62. There Are Things Too Tempting to Resist, Even If Dangerous
"Saintess… what did you just say? Heavenly Demon Divine Cult…?"
I couldn't believe my ears and asked again. Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Anyone who's ever dipped a toe into the murim genre would know that name. A group of demons drenched in blood and slaughter, ruled solely by the logic of power. It was the ultimate final boss, the shadowy mastermind, the axis of evil in countless murim tales.
But Lianeis nodded with the purest, most innocent expression on her face.
"Yes, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. People from that world often just call it the Demonic Cult, but the cult members hate that nickname. I totally get it. Our Lord God Church gets called 'Light Zealots' by heretics sometimes, so I know how upsetting that feels."
Demonic Cult and Light Zealots. Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and Lord God Church. The words even had a similar ring to them, and here she was defending the axis of evil like it was just a neighboring faith.
The moment the name "Demonic Cult" dropped, the Tower Master's and the old alchemist's faces stiffened like stone.
"Saintess, I've heard that name before… but isn't that an extremely dangerous and radical cult?"
"Th-that's right! And don't they worship a living man called the Heavenly Demon as a god? That's idolatry! Utterly blasphemous by the tenets of your own faith!"
Lianeis waved her hands frantically, looking deeply wronged by their perfectly reasonable concerns.
"Oh, come on, you two are buying into all those rumors. The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult is actually a lot like our Lord God Church—very structured, with a proper priestly hierarchy."
"Wh-what?"
"The one they truly revere isn't the Heavenly Demon—it's the 'Holy Flame,' a fire god. It's a sacred symbol the cult has worshipped since ancient times. And there's a Flame Maiden who serves that fire, just like me. The Heavenly Demon is more like… the cult's martial saint, responsible for their military might? He handles all the dirty work, so the bad rumors probably got exaggerated."
I rubbed my forehead. Good lord, the Heavenly Demon as a saint? But position-wise, it kinda made a twisted sort of sense.
This is ridiculous.
But Lianeis's innocent explanation kept going.
"No one realizes how much they lead in disaster relief for the common folk. They voluntarily secluded themselves in those harsh mountains to purely serve and practice their faith. But lately, so many starving believers have been flocking to join that they're dreaming of relocating to more fertile lands for better missionary work and relief efforts. The selfish Central Plains sects keep blocking them with force, so clashes are inevitable. They were pretty upset about it."
That's not relief—that's a Central Plains conquest.
I snarked internally, but my heart started pounding like mad anyway. The rivalry between the Murim Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Could there be a more thrilling hook?
And if Lianeis was right, it might not be the blind murder cult I'd imagined.
"Come to think of it, that Heavenly Demon you mentioned—I've heard he has overwhelmingly positive karma points. That true?"
Lianeis clapped her hands, confirming it enthusiastically.
"Exactly! He maintains incredibly high karma in the system's evaluation. Surprisingly polite and refined, from what I hear."
High karma meant he was exerting a positive influence, at least within the system's rules. Never mind that it wasn't aimed at the Murim Alliance. From the rank-and-file believers' perspective, a saint like the Heavenly Demon might be a godsend.
In the end, my curiosity completely overpowered my fear. No—Heavenly Demon. The actual Heavenly Demon! How could I resist?
There are things in the world you know are dangerous but just can't hold back from.
"Alright. Let's meet him."
The moment I made my decision, the Tower Master cleared his throat and tried to dissuade me urgently.
"Repairman… even so, the Demonic Cult is too dangerous. Think it over carefully one more time."
"It'll be fine, won't it? No one's getting stabbed in this community."
"Well… true, but…"
I neatly wrapped up the discussion.
"Here's the plan for the murim trading partners. We'll meet the Jeon-Gak Clan and the Sacheon Party together via introductions from you, Tower Master and Alchemist. And the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult separately, arranged by the Saintess. The more trading partners, the better."
"If you're set on it, I won't stop you. Just always be cautious in your dealings."
"Of course. Don't worry."
And with that, our first trades were settled.
The next morning, the workshop door flew open as Baek Hayeon rushed in.
"Director!!"
"You're here? Guild Master. From that look on your face, you've got good news."
