The cloth that had wrapped tightly around me like a spider web and suspended me in the air loosened, and I touched the ground.
“So you were the Four Seasons’ Chaos who gave power to the Martial God.”
Heavenly Demon said.
Looking around, people in stifling attire still fill the surroundings. Black clothing that doesn’t reveal the body. Pure white cloth covering faces.
The magicians of this world.
I want to eat one of their lights and gain their techniques too.
But it doesn’t seem good to move like that here.
Since the culture is different from the first world, I have a feeling I’ll get stuck if I do nothing like I did there.
Contracts need someone to guarantee them.
To avoid being deceived, you need the power to destroy the other party if they break the contract. That’s the minimum condition.
A contract without that isn’t essentially a real contract.
There are only those who deceive and those who are deceived.
A contract formed only by one side’s goodwill?
That’s not a contract.
Doesn’t it mean it can disappear anytime when minds change?
Right?
In other words, there needs to be a minimum condition that breaking the contract causes more loss.
“The people who accepted me are strong, right?”
So first I speak of benefits.
Of course, I won’t say blessing with my own mouth at this time. From now on too, I’ll only state the fact that someone called it a blessing.
So even if it’s discovered later that I take warmth, I can proudly say I only spoke facts.
At my words, Heavenly Demon’s brow twitched.
He’s measuring me. This question could be taken as asking whether he’s satisfied with the people I gave power to, or it could sound like I know nothing during the time I was sealed.
I threw out words without context like that.
Choose.
Whichever he chooses, I hope it’s in the direction I predicted. Only then can I move you as I want.
“Were you the one who gave the Heavenly Demon Divine Technique to the Martial God?”
Heavenly Demon Divine Technique?
Wait, though I don’t know what it is, let’s assume it’s a method of using qi. I flowed Eunjae’s memories of using qi into the three.
This could be interpreted as giving them a method of using qi?
If I answer yes here.
No, this isn’t right. It would be a lie. If they ask me to teach verses like they do, I can’t teach them.
I can’t output something complicated and twisted like that.
“No. He used me by drawing on me with that.”
Yes, from the head… sigh, alright. Since the faded gray man shouts about verses, I’ll use expressions I know.
He drew on me through the upper dantian.
“Indeed. So there was a verse about drawing power from Chaos. The Heavenly Demon Divine Technique was a martial art only those who received your blessing could use.”
I want to laugh. Heavenly Demon recognized what I give as a blessing. Though I led it to be that way, he finally calls it a blessing. Blessing has a nuance of being a gift.
It appears as a benefit, not a loss.
Hehe.
Very good.
But hearing what he says, it seems there are materials Eunjae left?
Checking Eunjae’s life again, he wrote something in his later years.
Not in easy sentences, but something written twisted like what they call secret manuals. I wondered why I didn’t remember, but I passed over it then because I couldn’t understand what it meant.
Encryption is troublesome.
If it’s simple sentences, one person gaining memories could understand, but going through other processes is a bit…
This is my weakness. Let’s take note.
So what is Heavenly Demon thinking?
“There is someone you should give blessing to.”
As expected!
So that’s it. Then I should explain once more what one can gain by becoming my harvester here!
“Alright. Bring them. Whether they’ve lost limbs or suffer from severe illness, they’ll heal.”
While at it they also gain abilities suitable for fulfilling wishes, but that’s still secret.
Of course this is something that can be sold, but I don’t know the exact principle of it. Especially things like Tis’s regeneration ability, I don’t understand.
I shouldn’t sell what I don’t know.
“Wounds heal?”
“Eunjae healed.”
As expected, he didn’t know everything. At that time, he was stabbed here and there while fleeing from people trying to catch him.
Even his dantian was damaged, but it healed as soon as he became a harvester.
Then is he just asking me to give blessings after only seeing them get stronger?
Just who am I giving it to?
He doesn’t seem like he’d have children.
“Follow me.”
Heavenly Demon said that then released qi from his body. Something’s billowing out.
Though I don’t know what it is, behind me people are groaning or collapsing to the ground. Is this what they call killing intent that I’ve only heard about?
Why stare blankly?
“Aren’t you going?”
Oh.
For a moment, bewilderment crossed Heavenly Demon’s expression. Looking at the situation, it seems he planned to take the initiative by pressuring me. But he was flustered when that didn’t work?
Even if human energy is strong, it’s all the same.
Heavenly Demon made an expression like he understood something, then walked forward.
I follow behind him.
But is it okay being almost naked? There are bandage-like cloth pieces remaining, but since I’m very tall for a child, isn’t it suggestive?
If Heavenly Demon is okay with it, it must be fine. Or maybe he doesn’t treat me as human? The girl called Choseol was never treated as human.
