WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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Episode 25: Natal Spirit Artifact (4)
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After watching the auction from beginning to end and making a circuit of the nearby market, Ise still could not find any Core Formation Realm materials.
It was not that none were available, but they were either unusable parts or fragments broken into pieces too small to be of use.
Still, he had learned that such materials appeared from time to time, so the trip had not been wasted.
On his way back, Ise stopped at every shop and made himself known to the merchants.
“Corpses of Core Formation Realm demon beasts or spirit beasts. If you hear a rumor or obtain one, send word here. I’ll pay you well.”
“Yes, senior. I will.”
Each merchant received a Dine and Go name plaque.
The merchants who had received a great cultivator’s request bowed deeply, but their eyes were already calculating their profits.
If things went well, this was a chance to form ties with a great cultivator. Why would they refuse?
After touring the Demon-Beast Market, Ise installed the Secret-Realm Key in the manor’s cave abode and went inside.
He intended to plant the Spiritfall Seed, following Grand Sect Master Go Yubaek’s advice.
He dug a hole in an empty furrow between the Full-Moon Herb field and the spirit rice paddy, then placed the Spiritfall Seed inside.
He covered it with spirit soil, watered it with the Jet Stream Art, then slowly poured in energy filtered from his primordial qi, leaving only its spiritual essence.
It was an item with no particular use, yet keeping it around only made him uneasy.
Rather than let it lie around, he wanted to see what would happen.
Even if a demon emerged from it, it would only be at the Foundation Establishment Realm.
He could simply send it straight to the underworld the moment it appeared.
The response came faster than expected.
The instant he poured in spiritual essence, a lush green shoot broke through the soil.
Its leaves gleamed as though lacquered. It clearly felt different from the surrounding spiritual herbs.
Its vitality felt more vivid, as if it were alive and moving.
‘It contains spiritual energy.’
Pure spiritual essence seeped faintly from it.
The energy resembled the breath of a newborn spirit beast.
It was the same phenomenon that had occurred when Bisang first hatched from an egg.
When a bird breaks free from its shell, it is called hatching. When a shoot breaks through a seed, it is called germination.
The words were different, but their meanings were similar.
Birth.
No matter how many times one witnessed it, it was a moving sight.
‘It really does seem that, because of my physique, a demon is being reborn as spiritual material.’
His demon-qi-absorbing physique seemed to have filtered even the demonic qi remaining in the seed.
A demon beast’s egg had been born as a spirit beast, and a demonic creature’s seed had germinated into spiritual material.
It was an incomprehensible phenomenon, but there was no sign it would cause harm.
Intrigued, Ise decided to watch it for a while longer.
* * *
Azure Dragon Hall members gathered on the first floor of the shop, which was bustling with preparations for its opening.
Newly commissioned, gleaming tables lined the floor, while the displays along the walls held ornate empty medicinal-pellet boxes marked only with name tags.
The scent of fresh plaster mingled strangely with the aromas drifting out from the kitchen.
Even Seolryeong, who had been busy learning new techniques at Hanjang Sect, had been called over.
Ise’s message had simply said, Let’s have a tasting.
Free immortal cuisine was a welcome surprise, but it also raised a question.
“Hall Master’s immortal cuisine doesn’t need to prove its effects. Why are we having a tasting?”
Pi Garam answered Seolryeong’s question briefly.
“He wants us to judge the flavor.”
“…Is he still obsessed with taste?”
At this point, it was less an obsession and more an illness.
Still, Seolryeong was not bold enough to say something so disrespectful aloud.
When they had been at similar realms in the past, she had often joked, “Is he insane?” But after receiving instruction from those fierce hands, good manners had naturally been drilled into her.
Inside the kitchen, preparations that almost looked sacred were underway.
It had been a long time since Ise had made immortal cuisine.
The utensils were excellent, and the ingredients had been perfectly prepared.
In one corner, Bisang, who had been permitted to watch, stared with shining eyes.
“Shall we begin?”
First came the most important main ingredient.
A Silver-Scaled Fish, a Qi Condensation Realm demon beast brought from the waters off the Archipelago. It was such a common species that one could practically trip over it.
Since it was an ingredient Ise could spear whenever he wished, it had been chosen as the top item on the menu.
Beside it lay a Full-Moon Hundred-Year Herb.
The Hundred-Year Herb paired well with any demon beast, had an excellent spirit-gathering effect, and was itself a precious spiritual herb worth several hundred Spiritual Stones per root, sometimes as many as a thousand.
But to Ise, it was merely a spiritual herb he could grow at a rate of one root per year with the Life-Accelerating Art.
Adding spirit honey to round out the flavor meant that even Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators could expect nearly triple the usual spirit-gathering effect.
Qi Condensation Realm cultivators would feel as though lightning had struck them the instant they took a bite.
On the other side were ingredients meant purely for flavor.
Shiitake and stone-ear mushrooms. Egg ribbons and water parsley. Various seasonings.
