< 62. 21st Century Robin Hood (16) >
***
Hurrr!
The shadow that boiled from Minjun’s body seeped into the lair like a cut night. Changcheon’s subordinates raised their heads in confusion. It filled the air like a paint spill. The growling breathing sound was heard eerily in the darkness.
There was no reason not to fill up on dark magic when invading the Elder Dragon Lair. With Jenkinson’s help, he was polymorphed into a troll with intact limbs, but most of his internal organs had been ‘sacrificed’ and converted into magic.
As a result, instead of muscles, mucous membranes, and blood vessels, condensed shadows are now performing involuntary movements in this body.
“for a moment.”
Changcheon said with a goblin-like frown. A slight look of bewilderment flashed through his eyes. However, there was no sense of defeat or fear of the situation being turned upside down.
“You were hiding your true power. Was Jenkinson the only one who knew?”
There was even a hint of interest in his voice.
Instead of worrying about the other person’s intentions, Minjun was thinking about the direction, speed, and method of how to catch a million dollars… no, Ha Eunseong.
Until Changcheon said the following.
“But Jenkins doesn’t know your classification number either, right? Asif-666.”
“······.”
The correct name is prisoner identification number.
No matter how Changcheon called it, it did not change the fact that he was revealing confidential information that no human being on Earth could know and that even prisoners could not divulge.
He said coldly.
“How did you know?”
Minjun had just realized that their conversation wasn’t being relayed to those around them.
The sky had already set up a barrier.
“Just as I have eyes and ears for Jenkins, there are also assistants who serve as eyes and ears for things outside of Earth.”
What I had expected when I saw the magic circle on the 30th floor underground was now solidified into a firm conviction. It was not a system that a dragon like Changcheon could research and develop on his own. Also, it was difficult to consider Minjun’s prisoner number as information that he could find out on his own.
That is, there is someone behind that dragon that is staring at you.
Hurrr!
As the shadows covering the space move more violently, Changcheon speaks as if to calm them down.
“Hey, alien. I said let’s talk, not fight.”
The voice was still relaxed. The goblin raised his hand.
“So, would you stop showing off your strength so suddenly?”
He speaks, revealing his closely spaced teeth.
“I think there must be a point where we can compromise.”
The act of covering Minjun in the lair is actually a double-edged sword, as it prevents his free escape and communication, but also risks him causing chaos inside.
For example, if he went down to the 30th floor underground and destroyed everything, it would be a huge disaster for Changcheon.
Why is the Goryeo doing this anyway?
Either you are confident that you can completely subdue Minjun, or you are confident that you can resolve the issue through dialogue if necessary.
It seemed like Changcheon had neatly given up on the first option.
“Think about it. Why do we have to fight here?”
“what?”
The old man speaks as if trying to persuade the alien inmate.
“From my perspective, the expected damage is greater than the gain from harming you. The moment the committee discovers any traces of you, they will put a bounty on me. That dreaded ‘destruction of property crime’.”
Changcheon knows many things that ordinary citizens don’t.
“So I don’t want to fight. What about you? Before you ask how much Jenkins promised in compensation, why don’t you think about whether you have a duty to fight? Why should you be hostile to me? What is my crime?”
“I’ve already seen everything, Changcheon.”
“You’ve seen them. The lowly races who wandered without homes, or who had no money for three meals a day, and entrusted their bodies to dragons. And the dragons submerged in culture fluid. The dragon souls trapped in magic circles.”
He continues speaking in a relaxed tone.
“I know. Those on the 30th floor are problematic by Earth law. As an agent hired by Jenkinson, I can’t ignore them. But I want to talk to Asif-666 right now, not the human Ye Min-jun.”
It’s about putting aside your Earth identity and talking.
“Let’s put aside the laws that govern Earthlings and the Code that binds dragons. You hunt criminals who have bounties put on them by the Council and get talents. Now, consider this. Do I have a single talent hanging around my neck right now?”
The dragon smiled with the goblin’s face.
“I came to this planet as a legitimate citizen of Earth. I have not committed a crime and fled to another world, and thus the Earth government has not requested the Commission’s assistance in investigating my case. I have not damaged any Commission property, and no one has ever brought me before their ethics tribunal.”
Changcheon was listing the conditions under which the committee would place a bounty on a resident of another world.
“So, if you fight me now, all you’ll get is the reward Jenkinson promised. Probably a talent? A talent that the committee will collect 90% of in taxes. When will he be able to prepare the amount you want? And even if we fight, I hope you don’t think I’ll lose easily.”
“What are you trying to say?”