While judging the situation like that, I followed Heavenly Demon.
Passing through a long wooden corridor and opening a door, it changed to stone walls untouched by human hands.
I thought it was a building, but it was a cave.
Huh? When looking through those three’s views, they went in the opposite direction from now.
Then they went inside from inside the building. And there was an extremely tall and large Oriental-style building standing, but a cave?
Perhaps this building is made like a maze. A place for escape?
At least the floor is well polished, and it’s not difficult to walk as two men holding torches stick close as soon as Heavenly Demon emerges.
Walking a little further, water flows in the middle of the cave. We walked quite a while following the water. After walking for a while, the stream gradually widened and the path ended. But there’s a small dock, and a small boat is waiting there.
Heavenly Demon pointed to the boat so I got on.
It rocks terribly which feels unpleasant.
Seeing him carefully watching my appearance, is he trying to examine what I can do?
Here, what should I do.
I pondered briefly.
Would it be advantageous to maintain the appearance of a powerful monster until the end, or should I show a more human-like appearance.
For example, showing that I’m hungry. That kind of thing.
People who can understand become easier to let their guard down. I bit the prey’s neck by doing that in the first world too.
But here, doing that would likely prevent me from getting what I want. Society flows too much on force.
Let’s endure here.
I need initiative. It’s not too late to do it after confirming who Heavenly Demon is taking me to.
The boatman moved the boat. But we didn’t travel long. Coming out of the cave by boat, a place with rocks rising like pillars comes into view.
And around those rock mountains hang extremely magnificent buildings.
There are buildings on rock mountains jutting out everywhere like wooden pillars, and passages connecting those buildings.
Considering the bottom is water, this is completely a fortress. A fortress difficult for people to invade.
And the boat stopped at a place with buildings above.
Following Heavenly Demon off the boat, the boat returned to its original place. And surprisingly, there’s an elevator ahead.
Getting on it, the elevator rises faster than expected.
Surprisingly, it’s mechanical rather than human-powered. Hearing the sound of devices moving here and there, it’s definitely mechanical.
I sharply raised this world’s technology level in my mind.
The term mechanical contraptions sparkles in my memories.
The elevator reached the upper level. But surroundings are completely closed off. While I’m looking around wondering what they’ll do here, Heavenly Demon goes to a certain wall and extends his hand.
With a clicking sound of something catching, the wall opens in a nonlinear shape revealing a passage.
It’s fascinating.
I followed Heavenly Demon walking through the building while looking around. This is quite a complexly twisted building? Moreover, directions are intentionally distorted, so someone unfamiliar would easily get lost.
And we arrived at some room.
Entering the room, a large muscular man is swinging a sword and sweating.
As soon as he sees Heavenly Demon, he puts down his sword and runs forward.
“Jeongha-nim!” (tl/n: ‘-nim’ is a high-level honorific used to show respect to someone, roughly translates as Mrs./Ms. But since it’s wuxia, or rather murim world, I’ll use original korean honorifics and titles)
And he bows his head. Seeing him call Heavenly Demon Jeongha, is that Heavenly Demon’s name? Since I heard about several generations of Heavenly Demon, Heavenly Demon must be an inherited name-title. Meaning they have other names.
And I just learned that now.
“Jeonyang, stand up. I’ve brought someone who can make you strong.”
While grabbing his shoulders, Heavenly Demon answered in a softer voice than before.
Oh?
Indeed.
A loved one?
Though the faded gray man shivers saying this level of historical accuracy, isn’t people loving each other a good scene?
They’re the same gender?
Is that a problem? And love with fatal flaws gets twisted at a high rate. And people die in that process.
Meaning warmth drops well.
That’s enough for me.
I deliberately approached them and pointed at the man called Jeonyang.
“Should I do it to him?”
Jeonyang looks at me startled. Then carefully asks while looking at Heavenly Demon who is removing hands from his shoulders.
“Jeongha-nim. This girl is…”
“Jeonyang. This one will help you complete the Heavenly Demon Divine Technique, so make a contract with it.”
Heavenly Demon speaks softly in a high voice like imitating a woman.
Uncertain, he doesn’t understand what Heavenly Demon is saying.
So for clarity, I spoke the contract text.
“I’ll give myself to you. In exchange, when you finish everything later, I’ll take everything you have then. How about it?”
Jeonyang turned to look at Heavenly Demon. When Heavenly Demon nodded, Jeonyang came before me. At that time, it’s quite funny how Heavenly Demon’s mood became uncomfortable.
Anyway, he answered before me.
“I will do so.”
Then his hair dyed purple, and as his outer skin cracked, pure white skin emerged from within.
One more harvester.
Has been completed.