power would be way too skewed in favor of the strong if they had access to such information.

This also highlighted the importance of having a well-developed intelligence network, something he'd have to keep in the back of his mind.

With this failing, he was back at the starting line. How was he supposed to choose a location with so little information?

"Think, Ji-ho. THINK"

He was one of the most celebrated and praised modern geniuses. He knew, deep down, that he could make a rational choice that'd give him the best chance of success.

With renewed confidence, he glanced over the three options again and started doing what he knew best : a process of elimination.

The first criterion he tackled was safety.

Out of all three, Gruzia was the safest.

Although larger than Igoba, its development always seemed in line with the mountain chain. This characteristic thus drastically lowered the chances of being found because of an outward expansion.

He could also tell that it was developing around a particular resource in the area, implying it had little interest in going out of it.

Fisheries were also unpredictable, making Igoba a less appealing destination.

As for Triton, it simply seemed too dangerous. There were too many unknowns and uncertainties for Park's liking.

The second criterion was the presence of various resources in the unclaimed areas.

After a few seconds of back and forth, the winner became obvious : it was Gruzia. It had once again beaten the other two, and by a large margin this time.

There were plains, small mountains, forests, lakes and rivers. It was, in other words, perfect. Starting a dynasty in such conditions was a chance few had ever had.

He was convinced.

The engineer initially wanted to review other criteria, but these two were the most important. The fact that Gruzia met both irreversibly tipped the scale in its favor.

"General, I think I found our home"

Mundeok, who had been contemplative ever since learning about their location, groaned in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yeah. System, show him the location"

[Command confirmed]

After a few minutes of silent analysis, the general concurred.

"It's a fantastic emplacement, but why next to an empire?"

Ji-ho realized he had barely explained anything and got to it.

After the summary, Eulji erupted in laughter.

"Hahaha, I never expected you to be so ruthless! Resorting to slavery was not something I foresaw. Still, you're right. It's the only way to quickly set a foundation. I'm onboard"

"It's not like I'll torture the slaves, you know…"

"Yeah yeah… Anyway, when are we going there?"

"Right away if we can. We've been here for a while, and I assume there's also nighttime in this world. Getting stranded out here wouldn't be great"

"That's true"

However, there was one issue…

How were they supposed to transport the remaining items?!

On the ground laid a tool kit consisting of a pickaxe, a shovel, an ax, a sickle and a hoe, a pouch of 100 gold coins and finally, a black cube that needed to be hidden and protected at all costs.

They could easily carry the tools and pouch, but the cube was simply too important to take such risks.

"System, is there a way to transport these items?"

[I'm sorry, but I cannot answer this question]

Another non-answer… The system's limitations were really rearing their heads.

Nevertheless, Ji-ho had to quickly figure something out, or they'd be stuck here for the night.

He opened up his status page again and reviewed all his traits. He was looking for anything, absolutely anything, that could help him.

"Strength, endurance, magic…"

And on that word, an epiphany.

Of course! Magic!

One of the most recurring themes in video games and fantasy movies, something that could make the impossible, possible.

He knew exactly what he had to do. The image in his mind was crystal clear.

He took in a breath of fresh air and whispered.

"Inventory, open"

The blue panel suddenly appeared, followed by a loud ding inside his head.

[Congratulations on acquiring the spell 'Inventory']

[Here is your 'Inventory' space. The stronger your magic aptitude becomes, the larger your inventory gets]

He was ecstatic. He had never imagined that his few hours invested in video games would have such a pay-off!

After calming down, his attention went back to the screen.

He noticed that his inventory space was fairly small, about 2 cubic meters, but it was still just enough for the tools and cube to fit.

Without waiting another moment, he went to the ground, seized the items and began putting them in one by one, much to Mundeok's amazement.

"What… What are you doing?! How are they disappearing?!"

"I'll tell you once we arrive in Gruzia. It's time to go"

"Tsk…"

"System, do I have to pick a precise location to teleport?"

[Affirmative. You'll be transported exactly where you've indicated]

"Hmm… Then, we should be careful and go further away from their territory. It'd be suspicious if someone saw us appearing out of nowhere"

Park pulled up the map and scrutinized Gruzia's surroundings.

After a minute, his choice ended on a small and isolated forest about an hour away from their destination. They could easily walk their way there.

"Are you ready, General?"

Mundeok tensed up, which surprised Ji-ho. It appeared the general still had apprehensions after all.

"Of course. Let's get this over with"

"System, transport us there"

[Command confirmed. Using Global Teleportation…]

Blue particles suddenly appeared and began swirling around Mundeok and Park.

"What's happe-"

And before Eulji's last words could be ushered, both men vanished from the high hill they had both arrived on...