The ruined inn has been restored, and news spread through the messenger that consultations would start again.
In the process, I added one promotional twist.
I decided to give a special ticket to those who stayed at the inn, allowing them to have a private consultation with me.
This might sound like a simple solo consultation, but it’s not that easy to come by.
After all, I’m currently a bureaucrat of the military known as Saeryeong, and I have quite the reputation in the martial world.
Plus, I’ve gained a reputation among the people for doing good deeds and saving them, so for those just stepping into the martial world, meeting me has become a must-do.
And since martial artists can also meet superhumans akin to idols here, it was no wonder.
Little by little, my inn began to be seen as a place worth visiting by martial enthusiasts.
“I hear even the dark faction wants to check it out.”
Hano, who returned after a long time upon hearing news of the inn’s reopening, said while sipping on a drink.
The dark faction, huh…
Honestly, I don’t really discriminate between the righteous and the dark.
There are people who don’t act human in the righteous faction, and there are those in the dark faction who are aware of benevolence and trust.
Of course, the Demon Cult is an exception. The training method they’re into is so twisted that most of them aren’t in their right minds.
“How about the dark faction undergoes a screening at Hao-mun when they come here?”
“Are you out of your mind?”
Hano looked at me as if I were ridiculous.
If such privileges were offered, Hao-mun could be attacked by other dark factions.
On top of that, because of the last collaboration with the government, some dark factions have been calling Hao-mun a government dog or something, so there’s no need to attract further attention.
“We need to gather information, and to do that, we should live as if we’re not here.”
Hano shrugged nonchalantly, and I nodded with a smile.
“Got it. By the way, let them know that if those from the dark faction want to meet me, they can.”
“Can you imagine the righteous faction in Seonghwa being quiet about that?”
“As long as they don’t fight, right? Just like how the martial artists from the dark faction are not above battling evil monsters or the Demon Cult.”
“Hmmm… Well, I’ll mention it.”
He said casually while glancing around. As he sized up the inn, now four times bigger than before, a smirk crept onto his face.
“Looks like there are plenty of customers.”
As Seonghwa City grew, more people were coming to visit. Naturally, it was expected that my inn, the only one in Seonghwa, would attract a lot of guests.
“Do you think another inn will pop up in Seonghwa?”
“They can build an inn if they report it to the city. But apparently, nobody’s stepping up to do that.”
There’s no real need to tiptoe around it. But with me running the inn so boldly in Seonghwa, it seems nobody has the guts to clash with me, as not many are looking to open another inn.
There weren’t many people like that.
“Still, the stores are quite increasing, aren’t they?”
“Well, that’s inevitable.”
It’s not the Cheonghoe Merchant Guild connected to my store, but some merchants were setting up shops on Seomhwa Island.
This wasn’t a problem either. The store next to my inn wasn’t that big, and the items they handled were somewhat differentiated.
“Small-scale stores are on the market side… And as you know, I have no thoughts of getting rich through business.”
Hano chuckled.
If that’s the case, he’d know. It’s only a matter of time before I hit the jackpot in the two mines I’m developing in collaboration with the military.
In a silver mine with thick silver veins like a serpent, we were extracting good quality silver, which is being sent to the center in bars.
Soon, the dividends would be paid out stably, so honestly, the income from the inn isn’t that significant anymore.
Plus, there are mines being developed in the northern regions and unexplored areas under the southern islands.
Considering other treasures or hidden locations, money didn’t hold much meaning.
What’s important is the message.
“By the way, what’s the movement of the Demon Cult like?”
“Well… I heard that the Gi Won Yuga has been moving recently. As for the other families… I still don’t know.”
“The Gi Won Yuga…”
They were a family mentioned in Heavenly Bright Moon. The head, Yu Jangmok, uses a martial technique called Gokmok Magong and had considerable defense due to his hard skin.
And what to be cautious of with the Gi Won Yuga is…
“Gangshi.”
“Um. The Gi Won Yuga deals with Gangshi. Especially, the Blood Demon Gangshi is particularly threatening.”
Blood Demon Gangshi have bodies as hard as steel, can regenerate by consuming corpses even if they’re somewhat destroyed, and are excessively ferocious, enjoying blood.
With that, they could indeed be considered evil monsters.
But the good news is that the Blood Demon Gangshi isn’t that numerous compared to other Gangshi.
That’s because the materials for the Blood Demon Gangshi are only taken from those whose demonic energy has been implanted since childhood and has gone berserk.
“I’m aware of that.”
“I heard that Gi Won Yuga is suddenly preparing Blood Demon Gangshi.”
“Is the Hongryun Church just sitting idle?”
“Oh. You know about the Hongryun Church too?”
“Roughly.”
In the story related to the Demon Cult in Heavenly Bright Moon, when a woman married into the Gi Won Yuga died, the Hongryun Church demanded her body back.
However, the Gi Won Yuga mentioned ‘married outsiders’ and turned her corpse into a Gangshi, which made the Gi Won Yuga and Hongryun Church enemies from then on.
The moment one of them becomes the leader of the Demon Cult, one family will be completely ruined.
“Making them fight each other to ensure both go down… It can’t be done, right?”
