Chapter 196: My Type?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 196: My Type?
It seemed like a good time for some gold speculation, but since I had to engage in "cherry-picking"—sucking up the goods the higher-ups wanted at a low price—the amount of gold I could take back to Earth and the Murim world seemed limited.
The fact that people like Marika and Hindel were exceptions made me realize just how dirty and unfair this world was.
"So, you're saying the number of female masters has been rising lately?"
"Yes, yes. That trend has been around for about a hundred years. In the past, a female master was considered quite a rarity, but these days, it seems they are being produced in slightly greater numbers than male masters. Especially among the Rising Stars; since the generation before last, there have been more young ladies than young masters."
I couldn't shake the feeling that this was the work of that damn Goddess who only favored women. I felt like I’d heard somewhere that even on Earth, women were being born with better capabilities than men.
"I'm curious about the value of the Solar Infinite Art."
"Pardon...? Ah, well, it's a lost martial art, so it's difficult to put a price on it... Do you perhaps possess the secret manual?"
Mr. Wang's eyes seemed to twinkle.
"Old man, don't ask the Young Master questions. Just answer him."
Ambersteel growled in a low voice.
"Ah, my apologies... it's a professional habit... Well, it truly is difficult to value because it's a lost art. However, it would likely be on par with the secret techniques of any major Great Family."
For the record, the Solar Infinite Art was one of the many techniques Hindel had mixed together to create my martial arts.
"The Hwayang Fist Technique."
"The same goes for that... It's known as the technique of the Empress of Demons, who was one of the Public Enemies of Murim."
"The Yin-Absorbing Art."
"That was the technique of the Erotomaniac, who was also a Public Enemy of Murim..."
"The Snow-White Sword Style."
"Another Public Enemy of Murim..."
"The Trident Technique."
"Also a Public Enemy..."
That crazy bitch Hindel. It seemed she had taken a bunch of martial arts used by absolute scum-of-the-earth criminals—the kind labeled as Public Enemies of Murim—mixed them all together, and given it the plausible-sounding name of "Solar Divine Art" before teaching it to me.
She mentioned she’d mixed in a few more incredible secret arts, but she hadn't told me what they were, and I wasn't particularly curious, so I stopped asking the middle-aged man known as Mr. Wang about martial arts.
"What exactly do you do, Mr. Wang?"
"I am someone who buys and sells information on a small scale. Haha...!"
"He's a branch leader of the Hao Clan."
Gyu Cheol-hwa answered for him as Mr. Wang tried to dodge the question with vague words. Since there was no longer a need to wear the veiled hat that covered my face indoors, I took it off casually.
"The Hao Clan... that's the place that handles information, right? The one where people working in brothels and various other places belong."
I asked again, not knowing if the Hao Clan in this world was the same as the one in the martial arts novels I knew.
"Mr. Wang...? Why are you silent?"
"Huh? Yes? Ah, ah... what... what did you... say?"
Seeing Mr. Wang's dazed expression, I glanced at Amber.
"Young Master, he's lost his mind looking at your face. Tsk tsk."
"What's wrong with my face?"
Ambersteel let out a long sigh.
"If you walk around the streets without covering your face, Young Master, you'll be kidnapped and raised as someone's concubine."
"I've never been kidnapped in our neighborhood, though..."
"That's because the area you usually wander around has ridiculously good security. And didn't you say your movie was a hit because of your face?"
"It wasn't the face, it was the acting. I'm an acting genius."
I playfully poked Gyu Cheol-hwa's arm as she spread such ridiculous slander. She just giggled as if it didn't hurt at all, which annoyed me, so I put the veil back on.
"Ah..."
Mr. Wang stared at me for a long time with a face that looked like he’d just lost his country, then let out a small cough.
"Ahem, excuse me. Yes, so... where were we..."
"The Young Master asked about the Hao Clan."
"Yes, yes. We are... well, a group of people on the fringes of society who gathered to protect one another... so we mostly just deal in rumors and hearsay."
It seemed I wouldn't be getting any detailed stories. His eyes were wary now that we were talking about his sect.
"I only asked because I was curious. The background of the person I'm talking to—Mr. Wang, in this case—is an important factor in the reliability of the information."
To summarize the conversation we had after that, this world wasn't much different from the settings found in the martial arts novels we're familiar with.
He drew a rough map of the continent for me; it looked like a single Pangea-like landmass, which they called the Eastern Region. It seemed to be a unified empire, but the administrative power didn't quite reach the provinces. There were several Murim families and organizations I had heard of before.
"The Heavenly Demon must be quite an incredible person. To think the Imperial Family and the Murim Alliance are both hostile toward them."
"I don't know much about the systems of the Western Region, but in truth, it's more like being a vassal king. While the Murim Alliance, the Sado Alliance, and the Demonic Cult are hostile toward each other, they maintain a loose peace with the Imperial Family."
It seemed the folks from the Demonic Cult even sent tributes, calling it taxes. Other organizations seemed to do the same. By asking Mr. Wang a few more questions, I was able to get a grasp of their level of technology.
