Empire of the Ring

As Youngho worried, several descendants of the kingdom began to arrive at the ranch.

They all looked no better than homeless people on the street. The people who worked in the mines outside had it better than the people living in the mountain village. Youngho felt sorry for them and wondered how they had been treated.

The only thing they were better at than the people in the mountain was that they brought an old truck that was about to be totaled.

Youngho later found out that the administrators of the other mines had been taking advantage of them because the descendants did not have the proper education.

They had been working in mines without getting decent pay.

With no proper safety equipment and no proper medical treatment, living with injuries was natural for them.

It was impossible for them to save money for their children’s education.

Most of the business fields in Azerbaijan were underdeveloped.

But the ignorance of the descendants played a major role in being treated that way.

They probably survived the harsh conditions because of the special breathing technique of the knights.

Youngho was furious. He was ready to run over those who took advantage of the descendants.

The lost time of the descendants would not come back to them. It would be Youngho’s priority to get them used to living normal lives.

It was not because they were dumb, but because the naive people took it as their destiny.

He wanted to give them reasons to live well.

If the ring was given to Youngho for this reason, he would fulfill the obligation. Youngho was probably destined to do this from the moment he met Fatima.

The number of people returning to the ranch suddenly dropped.

This might have been because of the snow storm around Northern Caucasus area.

Only twenty-one households moved in, but there was still room for fifty extra households because the oak barrel aging room at the Charles Farm was now turned into a temporary settlement area.

All of the oak barrels from the Charles Farm were moved to the dead mines, and the new wines were moved to the aging room at Zeynep Farm.

Youngho worried over the people who might be isolated due to the snow storm.

Without any equipment, they could wait until next spring if they were stuck deep in the mountains.

Yet, they had decided to come through the cold winter with the hope of seeing the Archduchess. Youngho had mixed feelings of respect and pity for them.

***

Following a truck with a tractor that had a snow plower attached, two mini-buses of the security company, and two Hummers that were recently added to the company, Youngho, Jongil, and some villagers were on their way to Kurdamir District.

Since he could not wait any longer, he was going to greet the transmigrants.

It was the wet season in the Caucasus. Youngho, who was watching the news reporting the extreme weather condition, could not sit and wait.

Niksic felt nervous when the people had not arrived yet already.

They must be stuck on the rough road in this bad weather.

“Hey, it’s like searching for a needle in the desert. You think we can find them easily?”

“The paved roads are only a handful here. I don’t think they’ll be using mountain trails for the migration. We can just skim through the roads. Who knows? We can get lucky.”

Jongil followed Youngho out but he did not feel good about his idea since Youngho did not have a specific plan. He just decided to come out to search for them because he was running out of his patience while watching the news.

“Why don’t we split the team in half? We’d have a better chance of finding them.”

“The main roads would’ve been already plowed. The problem is the mountainous paths. They’ll have to step out of the mountainous paths to come to the mine region. If they’re stuck in there, they’ll be helpless. No one will plow there since there is no traffic.”

“You’re right. That’s frustrating.”

Jongil took out a cigarette in stress. Recently he started smoking again because he usually spent time with officials for work. Since he could not quit, he had been smoking behind Karajan’s back.

“Man, give me one too. It’s too stressful.”

“Come on. How can a lord of the ranch smoke like a mere peasant?”

Jongil had been making fun of Youngho, saying ‘lord’ and ‘duke’ these days. He was having a blast again.

“Give it now, dude. I’m only going to smoke one.”

After driving twenty minutes away from the main road, Youngho found out that his worries had come true. Before his eyes was a road that no cars could cross without winter equipment. There was no trace of cars on the snow.

Youngho and Jongil plowed snow with the tractor they brought to work their way through the road.

“Jongil, I think I see trucks ahead.”

“I only see snow. What’s there?”

With Youngho’s keen vision, he could see trucks covered in snow and people clearing the path.

“Let’s get off. I think we’ll walk faster than driving the tractor.”

Youngho and Jongil got off and ran toward the people ahead of them.

