Chapter 276: Let's Go on a Trip.
Chapter 276: Let's Go on a Trip.
"Alright, Un-ho, here’s today’s portion."
I handed the Blue Leaves I’d brought to Un-ho, who was perched on my shoulder.
"I don't want tooooo..."
His miserable voice echoed through the quiet VIP lounge of the airport, but the sound failed to move my heart.
"Do you want me to shove them down your throat like last time, or are you going to eat them yourself?"
"...I'll eat them myself."
Good. That’s how it should be.
With a sigh, Un-ho gripped the leaves I handed him with both hands and began to nibble on them bit by bit.
"Sniff, sniff. This tastes awful."
Of course, even as he gnawed on the leaves like a squirrel, he continued to wail about the foul taste. However, perhaps thanks to the repetition of the past few days, he ate them obediently.
It was only natural.
If he ate them quietly, it was over in two or three leaves. If he stubbornly refused to open his mouth, I’d end up stuffing fifteen of them in there.
Still, I was glad Un-ho had given up his stubbornness so quickly. Once he got used to it, he’d probably start eating one every morning like it was just daily medicine.
Thinking that, I opened the lid of the thermos I’d been carrying around lately.
Pop.
After opening the lid, I gave the thermos a light shake, feeling the liquid inside ripple quietly.
There’s still quite a bit left.
With that thought, I took a swig of the liquid inside.
A clear, rhythmic sloshing followed by a perfect harmony of bitterness and sweetness. The way it went down my throat was incomparable to any ordinary beverage. It was a bit of a shame that it had almost no scent, but I planned to supplement that by adding something later.
However, keeping the Librarian’s advice in mind, I didn't drink for long. I just moistened my throat with a single gulp.
I closed the lid of the thermos and tucked it back into my coat.
The thought that followed was simple:
A Management Bureau Official Duty Permit really is a great thing.
Normally, carrying a thermos like this onto a plane would be strictly prohibited. But with the sole justification of 'Management Bureau official business,' I could bypass all the tedious security checks and luggage inspections.
Of course, there were exceptions like the Soviet Union, but I decided to ignore those for now.
Anyway, regardless of the circumstances.
The contents of the thermos were a liquid made by dissolving the leaves, discovered through research with A-bin. At first, thinking it would be a waste to throw away what we’d found, I tried giving some to Un-ho.
The result was catastrophic.
The moment Un-ho swallowed a bit of the edible ethanol the leaves had dissolved into, he lost consciousness and collapsed immediately. He didn't even have time to vomit; he just went down.
Thinking it might be acute alcohol poisoning, I tried feeding it to him diluted with water, but the result was the same. It turned into a total disaster when Baek Si-hyun, Han A-bin, and even Lin collapsed the moment it touched their lips.
At that point, the side effects were so severe it was practically a poison.
Fortunately, waking up wasn't a big issue. Even if left alone, they’d wake up in a minute or two at most.
The problem was what happened after they woke up.
From the moment they opened their eyes, they were plagued by intense headaches, hangovers, and a sense of lethargy that resembled symptoms of depression. The duration of these symptoms varied by individual, but thankfully, it never lasted longer than two hours.
Regardless, those side effects alone were enough to prove that this was not something meant for human consumption.
I was the only one who didn't suffer from those side effects.
Curious about this, I visited the Librarian, handed over some Fruit-Meat, and asked for an analysis of the leaves. For him—or her—Otherworldly materials were always a source of interest, so two days were more than enough to get the results.
To be honest, I don't remember every single detail, but if I recall the gist of it...
*
'It’s not that there’s some specific toxic substance in the leaves causing that phenomenon. Rather, I was able to confirm that a certain magical effect is applied to these leaves. The anomaly they possess is likely due to that magic.'
The Librarian went on to joke about whether microscopic Magic Circles, undetectable to us, were drawn into the components of the leaves. Given the state of the Magic Kingdom, I couldn't exactly deny the possibility, so I just gave a bitter smile in return.
'Also, the leaves don't just dissolve in ethanol. To be precise, they dissolve in a solvent where the ethanol ratio is above a certain level. As long as that ratio is met, they’ll dissolve whether the rest is water or Cola. Conversely, if the ethanol ratio is below that threshold, they won't react at all.'
