Chapter 353
Chapter 353
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 353
Chapter Title: Exchange Student (4)
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South Sea Crimson Dragon Palace's Young Palace Lord, Jeong Won-hae.
I furrowed my brow at the words coming from his mouth.
"Young Palace Lord. Did you just say Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?"
"According to the intelligence gathered by our network, the probability is high."
"What exactly happened?"
It was at that moment that my master, who had been listening, chimed in.
- Last time you asked that question, didn't I say that seas are rife with pirates and sea bandits by nature?
'That's right.'
I replied to my master and immediately asked,
"Earlier, it seemed you said such incidents are common in island regions and coastal areas?"
"As I just mentioned, at that time I hadn't properly assessed this person called Ghoul Dragon..."
"I'm not trying to nitpick. I'm just curious what evidence led to the conclusion that it was the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's doing. Knowing that will help us figure out a solution."
At my words, Jeong Won-hae nodded and began his explanation.
"You know that the Central Plains court has long prohibited people from going out to sea while abandoning the coastal areas?"
"Yes. Sea trade brings in huge profits, and since warlords in the south have built power on that foundation since ancient times, I believe it's a measure to guard against them."
"The court had its reasons, but as a result, coastal and island regions became defenseless. Frankly, it's like covering one's eyes and crying foul. When there's obvious profit to be made right in front of them, people will break the law to do it anyway."
"The first time is the hardest, but once they dip their toes into the black path, it becomes unstoppable."
Jeong Won-hae sighed briefly before continuing.
"Pirates rampaged like that, and rumors of the profits reached as far as Dongyeong, drawing in wokou as well. It's a sad tale, but... people disappearing near the sea or villages being plundered is actually quite common."
"I see."
"So, there are ways they've adapted to survive. Plunder requires them to risk their lives too, so they often hand over valuables in advance. But the scene we witnessed this time was vastly different from that."
"...How so?"
"Pirates keep people alive, whether to plunder more or to sell them. Wokou sometimes leave gruesome scenes, but..."
"You saw something on a whole different level."
"Yes. The report from our intelligence was so unbelievable that I went myself. And I saw an island full of bleached bones."
An island full of bleached bones.
That story sparked something in my mind.
"Was there fog around it, or unusually fierce currents? In a place that wasn't like that before?"
"Yes, exactly. How did you know?"
"If something happened to create that many vengeful spirits on the island, those phenomena would occur."
"Of course. The nickname Ghoul Dragon wasn't given because you seemed monstrous, but because you're an expert in necromancy."
Jeong Won-hae nodded at my words for a moment before continuing.
"It's an island called Black Isle. It was a rocky island uninhabited by people, and the currents weren't particularly dangerous before. But at some point, the phenomena you mentioned began. So we sent an investigation team... and they witnessed that scene. We judged that someone had committed a horrific act there."
"...And naturally, that led to thinking only the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would do such a thing."
"Yes."
After hearing Jeong Won-hae's full story, I pondered it for a moment.
Then, unwittingly, I muttered,
"...So it really is the Myriad Blood Pill?"
"What's that?"
"Among the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's pill-refining secrets, there's one made using human resentment and blood as ingredients."
"...Ah, so the name Myriad Blood Pill is literal?"
I nodded, recalling the events surrounding the Myriad Blood Pill incident from the original story.
Performing a horrific pill-refining technique like the Myriad Blood Pill would naturally leave a long trail and incite outrage.
'The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult bastards are reckless, but even they have to be cautious about it.'
Nevertheless, the reason the Myriad Blood Pill incident erupted in the original story was...
'Because the current Cult Leader, Hyeok Ryeon-gang, entered the early stages of qi deviation while cultivating the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.'
With the leader on the brink of death, they pushed forward with the pill-refining desperately.
'Has Hyeok Ryeon-gang already reached that stage?'
My immediate thought was that it was possible.
'I, who should have died early, became a Profound Realm master, and my Eon brothers have grown stronger too.'
There was no reason the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult couldn't have similar developments.
But upon reflection, something felt off.
'Qi deviation for Hyeok Ryeon-gang means he was that close to perfecting the Heavenly Demon Divine Art...'
