The dark night where barely any light could be seen through the window passed, and morning came again.
I headed to the kitchen with Soo-oh, who was still in a daze and half-asleep.
Although Soo-oh had returned to her original form, she didn’t know how to do anything.
Looking at her memories, all she did was clean with a rag and run errands.
Actually, it’s normal that she doesn’t know much since she’s still single digits in age.
Of course, if I wanted to make her work, I could, and in this world, depending on luck, there are children working in restaurants.
I have no intention of making her work.
Because I don’t know how to cook. I know countless recipes from different worlds, but the ingredients are subtly different.
For example, even if you know how to make kimchi, you can’t make it if there’s no cabbage or red pepper in this world, right?
It’s similar to that.
At least I know how to prepare ingredients, so the presentation is somewhat decent.
Today, the food turned out properly without burning anything. Honestly, if someone asked about the taste, I’d deserve a slap since there’s no seasoning at all.
Still, I’m glad Soo-oh eats well.
As we were sitting in front of the hearth eating breakfast, there was movement outside.
When I went outside, there were 8 people standing there.
One of them was someone I’d seen before.
He was standing in the same spot where the cult leader stood when I was first summoned to this world. Since that wasn’t where a protector stood, this person is likely another hall master.
Looking at his attire, he doesn’t appear to be someone who can perform sorcery.
“Who are you?”
When I went out and asked, the man I recognized stepped forward. He introduced himself.
“I am Gi Jacheon, Master of the Heaven Palace Hall.”
As expected, he was a hall master.
He’s the leader of an organization that handles minor affairs of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s main building visible in the distance. It means he’s the person who would know most certainly if maids or servants were moving about.
That is, assuming reports definitely make their way up.
He looked me up and down and spoke.
“I was worried about a monster that eats people, but this is just a woman?”
I know Soo-oh is clenching her fists behind me, but is this really something to get angry about? I gestured to Soo-oh to stay still, then answered that the person before me was correct.
“I don’t eat people.”
I’m just a woman who needs warmth.
Anyway, according to the information obtained thanks to Gapjae’s movements here and there, this person is someone who wants to oppose the current Heavenly Demon.
Why did he come here?
His eyes moved to Soo-oh behind me before returning.
“So it seems. Well then. Do you know about the humans you’ve dyed purple? A mere third-rate warrior who was just a protector has risen to the position of hall master. Is that something you can do for anyone?”
Hehe.
Finally, someone who wants to become a harvester has come to make contact. It took longer than I expected. I thought they would come as soon as Eunchun and Byeongil became elders.
But better late than never, right?
I answered him.
“I can do it for anyone. However, I limit it to 3 people per day.”
At my words, the man called Gi Jacheon stared at me intently.
As if trying to figure out what I was thinking, he stared at me for a while before asking this.
“Was that number of 3 determined by the Heavenly Demon?”
He immediately asks about the number.
“No. It just turned out that way as I did it.”
The contract text shows I could do thousands or tens of thousands at once, but I don’t explain that. Because having a smaller number makes it easier to control.
Gacha games heat up more when there are restrictions and limits. Usually money is used as a resource, but in this case, it’s people.
When the exit is limited, it’s easier to become obsessed.
“Three people. So that’s why it was three. Good. Then give power to these three.”
He selected 3 men from the 7 standing behind him and brought them forward.
While some look at me with tense expressions, others stare blankly into space with empty eyes.
They think I’ll naturally give them power. It’s apparent they think it’s natural that I’ll obey orders. They see me not as a monster, but simply as someone who gives power.
I’ve already pretended to be strong to the Heavenly Demon. So I considered playing hard to get here, but…
I think it would be better to increase the number of arvesters here.
I spoke the contract words.
“I’ll give myself to you. In exchange, I’ll take everything you have when you finish everything later. How about it?”
The three agreed, and they all became harvesters with purple hair and pure white skin. Gi Jacheon circles around them, examining them carefully.
“How strange that I can’t feel any qi. One of them couldn’t even reach the Smoke Realm, but his qi channels have already opened. But he wasn’t reborn – it’s as if he’s reached the optimal state that person could achieve.”
He mutters.
He checks each person by grabbing their wrist to feel their pulse or injecting inner force to verify.
That’s right. One is a protector, one is just a laborer, and one is a piece of meat that was raised like livestock.
The last person in particular is similar to Choseol.
