Chapter 57
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Journey
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“Haha, my sincerest thanks. I nearly met a terrible end because of those ignorant fools.”
“Ahaha, you’re giving me too much credit. I just told the guards they were disturbing the view.”
“Khahahaha, thanks to you, I avoided being beaten to death. How could I not be grateful?”
In the heart of the City of Yeosu.
Dion chuckled, looking at the large, lizard-headed man who was laughing boisterously while holding a large tankard at a table on one side of the racetrack.
Dion, seated across from him, smirked.
Whether he had intervened…
or not…
this large, lizard-headed man would not have died.
And that was why.
That was why Dion asked his question with a bright smile.
“By the way, mister, can I ask you something?”
“And what might you be curious about?”
“It’s nothing much. I was just wondering how you ended up in such a predicament in a place like this.”
“Well, that involves a rather complicated set of circumstances.”
After a deep sigh.
The large man explained.
He was traveling with the intent of helping people.
Feeling pity for those blinded by worldly greed, he had been teaching them how to win at gambling for a small fee.
“...So, in short, you’re a con artist who failed to swindle some gamblers.”
“Khahahaha, many people do have that misunderstanding.”
Parsha shot him a look of blatant suspicion.
But Dion watched with an intrigued expression as the large man laughed, drained his tankard in one go, and ordered another drink.
“You said you help people. Does that mean you make money by telling them which horse to bet on to win?”
“Khahaha, I usually make money by selling stories rather than fortunes.”
At that moment.
The one who reacted most vividly was neither Dion nor Parsha.
“Wait a moment. You sell information for money?”
“That’s about the gist of it.”
“I’ve never heard of an information broker like you in this domain.”
“That’s because I am no information broker.”
“...But you said you sell information?”
“To be precise, it’s closer to say I sell rumors, not information.”
Perhaps because, as a messenger of a guild that buys and sells information, he couldn't stand by and watch an unlicensed broker operate.
Naru, who had questioned him directly, was now only left with more questions.
It was Dion who spoke up on Naru’s behalf.
“So you’re a story-peddler, is that it?”
“Oh, you know of story-peddlers?”
“I know they have a remarkable talent for earning a drink by picking up on things that aren’t there and exaggerating things that are.”
“Khahaha, you are quite the knowledgeable young master.”
“I just happen to be a bit more curious than others.”
With a gentle smile.
Dion handed a coin to the server who brought the tankard.
Then, taking the tankard he received in return, he offered it to the large man and asked with a grin.
“In that spirit, Mr. Story-Peddler, do you have any interesting stories for us?”
“W-Wait a moment. That is…”
“Khahaha, not only are you knowledgeable, but you also understand the ways of the world, young master.”
Before Naru could interject in his bewilderment.
The large man took the tankard, looking quite pleased, and began to speak with a grin.
“Let’s see now. The most interesting story these days would be about a hidden treasure.”
“A hidden treasure?”
Gulp.
The large man took a sip of his drink and continued.
“It’s not certain, but the rumor is that there’s a strange artifact somewhere around here.”
“That’s a pretty common story.”
“Khahaha, but wouldn’t it be different if the Baekdaesega were involved in that rumor?”
“...You mean the Baekdaesega are on the move?”
“It is only a rumor, mind you.”
As Dion finally showed a flicker of interest, the large man continued to speak of rumors.
That some ruins had been discovered in a labyrinth near the Flower Garden City.
That a ghost had appeared in the Cloud Mist City.
That one of the Alchemy City’s satellites had vanished overnight.
That the youngest son of a certain prestigious family had been assassinated.
He rattled on about all sorts of tales that were too trivial and suspicious to be called information.
They were, in a word, rumors.
“And then there’s the famous one about the rising star of the demonic path.”
“The rising star of the demonic path?”
“—The prodigy who appeared in the City of Deformity like a lightning bolt and passed the trials for the Evil Seed’s bridegroom, the White-Masked Young Master.”
Neither Dion, wearing a hood instead of a mask.
Nor Parsha, who was always expressionless.
Not even Naru.
None of them showed any particular reaction to those words.
