Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: The River God Doesn't Eat Rocks
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Having recruited the Iron Sand Gang bandits as volunteers, our group raced straight to the Yellow River without delay.
The sound of hooves gradually faded, and we finally arrived at the site of that problematic fourth river control project.
"Your Highness, we've arrived."
At General Ma Cheolsan's report, I opened the carriage window. This should have been a place swarming with thousands of laborers like ants, filled with shouts of workers hauling dirt and the clang of hammers reverberating through the air.
But the site was eerily quiet. No, not quiet—oppressively gloomy.
Dong, dong, dong.
Amid the thick fog along the riverbank, only the rhythmic beat of drums echoed out.
Instead of the smell of sweat, a pungent incense assaulted the nose.
"Is this... a construction site?"
Nokhui asked in disbelief. The embankment lay abandoned in places where it had collapsed, and the laborers were prostrating themselves toward the river instead of working.
At the end of their gazes stood a massive altar. Ox heads, pig heads, bolts of colorful silk, and bundles of cash coins were piled up as offerings. Amid shamans dancing on seesaws and performing knife dances, a fat man draped in red cloth over ornate official robes bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"O River God! Appease your wrath! We offer these humble devotions!"
I called over one of the men standing in the corner and asked who he was. He was Lord Wei, the site supervisor and a relative of Consort Wei.
But the figure before us looked less like a supervisor and more like the leader of some cult.
"Your Highness, something's off. This isn't river control—it's a shaman ritual."
Gwak Jeong-eon's brows furrowed. As a Confucian scholar, he despised such superstitious nonsense the most, and here it was unfolding right before his eyes.
This must be the absurdity Father Emperor mentioned. Some fool borrowing Consort Wei's influence to play mad games at this crucial site. It was indeed ridiculous.
I stepped down from the carriage and said coolly,
"Let's take a closer look. See if the god's handling the construction for us."
As we approached, Lord Wei stopped his dance and spotted us.
He didn't show a hint of surprise at seeing me. Instead, he flung his arms toward the sky in even more exaggerated gestures.
"Halt! You're tainted with impurity! How dare you interrupt this sacred rite!"
At his shout, thousands of laborers turned their heads in unison and glared at us. Their eyes burned with fear and madness.
I strode forward steadily to the front of the altar.
"Lord Wei. What the hell do you think you're doing? The embankment's crumbling, and here you are holding rituals and stuffing your face with rice cakes?"
I hadn't even introduced myself, but he knew who I was.
"Oh dear, if it isn't His Highness the Crown Prince."
Recognizing my face meant he had some pull... Lord Wei smirked slyly and lit more incense on the altar.
"You're speaking without understanding the ways of the world, Your Highness. As you can see, the River God is angry. No matter how many rocks we dump, it swallows them all. We can't proceed like this. We must first soothe the god's heart."
"Swallows rocks?"
"If you don't believe me, see for yourself."
At Lord Wei's signal, Poison Snake Sect warriors rolled over a massive boulder. It was the size five grown men could barely move.
"Throw it in!"
Splash!
The boulder hit the riverbank.
Rumble... crack.
A strange sound rang out. Instead of settling on the bottom, the boulder sank slowly like it was trapped in quicksand. The black riverbed seemed to open its maw and chew it up. In just a few breaths, the house-sized rock vanished without a trace.
"Eek! It's the River God!"
"It ate another one! It ate the rock!"
The laborers screamed and bashed their heads against the ground. Lord Wei looked at me with a satisfied expression.
"Did you see that, Your Highness? This land is cursed. We need more offerings for the god, more ritual rice. Please request additional funds from the imperial court."
Now he was showing his true colors.
So this was it. Some madman exploiting power and fooling the masses to siphon imperial funds.
I was the one who allocated that budget. Worried it might fall short, I checked market prices and calculated labor numbers until my eyes burned.
I fretted that any miscalculation on my part might cause problems here. And they wasted it like this? Using a god as an excuse to squeeze out more and pocket a fortune? Unacceptable.
