Chapter 259: Destroying the Black Cloud Faction
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 259: Destroying the Black Cloud Faction
“So, you’re saying the reason you were captured and brought here was to destroy the Black Cloud Faction?”
Seol-hwa said, her eyes narrowed skeptically.
She still doesn’t believe me.
As if this master thief of a lizard would let himself be caught so easily.
…Of course, she’s never seen my true form, so it wasn't unreasonable for her to think that.
She might have thought that the lizard who went "gek-gek" while stealing things was simply captured by the Black Cloud Faction.
But that wasn't the reality.
I was in the middle of a grand operation with the newly recruited Taotie to screw over Jin-ryong.
“Gek gek.”
“Hmm… But if that’s the case, why were you wagging your tail and purring at me when I was in disguise?”
“Gek.”
That’s irrelevant.
Besides, I acted friendly because you had a somewhat familiar scent.
And I figured I could make good use of you somehow, even if you weren't Baek Seol-hwa.
I lifted my head and looked into Seol-hwa’s blue eyes.
Why did I lift my head, you ask? Because I had finally succeeded in getting into her comfortable embrace.
When I heard about Master and started growling, making it obvious I was in a bad mood, Seol-hwa didn’t know what to do and pulled me into her arms.
It wasn't like I was angry at Seol-hwa, and the incredibly satisfying warmth made me feel much better.
Not that my feelings toward Jin-ryong and Al-Yu had dulled, though.
“Anyway, destroying this place… It’s not like our cult hadn’t considered it. They’re a group that indiscriminately harms spirit beasts and extorts elixirs, so we never planned on leaving them be for long.”
I didn't know the details, but the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was a group that was friendly toward spirit beasts.
Even when a lizard that could walk on water was running rampant through the cult, no one harbored any real killing intent; they only thought of capturing me.
There were some shameless humans who covered the bathhouse window, saying my gaze was weird, but aside from that, it was safe to say they treated spirit beasts well.
Just look at their alliance with the Snake Queen, one of the spirit beasts; you could tell their atmosphere was different from other groups in the Central Plains.
A cult like that wouldn't have just left the Black Cloud Faction alone.
If Master hadn't been injured, this place would have been reduced to ashes long ago.
“But as I said before, we were leaving them be for a while to heal my sister. We even contacted them from time to time to acquire elixirs. Of course, they didn't make much of a difference.”
How could they?
The real gems among the elixirs gathered here weren't being sold; they were being delivered directly to Jin-ryong.
I told Seol-hwa the information I'd learned.
Using gestures and even the Dragon's Word when she didn't understand.
“…So, you’re saying there’s a high probability that the Black Cloud Faction is connected to that bastard Jin-ryong?”
Their connection to Jin-ryong was certain.
Taotie herself, of all people, had told me.
“No wonder they wouldn’t sell the good stuff. It was all for him.”
Seol-hwa clenched her fist lightly.
Seeing her do that with a face so similar to Master's, I felt like the Black Cloud Faction could turn to ash at any moment.
“But even so, destroying this place right now would be meaningless. The fact remains that we can still get elixirs here.”
If there was any method with even a slight chance of success, the Priestess of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had to take it.
Therefore, I explained the plan I had devised.
“You’re going to offer your tail?”
Her eyes stared at my long tail.
“And with a red ribbon…? Why…?”
You don't need to worry about that part.
“It’s true… your tail did have an efficacy comparable to a unicorn’s horn.”
When I first met Seol-hwa, I needed the unicorn horn she was holding.
I was almost turned into Seol-hwa’s pet lizard, or perhaps a semi-dried grilled lizard, but I managed to get the unicorn horn by giving her one of my tails.
As she said, it was only possible because my tail back then was about as potent as a unicorn's horn.
“You’re much stronger now than you were then, so your tail might actually help my sister.”
Yank.
Baek Seol-hwa pulled on my tail.
“Geeeek.”
Let go. It won't come off just from that.
