WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Occult World’s Coveted Blacksmith ◈
Chapter 104: The yaksha's Mask
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The museum's third-floor terrace.
Keeping partly hidden behind the railing, I looked down at the central hall below.
Among the dense crowds, I could see people running around, eyes wide as they searched in every direction.
They were the audience from my session earlier.
Phew...
I'd lost them.
If I hadn't asked Nadia and slipped out through a staff-only passage, I'd have been completely surrounded down there by now.
'Seriously, why do they keep chasing me?'
I clicked my tongue and shook my head.
Tch. Tsk.
'Well, it's obvious.'
This had to be because I hadn't managed to show them the whole final demonstration.
I lowered my gaze and lifted the sword at my waist.
The Ice-Flame Sword, safely tucked in its sheath.
This was all your fault.
I tapped my shoulder with the hilt.
'Who told you to look that cool?'
Hehehe. Even I had to admit it had turned out beautifully.
"Hmm..."
I'd deliberately moved my session to the very first slot on opening day so I could finish early and look around.
'That was a pretty good response, right?'
Ji-an had said I needed good reviews to get invited again.
Honestly, when I first heard that giving a lecture was a condition of the invitation, preparing for it had sounded like a pain.
It wasn't like I was an actual scholar.
Putting together dozens of PowerPoint slides and presenting them just wasn't my style.
So I simply showed them how to make a Ritual Implement and called it a day!
Still, I was appearing as a representative of Korea.
I couldn't afford to look lame, so I'd made the big decision to bring out a recipe I'd been saving.
For a Legendary-grade weapon, no less.
'Anyway...'
This whole teaching thing was more fun than I'd expected.
Taking on an apprentice might not be a bad idea when I had some time.
It would be nice to have someone churning out products in the workshop while I made new things.
Or would it?
Would having an apprentice actually be a lot of work and a bit of a pain?
Teaching someone every little thing would be no small task.
Hmm... An apprentice.
I let my imagination run wild for a moment.
What if they followed me everywhere, going...
'Master, Master...!'
A super-cute apprentice, eyes wide, eager to learn even one more thing?
I sucked in a breath.
That did sound pretty tempting.
Actually, very tempting.
I'd have to give it some serious thought later.
"Oh, right...!"
Now wasn't the time to think about that!!!
Focus!!!
Where was I right now?
Inside a treasure trove filled with rare Ritual Implements from all over the world!!!
How many new ways of making Ritual Implements would I find?
Ah... My mouth was watering. Seriously.
And this was supposed to be the biggest museum in the world, wasn't it?
'Let's seeee... Where should I start?'
My original plan had been to head straight for Aether Link's booth, since they were the ones who'd made the Interpreter Implements!
I glanced down.
The first-floor central hall was still packed with people searching for me and ordinary visitors, all mixed together.
Aether Link, which had supplied the expo with Interpreter Implements, occupied a large space in the main section.
If I tried to push through there, I'd get bombarded with questions before I could look at anything.
'The American Pavilion will have to wait.'
I turned and headed toward a passage farther inside the second floor, where things looked relatively quiet.
Let's see, then...
[Middle Eastern Joint Pavilion]
Right. I'd come all the way to Egypt. Surely it was only polite to sample the local flavor first?
Ah, this was exciting.
The moment I stepped inside, the scent of exotic spices and frankincense smoke washed over me.
The pavilion looked like a scene straight out of an Arabian Nights storybook.
"My dear brother! Spare us a moment!"
A bushy-bearded man in a turban stood at a booth near the entrance. The instant he saw me, he spread his arms wide.
And what was he pointing at?!
'N-no way. It can't be...'
A carpet covered in elaborate geometric patterns was floating in the air.
And beside it, there was even...
"Ah, welcome, welcome!"
A man rubbed a brass pot.
Puff, puff.
Blue smoke billowed out of the lamp, with a genie emerging from it!
And next to that...
Hissssss!
Even a staff topped with a living snake's head!!
'This is... heaven...!'
Ahhh. At last, the paradise I'd been searching foooor...
.
.
.
I got so caught up in looking around that three days flew by before I knew it.
The Korean Pavilion had originally been tucked away in a corner, practically deserted. For some reason, it had gradually attracted more and more people, and now it was absolutely packed.
'O-oh my God...!'
'Jesus Christ.'
Murmur, murmur.
I'd thought things would die down after a while.
But it almost seemed like even more people were looking for me now.
Hmm. Still, by slipping around out of sight, I seemed to have checked out all the best stuff.
I'd also made time to attend other artisans' sessions.
I'd listened to a European alchemy seminar and learned some African voodoo.
Voodoo. Now that was seriously fun.
I'd also toured the booths run by major materials merchants and signed a whole bunch of supply contracts for rare materials.
In short, my knowledge had grown by leaps and bounds~!
Mwahahaha.
You could say I'd powered up another level!
Let's see, let's see.
Where should I go next...?
As I looked around...
Rustle-rustle.
I sensed the faintest trace of a presence behind me.
'Hmm. I'd better deal with that first.'
* * *
At the same time.
Hidden behind a pillar, Rin watched Do-hyeon's back closely as he walked through the crowd.
This was already the third day.
Ever since she'd seen that absurd demonstration in the lecture hall, she'd been following him.
Of course!
She was using the Tianshan Sect's special stealth footwork to its absolute limit, completely erasing her presence.
Even a sorcerer with exceptional spiritual sensitivity would never notice her.
She blended into the crowd and followed him, keeping a fixed distance.
'...?'
