Chapter 130
I finished my business and stepped out of King Jaho’s residence.
For some reason, my gaze drifted upward toward the sky.
I let out a small, self-amused laugh at the thought that someone might be watching me.
“Go ahead, try to watch me.”
This time, my actions had been influenced by Choo Hae-yeon, but next time, I had no intention of letting anyone interfere.
I hadn’t committed any crime.
If anyone had a complaint, I’d tell them to take it up with Yulha.
That aside…
“Now you don’t even hesitate anymore, huh.”
I laughed again when I saw Choo Hae-yeon rushing into the room and taking the best spot on the bed.
Since she had helped me in so many ways today, I was willing to give up my spot so she could rest comfortably.
Perhaps it was her sense of conscience that made her speak suddenly.
“Come to the forge in the morning.”
I blinked at her abrupt request.
“Why the forge?”
From under the blanket came a sleepy, yet proud voice.
“I thought you might need it, so I made a few things here and there.”
Even in that moment, her pride was unmistakable.
“They’re not divine swords or anything, but they’ll be more useful for gathering people than anything else.”
I watched her, now asleep in a colorful patchwork of blankets, for a moment and let a faint smile cross my lips.
“Thank you.”
The next morning, when I opened my eyes, the bed beside me was cold and empty.
The only trace of last night was the neatly folded blankets.
Choo Hae-yeon had already gone to the forge.
“Diligent, aren’t you?”
After a quick wash and breakfast, I followed her to the forge.
As expected, instead of the lively clanging of hammers on metal in the early morning, I found Choo Hae-yeon alone, appreciating something in the heat.
I remarked casually:
“When you said you made something useful, I assumed it would just be one item.”
Choo Hae-yeon turned toward me. In front of her lay three weapons in a neat row: two swords and a single dao.
Each of them was far from ordinary.
The dao had an unusually wide blade with a deep blood groove, radiating a destructive aura as if it could slice through both enemy and armor alike.
One of the swords emitted a chilling blue glow along the blade, while the other was a flexible sword, a softblade, with pinkish hues that shimmered like ribbons when unfurled.
Among them, the softblade naturally drew the most attention.
“A softblade… rare even in the martial world.”
A softblade is usually thin, supple, and worn at the waist.
I picked it up and lightly swung it. The flexible blade curved and twisted like a living snake, tracing a smooth, flowing path.
As Choo Hae-yeon had said, it wasn’t a divine sword, but the pure steel energy contained in the blade proved it was a masterwork, something ordinary artisans could not forge even in a lifetime.
Honestly, I had never seen a softblade of this caliber before.
“Surely, its rarity alone would make anyone covet it.”
It would be enough to capture the attention of even the most skilled masters, those who weren’t swayed by money or fame.
Especially if the rival was also a softblade expert? Could they resist?
A sword like this… there probably isn’t another one in the world.
“I’m not sure if it was intentional, but choosing a softblade was an excellent decision.”
I genuinely admired her and turned to face her again, wanting to thank her once more.
But before I could, Choo Hae-yeon extended her hand toward me.
“Money.”
A short, concise command.
I was dumbfounded by her audacity, yet I chuckled. It was amusing to see the greatest artifact of the Nether Realm learning the taste of money in the mortal world.
I also nodded slightly.
“Of course. That’s just like you.”
For someone to swallow such precious weapons without hesitation would have pricked my conscience.
I pulled out a stack of promissory notes from my bag.
“How much will satisfy you, I wonder?”
Even a rough estimate put the value of these weapons at over ten thousand nyang.
But, forgive me, after feeding her, letting her sleep, and even protecting her life, I wasn’t going to give everything.
Not to mention, I had paid for the materials myself.
“Here you go.”
I counted ten notes and handed them to her—one hundred nyang each, totaling one thousand nyang.
If she expressed dissatisfaction, I would start bargaining in earnest. But instead…
“This much?”
Her eyes went wide.
Rather than complain, she counted the notes repeatedly, clearly delighted.
Seeing her pure joy made my earlier attempt to bargain feel trivial.
I hadn’t expected her to be this happy.
After a moment, guilt overcame me, and I added one more note into her hand.
Just a hundred more. I still have to live, after all.
“Perhaps I misjudged you before. I didn’t realize you were such a magnanimous person.”
Just by adding a hundred nyang, her evaluation of me seemed to change.
