The next day.
Wearing stiff fabric clothes brought by Heavenly Demon Divine Cult people last night, I headed to the funeral location with Soo-oh.
The location isn’t the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult main hall. The funeral is being held in the village stretching west from the main hall.
If there’s one thing concerning, it’s that Heaven Palace Hall Master Gi Jacheon hasn’t shown himself to me for over a week.
Looking at his movements, I thought he’d make contact at least once…
Whether he’s timid or deeply thoughtful.
Or, maybe his resolve broke seeing Heavenly Demon’s form.
Perhaps he wondered if others could defeat Heavenly Demon even if they became stronger by becoming harvesters.
If there was a strong desire to defeat Heavenly Demon, they might gain abilities with that possibility, but maybe because they’re old, they don’t challenge.
They use their subordinates as experiments to check how strong they become, right? If it’s for power, they should even chew poison.
Seeing how they submitted to Heavenly Demon in the end, their expectations are low.
While thinking such thoughts, before I knew it, I arrived at the village where white cloth crosses from house to house. Faintly, sorrowful music can be heard from far away. We should head toward where the sound comes from.
“Choseol, what’s this?”
Soo-oh looked around and asked with a face still not understanding well.
“It’s decoration to honor the dead.”
I swallowed the words about expressing one’s authority. Even I know. Showing cruel scenes to children saying this is reality is incompetence.
It’s failing to protect because you don’t have enough power to protect children’s fantasies. If there’s someone who shows it saying they need to know the world, they’re stupid.
Bringing ruins as a blueprint for the future, hoping for a different world?
Such people always blame the children, saying we showed them reality but they failed to follow.
Putting ruins in the blueprint and thinking a wonderful building will pop out, only those without intelligence or those who originally want such a world would think that.
But since people can’t lack intelligence, they must be those who desire a broken world. Only then can they exploit broken children who don’t know what to do to get what they want.
I won’t do that.
Because even if I show children a beautiful future, I won’t lose my place when those children grow up.
Those lacking power fear children growing up and taking their positions. Only such people worry about their future and turn their dwelling place into ruins.
Hehe.
I’ll look at the highest point.
It feels good when your harvester can do anything, right?
Harvesters will live as they want, kill enemies who block them, and send me warmth.
I once imagined covering the whole world with harvesters, but I learned in the first world that shouldn’t be done.
So, to get lots of warmth, I need to make strong people.
If I could get warmth from beings killed by bombs rather than guns or swords, I should make someone who can push the nuclear button into a harvester.
I can think of several ways to earn warmth.
But there are many obstacles to overcome to reach that situation.
Let’s overcome them step by step.
Since we have plenty of time.
Thinking such thoughts, I stood with Soo-oh where the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult people were standing.
Looking around, there’s no one showing sadness at all. Rather, they criticize the dead Jeonyang in very small voices.
Good riddance that the Heavenly Demon’s concubine died while committing atrocities.
Why have such a funeral for someone like that.
It’s fortunate they died.
Such whispers were heard throughout the funeral.
Interestingly, no one criticizes Heavenly Demon.
Their survival instinct must remain, as people can be seen checking Heavenly Demon’s reaction whenever they curse Jeonyang.
If they’re going to do that, it would be better not to curse at all.
I covered Soo-oh’s ears and went forward.
If we’re close to Heavenly Demon, we probably won’t hear bad words.
So I parted through the crowd and moved toward the funeral site.
Going forward, hall masters of each hall are standing. Beyond them, Heavenly Demon in pure white clothes comes into view. The blue skin creates an even stronger contrast with the pure white attire.
Maybe because of the era, or because there’s a slightly yellowish tint remaining, she stands out the most here.
And in front of her, the Moon Emperor Hall Master is wearing what looks like very cumbersome attire. He speaks phrases like prayers for the deceased’s peace in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult way.
And I discovered that the music heard since entering the village comes from both sides of the platform where the coffin lies. Several people in Moon Emperor Hall attire holding instruments can be seen.
Wind instruments, string instruments, and percussion instruments blend together.
This world has music too. I thought they’d have no interest in such things since they only fight.
* * *
The faded man’s memory flashes brightly saying sound techniques are fundamental at this moment.
No.
What’s with that obsession with martial arts?
Strictly speaking, since things are mixed together, there’s no guarantee it will be exactly like the worlds we know.
By that standard, Heavenly Demon should have died last time. And Gu Seongyong should have risen to the Heavenly Demon position again, ruled tyrannically, then died suddenly.
But it didn’t flow that way, right?
So it’s not very valuable.
I don’t understand why the memory isn’t connected to that side, when he’s seen plenty of stories about people falling to ruin thinking they know the future.
I irritably suppressed the particularly noisy memories from the second world.
And Soo-oh and I quietly stood watching the long, long funeral.
The final journey.
Since Heavenly Demon was memorizing everyone’s faces around, when our eyes met, I held Soo-oh’s hand and waved together.
We’ve made our appearance, so we’ve done the minimum required.