Were all those offerings and rice really going to the River God?
No way—I'd bet my rare vacation on it. They'd flow straight to Lord Wei's pockets and those of his backer, Consort Wei. Officials would stay silent out of fear, even if they knew.
Watching the absurdity, Nokhui burst out in fury beside me.
"What nonsense is this? Rocks don't just vanish! It's a trick!"
"Hah, you young fools dare question the god's will? Kneel and beg forgiveness at once!"
Lord Wei bellowed, and the site's atmosphere turned hostile.
Ignoring it for now, I quietly approached the riverbank. I examined the spot where the boulder had vanished, then rolled up my sleeves, pulled out a long pole, and probed the riverbed.
Squelch.
The pole sank in effortlessly. Endlessly. I pulled it out and rubbed the mud from the tip between my fingers. Sticky, fine-grained black silt.
'Just as I thought.'
This wasn't a god's curse. This was the lower Yellow River, where fine silt from upstream had accumulated for millennia.
Soft mud. Or tidal flat. Technically, a "soft ground layer."
A layer of waterlogged mud dozens of meters deep, without a solid base.
Dump heavy rocks there? Of course they'd displace the mud due to density differences and keep sinking.
Like pouring water into a bottomless bucket.
Lord Wei had exploited this natural phenomenon to create the "River God" myth, terrorizing the laborers and embezzling funds.
"Interesting."
As I shook the mud from my hands and stood, Lord Wei sneered.
"Now do you understand? Your Highness's impure presence has only angered the River God more. Please leave at once."
Even claiming the Crown Prince was impure. I could have his head right now and no one would complain... but Father Emperor wouldn't approve of such crude methods. He'd want a cleaner solution, one that convinced the people too.
Still, how could anyone be this insane? Well, only a lunatic like him would dream of embezzling from such a vital project. I'd heard Consort Wei was obsessed with money, but I didn't know her relatives were this deranged.
If you're going to steal, at least be subtle—it's already caught Father's eye.
"You're the one who's impure."
I kicked a bundle of cash coins on the altar.
"This money was for building the embankment, not throwing into the river."
"Th-this is sacred ritual offering..."
"Don't make me laugh. That River God you mentioned? Looks like it just has indigestion to me."
I turned to the laborers.
"Listen up! Gods don't eat rocks. The bottom's just soft, so it sinks."
"Your Highness! Careful! You'll bring divine punishment!"
One laborer cried out in terror. Lord Wei's instilled fear ran deep.
Lord Wei seized the moment.
"Hear that? The Crown Prince insulted the god! We'll all die! Drive him out to save ourselves!"
This lunatic. Ridiculous. Even with Consort Wei backing him, drive out the Crown Prince? Craving a treason charge? What was Consort Wei doing, letting such an incompetent relative run wild?
But the mob psychology gripped the masses, and they easily echoed his call.
"Drive him out!"
"River God, we are blameless!"
With the Poison Snake Sect warriors fanning the flames, thousands of terrified laborers advanced on us, shovels and picks in hand. Their eyes were devoid of reason.
As the mood soured, Ma Cheolsan drew his greatsword to block the front, and Soso pulled out her inkstone.
"Your Highness, shall I cut them down?"
"No. They're ignorant commoners. How can I blame them for being scared?"
We could suppress them by force. A quick, clean end. It'd preserve my dignity too. But construction would halt for a while. Father wouldn't like that. If I botched this, he'd grind me with more "experience."
For a clean resolution, another way. Fear yields to greater fear... or irrefutable reality.
First, regain control. I shouted,
"Quiet!!"
But my voice was too weak; it didn't carry.
Old Ma bellowed the same, his ki rippling with the sound. Silence finally fell.
Now we could talk. I pointed at Lord Wei and yelled,
"What is this uproar? Everyone, snap out of it!"
They seemed to regain some reason at the rebuke. Seizing the moment, I turned on Lord Wei.
"You said it, right? The River God eats rocks."
