In fact, 1.2 billion won worth of gold would only be about 10 kilograms at current gold prices.
Han Jaeyoung replied with a disgruntled expression.
"Only 10 kilograms, huh? It’s easy to say, but who carries that much gold around?"
"Yeah, Daon. There’s no way you can just suddenly have that much gold."
Yuhanul also looked puzzled.
"Gold isn’t an item, and it doesn’t fit into an inventory. Maybe gold dust would work, but carrying that much gold around... that’s just..."
"Not unless you're a fairy."
"..."
With a clatter!
Han Jaeyoung dumped dozens of items from his inventory, spilling them everywhere.
Yuhanul glared at Han Jaeyoung, who was snickering.
"What are you doing?"
"Huh? Didn’t Daon show so impressive magic last ti? So, our guild has been working on developing items using regular minerals."
This was referring to the ti when I had made the barrier after I received the house from the HP Guild.
I had spent half the contract money on gold and jewels.
Since then, Han Jaeyoung had been researching item developnt using jewels that I had suggested, sourced from Earth.
It’s funny because, despite the guild’s na, HP Guild is actually full of mages who research all sorts of strange items. They usually lock themselves in their labs without anyone needing to ask, and since I gave them new ideas, it’s no wonder they got excited.
They started studying items using various jewels, and as a result, Han Jaeyoung’s inventory was constantly overflowing with things.
So, if you were to break down the experintal items Han Jaeyoung was carrying, you’d easily get around 10 kilograms of gold.
"Our guild’s item research speed is quite fast even globally."
"Half of it is probably useless ideas, though."
"Hey, don’t say that."
"Well, I’m actually complinting you."
The other half were useful ideas, after all.
Of course, I’m a great mage, not soone average, but research is faster when more people share ideas. If you work alone, your thoughts can get stale.
"The amount of gold should be sufficient."
I began to delicately grind the gold separated from the items with sandpaper.
Han Jaeyoung asked, clearly curious.
"So, how are you going to break this formation with the gold? I an, from what you explained, the cinnabar and the gold seem to play the sa role, so I don’t think just a bit of gold dust will help much."
"Yeah. If we just sprinkle gold dust like this, it would just enhance the formation. To serve as a guide, we need one more elent."
"One more elent... Hmm, I’d guess it has sothing to do with the Five Elents theory in the I Ching."
"You almost got it. Yeah, we’ll use fire, which is the opposite of gold."
In the Five Elents theory, fire and gold are opposites.
"Being opposites doesn’t an they don’t go together like and Yuhanul. It ans one controls or restrains the other."
"Oh, so you’re going to use fire to suppress the gold dust that should have rged with the formation. I get the theory, but I don’t think regular fire will work..."
Even though he’s a fairy hybrid, Han Jaeyoung, being an S-rank mage, was able to grasp my # Nоvеlight # intentions from just a few words.
I nodded.
"Yeah, we need a special fire. A fire that can exert its power without violating the natural laws of this formation."
"Fire usually has a destructive nature, so does such a thing even exist?"
"Sotis."
I pulled an item out of my inventory.
Yuhanul reacted first, even before Han Jaeyoung.
"That’s..."
"It’s a gift from an old friend."
Not long ago, when I was trying to get my hands on the Golden Ointnt by visiting my past life’s ho, I took with a lantern I used frequently.
And this wasn’t a regular lantern with a common candle.
Normally, candles are made from hardened beeswax, white and sowhat cloudy, but the candle inside this lantern had a very transparent black hue.
This wasn’t sothing you could find in any dinsion, let alone the whole world.
It was a candle made from the tears of a Black Dragon.
Using such a cheat item felt like cutting through knots made to be untangled with a sword, which was honestly a little pride-hurting, but there was no choice.
‘If I knew more about the I Ching, I would have been able to find the opening to the formation just by observing its arrangent...’
But I couldn’t waste ti.
I had already told Jeong Dajung it would take a week to clear the dungeon.
I snapped my fingers and lit the candle.
The wick of the black candle blazed with a bright, blue fire, infused with mana.
"This fire will play a role in suppressing the formation here."
Dragons are naturally the most powerful creatures in nature.
A lantern with a candle made from a Black Dragon’s tears is, by itself, an extrely powerful magical item.
