That evening.
As promised, Dokwang sent us a feast of delicious food.
From his perspective, this was probably a much cheaper deal for him.
If a fight had broken out between the guests waiting inside the cruise ship, it would have certainly resulted in massive losses, and if someone had died or been taken hostage, the shipowner would have suffered tremendous damage.
In that regard, it must have felt like a stroke of luck to him that Cheonma sorted out the troublemakers before any fighting occurred.
Anyway, thanks to Baek Yujin and Cheonma, we stuffed ourselves with tasty food and then scattered to our respective rooms after the meal.
Since we would arrive at our destination in the morning, it would be wise to get a good night’s sleep to preserve our energy.
Lying down on the soft bed, I stared up at the ceiling of my room and muttered.
“Is it really okay to be this comfortable?”
Maybe because I had only been traveling hard, being on this cruise and leisurely spending time felt a bit strange.
There was a casino onboard for bored guests, but I didn’t feel inclined to visit, so I decided to sleep early.
Just as I tucked my hands under my head and closed my eyes to sleep—
Knock! Knock!
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
“Who’s there?”
Then a voice came from outside the door.
“It’s me.”
Realizing that the unexpected visitor was Baek Yujin, I quickly sat up from the bed.
I rushed to the door and opened it, and she confidently walked into my room as if it were her own.
“Excuse me.”
Baek Yujin said that and sat at the small table in the room, looking at me.
“Did I interrupt your sleep?”
“No, I just lay down, so it’s not a big deal.”
I replied and took a seat across from Baek Yujin.
“So, what brings you here so suddenly?”
Then Baek Yujin got straight to the point.
“I want to know about Dokgorin.”
“…About Rin?”
“Yes.”
” wouldn’t it be quicker to ask her directly?”
“That might be true, but unlike you, Chilbok doesn’t seem to trust me.”
“Ah….”
I could understand what she meant.
Dokgorin fundamentally did not trust others easily.
On the surface, she had formed an alliance with Baek Yujin, but it didn’t seem like she truly trusted her.
Baek Yujin knew this too, which was why she came to ask me about Dokgorin instead of asking her directly.
“What do you want to know?”
“Her martial arts skills seem extraordinary; what kind of martial arts are they?”
“Ah, that.”
I hesitated for a moment before explaining about the Uranium Poison Art.
Hadn’t she given permission for me to share information about it?
Moreover, to explain the Uranium Poison Art, I would first have to explain radiation and uranium.
Once I reached that point in my thoughts, I suddenly lost my motivation and decided to keep it as simple as possible.
“It’s a martial art called Yeongok Simgyeol, created by Rin’s grandfather, Dokwang Tang Hochang. I don’t know the details, but I do know it’s an amazing martial art.”
That was the truth.
I didn’t know the specifics about Yeongok Simgyeol either.
Of course, I could make some guesses, but there was no reason to share everything I knew.
“Yeongok Simgyeol….”
Baek Yujin muttered that with a thoughtful expression.
Seeing her like that, I turned the tables and asked her.
“But why are you suddenly curious about Rin’s martial arts?”
“I sensed a presence from her that’s similar to the immortals. At first, I thought it was because of the Gucheon Hyeon-Geom she practiced, but as we spent more time together, it didn’t seem like it was solely for that reason.”
In other words, she was curious if Dokgorin had learned some special martial arts on top of her own?
Anyway, seeing as I didn’t have much information to share, I thought it was best to stop probing further, so I told Baek Yujin I understood and stood up.
“Sorry for coming to you so late at night. Rest well.”
“Yes, please go in.”
After seeing Baek Yujin return to her room, I went back and lay down on my bed.
However, contrary to earlier when I felt sleepy, I was completely wide awake now.
“…I’m fully awake now.”
It felt a bit unfair.
*
The next day.
“Ahhh! What a nice day!”
The group gathered in the onboard dining area for breakfast.
Maybe because she had rested well the night before, Namgoong Ruby stretched luxuriously and looked at me in surprise.
“Chilbok, you have dark circles under your eyes; didn’t you sleep well last night?”
“…I couldn’t fall asleep and tossed and turned until dawn.”
