Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Hello, World! (2)
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Seoran and Yi Agum chatted away, losing track of time.
The adventure in the Eastern Continent, retold once more.
It had been embellished so many times that it was now half fiction.
Of course, Yi Agum, hearing it for the first time, was simply delighted.
Next came show-and-tell with the spoils of war.
The third-place prize from the Beauty Tree Contest, the Millennium Earth Spirit Wood in all its radiant glory.
Even Yi Agum, who knew a thing or two about spirit trees, was greatly impressed.
Finally, Seoran introduced the Puppet Four Sisters.
The countless cutting-edge functions housed within them.
They were the pinnacle of Eastern Continent puppetry.
Yi Agum's reaction was the best of everything she'd seen that day.
"Is this really something you made, sis?!"
"Of course! Let me tell you about the techniques packed into them..."
"This is amazing!"
"Right? Especially the self-recharging function..."
"Wow, puppets carved from wood that look this beautiful? You had talent in this area too, sis. They look exactly like real people. Why didn't you do this before when you were so good at it?"
"Huh?"
Seoran mulled over what Yi Agum had said.
And soon realized.
Yi Agum wasn't marveling at the puppets' functions, but their appearance.
From the creator's perspective, she wished the praise had been for the painstakingly crafted internals rather than the casually shaped exterior.
"Agum, the Puppet Four Sisters can shoot beams from their eyes."
Of course, it didn't make much difference.
"Beams? Your last magic tool did that too. What's so special about it?"
A perfect 'puppet or magic tool, same difference' mindset.
Seoran reacted just like most IT professionals do to offhand comments from outsiders.
She poured out futile explanations trying to make the other understand how difficult it was.
Seoran explained with wild gestures.
"So, do you get it now?"
"Yeah, I understand perfectly."
Her face said she understood nothing.
She was just nodding along because her sister said so.
Seoran suddenly felt like crying.
She wanted to go somewhere quiet and shout by herself.
This really is hard!
It's like inventing a Wi-Fi showerhead!
Praise my achievements in more detail!
Of course, it wasn't that difficult.
The Black Bamboo Sect was full of bamboo groves.
Anywhere would do—just carve 'the king's ears are donkey ears' into it.
But she never got the praise for the performance she craved.
Yi Agum was too busy admiring the stunningly beautiful sisters with ecstatic expressions.
*****
Seoran resumed her cultivation in earnest.
Consuming pills, meditating, studying spells, and so on.
She began spending her days energetically, just like before.
Rising at dawn, enjoying damcheong and a dharma cushion steam bath.
She put effort into the Cloning Art as per Yeo Mujin's teachings.
In her spare time, she studied puppetry or contemplated her inner self through meditation.
Of course, taking the past plunge into heart demons as a lesson, she made sure to enjoy leisure in proper measure.
One time, she visited the Medicine Hall to see Yi Agum.
By chance, she got to observe the pill refinement process.
A rare sight money couldn't buy.
Beginner pill refiner Yi Agum was boiling water and spirit herbs in a massive cauldron.
She stirred vigorously with a ladle, then scooped a bit to taste.
Tilting her head, she breathed fire from her mouth.
Flames made of purifying spiritual power heated the cauldron.
It was so hot even a cultivator would sweat like rain.
Yi Agum adjusted the volume of her breath to gradually find the right temperature.
Seoran was amazed by Yi Agum's concentration.
She had spent her life just swallowing pills others made, oblivious to the grueling process behind them.
She vowed never to complain about a pill's taste again.
Beyond that, Seoran explored every corner of the Black Bamboo Sect.
Fun research on Giant Skinning Method with Ho Hye-mun.
Endless sloppy go games with Geum Yeongyeong.
Earth Mother God reconstruction event with Damcheong.
She also finished unpacking the luggage from the Eastern Continent.
The depositor's proof jade plaque and gears went into the souvenir box.
The Millennium Earth Spirit Wood was stored in her personal vault at the Scripture Pavilion.
She planned to use it once her puppetry skills improved.
Seoran's current focus was, naturally, puppetry.
More precisely, her main goal was to fuse the puppetry techniques learned from both the Eastern and Western Continents.
She already possessed the essence of Western Continent puppetry.
It was puppet enthusiast Yeop Gwanbo's 'Learning Puppet Research.'
It had been too difficult before—she hadn't understood even half.
But now, she could.
Seoran reverently opened the research tome.
As they say, you see as much as you know.
"Elder Yeop! Why did you leave us so soon?!"
Seoran shed endless tears as she pored over the research.
Puppetry in the puppetry wasteland of the Western Continent at this level.