Thus, the large man noticed nothing amiss and continued speaking nonchalantly.
“The White-Masked Young Master is impressive for his abilities, but there are all sorts of rumors, especially about his origins and identity.”
“Because he’s from the Baekdaesega?”
“Indeed. Depending on which family he hails from, the succession structure of the Baekdaesega could change.”
Of course, the White-Masked Young Master himself was still merely the lord of a minor domain.
But if he were to be engaged to the Calamity Princess, the story would be different.
The members of the Paljongyungma were rising talents, each capable of influencing the landscape of Odobaekryeong.
So, within the Baekdaesega, where succession wars were brewing, there were rumors that they were secretly digging into the White-Masked Young Master’s background.
After speaking at a leisurely pace, the large man grinned.
“Some nobles have even put a bounty on his identity, so if you’re interested, young master, you might want to look into it.”
“Alright, thanks for the stories. Here, this is for your trouble.”
“Khahaha, much obliged.”
The large man gleefully accepted the magic stone Dion offered.
Or rather, he tried to.
For Dion did not let go of the magic stone in his hand, and instead tossed out a question.
“By the way, mister, while you’re at it, could you tell our fortunes too?”
“Hmm? My fortunes, you say?”
“You said you mainly sell rumors, which means you occasionally tell fortunes for a fee, right?”
“Well, that is true, but.”
As if troubled by the unexpected proposal.
The large man licked his lips with his long tongue, then shook his head as if he couldn't do it.
“As you saw earlier, young master, my luck with fortunes isn’t very good today. I’m afraid I must decline…”
“I’ll pay double the fee.”
“What kind of fortune would you like? Love, money, business—just say the word!”
“Well, no need for the minor details, just give me a general overview.”
The power of money, perhaps.
As if his divining senses, which had been absent moments ago, had suddenly surged.
Dion pushed the Myoto boy next to him forward toward the eagerly nodding man.
“First, him.”
“Huh? Me?”
“You always have to test these things first, right?”
“I’m not a shield, you know…”
Regardless of Naru’s reluctance.
The large man confidently took his place, set a single bowl on the table, and then…
He offered Naru an object he pulled from his pocket.
“Here, give it a roll.”
“...Aren’t these gambling dice?”
“Hahaha, this is my secret divination technique. Just think of them as a rather unique set of divination sticks.”
“...”
“Don’t look at me like that. Give it a try. Back in my hometown, I was a renowned fortune-teller.”
After a moment of skeptical glaring.
Naru reluctantly tossed the three dice into the bowl.
The moment the dice, which had been tumbling inside the bowl, came to a stop, the large man’s expression turned peculiar.
“Hoh, [4][2][4]... Now this is an interesting customer.”
“Interesting how?”
“All even numbers mean you have a sharp personality, and two identical numbers mean you value fair dealings.”
“Hmm, that’s surprisingly accurate. I am quite meticulous and fair.”
“However, the 2 in the middle symbolizes another side to you, meaning you can be quite two-faced.”
“...Isn’t this a scam?”
“Furthermore, the two 4s suggest you handle some rather unusual merchandise…”
“...”
“Be careful. According to my reading, you are about to suffer a misfortune from a bad deal.”
“This fortune makes me want a refund…”
“Alright, Parsha, you’re next.”
As Naru stepped back with a dissatisfied look.
Parsha, nudged forward by Dion, emotionlessly tossed the dice.
Seeing the result, the large man’s expression grew even stranger than before.
“Hoh, [5][2][1]... This one is a maiden of tragic fate.”
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“No matching numbers signifies loneliness, and the lowest numbers, 1 and 2, mean you are ill-fated and nothing goes your way.”
“...”
“Moreover, the numbers are in reverse order, which means the karma of your past will return, and your fortune will only worsen.”
“...”
“However, the 5 signifies a once-in-a-lifetime change. When the time for an important choice comes, seize the opportunity. If you do, fortune may yet smile upon you.”
Parsha showed no reaction.
As if such a trivial game of dice was of no concern to her, she simply stepped back from her spot with a blank face.