No matter how clever or well-made this Qi n Dun Jia formation is, it would be suppressed by the Dragon’s fire.
Afterward, when I sprinkled the gold dust over the fla, the gold dust reacted by vibrating and turning black in the air.
Now, the gold dust that touched this fla would follow the new law I set, instead of the formation's law.
I spoke aloud.
[Reveal the hidden truth.]
A mage’s language is a spell of command.
The blackened gold dust swirled in the air and, instead of falling to the ground, shaped itself and stuck to sowhere, revealing sothing that had been invisible.
"Oh."
"Is that... a kind of barrier?"
"Yeah."
The wall where the blackened gold dust had stuck stood firm.
If we had just walked, we would have walked right through the spot without noticing.
"If we pass through that wall, we’ll probably return to the starting point."
And there were likely many more walls like that.
"We just need to avoid these walls and go around them."
This Qi n Dun Jia formation is ultimately a maze created to keep outsiders from entering.
We are now wandering in a labyrinth where the walls are invisible, but the gold dust that touched the lantern revealed the labyrinth’s layout.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
Han Jaeyoung nodded, understanding.
"That’s why you said you needed 10 kilograms. It’s clear... I don’t know the full scale, but it would definitely take that much gold dust to break through."
"I hope it’s not too complicated a maze. Let’s go."
I led the way with the lantern.
Now, what we had to do was simple.
As we walked, I’d scatter gold dust over the fire and check for walls. When we found one, we would change direction.
"Daon, you’re really amazing."
Han Jaeyoung, following behind , muttered.
"What’s so amazing?"
"Well, most mages called ‘great’ usually try to hide their know-how. But you, the strongest mage I’ve seen, actually answers everything when asked."
"Sharing knowledge is sothing mages do, not power-hungry rulers."
"Wow, honestly speaking, were you a hybrid in your past life too? You must have so hybrid blood, just like ."
At that mont, Yuhanul, who had been following, let out a laugh.
I glanced at him.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Oh, I once thought like Han Jaeyoung Hunter."
"...You think I’m a hybrid from my past life?"
Considering he was talking about the past, I figured he ant my past life.
This guy, who knew more about my bloodline than anyone, was saying strange things.
I frowned, and Yuhanul quickly clarified.
"I was just praising your virtuousness... no, I ant your wisdom."
I really had no idea what he was talking about.
And frankly, I didn’t care enough to probe deeper.
As we walked, I noticed the dense fog starting to clear. Han Jaeyoung sighed.
"Such thick fog."
It was true.
What had appeared to us as a ruined canal city now seed to open up as we carefully walked, avoiding the walls, revealing the thick fog that had been hiding.
This wasn’t magic, it was a formation utilizing natural elents.
In the thickening fog, the glowing lantern and the shimring gold dust were guiding us.
As we continued walking and scattering gold dust, I eventually stopped.
No matter how much gold dust I scattered, no walls appeared anymore.
And then...
"...I hear sothing."
As soon as Yuhanul spoke those words, the translation device I had inserted into my ear began working.
From a distance, voices began to be heard.
[When my shift ends, I’m going to drink and go to sleep.]
[You should quit drinking.]
[How could I sleep without drinking?]
Han Jaeyoung and I exchanged looks.
It was Chinese.
Moreover, in front of us, there was a tall watchtower made from intertwined wood and stone.
The people speaking in Chinese were yawning as they watched the area from a watchtower built high above the barricade.
We must have found the right exit.
Yuhanul, tense, stepped forward and drew his sword, while Han Jaeyoung poked in the side.
"Speaking of gold, I think there’s still about 500 million won worth left, so give the rest."
"Hey, stop being so petty. You’re a fairy—are you really obsessed with gold? You’re going to be dood."
"Maybe it’s just the way my fate works. If gold is lacking, I might as well replenish it."
"You know, no matter how much you replenish, it’ll still never be enough."
"...Are you guys really doing this now?"
A surprised Yuhanul turned around.
I nodded.
"Of course. Now, you better start talking. Put the sword away."
"Huh? What are you talking about...?"
"Wow, we’re saved! The city is finally in sight!"
"Huh?"
Our loud conversation obviously caught the attention of the two people who were lounging in the watchtower. They imdiately tensed up.
[Wait, did I hear that right? A human voice...]
