A Sea Dragon Making a Quick Buck
Just because a person started breathing again didn't mean they would regain consciousness immediately.
She had been drifting helplessly in the freezing water for who knows how long, so it made sense that her recovery was taking time. I built up the campfire to make it larger and laid her down next to it.
I even let her use my precious Waterdrop Bed, the one I usually slept on.
It was soft and comfortable enough to guarantee a good night's sleep, so there was no better place for someone to recover.
Anyway...
"What a mess," I muttered.
The forum was currently ablaze with gossip.
Specifically, the rumor about a bandit camp being wiped out between Zagui and Jeokbyeok.
And, of course, the speculation connecting it to my post a few days ago about killing someone.
I didn't know exactly where Zagui was, but I knew Jeokbyeok.
The Battle of Red Cliffs. Anyone who had read a book or two in a school library would know it—it was the highlight of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
"So this is the Yangtze River."
And I was apparently in Hubei Province.
In Three Kingdoms terms, it would be somewhere around Yangzhou or Jingzhou.
I didn't know much about Murim, but finding out the names of these places was a good thing.
In a world without GPS, if I didn't even know the name of the region, I wouldn't be able to find my way back even if I wanted to.
"Hubei Province, the Yangtze River, a riverside cave somewhere along it."
I repeated my home address to myself and swiped the Murim Gallery screen to the corner.
Posting anything right now would only draw attention, and I wouldn't get any useful information anyway.
"Ugh..."
I had to make the call and save this woman myself.
"They say keeping wet clothes on leads to hypothermia."
It was something I remembered from a safety tips variety show I watched when I was a kid.
I stripped the wet clothes off the woman, whose face was still pale and blue.
It was a green robe.
I didn't know much about the fashion of this era, but I could tell instinctively that it was made of a much softer, higher-quality fabric than the rags I had stolen from Eom Gutaek.
How did someone wearing such nice clothes almost end up as a water ghost?
"Did loan sharks raid her place or something?"
This was a world where public safety was so terrible that fifty burly men carrying axes and clubs could suddenly barge into a cave where a woman lived alone.
If loan sharks carrying swords and axes barged into my place, I probably would have jumped into the Yangtze River just like her.
"Ugh, why did she wrap her chest in bandages like this?"
I carefully unwrapped the wet bandages tightly binding her chest, then took off Eom Gutaek's rags that I was wearing and draped them over her.
They were dirty, but it would keep her body heat in much better than leaving her naked on the Waterdrop Bed.
As for me...
"Ugh, freezing."
I put on the wet clothes the woman had been wearing instead.
The chest area was tight and suffocating, but wearing this, I planned to visit the private houses I had spotted when I went to dump the bandits at the government office.
I was thinking of bringing some fish to barter for herbs that were good for hypothermia, but...
"Oh, lucky."
Hearing a metallic clinking sound, I checked the inside of the robe and found a pouch stuffed with silver coins.
This would be more than enough to buy the herbs, and...
"Maybe I should buy a set of clothes for myself too."
Even if it wasn't anything fancy.
Surely a clean set of clothes without any tears was a fair price for saving someone's life...
With that thought, I left the cave.
I should hurry back before it got too late, rather than letting her wake up first and making things awkward.
When I had dumped Eom Gutaek and his gang at the government office after subduing them, the sun had already set.
Because of that, I hadn't met anyone else besides Eom Gutaek's gang, who had been openly hostile to me...
"So this is what it feels like."
Now, I think I understood.
Exactly what kind of looks a Divine Beast received in this Murim.
"Mother, look over there."
"Shh! Don't stare. You might get bewitched."
I was certain of it now.
To ordinary people, a Divine Beast was treated as a 'different species.'
It was similar to seeing a foreigner with a completely different skin color on the subway.
Even though they were humans just like us, you couldn't help but steal a glance, or conversely, look away in surprise.
Similar, yet clearly different.
That was the difference between a Divine Beast and a human.
However...
"Hello. Could I buy some clothes?"
