The Sky Eating Water currently had fifty three percent of its seal released.
Cale did not feel a need to release more of the water's seal when the Super Rock and the Wind's seal was not released at all.
'In fact, there's more of a need to release the seal of fire since I need it for purification.'
Either that or the Indestructible Shield.
Purification and defense. Cale wanted to focus on those two aspects.
There were plenty of people by his side right now to launch attacks.
"Young master-nim?"
Chief Eunuch Wi called out in a confused voice after seeing Cale approaching the bookshelf before seeing the stiff look on Cale's face.
Of course, Cale's face was stiff from excitement.
"Do you perhaps feel something over there?"
Cale contemplated it for a moment before nodding his head.
"Yes, Chief Eunuch Wi. I feel like there is something behind this bookshelf."
He touched the bookshelf.
– Sniff sniff.
The Sky Eating Water sniffed around.
This punk swore quite often but had never acted like this before.
– I feel like I have a big fish in front of me.
Cale's heart started beating wildly. He spoke calmly and slowly to make that excitement not visible.
"I can sense an aura. But I cannot tell what it is."
'No matter what it is…
Apparently it feels like a big fish!
Am I finally about to meet a fateful encounter, a treasure in this Wuxia world?!'
Since all of the treasures he had used until now were brought to him by someone else, Cale was excited to find a treasure with his own hands.
Of course, he considered the situation where the Sichuan Castle Lord was the owner of this item.
In that case, there were two options.
'If the Sichuan Castle Lord is part of the Blood Cult, I should be able to just take it.'
If he was not…
'I'll just ask the Emperor to buy it for me.'
Cale thought lightly about the situation as nothing had been found yet.
"Young master-nim. Will you please investigate that area?"
"I will do so because you personally asked for it, Chief Eunuch Wi."
The Sichuan Castle Lord. A secret area in his study.
Chief Eunuch Wi felt his mind feeling heavier and heavier. He had a feeling that he was about to uncover a huge secret.
"I think it is this bookshelf."
Cale tapped on a bookshelf and slowly looked toward the others.
They were all looking at Cale with looks of anticipation as well.
This was especially the case for Choi Jung Soo and Sui Khan. Choi Han as well.
On the other hand, Ron and Beacrox did not seem interested. In fact, the two of them were urging Chief Eunuch Wi for an answer.
"Where should we go to boil the tea?"
"Excuse me?"
Chief Eunuch Wi was flabbergasted.
'They are still going to get some tea in this situation?'
Cale casually said the following to him.
"One that is on the sweeter side please."
"Ah, yes, young master-nim."
"I will keep watch over here so please don't worry."
Chief Eunuch Wi led Beacrox and Ron out of the study after hearing Cale say that.
Cale then saw Ron looking at him with a benign smile on his face.
"You two work so well together."
The team leader scoffed as if he was in disbelief. He then quickly walked over and tapped on the bookshelf Cale was touching.
"You think there is something behind this bookshelf?"
"Yes sir."
"Should I cut it for you?"
"Yes sir."
Cale stepped back. He then pointed with his hand.
"That much. I think it should be fine if you cut exactly that much."
"Sure thing."
Slicing a bookshelf was nothing for Sui Khan who had the ability to cut through anything.
Slice.
Slice. Slice.
The bookshelf was cleanly sliced whenever he swung his sword.
Choi Jung Soo walked forward and put his hand into the gap Lee Soo Hyuk had created to pull the bookshelf open like a door.
Screeeech-
They heard something weird.
"There definitely seems to be something there."
Lee Soo Hyuk noticed some devices connected to the bookshelf. The devices were made with extremely sturdy metal but he easily sliced it up.
Slice. Slice.
The devices were all sliced in half after a few swings of his sword.
A faint smile appeared on Choi Jung Soo's face.
"This reminds me of when we looted that illegal guild in the past."
Nobody responded to his mumbling. Lee Soo Hyuk just shrugged his shoulders a bit and stepped back.
Choi Jung Soo pulled on the door some more and the area behind it slowly appeared in front of Cale.
It was a staircase heading to the basement.
Choi Jung Soo asked in an extremely sunken voice.
"Should I go down with you?"
Cale looked at him with an unsettled look on his face.
