WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 427: Episode 80: Our Strongest Ally (5)

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I could neither laugh nor cry. I only looked at the children as I answered.

"Yes."

Then I heard a message.

[Warning! You have encountered some members of the nebula Kim Dokja Company!]

[Chaos has begun to stir deep within you.]

* * *

[The judge King of Stone Monkeys displays his displeasure!]

[There’s nothing worth watching in this contest.]

The young monkey, whose entire body was covered in beautiful golden fur, scratched his golden mane as he repeatedly yawned at the screen in the panel.

A monkey dressed like a cowboy scolded him.

[The judge Heavenly Stable Keeper rebukes King of Stone Monkeys.]

[Handsome Monkey King, you have no patience. If you take your time looking through everything, there’s bound to be one or two decent ones.]

[Hmph. Did you spend half a month shoveling horse dung with that precious patience of yours, Bimawen?]

[I only wish to discuss refined stories here.]

[Your tastes are obvious. As long as there’s no story about stables, you’ll give it a high score.]

[You go crazy whenever there’s a story about Flower Fruit Mountain, too.]

[Hey, Great Sage Equaling Heaven! What do you think? Found anything worth watching?]

At that question, the platinum-haired man resting his chin on the Ruyi Staff and yawning opened his mouth.

[There really isn’t anything fresh this year.]

[Right.]

[There used to be stories with more imaginative ideas. Like how we were actually a combat race that grew stronger whenever we survived a near-death experience...]

[Hmm, that one was certainly fun. I just didn’t like how they portrayed us as humans.]

Great Sage Equaling Heaven snickered at Bimawen’s words.

[Hey, you may be monkeys, but I’m practically human.]

[You changed because of that fable too.]

Handsome Monkey King, Bimawen, and Great Sage Equaling Heaven.

They were different fable forms of Sun Wukong, and together they formed the single True name Sun Wukong. They had originally been one being, but their personalities had split as fables from different branches developed.

[Peihu’s growth has been impressive... If they do well this time, a new Sun Wukong might emerge.]

[As if that’d happen when it hasn’t happened in thousands of years.]

The three Sun Wukongs gathered in the spacious judges’ room watched the fables of Journey to the West Remake unfold beyond the panel. Some were boring, while others were interesting. They chatted noisily as they pressed Like on unfamiliar stories and gave them ratings.

Handsome Monkey King asked.

[Great Sage Equaling Heaven, what happened to those people last time?]

[Who?]

[You know, the ones Bimawen and I lent our strength to because you asked.]

[Ah, the Great war of Angels and Demons? It was resolved well. But their Representative went missing.]

Bimawen sneered.

[That guy you kept following around, yet who never chose you as his Patron?]

[I didn’t follow him around. I only answered his pleas once or twice.]

[You say you didn’t follow him around, yet you even gave him some of your scant hair.]

[Shut up.]

Great Sage Equaling Heaven roughly picked at his ear with the Ruyi Staff and changed the subject.

[By the way, hasn’t Victorious Fighting Buddha arrived yet? All the Sun Wukongs are gathering, so why is he the only one missing?]

[That prig is always late.]

[What about Bajie and Wujing?]

[They went to make contact with the Heavenly Palace side.]

[Is that Jade Emperor bastard planning to interfere with the judging again?]

[As long as our opinions don’t split, it won’t matter if they interfere.]

[Our opinions have never come together, which is why I’m saying this.]

As if they had been waiting for that moment, the door to the judges’ room opened, and Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing entered.

[Um, elder brothers. The higher-ups say it’s about time you announced this year’s leading candidates...]

[Shut up. We’re watching.]

Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing flinched at Handsome Monkey King’s threat and backed away.

Great Sage Equaling Heaven asked.

[Who is the woman standing behind you two?]

[Ah, my apologies for the late introduction. She’s a new judge this time. They say she’s Shakyamuni’s Successor.]

[Did Shakyamuni have a successor?]

Someone walked in with calm steps.

The instant Great Sage Equaling Heaven saw the woman wearing fine Dharma robes and a small crown, his pupils trembled.

Bimawen noticed and asked.

[Do you know her?]

Great Sage Equaling Heaven didn’t answer and only stared at the woman in silence.

Instead of facing the Sun Wukongs, the woman walked toward the panel across the table, where the fables were playing.

Bimawen gestured with his chin.

[This works out well. It wouldn’t hurt to hear the newcomer’s opinion. Shakyamuni’s Successor, which fable do you like?]

The woman’s fluttering Dharma robes finally came to a stop.

Shakyamuni’s Successor watched the story in the panel with quiet eyes. When her pale fingertips slowly reached out and touched the screen, ripples spread across it like longing.

[I like this fable.]

* * *

「Y ou kn ew, K im D ok ja」

[The Fourth Wall] was right.

Perhaps I had expected it. The characters in this fable room might be members of Kim Dokja Company.

[The promise with the Hunchback King is in danger!]

And perhaps this would lead to such an outcome.

Even so, I couldn’t avoid making this choice.

―I thought I told you not to contact them.

[999], sitting on my shoulder, whispered to me.

Simply meeting the children was causing changes in my Incarnation body.