The people were astounded by the two rushing in at tremendous speed. Even for a boar, it was impossible to run at such speed in the snow. Not knowing who was approaching them, they picked up old rifles, so Youngho and Jongil had to slow down.

There were ten small and big men dressed in leather skins to endure the cold. They were gazing at Youngho and Jongil slowly approaching them.

Although their clothes were ragged, their eyes were alive.

Youngho opened his mouth first.

“Old Niksic sent us.”

At the mention of Niksic’s name, the people who were tensed up became relieved.

“How do you know our Chief?”

Not knowing how the Chief found out that they had been suffering in the snow for days and sent people, they looked puzzled.

***

There were women, children, and old people inside tents in the backs of their trucks.

The driving seat could only hold three people and the rest of them had to move in the backs of the trucks.

Forty-five people from eight households were sharing four trucks to move, but they were stuck in the middle of the snow storm.

Probably, they would have been able to break through the storm within a few days even without Youngho’s help. Everyone except for male adults got into the minibusses and left for the ranch.

They made a path with a tractor so the old trucks could pass through.

Youngho clicked his tongue when he saw them starting the trucks’ engines. Their trucks were too old to be driven on the road. They would have made more money if they sold the truck to a historical car museum.

The trucks were made in the time of the Soviet Union. To start the engine, they had to put a crowbar inside the hole in the front of the truck and rotate it around.

Youngho asked them to go to the ranch first, but they insisted on waiting and helping the people who were following them. They deserved more respect for the love they had for their people.

It took a couple of days to take all the isolated people from the snow storm. In total, there were a hundred and seventy-nine people from thirty-four households.

Youngho liked how his farm and ranch were crowded with people.

Many kids seemed to feel awkward for a few days, but kids were kids. They got used to the new environment soon enough. Although they started to cause trouble all over the village, it was all a process. It was rather refreshing for the farm family.

With extra manpower, they were able to build houses for the descendants quickly.

Building houses were not even close to hard work for the people who went through much more difficult labor.

Cheese production was catching its momentum since about twenty people were added to the cheese production line.

Youngho also planned to spend more processing time for cheese as well.

People were working very diligently and made the messy farm and ranch cleaner than ever. Youngho asked them to take it easy, but they would not listen.

***

Christmas trees appeared in the farm and the ranch.

It was natural for the descendants since they were Christians. Although Azerbaijan was an Islamic country, Christmas trees were often seen in the streets of Baku since they were installed for travelers.

Youngho had not been able to find time to do Christmas trees until now since he moved here from Korea. Looking at the trees, Jongil started to stir up the people to celebrate the end of the year with liquor. When the Christmas trees were up, it surely meant the end of the year’s coming.

Every single one of the returned descendants paid a visit to Fatima.

Some cried in front of Fatima while holding her hands. It was certainly bothersome to have visitors all the time but still, Fatima made sure that she greeted everyone and prepared snacks for them. Fatima tried to have them as they were without a single word of complaint. She knew that her existence was the biggest hope and comfort for the people.

With the added manpower from the descendants, the overwhelming work of the farm and ranch became stabilized. Youngho had to spend more money to support the new residents, but since it was still within his budget, he provided more than enough for the people.

Youngho was going to hire outsiders to do the work, but now the new residents took over all of the work. The proper payment and stable life slowly changed the people although Youngho was only paying them for what they did. They had never dreamed of this kind of life. They did not only feel comforted with the presence of the Archduchess, but they also lived abundant lives. The once passive people were turning into proactive people.

They all believed that their work would serve the Archduchess and the kingdom. Youngho thought that he needed to accept their world even though it looked like they had a false dream about the kingdom. It would be impossible to change them instantaneously.

Children would be educated, and the adults would come back to reality with changes in their lives. They might be fanatics, but being surrounded by loyal people gave Youngho a strange comfort. A smile bloomed on Youngho’s face. He felt like he could overcome any hardship with these supportive people.

Moreover, gold bars were being smelted in the gold mines. Youngho felt excited thinking about the possible other gold veins he might find. Everything happened because he met Fatima. Youngho had not planned on living this life, but finding Fatima in Istanbul was the best thing he had ever done.