Chemically, it was beyond bizarre, but I was told to just accept it as the nature of an Otherworldly plant.
'And as a result, it transforms the entire solvent into a special substance. It’s not that the leaf components mix into the solvent; the entire solvent itself is transmuted. No matter what that solvent originally was.'
In other words, what remains after dissolving the leaf isn't ethanol, the leaf, or the rest of the solvent—it’s just a mysterious liquid.
The Librarian added a funny story here. He laughed heartily, saying he tried mixing it with a solution of 75% ethanol and 25% Cola, and the Cola completely vanished, leaving behind 100% of that strange liquid.
Anyway, the important part started from there.
'Well, let’s just accept that phenomenon for what it is. My common sense has been denied so many times that I feel like I’m losing my mind anyway. Regardless, the liquid created this way has plenty of peculiar traits. This transmuted liquid will turn anything it’s mixed with into a liquid of the same property, whether it contains ethanol or not. Even if you mix it with crude oil or blood.'
The moment I heard that, a thought occurred to me.
Isn't it dangerous if this leaks?
Does that mean if I drop a single drop into the ocean, the entire ocean turns into this weird liquid?
When I asked that question, the Librarian gave a wry smile and spoke.
'You don't need to worry about that. It’s roughly... 1.136 liters, was it? It doesn't expand its volume beyond that. In that state, even if it comes into contact with other liquids, it separates into layers like oil and water. It’s as if this is some absolute law. If you increase the volume in different places and then mix them to exceed that limit, the liquid reverts back to its original solvent until the volume hits that baseline again. Yes, it literally spits the Cola and ethanol back out.'
Furthermore, he added that after a certain amount of time following synthesis, it naturally decomposes and returns to its original liquid state.
My immediate thought upon hearing that was:
What kind of nonsense is that?
And I said it out loud.
'What can I do? That’s just the property it has. Just as we don't fully understand the Otherworld, please just understand it as a substance with those traits.'
After saying that, the Librarian continued.
'And this property is likely what caused the others to faint. No matter how small an amount you drink, it unconditionally transmutes about 1.1 liters before being absorbed into the body. Funnily enough, the body seems to count the absorbed amount as being in the same "place," so once it starts being absorbed, it doesn't expand further. On top of that, it even has the courtesy to revert back to its original solvent after being absorbed.'
So, that was the reason.
Because of that, I had intended to seal this poison away for good.
However, the final property revealed by the Librarian changed my mind.
'If you only hear up to this point, it sounds like nothing but a bizarre liquid, but it does have its merits. Specifically, a mental stabilization effect. Ah, it’s present in the leaves too. It’s just that the intensity of the effect is on a completely different level.'
Since it was a magical substance, precise analysis was impossible, so he couldn't know all the effects, but he was certain about that one.
Having said that, the Librarian pulled a test tube from his light gray shirt and downed the liquid inside.
When I looked at him curiously, he told me it was the very liquid he’d been explaining.
He mentioned that while most of the volunteers for the experiment fainted, there were four who didn't.
Himself. The Librarian.
Oxymoron, who drank it saying it looked fun.
Macbeth, who had stopped by Korea for a bit.
And finally.
The Korea Branch Manager of the Management Bureau, who happened to be there. Park Hyun-seok.
It was a pretty strange lineup.
I could understand the first three. If someone is at the top of A-Rank or at S-Rank, they can probably withstand the toxicity created by the leaf's transmutation and only reap the pure benefits.
But what about Hyun-seok?
He’s definitely retired. Even to my eyes, he doesn't have any hidden power.
The Librarian remarked that it was precisely because of that mystery that it was interesting, and said he would continue his research.
Since it wasn't addictive and Macbeth’s magical analysis didn't find anything particularly suspicious, he said that if the research went well, they might be able to create a truly stable and fast-acting mental stabilizer.
However, his final words were a bit ominous.
'Still, it is intriguing. The properties are far too artificial. It’s as if this substance was intentionally designed this way.'
*
I’d received those general results.
