WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: WeTried Translations
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◈ Ophidian of the Immortal World ◈
Chapter 67: Errand Runner
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There was no need to search the island as though hunting for lice.
Once Jegyeong stated his purpose, the residents of Three Frog Island brought out everything they had.
Most of it was cultivation methods, along with quite a few miscellaneous books.
Yet nothing caught his eye.
Almost all the cultivation methods were low-grade basic methods, too poor to be of use even as reference material. A few of the miscellaneous books were interesting enough to keep, though.
‘They really are poor.’
In the end, all he gained from Three Frog Island were a few miscellaneous books.
What had those Black Sect Hall bastards been extorting from such a barren island? It was not even a Spiritual Land, so there was no way it could produce Spirit Stones. At best, they must have taken fish, Water Demons... or people.
‘Should I be grateful to the Black Sect Hall for this?’
The residents of Three Frog Island were extremely cooperative.
Han Cheongyu, in particular, was so eager that he volunteered to serve as Jegyeong's guide.
That open enthusiasm made Jegyeong reconsider the youngster, too large to be called a child and too small to be called a man.
Until then, he had not thought much of Han Cheongyu.
He had merely regarded him as a tool that had proven useful once.
But the enthusiasm the youngster showed now was not false.
Han Cheongyu clearly felt affection for him and seemed desperate to express it.
Jegyeong could more or less guess what was going through the boy's mind. The yearning blazing in Han Cheongyu's eyes was too obvious to miss.
“You volunteered to join the patrol?”
“Yes, Dragon Lord.”
“You're young. That's impressive.”
“N-no, it isn't!”
Jegyeong took Han Cheongyu with him and spoke with him from time to time, turning his guess into certainty.
This youngster was special.
He could fearlessly reveal what everyone vaguely wished for but dared not show.
The matter of the Black Sect Hall was the clearest example.
Han Cheongyu bore a deep grudge, and Jegyeong had tempted him, but an even deeper fear had weighed on him. Not just anyone could overcome that fear and act.
“I'm not good at dealing with the Human Race. I plan to visit the islands in these waters. Can you help me?”
“O-of course!”
The task could be burdensome and dangerous if he gave it some thought, yet Han Cheongyu was overjoyed as though he had received an incredible gift.
Jegyeong inwardly nodded at the sight.
* * *
Jegyeong took Han Cheongyu on a circuit of the islands in the Black Jiao Waters.
This brief journey had a small mishap from the start.
As usual, Jegyeong intended to travel in his true form. He opened his mouth out of habit, as he did when traveling with Hyeon-gwi... and Han Cheongyu, who saw it right in front of him, fainted on the spot.
‘What a weak-hearted kid.’
Jegyeong's Qi Concealment Technique was perfect, so the only explanation was that the youngster had too vivid an imagination.
Fortunately, Han Cheongyu soon regained consciousness. Ashamed of his weakness, he apologized to Jegyeong again and again.
Jegyeong barely listened to the apologies as he placed the boy atop his neck. Han Cheongyu was horrified at the thought of riding on the Dragon Lord's body, but Jegyeong insisted, so he had no choice but to comply.
After that, everything went smoothly.
Han Cheongyu occasionally fainted because he could not endure Jegyeong's speed, but that did not hinder their circuit of the waters in the slightest.
A journey that would have taken more than a month by ordinary boat took them only three days.
Even then, Jegyeong had moderated his speed for Han Cheongyu's sake.
“You members of the Human Race really are poor.”
After finishing his harvest from the tenth island, including Three Frog Island, Jegyeong could not help but sigh.
“Poor...”
Han Cheongyu murmured blankly.
“Yes. I suppose we are.”
Poverty was not something Han Cheongyu had ever considered.
One could neither know nor feel the difference between wealth and poverty without something to compare it to.
The whole world he had seen was the Black Jiao Waters, and within that, only Three Frog Island. How could he know what wealth or poverty was? The Dragon Lord had called them poor, so he simply assumed they were poor.
Watching Han Cheongyu's calm reaction, Jegyeong formed a firmer impression of the Human Race in the Black Jiao Waters.
They were frogs at the bottom of a well, birds trapped in cages.
They had lived inside a narrow world for so long that the stifling feeling in their hearts had become comfort, while curiosity about the outside world had turned into fear.
‘Unless an outsider comes and stirs things up, they'll live exactly as they are for a hundred years, even a thousand.’
Of course, there were always exceptions.
Jegyeong did not think Han Cheongyu alone was special among the hundreds of thousands of Human Race inhabitants living in the Black Jiao Waters. Given the chance, there would surely be many who would boldly leap out of the well and fly from the cage.
“Do you know what this is?”
Jegyeong asked as he tapped the Jade Slip he had just collected with a finger.
Han Cheongyu glanced at the characters written on its surface before answering.
“It is the Hundred Herbs Classic.”
“Not that. Do you know what it contains?”
“I... don't.”
Naturally, he did not. The contents of a Jade Slip could not be seen from the outside.
“It records information on all kinds of medicinal herbs. Their appearances, names, and uses. Knowledge as valuable as a treasure.”
The Hundred Herbs Classic was the greatest and only harvest they had gained from visiting ten islands.
Though it was called the Hundred Herbs Classic, it covered well over several thousand kinds of medicinal herbs, from common varieties to rare ones. It also described their corresponding uses in varied, meticulous detail, making the knowledge valuable enough to be recorded in a Jade Slip.
“But this treasure is useless here.”
“Why is that?”
