WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: WeTried Translations
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◈ Ophidian of the Immortal World ◈
Chapter 79: Touring Seongam Island
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Everything in sight was both familiar and strange.
Wide, straight roads and tall buildings.
Carriages pulled by every kind of beast.
Everything before him could be summed up in a single word: bustling.
“Flying is generally prohibited on Stonewall Island.”
As Jegyeong looked up at the tall buildings, Yeon Jung-hyeok seemed to have misunderstood something and began explaining at length.
Jegyeong had no interest in what he was saying. Perhaps he would listen later, but for now, he only wanted to focus on everything before his eyes.
“The auction will be held in fifteen days. Until then, I will attend to you, Fellow Daoist.”
Yeon Jung-hyeok was extremely polite, acting less like a Foundation Establishment cultivator and more like a professional guide.
Still, Jegyeong understood the meaning behind that gentle manner.
Calling it attendance sounded nice, but did it not mean Yeon Jung-hyeok intended to follow him everywhere and keep watch over him?
Of course, that watchfulness was at least partly, perhaps largely, meant to protect him, so it was not something to find wholly unpleasant.
“...”
Jegyeong glanced at Yeon Jung-hyeok, who was waiting for an answer. His body had stiffened ever so slightly since making the offer, revealing his tension.
“I worry I may trouble Fellow Daoist Yeon too much.”
“Not at all. Fellow Daoist Jegyeong is an honored guest of our Merchant Association. It is only proper that I attend to you. Please do not refuse.”
“You flatter me. Well... let us do that.”
A smile blossomed across Yeon Jung-hyeok’s face.
“You have come a long way, so you must be tired. I will not disturb you. Please call for me whenever you need anything.”
After Yeon Jung-hyeok closed the door and left, Jegyeong quietly took a sip of Spirit Wine.
* * *
Yeon Jung-hyeok had realized that the Great Demon Beast known as the Dragon Lord of Black Shark Island was truly extraordinary.
Even after knowing him for more than five days, that realization continued to deepen by the day.
‘The more I see of him, the less he seems like a member of the Demon Race.’
That was the first reason he found Jegyeong extraordinary.
Jegyeong simply did not seem like one of the Demon Race. He was always calm, like a scholar who had spent years pursuing learning.
‘And his Transformation Technique is perfect.’
Normally, transformation was an ability obtained only after surviving the Transformation Tribulation.
Thus, unless one had achieved complete transformation, even mastering the finest Transformation Secret Art would inevitably leave some flaw, whether visible or hidden.
Yet Yeon Jung-hyeok could sense no such flaw in Jegyeong at all.
Perhaps there was something he had failed to notice, but if the flaw was hidden that deeply, it would be astonishing in its own right.
‘And I can’t sense any malice from him at all.’
Trading with a Human Race merchant association was one matter. What one felt toward the Human Race was another.
The few Great Demon Beasts with exceptional Spiritual Intelligence and a head for profit could suppress their instincts as members of the Demon Race for the sake of trade.
But they were only suppressing lesser emotions for the greater emotion of greed. Those feelings still existed.
Members of the Demon Race instinctively regarded the Human Race as both rivals and prey. When they came into contact with humans, even if they had no intention of showing it, unpleasant reactions often slipped out naturally.
At best, they might look down on humans without realizing it or lick their lips. At worst, they would become emotional over the slightest matter and reveal killing intent.
They were the sort who might ignite at any moment.
Yet Jegyeong had none of that. Yeon Jung-hyeok even thought he was better tempered than many Human Race cultivators.
‘If I had not seen him myself, I would never have believed someone like this existed.’
Once again, Yeon Jung-hyeok realized how vast the world was.
As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he had believed he had seen and heard his share. Before this vast world, though, he still seemed no more than a tiny frog.
“The medicinal cuisine at Jangyeo Pavilion is famous throughout Stonewall Island. It tastes wonderful, but more importantly, the dishes are prepared with rare ingredients brought in from the interior. You would have trouble finding food like this anywhere else.”
Yeon Jung-hyeok enthusiastically praised the food as Jegyeong examined the spirit herbs in the bowl with curiosity.
Privately, he was a little anxious that Jegyeong might suddenly ask for meat instead of plants.
Ninety-nine out of a hundred meat dishes used Demon Beast meat.
Of course, Yeon Jung-hyeok knew that the Demon Race had only a faint sense of kinship among themselves and would not refuse a chance to eat another’s flesh. Still, that was a matter among their own kind.
Many members of the Demon Race, particularly Demon Beasts, disliked seeing the Human Race serve Demon Beast meat as food.
“It tastes good.”
‘Whew.’
When Jegyeong took a bite of the medicinal cuisine and gave it his approval, Yeon Jung-hyeok let out a sigh of relief. Judging from Jegyeong’s expression, it did not seem like an empty compliment.
Whether one was a Human Race Foundation Establishment cultivator or a Demon Race Great Demon Beast of the Great Demon Realm, there was no need to eat merely to stave off hunger after reaching this level.
Unless eating had become a habit or they particularly enjoyed fine food, most food consumption was part of cultivation.
Medicinal cuisine like this was a prime example.
It shared some similarities with Medicinal Pills in that it raised one’s cultivation through consumption. Its effects were weaker, but it also had fewer side effects, such as Pill Toxin.
It was somewhat less efficient in terms of cost, but with enough wealth, one could achieve greater results through medicinal cuisine than through Medicinal Pills.
That was why wealthy cultivation factions kept medicinal cuisine chefs on staff.
‘Surely he won’t ask to try something else later?’
