The Goddess's Blunder and the Crimson Stream
Geomseol Mumeong was suddenly overcome with a wave of regret. 'My handsome little brother seems to be suffering quite a bit in the lower realm, doesn't he? To think he's become disabled and had his face ruined in just a few short days... At this rate, it's uncertain if he'll ever be able to return to the Divine Realm as a magnificent god...'
Disappointment and dejection washed over her. To maintain a stable connection with her favorite "sucker," Bukjin, she had made a major decision and installed a crystal screen and a specialized formation inside her temple. Although the crystal screen she’d set up was a second-hand model with significantly lower performance than the latest versions, its core functions were perfectly fine. She had purchased it only after meticulously verifying that the four previous owners had kept it in pristine condition and that no components were missing.
For her, this expenditure was a gamble—an investment. However, she judged it to be worth the risk. Beings like Bukjin, who directly converted wealth into Faith Points, were exceedingly rare. Geomseol Mumeong calculated that if she could form a long-term, stable relationship with someone like him, she would secure a massive, never-ending source of income. She had bought the crystal screen with the grand ambition of milking Bukjin for all he was worth to cover her mounting expenses and liquor bills.
She never dreamed that the fallen god she had placed her faith in would end up in such a wretched state, on the verge of ruin after a brief period of silence. 'No! For the sake of our continued partnership, I have to help him just this once!' If she didn't help Bukjin now, the massive investment she’d made in the crystal screen and all her future profits would vanish like bubbles in the wind.
Geomseol Mumeong sent the message using her Divine Will. Almost immediately, a reply flickered across the crystal screen.
Geomseol Mumeong was currently lounging on an old rug, her skin as smooth as polished jade, without a single stitch of clothing on her body. She used her Divine Will to tilt the crystal screen to a more comfortable angle and began to reply with an air of lazy indifference.
Bukjin's message appeared on the screen. A mischievous grin, like a cat that had just caught a fish, spread across Geomseol Mumeong's face as she typed her reply.
'Lookist? What does that mean?'
Geomseol Mumeong sent the message with a sly smile and reached out to rummage through the papers scattered on her table. She quickly picked one out and sent another message.
Still lying down, Geomseol Mumeong lifted her snow-white leg and gently pressed a specific part of the formation engraved on the crystal screen with her foot. In the next instant, a face appeared on the screen. It was the face of an incredibly handsome boy with a dazed expression.
Geomseol Mumeong stared at the screen, momentarily stunned. 'Huh? Did I press the wrong thing?'
The formation she had pressed was supposed to transmit a drawing across dimensions, not a live feed of the actual person. Yet, the screen was showing a real-time image. 'That damn old man! I'm going to make him pay back ten Faith Points tomorrow. Hmph!' Feeling that there was a slight malfunction in the formation, she made a dissatisfied face. Then, she turned her attention back to the screen to observe the handsome boy's face.
'He really is handsome! Even compared to the high gods of this world, he's much better looking! I feel like I want to reach out and touch the screen! But why is his expression like that?'
Geomseol Mumeong was puzzled for a moment before a look of realization dawned on her. After a brief hesitation, she cautiously sent a message.
Bukjin's voice came through the screen with crystal clarity. And then, Geomseol Mumeong witnessed a double stream of blood erupting from Bukjin's nose.
"Hoho, how is it? You've never seen a goddess as beautiful and peerless as me, have you?" Geomseol Mumeong said, intentionally winking at the screen.
"N-no, it's not that... I've just never seen a completely naked woman before... This is way too stimulating!" Bukjin stammered.
Geomseol Mumeong froze for a moment, then looked down at her own body. Only then did she realize that she had woken up from her habitual naked nap and hadn't put on a single thing.
"Hoho, oh my... even so, a nosebleed? You really lack self-control, don't you, big brother?"
Speaking in a light, nonchalant voice as if it were nothing, Geomseol Mumeong hurriedly deactivated the formation. In the next moment, a high-pitched scream that seemed to pierce the heavens erupted from within the shabby temple. It was loud enough that the divine citizens living within a ten-mile radius all turned their heads in surprise toward her temple on the mountain peak.
"What's wrong with that crazy goddess now?"
"Did she overindulge in alcohol again?"
"Maybe she finally lost her mind after being chased by debt collectors..."
Behind the Temple of the Sword Lord.
