Translator/Editor: Ryuu
Discord: sdsc.gg/wetried
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The Creator II
Noh Do-hwa's patients never hesitated to heap praise on her when they gathered.
"Hey, that road laid down in Bansong looks great, doesn't it?"
"You're right. Those ugly, cracked asphalt roads are nothing but eyesores. Laying a clean, beautiful one-lane road is much better, isn't it?"
"That's classic Mr. Do-hwa. Where's she from again?"
"I heard she's from Ttangkkeut Village in Haenam."
"Of course! A woman born in a place with good water and air. If only soone like that were born in our town."
At a glance, it sounded like old n chatting while playing Go. But older folks usually prefer detours over straight roads. Their true intentions could be translated as:
"I'm so jealous! Really jealous!"
"Please, lay one down in our town too!"
Noh Do-hwa was soone born with a passive skill of mistrusting and hating people. She instinctively understood that behind every word uttered by humans lay ugly and vile desires.
However, this eccentric was infinitely generous to her patients. You could say her fondness was like a limited edition. Just as a dictator who despises humanity becos a re servant to her pets, Noh Do-hwa found a peculiar balance in her mind.
"Sir... Should I lay down a road in your neighborhood too?"
"What? No, no, Ms. Do-hwa! That's not what I ant to say!"
"But that's what you're saying now, isn't it? So, would you like to lay one down or not?"
"Well... I'd really appreciate it if you could, but I feel bad asking when you're already so busy..."
"Yeah. You should feel sorry. Aren't you a patient whose only possession in this awful world is age? You're clinging to a promising technician like . I know you're the one who took the lead, so keep apologizing to the other patients too."
"......"
Noh Do-hwa visited the Guild Alliance.
Back then and even now, the leader of the alliance was Dang Seo-rin. As for , I just felt like a rcenary captain occasionally called in for jobs.
"Welco, Ms. Noh Do-hwa. I've heard you're working on so projects lately."
"How have you been, Ms. Dang... It's embarrassing to act like I'm doing business in front of Samcheon. All I'm doing is gathering a few guys who used to toil in construction and laying down a few more modest roads than country lanes."
Surprisingly, Do-hwa was respectful toward Dang Seo-rin.
It wasn't because their personalities clicked. Their wallets did. Anyone would grow courteous after seeing the quarterly gifts of assets Dang Seo-rin sent to Do-hwa's workshop.
"Why the humility? So, what brings you here?"
"Well, I'm fixing the existing roads to make it easier for patients to travel. But you know, it's a matter of fairness, and people can get tricky if they feel left out. So, since the work's already in progress..."
"You want to fix the entire road network of Busan?"
"Yes, well... It's neater that way. But it's a massive project, and each district claims its own turf."
"Hmm."
Dang Seo-rin fiddled with the end of her pointed hat.
"You want to sort out the districts?"
"Yes. If that's too difficult, you can invite when you hold a guild eting and just arrange a place for ."
"I see. That's probably better. If I look like I'm exploiting you, so guilds will undoubtedly throw a fit. You should take charge from start to finish so there are no rumors."
"True. Guild leaders have such filthy pride and greed."
"Alright."
Dang Seo-rin smiled brightly.
"I'll arrange a spot for you soon."
"Thank you, Lady Leader."
Noh Do-hwa laughed slyly.
"If you end up crippled later, I'll give you a full-body replacent for real cheap. Just co back with your brain and heart intact."
"......"
The notable part here wasn't the word "crippled" but "real cheap." She never said "free."
Do-hwa gave a nod and left the train car.
Dang Seo-rin looked at the sofa where I was sitting. By coincidence, I was also visiting Samcheon's headquarters.
"What do you think?"
"Noh Do-hwa is a good person."
I buried myself in the sofa. The lounge car, refurbished from a luxurious train, had very cozy chairs.
Dang Seo-rin looked at sulkily.
"She called a cripple."
"More precisely, she said, 'if you end up crippled.' Don't get upset. If you weigh every word that woman says, you'll just get tired. Have you seen Do-hwa treating her patients?"
"No."
"I once had the opportunity to observe her all day."
This wasn't in this cycle but another.
Oh, and let clarify that although I usually tell stories sequentially, it doesn't an everything happened in one cycle. More often than not, I weave and edit events from multiple cycles.
For instance, when I described the governnt's collapse, it wasn't like I stayed glued to the radio 24/7. How could I know what statents the Second Provisional Governnt and coup soldiers made?
I heard one speech in the 4th cycle and another in the 11th. I saw refugees throwing the Vice Mayor of Seoul off the bridge in the 37th cycle.
My "omniscient narrator" viewpoint ca from many cycles and experiences.
And I spent as much ti as needed to determine whether soone was trustworthy. In so cycles, I even worked closely alongside Do-hwa, practically as her assistant.
Unfortunately, in previous cycles, I hadn't been present when Do-hwa visited Dang Seo-rin. So her projects were always limited to Busan.
But this ti would be different.
Like I said, I "coincidentally" was visiting the Samcheon Guild's headquarters.
"Patients with physical discomfort often struggle ntally as well. And it's not just the patients themselves but also their guardians. Even while listening to their complaints and curses, Do-hwa has never refused a patient."