I was curious what would happen if I gave more, but I restrained myself. Even for the rich, burning a hundred nyang just to satisfy curiosity would be reckless.
Watching her smile ear-to-ear after receiving it, I wondered quietly…
“What on earth is she planning to do with it?”
It wasn’t simple greed. She must have a purpose to be this happy.
“I have no idea.”
I knew she had added a few more clothes and accessories. But compared to the money I had already given, they were trivial.
“It seems she’s storing it somewhere carefully.”
So what could her ultimate goal be?
I had no intention of pressing her. How she used the money was her choice.
The only thing I could do for her now was one thing.
“Can I ask for more in the future?”
To make sure she could earn more money, like today, I made a new proposal—partly to compensate for my earlier underpayment.
“From now on, I’ll give a thousand nyang for each item.”
Before, the three weapons costed one thousand one hundred nyang in total. Now, each one would be a thousand nyang—a nearly threefold increase.
But I knew well: even this would still make me look like a cheat.
So I added one more condition.
“I’ll also show you something.”
“Something to show me?”
“Just that it’s profitable. If you’re interested, follow me.”
At first, she tilted her head in confusion, but her eyes sparkled at the mention of profit.
“Follow you, then.”
I led Choo Hae-yeon to a place near my residence.
She seemed puzzled, so I pointed in the opposite direction.
“There.”
There stood a warehouse specially arranged by Chief No.
Choo Hae-yeon still tilted her head. From the outside, it didn’t look like an ordinary warehouse.
The walls were smooth black basalt with not a single gap, and the only visible door was a jade plaque the size of a palm in the center.
From afar, it looked more like a stage than a warehouse.
I brought out the identification badge given by Chief No. and lightly placed it against the jade plaque.
With a creak, the plaque slid inward, and the massive stone door rumbled as it sank.
Bang!
When the door opened completely, a cool, refreshing air wafted out, completely different from the outside.
Thanks to abundant ebony that absorbed moisture and juniper to repel insects.
“Shall we go in?”
Inside, the space was far more vast than it appeared from the outside.
Shelves neatly organized by type, not a speck of dust.
Yet among them, there were clearly miscellaneous items scattered like junk.
If someone else had come with me, they would have been disappointed.
But Choo Hae-yeon was different.
“These…?”
Her gaze swept over chipped jade cups, rusted spearheads, and dulled gems.
To ordinary eyes, it was just a pile of discarded junk.
But she was not fooled.
She immediately recognized the true value of things that would appear worthless to others.
“All of these have potential for refinement.”
A smile formed on my lips as I watched her.
I had expected that she could recognize their worth.
This place was both a treasure warehouse and a workshop for refining miscellaneous items brought from Jangsaengwon by Dongchil.
Various events had delayed this project, but the expansion allowed us to restart.
Bringing Choo Hae-yeon here was for this very reason.
I spoke to her, who had finished exploring.
“This is a place for making divine artifacts. If you help make them here, I’ll give you half of the profits.”
Whether she accepted or not was uncertain.
But I suspected she wouldn’t dislike the proposal.
Not just for the money—I knew she was interested in divine swords and artifacts.
That’s why she had gone to the forge every day.
“And although there have been failures, I know you will succeed eventually.”
Choo Hae-yeon was a master artisan of a level I had never encountered before.
It was unthinkable that she couldn’t create divine swords or artifacts.
It was only a matter of time.
And now I could have her full assistance?
Is this not fate, or fortune itself?
This is the first step to seizing it.
“Take your time.”
Choo Hae-yeon seemed deep in thought, hesitant to answer immediately.
Still, she did not refuse outright. I explored the warehouse slowly.
“I’m sorry.”
Honestly, I hadn’t been able to pay attention to the artifacts for a while.
After leaving Jangsaengwon, I had been busy with various matters.
I expressed my apology through my consciousness.
Most of the items were not yet capable of responding to my consciousness.
But among them, like the exceptional divine swords of the past, some had already begun to sprout extraordinary potential.
Like abandoned children, sharp resentment and disappointment reached out at me.
“I hate this.”
“I’m upset.”
Even the exceptional ones were still like infants, unable to conceal their emotions.
I quietly accepted their complaints.
Yet amidst all that, a warm, gentle aura surrounded me.
It was comforting, as if to tell me everything was alright.
“It’s okay.”
My gaze naturally turned toward the source of that warmth.