Using the Turbid-Qi Cleansing Art he had learned for this moment, Ise swept through the mortal ingredients and removed their turbid qi.
Whenever his spell touched an ingredient, the turbid qi soaked into it washed away completely, changing even its color.
The shiitake caps looked fuller, while the water parsley stood stiff as though it had just been pulled from the field.
The cooking began in earnest.
Ise scored the body of the fish, which was as large as a grown man, and tucked Full-Moon Hundred-Year Herb powder into each cut.
He brushed spirit honey over it for sweetness, placed it in a steamer, then carefully layered the other ingredients on top.
The dish was called Royal Steamed Sea Bream, a famous traditional Suari royal dish, except the sea bream had been replaced with Silver-Scaled Fish.
Steam rose from the pot, and a rich, sweet aroma spread beyond the kitchen.
It was a scent that made everyone’s nostrils flare on their own.
Bisang, who had watched the entire process, blinked with shining eyes.
Like a spirit beast who took after its master in having an exceptional appetite, Bisang showed great interest in immortal cuisine.
“I want to learn cooking too, Father.”
“You don’t have hands. You can’t cook with wings.”
At that perfectly reasonable point, Bisang lowered his beak dejectedly.
Ise encouraged him by saying he would teach him the secrets of cooking once Bisang learned to take human form, then portioned the steamed dish onto plates.
When the plates reached the table, everyone’s eyes widened.
The spirit honey gave the whole steamed fish a faint sheen, while the Full-Moon Herb powder tucked into its scores glittered.
“Go on. Eat.”
For once, Ise wore a tense expression as he awaited the hall members’ verdict.
He had not been this nervous while hunting a Core Formation Realm demon. Why was he trembling over this?
Chopsticks moved quietly.
The hall members who swallowed their first bites froze as though by agreement.
“……”
“…This is.”
The fish melted in their mouths.
Then a refreshing energy spread through them.
It felt like a fish swimming behind their backs, with grass blooming along the path of water it left behind.
Warm spiritual essence then softly wrapped around their entire bodies.
It was as comforting as a mother’s embrace.
A wave of sensation washed over them, making their eyes close as though visions were spreading behind their heads.
A truly heavenly flavor.
Pi Garam moved his chopsticks at twice his usual speed.
Hong Wonseo took out a recording stone and captured the scene, while Shin Hyeon quietly closed their eyes and savored the flavor. A single tear slid from the old cultivator’s eye as departed family members came to mind.
Seolryeong gasped in admiration and tried to secretly take food from Doksu’s bowl, nearly committing insubordination.
Her argument that dokkaebi did not need the spirit-gathering effect lost all persuasive power before such overwhelming flavor.
The pretense of a tasting had long since vanished.
Ise had gathered them to evaluate the taste, but instead of giving evaluations, they were on the verge of fighting over the plates.
“It would not be an exaggeration to call this the finest delicacy under heaven, Hall Master.”
Ise was satisfied that Buchun, at least, was performing their proper role.
Of course, Buchun was quite excited as well.
“If this immortal cuisine can be mass-produced, it will only be a matter of time before we take over Ilgwang Island and rake in Spiritual Stones.”
“Don’t talk like some back-alley thug…”
Despite Seolryeong’s rebuke, Buchun continued to cheer for the conquest of Ilgwang Island.
“There is one problem, however.”
“What problem?”
“We have secured supplies for the immortal cuisine, spirit artifacts, medicinal pellets, and even by-products. But talismans are an issue.”
“Can’t we just find any talisman artisan and have them supply us?”
“You do not understand. Talismans are the most actively traded goods in the spirit-artifact market.”
After thinking silently for a moment, Ise agreed.
Talismans had also been what he bought most often at the spirit-artifact market during his days as a low-realm cultivator.
“The quality of a talisman is an important factor in proving a spirit-artifact market’s worth. I have tracked down the talisman workshop considered the best on Ilgwang Island, but its owner is an extraordinary eccentric.”
Buchun continued.
“If we want to become Ilgwang Island’s foremost general merchant, we need to establish a business relationship with that talisman artisan. But I hear they have stopped producing talismans lately because they have been doing strange things.”
“If they’re that talented, a Core Formation sect would have snatched them up and used them as a slave to draw talismans. There must be a reason they have not.”
“Yes. It seems they have some backing.”
“What’s their name?”
“Eunbo.”
“An unusual name. In any case, we absolutely need that talisman artisan?”
“Yes. If we can receive talisman shipments from that artisan, every piece will finally be in place.”
Seolryeong, who had been listening quietly, tilted her head.
“Eunbo? I think I’ve heard that name.”
After furrowing her brow for a while, she struck her palm with her fist.
“I once heard Hanjang Sect cultivators talking about him. They said he was some kind of apocalypticist…”
“An apocalypticist? Now that is a real eccentric. Fine. Let’s abduct him, no, recruit him.”
He was probably an eccentric worried that heaven-and-earth spiritual energy would run dry, like the previous Great Exorcist Order Lord.
