Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Revisiting the Eastern Continent (2)
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Packing was done in no time.
To begin with, the only luggage she had was a change of clothes.
She could just buy anything else she needed along the way.
Yi Agum asked.
“Are you only taking these clothes?”
Seoran looked down at her bundle of clothes.
One, two, three, four, five.
She planned to change daily and launder every three or four days.
Even on second thought, it was perfectly ideal.
“Why? Isn’t this more than enough?”
Yi Agum said.
“Of course you need more. And what’s with this color scheme? It’s all white, black, and gray. You look like a Go stone.”
Seoran, who preferred muted tones, pushed back.
“That simplicity is what makes it stylish.”
“What’s stylish about it? Hold on, I’ll pick out some more for you.”
Yi Agum flung open Seoran’s wardrobe.
Inside were rows of vibrant garments tailor-made for her by the Black Bamboo Sect at great expense.
Since Seoran had never worn them once, they were practically brand new—even now, she could sell them as such.
Yi Agum picked them out without hesitation.
“This one, and this. Oh, this outfit’s nice too. As expected, bright colors suit you better than dull ones, sis.”
“Aren’t those two the same color?”
To Seoran’s eyes, they were both just red.
But Yi Agum disagreed.
“What do you mean same? They’re completely different colors.”
“They’re both red, though?”
“They’re different reds. Come on, pack them in the bundle quick.”
Seoran examined the clothes Yi Agum held out.
Every single one was so garish it reminded her of a poison dart frog.
Her personality meant she’d never wear them.
But for now, she did as told.
She’d be free to wear whatever once she reached the Eastern Continent anyway.
Plus, it felt rude to refuse after Yi Agum had gone to the trouble of picking them.
The clothing bundle ended up three times bulkier.
Yi Agum took the bundle for her and asked.
“Have you got everything now? Nothing left behind?”
Seoran rummaged through her sleeves and pulled out item after item.
“Travel permit, got it. Horn, got it. Obsidian dagger, got it. Plant nutrient solution, got it. Yeah, seems like everything.”
Yi Agum asked with a baffled look.
“What do you have stuffed in your sleeves? I get the obsidian dagger and travel permit, but why the horn or nutrient solution?”
“The horn’s for daily practice—that’s the key to getting better. Consistency is everything. The nutrient solution’s a gift for my friend. I mentioned them before, right? The Five Elements Treefolk.”
“It’s hard to picture a walking tree drinking nutrient solution... Anyway, you need it? Here, give it to me. I’ll wrap it in a separate cloth.”
“It’s fine in my sleeve.”
Yi Agum nodded and said.
“Shall we head out then? I’ll see you off to the ferry.”
“Yeah!”
The two left the mansion.
And promptly returned.
She’d remembered something she’d left behind.
Seoran rummaged through her souvenir box and pulled something out.
Her jade deposit token.
Without it, she couldn’t retrieve her spirit stones from the bank.
Yi Agum asked.
“Now you’ve really got everything, right?”
“Yeah!”
“Good, let’s go.”
The two boarded a ferry boat and set off.
Their destination was a massive canyon nearby.
That was the Jaanhyo Legion’s garrison.
When Seoran blew her horn, some of the dormant owl puppets awoke.
Yi Agum counted the ones that started moving.
Around a thousand, give or take.
Curious, Yi Agum asked.
“Sis, why only a thousand? You’re searching the whole Great Forest—shouldn’t you bring more? It’d be a waste not to use the ones you’ve already made.”
“Considering spiritual power consumption, this is just right.”
“Really? I thought the self-recharging mechanism made it fine. The animal farm controls way more than a thousand. Is it different because those are for chores?”
“Pretty much. And the self-recharge isn’t perfect either. It’s heavily influenced by ambient heaven-earth spiritual energy density. Excluding variables and just factoring my own power, a thousand’s the practical limit. Plus...”
Seoran went on for quite a while after that.
Talking about mortal realm averages and hypotheticals for the immortal realm.
Kind Yi Agum listened to it all, thinking of her sister.
A moment later, Seoran snapped out of it.
“Oh, look at me. Got too carried away.”
Yi Agum quickly chimed in.
“Yeah, we’ll be late at this rate.”
“Better hurry from here on.”
“You’re riding the owl puppets, right?”
Seoran nodded.
“Yeah, that’s what I made them for from the start.”
“Come to think of it, I’ve never seen you fly on an owl puppet. How do you ride them?”
“Nothing special.”
Yi Agum let her imagination run wild.
