Chapter 1807 – 1807. The Path To Ascending To The Light
“Even though I may look like this, I pride myself on having tasted quite a few delicacies, but this dish called ‘steak’ is a unique one I’ve never had before. To dismiss it as simply grilled meat would be an understatement, given its incredible flavor. And that wine was also quite wonderful!”
After finishing her meal, Baekran exclaimed her impressions, seemingly excited.
“That’s quite an exaggeration. I’ve heard that all the world’s delicacies are gathered in the imperial palace.”
“That’s true. All sorts of precious foods are presented to the imperial palace almost daily, all for His Majesty the Emperor. How could I, a mere inspector, ever get to taste such precious foods?”
“But you said you’ve tasted quite a few delicacies.”
“I tasted them secretly. Connections are important in the imperial palace.”
Baekran said with a laugh. Is she bragging about having many connections in the imperial palace? She has outstanding beauty and skills, so it must have been easy for her to make connections.
Anyway, after finishing our meal, we started walking again. Soon, the sun set, and it became evening, so we prepared to camp under a reasonably large tree. Dinner was also venison. We had leftover venison from the deer we caught during the day. This time, I didn’t even touch it and just let it fall.
We settled down in a suitable spot by a flowing stream. I looked around to make sure no one was there.
‘Tonight, it’s chicken.’
I haven’t eaten chicken recently. I ate so much of it while developing chicken in the [Dark Moon] world that I was sick of it. At that time, I vowed never to eat chicken again, but as time passed, I craved it like I do now.
As soon as I opened the chicken packaging, a greasy yet savory smell spread. The sweet smell of the seasoning relentlessly stimulated my appetite. It was the moment I reached out for the half-and-half chicken. I felt a persistent gaze from behind.
It was Baekran. She was staring intently at me.
‘She wasn’t there just a moment ago.’
I wasn’t careless. But I didn’t feel her approach at all. When I realized it, she was already there.
‘Her stealth is so good that it fooled my senses. Or did she teleport?’
Either way, she was not a woman to be taken lightly.
“Ahem. Would you like to eat with me?”
“I won’t refuse.”
She approached with a light step. Again, there were no footprints left behind.
In the end, she and I sat side by side, tearing into the chicken.
Crunch!
The outside was crispy, and the inside was moist with juices. Baekran, who took a bite of the chicken, was startled and looked back and forth between me and the chicken with wide eyes.
“This is chicken…? It’s completely different from the chicken I know! This is also a delicacy!”
She was constantly amazed and quickly tore into the chicken. It was quite fascinating to see chicken constantly going into her small mouth.
I handed her a glass of cola with clear ice floating in it.
Baekran, who received the cola, tilted her head.
“That’s an expensive glass. But what is this black water?”
“Ah. This is called cola. It’s chicken’s friend.”
“It’s a bit unsettling, but… I’ll trust you and try it.”
She took a sip of the cola and widened her eyes. She stroked her neck with her other hand, as if it was stinging.
“Is it not good?”
“…It’s delicious! It’s just such an unfamiliar taste that I was taken aback. A drink that hits the throat… I didn’t know such a drink existed in the world!”
Baekran happily ate the cola and chicken. Only chicken bones were left at her feet. Her bone-picking skills were so good that it was hard to believe she was eating chicken for the first time.
“You’re really amazing. How did you discover these foods?”
“I didn’t discover them. I got them.”
“If you don’t want to say, that’s fine. As someone who’s been given food, I can’t pry.”
She washed her hands and mouth in the flowing stream. Then, she tidied her clothes. Baekran, who had returned to her neat appearance, suddenly asked me with a serious expression.
“What is your ambition?”
“Ambition?”
“A man like you must have ambition. Is it perhaps your ambition to become an elder of the Demonic Cult?”
To be satisfied with just an elder? The position of elder in the Demonic Cult was not a low one. In a fantasy world, it would be equivalent to a position above a great noble. And the highest position that Yeom Guseok, who was born ordinary, could reach was that of an elder.
“That’s right. It would be good to become an elder.”
“…Do you want a position higher than that? You’re very greedy.”
“I didn’t say a single word like that.”
“I can tell by looking at your eyes. You’re not someone who would be satisfied with just the position of an elder. Something more. A vice-leader… Are you perhaps aiming for the position of the Demonic Master?”
“……”
I closed my mouth. The Demonic Cult was not just a sect. It was closer to a kingdom. And the Demonic Master was the king. To talk about the Demonic Master carelessly was no different from treason. Unless I knew Baekran’s purpose, it was better to keep my mouth shut.
“The position of the Demonic Master is not one that can be reached alone. If you really are aiming for the position of the Demonic Master… make reliable allies. Even the Demonic Master has limits to what they can do alone.”
Demonic Master.
What I thought of was not the Demonic Master of this world, but the Demonic Master of the [God’s Atlantis] world.
The king of the demonic realm. The one who can be called the source of all demons. If that guy was me, what would I have done? Would I have made allies to reach the position of the Demonic Master? Would that guy even acknowledge that?