Regardless of the circumstances, this liquid had become a personal favorite of mine. Unlike alcohol, I could taste it perfectly fine, and perhaps due to its characteristics, it provided a decent buzz.
In reality, it probably wasn't a "buzz" but rather emotional suppression, tension relief, or a brain-slowing effect, but frankly, The End result felt about the same.
On top of those benefits...
A substance where the volume restores itself just by adding water when it runs low?
I couldn't pass that up.
There are legends of gourds that produce an infinite supply of wine; for me, this was exactly that kind of item.
That said, I didn't drink it all that often. It felt a bit like drug dependency, and the Librarian’s cryptic words weighed on me.
Once to three times a day. About one cup at a time.
Having finished today’s portion, I looked up blankly at the electronic display board above.
The board showed the departure time for my flight, along with the current time.
About 20 minutes left.
A time that felt both long and short. I’d probably been waiting here blankly for about 40 minutes.
Normally, there was no need to arrive an hour early and wait like this. Since I could bypass all the procedures that might cause delays with my Official Duty Permit, arriving even five minutes before departure wouldn't be a problem.
In fact, just as the Librarian had done when taking a flight to the Soviet Union, as long as the plane hadn't taken off yet, it didn't matter if the boarding time had long passed.
However, there was a reason I came this early.
The destination of the flight.
The moment the destination was clearly written as Kunlun (Martial Alliance), it meant something had gone seriously wrong.
That crazy Heavenly Sword.
This mess only happened because he decided to shove the Martial Alliance Headquarters into the middle of a mountain just because he felt like it. The Kunlun Mountains aren't exactly a major hub; there’s nothing there except the Martial Alliance HQ, so naturally, flights don't go there often.
If I missed this one, the next flight wouldn't be for another two days.
I could practically see the sorrow of the Management Bureau, which had to build an airport and set up flight routes just for the sake of the Martial Alliance.
And I felt pity for my own situation, having to trudge all the way over there.
Why couldn't he be like the mages who normally set up their headquarters in metropolitan areas? It was maddening that such a brainless idiot was my senior brother.
"Please, let him at least go bald..."
I wouldn't go so far as to wish for his death. But it would be great if that hairstyle of his—growing it long and tying it in a ponytail—was ruined by male-pattern baldness.
How old is he, yet he goes around looking like a Young Man just because he doesn't age?
Plus, that purple martial uniform of his is annoying too; I hope it gets stained in the wash.
As I was pouring out my resentment...
"...Who are you saying such harsh things to?"
"Maybe he's talking to an executive from an enemy group?"
Hearing the voices of my disciples, I turned my head and spoke.
"You should have come even later. There are still 20 minutes left."
The disciples had gone to a cafe, saying they were bored of waiting.
"It felt a bit awkward to just sit there with one coffee. And the coffee didn't taste good anyway."
"The dessert was fine, though!"
"Yeah, the cheesecake was okay, but you get sick of it if you keep eating it."
"I could have eaten way more!"
...Hearing that, I didn't even need to see what happened to know.
A-bin probably wanted to drink her coffee in peace, but Baek Si-hyun likely devoured the desserts like a beast. Because of that, people started staring, and an embarrassed A-bin must have dragged Si-hyun away.
Whether they lasted 40 minutes in that situation because A-bin had become that thick-skinned or because Baek Si-hyun had shown some restraint, I couldn't know for sure. But just imagining the scene made me quite amused.
"Huh? You guys went to eat sweets and left me behind? I was stuck here eating bitter leaves!"
During the conversation, Un-ho, who had finished his leaves a long time ago, chimed in to express his dissatisfaction.
"I figured you'd say that, so I bought a little extra. It's not cheesecake, but cookies. Is that okay?"
A-bin opened the paper bag she was holding. A sweet aroma wafted through the VIP lounge.
"That's perfect! I'll enjoy them!"
Reacting to that, Un-ho showed both agility and a lack of manners by diving into the paper bag with a word of thanks.
I didn't scold him, though.
I knew how much Un-ho hated eating those leaves. Besides, thanks to my disciples' arrival, the boring wait had become at least a little more pleasant.
Well, I don't think this will be a bad trip.