<Chapter 38. The Peddler and the Adventurer â 4>
Two weeks had passed since the dungeon countercurrent. During that time, the peddler, Lawrence had cemented his position in Kuroaâs Glory because of the Sun Godâs hero, Kayâs influence.
Lee Shin Woo fearlessly advanced again and again, and was able to buy a villa once used by an aristocrat with good terms, became able to buy/sell various choice goods from the merchantâs guild, and was even authorized to open his own shop. These benefits were supposed to be unattainable by an unknown stranger, yet he had been given them. It made him wonder why heâd worked so hard, struggling with his Acting and Instigation skills thus far.
He couldnât call himself a peddler anymore. After all, he was far off from a regular peddler now.
âTheyâre helping me so openly. âŠTheyâre accepting me, even though they know Iâm suspicious. That just tells you how much they want Kayâs power.â
Lee Shin Woo showed off his goods on the display stand outside his store and muttered leisurely. It seemed like heâd just settle down in his shop, but he had bigger ambitions as a peddler.
In two weeks, heâd sell the wine in the auction, and after that, he would go to the next city⊠the capital and sell his goods there. He wasnât going to take it slow and start from the outer cities as heâd done in the past. Even when he was relaxing, it would be the climax of the story.
âArenât they using you as bait to get to Kay? Since itâs better to keep someone in one place than letting them go around wherever they please.â
âJin⊠Youâre a lot smarter than I expect⊠Hey, wait. I didnât say anything. It was all my secretary!â
Jin, who was tied outside his shop, asked a good question, but then bit off some of Lee Shin Wooâs hair and nibbled on it. Lee Shin Woo realized that having his hair, which was created by his Disguise skill, ripped off his head, was incredibly unpleasant.
However, Jin was right. A powerful individual could become a blessing or a curse. The Emperor, or his followers, shouldâve heard the report by now, so the reason theyâd let him be for 2 weeks was likely to mobilize someone who could actually contend with Kay.
âIâm looking forward to their response. Will a level 7 pop up, or a level 8. Depending on who they send, I can estimate how strong the Magic Empire is.â
âI donât think theyâll send a level 8âŠâ
âWell, thatâs not necessarily true.â
During these two weeks, Rem had been travelling across the cities and brainwashing the golems. Once its Mana Parasite had gained the Infection ability, its brainwashing speed increased, and the golems in several large cities were already under its control.
The information he gained from them increased significantly, and he was able to extract info regarding the Magic Empireâs main forceâŠ
âListen, but donât be surprised. You mightâve already guessed, but those bestowed with the title and power from the Emperor are known as the â12 Generalsâ. Apparently, theyâre not so different from the Underground Empireâs. That means level 8s may exist here too.â
ââŠHeh?â
For a moment, Jin didnât know what Lee Shin Woo was talking about and looked on vacantly. The 12 generals? Heâd thought that term was only used in the Underground Empire. However, the Magic Empire used the exact same term. That meantâŠ
âShin Woo, do the Magic (Surface) Empire and the Underground Empire share the same name?â
âDing ding.â
As expected, Jin could be pretty smart when he wanted to be. Lee Shin Woo nodded his head in satisfaction and continued.
âThe name of the Magic Empire is Heita. Itâs exactly the same as the Underground Empireâs name.â
âThatâs⊠Wait a sec. Which one came first?â
âThatâs unusual. Youâre quite sharp today. You go straight to the point.â
âYou know, itâs all because Iâve stuck around you for so long.â
âI guess youâre rightâŠâ
Which came first, the Magic Empire or the Underground Empire? The answer to that question was a lot more important than it might seem. When God had first summoned him, she had called it âThe Empire, Heita, which had flourished undergroundâ. That meant there was a chance that humans born underground had created the Underground Empire.
âBut unfortunately, humans originated from the surface. I wasnât sure, so I used every means available to me, and found that humans were indeed born on the surface, not underground.â
âThen⊠we can assume that the Empire was once whole, but was split due to some unknown circumstances. One side mustâve gone underground.â
âBingo. Exactly.â
It was the shocking truth, but it didnât really mean anything to him. The history wasnât what mattered, it was what led history to go down that way, or the cause and effect.
âThink about it, Jin. No matter how wide the underground may be, do you really think that people would voluntarily live down there?â
âNope.â
âAlthough the Empire flourished underground, do you really think they could live as naturally as those on the surface?â
ââŠNo.â
âExactly. Thereâs no way theyâd be able to. So, letâs modify what you said. The Empire, which was once whole, split into two for some unknown reason, and one side was âforced to live undergroundâ.â
ââŠâ
The two heroes daringly and extremely naturally figured out the truth. Once he came to the surface, he knew heâd figure out the truth eventually, but he couldnât do anything about the bitter taste.
To think that the Underground Empire that they had to defeat had such a ridiculous truth behind it. Whatâs worse, their jobs didnât change, despite knowing the truth, and they couldnât do anything for the undead. They had no other choice but to exterminate the undead, just as theyâd been doing.
âBut that means we canât trust anything God said to usâŠâ
âWhat about? The Underground Empireâs curse? You donât think the humans on the surface created that, do you!?â
Jinâs blank eye sockets blazed with fury. Unlike Lee Shin Woo, Jin possessed a sense of justice, so he wouldnât be able to let this go. Even so, they couldnât change what they were doing, so⊠Perhaps it would just fester in his heart.