“Because not one of the thousands of medicinal herbs recorded in it can be found here.”
Han Cheongyu's eyes widened.
Jegyeong watched the boy move his lips several times before his expression darkened. Then he casually said, “Do you want to go outside?”
“Pardon?”
“I happen to need people to run errands for me. You'll go to the Human Territories and obtain several things. There are too many complications if I go myself, so I need others to go in my place.”
Han Cheongyu's breathing grew rough at those words.
* * *
In truth, Han Cheongyu was not suited to be an errand runner.
He had nothing holding him back.
Would someone who had seen a broader, more prosperous world return to a small, shabby well?
Perhaps he would if he had family on Three Frog Island, but unfortunately, he was alone in the world.
That was why Jegyeong did not expect Han Cheongyu to faithfully complete his task.
All he expected from the boy was for him to serve as a catalyst.
He wanted Han Cheongyu, overflowing with courage and drive, to take the lead in gathering errand runners and help them take their first step. Even if only three or four out of the ten errand runners who departed returned, Jegyeong would be satisfied.
“I want you to be a little more useful.”
Jegyeong came up with a plausible excuse for this “errand.”
He instructed Han Cheongyu and the others to obtain cultivation methods and cultivation arts for the Human Race inhabitants of the Black Jiao Waters. Then, so it would not seem like an overly generous act of charity, he added a few words.
“I have no need for fish or weak Lesser Demons. If you want to live in my waters from now on, prove your worth.”
Jegyeong wanted this to look like an investment in the future.
Fortunately, the frogs at the bottom of the well, ignorant of the ways of the world, seemed to have readily fallen for his words.
“We will never disappoint you, Dragon Lord!”
Even ignorant people born and raised on a small island all their lives knew some things, and cultivation was one of them.
They were members of the Cultivation World, after all.
Moreover, they had suffered under the oppression of the Black Sect Hall, so it was only natural for them to dream of higher realms and greater strength.
In the past, those dreams had been nothing but fantasies.
From now on, they would not be.
“It really... feels like a dream.”
After leaving the Black Jiao Waters, Han Cheongyu and the others repeatedly exclaimed in wonder as they took in the vast sight of Yangseo Lake.
It was all the same water from Yangseo Lake, so it should not have looked so different wherever they viewed it. Yet at that moment, it truly looked different to them.
“Stay alert. Be careful of the people in the outer regions. Do not forget the Black Sect Hall.”
Everyone's expressions hardened at Han Cheongyu's warning.
The words Black Sect Hall sent a chill through their hearts.
“We will.”
“We have to be careful. This is the task the Dragon Lord entrusted to us. We can't be careless in the slightest.”
The title they had once forced themselves to use out of fear now came naturally from their hearts.
They were truly grateful to the Dragon Lord.
It did not matter that the Dragon Lord was a fierce member of the Demon Race.
The Black Sect Hall members, who were of the same Human Race as them, had treated them like livestock. Yet the Dragon Lord, a member of the Demon Race, had not only saved them from the Black Sect Hall's oppression, but also opened the door to a new world for them and entrusted them with precious Spirit Stones.
They rejoiced at this grace and trust while fearing they might ruin the task.
“Remember this. We must speak as little as possible, and we must never appear suspicious. And...”
On the swiftly moving boat, they put their heads together and discussed the road ahead again and again.
* * *
Jegyeong divided the two Muk-su Fruits left after handing the others over to Gwak Jeongsin between Cheongo and Hyeon-gwi.
He had considered selling these two as well, but after some thought, he decided against it.
Four was a suitable number, in his view.
Jegyeong believed Gwak Jeongsin was someone who could think long-term, but one could never be certain. He knew how obsessed the Human Race could be with spiritual treasures, and he did not want to test Gwak Jeongsin's limits, even by chance.
“How is it?”
“I-it feels good. My body feels comfortable. I've never felt anything like this before.”
After eating the Spirit Fruit, Hyeon-gwi trembled and could barely regain their senses.
The feeling of their Spiritual Essence being purified seemed so blissful that they could not even speak properly.
“Dragon Lord, you've given me such an undeserved reward. I truly do not know what to do with myself.”
“Keep doing your best with the tasks I give you. That's enough.”
If loyalty could be measured in numbers, Hyeon-gwi's loyalty would likely have been one hundred and twenty out of one hundred.
After sending Hyeon-gwi away as they declared their loyalty with eyes sparkling like stars, Jegyeong checked Cheongo's condition.
“Jegyeong. I'm sleepy...”
Cheongo's response was quite different from Hyeon-gwi's.
At first, Cheongo chirped happily, but soon blinked drowsily and complained of exhaustion in a fading voice before returning to the nest.
‘Why is Cheongo different from Hyeon-gwi? Is it because Cheongo ate quite a few Muk-su Fruits before?’
As Jegyeong wondered, Cheongo collapsed into the nest as if unconscious and fell asleep, entering an unusual dream.
* * *
‘Huh?’
Cheongo was confused.
Cheongo had clearly fallen asleep in a beautiful nest, but now found themself in the middle of a dense forest.
The forest seemed strangely familiar.
‘What is this?’
Cheongo turned to look around, wondering what was happening, and saw many more familiar sights.
Countless beasts.
And an old man with the bearing of an Immortal, surrounded by those beasts in a circle.
‘Huh?’
Cheongo's eyes widened.
Cheongo wanted to make a sound, but no voice came out.
At that moment, Cheongo felt like an ordinary crow.
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