[Who are you? Identify yourself!]
I stepped forward with a smile, the kind I had perfected when the social dia boom was happening in Korea.
"Hello!"
The translation device should have conveyed my words.
I walked out of the fog with both hands raised, showing myself to them.
[What... what’s this? It’s a young girl.]
[But why is she talking like that?]
[Idiot, that’s a translator. I’ve seen ads for it before. Even Hyunam had one of these.]
[What? So, is she a hunter... Could she be sent from Nanjing?]
As I heard their conversation, I waved my hands.
"I’m Korean, and I accidentally got caught up in a dungeon conquest accident. I opened my eyes and found myself here. I ended up wandering with my group and ended up here. Could you possibly help us?"
I took Jeong Daeyoung’s advice here.
Jas Chen had suggested that when entering Suzhou, I should act polite to be treated as a guest.
In China, anyone who doesn’t welco an unprotected guest is considered rude, especially soone like Hyunam who holds significant influence.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure, but since I wasn’t very familiar with Chinese culture, I decided to follow Jas’ advice.
If it turned out to be wrong, I’d deal with them later.
The person in the watchtower, after a mont of silence, turned to their companion.
[She, she’s asking for help? What should we do?]
[Well... it’s not sothing we can decide. Should we tell them to wait and contact soone above?]
[Idiot, Hyunam isn’t even here!]
I perked up my ears.
They just ntioned Hyunam... but said he’s not here?
But I couldn’t press them imdiately.
I quietly waited.
[But Hyunam said he’d accept anyone without a place to go when he’s away. They don’t seem to have any weapons... We’re safe anyway.]
[That’s true... Then we should test them first. Hey, co over here!]
"...It seems like they want us to co."
"Alright, I’ll go."
I had a rough idea of what they were going to do.
Above all, with Han Jaeyoung, Yuhanul, and myself, I knew I had the most advantageous appearance to disarm them.
Even in a world with mages, humans tend to underestimate soone who looks frail.
Sure enough, as I stepped out, slightly staggering, their wary expressions softened.
[Just a kid.]
I wiped my eyes theatrically.
"Th-thank you! I thought I was going to die, I was so scared..."
"Mya..."
Leaping off my arms, Leo mimicked , pretending to cry too.
I’ve gotten better at acting.
I kept up the act while observing the guards in the watchtower.
They were holding swords, but they didn’t look too skilled.
Honestly, their awkward looks suggested they were just regular civilians with swords.
[You really had a tough ti.]
[We can let you in the city. But before that, we need to do a quick test, is that okay?]
"Huh? A test... What kind of test?"
As I responded, I couldn’t help but wonder.
Would they really let outsiders in without any inspection?
Of course, they’d test us in so way.
What kind of test it was, I wasn’t sure, but it was best if I took the lead.
[In this city, no villains are allowed in.]
"...Huh?"
The person in the watchtower pointed to sothing attached to the barricade.
The barricade had a glowing blue gem set in it, and the light from the gem softly illuminated the surroundings.
[That’s a tool to identify evil-doers. If you stand below it, it’ll change color.]
This was getting ridiculous.
It’s not even a system, and they claim an item can determine evil-doers?
How is that even possible?
I thought to myself, but I didn’t let it show.
[Don’t worry. As long as you’re a good person, or at least ordinary, you can co in.]
The face of the person trying to reassure looked so naive, it was hard to believe that such a ridiculous item really existed.
[Yes, as long as you’re not evil. I was once marked by the sa pure white light, too. No problems.]
[We’ll test whether you’re good or evil using this, and then once Hyunam cos back, we’ll inform you of the decision. Is that okay?]
"Ah, of course."
I said with a tone of uncertainty and walked toward the blue gem they had pointed to.
I was curious about what kind of item they were using to supposedly determine evil.
If it turned out to be wrong, I’d just throw them out.
And then...
Beep!
The light from the item touched my body.
I felt nothing.
The blue gem shining on began to glow with multicolored light.
And then, suddenly...
[Heavens!]
The people in the watchtower gasped, their eyes wide in surprise.
[It’s... the light of
a saint!]
[It’s the sa as Hyunam’s color! A saint!]
"..."
I frowned as I watched them make a fuss.
What kind of scam artist had been here before ?
Reviews
All reviews (0)