Chapter 104

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Translator: True Detective

Chapter: 104

Chapter Title: The Oracle's Vessel

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Hye-ryeong Monk nodded in satisfaction at my response, declared his business concluded, and left the office.

He must have truly come just to deliver the Thousand Buddhas Vajra. Still, thanks to his visit, I was able to quickly pass on the information about the Bloodless Victory Group, so the Korean Buddhist Association would track down their location.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"We've got another guest."

Less than ten minutes after Hye-ryeong Monk departed, Oh Se-eun visited the office this time.

Her description had changed a bit.

She was no longer a shaman who had lost her divine power and turned to sorcery; now she was one who had reclaimed her spirit.

And standing beside her was a man I'd never seen before.

This one was an onmyoji.

A spirit medium and an onmyoji traveling together. An unusual combination.

Both were from Ohsa House, so that must be the name of Oh Se-eun's shaman house.

"It's been a while, Fixer. As you know, my name is Oh Se-eun. Feel free to call me Ohsa Lady. And this is my assistant who came along..."

"Kitsune. Call me Kitsune. I'm an onmyoji, for now. Currently working as this lady's assistant."

"Thank you both for coming so promptly. I'm Fixer Lee Do-hyun."

Ohsa Lady and Kitsune.

The two quickly scanned the office, then spotted Yu-ha, who had just finished brushing her teeth.

"That's the child, huh. How pitiful..."

"What the hell happened for her body spirit to be torn out like that."

Ohsa Lady looked at Yu-ha with pity, while Kitsune examined her from all angles and clicked his tongue.

Kitsune had a rather flippant attitude, but given the description that Mountain Lord Kang San-jung had personally enlightened him, he wasn't a bad person.

"Right, your name is Yu-ha, yeah?"

"Uh... Yes. That's right."

"I know how heartbroken you must be. Come, sit in the chair. Kitsune, dim the lights."

"Got it. You lot over there."

"Yes!"

"Y-Yes...?"

"Too many people and nothing gets done. Everyone except the Fixer and the kid, go upstairs and get some sleep."

Ye-rim and Ha-yeon looked at me uncertainly, so I nodded, telling them to do as Kitsune said.

"Both of you, head upstairs. Seems like too many people would be a hindrance."

"Understood. We'll go ahead."

"S-See you tomorrow... Yu-ha sis... Fighting..."

The two nodded and headed up to the fifth floor.

Now, only me, Yu-ha, Ohsa Lady, and Kitsune remained in the office.

Soon, Kitsune cleared the miscellaneous items from the table in Ohsa Lady's stead and began setting up a board from his bag.

He laid out ritual items I'd never seen before, various bells, flags, and a pansindo depicting the thirty-two Korean folk gods.

"Fixer, is this child an oracle?"

"Pardon? Ah, yes. We believe so."

"I see... Do you know the difference between an oracle and a shaman?"

"...Not really."

"An oracle's vessel is of a different magnitude. Yu-ha's vessel is far larger than mine. This is mostly determined at birth. No amount of effort can change it."

Ohsa Lady grabbed a handful of rice grains and scattered them over the board Kitsune had set up, then stared behind Yu-ha's back. She was tracking something with her eyes.

"A shaman born with oracle talent can house multiple spirits in their body vessel, not just one."

The closest example of an oracle was Hong of the Four Guardians, Shaman Lee Hwa-jin. She alone housed three spirits.

Of course, housing more spirits than others doesn't mean it's easy; communicating and managing them is incredibly difficult and exhausting.

"For that reason, this child likely only housed one spirit. A child housing two or more would have identity issues. And Yu-ha is 19, right? Not her lunar age, but actual age 19—that's an even more precarious time."

"Does 19 hold some special significance?"

"Yes. It's just before passing the age of majority, the end of adolescence, and the most critical period for divining one's future."

And nine is prone to misfortune.

Because it's right before completion.

99 and 100 are worlds apart. Just before reaching 100%, things that love to slip in at 99 and ruin everything exist.

Human ages are the same. 19 is the last year of minority, right before adulthood.

The Melody Recorder who kidnapped 19-year-old high school girls via Sepia Sound and turned them into LPs was the same. It plucked flowers right before they bloomed fully to make them collectibles, thereby elevating its own status.

Such things exist. Among anomalies. And even among spirits.

"Children born with oracle qualities don't accept any other spirits until they pass their ninth nine at 19, except the first one they bond with. That initial spirit has a duty to protect the body owner until they safely turn 19."

If protected safely through 19, that first spirit claims the permanent body spirit position as the oracle's companion, not just a consort ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spirit.

However, Yu-ha's first spirit, the Five Flower Bell Spirit, had been torn out. As a result, her vessel was empty, and all sorts of things were lining up to enter it.