“What’s wrong?”
“Gek.”
I’ll give you the tail, but not right now.
I need to gather more power first.
“Consume more elixirs and focus all that power into your tail… Your tail is certainly potent, so if you do that, it should make a difference.”
Seol-hwa’s face brightened.
She stroked my tail, the corner of her mouth lifting into a smirk.
“In that case, I see no reason to leave the Black Cloud Faction be, do you?”
Just like Master’s little sister.
She already seemed strangely excited.
A lizard and a human.
And one centipede, one mantis, and one millipede.
The five of them put their heads together.
“Hui, do you like spending money?”
A plan to bring down Jin-ryong.
But before that, a plan to annihilate the Black Cloud Faction came to mind.
*
“Palace Lord. I heard you were looking for something.”
The Faction Leader paid his respects to the Lord of the Ice Palace.
For a figure of her stature, it was only proper for the Faction Leader to attend to her personally.
Of course, her true identity was not the Lord of the Ice Palace but the Priestess of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, but it wasn't easy to see through her Disguise Art.
“I’m just looking at some elixirs, and getting something to feed this cute little lizard.”
The Faction Leader glanced at the lizard nestled comfortably in her arms.
He knew from his subordinates' reports that the Ice Palace Lord was showing immense favor to the lizard she had temporarily borrowed.
The Faction Leader couldn't understand why she treated it so well.
Its appearance was not something he could agree with being called a "cute lizard."
It looked like a compressed dragon, so it had a certain coolness to it if it stayed still.
But look at that peculiar expression.
As if overjoyed to be there, it was letting out a happy purr, wearing what looked like a perverted expression.
It was a far cry from "cute."
And there's a limit to doting on something you find cute. How could she even think of feeding elixirs to a lizard?
Besides, it wasn't even her own pet, just a temporary loan. She was going to feed it those expensive elixirs?
Unless she had money to burn, she wouldn't do that.
“Show me your most expensive ones. Except for the items to be offered to him.”
But the Lord of the Ice Palace had money! A ridiculous amount of it.
That was one of the reasons the Black Cloud Faction was so deferential to her.
The Northern Sea, a cold land, was not rich in resources. However, it was the one place that produced high-quality Cold Iron, allowing it to earn a hefty profit through trade.
As such, the wealth of Arin, the Lord of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, was beyond question.
Of course, Seol-hwa, who was borrowing Arin's appearance, wasn't very wealthy.
As the Priestess of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, she could live a more lavish life than anyone if she so chose.
But since the Cult Leader herself lived frugally and prioritized the followers' food, she didn't dare use the cult's assets recklessly.
The only luxury afforded to her was occasionally buying snacks like Okbong's honey dango with the allowance she received from her sister.
Of course, even that had been stolen entirely by a certain mischievous lizard.
But it didn't matter. After all, the one paying wasn't Seol-hwa, but Arin, whom Seol-hwa was impersonating.
No matter how much money she spent here, the bill would be sent to the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
Therefore, Seol-hwa felt no pressure in raising the stakes.
Even if things go wrong, Arin will pay for it, she thought.
Of course, the bill would never make it to the Northern Sea Ice Palace. She had a plan with the lizard, after all.
In any case, the Faction Leader, who just needed to sell a lot and get paid, beamed.
He laid out some reasonably useful elixirs and began to explain, but the Ice Palace Lord barely listened before popping them into the lizard's mouth.
What a windfall.
He'd get the money, and later, when he offered the lizard to Jin-ryong, the combined effects of the elixirs would make it even more potent.
Still, a question arose in his mind. Was it really okay for that small body to consume so many elixirs?
But no matter how he looked, it seemed perfectly fine. Its tail seemed to be getting plumper, but not to a strange degree.
“Is it good?”
“Gek.”
“My, he certainly eats with a hearty appetite.”
Since it was the lizard that Taotie herself had brought, it wouldn't be strange for it to possess some special ability.
It had to be at least this special to be worthy of being offered directly to Jin-ryong.