"Oh my, of course you can! Come in, come in. I'll pick out something that suits you right away."
"Thank you."
Ordinary passersby were one thing, but merchants selling goods were a different story.
After all, as long as a customer bought their wares, merchants were usually more than happy to serve them, no matter who they were.
I stopped by a clothing shop, changed out of the wet clothes into a neat set of black robes, and packed the green robe into a wrapping cloth the shopkeeper gave me as a bonus.
It felt a bit like shopping with someone else's money, but the clothes didn't seem that expensive, so my conscience was relatively clear.
"Hello. Do you happen to have any herbs that are good for someone who has caught a deep chill? Something that warms up the body."
"Hmm... The weather hasn't been cold enough lately for someone to catch a chill, has it?"
"A friend of mine fell into the river. They're still shivering at home, so I need some good herbs."
"I see... I'll get them for you."
At the apothecary the clothing shop owner had recommended, I was able to easily obtain the herbs for hypothermia.
It was a bit unsettling how the apothecary kept staring at my horns and tail with greedy eyes, but...
I still managed to buy the herbs without any trouble. Before heading back, I also made sure to buy some food, a plate, and utensils to feed the woman when she woke up.
Personally, I was perfectly fine with picking wild berries and grilling crucian carp or catfish directly over the campfire, but there was a sick person lying in my cave right now.
Since I had basically looted her money to buy myself clothes, I felt obligated to play the role of a good nurse. I carefully gathered my purchases and headed back to the cave.
"Oh."
"..."
When I returned, the woman was sitting on the edge of the Waterdrop Bed like it was a sofa, warily watching my entrance.
"Ah, hello?"
"Who... are you?"
"I'm the person who saved you after you drifted down the river."
"Does a savior usually strip someone of their clothes like this?"
"What, was I supposed to leave you in soaking wet clothes? You would've frozen."
"My chest hurts too. What on earth did you do to me?"
"You weren't breathing and were about to die, so I performed CPR to get you breathing again."
"..."
"I only did what had to be done."
"...I'll concede that."
At least she was reasonable enough to admit when I was right.
"And I bought these herbs for you to eat. Are you still cold? Those rags won't keep you very warm, so take this and rest. You can change back once your clothes dry."
"Thank you for saving me... and for buying all of this."
"Don't thank me. I bought it with your money."
"Excuse me? Ah..."
Of course, I had no intention of taking credit using someone else's money, so I confessed honestly.
No matter how shameless I could be.
Letting this slide without saying anything felt a bit too unconscionable.
Besides, it would be even more awkward if she found out I looted her money for my clothes later.
By confessing before a bigger issue arose, I hid the dark truth of buying my own clothes within the honest truth of spending her money.
You could call it sacrificing a bit of flesh to take the bone.
Anyway.
"How are you feeling? Any better?"
"Yes, I feel a warmth rising. I'm sweating a bit too..."
"Wipe the sweat off immediately. Even if they're just rags, it's better than letting the sweat cool and making you cold again."
"Okay."
After that, I spent time looking after the woman, who had let her guard down significantly.
We didn't talk much.
She had just regained consciousness after nearly drowning, and we were complete strangers, so what was there to say?
Since she didn't initiate conversation and just stared blankly into space, I remained quiet as well. As we sat there killing time...
"What is your name?"
The woman asked.
"Hae Sua."
I answered proudly.
I still had the name Changseop, but that name really didn't suit this appearance.
My new name, Hae Sua, was a million times more fitting.
"You can call me Rin."
Revealing her name, Rin offered an awkward smile while keeping herself covered with the rags.
"I'll be in your care for a bit."
"Make yourself at home."
Just as Eom Gutaek had allowed me to go from being naked to wearing rags.
Rin had allowed me to go from wearing rags to wearing neat clothes.
Since my benefactor wanted to crash at my place, I had to let her stay as long as she wanted.
Wait, then why did I sell out Eom Gutaek to the government?
That bastard was a violent criminal who brought a whole gang to harass a woman living alone.
What kind of nonsense is that?
Of course I had to report him.