No matter how much the story had diverged from the original, that seemed unlikely.
'He's not like me, wandering everywhere accumulating opportunities...'
A guy holed up in Heavenly Demon Cave just like in the original suddenly having an enlightenment breakthrough early didn't make sense.
'...There must be some other purpose.'
In any case, it was something that had to be stopped.
I halted my thoughts and spoke.
"What measures have you taken so far?"
"We've sent palace attendants to search the remote islands along the South Sea coast, but it's difficult with just us. If they flee to the mainland, it's over."
"...True. If the Crimson Dragon Palace leads a force onto the land, the black path forces, port city lords, and even the officials would see it as an invasion."
"Yes. Just before I left the Crimson Dragon Palace, we spotted suspects and gave chase, but they slipped away exactly like that."
"Hm. It seems we need to blockade both land and sea... I'll have to think about it."
At my words, Jeong Won-hae showed a slightly bitter expression.
"Yes. It's not an easy matter. And it probably doesn't feel urgent to you. I understand."
He seemed to interpret "I'll think about it" as a polite refusal.
I let out a hollow laugh and corrected him.
"'I'll think about it' doesn't mean refusal."
"...Then?"
"Since half-baked plans won't work, I need to consult with our executives and the instructors."
No matter the reason, we couldn't let the Myriad Blood Pill be created.
"We'll come up with a concrete plan somehow."
"......!"
"Young Palace Lord, please focus on contacting the Crimson Dragon Palace to identify their base and organization."
"Understood!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After finishing my talk with Jeong Won-hae, I headed straight to the dorms of Woo So-rung and Yin Ha-seong.
"Yin Ha-seong, Woo So-rung. Tell all the Eon brothers to come to the Student Council room."
"Right now?"
"Yeah."
"Got it, Brother Eon!"
After issuing the summons, I went to the Student Council room and waited a bit.
The Eon brothers started rushing in one by one.
Among the first to arrive, Dang Ok-gi and Yin Ha-yeon spoke up.
"Yawn. Moving in the water made me twice as tired as usual. We said we'd rest after dinner since it was tough today. Why'd you call?"
"Brother Eon suggesting rest and then stirring up work isn't new... but calling us after lights out and lying down is a first."
"Amitabha. Perhaps you called to review the exchange class content I'll be leading?"
"Huh? The monk's class content?"
At their words, Won-cheol swallowed dryly and spoke.
"The exchange students from Crimson Dragon Palace prepared such good class content... I've joined the student council thinking I shouldn't be overshadowed by Ghoul Dragon's temperament, but maybe you think that because I've shown so much unreliability."
Cheon Jang-ho asked Won-cheol,
"But what class did you prepare?"
"The importance of meditation."
"No, you're really trying to coast... No wonder Yong-un hyung rides you. Yong-myeong, So-cheon hyung, am I wrong?"
"The importance of meditation is a bit..."
"Won-cheol. My father said liking to coast makes you bald... You already are, though."
"Ah, Amitabha. But my master emphasized that there's no excess in it, so that's what I prepared. And Pung So-hyeop, I'm not bald; I'm smooth-headed."
While such banter flew back and forth, the other Eon brothers arrived one after another.
The last were Woo So-rung and Yin Ha-seong, who had been relaying the summons, along with Nangong Yun and Moyong Gil from Fragrant Orchid Hall.
"Ha-seong and So-rung, good work. Gung-yun and Yong-gil are dead last?"
"Fragrant Orchid Hall has procedures to go through for outings."
"Dang Ok-gi got here first, though?"
"...Nangong Yun and I followed procedure. Dang Ok-gi over there is just nominally from Fragrant Orchid Hall, right? Why doesn't she do hall duty?"
As Nangong Yun and Moyong Gil bristled at my words,
Dang Ok-gi snapped back.
"Funny? Just fill them out in advance. I pre-wrote like three hundred. Just fill in the date. They're the foolish ones. And how do you bring up doing hall duty in front of Instructor Chang-ryang? You try it first?!"
"We never planned to transfer out of Fragrant Orchid Hall to begin with!"
"It's not first-come-first-served or anything. Cut it out."