In the end, I couldn’t sleep at all and only managed to doze off at dawn.
Thanks to that, I could honestly say my condition was at its absolute worst.
As I dozed off while eating the morning’s stir-fried water spinach served with meat, Baek Yujin, who came to the dining area a bit late, greeted us and sat down.
“We should be arriving at the dock soon; did everyone pack well?”
To that, it was Tang Sosu who answered.
“I was about to pack up after eating. By the way, what about Nguyen?”
“Oh, Khan doesn’t usually eat breakfast. So don’t worry about him.”
Baek Yujin said that while grabbing her chopsticks.
‘Is it okay for a bodyguard to not be around?’
That thought briefly crossed my mind, but then I figured since Baek Yujin was incredibly strong, it probably wouldn’t be a problem.
After all, she was the one who taught Cheonma martial arts in the first place.
Anyway, perhaps because it was early morning, breakfast proceeded in a peaceful atmosphere without much conversation.
After eating, we went to our respective rooms to pack, and I could feel the commotion of people bustling about in the hallway outside.
It seemed we were almost at the harbor.
Knock! Knock!
“Chilbok, are you ready?”
At that moment, I heard Dokgorin’s voice from outside, and I quickly replied that I’d be right out as I hurriedly stuffed my bag and headed outside my room.
*
After disembarking at the docks downstream, we would walk a bit more for about two days to finally reach our destination, the capital city.
“This trip sure felt long….”
Muttering that, as I looked up at the city walls of the capital I hadn’t seen in a while, Namgoong Ruby, who was visiting the capital for the first time, exclaimed.
“Wow! Is this the capital?! They said it was the largest city in the Four Seas, and it’s really huge!”
You’d think she’d be tired by now, but her energy was still high.
Considering how her enthusiasm had remained throughout the journey, it could only be described as her natural disposition.
“Hehe, this is my hometown.”
As the capital city she grew up in received praise, Tang Sosu puffed up her chest proudly as if she were the one being complimented.
I thought how remarkably straightforward her personality was, and as I lined up at the city gate, Tang Sosu blocked my way.
“Normal people might not know, but we from the Tang clan don’t have to line up separately.”
“Oh?”
Playing the role of a local reputable figure all of a sudden?
However, if we didn’t have to wait in line, that in itself was definitely a great perk.
Looking at the line of people, it seemed like waiting here would waste hours on the ground.
So, I left it to Tang Sosu, who confidently approached the guards at the gate and talked for a bit before beckoning us over.
It seemed she had received permission.
“Please go in.”
“Thank you.”
The soldier bowed politely, and Tang Sosu expressed her gratitude with a snobbish look.
Though I sometimes forgot, she was certainly a lady from a prestigious family.
“Great job! Sosu!”
Namgoong Ruby clapped her hands in admiration, and Tang Sosu puffed out her chest in response.
I’ve felt it for a while, but Tang Sosu was clearly weak to compliments.
*
So, without any waiting, we entered the city and headed straight for the Tang family’s mansion at the Four Seas Tang clan.
From Tang Sosu’s perspective, since this was her front yard, she couldn’t help but feel more confident than usual, and it had been a while since I had seen her so self-assured.
‘She didn’t stand out much at Cheonmu Academy.’
Of course, it wasn’t that she wasn’t capable.
But at Cheonmu Academy, only the best talents and prodigies from across the country gathered.
While Dokgorin and I could at least hold our own, Tang Sosu always ranked low academically.
So, her self-esteem had probably taken a hit, whether she noticed or not.
But in the capital, it was different.
Being her hometown, she could exert influence better than anyone else in our group.
“We’ve arrived.”
Finally, arriving in front of the mansion’s big gate, we knocked on the large door and waited for a servant to answer.
Then, suddenly, an unusual presence was felt from beyond the door.
Thinking it was a servant coming to receive us just like last time, I waited quietly for the door to open, but suddenly the massive gate burst open, and a burly old man appeared.
“Rin!!!”
“…Grandfather?!”
With arms wide open, the familiar face of the old man rushed toward me.
It was none other than Dokgorin’s grandfather, Dokwang Tang Hochang, my martial arts master.
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