‘That’s nonsense. The Demonic Master must be supreme only as the Demonic Master.’
Allies are unnecessary.
“The Demonic Master must reign over all demons.”
“That’s a domineering statement. But it’s a statement that’s more like the Demonic Master than anything else.”
Baekran smiled faintly as always and walked away.
• • •
We arrived at our destination, Baeyeong City. It was quite a large city. At the same time, it was a city that looked peaceful.
‘The Maga (魔家) is in Baeyeong City.’
The six families that started the Demonic Cult together. One of them, the Yoon family (尹家), is the ruler of Baeyeong City.
‘Even if the Maga has become less powerful than in the past, it’s still the Maga.’
We couldn’t ignore the power they had accumulated over a long time.
‘There’s no point in provoking the Maga, so I need to move quietly.’
I looked around. If there were great merchants like the Yuun Merchant Guild, they would surely stand out. But I didn’t see anything special.
Hong Ganghu coughed, seeing me constantly looking around.
“Ahem. Didn’t I tell you before? The Yuun Merchant Guild doesn’t do business with ordinary people. Of course, they don’t do business openly. Follow me.”
I followed Hong Ganghu. He moved towards the outside of the city, not the inside.
“The Yuun Merchant Guild sells rare things. Elixirs, magical artifacts, martial arts… all of them are treasures. And treasures attract flies.”
That was the reason why the Yuun Merchant Guild couldn’t move openly. It was also the reason why they didn’t settle in one place and kept moving.
A small river flowed outside the city. The river wasn’t very big. Hong Ganghu walked across a stepping stone made of rocks. In front of the stepping stones, two warriors were guarding the area. The two warriors had mismatched attire, and even their weapons were different, with one having a sword and the other a spear. They were definitely hired mercenaries.
“Halt. This is a restricted area. Even if you are seniors, you cannot enter.”
They were tense as they looked at Hong Ganghu.
“Calm down. We didn’t come here to fight you. We’re not robbers either. We’re customers.”
“You’ve come to the market. I’m sorry, but to enter the market…”
“I know. To be treated as a guest, you need money. I have enough money. I’ve saved it for today.”
Hong Ganghu took out a pouch from his chest. The pouch wasn’t very big. He opened the pouch and showed the contents. Instead of silver or gold coins, there were beads inside. Beads containing spiritual energy (靈氣), Heavenly Jade (天玉).
The mercenaries, after confirming the money, stepped aside.
“Welcome, customers.”
We slowly crossed the stepping stones. As soon as we crossed the last rock, the scenery in front of us changed. Where there should have been a forest, there were rows of tents. Warriors with swords and wealthy people adorned with luxurious jewels were walking around the shabby tents.
Baekran, who was wearing a bamboo hat like me, was slightly impressed.
“The barrier itself isn’t very strong, but it’s a decent barrier for concealing the eyes.”
She was impressed by something else.
Hong Ganghu looked at us.
“Haha. Now that we’ve arrived at our destination, let’s part ways. Ah, the currency used here is Heavenly Jade. Currencies other than Heavenly Jade are meaningless. If you’re in a hurry for money, you can sell your belongings or martial arts. Even just looking around will increase your knowledge, so there’s no loss.”
His son, Hong Jeyu, looked at Baekran with serious eyes.
“Ms. Baekran. If you don’t mind, I’d like to guide you. I know a merchant in the Yuun Merchant Guild…”
“Young Master Hong, I appreciate the offer, but I’ll move separately.”
Baekran’s voice was firm. Because her energy was also present, the weak Hong Jeyu involuntarily stepped back and agreed.
“Then I’ll be on my way. If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”
Baekran disappeared into the crowd, and the Hong family also disappeared somewhere. Left alone, I decided to slowly look around the market.
“Selling elixirs! Expensive elixirs are waiting for you! Buying elixirs! We buy at the correct price without cheating!”
“Masters! We have good magical artifacts! With this magical artifact, you can become stronger!”
“We have the martial arts of the Blood Wolf! The martial arts of the Blood Wolf who killed the elder of the Wudang Sect!!”
The merchants shouted and continued to solicit customers. I ignored their voices and scanned the stalls of the elixir merchants.
Most of them were elixirs that were easy to obtain.
‘Oh. There are a few good ones?’
There were a few elixirs that were not easy to obtain. The price was at least 15 Heavenly Jade.
‘I’m not sure if this is the right price.’
There were rarely markets like this, so it was hard to compare.
I currently had 606 Heavenly Jade. I was collecting them to raise my VIP level.
“Customer. You seem interested in the Tyrant Turtle Grass (覇鼈草). You have a good eye. This Tyrant Turtle Grass is a spiritual herb that has grown in a place where the sun never sets, receiving plenty of yang energy. It’s the perfect elixir for those who train in lightning energy (雷氣) or fire energy (火氣) like you.”
The merchant said with a smirk. I looked at the merchant with calm eyes.
“How did you know?”