'He's excited.'
The way he was lowering the bamboo hat and the look on his face made it obvious that Choi Jung Soo was excited.
"Hmm? Shouldn't I go with you? I'll take the lead!"
Cale's face became even more unsettled.
He then heard the team leader's laugh.
"I'll wait here."
The team leader looked relaxed as he sat down on a chair and looked at the two of them.
"I'll wait here as well."
And for some reason, Choi Han said that he would not come along. Cale was confused about this but he could sense Choi Han's thoughts after seeing him smiling with satisfaction while looking at Choi Jung Soo.
This was the same for the team leader.
"Yes, yes. Go have some fun."
Choi Jung Soo, who could not look at Choi Han, flushed red after hearing that.
"Fun? We are going somewhere that might be dangerous!"
The team leader snorted in response.
"You're going, Raon is going, and Cale is going. Dangerous? Is this the Blood Cult?"
"…Man, you make it so that I can't say anything."
Choi Jung Soo grumbled and looked at Cale.
"Should we go?"
He still looked excited.
"Human, let's go!"
Raon, who was no longer invisible, joined in as well.
Cale closed his eyes for a moment.
For some reason, he felt as if he was going to play with a young Dragon and a fully grown disgusting punk instead of going to look for treasure.
– Sniff sniff.
However, Cale decided to ignore that feeling.
The Sky Eating Water.
He heard a voice through her sniffing.
– It should be delicious.
The Indestructible Shield. The glutton priestess spoke for the first time in a long while.
Something down these stairs was drawing the glutton toward it.
"Yeah. Let's go."
Cale took a step onto the stairs.
He headed toward the dark basement with Choi Jung Soo and Raon by his side.
He headed into the endless darkness.
* * *
However, it was not dark because Raon was with him.
Paaaat.
A bright light made with magic lit up the stairs.
It felt like the middle of the day.
'Magic really is the best.'
There was nothing more convenient than magic.
"There are no traps and these are just regular stairs?"
Choi Jung Soo was in the front looking around.
Cale just had to walk without worrying about anything.
'This is great.'
He suddenly remembered the past.
'I went through quite the ordeal.'
He recalled his past where he did all sorts of things for divine items, money, and looting places.
'I lived such a busy life.'
He was still busy but it was a relief that he had a lot of people he could use.
Otherwise, he would have just given up on the Hunters and whatnots and just stayed in the Henituse territory.
– Sniff.
The Sky Eating Water was still sniffing.
– Hmm?
'Hmm?'
Her reaction suddenly changed.
Cale stopped walking.
"Oh. I can see the end. I think we are as deep as about three stories down?"
Choi Jung Soo arrived at the bottom of the stairs first.
"Hmm?"
He then tilted his head.
"Hey picky Choi Jung Soo, what is it?"
Raon flew over to stand next to Choi Jung Soo.
"Hmm?"
He also tilted his head. Choi Jung Soo and Raon looked at Cale at the same time.
"This place is weird?"
"Human, there is no treasure here?"
Cale wondered if he should just head back up.
But he couldn't do that.
– This feels good?
The Sky Eating Water was speaking in an excited voice.
Of course, Cale just wanted to go back.
However, he slowly headed down.
"Human, why are you so slow?! Hurry up!"
Once he reached the bottom of the stairs… Cale arrived at the entrance to a small cave without a door. He could see the area inside it.
It was a large cavity.
It seemed to be two stories tall in height.
"…There really is nothing."
There were no treasures or elixirs or anything of the sort.
It was completely empty.
'How does this make any sense?'
Cale stepped into the cavity with a look of disbelief on his face.
"Aw. What a bummer."
He didn't even look at Choi Jung Soo's extremely disappointed face.
– Sniff sniff.
The Sky Eating Water was still sniffing around.
'There's definitely something.'
Cale could not stop after coming this far.
It was at that moment.
Step, step.
He heard footsteps heading down.
It was not just one person. It was multiple people.
Cale thought it was his people heading down and looked toward that direction.
'Mm!'
He then flinched.
Chief Eunuch Wi. Next to him was a middle-aged man looking completely pale.
– This is the Sichuan Castle Lord.
He heard Chief Eunuch Wi's calm sound transmission.