Seoran perched on an owl’s back, soaring through the sky.
A romantic scene straight out of a fairy tale.
She suddenly wanted to try it herself.
So she said.
“Sis, can you give me a ride sometime later?”
“Of course! Just say the word, anytime!”
“Thanks, sis! Oh, here’s your clothing bundle.”
Seoran tucked the bundle under her arm and waved.
“Agum, I’m off!”
Yi Agum waved back.
“Yeah, take care!”
One owl puppet took flight.
Then its long talons clamped onto Seoran’s shoulders.
Even the great Yi Agum couldn’t help but panic.
It was nothing like she’d imagined.
“Uh, sis?”
Seoran, mid-wave, shot into the air on a gust of wind.
Yi Agum hurriedly looked up at the sky.
There was Seoran, beaming brightly amid the Jaanhyo Legion swarming like bees.
The owl legion vanished from sight in an instant.
Yi Agum prayed fervently.
Please let her sister forget that request.
She did not want to fly around like luggage.
*****
The Jaanhyo Legion crossed the Kingdom of Liang.
Thanks to their concealment arts, there was no risk of detection by mortals.
Seoran arrived at her destination swiftly.
The excavation site of an ancient spire.
The teleportation array manager, who’d been idly watching the clouds, gasped in shock.
“W-what is that!”
A flock of monstrous birds burst through the clouds.
They were approaching the spire at supersonic speeds.
The manager nearly sounded the yokai alert.
But on second look, they weren’t yokai.
A complex network of spiritual power links.
It was a puppet legion controlled by a cultivator.
People from the Black Bamboo Sect reflexively thought of one person at the mention of puppets.
The talk of the town, Ryu Seoran.
By the time that thought crossed his mind, Seoran had arrived.
The site was instantly filled with owls.
Seoran landed with a superhero flourish.
The teleportation array manager asked.
“Aren’t you Ryu the cultivator? Are you here to use the teleportation array to the Eastern Continent?”
Seoran nodded.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Did you obtain travel clearance? Even for you, Ryu the cultivator, no permit means no array use. That’s the rule.”
Contrary to the manager’s expectations, Seoran had clearance.
“Here’s my travel permit.”
“No, you got permission? Sorry for the misunderstanding. That’s odd, though. Headquarters always sends documentation when issuing permits...”
The headquarters handler was truly wronged.
He had followed procedure and sent the documents.
It was just that the owl legion had arrived first, outpacing the human-faced bird courier.
In any case, the permit was genuine.
Seoran could use the teleportation array without issue.
The manager gave her the precautions.
“As the discoverer, you know this well, but please review once more. Beyond the array lies the central Great Forest of the Eastern Continent. More precisely, its depths.”
The manager showed her a drawing he’d made himself.
“The great rift has closed, but the erosion zones haven’t shrunk a bit. The Underworld’s pull remains strong, so cultivators below Foundation Establishment can’t even enter. Are you a cultivator at Core Formation Realm or above?”
Seoran answered the sudden question.
“Pardon?”
“I know it’s a strange question. But it’s procedure, so please answer. Again: are you a cultivator at Core Formation Realm or above?”
Seoran played along shrewdly.
“Yes, I am a cultivator at Core Formation Realm or above.”
“Do you swear to faithfully follow all requests from on-site handlers until your return to the Western Continent?”
“Yes, I swear.”
The two exchanged a few more questions and answers.
The manager checked the recording device.
Pre-briefing, verbal consent—all procedures perfect.
The manager said.
“All set. Heading straight to the Eastern Continent?”
“Yes. When’s the soonest slot?”
The manager scanned the schedule.
“You’re in luck. Just a short wait. Any later and you’d have been stuck for a while... We’ve been swamped transporting search supplies lately.”
“Oh, good timing.”
“You’re taking all the puppets, right? Shall I prepare a cargo cart? As you know, flight’s impossible in the depths.”
“It’s fine, we’ll go on foot.”
“True, owls have legs too.”
The manager suddenly chuckled.
He’d pictured the owl puppets waddling on their stubby legs.
A whole thousand of them.
Adorable just to imagine.
Soon, the time came.
“Please enter one by one. Once teleported, exit the array immediately. Otherwise, you risk colliding with following cargo.”
“Yes, goodbye!”
After her farewell, Seoran blew her horn vigorously.
The Owl March played with expert flair.
The Jaanhyo Legion marched in step.
Seoran set foot on Eastern Continent soil for the first time in a decade.