#257
Zhuge Family (3)
Now it’s grown to be used every 5 days in this world, the special move “Dimensional Teleportation Circle Summon.”
As soon as the cooldown was up, Hugo jumped into the Ganghwan Realm with Harris’s introduction and could immediately enter the Zhuge Family.
Hmmm, this is thrilling.
While leisurely walking through the family grounds, he couldn’t help but smirk at the subtle hostility circulating around him.
Well, they had no choice but to accept it, but from their perspective, it must feel like a humiliation, so he could understand their reaction perfectly.
I wish Harris had approached them more gently.
His aggressive manner must have amplified their resentment.
Although he couldn’t change the past, it was natural to feel regret in a situation like this.
For now, I need to restore the relationship. What’s the best way to do that?
Once Harris leaves in a few days, the matters in the Ganghwan Realm will be handled entirely by Hugo, now Ha Seung-hoon.
Of course, even though the Zhuge Family wouldn’t rashly scheme against him, improving relationships was essential for smoother operations in the future.
There couldn’t be a better place than this to naturally blend in, gather information, and expand influence.
While they lacked standout powers, their collective strength matched that of other factions, and even after the world was thrown into chaos, they maintained friendly relations with other righteous factions, strategically located in the heart of the continent for easy expansion.
Plus, they’re a prestigious family known for their knowledge and competence, so I might also get help with mastering martial arts in a stable environment.
Actually, Harris had been lucky enough to absorb the Soft Eight Trigrams Secret Skill in his own way, but he couldn’t exactly say he had properly learned martial arts.
So he definitely needed to at least experience learning it “by the book” once.
That way, he could figure out how to utilize the power of martial arts afterward.
…Should I prepare a gift?
After all, there’s no one who dislikes a present.
Coincidentally, he had a pile of wealth he acquired from the Eighteen Thieves’ Hideout.
But still, it didn’t seem like a family of this caliber would be swayed by mere valuables.
Given the state of the world, he wasn’t even sure how much value that was anymore.
So it would be better to find a rare elixir or divine artifact that couldn’t be easily obtained with money and power…
“Excuse me. I’m sorry, but you cannot enter this area.”
“Oh? This place is…”
Lost in thought while wandering the inner grounds, Hugo suddenly halted in his tracks in front of a female warrior blocking his path.
“This is a residence for the women of the family, so please understand, Miss H.”
“…Oh dear, while I was lost in thought, I committed a breach. I will turn back right away.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
He realized he had wandered into a restricted area.
He couldn’t afford to lose any more favor by loitering in a place like this.
Slightly bowing his head, he was about to turn around and leave when suddenly—
He heard the distant murmur of conversations between women inside the area.
-So, how is the young lady…
-The situation isn’t very good…
Huh?
It was just a few short exchanges, but instinctively, he stopped and sharpened his hearing.
Although Hugo had been busy serving the main body back on Earth, it didn’t mean he was powerless or weak.
Of course not.
His pure status had nearly reached 4 million karma; how could he be anything less?
No matter how much the power of returners originated from the mysteries and skills of their respective worlds, that overwhelming number was enough to elevate his physical abilities beyond any singularity.
Thus, his senses were significantly beyond average.
On top of that, with the focus from “Sensory Hyperesthesia” and support from “Versatility,” it wasn’t overly difficult to eavesdrop on their conversation.
-How troublesome it is that the unwelcome guests are causing a stir and triggering another episode. What should we do?
-The elixir brought this time didn’t last even half a month. The young lady has become resistant to the medicine, and the overall efficacy is declining. At this rate, soon…
-Oh! Control your tongue! How brazen!
–Apologies… But something needs to be done…
“…Miss H?”
While he was absorbed in eavesdropping, the voice of the warrior who had blocked his path came through again.
It seemed to be questioning why he was still standing there after claiming he would leave.
Unlike Hugo, who was close to superhuman physical abilities, she needed to channel her internal energy to enhance her hearing, so it seemed she hadn’t picked up on what he overheard.
“Ah! I’m sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment. Haha!”
Hugo chuckled and hurriedly stepped back.
He thought he unintentionally gained useful information.
Hmmm, they say the Zhuge Family is quite renowned for their medical skills. So there’s a patient here that even they can’t heal?
Moreover, given the title of “young lady,” it was evident she held a significantly high position within the family.
She might even be a direct descendant of the family head.
In any case, it was undeniable she was an important character.
An incurable illness that even the Zhuge Family couldn’t cure…
Hugo stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Alright.”
Finally, his mind landed on something.
With a lighter heart and a smile creeping onto his face, he made his way back to his quarters.
*
While Hugo was wandering the family grounds, Harris was conversing with the Grand Chief of the Zhuge Family, who had his eyes gently closed.
To be more precise, it was more like he was unilaterally being provided information he desired.
The main reason he came to this place was to gather information, so it was only natural.
And the information he obtained was quite useful.
Twenty-two years ago, on the day the Imperial Palace was attacked and a tragedy ensued, a winged foreigner assassinated the emperor and snatched away the continent’s largest dragon current, Dragon Heart?
As expected, the Zhuge Family had connections even with the Imperial Palace and knew a considerable amount.
Since the imperial family had completely fallen, there was no need to keep it secret, and they readily answered Harris’s inquiries.
The Head of the Buncheon Society… so that guy was here after all.
Harris’s gaze turned cold.
There was a huge difference between mere speculation and gaining certainty.