The Ice Palace Lord stroked the lizard as it calmly accepted the food.
“Faction Leader, that’s enough of these. Bring out the real elixirs now.”
“Pardon?”
“Is there so little trust between us? You’ve set aside the real gems, haven’t you?”
The Faction Leader frowned. So that's it. He realized she hadn't bought the elixirs for the lizard for no reason.
It was a signal: I've bought this much, so now bring out the better stuff you've been hiding.
“Gongcheongseokyu, a Ten-Thousand-Year Golden Spirit Fruit, or maybe a Great Reversion Pill from Shaolin. You must have at least one of those, don't you?”
“It's not that we don't have them, but the price is quite…”
The Faction Leader trailed off. He knew that arguing about price with the woman before him would be useless.
“Faction Leader, who am I?”
“Are you not the Lord of the Ice Palace?”
“That’s right, but I’m also Arin, the wealthiest person in the world. And that’s not all. I’m a person whose face is a nation-toppling beauty and whose voice is no different from a celestial maiden’s, am I not?”
The Black Cloud Faction Leader wore an expression that said, What the hell is this woman talking about?
Did the Lord of the Ice Palace always have this kind of personality?
How could she talk about herself like that?
As he was thinking this, the Faction Leader caught the sweet scent of alcohol.
Now he understood. The Ice Palace Lord was drunk.
There was no way she could say such things while sober.
At the same time, his sharp mind started turning.
The Ice Palace Lord was already overflowing with money. If he took advantage of this moment, he could squeeze several times the usual amount out of her.
“And you’re talking to me about price?”
“…I have misspoken. I will show you the precious elixirs I have been keeping.”
“Good thinking. If nothing else, I'd prefer an elixir that can restore True Qi.”
The Faction Leader, who had been about to walk away excitedly, froze in his tracks.
“…The restoration of True Qi, you say?”
Restoration of True Qi. Why on earth would the Lord of the Ice Palace be looking for such an elixir?
Of course, a common feature of elixirs was that they enhanced the user's internal energy.
In that process, they also restored some amount of depleted True Qi.
There were also elixirs that focused specifically on restoring True Qi, but they weren't something the Ice Palace Lord should be looking for.
As far as he knew, no one in the Northern Sea Ice Palace needed such an elixir.
“Yes, the restoration of True Qi.”
The Black Cloud Faction Leader couldn't figure out what the Ice Palace Lord truly wanted.
The very elixirs the Black Cloud Faction was collecting were those that restored True Qi.
The Ice Palace Lord should know that, so why was she suddenly demanding them?
“As you know, Palace Lord, I cannot give you such elixirs. You are aware of his situation, are you not?”
Still, he could make a guess. She was making an unreasonable request to create a situation where he would more easily grant her other requests.
It wouldn't work on the battle-hardened Black Cloud Faction Leader, but his opponent was the Ice Palace Lord, his biggest spender.
The Faction Leader decided to play along.
Since she was drunk, if he just humored her, he could squeeze even more money out of her.
“Ah, that’s right. I’d forgotten for a moment. He must be in need of recovery right now.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“Instead, I can show you any number of other elixirs. If it's a matter of constitution, we just received a Fermented Fire Bird Egg…”
The Faction Leader's words trailed off.
Those blue eyes staring at him.
Were those the eyes of a drunk person?
“Faction Leader, may I ask a question?”
“A-a question, you say?”
No, was the person standing before him even the real Lord of the Northern Sea Ice Palace?
“When exactly was it that he suffered his internal injury? My memory is a bit hazy.”
Why was she asking such a question?
Was it because she really couldn't remember? Or was it to get information about Jin-ryong?
The Black Cloud Faction Leader unconsciously reached for the hilt of the sword at his waist.
But what his hand touched was not the cold hilt of a sword.
“Gegegek?”
Where the hilt of his sword should have been, there was only a familiar lizard with a plumped-up tail, sitting calmly.