The dragon spoke as if making a suggestion.
“I can give you what Jenkins can’t.”
Changcheon’s intentions were clear.
She is trying to persuade Minjun here.
The prisoner’s eyes narrowed. Instead of immediately launching an attack toward Changcheon, he continued the conversation.
“Are you talking about goblin DNA?”
“Haha, Demonic Goblin! I already promised you. I know why you want it. Committee Announcement Special Mission Number 47.”
The dragon spreads his hands and sighs.
With exaggerated gestures, as in a play.
“You want to complete the mission that gives you 580,000 talents tax-free in exchange for providing a DNA sample? But when? I wonder how that is any different from a plan to dig up any random piece of land and find a gold mine.”
While pointing out that reality.
“Well… if you accept my offer, I will keep that promise. The collection of goblin DNA that is flocking to the medical center is still ongoing. But.”
He raises his index finger and smiles.
“I’d like to add one more thing to that. Another mission right above the 47th mission on the list you’re looking at, which is to obtain a DNA sample.”
By himself, Minjun stared at the string of characters that only he could see.
– The following are the legal channels through which prisoners can obtain talent and the scope of compensation:
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B. Perform special missions requested by the agency: Compensation varies on a case-by-case basis. See details below.
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45. Discover a way to completely control the abilities of the prophetic character and provide a turnkey solution up to the commercialization stage: 520,000 talents
46. Proving the principle of Ghost occurrence: 530,000 talents
47. Obtain and provide a complete DNA sample of the following species, believed to have gone extinct long ago:
(1) Demonic Goblin (2) Metallic Moss Type 7 (3) Interstellar Floating Slime, a type that is golden in color
: 580,000 talents per species
48. Directly witness and report on what is happening within the self-isolated dimension #77-102: 610,000 talents
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Minjun’s lips opened.
“ghost?”
The dragon laughed.
“okay.”
She turns her raised finger back over and points to the ground as she speaks.
For the first time, some emotion appeared in Changcheon’s eyes.
“Did you see that poor kid, Ryuho, there?”
The dragon with the contradictory name of ‘Flowing Lake’ was Changcheon’s ex-husband.
“That kid died and became a ghost.”
He added with a sparkling look in his eyes.
“After Ryuho became like that, I waited. They say that there are cases where a ghost evolves into a ghost, even if the probability is low. Yes, I waited for decades. So that we could at least talk to each other like before. But there’s still no sign. So, I have no choice but to step forward myself, right?”
The next words were almost a mumble.
“That kid needed a lot of help when he was alive. So I’ll help him even after he’s dead. I have to make Ryuho a ghost. He can’t talk in this state. He can’t be saved in this state.”
Raising his voice, Changcheon declared.
“Yes, I will bring her back. I will. Because that is what I want.”
***
Decades ago, as the Chinese Civil War was drawing to a close, an ancient dragon who had settled in Sichuan Province made a decision.
The new idea he had in his heart at that time was very similar to that of Jang Tae-jun: he had to stop manipulating the Chinese people into fighting and killing each other by using Goryeo as a chess piece.
It is unknown why his thoughts suddenly changed. What is certain is that other ancient dragons living in China were very offended by the idea.
He declared that he would reveal the secrets of the Dragon Clan to the Chinese, and the Elder Dragons, judging this plan as a violation of the Dragonic Code, gathered in Sichuan Province to execute him.
There were dozens of dragons in China at that time who had the same duties and rights as Jenkins of Korea. When Changcheon, one of them, accompanied her husband, who had just become an adult, to Sichuan, many dragons saw her and criticized her. They said that even though she was old, she could not hide her lust and even brought her young husband to the battlefield.
And when her husband, who had been caught up in the disaster of Sacheonseong, eventually died, the dragons spread a rumor that Changcheon had brought him here to die like this.
If Changcheon had properly protected Ryuho, she wouldn’t have died so vainly. If that guess was correct, it was as if Changcheon had killed her ex-husband.
But now Minjun knows that the truth of that day could be completely different.
***
‘You’ve been saving up your talents to save Ryuho!’
Once you know the secret of the talent, all the puzzle pieces fall into place.
‘You’re trying to do the same thing as Ha Eun-seong!’
It was thanks to Dalant that he was able to take Ji Seon-gyeong’s body alive, and if you look at the results alone, it was like the dead finding life. Chang-cheon also wants to save her ex-husband.
However, the difference between Ha Eun-seong and Ryu Ho is…
“I have come to know after much trial and error that no matter how much talent you use, it is impossible to keep a ghost alive and well.”