"Listen carefully, Fixer. Right now, your presence is suppressing them, so nothing dares enter the child's body rashly. But if we force a re-divination in this state, the chances are high that something sinister will crawl in instead of her lost spirit."

"...Something sinister?"

"Yes. Calamity spirits too vile to name. Plague spirits. Or even... death spirits."

They were spirits, to be sure, but not the benevolent ones we know.

Spirits that do not favor humans. Things masquerading as spirits... close to anomalies, swarming to claim the oracle's vessel.

Because oracles can withstand them even if they enter.

Regular shamans die instantly if they accidentally house such things. So these spirit-masked entities wander seeking durable vessels, settle in when found, and spread their will.

Until now, the Five Flower Bell Spirit had blocked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠them. But even that protection was fading... and they were targeting Yu-ha's body.

"They're lined up behind this child. Taking numbers and waiting. My re-divination... doesn't suit the current situation."

"What do you mean...?"

"In other words, Yu-ha, you're the target of everyone right now. Your vessel is high-quality, exceptional. Your talent alone surpasses most shamans. That's why they're after you."

"But... Uncle will protect me, so..."

"No, no. Yu-ha, that's the bigger problem. Look, Fixer."

"Yes."

"Suppose a plague spirit enters this child's body. Could you 'dispose' of her for the greater good, Fixer?"

"I... I couldn't do that to Yu-ha."

"Exactly. Even if someone else draws a blade, you'd stop them."

If a plague spirit entered Yu-ha's body, she'd need to be 'processed' to prevent the spread of harm.

But I couldn't kill Yu-ha. Nor would I let her die.

I'd surely seek another way. Because I'm a fixer.

Then, whatever spirit or anomaly entered via Yu-ha's body would exploit that gap to scheme.

That's what Ohsa Lady was worried about.

"Then what should we do?"

"My method randomly draws a suitable spirit. The people who come to me aren't those forcibly stripped of their spirits like this. They're ones whose spirits left naturally... so I match them with new ones."

In simple terms, Oh Se-eun's re-divination was 'random spirit chat.'

Since departed spirits don't return anyway, she brought in a decent one, settled it into a spirit-craving medium's body, and bridged the connection.

The spirit becomes the body spirit—good. The medium gets a new partner—good.

"Win-win. But this situation is very different. Because Yu-ha is an oracle."

"I... I like the Five Flower Bell Spirit. If not her..."

"I know, dear. She probably feels the same. But Yu-ha, among the spirits lining up behind you now, the Five Flower Bell Spirit isn't there."

"Pardon...?"

"Things have gone terribly awry. Truly perplexing... Fixer."

"Yes. Speak."

"From what I can tell, countless spirits are eyeing Yu-ha's body. If even one enters and leaves, her sense of self would collapse. So we need to select one spirit that will protect her without possessing her, right at the center."

Spirit selection. That alone was a daunting task.

Moreover, Yu-ha wanted the Five Flower Bell Spirit, but she wasn't even in the queue.

"Where the hell did the Five Flower Bell Spirit disappear to?"

"That's just it. She's in a place we can't reach."

"A place you can't reach?"

"Yes. Fixer, do you know of the Western Paradise Flower Field?"

I do. A heavenly landmark famous for its exotic blooms.

"It's also where the Five Flower Bell Spirit fled from exhaustion."

"Ah... Come to think of it..."

Suddenly, I recalled the long-forgotten description of the Five Flower Bell Spirit.

"The Five Flower Bell Spirit is bound to the Western Paradise Flower Field. The Tiger Fairy dragged her back. That's why she can't return to Yu-ha."

The heavens, Western Paradise Flower Field.

A place unreachable by human bodies. The Five Flower Bell Spirit was held there.

"Um... Then... Does that mean... I can never see my spirit again...?"

"Yu-ha, dear. Unfortunately, it seems you must part with the Five Flower Bell Spirit. We need to bring in a new body spirit. We'll have to choose a decent one from those lined up behind you."

"W-Wait... I... I only want the Five Flower Bell Spirit... No one else... We've been together for 10 years already... She was always there for me, without parents..."

"Yu-ha..."

"...I haven't even said goodbye properly... What kind of rule is this... This isn't fair... I hate it..."

Yu-ha's status visibly worsened.

Yu-ha was 19 this year.

10 years together meant over half her life.

To Yu-ha, the Five Flower Bell Spirit was family, literally.

Losing family overnight, of course her condition would deteriorate.

"Uncle... No, Fixer. Please help me. From now on... I'll do anything you ask. Please... Take my request... Fixer... Please. I'll give you everything I have..."

Yu-ha clung to me, sobbing.

And she made a request of me.

Not to her friendly uncle, but to the fixer.

She tried to separate personal and professional.

Right now, Yu-ha was making an official plea to me.