"Student Im. Why did you suddenly get a nosebleed?" Ya Mi-ang asked in surprise.
Bukjin quickly wiped the blood with a handkerchief handed to him by Ak Hong-hyang and replied calmly, "I haven't been resting well lately, so I guess fatigue has just caught up with me..."
'Dammit, what kind of goddess is she! I thought it was just a regular messenger scam, but now she's doing body cam phishing?! Are all apprentice goddesses this reckless? To suddenly show herself naked without a word of warning!'
As Bukjin was lost in these thoughts, a file was suddenly transmitted through the Messenger app. Fortunately, this file was about 500MB in size and had a clearly labeled name.
Heavenly Horse Meteor Arm.
Bukjin hesitated for a moment before downloading the file. The download was complete in thirty seconds. When he opened the file, he found a blueprint describing how to forge prosthetic arms and legs using metal. The content consisted of four pages in total.
The first page was an overview. The second page detailed the forging process for the arms, and the third page covered the legs. The fourth page contained a miscellaneous list of required materials and formations. As Bukjin scanned the four documents, he felt like he was looking at the final, most difficult question on a math exam. He couldn't understand a single thing.
"Forget it. I'll just show this to Dean Cho later."
Bukjin uploaded the file to his Storage app. Then, he continued reading the messages Geomseol Mumeong had sent along with the file.
After a moment's thought, Bukjin sent a reply.
Bukjin then opened his Shopping app. A moment later, delivery information appeared within the app. When he tapped to open it, he saw that the Small Heavenly Star Dew Drop Grass sent from Geomseol Mumeong's General Store would arrive in ten days.
'Interesting. Is there a courier service in the Divine Realm too? Will a delivery person bring it to my door? Or will it be delivered to me through someone else's hands, like destiny?'
Bukjin felt a strange sense of anticipation. As he continued to ponder, he and Ak Hong-hyang arrived at the back of the temple. A small plaza had been established there, with three buildings connected to three separate pathways. In the center of the plaza stood a statue of the Sword Lord, carved from pure white stone and standing about thirty feet tall.
The statue wore a breastplate and a helmet, wielding a longsword. It captured the charm of a powerful woman perfectly. It was so lifelike that it was clear at a glance it had been carved by a master, and the dignity radiating from it was anything but ordinary.
Among the three buildings at the back of the temple, the one connected to the left pathway was the dormitory for the resident priests. Very few people entered or exited, and it was said that no one but members of the temple were allowed inside. Behind the pathway stood an observation deck. The rear of the pathway connected to a flat cliff outside the temple; standing at the edge of the cliff, one could see the entirety of Unmong City and the vast sea stretching out behind it in a single glance.
The name of this observation deck was the Sword-Drawing Cliff. According to legend, it was the place where the Pope of the temple had drawn their sword when battling a Heavenly Evil God. It was a famous tourist attraction in Unmong City, visited by many.
The building connected to the right pathway was a small annex. Named the Garden of Saving Lives, it contained a single jujube tree and a spring from which mysterious holy water flowed. Rumor had it that once every three years, the jujube tree bore "God's Jujubes," each the size of a fist, which could cure any disease. The jujubes weren't the only mystical thing there. The spring water, known as the Spirit Spring, was said to flow directly from the Divine Realm. It contained the divine power of the Sword Lord, ensuring the jujube tree always grew well and infusing the fruit with spiritual energy.
The water from the Spirit Spring, combined with the secret arts of the temple priests, was also used to treat the wounds of warriors. The name Garden of Saving Lives was derived from the intent to save all living beings. Warriors in the city would come to the temple if they suffered serious injuries that couldn't be treated with ordinary ointments or medical procedures. They would ask the priests to perform their healing arts, which were said to be incredibly effective.
Of course, the treatment wasn't free. The Temple of the Sword Lord was different from many other religious sects in this world. In some ways, it could be said to be quite secular; one had to pay a fee to visit the Sword-Drawing Cliff, and a fee was required for treatment at the Garden of Saving Lives. Even the priests working at the temple were divided into regular and contract employees. Uniquely, the priestesses of the Sword Lord were even allowed to marry. However, once they married, they had to leave the temple and return to the secular world.
In conclusion, there were many unique aspects that set it apart from other religions. The Temple of the Sword Lord could be considered the most secularized of all the divine faiths existing on the vast continent of Dongdo Jinju.