Medicinal cuisine could not be eaten without limit.
It was not as severe as Medicinal Pills, but after eating one meal, one generally needed several days to digest it properly.
Yet the figure before him only wore a human shell. In truth, he was a Great Demon Beast whose body was larger than most merchant ships.
No one knew how much he could eat or how large his stomach was.
He might finish this entire meal of medicinal cuisine, then innocently ask when the main course would arrive.
Gulp, gulp.
“It seems you enjoy Spirit Wine, Fellow Daoist Jegyeong.”
“I enjoy it very much.”
Yeon Jung-hyeok discovered one more unusual thing about him.
Jegyeong was a heavy drinker.
‘I should offer him plenty of Spirit Wine.’
If Yeon Jung-hyeok bought many varieties and filled Jegyeong’s guest room with them, perhaps this troublesome guest would spend the next few days immersed in drink.
* * *
Jegyeong had not been someone who enjoyed traveling in his previous life, and this life was not much different.
Still, touring Stonewall Island was immensely interesting to him.
Perhaps it was because this was his first time encountering the Human Territories. First experiences were always special.
Besides, Yeon Jung-hyeok was a good guide.
As if he could read Jegyeong’s mind, he led him only to places that might interest him.
“This market town is very old. Some say its history is the history of Stonewall Island itself. I do not know if that is true, but it is certainly older than most of the factions that now act as masters of Stonewall Island.”
Yeon Jung-hyeok spoke with a smile.
Stonewall Island was divided into residential and commercial districts, and more than a quarter of the commercial district was occupied by the market town.
“This is a little different from what I imagined.”
“Oh? In what way?”
“I expected it to be more disorderly.”
Jegyeong had thought that market towns in this world would resemble the markets from his previous life.
But after coming here himself, he found that it was not disorderly at all. If anything, it was so clean that it felt a little empty.
That impression largely came from how widely the vendors had spaced themselves apart.
“Ha ha. It cannot be helped. There is a patrol force to maintain order, but Spirit Stones are involved, so minor incidents never stop happening.”
In the end, there were simply too many people.
Pickpocketing, robbery, baleful energy, and more.
With so many people, countless large and small incidents occurred, yet there were far too few people to deal with the aftermath. Cultivators who came to the market town had to protect themselves.
“Some people call this place muddy water. The water is deep and murky, so if you step in carelessly, you are bound to get into trouble.”
As Jegyeong listened to Yeon Jung-hyeok, he examined the goods laid out on the stalls with great interest.
The owners eyed them from the corners of their eyes, their gazes mixed with fear and wariness.
“Who knows whether one might fish out a treasure from muddy water?”
“Ha ha. Precisely. That hope is one of the two pillars supporting Stonewall Island’s market town.”
“And the other?”
“Those who take advantage of that hope, of course.”
The market town truly had everything.
There were Medicinal Pills, spirit herbs, Spiritual Energy, and even the occasional Dharma Artifact.
“What is this?”
Jegyeong stopped before an egg as large as a human head and asked the vendor.
The vendor answered cautiously, wearing a profound expression.
“It is an egg of a Star-Pattern Crocodile.”
“A Star-Pattern Crocodile? You would be fortunate if that were even an egg from some nameless Demon Fish.”
When Yeon Jung-hyeok snorted, the vendor’s face turned red.
The vendor rose to their feet and was about to raise their voice, but a single sharp look from Yeon Jung-hyeok made their face turn pale.
“What about this Dharma Artifact?”
“It is called the Mountain-Breaking Seal. Its power is so great that even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator would not dare face it head-on. As you can see, it was made from Crimson Sun Gold-Iron...”
“Crimson Sun Gold-Iron? Is that not red copper ore?”
The vendor’s face reddened at the taunt that bordered on a rebuke, but when Yeon Jung-hyeok casually showed the identity plaque at his waist, they could say nothing and turned away.
After this happened several times, Jegyeong gained a rough understanding of the market town.
Of those sitting behind stalls, half were merchants and half were swindlers.
There were plenty of goods, but few decent ones.
And by decent, he meant both quality and price.
After spending an entire day looking through the market town, Jegyeong purchased two Qi Refining Stage pill formulas and several varieties of spirit plant seeds at reasonable prices.
“Do you know how to refine pills, Fellow Daoist Jegyeong?”
“Not me. The humans I have taken in know how.”
Seeing Yeon Jung-hyeok’s puzzled expression, Jegyeong added a few more words.
“If their skills improve, will the tribute I collect from them not also increase? Think of it as an investment.”
“...You are wise.”
Shock flickered in Yeon Jung-hyeok’s eyes as Jegyeong’s casual remark sent his thoughts churning.
Unconcerned, Jegyeong looked over a few more stalls before turning away.
“The auction is in four days, was it not?”
“That is correct.”
Four days.
Jegyeong frowned.
Everything he saw and heard began to sway slightly.
The Human Race members chattering around him soon looked less like people and more like mosquitoes, and an urge rose within him to lash out with all his strength.
Gulp, gulp.
The Heartfire that had begun to creep up subsided after a few mouthfuls of Spirit Wine.
But the heat had only faded for a moment. The spark still remained, unextinguished.
‘It’s fine. This is enough.’
Still, it would be best to refrain from going out until the auction day, just in case.
“Let us return.”
After emptying an entire bottle of Spirit Wine, Jegyeong returned to the lodging with a delighted Yeon Jung-hyeok.
Four days later.
The Spirit Talisman Merchant Association’s flying carriage rose into the air toward the auction house.
Footnotes:
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