As a fixer, I couldn't refuse the child's request.

"Is there truly no other way?"

"...Sigh. What to do... There is one. Just one."

"What is it?"

"...Argh. This is driving me mad... Whether to say it or not. It's less a method and more a kidnapping..."

Ohsa Lady agonized, stroking her face repeatedly.

Then Kitsune, who had been quietly observing, blurted out.

"We gotta kidnap her."

"Kidnap her?"

"The Five Flower Bell Spirit can't come here alone, right? Then we go fetch her ourselves. Simple as that."

"You mean..."

"Word of warning: you can't enter the heavens with a human body, Fixer. Get what that means?"

Kitsune averted his eyes from me and looked at Yu-ha.

"Kid. Asking to bring back your precious Five Flower Bell Spirit means telling the fixer next to you to die. Got it? Die, ascend to the heavens, scour the Western Paradise Flower Field, and drag her back down. That's the unreasonable request you're making."

"Th-That's... I don't want the fixer... Uncle to die... That's not it... I want my spirit back, but not at the cost of uncle's life... I-I'll withdraw it. Uncle... No."

Stunned by Kitsune's words, Yu-ha shook her head vehemently and begged me not to die.

"You couldn't repay him in a lifetime. Look at your fixer, kid. The man who single-handedly plugged multiple disasters. Begging someone like that to die for your selfishness? Absurd. Give up."

"Kitsune, enough. What are you saying to the child?"

"You weren't explaining properly, so I stepped up. Why get mad? It's the truth."

"Sigh..."

Ohsa Lady sighed deeply and turned to me.

"Kitsune's mouth is rough, but he's not wrong. To retrieve the Five Flower Bell Spirit from the Western Paradise Flower Field... one of us must die. But Kitsune and I lack confidence in preserving our egos after death. We're not that strong."

"Hence, it requires someone strong enough to push their will even in death. Like you, Fixer."

A plan impossible for anyone but me.

Extremely dangerous, with certain death if anything goes wrong. Extreme difficulty.

"Enter the Western Paradise Flower Field in soul form, retrieve the Five Flower Bell Spirit there, and return safely to the mortal world?"

"Yes. Easy to say, but... whether voluntary death, true death, or astral projection. Choose one of the three to reach the heavens. Here's the issue."

Entering the heavens is near impossible.

And stealing something from there is even harder.

"How exactly do you plan to breach the heavens? You must blind the Sun and Moon Star Gods. Even the Goddess of Mujin Mountain's heavenly veil can't do it. You need to cover sun and moon simultaneously. Got a way?"

"Hold on. Cover the sun and moon at the same time?"

"Yes. According to the 'Sun-Moon Divine Oath' lore, you must blind both eyes of the sun and moon."

"Sun-Moon Divine Oath..."

"Know the folktale of the Sun-Moon Divine Oath? About the mad woodcutter who blinded sun and moon to fool the Jade Emperor and kidnap a fairy..."

"No, I don't know the details... but I've heard the term Sun-Moon Divine Oath somewhere."

"Really? It's obscure outside White Spirit Hall. Fixer, are you well-versed in folktales?"

"No, not particularly..."

I hadn't studied folktales. But I had the 'Folktale Tracking' skill.

And Sun-Moon Divine Oath was info from Folktale Tracking.

'No way. To think it'd come up here. Fate sure is... amusing.'

I rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a bracelet I'd received from the goddess long ago.

It was a bonus given alongside the True Signed Execution Sword.

"This. This should be the key."

The goddess hadn't known how to use it either, so she'd given it to me.

Wearing it long-term caused whispers, and it was a divine artifact with a matching pair.

Folktale Tracking activated once more.

This time, it merged with the 'Sun-Moon Divine Oath' info from Ohsa Lady.

"We need to find the Solar Eclipse Knot, its pair. Then we can fully blind the Sun and Moon Star Gods."

I'd found the way.

The method to sneak into the heavens.

This might actually make flower field raiding feasible.

That thought made the Thousand Buddhas Vajra tremble in shock.

Hadn't even done it yet, but was it alarmed I'd actually rob the flower field? Stealing is one of the Ten Evils, after all.

But what can be done. It's not stealing—it's kidnapping the flower field caretaker.

"Fixer, what is that?"

"This is the Lunar Eclipse Knot. The one from the Sun-Moon Divine Oath."

"...No way, why do you have that here?"

"...Fixer... You have all sorts of things."

Ohsa Lady and Kitsune stared at the Lunar Eclipse Knot I'd produced, looking dumbfounded.

I could feel their genuine shock. Expressions full of 'Why the hell is this here?'

"Got it from the goddess a while back."

"The goddess had it... This is basically telling you to go to the heavens and rescue the Five Flower Bell Spirit. Fate's prank feels a bit much—is it just me?"