[The conditions of the promise have become precarious, accelerating your mutation into an Outer God.]

‘I haven’t broken the promise yet. Strictly speaking, the contract says I can’t reveal my identity to Kim Dokja Company.’

―The moment they find out, it’s over.

‘I know. Don’t worry.’

[Outer God Transformation progress: 3%]

Once that progress bar filled up, I would probably become an Outer God like Secretive Plotter. As long as I kept the promise before then, I honestly didn’t care.

For now, I liked watching the children chatting as they walked ahead of me.

[Some viewers protest, asking how there can be two Sanzangs.]

I followed behind the children while listening to the message. They say children grow by the day, and seeing how much taller they had become made me realize it.

Come to think of it, it had been a very long time since I had spent time with them.

I didn’t know what Gilyeong or Yuseong usually thought about. The Scenario Master had been right. I had saved these children on my own terms, then left them behind without taking responsibility for what came after. Just as I once had been, the children had been neglected all along.

"Hey, Demon King of Salvation."

"Yes."

This was the punishment I deserved.

Yuseong, who had been watching, spoke up.

"Don’t speak informally to someone you don’t know."

"Suyeong-noona told me to do it like this."

"Even so, you should show basic manners."

As expected of my Incarnation.

Yuseong looked me over with pitying eyes, then whispered to Gilyeong through [Nebula Chat].

Since I belonged to the same nebula, I could hear the message clearly.

―This is how we make him trust us, idiot. What are you going to do if he starts causing trouble?

A chill ran down my spine.

―You’re scared of something like that? Just look at the state of that guy.

I had not purchased the Great Sage Equaling Heaven Avatar Set sold by the nebula Emperor, so I was wearing the basic outfit from five hundred years ago.

Yuseong brushed the dust from my clothes and greeted me politely.

"Nice to meet you, Constellation-nim. Please take care of us."

"Likewise. More importantly, how should I address you two?"

Gilyeong answered as if he had been waiting for the question.

"I’m Master Xuan, and this kid is Master Zang. Call us that from now on."

His voice was playful, as if this were a game.

Gilyeong was Master Xuan, and Yuseong was Master Zang.

Who would have thought they had split Master Xuanzang’s name in two and taken a half each? It was a really cute idea.

[Some viewers think the two Sanzangs are cute.]

[Some judges are interested in the setting of Two Sanzangs.]

[You have gained 4 bonus points.]

As Gilyeong, absorbed in the new setting, went on about himself, Yuseong whispered to me.

"You must’ve been a little surprised by all the strange settings. I’m sorry. Our Scenario Master is kind of an oddball..."

"It’s fine."

I could guess who the Scenario Master was. There was only one person in Kim Dokja Company who could write a story this unrestrained.

"But don’t worry. We’ll take good care of you. Just follow along and let us carry you, Constellation-nim."

Her kindness nearly brought me to tears.

Even comforting the children would not have been enough, yet they were taking care of me instead. It was embarrassing.

(Sun Wukong resolved to protect Sanzang in this life too.)

That was right. I would protect these children.

I hadn’t fulfilled my role until now, but at least from this moment on...

Rumbblee!

A thunderous sound came from somewhere. I instinctively looked around.

Rumble!

The explosive sound was one thing, but something else felt wrong. It was clearly the sound of something exploding, so why did it feel as though someone had shouted it aloud?

Yuseong quickly approached my side and whispered.

"Don’t be surprised. It’s based on the original setting."

"Excuse me?"

"In the original, all the onomatopoeia was written inside quotation marks."

[Some judges marvel at the unexpected faithfulness to the original!]

[An additional 10 bonus points have been added!]

I thought only mass-produced fantasy novels made mistakes like that...

Before I could process the unexpected attention to the original, I moved the children behind me and stepped forward.

The explosions seemed to be coming from the enormous gorge ahead of us.

(Sun Wukong gazed at Eagle Sorrow Gorge on Serpent Coiling Mountain before him. Since Sun Wukong was already living his second life, he knew what being would emerge from that gorge.)

If I remembered the original Journey to the West correctly, the second being the Allies encountered was...

(Jade Dragon, the third prince of Ao Run, Dragon King of the Western Sea.)

It was him. He was the one who...

(He was the prince who would be reborn as Xuanzang’s White Horse.)

The narration did all the work, so I had nothing left to say.

I stepped forward and said, "You two should hide somewhere. I’ll handle this."

If I remembered correctly, one of the players had taken on the role of Xuanzang’s White Horse. That player was probably behind this entire situation.

Since the children were participating in this fable room, most of the others were likely members of Kim Dokja Company as well. But if someone with ill intent toward them had slipped among the group...

"I told you, just let us carry you."

A small hand with a surprisingly strong grip caught my shoulder.

When I turned around, Yuseong was smiling chillingly.

"You aren’t even properly dressed. Get back!"

Gilyeong cracked his knuckles and stepped forward as well.

I hurriedly tried to chase after the children, but they had already run toward the gorge and begun a fierce battle with the azure dragon soaring through the air.

Crash!

Gilyeong rushed in while shouting the onomatopoeia himself, and the azure dragon that had burst out of the gorge roared back.

