Episode 143
Seo Ho-seon recalled the conversation he had with Damun before entering the ruins.
[In the end, you didn’t find out the exact location of the treasure until the very end?]
[yes. There was probably a limit to the information that could be extracted using the Dead Soul Poison. But it doesn’t really matter.]
[······?]
[Just knowing the approximate location is enough. If you wait in hiding nearby, the demon cultist under orders from the Iron Blood Demon Army will guide you to the treasure chest.]
[I don’t quite understand.]
[In the last fight, the Demonic Cult lost many of its forces, including the Life-Sucking Demon Emperor. On the other hand, Senior Poison King joined our side. In terms of power, we have a huge advantage. Of course, that is only if you safely break through the traps set up in the ruins.]
[······.]
[If we safely reach the heart of the ruins as planned, the Iron Blood Demon Army will most likely send his minions to the treasure vault. Either to negotiate with us with the treasures, or to burn them to prevent them from falling into the hands of the enemy.]
[You are saying that you will aim for that moment.]
[That’s right.]
[What should I do if the Iron Blood Demon Army does not send anyone to the treasure trove?]
[That’s not a bad result at all. At least there is no need to worry about the public order being lost. After completing the ruins raid, you can interrogate the surviving demon cultists to find out how to enter the treasure chest.
‘It’s just as Dam Sohyeop said.’
It was a ghostly prediction.
Assume several cases and prepare countermeasures accordingly.
I now felt like I had some idea of what kind of personality Damun had.
Seo Ho-seon entered the stone room and swept the items into the sack he had prepared in advance.
The priorities of what to pack were clear.
The first is the martial arts level.
The second is elixirs and objects.
‘I told you to just leave the gold and silver treasures alone.’
I took a second taste as if I was disappointed.
Seo Ho-seon sighed and shook his head.
It was heartbreaking to have to ignore and pass over a large sum of money that could have been used to live comfortably for the rest of my life, but now was the time to focus on completing the role entrusted to me.
‘I’ll have a chance to come back to pick it up later.’
Approximately a moment has passed since then.
Seo Ho-seon, carrying a bulky sack on his shoulder, carefully looked around and left the treasure chest.
Wow!
Argh!
The sounds of battle heard from afar.
It seemed like the fight wasn’t over yet.
The screams of the demons echoed through the space made of stone walls.
‘It would be better if we didn’t encounter any demonic cultists before joining the group.’
* * *
A guest came to the annex where I was staying.
It was not a visit by a foreigner.
The head of the Blue Blood Sword, the blood red sword, stepped forward to see me in person.
“How have you been?”
I raised my hand with a smile on my face.
“Thanks to Moonju’s care, I rested comfortably.”
“······Looking at the oil running down your face, I don’t think you’re just saying empty words. “I feel like I’m a completely different person than I was a few days ago.”
While they were exchanging light greetings, Dokgo Woojin secretly appeared behind them.
“Suksu’s skills were good. “It’s my first time eating such delicious five-spice beef.”
“I am a friend to whom I am grateful who has worked as our chef for over twenty years. That friend has been crying lately. “I can’t handle your appetite.”
“······.”
“I wanted to know what this was all about, so I had my disciples look into it. “How much food do you consume per day?”
I scratched the back of my head with a sheepish expression.
When did you ever investigate something like that again?
‘Embarrassing people.’
I was aware that I overate.
Sooksu’s cooking skills were much better than expected, so he indulged in gluttony, forgetting that he was in the middle of enemy territory.
At each meal, food was poured into the stomach until the stomach was full, so it was obvious how difficult it must have been for Suksu.
“I was so shocked when I heard the details that I almost fainted. Are you planning on raising the finances of this text?”
“Aren’t you exaggerating too much? “I don’t think the Cheonghyeoldomun’s finances will suffer to that extent.”
“I never knew one person could eat so much food in a short period of time.”
“To recover from an injury, you have to eat well.”
“Is he wearing a steel helmet on his face?”
Let’s exchange some silly jokes for a while.
The bloodthirsty man sitting across from me across the table got to the point.
“I received a call from Gwiju Samjeol.”
“What kind of contact is this?”
“They said they confirmed that the evidence was being incinerated.”
“It looks like the raid on the ruins has been completed successfully.”
“I will release you as promised.”
“Thank you so much.”
The blood red sword sighed slightly and nodded.
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It must have been a complicated feeling for him.
It is fortunate that they burned the evidence as promised, but if it had not been for my intervention in the first place, the Cheonghyeoldomun would not have been in crisis.
‘It’s natural to be hated.’
I could tell.
Among the warriors of the Blue Blood Order, including the Blood Red Order, there is not a single one who is not hostile towards me.
‘but.’
There is no law that says yesterday’s enemy cannot become today’s ally.
As I was pretending to say goodbye and get up from my seat, I narrowed my eyes as if I had suddenly remembered something and spoke to the blood thief.
“I would like to make a suggestion to Lord Moon.”
“proposal?”