Finally stepping forward, Dion grinned and picked up the dice.
“Finally my turn.”
“You’ve waited long enough! Now, roll to your heart’s content. I shall do my utmost to draw a good fortune for you.”
“Okay.”
*Clatter, clatter.*
Dion didn’t hold back.
He rolled the dice as if he had been waiting for this.
And the moment the tumbling dice came to a halt inside the bowl.
The large man, who had been leisurely watching while sipping his drink, froze with a smile on his face.
“...”
“So, what’s my fortune?”
“Umm, I think something went wrong. Would you mind rolling one more time?”
“Sure, that’s easy enough.”
*Clatter, clatter.*
“...Could you please roll just one more time.”
*Clatter, clatter.*
“...”
Even though he had rolled the dice three times.
Unlike before, when he had rattled off fortunes without hesitation, the large man couldn't easily speak.
He just stared blankly at the dice, which kept coming up [6][6][6].
“Mister?”
“...My apologies. It seems my divining senses have dulled.”
“They have?”
“Indeed. As a token of my apology, I shall return this fee.”
“Hmm... then I’ll just consider this fee a prepayment.”
“A prepayment, you say?”
“If the problem is that your divining senses are off today, you can just tell my fortune again when they’re back on, right?”
“...”
As if trying to grasp the meaning of those words.
The large man, who had been staring intently at Dion, finally burst into a hearty laugh.
“Hahaha, I never would have thought of such a clever solution.”
“Now that you know, feel free to use it often. I won’t even charge you a commission.”
“If that is your will, young master, then I shall gratefully accept your mercy.”
As if pleased with his now heavier coin purse.
The smiling man gave a polite bow and ran back to the gambling tables.
Naru, who had been looking a bit sulky, finally spoke up.
“My lord... no, Young Master. Was there really a need to give a magic stone to a con artist like him?”
“There was. He told us a lot of stories that even a braggart like you didn't know, didn't he?”
“I knew most of those rumors, you know? I just didn’t mention them because you didn’t ask.”
“It’s more interesting than obvious information. Especially the fortunes.”
“As for the fortunes, none of them were even right.”
“Well, we’ll have to wait and see about that.”
Perhaps his pride was wounded from being treated as less informed than a story-peddler who spouted inaccurate rumors.
Dion chuckled at Naru’s indignant protest.
Then, watching the large man’s retreating back, he thought to himself.
‘—I never thought I’d see a Practitioner of the Demonic Dao Domain in a place like this.’
He watched the large man, who had seemingly aroused no suspicion in Parsha, let alone Naru.
Dion narrowed his eyes.
Of course, he could understand why.
The man’s transformation skill was extraordinary.
If not for his 【Status Window】, even Dion would have had a hard time noticing that the man was of the demonic folk.
This was especially true since, even after searching through the memories of his second life and the knowledge of his first, he could find nothing about this man.
It was fortunate that the man seemed to bear no ill will.
If he had harbored malicious intent, Dion would have had no choice but to use Naru as bait and flee.
‘Hmm, Odobaekryeong is truly a place where you can’t let your guard down.’
His transcendent traits and boons.
And the knowledge from his third life had led to a string of successes so far, but…
Dion himself knew better than anyone that it couldn't last forever.
Odobaekryeong was vast, filled with countless secrets and extraordinary individuals. It was impossible to know and prepare for everything, even in his third life.
Even among the rumors he had just heard from the man, some rang a bell while others were completely unfamiliar.
‘The ruins in the Flower Garden City... I think those are the ones the Cheoltumaga found, but were they discovered this early on?’
Was it something he hadn’t known?
Or had the future changed?
Even Dion didn’t know the answer.
The more he intervened in the past and present, the more the future would change and the more variables would arise.
In the end, there was only one way to deal with it.
—To become stronger, faster.
‘I need to hurry.’
And so, Dion’s eyes deepened.
Acquiring the Wyvern Estate.
Making Goemokjang his vassal.
And raising the Awakened slaves.
He had been building his power through various methods and unprecedented growth until now, but…
That was all just preparation.
The real battle had not even begun.