In a lonely world where no one understood, Yeop Gwanbo had created a miracle alone.
Yeop Gwanbo, born in the Western Continent by fate's prank.
The last insights of a tragic genius.
And Ryu Seoran, who had awakened the essence of Eastern Continent puppetry.
Seoran felt a heavenly mandate in this chain of events.
"Elder Yeop, watch over me from heaven! I will carry on your legacy! I will complete the ultimate puppetry! I swear it!"
A tearful vow that echoed to the heavens.
Geum Yeongyeong, sleeping quietly next door, woke up.
It was unusually noisy today.
Geum Yeongyeong put in earplugs and went back to sleep.
The next day, from morning, Seoran immersed herself in puppetry.
Her goal: read the gratitude tome ten times a day.
After about five reads, a visitor arrived.
It was one of the leadership.
"Investigator Ryu, is the report still far off?"
"Oh, right."
Seoran scratched the back of her head.
She'd had a nagging feeling she'd forgotten something.
After nearly half a month with no word, they came to check.
Seoran hurriedly wrote up the Eastern Continent report.
*****
The joint leadership of Black Bamboo Sect and Goldworks Faction gathered.
The agenda: 'Appropriate Approach to the Eastern Continent.'
The leadership speed-read Seoran's Eastern Continent report.
It was an insane length, but they finished quickly.
After reading documents for centuries, you get this way whether you like it or not.
The report's content was more substantial than expected.
"Then, let's begin the meeting."
The leadership smoothly began brainstorming.
"We'll have to make contact eventually, right?"
"Ignoring it entirely would be too wasteful."
"The manpower and resources wasted due to their bizarre power structure must be considerable."
"Given the impending non-ascension, wouldn't it be better to focus on collecting techniques and spells?"
"The report shows too many spirit root holders dying as mortals. Isn't there any way?"
"Just give up on that part. Only high-rank investigators can pass through the depths of the Great Spirit Forest where the teleportation array is. Regrettable, but unavoidable."
"The real issues are the netherworld forces and erosion zones. No good solutions."
"With the great rift closed, won't things normalize soon?"
"Purifying the erosion zones will take longer than our non-ascension."
"Why not build teleportation arrays outside the Great Spirit Forest too?"
"The experts are researching it, but..."
"Interpreting the teleport patterns or restoring production methods is too early to discuss now."
"Honestly, what's the point of us debating this? All we have on the Eastern Continent is Investigator Ryu's report."
"Exactly. It's thorough, but it's info gathered by one person. Not enough for proper decisions. The Western and Eastern Continents are too different, from major sect structures to landscape culture."
"Well said. We especially need diverse info on the giant sects. By the way, why is the Ten Great Sects criticism section so massive? Everything else is skimpy, but this is disproportionately long."
"Too many broad categories for diplomatic targets too. Five Elements Treefolk, ten giant sects, scattered minor sects, even mountain-dwelling groups. Yet Investigator Ryu's activities were concentrated in Taibon Valley."
"Plus, the chaos from closing the great rift is a problem. Any predictions now are just playing prophet. We need more info and time."
The meeting concluded with consensus leaning one way.
The biggest issue was lack of information.
Decisions on the Eastern Continent were provisionally shelved.
But that didn't mean a passive response.
*****
The joint leadership dispatched an organization to the Eastern Continent.
Overall commander Geum Jungpae crossed the teleportation array.
Twenty decisive realm investigators went with him.
They made the palace with the teleportation array their base.
Their mission wasn't diplomacy—it was intelligence.
Some disguised as mountain ascetics to infiltrate Taibon Valley.
Thanks to the Eastern Continent's unique ascetic culture, rootless decisive investigators appearing out of nowhere raised no suspicion.
The agents would blend in, build networks, and establish intelligence webs.
The rest guarded the rearmost base, the teleportation array palace.
They planned to exterminate the belligerent yokai nearby and explore ruins near the great rift.
As long as they held the teleportation array, they could retreat even if things went south.
Geum Jungpae said, savoring his pounding heart.
"First, find the local collaborator, the Three-Eyed Cat."
"Yes!"
Some agents left carrying fruit baskets.
"The strike team starts with yokai extermination."
"Yes!"
Moments later, countless seismic waves rocked the Great Spirit Forest.
The reason diplomatic envoy and native technique expert Geum Jungpae became intelligence chief was simple.
A diplomat's virtues were a spy's virtues too.
He was rarely matched in ground combat.
Geum Jungpae could handle any situation.
War or diplomacy both started with intelligence gathering.
The perfect choice.
Geum Jungpae murmured with anticipation.
"Nice to meet you, new world."
It was autumn.