Instead of answering, Baek Hayeon dumped the heavy leather bag slung over her shoulder onto the workbench. Three fist-sized S-rank mana stones gleaming with brilliant blue light tumbled out, along with 300g of impeccably purified top-grade mana gold, shining radiantly. At S-rank, they were hardly distinguishable from Ereinia continent stock.
"Whoa. The government must've been desperate to approve and deliver this in a single day."
"Luckily, there was someone reasonable up top. Director, now we can restore Hyun Dae-cheol's heirloom, right?"
"Of course. With perfect materials, no reason we can't. But you know it'll take time? Give me about a week."
Baek Hayeon's expression tightened slightly at my words.
"Ugh, naturally. Restoring a legendary S-rank item? A week is practically a miracle. But… the S-rank gate on the outskirts of the capital region is on the verge of erupting, according to observations. Still… a week should be okay."
"You're not thinking of diving into that gate yourself, are you?"
Baek Hayeon nodded with a faint smile.
"Of course. If hunters ignore saving lives, who will?"
Taeguk Guild had backed out of that deathtrap, and here she was, ready to lead the charge again. The more I saw, the more I admired her foolhardy, upright awesomeness.
"Even if I beg you not to risk your life, you'll go anyway?"
"Hehe, I'm the guild master of Roijir Guild—think your words can stop me?"
"Whoa, pulling rank now? That's straight-up unfair."
"Ahaha, kidding. But I can't just sit idle. Plus, that summoning method Ariel told us about last time? I finally succeeded with one!! If we're careful, even an SS-rank gate should be manageable."
Excitement bubbled in Baek Hayeon's voice. My eyes lit up.
"Really? You succeeded with a medium?"
"Yes! Just a water spirit for now, though."
I was dying to know what worldly trinket had lured a water spirit.
"So, what is that medium? Not a water bottle or something…?"
"Kinda."
"Kinda…?"
Baek Hayeon giggled.
"Similar vibe to a water bottle. I found it purely by chance… hold on."
She pulled a space-expansion pouch from her pocket and carefully extracted something, placing it on the table. Smooth curves in a subtle celadon hue, adorned with intricate embroidery of willow trees and mandarin ducks.
"Huh…? What's this? Celadon…?"
"Yes. Goryeo celadon. Precisely, the 'celadon inlaid with slip, willow, and mandarin duck water jar.'"
I was floored.
"Wait, hold up. This is insane. Isn't this a national treasure? Why are you carrying it around?!"
"Ah, the one on display at the museum is the real national treasure, state-owned. This is an identical genuine piece my late grandfather scraped together everything to repatriate from a Chinese auction."
"Oh…?"
"More Korean cultural treasures than you'd think are still in China or Japan. With government approval, my father inherited it from Grandpa and keeps it in private custody."
The idea of someone stashing a national treasure-grade artifact at home was absurd enough, but what came next made my head throb even more.
"So… a water spirit picked this national treasure celadon as its medium?"
"Yep. Water spirits are super sensitive to the 'vessel's dignity' for holding pure water. I went to our family home to ask Dad for help convincing the government folks, and wouldn't you know, Yundia started dancing in front of this celadon on display?"
"Ah… so? Using Goryeo celadon as a spirit bowl…?"
"Took some serious persuading to borrow it. Dad was tearing up, so I promised to get him an even better one later."
I had no desire to dwell on a father's anguish at his daughter hijacking a national treasure vase.
"Haha… well, congrats on the power-up anyway."
"Thank you. You have to nail that repair, Director."
"No worries. See you in a week."
Baek Hayeon left with a face full of hope. Once the door shut and I was alone, I gazed at the S-rank mana stones, mana gold, and the dulled Yeouiju on the table.
The Dragon Heart deep in my chest thumped hotly, like it was greeting an old friend.
Definitely. This is the Primal Dragon's arrangement.
"Alright, let's see what arrangement the Primal Dragon left inside this thing… time to crack it open."
I reached out with both hands, enveloping the Yeouiju and mana stones, and deployed the Repair skill and Dragon Heart simultaneously.
Pa-aht—!