Chapter 2099 – 2099. The Ascent To Radiance
Meeting Seong Ji-gon wasn’t difficult. I had a space-movement scroll that could take me to Hayang City, where he was.
Now that I had my answer and a plan, it was time to act. I thanked Baekran and was about to get up when I paused. I had gone to the trouble of meeting her. It wouldn’t hurt to ask about other things I was curious about while I was at it.
“Baekran, how much do you know about the Falling Moon Goddess?”
“Isn’t the Falling Moon Goddess your teacher? Why are you asking me about her? Do you have some other motive?”
Baekran asked back, looking dumbfounded. It was understandable. I was asking someone else about my teacher.
But I wouldn’t have done it if I wasn’t desperate.
Falling Moon Goddess, Wi Yu, was strong, but she had almost no reputation. The Namgung Clan, located not far from Falling Moon Mountain, knew a little about Wi Yu. Even they didn’t know how strong she was.
Villages near Falling Moon Mountain? They were just villages of ordinary people without any notable sects. There was no way they would know detailed information about Wi Yu.
“You’re a First-Class Golden Guard. You might know more than I do. Sometimes you can see things more clearly when you’re far away.”
“Hmm. Is it a matter of perspective…?”
Of course, I had also investigated Wi Yu separately. Not in this world, but in reality. In conclusion, Wi Yu was a character who didn’t appear in the original work, ‘The Ascent to Radiance,’ or any other works. In other words, she was likely a character from ‘Moo Wang Online,’ which I couldn’t check because the service had ended. Therefore, I couldn’t find any information about Wi Yu in reality.
Perhaps she was a character who was accidentally created when different works were mixed.
What was certain was that Baekran knew that Wi Yu had existed even before the Rare War. If she had knowledge of the future, she was likely to know information about Wi Yu that I didn’t.
“First of all, you should know that information related to Falling Moon Mountain is being controlled.”
“Information control?”
“There is information being controlled by the Emperor’s order. The most representative is information about the Underworld. Information control is also a job of the Golden Guard. Most of it is handled by the Second-Class Golden Guard.”
“Why is the information being controlled?”
“His Majesty the Emperor would know.”
Baekran shrugged her shoulders as she answered. It wasn’t like I could go and find the Emperor myself.
“I don’t know much about her, but what’s certain is that she has been out in the Jianghu before. It’s impossible to completely control information in this world. Those who need to know, know, and what needs to be recorded is recorded. There might be something somewhere in this world that records the Falling Moon Goddess’s actions.”
“……Where is it?”
“Well, I don’t know either.”
In reality, I hadn’t gained much.
• • •
Tear.
I tore the space-movement scroll and moved to Hayang City.
Hayang City was in an ambiguous location, neither far nor close to the capital. It had clear advantages and disadvantages. The influence of the central power was considerable, but conversely, it could become a pillar leading to the central imperial palace.
I heard that retired high-ranking officials lived in this city. Those who couldn’t let go of power even after retirement.
I headed to Seong Ji-gon’s mansion in Hayang City. The mansion was magnificent. It was understandable. As a Third Rank Official, he was among the high-ranking officials.
‘A general wouldn’t be anything less than a high-ranking official.’
Even if he wasn’t the most powerful person in Hayang City, he would be among the top five.
I walked towards the mansion’s gate with my hands behind my back.
“Come here!”
The gatekeepers were startled and ran towards me.
“S-Sir Seong! You’ve arrived!”
“We’ll contact the General immediately!”
The gatekeepers, who already knew my face, immediately began to respond. I followed the nervous gatekeeper through the gate.
There was a rather splendid garden, though not very large. The main building and annexes were visible around the garden. Seong Ji-gon’s mansion was larger than most martial arts sects.
I glanced around. I could see the servants working in the mansion. What was surprising was that most of the servants were old.
“…These are servants I’ve never seen before.”
“The General takes in elderly people and gives them work. It’s a mercy he bestows on the elderly who can’t work because they’re old.”
The soldier’s voice was filled with loyalty and pride.
An old woman carrying laundry bowed her head as soon as she saw me. I passed her without a word.
“…I’ve never seen that old woman before. Last time I came, a different old woman was in charge of the laundry…”
“Are you talking about Old Woman Kangju? Old Woman Kangju passed away two years ago. Old Woman Bokae came in after that.”
“Ah, is that so.”
“Truly, General Seong Ji-gon’s compassion is greater than Buddha’s. If Buddha were to hear the General’s good deeds, he would be moved to tears. The General is the only one in this world who takes in useless old people.”
“……Yeah.”
If Buddha knew the truth, he would be horrified and disgusted.
Because all the old women working in this mansion were Seong Ji-gon’s lovers.
I met Seong Ji-gon, who had come out to greet me at the entrance of the mansion.
“Haha! It’s been a while, Yoo-jin.”
Seong Ji-gon waved his hand with a cheerful laugh.