“Speaking of which, Hall Master.”
“Yes?”
“Our guided sparring is over, but the minor misfortune in the hall members’ divinations has not gone away. There is also baleful influence over the whole island.”
There were several problems with Seolryeong’s statement.
Ise decided to point out the largest one first.
“Why is guided sparring a minor misfortune?”
“……”
The moment she met his blankly blinking eyes, Seolryeong’s already pale face went chalk-white.
“And who said the guided sparring was over?”
“…Pardon?”
“Once you have addressed the weaknesses I pointed out in each of you and learned the supplementary spells, we will begin again. Judging by your attitude, it seems you should be the first to start.”
“Hall Master…”
Seolryeong’s face went ashen.
The source of the baleful influence was sitting before her, drinking tea and causing unprecedented terror.
“I’ll keep the baleful influence over the island in mind for now. I should meet this apocalypticist.”
The minor misfortune in Seolryeong’s divination was not something to dismiss carelessly.
The baleful influence over the island, the apocalypticist, and his own fate of attracting incidents.
There was no harm in preparing thoroughly.
* * *
Ise took Hong Wonseo and Pi Garam with him to investigate Eunbo’s whereabouts.
Eunbo seemed to be more famous than expected, for they quickly found him.
He was being hustled away from the mountain gate of a nearby Core Formation sect by its gatekeeper disciples.
“Cultivator Eun, please do not act like this. We are in a difficult position too. We requested talismans, not strange rumors.”
“I told you, talismans are not what matters right now! Let me see the Sect Master!”
“The Sect Master told us to tell you to get lost… and to ask when you planned to deliver the items you promised.”
The young man in ink-black robes was politely turned away.
He sat on the ground and shouted something toward the mountain gate. Only when salt was thrown down from above the gate did he finally fall silent.
“He really is a noisy talisman artisan.”
Ise chuckled and approached Eunbo.
“Cultivator Eun.”
The young man flinched and turned around.
He soon gauged Ise’s realm, sprang to his feet, and hurriedly straightened his clothes.
“You are a great cultivator I have not met before. Senior, what brings you here?”
“I came from elsewhere. I am opening a new shop in Haerin Market, and I would like to receive talisman shipments from you.”
“Ah… a Core Formation Realm great cultivator is opening a personal shop…?”
Eunbo’s expression changed rapidly before returning to normal.
It was difficult to understand, but there was no shortage of eccentrics among cultivators. Such peculiar behavior was familiar enough to him.
“I apologize to someone who has come so far, but I have no intention of making or selling talismans for a while. There is a more important problem at hand.”
“What problem?”
Eunbo studied Ise’s expression for a moment.
The calculation that he had nothing to lose was written plainly across his face.
The sects on this island had all ignored him. Still, a great cultivator ought to have some influence.
He drew a breath and spoke.
“The end is coming to this island. A horde of demon beasts will attack it. Please do not dismiss this as nonsense. Lend me your strength. Many people will die.”
Hong Wonseo and Pi Garam exchanged glances.
Just as the rumors said, he was an eccentric cultivator.
A demon-beast horde attacking not the Outer Archipelago, but the heart of the Inner Archipelago.
It was certainly the sort of claim that would get someone turned away by every sect gate.
“Can you tell me more?”
“Yes? Truly?”
Perhaps it was the first positive response he had received, because Eunbo’s face brightened.
“According to my investigation…”
As he eagerly began to explain, Ise raised a hand to stop him.
“This does not seem like a conversation for here. Let us go to our shop. Where are you staying now?”
“At my workshop…”
“Then pack up everything from your workshop and come with us first.”
“W-Wait?”
Ise took the lead, hauling Eunbo along as though by the scruff of his neck.
Without understanding what was happening, Eunbo was dragged away with his feet half lifted from the ground.
Nothing changed when they arrived at his workshop in a back alley.
While Eunbo floundered, unable to decide what to pack first, Ise took matters into his own hands and began sweeping the workshop’s contents into Eunbo’s storage pouch.
Talisman paper, jars of cinnabar, even brush racks flew through the air by the Telekinesis Art.
Eunbo stared blankly at his belongings whizzing about before finally grabbing Ise’s sleeve.
“W-Wait! There is an order for setting all those things down!”
“Organize them again once we get there.”
“No, why are you suddenly doing this…”
“You do not intend to protect this island? Is your resolve only that strong?”
“What does that have to do with my belongings?”
“I told you, I will explain once we get there.”
In the end, Eunbo was led away by Ise with a bewildered expression.
Hong Wonseo, who had watched the scene from behind, asked Pi Garam,
“Is that not kidnapping?”
“Considering the Hall Master’s dignity, it would be more accurate to call it involuntary compulsory accompaniment.”
“Giving it a refined name does not change what it is.”
Hong Wonseo muttered to herself.
A Hall Master who abducted people without warning, and hall members who accepted it as natural.
This was the hall she belonged to, but it truly was a complete madhouse.
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