I need you. You brothers smuggle the best Baekju in all of Goguryeo, and this illegal drink is the
only thing that keeps me sane in the company of my wife. With the wench I am married to, surely
I could not survive without the sweet oblivion provided by this most delightful drink. Yes, I do
know about your alcohol smuggling too. Anyways. your existence is vital to my existence. So
leave this desert before the first blood is drawn because it will be a war. By the way be quiet on
your way out, and close the flaps before you leave.” The captain then poured himself another glass
of Baekju and took a vial out of his bag. “Here is quantifiable proof of all my statements.”
On the vial of liquid was a label inscribed in black ink, “Elixir of Life”. The captain said,
“Straight from the Kirin’s horns. To longevity, gentlemen!” He smirked one last time before
downing his last glass of Baekju.
After listening to the captain’s words, the brothers filed out of the tent in utter silence. Sighing
deeply, they went back to their burrows to pack their equipment. “What now?” Kay asked. “I guess
we go back to Goguryeo and smuggle more alcohol. Tomorrow morning, we leave this desert. As
far as I am concerned, we were never here,” Ming replied.
The brothers escaped the Gobi desert with their lives, but disappointed as their hopes for great
riches were dashed. For the next five years, the Gobi Desert was home to the battle of thousands
of hunters, all in search of the Kirin. Not a single person escaped the Gobi alive but the three
brothers. The brothers paid off their debts with the captain’s generous funding of their bootleg
liquor, while the captain continued to imbibe in Baekju until his liver eventually fermented. Even
today, the brother’s descendants bask in a lavish lifestyle funded by smuggled liquor, while the
voices of the dead Kirin hunters still echo in the Gobi desert.