"Indeed... As Kitsune says, it'd be weirder if you didn't ascend with this, Fixer."

Kitsune laughed in exasperation.

Ohsa Lady wore an expression unsure whether to rejoice or lament, agreeing with Kitsune.

"Once we find the Solar Eclipse Knot, we can blind the Sun and Moon Star Gods and sneak in somehow. That leaves two issues."

"Like Osa said, two problems remain for you, Fixer."

"Tell me."

"First, how to extract your soul without fully dying. Second, how to go straight to the Western Paradise Flower Field."

Solve those two, and we can retrieve the Five Flower Bell Spirit.

I already had a clue for soul extraction without death. And maybe even direct travel to the flower field...

This seems more doable than expected?

With help from Lunar Blossom Sect and Moss House, it might work.

What? Why is this even possible?

"Uncle... Wait... You don't have to go that far for me..."

"Relax, kid. I've got ways. You just wait."

"Uncle... Why are you doing this much for me... What's so great about me..."

"Because it seems possible. And you requested it from me, the fixer. I accepted your commission."

"But... How can I ever repay such a huge favor... I'd have to marry you or something..."

"Hey, kid, marriage? Come on."

"Uncle... I call you uncle, but... Do you know we're only 4 years apart...?"

"...Hey, hey. Line up. Too many bride candidates already."

"Hing..."

Rubbing her eyes with a tearful smile, Yu-ha's expression was ambiguous.

Crybaby. She's cried a lot today. Eyes all puffy.

"Stop crying. Too much and you'll get a headache later."

"...Sniff. O-Okay... Sniff. Hic. Th-Thank you..."

Yeah. Gotta retrieve her family.

And since Yu-ha commissioned me, I'll take it.

"May we stay at the Fixer Office until we find the Solar Eclipse Knot? I need to monitor Yu-ha's condition."

"Of course. Her spirit mother will arrive soon too. And I can't die just yet anyway. Still have unfinished business."

Having found a way to restore Yu-ha's Five Flower Bell Spirit, I should handle the backlog first.

The culprit who did this to Yu-ha.

The root of all evil that turned Lee Ha-il into an anomaly.

And the sinner who built the Purity Legion using the tool anomaly 'Angel's Trumpet' from beyond the door.

'Hunt the General Assembly Chairman. Take him down first.'

Preparations to fell him were complete.

No fear or illusion.

Time to unfold my will.

At dawn.

A sedan pulled up in front of the Fixer Office.

Kang Se-yeon Taoist, Jo Un-gyeol Eccentric, Mun Seon-woo Taoist, and Lee Do-gyeom Martial exited the car.

"Long time no see, Fixer!"

"Good to see you."

"Fixer. We came right away upon hearing the news."

Do-gyeom greeted me warmly after so long, and Jo Un-gyeol Eccentric beside him bowed his head.

Se-yeon nodded reliably as always. Everyone looked in good shape. Except one.

Mun Seon-woo Taoist's status was extremely poor.

No outward sign, but she was consumed by fury toward those who harmed Yu-ha.

Similar to my state.

"Come in, everyone. We're heading out immediately—can you manage?"

"No issue for us."

"Good. Straight to Danyang, Chungbuk. But first, Mun Seon-woo Taoist."

"Yes. Speak."

"You cannot come with us."

"Pardon? What do you mean! Those who did that to Yu-ha, not a single one left..."

"Taoist."

I grabbed Mun Seon-woo Taoist's shoulder.

I could see the fierce embers blazing in her eyes.

Taking her on this op would likely result in her slaughtering the entire New Country New Love Church in bloodlust. Not good.

"While I'm gone, please guard the office. Go upstairs. Yu-ha is waiting for you."

"But... I also..."

"I called you for Yu-ha from the start. You'll find her and the people I called to restore her spirit in the office. Protect her with them. All sorts of petty spirits are targeting her. Understand?"

"...Yes. I'll protect Yu-ha."

An enchanter driven by vengeance staining themselves in blood is no good.

And someone needed to guard Yu-ha from petty spirits while I was away.

"Thank you... And sorry, Fixer."

"No need. Be back soon. I've roughly prepared a way to retrieve Yu-ha's spirit too. Don't worry."

We dropped Mun Seon-woo Taoist off at the Fixer Office and boarded Bongbong-i.

Bongbong-i would take us the optimal route.

Chungbuk Danyang, New Country New Love Church.

Human Front radical faction's decoy religious facility.

The General Assembly Chairman, Purity Legion, and White Robe Society wrapped in blessings.

Most of the Purity Legion died in the Moss House invasion, but their parent org, White Robe Society, remained intact.

Break through them and seize the Chairman.

As the Thousand Buddhas Banyan Tree confirmed my will, it began to tremble faintly.