Chapter 194: Travels in Murim
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 194: Travels in Murim
I was curious about the state of Murim, where an invisible hand was eating away at the economy, and I was equally curious about the reality of Earth, which was being crushed by visible oppression.
As someone born on Earth, I wondered how these thug bastards had managed to screw the world over so badly and create a dystopia. But more than that, I was personally curious about where this Sexual Art—which they kept hyping up as the Solar Divine Art or whatever—actually ranked in this land.
The Mafia bastards were spouting bullshit about it being the ultimate peerless art, but no matter how I thought about it, it was obvious. When a bunch of fatherless (literally) scumbags who are dirty, pathetic, useless to society, and detrimental to the public interest say something is good, it’s bound to be nonsense.
They had clearly taken a few bottom-tier martial arts, mixed them together haphazardly, and then slapped on some "Yin-Yang" whatever-the-fuck that helps with sex.
And so, the place we arrived at was...
“...The toilet here is a pit latrine.”
Ambersteel, looking pale, let out a giggle at my expression and pulled out some perfume, giving it a light spray. The unpleasant stench vanished like magic.
“Once you reach the level of a Master, you don't really need to use the bathroom. Besides, it’s only like this because we’re in the sticks. If we go to a high-end hotel… I mean, an inn, they have normal toilets now.”
Ambersteel started spouting nonsense, supposedly to comfort me.
“So you two don't have to go, but I do?”
“I’m not going anywhere that isn't a high-end inn from now on.”
“Didn't you say you wanted to know more about the Murim world, Husband?”
Marika, wearing her veil, was laughing along beside her, clearly finding this entertaining.
“I’m going back to Earth, Amber.”
“You promised to call me Cheol-hwa here.”
“The name Gyu Cheol-hwa is trash. It sounds like a name for someone who doesn't have a dad.”
“Th-That’s mean...! It’s true I didn't have a dad, but still...!”
Since this girl was the kind of trash who went around shouting that her own mom was a whore, I could insult her without a shred of guilt.
“Marika, you said you’re a Public Enemy of Murim. Is it really okay to be this lax with your preparations?”
“Westerners are common enough. As long as I don't directly clash swords with a Master capable of deducing my identity, it’ll be fine.”
With no CCTV and no information storage via mana fields, this place was a paradise for human garbage to live in.
“And another thing, why do I have to wear a bamboo hat too? My coloring is similar to the people around here.”
“Because if you don't, Young Master, you’ll definitely be kidnapped.”
Ambersteel—Gyu Cheol-hwa—replied while greedily shoveling fried rice into her mouth.
They called this a low-grade inn, but they used plenty of oil, and the ingredients were quite fresh. Considering there was no coast nearby, the fact that seafood was mixed in suggested a well-established distribution system.
Of course, it cost two or three times more than regular fried rice.
“I expected sword fights to be breaking out everywhere, but it’s surprisingly quiet.”
“The Orthodox Faction, the Unorthodox Faction, the Demonic Cult—they’re all just interest groups. They rarely cross blades in a town where there’s nothing to eat.”
Marika pointed toward the first floor. It was crowded, but most people were eating the cheapest possible food, like simple flour noodles.
“How much can you really squeeze out of a tiny village? At most, they’d take a small cut as a protection fee. Looking at their expressions, they don't seem too miserable, so it looks like they’re being extorted somewhat conscientiously.”
As a Mafia member herself, she was analyzing the situation with professional accuracy.
“How strong are you exactly, Marika?”
“It would be hard to fit the number of people stronger than me on two hands, but if you include my two feet, I’m about at that level.”
Marika puffed out her chest slightly, looking proud.
“Why are you saying you’re weak with such confidence?”
“No, I’m saying I’m strong! Husband, I’m a real Master, okay? I even have a bounty on my head.”
Marika waved a 'Dead or Alive' poster at me, boasting about a bounty with an absurd number of digits. It seemed she couldn't break her old habits from our neighborhood and had done something outrageous here too.
“But you’re still weaker than my grandma or Hindel. You said you’re weaker than my mom, too.”
“...Those two are outliers. And... my fight with the Senior Superintendent General was before I entered the Demon Transcendence Realm. I could win now.”
The Yakuza bitch who lived off other people's labor sure had a lot of excuses. My mom was just a bottom-tier bitch, a hopeless incestuous onahole who leaked sticky fluids between her thighs every time I slapped her ass, yet Marika was bragging about being able to beat her.
“Cheol-hwa, is Marika starving you? You said you’re a local. Did your mom starve you too?”
“My mom was a whore, so I starved a lot when I was a kid!”
The blonde, gold-eyed lady seemed quite sulky that I hadn't listened to her life story. I looked at Marika.
“Stepmom, are you starving the kids?”
I asked Marika while watching Ambersteel continue to order and shovel down food as if she’d never eat again.
“Many of them have tragic pasts, so food is always the top priority. Don't you often eat with us in the cafeteria, Husband?”
There was a reason why their thug food, despite being self-service, was better quality than my mom’s cooking.
“The boss is my stepmom...?”