I soothed them and spoke.
"I called you all so suddenly because the Young Palace Lord from Crimson Dragon Palace just came to see me."
I then recounted everything I discussed with Jeong Won-hae.
"...That's what happened. It seems we need to prepare a pincer operation from both sea and land."
Having heard the full story, the Eon brothers looked serious.
Yin Ha-yeon spoke first.
"Brother Eon, but this doesn't seem like something we few can handle. How long is the South Sea coastline?"
"I think so too."
Nodding at her words, I voiced the idea I'd come up with while they gathered.
"However, handing it off to the Murim Alliance won't get it done."
"...Yeah. This is something the White League should handle, but they won't approve based on mere suspicion."
"Then, what if we mobilize the entire student body of Righteous Martial Academy?"
At my suggestion, Yin Ha-yeon mentally calculated and responded.
"If the whole academy is mobilized... assuming we can pinpoint locations to some extent, it might be possible."
Zhuge Seol-ji added,
"It's better than going through the White League from the start. If the juniors are fighting, the elders can't just sit by. And with our ties to the Initial King's Residence, getting official permission won't be hard... We can disguise it as a field trip publicly, making the enemy hesitate. But..."
"You have more to say. Go on."
"Will you tell the other cadets and instructors the full truth? Or disguise it as a field trip like before, with preemptive measures?"
"It might involve risking lives, so we can't deceive them. It could cause confusion. We'll tell the cadets the truth, gather volunteers, and inform the instructors too."
"...Yeah, that makes sense. They've rolled under you long enough to know the importance of secrecy, unlike other cadets."
"...Why bring up temperament suddenly?"
"Then, should we summon the regular cadets too?"
"We have to. Yin So-jeo, Zhuge So-jeo, work on the budget and routes. So-jin noona, Yong-myeong, Gung-yun, Jeong-hyeon—you four, go meet your dorm council presidents right now and issue summons. Have everyone gather in the auditorium."
After ordering all cadets to assemble,
Led by the four dorm council presidents, cadets in somber uniforms lined up.
The presidents reported attendance.
"Cloud Plum Hall. All present except Student Council executives. Report complete."
"Fragrant Orchid Hall. All present except Student Council executives. Report complete."
"Cloud Nation Hall. All present except Student Council executives. Report complete."
"Azure Bamboo Hall. All present except Student Council executives and Vice Council President Yin Ha-yeon. Report complete."
"Thank you for gathering at this late hour. The reason I've called together all these seniors and juniors is that we've detected movements from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."
I began speaking before the assembled cadets.
"There's a pill-refining method called the Myriad Blood Pill. As the name suggests, it's one that uses people as ingredients. The Crimson Dragon Palace has discovered signs of it being performed along the South Sea coast."
"......!"
"It might feel distant, like someone else's problem. But if we lose friends one by one without fighting together, we'll end up fighting alone someday."
"......"
"I'm going to help the Crimson Dragon Palace. It will be dangerous. No, we must be prepared to lay down our lives. I won't say more. Even so, if you want to join, please check the field trip notice in the next few days and express your intent to participate."
"......"
As I finished,
Silence fell over the auditorium for a moment.
Breaking it, Elder Dragon hyung spoke.
"...My hometown in Guangxi was in chaos, but I stayed at the academy and could only stamp my feet. I'll go. I'll prove with my life that Azure Bamboo's sword is sharply honed."
Fragrant Orchid Hall's Dang Jun-gi senior and So Seon-chang council president followed.
"Dang Clan members don't forget favors or grudges. How can I stand by when someone who received a favor risks danger, and the enemy is there?"
"Not just the vice president. We've been ready since before. But you roaming the world alone without a word made us think you didn't trust us yet... This opportunity is welcome instead."
Then Cloud Nation Hall's Gwak Woo-myeong council president and Cloud Plum Hall's Gye Un-yeol council president added,
"When the president says go, we go. Why make it sound so difficult? No one from Cloud Nation wants to sit out."
"Yeah! Cloud Plum cadets' blood has been boiling for ages!"
As intentions to join poured in one by one, I chuckled.
"...I told you to say after the notice goes up. Man."