Moreover, he had now understood why that guy was so powerful!
Not only does he traverse dimensions like me, but he also led a single world to destruction, so the karma he amassed is off the charts. And I don’t know how he did it, but he also took away what is essentially the source of energy itself?
It was absurd to the point of eliciting a hollow laugh.
Moreover, considering that this guy had likely wreaked havoc in numerous worlds, his head spun even more.
No, stay calm.
But amidst such chaos, he quickly regained his composure thanks to his overwhelming mental stats, exhaling a deep breath as he sorted through the situation.
It was definitive now that the influences of the Buncheon Society had reached this world.
And it was clear that the means by which he sought power was the destruction of the Ganghwan Realm.
Right.
Then—
What if I do the opposite?
Perhaps he could obstruct that guy’s plans?
If that guy had already taken everything this world had to offer and washed his hands of it, no matter how much effort he put in, it might be useless.
Nonetheless, even under that scenario, he could obtain karma as a yield.
But what if the schemes aimed at this Ganghwan Realm were not completely executed yet?
What if he was still using it for some ulterior motive?
I don’t know what he wants, but I can’t just let it go as he pleases.
That alone could be a variable in any circumstances.
He hadn’t originally intended to be the savior of the world…
But at this point, he had no other choice.
For now, I will stabilize this world as much as possible.
And for that, assistance from the Zhuge Family was essential.
Harris held back his emotions as much as possible and expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you for the excellent information. It has been a great help.”
“Hoho, I’m glad to hear that it was helpful… However, I have one thing I’d like to ask as well.”
“…I don’t know much about him either. That’s why I’m gathering information. But one thing I can say for sure is that he is also my enemy.”
Huh?
He preemptively answered before the Grand Chief could ask a troublesome question.
The truth was, he didn’t know much about the Head of the Buncheon Society.
I’m not going to end up giving away all my cards by answering smart questions.
In fact, based on his previous conversation, a considerable amount of information had already been exchanged, so there was no need to lay everything out on the table now.
Moreover, there was an even more pressing matter at hand.
Lightly clearing his throat, Harris began to lay the groundwork for that matter.
“Well, since I owe you a favor, I’d like to give something in return. Breaking the formation technique and causing a bit of nuisance was unintended on my part.”
“Hoho, something in return…”
“Coincidentally, I have a few elixirs with me. They’re a small token of my sincerity, so please accept these.”
Since he could easily gather elixirs like picking herbs in the nearby mountains, he had no reservations about giving them away.
He had also planned to sweep the Mudang Mountain clean soon.
“Oh, if that’s the case, I would be grateful to accept.”
The Grand Chief of the Zhuge Family nodded with a small smile.
Of course, his reaction was merely a formal one, showing no considerable optimism.
Watching him, Harris subtly brought the main point into discussion.
“Of course, that kid I brought along—Ha Seung-hoon is even more remarkable, though. Hahaha!”
“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”
The old man, eyes still shut, tilted his head slightly in curiosity.
Unless it was a definitive powerhouse like Harris, what could this young man, who carried no particular air of significance, contribute?
“Oh, that child possesses a special ability. His physical prowess and intelligence are exceptional as well.”
Since Harris was about to leave soon, it was rational to bolster the standing of Hugo, who would be collaborating with them.
Of course, there was a slightly…
“Specifically, he has the ability to heal any illness.”
…Although the potion stats were a bit lacking.
*
Magical equipment crafted in another world cannot be used in a dimension where the energy structure differs entirely.
So what about Holy Power borrowed from the gods?
Even if it’s the so-called divine power, it wouldn’t be affected by something like that.
Of course, there were issues like its effectiveness diminishing when crossing dimensions, just like on Earth.
However, the root cause of that issue was not the power itself but rather restrictions placed on the pathways to summon it, resulting in reduced output.
That means Holy Power could still activate.
Thus, attempts like this were also feasible.
“Then please, over here.”
Hugo followed the guiding spear and entered a certain building.
This was the interior of a place he had been diverted from once before.
A sanctuary of sorts, where the women of the family resided, keeping outside men from entering.
Of course, he wasn’t invited here just yet.
Despite Harris’s bold claims, there was still a lack of trust between them.
Initially, it was a thorough verification accompanied by polite requests.
<I heard about Miss H’s abilities from Grand Master Hai. There are some ill here; could you take a look?>
If he had been entirely clueless, he wouldn’t even have considered it a test because they were so thorough in their demeanor, and thus for two days, he encountered various patients, from those with light injuries to those suffering from diseases.
Of course, the methods they put forth couldn’t be used too lavishly, so the actual number of treated patients wasn’t that high, but since the Zhuge Family’s purpose was to verify the truth anyway, it wasn’t a big problem.
Ultimately, it worked out according to what each party had wanted.
“Hmm.”
Hugo involuntarily let out a sound as he looked at the person lying on the bed.
A girl appearing to be around twelve years old, with ebony hair and a pale complexion.
She was despondently thin, and her breathing was so slow that at first glance, she seemed not to be breathing at all—like a corpse, she lay silently asleep.
“Well then, I will begin the treatment.”
Since it was a show aimed at facilitating smoother cooperative work, there was no need to prolong the moment.
Hugo approached the girl on the bed and promptly extended his hand toward her forehead.
So, I’ll be counting on you today!
The emblem of divinity, unfamiliar in this world, began to shine brilliantly in his grasp.
Fwooosh—
As the Holy Power from the dimension’s saint poured forth.
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