The Castle Lord's hands and upper body were bound and he staggered as he walked.
"…T, the Blood Cult-"
He looked as if he was completely dazed from disbelief.
Anybody would think that he was not a spy of the Blood Cult, but Cale and Chief Eunuch Wi remained tense as this could all just be an act.
Choi Han was standing behind the Sichuan Castle Lord with his sword in hand.
"The Castle Lord-nim said that he wished to meet the person in charge, young master Kim-nim, and that he had something he must tell you.""
Chief Eunuch Wi placed his hand on the dazed Sichuan Castle Lord's shoulder. It was a visibly firm grip.
"Ah."
The Sichuan Castle Lord finally snapped back to his senses and looked toward Cale.
"Ah!"
He then gasped.
His eyes sparkled for a moment.
Cale thought that he should hear what the Sichuan Castle Lord had to say to him and looked at the man.
Of course, he also planned on trying to get some information on what was hidden here as well.
"What is it that you wish to say?"
The moment Cale looked at the Castle Lord and opened his mouth…
Plop.
The Castle Lord plopped down on the ground.
He then shouted.
"…Dragon!"
'Hmm?'
"…Dragon...!"
Cale looked behind his shoulder.
Raon was scratching his cheek with his front paw.
"Oops, I forgot to go invisible. Hehe."
His cheeks had become even chubbier, potentially because of all of the candied fruits he had been eating.
As Cale blankly had that thought…
"My goodness…! Does that mean all of the records of the past generation are true...?!"
The Castle Lord suddenly stood back up.
He then staggered while still bound and quickly walked.
He headed toward the center of the cavity and mumbled.
"I always thought that it was useless to protect this place! I thought it was simply a groundless legend! But they are all true?!"
'What is up with him?'
Cale was confused but he stopped Choi Han from stopping the Castle Lord and quietly observed him.
Plop.
The man plopped down at another spot.
It was the center of the cavity.
"Here!"
He then looked toward Cale, more specifically at Raon, as he spoke.
"An esteemed Dragon is asleep here...!"
'Hmm?'
As Cale blinked…
"My great-grandfather told me about it."
The Sichuan Castle Lord started explaining without being needed to ask.
"He said that a Dragon that came over from another world left her tear and her last traces here as her life came to a close. Our family has protected this Dragon's tomb for generations and were told that we need to inform the Dragon's descendant that would show up some day about that esteemed Dragon's wrath and greatness!"
His voice was a mix of wrath and astonishment.
"Fuck! That was why I gave up serving in central politics and stayed in Sichuan! I would have completely ignored it if it was not for my father's last words! My goodness, it was the truth? Ha!"
'What is he saying? No, what is going on all of a sudden?'
– A Dragon's tear? Is that why it smells so good?
– A tear sounds delicious.
He completely ignored the comments of the two ancient powers.
However, he made eye contact with Lee Soo Hyuk who was coming down the last step.
Cale calmly asked.
"Do you know the name of that other world?"
"That, I believe it was called Aipoduo...!"
Aipoduo.
The name was clearly different, but Cale knew a planet with a similar name.
Aipotu.
It was the planet where the Purple Bloods were suspected of being. Furthermore, those Hunters were suspected of being Dragons.
A world where Dragons, creatures that place importance in a world's balance and nature, had turned into Hunters.
A Dragon that came over from that world died here?
"Ah, ahah-"
The Sichuan Castle Lord gasped in admiration.
"That Dragon was apparently a black Dragon as well-, also, her appearance was said to be different from the Dragons of our world, everything is exactly as it was explained...!"
'A black Dragon?'
Cale looked toward Raon.
In Cale's world, no two Dragons had the same color in a generation.
"This is what that esteemed Dragon apparently said. She said that she can see the future. she said that she carried on such an attribute! That was why she came over to this world with her final hopes."
All Dragons had their own attributes.
Eruhaben's was dust. The attribute of the Dragon that the Sichuan Castle Lord was talking about was the future.
"She also said the following. After I die here, the only Dragon that can cause a breakthrough in all things will appear."
Raon's eyes opened wide.
"She said that only that Dragon can change the present!"
The present.
Black Dragon Raon's attribute was the present.
—
Translator's Comments
The present!!