"This is the latest model of a water wheel. It's currently being used around the Imperial Capital, but it will take at least ten years for this technology to spread to the outskirts."
Lame. It was a primitive water wheel. Honestly, I couldn't understand how a civilization with such garbage technology hadn't been completely plundered by crazy thugs like Hindel.
Beyond that, on a high mountain that looked incredibly far away, the characters for "Great Convergence" were inscribed. I could communicate through magic, but reading the script was difficult, so I had Gyu Cheol-hwa read it for me.
"Ah, that mountain was sliced by the previous Murim Alliance Leader. Afterward, three thousand stonemasons were mobilized to carve the Empire's name onto it."
"How high is that mountain?"
Based on the height Mr. Wang gave me, it was over 1km. It seemed the previous Murim Alliance Leader was at a level similar to my grandmother, who had punched a hole through a mountain range.
"How strong was the previous Murim Alliance Leader?"
"Well, a commoner like me wouldn't know, but they were one of the Five Great Masters active in the previous generation."
There were at least five people like Hindel. It was a world I kind of wanted to give a spicy taste of magitech civilization to, but it seemed there were quite a few out-of-spec existences in this neighborhood too.
I could understand why they didn't just reveal themselves to the public and start a war of conquest.
"Amber, if Marika fought her, who would win?"
"Well, I think even the Boss would have a hard time going toe-to-toe with the previous Murim Alliance Leader or the Sado Alliance Leader."
Come to think of it, I remembered Marika telling me that while she might not be in the top ten, she was a master ranked in the top twenty.
I had been looking down on her as just some mafia thug under Hindel who sucked the marrow out of people, but that master of the Demon Transcendence Realm who kept calling me "Husband~ Husband~" might actually be a formidable force.
"Thank you for the introduction, Mr. Wang. The fee has already been paid, but since you answered my questions sincerely, I should give you a reward. You said you buy and sell information, right? Is there anything you're curious about?"
Mr. Wang's eyes trembled violently. Gyu Cheol-hwa shook her head while grabbing my sleeve, but I decided to give him some information as a tip for being a good guide.
"What is the Western Region like?"
"That question is far too broad. If the question is vague, I can only give a vague answer. For someone who buys and sells information, you're being quite reckless. I'll give you one more chance to speak."
I sat down on a tree knot, and animals started flocking to me. This ability to communicate with animals was completely useless, so I usually lived with my ears closed to them, but they were perfect to play with while Mr. Wang took his time to think.
—Sex! Sex!
First, I pushed away a squirrel that was clinging to me. Even if I was only half-elf, these animals seemed to like me unnecessarily much.
Seeing that I pushed the squirrel away instead of throwing it, the animals began to gather one by one. Deer and rabbits appeared from nowhere, and even a wild boar took a spot. They seemed to want to get close to me and tried to rub against my body, so I just patted their heads and pushed them back so they wouldn't come any closer.
Mr. Wang, a middle-aged man looking toward his senior years, was staring at me blankly.
"Do you not have a question?"
"No, no... it's just... well... What is your ideal type?"
"Pardon?"
Clang!
"You crazy bastard...!"
Amber, who was beside me, drew her sword. All the animals ran away.
"No! No! Gyu Cheol-hwa! I'm not a sodomite! It's just! Our Sect Leader! I thought our Sect Leader would be curious...!"
"Fine, I'll start by gouging your eyes out. You're planning to sell our Young Master's face to the Imperial Family?"
I stopped Gyu Cheol-hwa before she could bring up the Imperial Family again.
"Is your Sect Leader someone who belongs to the Great Convergence Empire?"
"Yes... well... the Hao Clan has some connections with the Eastern Depot, and I am a member of both..."
I was at a loss for words because Mr. Wang had come clean so honestly.
"That sounds like a secret. Is it okay for you to tell me that?"
"Those who know, know, and those who don't, don't... Even if a rumor spreads, it's a story that will become as meaningless as water mixed into wine."
I looked at Amber. Her reaction suggested she already knew.
"It's a bit embarrassing, but I suppose I can tell you my type."
"Young Master."
"It's not a big deal, is it?"
Mr. Wang prostrated himself flat on the ground.
"Someone with big breasts, wide hips, and a beautiful face."
"Pardon?"
He blinked like an idiot.
"Big breasts, wide hips, and a beautiful face."
"Uh... that... I think... the translation might have been wrong..."
Mr. Wang looked at Amber.
"He said someone with massive knockers, a huge ass, and a pretty face."
"...."
At Amber's translation, Mr. Wang could only blink his eyes.
"I'd also like them to have a lot of money and be someone in power. And I'd like it if they didn't say much even if I cheated."
"...Do I need to translate that separately?"
"Uh, uh, um... uh..."
Mr. Wang looked at my dick and made a stupid face, like a dim-witted sow whose intelligence had dropped. No, using that kind of metaphor for a man feels a bit weird.
"And! Even if I cheat, they must be someone who absolutely never cheats themselves."
"...Excuse me, but would it be possible to change to a different question?"
"No."
Mr. Wang's face crumpled completely.