“Probably not.”
Though they grind their teeth at each other, due to the nature of the Demon Cultists, those who wield martial arts cooperate unless there are special problems.
The writers cooperate as long as there are no special issues.
Using just a bad relationship as a reason creates problems.
Hano, gulping down the drink, let out a leisurely sigh.
“Anyway, it’s never a bad idea to be cautious.”
“True…”
There are three superhumans here, plus another superhuman, Namgoong Cheon, but when the Gangshi go wild, it becomes a real headache.
The Blood Demon Gangshi is troublesome, but if a Poison Gangshi explodes and spreads poison, the weak will get poisoned on the spot.
“Do we have any antidote?”
“We do.”
“Then keep that safe… well, nothing more to discuss. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Why not relax and take a bath while you’re here?”
The bathhouse has become quite popular lately.
When Namgoong Cheon wrote positively about it during the last promotion via the courier, the number of guests increased, especially the older folks.
“I don’t really have time to waste on a bath, but… if you’re insisting that much, maybe I should take a quick dip?”
Smiling slightly, he headed toward the bath. When I got up from my seat, Chaejin, who had been sitting next to me, let out a wry smile.
“Do you think the Demon Sect will attack here?”
“There’s no guarantee they won’t. We’re just preparing.”
“Preparing, huh? How do we prepare for that?”
When it comes to the Demon Sect, there are no easy answers. Before they enter the castle, we’d have to either smash and chase them away.
After bathing in the hot spring water, enjoying good food, and drinking top-notch liquor and tea, guests in rooms on the third floor can also enjoy the beautiful celestial plums of Hongseong Mountain.
That alone was enough to make my inn famous.
And with the exclusive consultation application rights, it became even more so.
Maybe that’s why, when the consultations began again, there were quite a few guests.
I saw those who had been waiting pulling number tickets and waiting, and I started sharing drinks and chatting with them.
“So, you said it had four arms and black scales, right? Did it have seven spines on the tail?”
“Oh? That’s right!”
More than half of the consultative visitors were there regarding monsters.
With the northern paths opening up, many new monsters had appeared, prompting inquiries about them.
This was similar to what happened in Heavenly Bright Moon; when access to new regions became possible, it reflected how monsters from different areas would eat each other and evolve anew.
“It’s probably a Steel King Beast. What color was it?”
The warrior who claimed to come from Mughwa Village in the north thought for a moment before replying.
“It was gray.”
Of course, color variations in monsters were a thing in Heavenly Bright Moon as well.
Considering that the stronger the monster, the more vivid the colors tend to be… gray isn’t particularly strong.
It probably can’t use poison attacks and won’t be able to shoot those spines from the tail for long-range attacks…
“With a thorn on its tail, it won’t even be able to attack from a distance…”
“The Iron King Gwi Jang is easier to fight than you’d think. You might think its scales make it hard to block energy attacks, but that’s not the case. The Iron King Gwi Jang doesn’t block energy; it just absorbs it.”
“Isn’t that similar?”
“But there’s a limit to how much it can absorb, so whether it’s energy or anything else, if you keep attacking, it’ll be easy to catch.”
“I see.”
“However, if it’s too vividly colored, you won’t be able to use this method. So, apply the gemstone powder to your weapon. That’ll make it easier to pierce through the scales. And if you want to avoid combat, carry Camellia stone with you. The Iron King Gwi Jang dislikes the unique smell of Camellia stone. Just remember, if you engage in battle even once, it won’t matter. It dislikes it, but it’s not scared of it.”
“Got it. Thank you!”
He stood up, bowed, and left. Watching him, I noticed someone who had just walked into the inn while waiting for my turn.
A figure wrapped in a wind cloak walked straight towards me.
“Are you Shinsan Seonja Yu Wol?”
“Yes.”
Chaejin, who was standing behind me, didn’t say a word. The voice of the person wearing the old wind cloak was female.
When I nodded, she slowly removed the cloak, and several people gasped.
She looked like a woman of similar age to Chaeran. A beauty with bright brown bobbed hair and blood-red eyes.
“Oh…”
Someone exclaimed. Was it because she looked young, or was it because of her stunning beauty?
Or maybe it was due to the significant fighting spirit she exuded, despite her youth?
Perhaps it was both.
Or it might be for another reason altogether.
“Cheol Hwae Sin Chang Yura…”
I recognized the woman before me.
Another protagonist of Heavenly Bright Moon, just like Sayoon and Chaeran.
After defeating the Iron-Blooded Ruler, she had been traveling the martial world, building her reputation, and recently earned a new title as one of the sacred beings.
And…
“I would like to have a private conversation.”
A subject that had been injected with demonic energy by Gi Won Yuga.
I stared at Yura while looking at the card handed to me.
By a stroke of luck, I had escaped from the experimental facility of Gi Won Yuga when I was young and became part of the righteous sect. However, I knew that there was still demonic energy left within her, and she wanted to get rid of it by any means necessary.
She stood before me with a serious expression.
“First, please line up.”
It’s fine for Sayoon to get special treatment since she’s the main protagonist, but there will be no special privileges for any other protagonists.
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