I immediately realized who the dragon was.

Chimera Dragon?

The children fought the azure dragon in midair as though they were dancing, then used [taming] to subdue it in an instant.

[Viewers marvel at the martial prowess of the little Sanzangs!]

[Some viewers protest, asking if Sanzang isn’t too strong.]

[Some judges are surprised by the unexpected development!]

A little while later...

[Player6 has joined the Ally!]

The Chimera Dragon, now transformed into Xuanzang’s White Horse, whined as the children dragged it over.

Seeing the incident resolved without lifting a finger reminded me of what the Scenario Master had told me.

"What does a retired Sun Wukong do?"

"Nothing."

I finally thought I understood that answer a little.

This story had been designed that way from the beginning.

Then I heard a familiar Constellation’s message.

[The judge Prisoner of the Golden Headband is interested in the fable’s development.]

[An additional 10 bonus points have been added.]

* * *

A day passed, then another, and I gradually came to understand the nature of this fable room.

"It's a grasshopper. Eat it."

"Demon King of Salvation-nim, are your legs hurting?"

「This fable is for Sun Wukong.」

(Sun Wukong was comfortable.)

Since the Scenarios began, I had never been this idle.

It was so comfortable that my brain felt steeped in ease, on the verge of paralysis.

[A new fable is budding within you!]

[The fable Blowing Your Nose Without Lifting a Finger begins its story.]

I could roughly guess why Suyeong had designed this Scenario.

[The judge Prisoner of the Golden Headband likes this development.]

Journey to the West was a story built on Sun Wukong’s sacrifice. Even the later fables that varied it usually followed a similar structure.

But what if a fable that comforted Sun Wukong appeared?

[The judge Prisoner of the Golden Headband envies you.]

[The judge Heavenly Stable Keeper envies you.]

[Votes: 312]

Suyeong really did seem to be a popular writer.

The vote count had already passed three hundred, and the fable was sailing smoothly ahead.

This development wasn’t bad for the Allies, either.

Sun Wukong was the nominal protagonist, but the other Allies handled the actual battles. The final fable share would naturally belong to Kim Dokja Company.

They would gain votes and collect a fable share as well. It was a truly thorough design.

"Ah, I want to play a phone game."

"You played a lot before coming in here."

The children squabbled, but they fed me, put me to sleep, and even trimmed my hair. Gilyeong asked bluntly.

"What do you normally do?"

"It’s rude to ask about someone’s private life, idiot."

Yuseong, who was plucking out my gray hairs beside me, immediately cut in.

I was a little worried whether this sort of meta conversation would be allowed, but I decided to answer. Thinking about it, I had never had a conversation like this with the children before.

"I just like reading novels."

"Novels? Oh, I like them too."

Gilyeong liked reading novels? That was unexpected information.

Gilyeong continued excitedly.

"Want me to recommend one?"

He dared recommend a novel to me, a genre reader with over ten years of experience. Fine, let’s hear it.

"[SSSSS-grade Infinite Regressor]. It’s incredibly fun, so you have to read it."

My alter ego surfaced before I knew it.

"That’s an all-time disaster of a novel."

"A disaster? I heard it was popular. You really don’t have any taste~"

Did that Han Suyeong bastard brag about her novel to the children?

Yuseong, who had been listening nearby, joined in too.

"I like novels too!"

"Is that so? What novels do you like?"

I had some expectations. Surely, if it was Yuseong...

"Yes! Raymond Carver, Haruki Murakami...!"

That lineup of authors sounded awfully familiar. I thought I knew who had been educating the children while I was gone.

Sangah-ssi must have reincarnated safely by now.

Yuseong looked at the dumpling on my shoulder and asked.

"You seem to like Murim Dumplings?"

"Yes, I do."

"An uncle I know likes them a lot too."

I knew exactly who liked them.

Gilyeong rubbed his stomach and muttered.

"Ah, I want dumplings."

The Murim Dumpling on my shoulder trembled.

Come to think of it, it had been far too long since I had eaten a proper meal.

(Then, all of a sudden, the scent of dumplings began to drift over.)

Most of the incidents in Journey to the West began "all of a sudden" like this.

We exchanged looks and followed the source of the fantastic scent.

After walking along the path for some time, a massive Factory complex appeared before us.

"How could something like this exist in this era?"

For a moment, I wondered if Suyeong’s Journey to the West took place in a steampunk setting. Then several people came running toward us from inside the Factory complex.

"Ugh, everyone, run!"

The fleeing people were all caught as if drawn by an intangible force and dragged back into the Factory.

"Nooooo!"

Wondering what on earth was going on, we snuck closer to the Factory.

Not long afterward, we saw thousands of slaves stationed along conveyor belts, kneading something with their hands.

"Could those be..."

The dumpling [999] on my shoulder spoke.

―Murim Dumplings.

Thousands of Murim Dumplings were being carried along conveyor belts to somewhere else. As I watched the endless river of dumplings flow past, I thought about the person we would meet this time.

(In Journey to the West, there was only one person who craved food like this.)

As if he had been waiting for that moment, a man spoke to us.

Footnotes:

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