Gyu Cheol-hwa’s eyes sparkled. Her ability to sniff out power was truly top-notch. She seemed to realize that if she became Marika’s daughter, she could get revenge on Lisar, who had thrashed her like a dog.
“Don't look at me like that, Ambersteel, or I’ll gouge your eyes out.”
“Hmph...”
I could see Marika’s lips forming a silent curse. She seemed to be holding back her foul language because I was there.
“So, how far is it to the Imperial Capital?”
“I lived here when I was little, but I’ve spent more time in the Home Country. Hmm... it’ll probably take about six months by high-end carriage?”
This thug bitch was showing her lack of education; she must have flowers for brains. She acted like my time was as expendable as theirs.
“I’m going home.”
Marika’s blue eyes trembled slightly, looking flustered.
“That’s only if we travel by road. There are many means of transport. We have Teleportation... so it won't take that long, Husband.”
“Is everything in this world that’s convenient like magic?”
Ambersteel, still stuffing her face, looked at me with insolent eyes. This pig had easily eaten more than five servings, yet she was still cramming food into her stomach.
“It’s not just 'convenience'; it’s a matter of technology and cost. Unless you’re a Dragon or an Archmage like the Chairwoman, you need magic power for magic and electricity for power. Don't you know the Law of Mana-Energy Conservation?”
“...Why is your name like that anyway? Cheol-hwa? It sounds like a man’s name!”
“Personal attacks whenever you’re losing an argument are bad. And what’s wrong with the name Cheol-hwa? My sickly mother gave it to me so I wouldn't be born with a weak body like hers.”
I tried a personal attack, and she dragged me even deeper into the abyss. I looked to Marika for help, but she—who usually acted so coy, calling me 'Husband' this and 'Husband' that—cowardly avoided my gaze.
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine. I think the name is dogshit too!”
Having finished her food, Gyu Cheol-hwa rinsed her mouth with warm tea and stood up abruptly.
“Are we leaving now?”
“Not yet. Since we’re in Murim, we have to try the street food.”
“...Marika, can’t we just leave her behind?”
“She’s your bodyguard while I’m attending to my personal business, so it can’t be helped.”
I followed Ambersteel as she listed off street foods that were bound to be unhygienic, acting all excited about what was delicious. I took a bite of a grilled lizard.
“How is it? Good, right?”
“It’s gross! How much spice did they dump on this? My tongue feels paralyzed just from eating it. They just slathered a bunch of strong spices on a bottom-tier ingredient to make it sellable. Are you sane, trying to feed this to a kid?”
“Heeeenh... My mom used to buy this for me all the time...”
I punched her.
“Ouch! Why did you hit me?”
“Every time you open your mouth, it’s about your mom! Are you trying to make me feel bad?”
“Being a whore is a job, okay? A job! It’s a lowly profession here, but in the Home Country, it’s a job everyone envies!”
“There are no men, so how does the profession of a prostitute even function?”
“Yes! You have no idea how much people envy it?!”
This was a chance to hear more about the profession of a prostitute in the Home Country. In a world where women were superior, men were given all sorts of benefits just for having an extra bit between their legs. I could understand male prostitutes, but hearing that female prostitutes existed was intriguing.
“Ultra-ultra-elite people like you, Young Master, wouldn't know, but for 'dirt spoons' like us, being a state-certified prostitute—where the probability of having sex is very, very high—is a dream job.”
“Are there actually people who apply?”
“...No.”
Amber, acknowledging the gap between ideal and reality, answered in a depressed voice.
“What about male prostitutes?”
“Expensive. And the reviews are bad. People go expecting a cute, handsome guy and end up disappointed. They say once you go, you never go back... If you’re really craving a man, you usually head to the colonies.”
“Are the colonies better?”
“Yeah, from what I hear. You’ve got the submissive, rugged, yet cute Demon Realm, or Earth, where they’re prickly but surrender easily if you handle them right. Or, as a rare item, you could kidnap the boys here...”
“Ambersteel.”
I was listening to an interesting story, but Marika coldly cut her off.
“Well, there’s the nice word 'adoption' for that.”
“I heard stories about picking up hungry, abandoned children, but it was kidnapping?”
“...See, you’ve made the Husband misunderstand. It’s not like that, Husband. We are collectively called the Empire, but the central administrative power doesn't reach the provinces very well. As a result, while there is an official government, the Murim exists in a state where they respect each other's territories under a pact of non-aggression. Do you understand what that means?”
“They either fight tooth and nail over overlapping areas, or nobody gives a damn?”
Marika looked at me with an impressed expression. I seemed to have hit the nail on the head.
“They tell each other to handle the costly stuff like welfare, but they both ruthlessly extort the profitable stuff like protection fees and taxes. Each side assumes the other will look the other way.”
“...You certainly have a talent for this.”
Marika began to praise me to match my mood.
“Though your talent for martial arts is a zero! Ow! A low kick still hurts a bit, you know!”
Gyu Cheol-hwa was still asking for a beating.
After a quick look around the market, we used Teleportation to arrive directly at the heart of the Empire.