Infinite Within Infinite (2)
Never before had I felt so keenly that I had truly entered the world of a martial arts novel as I did in that moment.
“Uncle! Look over there! Plum blossom patterns! It’s the Mount Hua Sect! They must be Plum Blossom Sword Masters!”
Hye-ryeong’s eyes sparkled as she made a fuss.
Were Plum Blossom Sword Masters really that famous?
…Come to think of it, in wuxia novels, sword masters were always the first to appear whenever swords were mentioned, so it wasn’t hard to understand why she was making such a scene. I was curious about their Plum Blossom Twenty-Four Sword Forms myself.
Would real plum blossoms actually bloom when they swung their swords?
I had seen swords trace isosceles triangles, but creating flowers with nothing but a blade was beyond my imagination. I wondered if the scent of flowers would even drift in the air.
“Flowers… Do real plum blossoms bloom?”
“Indeed, Sir William. When Mount Hua’s sword masters reach a certain level, plum blossoms bloom from their blades. I once had the chance to witness it, and the sight was truly beautiful.”
Ha-jin spoke to me while wearing a nostalgic expression, as if recalling the past.
Was it really that beautiful?
“I would love the chance to cross swords with a Plum Blossom Sword Master…”
Mu-gwang’s voice, brimming with anticipation, came from behind me.
For someone as sword-obsessed as him, dueling a Plum Blossom Sword Master was probably a dream come true. But with his current skill, taking on one of them would be impossible. They looked like seasoned veterans at a glance.
That was only my rough estimate—they might be even higher. Perhaps at the same level as me, or maybe beyond that.
Either way, they would be no easy opponents.
How far could I go against them with a knight’s martial arts?
Curiosity stirred quietly in my chest.
“Haha, it’s good that everyone’s fired up, but we have business to attend to, so come along quickly.”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
“Understood.”
We resumed moving. We hadn’t come here to sightsee—we had a clear purpose. We couldn’t wander around like tourists.
We needed to meet the Wuxia Alliance Leader as soon as possible, deliver the news of the Demonic Sect’s appearance once more, and hold a meeting to decide when to issue the mobilization order for the martial world to fight them.
…I wouldn’t be able to attend the meeting myself, but Elder Baek had no reason to hide its contents from me.
Once we secured lodging, I planned to use sightseeing as an excuse to look for the protagonist. I needed to check his condition before deciding on our next course of action.
I also had to confirm how many fortuitous encounters he had obtained so far. If possible, building a connection with him was the goal.
Even if he lacked opportunities, he was still the protagonist. With his absurd level of talent, he would undoubtedly become a top-tier expert. Stealing his fortuitous encounters wouldn’t prevent him from reaching a high realm.
So if possible, making him an ally would be the most important piece in overcoming the novel’s trials.
…Of course, that was assuming the protagonist even existed in this world.
He had to be here, right?
It would be better if he was—
If he wasn’t, things would become extremely troublesome.
Without the protagonist, I would have to handle every incident that only he could resolve.
…And there was no guarantee I could solve them all myself.
“Uncle? Are you listening to me?”
“…Ah. Sorry. I was just thinking about something.”
“Thinking about something?”
Hye-ryeong’s curious gaze poked at my cheek. She was curious, wasn’t she? I couldn’t exactly tell her the truth about the original novel or the protagonist, so I gave her a vague answer.
“I was wondering what we should do first now that we’ve arrived at the Wuxia Alliance.”
“Obviously, since we’re here, we should start by touring the Wuxia Alliance, shouldn’t we?”
…She had a point.
Anyway, if I wanted to find the protagonist, I would have to visit the building where the patrol members stayed. I could use touring the Wuxia Alliance with Hye-ryeong as an excuse to go there.
“…You’re right. Let’s take care of our business first, then move around.”
“Okay~”
We headed toward the Alliance Leader’s office once more.
“Alliance Leader. Elder Baek-hyeon of the Hainan Sword Sect has arrived.”
“Tell him to come in.”
“Please enter.”
“This will be a long discussion. Could you assign a guide to escort us to our lodgings afterward?”
“Understood… Members of the Hainan Sword Sect, please follow me.”
We followed the warrior guarding the Alliance Leader’s office to our assigned lodgings.
The warrior guided us without saying much.
“This is… the Hainan Sword Sect’s lodging?”
“It is.”
As one of the Nine Great Sects and the newest, youngest member, the Hainan Sword Sect’s lodging was tucked away in a rather remote corner. Among the buildings within the Wuxia Alliance, it was one of the more recently constructed, so it was supposedly the cleanest.
But perhaps because the Hainan Sword Sect was relatively small in scale.
The lodging wasn’t very large. Still, it looked big enough to comfortably house around a hundred people, though it couldn’t compare to the lodgings of the other Nine Great Sects we had passed.