Jenkinson once told me that several of the alien men Changcheon met have already gone missing.
But there was only one underground.
So where did the rest of them go?
“The other kidnapped dragons… all died when the experiment failed!”
“Yes, even if you erase the soul and place a ghost in the ownerless body, it doesn’t last long. Contrary to my expectations, Ryuho didn’t regain his senses either.”
The crucial difference between a ghost and a phantom is the presence or absence of a completed self and memories.
Changcheon tried to revive her ex-husband several times while in a state of mental incompleteness, but failed each time.
‘My guess was wrong. Did you already have the method to remove the soul with a talent? But if the problem holding you back was Ryu Ho’s ghost…’
In the end, Changcheon turned his attention to a method to change Ryuho into a ‘non-ghost state’.
“By artificial means, transform a ghost into a phantom?”
“Yes. I don’t know how ghosts are naturally created, but the magical method is being discovered and tested. The magic circle has been constructed. If you accept my offer, I will tell you all the secrets I have studied so far. You will report to the committee and receive a talent as a reward. Isn’t that too easy?”
After hearing this, it is natural that questions arise.
Why and how do ghosts appear? Even the committee has not been able to fully determine the answer to this question.
It is said that the dragon living in this remote dimension has solved this difficult problem to the point of success.
This is ridiculous.
“Hey, Changcheon. I don’t know if that magic circle will actually work properly, but…”
Instead of stopping the conversation, Minjun continued to drag it out by asking questions.
“I can assure you of this. You can’t do something like that on your own. Who on earth are you working with?”
Changcheon didn’t answer right away and just smiled faintly.
Then Minjun changed the question.
“And what do you have to offer me?”
“It’s simple. Help me. Why would I have brought the poor people to the basement for nothing? I’ll explain the details after you accept… but now you’ll have blood on your hands too.”
It was as expected.
The poor are also used as material to produce artificial ghosts.
“Abandon Jenkinson and join me. Then evolve Ryuho’s ghost into a ghost, give him a new body, and join us in the process of his resurrection.”
Changcheon was now proposing to share the sin.
A proposal to become an accomplice and benefit yourself.
The committee is unlikely to prosecute this action, as they are not an organization that operates to protect a young dragon and a few hundred fringe dimension slum dwellers.
To be brought before their ethics court, you would have to commit at least a massacre as serious as ‘Teresia’.
“Wait a minute, do you think I’m an idiot?”
Minjun said, twisting his lips.
“After all the effort I put into helping you, if the experiment fails, I’m screwed, right?”
His expression and tone of voice seemed to indicate that he was very interested in the deal that Changcheon had proposed.
“Not receiving a talent, and having a strained relationship with Jenkins… Is it worth taking that risk?”
Then Changcheon made a chilling expression.
“I don’t understand why you’re so obsessed with that stupid old dragon. A dragon that spouts nonsense about protecting the dignity and personality of humans and goblins, and extends a hand to an old dragon that’s obviously going to be your competitor, saying things like “humane consideration” and such? That idiot is a personality disordered, mentally ill person by dragon clan standards. Do you think there are dragons lining up for that position?”
After grumbling like that.
“Anyway, you don’t have to worry about this magic circle failing. As long as you’re prepared, there’s no chance of failure. I’m going to borrow your strength to prepare for it.”
“Are you confident?”
Why are you so confident when you haven’t even tried it yet?
“I can’t help it. I know you’re a prisoner, but let me ask you this. Do you know who in all dimensions knows the best about how to manipulate souls?”
Instead of answering, Minjun hardened his face.
no way?!
“Yes, this magic circle was created after asking for their advice.”
“······The committee pushed you to do this?”
“No, to be exact, those who have a deep relationship with the committee.”
Goryong spoke to Minjun with confidence that there was no way he could fail.
“This magic circle was told to me by Cavite.”
For a moment, the images of those hideous people flashed through Minjun’s mind.
An ancient race that looked like a linear animal with only the head part rolled up.
Minjun cursed in his head.
‘Those fucking ducks are even doing this!’
He tries hard to suppress his anger and pretends to look surprised.
“Oh my god. An ancient race?”
“Yes! If you accept the offer and start the ‘work’, you won’t be able to doubt yourself anymore, right?”
I hesitated for a moment in silence in front of the proudly smiling dragon.
“······.”
Minjun said this with a wary look in his eyes.
“You’d better not even think about betraying me.”
The dragon held out his hand with a gentle smile.
“Nice to meet you, my new partner.”
< 62. 21st Century Robin Hood (16) > End