Though it seems unpleasant that most people at the funeral hate Jeonyang.
This must be the best funeral Heavenly Demon knows how to do.
I kept poking Soo-oh who was standing with a bored expression until the ceremony finished once. When it ended, people suddenly moved somewhere.
Following that path, people with expressions clearly showing they were dragged here unwillingly throw fake paper money in front of Jeonyang’s coffin.
Must be this world’s culture.
I was worried because I didn’t have paper money, but they distribute it so people can take it along the way.
So I followed what the person in front did and left the place resembling a memorial altar.
They don’t particularly serve food here.
Should we go back and eat lunch/dinner now?
While pondering that, Soo-oh tugged on my clothes several times.
“What is it?”
Soo-oh stretched out her hand and pointed somewhere. I looked in that direction.
I can see a place selling food.
Though when I say food, they’re not selling meals but fruit cut up and sold like snacks. Well. Having stood here since morning well past lunchtime, it’s natural to be hungry.
The problem is, I don’t have any currency.
Of course I know the currency used in this world. But I don’t have any money at all.
“Give me!”
I should be glad to see her acting like a child throwing a tantrum.
Hmm.
“Sorry. I don’t have money.”
“But isn’t Choseol an amazing person?”
Is that how I appear? But I can only run away when people hit me, or break glass bottles.
When I think of the pleasure when glass breaks, I want to do it again but.
Not yet, it’s okay.
I can endure.
Honestly, it might be dangerous if it continues several times.
Rather than drawing the future, I might destroy the world for the present.
I’m certain that if someone learns what I do, it will become harder to go to other worlds.
So I must not take actions that break the world. Even if I end up just being driven out of this world.
I can destroy worlds with my weight. But if they don’t summon me in that world, I can’t go there.
I have to look up from below the surface.
If I foolishly destroy the world to harvest warmth immediately, I’ll never be able to rise to worlds again.
Like I’ve done until now, endure, endure, and endure again.
If I deliberately amplify the emotions I’m feeling now to endure.
Yes.
I’m terribly ashamed.
I don’t have money to buy anything for a child! Sorry for being incompetent!
I firmly held Soo-oh’s hand.
“When I earn money, I will buy it for Soo-oh.”
Ah. Soo-oh’s face changed to look like she might cry.
No, that. What should I do.
“Here, take this.”
Wondering what’s happening, I turned my head to see a man selling fruit laughing while holding out a small piece of fruit to Soo-oh.
“But we can’t buy anything.”
“It’s fine. Today’s business seems ruined anyway. Alcohol will sell better than fruit like this. What’s already peeled will have to be thrown away if left like this, so you kids eat it.”
The man said that while glancing at where the funeral was being held.
Indeed.
It feels bad to hold a funeral for someone people are glad died.
I stood up. And grabbing the head of Soo-oh who was beaming while putting sugar in her mouth, I bowed together.
“Thank you.”
“It’s fine. Are you sisters? I haven’t seen your faces around here.”
“We started living in the place to the north recently.”
At my words, the man’s expression hardened.
“There? There shouldn’t be, anyone living there now? And I’ve never seen kids like you in that village.”
I examined the man. Skin heavily tanned by light, deep scars on arms and legs. Severely calloused feet and fingers missing several joints.
I can roughly tell what position he’s in.
He’s from a marginalized class. From his way of speaking, he must be someone who lived in that ruined village.
Someone who lost something precious but tries to live somehow has value. I was thinking of postponing it a bit, but this is a good opportunity.
I pointed at his wounds.
“Those are old wounds.”
“Huh? Yeah. That’s right. Because I survived that day.”
The man scratches his head with an uncomfortable expression. His other hand has swollen joints. I looked at Soo-oh who was happily putting fruit in her mouth.
Then I looked at the man and said this.
There’s justification.
What’s needed is an easy-to-understand staging.
“I received goodwill. So I’ll return it with a contract. If you want a better reality, answer my words.”
Though the words make it seem like returning goodwill for goodwill, I’m not actually binding the man with goodwill.
Rather the opposite. Those with goodwill are bound to fall to malice, right?
“I’ll give myself to you. In exchange, when you finish everything later, I’ll take everything you have then. How about it?”
The man blinked and looked at me with an expression not understanding what I meant, then when I held out my hand, he reluctantly took it.
“Just need to say ‘yes’?”
Yes. That’s enough.
The man’s face cracked, and soon white skin burst out from inside. And his hair was dyed purple.
I raised my hand so people around could see easily.
The man’s missing fingers regenerated.
“Yes. Congratulations on recovering. This is receiving back the goodwill you gave me.”
Though what was returned wasn’t goodwill but malice.
The man looked at me blankly then slowly pulled his hand away and touched his hand over and over. Then after confirming his other hand had also returned to a clean hand, he prostrated himself with his head to the ground.
“Thank you, Heavenly Lady!”
Not just him, but I can see people bowing their heads to me. I smiled while looking at them.
Hehe.
Time to expand influence.