His appearance was that of a handsome man, but… how should I put it? He had a strangely charming look that old women would like.
“It’s been a while. You haven’t changed at all.”
“You’re one to talk. Let’s go inside and talk. I’ve prepared tea.”
I entered the reception room and sat facing Seong Ji-gon.
As if on cue, the door opened and a maid entered. It was an old woman carrying tea on a tray. The old woman brewed the tea rather leisurely. Her actions were natural. There was also a somewhat antique atmosphere. She didn’t seem like a maid of ordinary origin.
Seong Ji-gon’s gaze towards the old woman was subtle. Even if others didn’t know, I could tell. Seong Ji-gon was feeling lust right now.
‘What the hell are you looking at to feel lust?’
Was I the weird one?
I looked at the old woman again. Her clothes were neat. There were no exposed areas except for her hands. There was nothing that would make someone feel lust. I followed Seong Ji-gon’s gaze.
‘……Her face? Those wrinkled lines?’
I gave up on understanding Seong Ji-gon. I didn’t want to understand him either.
The old woman brewed the tea and went outside. I looked at the teacup. The subtle fragrance was similar to green tea, but the tea itself was closer to blue.
“What kind of tea is this?”
“Ah. It’s Chil-dong tea, which only grows in the northern snowy mountains. It’s said to be tea that has been frozen and thawed seven times. I received it as a gift.”
“It’s a tea I’ve never heard of before.”
This world was terribly vast. It wasn’t strange to see tea I had never seen before. I brought the tea to my lips and took a sip!
“……?!”
The tea was clearly steaming hot, but my body felt it as cold as ice water.
‘…Yin energy?’
The yin energy contained in the tea had instantly made my body cold. It was amazing. Even though the tea had been brewed, the yin energy hadn’t disappeared and remained in the tea.
“This is an elixir.”
“That’s right. It’s said to be one of the rare types of elixirs. It’s not a powerful elixir that can be used for training, though.”
“You’re using something this precious to drink tea? How much money do you have?”
“I received the Chil-dong tea as a gift.”
“Who would give you something this precious?”
“Musun. One of my lovers. She’s not in this world anymore, though…”
Seong Ji-gon looked at the sky outside the window with a wistful look. Musun? It was a name I had never heard before. But if she was Seong Ji-gon’s lover, I could guess. She must have been an old woman who had accumulated a lot of power or wealth.
I quietly gauged Seong Ji-gon’s strength.
He was at the 10th level of Aura. He was on the verge of reaching the Three Essences Realm.
I had become strong quickly thanks to the Heavenly Gang System, but how could Seong Ji-gon have become strong so quickly? It wasn’t something that could be done with talent alone. The answer was in Seong Ji-gon’s environment.
Seong Ji-gon’s teacher, Guwol Seonja, 능소려. She was an outstanding person who had been the teacher of the deceased Crown Prince. Even if nothing else, her teaching talent was certain. She had been the Crown Prince’s teacher, after all. Perhaps she was even more outstanding than Wi Yu when it came to teaching.
And the support of the military. Currently, the most powerful force on this continent was not the Martial Alliance or the Demonic Cult, but the military. Seong Ji-gon was receiving full support from that military.
Finally, Seong Ji-gon’s lovers.
Seong Ji-gon’s lovers were old women who were on their last legs. In other words, they had a certain amount of wealth and power. Like the Chil-dong tea he had received as a gift, he must have received all sorts of elixirs and artifacts.
Just like a young woman being sponsored by an old man.
Seong Ji-gon truly loved the old women, so it wasn’t strange that the old women took care of him.
While drinking the Chil-dong tea, I told him what I wanted.
“The Sima Clan? I’ve heard of them. If I go there myself, I think the head of the Sima Clan would meet me.”
“Can’t you just get a letter of introduction?”
“The Sima Clan is quite a closed-off family. My letter of introduction wouldn’t be enough.”
“What about Guwol Seonja? If Guwol Seonja wrote a letter of introduction, the Sima Clan wouldn’t be able to ignore it.”
“She’s not here right now. She went west to deal with something related to the Underworld. It’ll take her two years to come back.”
Should I say I was unlucky? But that meant I could move with Seong Ji-gon. There was nothing difficult right now.
“Let’s go to the Sima Clan together. I have to meet the head of the clan no matter what. If we leave now, we’ll arrive at the Sima Clan within fifteen days.”
“Of course, I want to help you. But I have something I need to do right now. It’ll be difficult to leave immediately.”
“Something you need to do?”
“It’s about suppressing bandits. Recently, there have been reports of damage from bandits increasing everywhere. As the head of the city, I can’t just ignore it.”
Well, Seong Ji-gon had his own position. As a Third Rank Official, it wasn’t a light position.
“I’ll help you. If we quickly resolve this, we can go to the Sima Clan, right?”
“Thank you. I feel reassured that you’re helping me.”
