The Outer God Needs Warmth-Chapter 117: Sailing to the Bottom (2)

I was led into a house in the village. Around the house, people wearing white cloths on their heads had surrounded it.

Considering the earlier remark about calling a Taoist, I don't think I will be here for long.

I quietly entered and waited inside.

The house was quite nice. However, there were traces left by the previous inhabitants, but the place was very clean, suggesting it was well-maintained.

Sitting in a chair, the person presumed to be in the highest position sat opposite me. Then, he ordered someone to bring drinks.

It seemed like they were about to start a conversation.

“You said you’re going to Kunlun Mountain. What’s the reason for your journey?”

An interrogation.

Hmm, what should I do?

I have no reason to harm good people. In that case, I can just create a reason for them.

I took the Makya Sword out from my pocket.

“This is an artifact called the Makya Sword. When infused with energy, a blade of light and heat appears. I can't use it, so I plan to return it to its original place.”

I could see the people around me focusing their attention on the artifact.

“Artifact, you say?”

The man in front of me stumbled and carefully observed the Makya Sword I had brought out.

So, I decided to explain it in detail.

“It’s a weapon where a blade of light shoots out from this part. They always warned me not to inject energy into this part. Just before, Taoist Hwangbo Cheon tried to summon the blade and accidentally touched it a few times.”

Since I have some of Hwangbo Cheon’s memories, I can speak like I know everything about it. What I’m saying is hinting at a certain truth.

Could it be someone related to a Taoist?

This is an illusion that will disappear when the Taoist arrives, but for now, it's useful. The gaze of the people looking at me has clearly softened.

“Would you like to try using it?”

At that, the man’s eyes widened.

“Oh! I didn’t introduce myself. I am Yoo Dae-jeong, the head of the Hyeongsan Sect. May I ask your name?”

The fact that he immediately gave formalities suggests he’s very interested in the weapon.

Inside, the swordsmen can’t resist and are clearly thinking greedily.

“I’m Choseol.”

I handed the artifact to him.

The man, who carefully accepted the Makya Sword, inspected it with a curious expression. I gave him a warning.

“That part. You should think that flames will shoot out from there. If you intend to try injecting energy, be careful with its position, or you could die.”

Yes. In other words, if you inject energy carefully in that part, you can use the weapon. It's a tempting suggestion to try it.

The man, hearing my words, stiffened and carefully directed the blade’s tip toward the ceiling.

Then—

Whoooosh.

A blade of bright red light shot out, shorter than the one Hwangbo Cheon used, but still glowing intensely.

“Oooh.”

“That’s... an artifact?”

“A sword of fire...”

The people around, who had been quietly observing, expressed their admiration.

“Would it be alright to swing it once?”

Unfortunately, I didn’t see any greed in his expression. Rather, his face was filled with child-like curiosity.

Ah.

How disappointing.

Since it’s not my weapon anyway, I nodded.

Suppressing his excitement, Yoo Dae-jeong walked outside with the Makya Sword in hand and swung it.

Like something from an old classic space opera, the light danced, leaving afterimages in the air.

The gaze of everyone present seemed to be sucked into the blade.

Among them, a few faces, gleaming with desire, caught my attention as I quietly sipped my tea.

After a while, the man, drenched in sweat but with a bright smile, returned and placed the Makya Sword in front of me without hesitation.

“That was a great experience. Choseol Soje. But this weapon seems a bit too much for a person to wield. How could you give something like this so easily? What would you do if I took it?”

I wasn’t planning to lie. But I can tell only part of the truth.

“Isn’t it on the side of the Taoist?”

We’re on the same side, but there’s no guarantee that it won’t cause trouble. Humans and immortals are strictly different groups, after all.

“You should be a bit more cautious with people, Choseol Soje.”

“I trust people.”

When I retorted, Yoo Dae-jeong gave a bitter smile. Then, he looked at me as if I were a clueless child.

“I hope that trust lasts a long time. Well, then, rest here until the Taoist arrives.”

Yoo Dae-jeong led everyone out of the room. As soon as they left, people asked him about the weapon.

I could still hear his excited voice explaining his experience with the sword even after the door closed.

I picked up the Makya Sword.

In a world like this, a fine sword can mesmerize people. I could already see several people who were clearly intoxicated by its allure. How long will they be able to resist?

I don’t expect everyone to be morally upright.

Even with strict rules, when there are many people, one of them is bound to let desire overrule reason.

So I made it clear and strapped the Makya Sword to my waist, settling down in the room to rest.

Even if it’s not in this world, there are still Harvesters from other worlds, so I’m not bored.