âNo, thatâs not it. The Underground Empireâs undead⊠When you take a look at the attitudes of the 12 generals, who maintained their intellect, then no. But the Emperor used magic to achieve immortality⊠and it failed. Thereâs something else to it, something hidden.â
Honestly, Lee Shin Woo had a hunch before heâd come up here regarding what that truth may be, but once he actually came to the surface, he became even more sure of his assumption.
But because it was only a hypothesis without any evidence backing it up, he couldnât just say it outright. If his hypothesis is true, then⊠he would have to sock God in the face before he felt any better.
âSo, we have to more thoroughly investigate the surface, if for no other reason than to find out the truth. Thatâs what Iâm leaving to Rem.â
At the same time, Lee Shin Woo acted as Lawrence, the peddler, and the hero Kay, gaining what he could from the surface. And what he wanted probably lay in the capital.
âShin Woo. Youâre planning on meeting the Emperor, arenât you?â
âI donât have to meet him, but if need be. It might turn out that way in the end.â
âI knew this would happen.â
He remembered Pleineâs warning. She didnât say it outright, but heâd guessed how powerful the Emperor was based on her attitude.
He was probably level 9. If not, then Pleine wouldnât have warned him like that. Since Lee Shin Woo could take on a level 8 now. Even if he fought against Feotane Von Seldin, he could come out of it alive.
âBut I canât avoid him just because heâs dangerous.â
Pleine had misunderstood something. Although he had to oppose all the undead, he didnât need to do that for the surface dwellers. He didnât need to avoid him like the plague just because his level was high.
Could the Emperor even see through his Disguise and Acting skills? He was joking of course, but Lee Shin Woo thought heâd be able to somewhat trick God at this point. No matter how high their level was, so long as they were a human, they wonât be able to see through Lee Shin Wooâs facade.
âYou know, it might be fun to become one of the 12 generals in the meantimeâŠâ
âLetâs notâŠâ
âYeah, I was just joking. Even Iâm not confident enough to work under him and keep acting.â
Right after he spoke, he felt someone coming towards his shop. When he looked over, he saw a heavily armed female knight. It was kind of funny seeing her being so tense around a peddler.
âD-Does the Sun Godâs hero, Kay live here?â
âHe doesnât, but he lives in a place where I can contact him.â
âThen please relay this message to Sir Kay! The pope of the Sun God religion requests an audience! He came to the lordâs castle without any prior notice, so you have no idea how surprised we⊠Eup.â
ââŠOh?â
He thought itâd be better if he seemed more distinguished, so heâd called himself the Sun Godâs hero. To think itâd turn out like this. However⊠the Sun God religion. It wasnât so bad when he thought about it. No, it was actually great.
Lee Shin Woo didnât know how prosperous the Sun God religion was, but considering how the female knight was acting, they were definitely an organization that the Magic Empire couldnât deal with so easily. If thatâs the case, then he would be able to meet with the Emperor assuming a more favorable position.
He immediately formulated several plans in his head, and continuously broke up and reassembled pieces of his plan. As a resultâŠ
âI understand. Iâll tell him right away.â
âMm, thank you. We can prepare a carriage for youâŠâ
âNo, heâll probably arrive there on his own.â
âMm, that would be disrespectful to the Sun Godâs hero⊠However, if thatâs what he wants, then I guess we have no choice. I understand. Iâll let them know. Then Iâll get going nowâŠâ
âYes. Come back again!â
The female knight sighed in relief and left. Lee Shin Woo thought he needed an assistant ASAP and cleaned the store. He couldnât get there on a horse, so he would have to leave Jin here.
âSee you.â
âOk.â
He first disguised himself as Kay where no one was looking. Then, he tied the greatsword on his back and walk over to the lordâs castle. Lee Shin Woo looked incredibly dignified, and everyone he passed on the road took notice of him. Moreover, fire wrapped around his surroundings, so there was no one who didnât know who he was.
He encountered various people along the way. Some spoke of the âSun Godâs heroâ from behind him, while others approached him and said it to his face. There were even some who were afraid of being harmed and just stepped back. Of course, this would enhance the influence of the Sun Godâs hero, Kay, and at the same time, ensure that Lawrence, the peddler, would remain safe.
[Lv7 Pope of the Sun God religion â Aurel Genisman]
30 minutes later, Lee Shin Woo met the Pope of the Sun God religion in the castleâs living room. From first glance, he looked like a middle-aged man, but his level was higher than heâd expected. He wasnât just a representative of the religion.
âYou moved quite boisterously. So much so that I question how you were able to hide your identity until now.â
âI canât?â
âNo. Itâs fine since the Emperorâs no doubt aware that weâve come here. No⊠actually, that ostentatious attitude of yours might fit with our goal. You may just be acting conspicuous, but thatâs even more in our favor.â
ââŠHoh.â
Lee Shin Woo understood what he was saying and smiled. He thought the pope would say something like âYouâre the hero the Sun God has chosen!? I canât believe it!â and test him first, but was instead showing his hand.
In laymanâs terms, this was the Popeâs intent. âIt doesnât matter if youâre really the Sun Godâs hero or not. Why donât you work with us?â.
Read Latest Chapters at wuxiaworld.eu
âIâd like to hear about it in more detail.â
Honestly, Lee Shin Woo didnât hate these kinds of people. If their goals aligned, they would have a good relationship.
âIâm glad you understand, Sun Godâs hero.â
The Pope grinned and said.
Unfortunately for the people on the surface, Lee Shin Woo and the Pope really hit it off.