"Y-yes! We all saw it with our own eyes!"
"Good. Then let's make a bet."
I grinned.
"By tomorrow morning, I'll seal that River God's mouth. No matter how many rocks we dump, not one will sink."
"Wh-what? Don't boast beyond your means... This site's defied decades of work!"
"If I fail."
I mimed slitting my throat.
"Fine. I'll believe in your god. I'll jump in as an offering myself. The Crown Prince as sacrifice should satisfy the River God, right?"
The crowd murmured at the bold stake. The Crown Prince wagering his life changed everything. Fear of treason charges dispersed the mob mentality; greater terror took hold.
"But if I succeed."
I stared straight into Lord Wei's eyes. This was what I really wanted to say, staking my life on it.
"I'll offer you up. Let's see how the blood of a fraud who peddled a fake god tastes."
Lord Wei's eyes trembled in fear. But the water was spilled. With thousands watching and the Crown Prince's life on the line, he had no grounds to refuse.
Regaining his wits, he glared back with sudden bravado. He was certain no human could conquer this vast mud pit.
"Fine! Don't go back on your word later!"
The bet was on.
We overturned the ritual site and set up camp on one side. Gwak Jeong-eon approached with a worried face.
"Your Highness, bold words, but do you have a plan? I've seen cases like this—rocks vanish no matter how many you pour."
"Exactly. They'll sink as fast as we dump them."
"Then what will you..."
"Guess I'll have to think of something now."
No choice. Time to dig through past memories for a solution.
As I slowly sifted through old recollections, dizziness hit.
Riiiing—
Half-opening my eyes, my vision blurred. Unfamiliar memories flashed like film in my mind—ones I'd forgotten... from my previous life.
Like a lantern show.
The scene was a foggy seaside tidal flat, a massive reclamation project, just like now. Young me wore a military uniform, standing amid endless mudflats.
A heavy truck roared, but its wheels spun futilely, sucking deeper into the flats. Rocks did nothing. The flats devoured everything like a greedy beast.
Then a booming shout rang in my ears.
"Hey! Don't just dump rocks! They all sink!"
The foreman jabbed his finger and yelled,
"Lay them down! Cover the bottom! Bring branches, mats—anything! Weave them to support a wide base!"
Soldiers fetched nearby branches and reeds, weaving them into massive rafts. They laid these over the flats, then piled rocks on top.
Miraculously, rocks that sank alone now held firm on the wooden rafts, forming a path.
The Sunken Mat Foundation technique. Supporting the heavy with the soft.
As those engineering images etched into my brain, the flashback ended. The ringing and dizziness vanished.
'Whew.'
This ability lets me vividly recall old memories, but it's risky.
The first time I used it without knowing the limits, I hemorrhaged and passed out. Mother was terrified.
Catching my breath to shake off the vertigo, I gazed back at the Yellow River.
Yes. There was a way.
No need to brute-force rocks or fight the mud. Just cover it with a blanket.
I'd found the key to resolving this.
I turned and called Ma Cheolsan.
"General Ma."
"Yes, Your Highness. Your command?"
"Time for those Iron Sand Gang thugs to earn their keep. Arm them with axes and sickles instead of weapons."
I pointed to the dense reed beds and willow groves along the bank.
"Order them to chop down every reed and willow there. Tonight, make that forest a bald mountain."
"Wh-what do you plan to do with..."
"We'll weave nets. Very large ones."
I glanced at the murmuring laborers, cowed by Lord Wei's threats—they wouldn't budge. So start with those who had no choice but to obey.
"Regular laborers are too scared, so whip the Iron Sand Gang into fetching wood even if you have to. If any slack off."
I nodded toward Soso.
"Tell them Soso wants a private chat with her inkstone."
"Understood! I'll work them to the bone!"
Old Ma dashed off, confused but obedient. Soon, the bandits' screams mixed with labor chants would echo.
Night deepened. Beneath the darkened Yellow River, human greed writhed.
And I was ready to weave a massive cover to smother it.