"Hmm."
"She might seem shady and have an odd manner of speaking, but you won't find anyone like her."
"She always overcharges Awakeners."
"But she knows whom to overcharge. As I said, she's never refused a patient. Did only affluent Awakeners visit Do-hwa's workshop?"
Dang Seo-rin rested her chin on her hand.
"...Still, she's spent her life caring for patients. Will she be able to take on sothing this big?"
"She's soone who adjusts herself to the size of her responsibilities, not the other way around. She'll be fine."
"......"
She finally nodded.
"Alright. If that's your assessnt, Undertaker, I'll trust her."
Once she trusted soone, Dang Seo-rin was loyal to the end.
Not long after, a national guild eting was held off the coast of Busan. As "off the coast" suggests, they launched a cruise ship.
With no fuel to sail, it was anchored at the pier, but this was already unimaginable luxury in today's world.
The eting was strictly for guild leaders. mbers of the Second Provisional Governnt or the Junior Officers' Corps, who typically word their way into official events, were thoroughly excluded.
A few "self-proclaid bigwigs" sent people to protest, but Dang Seo-rin ignored them. The Second Provisional Governnt Foreign Minister? What's that? Oh, you're a mber of the Fukuoka Korean Association. Sorry, we can't hear you well from here, so try crossing the Korea Strait first.
The eting was strictly for guild leaders.
The only guest invited was Noh Do-hwa. Excluding the chefs, singers, and jazz band brought in for appearances.
"Uh... Lady Leader?"
"What?"
Looking around the faces of the guild leaders present, Noh Do-hwa looked troubled. A rare sight.
"Maybe it's just , but it seems like we've got not only Busan guild leaders but also national guild leaders here..."
"Oh."
Dang Seo-rin waved her hand as if it were no big deal.
"Don't worry. I just got a lot of inquiries when I announced the eting. They haven't seen each other in ages. Isn't it good to renew those connections?"
"Ah..."
It was nonsense.
The event's program was like this: First, the host, Dang Seo-rin, ca out to greet the guests, keeping her speech brief to emphasize she wasn't the main star here.
Next, it was my turn.
An enthusiastic cheer erupted.
"Undertaker! How long has it been?"
"Co visit Gangwon-do soti. Our mbers really want to see you."
"Is Ms. Sim Ah-ryeon doing well? Thanks to you sending her, we cleared the Gate smoothly last ti."
"I'll make sure to organize sothing and invite you!"
Across the room, the Sword Marquess was sitting with his arms crossed.
This was truly a gathering of Korea's most influential Awakeners.
I may have downplayed myself as just a rcenary captain, but did you know even Switzerland, a neutral country, once thrived on rcenary work? Trust earned from rcenary work easily translates into banking, according to historical precedent.
Simply put, few guild leaders here hadn't owed a favor.
And like any honest debtor, the guild leaders were determined to repay their debt to this bank of mine, in principal and interest. They knew well that delaying repaynt could snowball into a much bigger problem later.
"I'm deeply grateful to all of you for coming here across long and difficult roads. If this were a routine statent, it'd just be a standard greeting. But today's topic is encapsulated in that very statent: long and difficult roads. Isn't it ti to fix them?"
"Right!"
"Woo-hoo!"
The topic of today's eting? That was already laid out in detail on the invitation.
The mont the guild leaders opened their letters, the Saintess fired up the Constellation chat. Sothing like, [The Saintess of National Salvation is very supportive of this quest.]
Dang Seo-rin's authority, my trust, and the Saintess's guarantee.
It was a literal trinity. Nothing was more powerful on the Korean Peninsula. Perhaps not even in the whole world.
"As many of you know, the eternal supporter of Awakeners is right here! Thanks to this person, losing a limb to monsters isn't a problem. She has made trendous contributions to maximizing our combat abilities. The owner of the 'Noh Do-hwa Workshop,' who's invaluable to all Awakeners. ...And soone even the most temperantal Awakeners reluctantly respect. Please give a warm round of applause to 'The Limb Creator,' Noh Do-hwa!"
Thunderous applause erupted. No exaggeration. Who cast the lightning spell?
Looking around, I saw Dang Seo-rin, in the front row, leading the applause with a happy smile.
By the way, Dang Seo-rin held a legendary grudge. If anyone called her a cripple, she'd happily prove who the real cripple was.
I've painted her in a good light, but once she kidnapped a rival guild leader who called her a bitch, castrated him, and said, "Well, well, here's a TS girl! So, who's the bitch now?" as she laughed.
That was because she had a long-standing grudge with that guild leader. It's solid proof that she didn't win the leadership of the Korean Awakener Guild Federation by chance.
Have you heard of "birds of a feather flock together"? I might have softened up now, but I was once her second-in-command, climbing to vice guild leader under Dang Seo-rin.
"......"
Receiving the good graces of both Dang Seo-rin and myself, Noh Do-hwa trembled with joy.
After my introduction, Do-hwa walked up the stage, then grabbed the microphone. The expression on her face was, well, likely the one she often had back when she was a seventh-grade public servant.
In simpler terms:
"I'm Noh Do-hwa..."
She was screwed.
Footnotes:
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