But he didn’t spend most of my life floating in the air tied up with cloth like Choseol. The details are quite different.
However, in terms of growing up in a way that erases one’s personhood, this man and Choseol are the same.
His cerebral cortex has almost completely shriveled up so his head doesn’t work. I didn’t know why he had a blank expression, but it’s probably because he can’t think in the first place.
I remember hearing that humans can change like this when under extreme stress. This one was raised in such a state for a long time.
They fixed him by nailing his hands, made him convulse through movement by parasitizing various insects, and inserted tubes in his neck to inject nutrients.
If this world is partly like the immortal realm, I can vaguely guess. These are ingredients for the divine medicine.
It’s just a hypothesis for now.
But it will be revealed soon.
Light and warmth?
Almost none. Less than a speck of dust. Of course, I’m happy even with that much!
Gi Jacheon came and stood in front of me.
“This is excellent. I’ll visit often from now on, so tell me if you need anything. I’ll prepare whatever you need.”
Gi Jacheon speaks like the Heavenly Demon.
It’s laughable how obvious his intentions to usurp power are.
He brought his face close to mine. And looking straight at me from right in front of my nose, he opened his mouth.
“Just don’t tell the Heavenly Demon about this.”
As expected, this was done behind the Heavenly Demon’s back.
That’s right.
This person is also someone trying to oust the Heavenly Demon. The majority of the hall masters have turned their backs on the Heavenly Demon, and this person is one of them.
I need to consider that carefully in my response.
I decided to explain that I’m not on the Heavenly Demon’s side and opened my mouth.
“The Heavenly Demon made the contract first. I keep my contracts. But if you don’t ask, I won’t answer.”
I only move according to the contract.
I won’t do anything beyond that, so figure it out yourself.
Along with that meaning, I also included the implication that I won’t answer unless you ask properly. Putting multiple meanings into a single phrase.
If you can’t figure it out, that’s your problem.
Hehe.
“So you’re saying you’ll support me, albeit passively? Seeing how your mind works, you’ll live long.”
The man chuckled and put his hand on my shoulder.
“Good. Then, what’s the standard for a day? Is it exactly after a day has passed from now?”
He asks while fiddling with my shoulder.
It would be weird to say exactly 24 hours like a cooldown timer. It’s awkward to explain why a day became the standard since there’s actually no such cooldown.
There are two criteria that sound plausible enough to not warrant additional questions.
Sunrise and sunset.
I’m contemplating which one to choose.
For this man to make a difficult choice…
“Sunrise.”
He accepted the time of sunrise without any doubt.
“Then I should visit at dawn when I need to receive power. Right?”
But suddenly his face turned white and he quickly removed his hand from my shoulder. He looks at his own hand as if greatly surprised.
And now he’s looking at me like he’s seen something terrifying.
Could it be that when he touched my shoulder, he tried to examine inside me using qi?
I didn’t feel anything.
It doesn’t seem like this body lacks qi sensitivity though.
“I apologize. I shall take my leave now.”
And he made a half-hearted gesture of farewell. Then he hurriedly walked toward the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult building with his people.
What did he see inside me?
It’s cowardly to leave after just raising questions.
Haah.
I went into the kitchen. As soon as I arrived, Soo-oh ran and hugged me.
I don’t know why this kid has grown so attached. I don’t think people normally become attached this easily.
I spent time with Soo-oh.
Of course, we weren’t just playing around.
The techniques that Eunjae remembers.
I followed those. Since there’s no sword, I swung around a suitable tree branch.
The movements are a bit off due to the difference between male and female bodies. Not just that, but in certain parts there isn’t enough strength to move the body with muscles alone.
It’s not simply a lack of physical strength, but rather that a different kind of force needs to help push.
Qi probably needs to flow here, but I have none of that.
Lower dantian, middle dantian, upper dantian. These 3 sections have no space or anything. What is what.
I still have the feeling and memories of others using qi, but I can’t implement it in the body I’m in.
Even if I imitate their body state when releasing qi like turning on a faucet, nothing flows out.
Looking at that, it seems I don’t have any special power stored up.
Or, all that kind of power is being used to contain me.
This is a plausible hypothesis.
That’s why Rebecca Rolf could use special power with a new heart, but I couldn’t.
For experimentation, I spent all day following Eunjae’s movements and the movements of the swordsman from the first world.
And I realized one thing.
This is good exercise.
I can do this with Soo-oh.