After all, the other sects were three or four times larger in scale. Including their lay disciples, the difference was so vast it was almost embarrassing to compare. So the difference in lodging size was inevitable.
“This is it.”
Hainan Hall, huh. Whoever named it really put no thought into it.
“Thank you, Captain.”
“I only did my duty. I’ll inform the servants, so if you need anything, let them know.”
With those words, he turned and walked back the way we had come. He was probably returning to the Alliance Leader’s office. I watched his retreating figure for a moment before turning to look at Hainan Hall.
So this was where we would be staying. At this size, I should be able to get a private room, right?
“Senior Brother! Let’s go inside quickly!”
“Junior Sister. Even if you rush me, I can only enter so fast. There’s no need to hurry.”
Ha-jin gently chided Hye-ryeong, then lifted his foot from the ground and stepped into Hainan Hall. When he pushed open the door, it swung open with the sound of hinges creaking.
“It’s spacious.”
As Ha-jin said, the interior was quite large. The pillars and walls gleamed as if they had been recently cleaned, and the decorations scattered throughout looked polished and shiny.
Had they done a thorough cleaning knowing the Hainan Sword Sect was coming? I removed the bamboo hat I had been wearing low over my head and stretched my neck.
“Hehe, Senior Brother! How are we deciding on rooms?”
“Hye-ryeong, you’ll take the room on the left. Since you’re a woman, it would be awkward to stay too close to the men—”
“Hmm—Got it!”
Hye-ryeong nodded vigorously. Then she glanced at me before picking up her luggage and walking down the left corridor with a light step, as if she already knew exactly where her room was.
Did she know, or didn’t she?
Her confident stride made it impossible to tell.
“Let’s go choose our rooms as well.”
“Master, what about your room?”
“Take the best room for yourself.”
“Yes.”
We all headed down the right corridor together. After walking down a hallway that felt long if you thought about it and short if you didn’t, we stopped in what resembled a lobby where the rooms were clustered and looked around.
“There’s a garden in the middle…”
“Senior Brother, let’s give that big room to Elder Baek and take the ones over there.”
“Let’s do that. Mu-gwang, you’ll share a room with Elder Baek.”
“Yes.”
“Sir William, which room will you take?”
“Hmm…”
I crossed my arms and surveyed the remaining rooms. There were more than I could count on both hands, but none of them seemed particularly different.
Still, rooms near the corridor would make it easy to wake up from the noise of people passing by, while rooms farther away would be inconvenient in their own way.
Where would be the best place to stay? As I pondered, Geon-sam approached and tapped my shoulder.
“…”
“What is it?”
The corridor? He wanted me to look at the corridor?
I followed the direction Geon-sam was pointing with his finger. The corridor we had come through. He wanted me to go back there?
Suddenly kicking me out?
It was frustrating not knowing the reason since he couldn’t speak.
“Why are you telling me to go?”
“...”
In response to my question, Geon-sam raised both hands and made a gesture as if clasping them together.
…What did that mean?
Still, since Geon-sam had gone out of his way to point toward the corridor while trying to talk to me, I figured I should at least check. I walked toward the corridor and peered beyond it.
At the other end of the corridor, a familiar face was looking at me.
Had she already unpacked?
Without even unpacking my own luggage, I approached Hye-ryeong.
“Did you finish unpacking already?”
“Hehe. I can unpack later. Have you decided on a room, Uncle?”
“Not yet.”
“Then how about taking the room on the left?”
“That’s a bit…”
They probably wouldn’t allow it in the first place. If that happened, it would be awkward for me too. I would feel self-conscious.
But I could somewhat understand how Hye-ryeong felt.
Being alone in such a large building would feel lonely. That was probably why she was trying to pull me in, but there was no way they would allow it…
“Haha, what’s going on here?”
“Elder Baek! I’ve decided on my room, but—”
Hye-ryeong voiced her opinion as if telling her grandfather about some mischievous adventure, then looked up at Elder Baek. He stroked his beard at her strong declaration and looked at me.
“Sir William. Since Hye-ryeong is so insistent, how about we allow it? I’m also worried about leaving her alone.”
“However…”
“You are a man of strong will, Sir William. I believe you can endure that much. And… ahem.”
Was it just my imagination, or had Hye-ryeong just poked him in the side?
I looked at Hye-ryeong’s face, which seemed slightly flushed compared to before, then nodded.
…If I was going to move around quietly anyway, it would be better to stay somewhere less noticeable.
“Understood.”
“Hehe. I’ll show you a good room!”
She really was unstoppable.
I chuckled and followed Hye-ryeong down the left corridor.
“It’s a good time… A really good time…”
I did my best to ignore Elder Baek’s voice, which carried a hint of satisfaction.