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

I also wonder how useful the compressed information left by the Heavenly Demon, known as the "Heavenly Demon Sword," will be. So I sent the information to those who could receive it.

Compared to what Eunjae knows, it’s a fraction, a tiny fraction, of the memory.

How efficient will it be?

How good will the results be? I sent it little by little, expecting the outcome.

As I was passing the time, the sound of murmurs grew louder outside.

It seems it’s later than I thought. I arrived in the village in the morning, but now the sunset can be seen from the window. And there are a lot of people gathered.

They’ve arrived.

I stood up from my seat and went to the place where we had spoken earlier to wait. No sooner had I sat down than a group of people entered through the door.

But none of them were carrying equipment like the artifact.

They were just people with white cloths on their heads. That means, members of the Martial Alliance.

“This one... we’ll personally escort to Kunlun.”

Did they realize I’m related to the Harvesters just by seeing me? Perhaps someone recognized my face? But there doesn’t seem to be enough hostility for that.

Beside him stood Yoo Dae-jeong, the middle-aged man I had seen earlier. He frowned and asked,

“Wasn’t it promised when the Hyeongsan Sect joined the Oangpa that they would have autonomy?”

“Sorry. I would have preferred that too, but an order came down to escort all living prisoners from Kunlun to Kunlun, and the Martial Alliance leader accepted it.”

Strangely, both of them seem to strongly dislike Taoists.

Well, it’s not surprising. It must be an unpleasant feeling knowing something non-human is controlling them.

“How can immortals meddle so much in human affairs...”

“Well, what can we do? But if there were no immortals, it would have been hard to bring down the Heavenly Demon Church. You didn’t see the last moments of the Heavenly Demon, did you?”

Oh.

The Oangpa’s sub-leader must have been there when the Heavenly Demon died.

After all, with that distinct hair color, if they saw a Harvester being killed or witnessed the killing, they could immediately identify it.

So, I was caught.

“I’ve caught a glimpse of the figure the Elder spoke of. Now I understand why Omyoungseong went into a frenzy when he was tainted by the Demon. Truly, an astonishing piece of work.”

The man said, glaring at me.

“Therefore, anyone with even a trace of demonic energy must be eliminated. No one should ever use demonic power again.”

The Oangpa’s sub-leader ordered someone to take me away.

The men who rushed in quickly subdued me and bound me with rope.

This isn’t too bad.

I won’t have to walk far; they’ll take me there, won’t they?

Above all, I don’t really think I’ll make it there.

“And this should be properly taken care of.”

When I fell, the Makya Sword flew out from my waist. The Oangpa’s sub-leader took it and held it up.

I’m good at reading people’s expressions.

Numerous memories. Especially the memories of people who’ve gone through the worst situations—those people’s faces instantly show me if they have bad intentions.

Because the face that comes to mind when they fall into despair is clear.

Yes.

It gleams with desire.

The gap in skills.

They now have the chance to own something better. Why would they not take it?

The only problem is, I’ll likely be a person who no longer exists by the time I reach my destination.

Even if I’m not part of the Martial Alliance, a person in the position of sub-leader of such a massive group under the Martial Alliance would have no doubt gathered various information from those who entered Kunlun.

Jungjaewoo and Byeongil’s last moments. Through their light, I saw the people around.

Some of them were watching the memories extracted from the soul like holograms.

Not everyone there was an immortal or Taoist. After all, some people were shocked by the skills.

Though this person may not have been there at the time, it’s hard to keep such stories to oneself.

But still, I hope I’ll be dropped off at a nearby location as I’m dragged away.

Dragged across the floor, I heard Yoo Dae-jeong mutter with a solemn face as he looked at me.

“I’m sorry.”

What could he be sorry for?

Feeling guilt in such a clear criminal situation. People can be so good-hearted.

He won’t go far.

“Just go back to your remote mountain and do some trivial tasks.”

At my words, he looked pained.

No, I didn’t say it to make him feel that way.

Since there are many people here, I just said it that way.

Looking at the sub-leader, it’s hard to imagine any good things happening.

At least, it’s better for the good people to stay in good condition until we reach Kunlun.

Anyone who considers me useful is someone who follows their desires.

But people with clear goals are more troublesome.

Rather, someone who compromises with desire is better. Someone who wouldn’t go as far as committing atrocities for their own benefit but would easily overlook small things.

That’s the kind of person I prefer.

I was loaded onto the broken cart. Looking around, there are quite a few people who seem to be in a similar situation.

Rattle.

The cart began to move.

I wonder how long it will take to get to Kunlun?

I leisurely rested in the cart.