In the brief moment he turned a corner, Do-hyeon vanished from sight without a trace.
Even the faint lingering sense of his presence was gone.
'Where did he go?'
Flustered, Rin quickened her steps and looked around.
Just then...
Tap. Tap.
Someone lightly tapped her shoulder from behind.
"Excuse me..."
Rin jumped in alarm and leaped backward.
Standing there with a blank look was Do-hyeon, the very person she'd been following until a moment ago!
'H-how...?'
She'd been using the Tianshan Sect's special secret stealth art, hadn't she?
And she hadn't even noticed someone approaching from behind.
"O-oh my God..."
"...?"
Do-hyeon was just as baffled.
Anyway.
There was something I'd been wondering about...
'What is with those mood-killing exclamations?'
Every last one of them.
Oh my God...!
Or Jesus something-or-other.
It really grated on my nerves.
Was it because the Interpreter Implements had been made in America?
Yes, maybe it was some kind of gimmick to emphasize their American origins.
Apparently, Aether Link had an artisan with seriously awful taste.
"How much longer are you planning to follow me...?"
Rin's eyes widened in apparent surprise for a moment. Then her face went completely blank, as though nothing had happened.
Without warning, she pointed at herself.
Then shook her head.
"...?"
"I've done no such thing."
Sure, I'd thought it was a coincidence at first too.
The expo was huge, but we could still run into each other while walking around.
She'd put quite a bit of effort into hiding her presence.
But every time I deactivated my Suppression Talisman to examine the Ritual Implements, I sensed that same presence.
Shake, shake.
Shake, shake.
"No idea what you're talking about. Makes no sense."
"Ah, yes, well... Let's leave it at that, then."
When I let it slide, Rin nodded shamelessly.
Nod, nod.
Nod, nod.
"More importantly, when will you give me the item I commissioned?"
Hmm...
So that was why she'd kept following me?
Well, the subjugation battle was just around the corner.
Maybe it was time to start thinking about a design.
"Elder Wei Ja-gang told me I could make whatever I liked, but is there a particular type of Ritual Implement you want?"
If she'd followed me around like a stalker for three whole days, surely she wanted something.
"..."
She thought hard for a moment.
Then shook her head.
...?
"No."
"What? Ah, I see."
What? So that wasn't it either?
"..."
"Then could you show me how you normally fight? I'll need to see your martial arts or techniques to make something that suits them."
"No."
Rin cut me off firmly.
"The Tianshan Sect's secret teachings cannot be shown to outsiders."
...?
No, hang on.
"But once you enter the subjugation battle, won't the whole world see them on a live broadcast anyway?"
Rin shook her head again.
"The sect's rules forbid revealing them beforehand. Permission was granted only for the subjugation battle."
"Oh, come on... I need to see how you use a weapon to make one that suits you."
At that, Rin suddenly straightened her back and proudly stuck out her chest.
"There's no need. I've mastered Tianshan's King of All Weapons (萬兵之王), so there's no weapon in the world I can't handle. Whether it's a sword, a spear, or anything else, make whatever you're most confident in."
Confidence at full power.
Rin stood ramrod straight, looking up at me from her small frame.
"Yes, yes."
Whatever you say.
Okay, I had her character figured out.
Hmm. Nothing in particular came to mind yet.
I'd just make her something I felt like making.
"All right, I get it, so stop following me now."
Rin obediently nodded.
Nod. Nod.
Then she strode right up beside me and stood practically shoulder to shoulder.
"..."
"..."
'I tell her not to follow behind me, so now she's going to walk right beside me?'
Sigh.
Whatever. I gave up.
In the end, I headed to the next pavilion with her attached to my side.
And where did our odd little outing take us?
The Japanese Pavilion!
The Japanese Pavilion was bustling with visitors, its booths arranged in long rows and built to look like traditional houses.
As you'd expect from a country famous for fine swords, most of the exhibits were beautifully crafted Japanese swords and armor.
'Ooh.'
What was that?
At one side of a booth, a whole group of people sat huddled together, carving something.
"Come take a look~! You can try making a traditional mask too~!"
What was this place?
"This is the Kurosawa (黒澤) family's booth. A renowned Japanese family of mask Ritual Implement makers."
Rin, who was still glued to my side, suddenly offered an explanation.
I stepped into the booth and found rows of masks covering the walls.
"Welcome~!"
An attendant began pointing out the masks on display and explaining them.
"If you look here, this Tengu Mask is designed to maximize Spell Formulas that control wind..."
Nod, nod.
Wow. So mask Ritual Implements were a thing too.
There was everything from a Fire-Eating Demon's Mask that supposedly let you breathe flames, to a White Wolf Mask that raised all five senses to the level of a wild beast.
Just putting one on concealed your face and gave you a specific ability?
I was starting to get excited again.
I mingled with the crowd and browsed the display cases one by one.
Then something stopped me in my tracks.
An item sat at the very back of the pavilion, inside a glass case heavily protected by Barriers.
Wait... That was...
Horns rose from its forehead, and sharp fangs jutted out of its wide-split mouth.
Its hideous face was a grotesque mixture of red and blue.
"This Ritual Implement is a legendary relic passed down since the Muromachi period..."
The attendant beside me continued explaining it fluently to the visitors.
But I didn't hear a word.
Thump. Thump.
My heart pounded.
"That's... the Yaksha Mask."
My lifelong dream. A dream I'd never fulfilled because the game had shut down.
One of the collection of 101 Legendary weapons I'd thought I'd never see again.
[Legendary. Yaksha Mask.]
It was right there in front of me.
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