“I think this incident will have a huge impact on the Cheonghyeoldomun. Mainly from a financial perspective.”
“It makes me a little angry to hear the person who caused the damage say that. “Why don’t you just go back quietly and not scratch me anymore?”
Not long ago, I threatened the Cheonghyeoldomunju and said this.
If you don’t want to be exterminated, accept the four conditions we propose.
The conditions presented were as follows.
First, stop the expansion of power and return the disciples to the monastery.
Second, return all stolen interests to their original owners.
Third, no acts of aggression will be committed for the next three years.
Fourth, we will not interfere in any way with the operation to suppress the Iron Blood Demon Army.
In fact, it was no different from recommending total surrender.
In particular, by accepting the second and third conditions, Cheonghyeoldomun suffered astronomical losses.
A person who does not know the situation could have said this.
From the point of view of the Cheonghyeoldomun, they ended the war with their full strength intact, so even though they did not make any gains, they did not suffer any losses.
But in reality, that wasn’t the case.
War was a monster that consumed enormous amounts of manpower and goods.
Although they received supplies and funds from the Demonic Cult, the Cheonghyeoldomun must have consumed quite a bit of its own resources to expand its territory.
In addition, we had to keep in mind how the martial arts forces in Gwiju would treat Cheonghyeoldomun after the war ended.
The condition I requested from Cheonghyeoldomun is that ‘invasion is prohibited for the next three years,’ but will other martial powers interpret and accept that exactly?
I can assure you that it would not happen.
In the future, Cheonghyeoldomun would face considerable difficulties in external activities.
It won’t be easy to protect the business you originally owned.
“I am willing to provide financial support to Cheonghyeoldomun.”
Therefore, I was confident that the Cheonghyeoldomunju would not be able to refuse my offer.
There was no pride or eternal enemies in the face of capital.
“······What does it mean?”
“I mean it literally. “Actually, I have a lot more money than I think.”
“I understand that the activity funds sent from the main body of the alliance to the Sacheon branch are not that large.”
“You are saying scary things. I have no intention of embezzling public funds. “There is no way we could support the Cheonghyeoldomun with so little activity funds in the first place.”
“if?”
“Look at this.”
I took out the red gem from my pocket and placed it on the table.
Blood Red Island tilted his head and asked.
“What is this?”
“It is a mark symbolizing that the holder is a distinguished guest of the Hwayang Sangdan.”
“Hwayang Sangdan?!”
“I’m showing you this because I think you might be wondering how much wealth a single branch manager has.”
“What are you…?”
The Blue Blood Demon Master looked at me with a blank expression.
I kept the jewels in my arms and continued talking.
“Of course, I’m not saying I’ll provide support for free.”
“I guess so. “What do you want?”
“I have one request from the Cheonghyeoldomun. “Every time we request help through the Guizhou branch, we will dispatch disciples to the Sacheon branch.”
“Are you asking us to provide manpower?”
“yes. “It will be difficult to do external activities for a while anyway, but I think it would not be a bad idea to send the remaining manpower to another place rather than waste it.”
“It’s so absurd that I can’t even laugh.”
Cheonghyeoldomun was a large martial arts power that had reigned as the head of Gwiju for a long time.
As expected from the great clan, it was large and the level of each member was high.
If we could just get them on the same side, it would definitely be of great help.
‘The Sichuan branch is short of manpower due to a large-scale purge.’
Of course, there was no shortage of workers right now.
With the arrival of the personnel sent from the headquarters, the minimum framework for the organization to run was established.
However, it was also clear that there was no power to respond if an emergency situation occurred.
‘In the near future, Sichuan will become the front line.’
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to increase the available power in preparation for that time.
In that sense, Cheonghyeoldomun had the best conditions.
Depending on the negotiation, it might be possible to use a huge amount of power at a low price.
“Don’t you think it’s a bit weird for you, no one else, to make such a suggestion?”
“I don’t think it’s something to think about negatively.”
“······.”
“Why, isn’t it common for other sects to send disciples abroad? For example, supporting a master at the request of a subordinate bureau.”
“Let’s first hear the specific amount of support and then decide.”
Do you feel resistant to forming an alliance with the Apostolic Cult?
It didn’t even cost a speck of dust.
In fact, it was even better because it was Sadomunpa.
The warriors of Sapa who were faithful to their own desires suited my taste better than the strict Taoist monks or the Daengjung people who only shouted for non-destruction.
“······.”
Dokgo Woojin, who was watching from the side, made an absurd expression.
It seemed like he never thought I would make such a suggestion to the Blue Blood Demon Lord.
Negotiations continued for half a hour.
I took out the contract I had prepared in advance and placed it on the table.
“Take a look.”
“······When did you prepare something like this again?”
“Read it and tell me if there is anything you don’t like. “Let us revise it after discussion.”
I quickly added an afterthought in hopes of changing Blood Equator’s mind.
“I guarantee you that we will be able to form a good relationship with each other.”
martial arts,
