Chapter 46 |
Returnee III
David Hume once said that true friendship is not about the age of the individuals, but about the free exchange of souls.
From a young friend, one learns vitality, and from an old friend, wisdom. Immanuel Kant stated that it's not right to choose friends based on their age.
The most important thing to note here is that they never actually made these quotes.
But the nuance is conveyed, isn't it? Perhaps that's enough?
I too followed the ‘nuance’ in my friendship with Sword Marquess.
“Undertaker brother!”
“Sword Marquess elder!”
That day, we emptied four bottles of makgeolli and became sworn brothers.
What am I talking about? Just… understand it through the nuance.
Our ‘Makgeolli Pact’ did not end as merely a night's amusement.
“Elder brother, I have something to confess.”
“Hmm…?”
The next morning, I deeply bowed to Sword Marquess, who had checked the temperature of the grand hall with his own cheek, being utterly drunk.
“Confess? Uh... What are you talking about?”
“You revealed to me last night that you were a disciple directly taught by the leader of the Mount Hua Sect.”
In truth, he was not.
However, Sword Marquess nodded as if it were the most natural thing.
“Ah, right.”
“How could someone destined to be the leader of Mount Hua Sect merely seclude himself forever in a humble thatched cottage? You must return to Mount Hua, restore the pillars of the sect, though you seek tranquility, the world is in turmoil.”
“What?”
Sword Marquess opened his mouth wide. His surprise was palpable.
For a while, Sword Marquess gave his stomach some fresh morning air in the front yard. More precisely, he let the dawn taste his stomach's air.
I could have described this scene in detail, but for the readers' sake, I will spare any visual or auditory imagery. Such is my boundless goodwill towards you.
“Huuuu.”
The ordeal was skipped over, and only the result remained. Sword Marquess, having downed water from a plastic bucket (yes, the one usually hanging by the spring), looked at me seriously.
“Undertaker brother.”
He seemed to be trying to emit a profound inner energy. In my personal opinion, it was more akin to the smell of his breath than his energy.
“Are you saying you will accompany me back to Mount Hua?”
“Exactly.”
“While I am deeply grateful for that sentiment, the martial world is now a playground for the wicked Demonic Cult. The path of righteousness has been severed, and justice has collapsed. Villainy adorns itself with the pretense of chivalry. How can you guarantee our safe passage?”
“It is merely through benevolence that we will navigate this troubled world.”
“...!”
Do you understand what I'm saying? I don't. But clearly, the nuance was there, and Sword Marquess seemed to grasp everything by just that.
He slapped his knee.
“Indeed! If it is a task that I cannot accomplish alone, then it shall be done with a brother! Having secluded myself for so long, I had forgotten even this simple truth!”
“Will you trust this brother?”
“Returning to Mount Hua has been my lifelong dream. Friendships that discuss benefits are precarious, but those that discuss wishes are steadfast. I trust only in you, brother.”
What followed was a blur of action.
We left the island immediately. Sword Marquess had lived on Ulleungdo his entire life, but the belongings he had prepared were minimal. We were ready to set off within 40 minutes of deciding to leave.
What stood out about Sword Marquess’s attire was a pouch tied around his waist.
“Elder brother, what is that?”
Sword Marquess stroked his beard magnanimously.
“The essence of the Mount Hua Sect.”
It was the usual nonsense.
I shrugged and stepped onto the deck of the boat.
“Uweeek-”
Oh, and for your information, on the boat back to the mainland, Sword Marquess managed to share the aroma of his stomach with the waters of the East Sea.
At the same time as heaven and the sea were colored in his hue, such was indeed the grace of a true master.
And he wasn't even from Ulleungdo, was he? Even though he had drunk plenty of makgeolli, how could he suffer from seasickness? Such a disgrace for an islander.
“Uweeek…….”
From Ulleungdo to Gangneung, from Incheon to Shanghai, everywhere we went by boat, Sword Marquess showcased a close bond with the ship's rail. Thanks to that, I had become quite skilled in patting Sword Marquess's back like a professional masseuse.
Sword Marquess awkwardly excused himself.
“When my energy center is disturbed, my stomach and duodenum suffer as well. Ahaha. It's embarrassing, I wasn't like this before.”
Was the energy center connected to the stomach? Astonishing anatomical knowledge, as profound as researching what material makes up a unicorn's horn.
Just so you know, managing to find a boat to Shanghai was a miracle and an achievement of mine.
As you are well aware, when the Gate incident occurred (now that everyone is familiar with the terms, 'When the Void arrived' or 'When the Void manifested' would also be appropriate), everything south of the Han River in Seoul was blown away. Incheon was no exception.
There were as many people escaping by sea as there were fleeing by land. If it weren’t for my extensive experience traveling abroad, I wouldn’t have been able to find a captain in the chaotic port of Incheon.
“Oh.”
After enduring countless hardships, dodging typhoons, and surviving complete chaos, we finally arrived in China.
Sword Marquess's eyes reddened.
“This is… the Central Plains……! Look! I have returned in triumph!”
It sounded as if the journey was over.
But I am the Infinite Regressor. I usually operate domestically, but having once called myself an internationalist, I had traveled to China numerous times. Even limited to Beijing, I had been there enough to get sick of it.
So I knew very well that the real hardship was just beginning.
Have you ever read Greek or Norse mythology?
You might have found yourself lamenting while exploring the myths of other nations, wondering, 'Why don’t we have a well-structured mythology?'
I could go on at length about this, but that's not my intention right now.
Instead, what I really want to tell you is this:
'It’s damn lucky we don’t have one.'
I bring up myths for a reason.
Since the arrival of the Void, characters from those myths began stepping into reality.
They didn’t just pop up as they were described in the myths. They were updated to be less intellectual, more Lovecraftian, and thus even more misanthropic.
Now you might guess why I considered India and Japan as the top dangerous spots for overseas travel.
It’s not like India and Japan are the only Asian countries with a rich repository of mythological beings. Thailand and others also boast a significant cache of spirits, holding their own in terms of ghostly prestige.
But my point is, with Japan having invited eight million gods to descend upon them, solving their low birth rate and aging population issues overnight, they’re in a better situation than most.
Places like India and Nepal, steeped in Hindu faith, let's just leave those out of this discussion for now.
Have you ever seen the Ganges and the Himalayas dyed red? It's quite a spectacle, but I’d rather not see it again.
That's what the end of the world looks like.
As the world together faces damnation, China wasn't going to be left out. They too were shouting, 'Me too! I want to play too!' boasting a formidable list of supernatural beings.
If you've been to a high-end Italian restaurant, you know they have a dazzling wine list. Similarly, China boasts menus like the Shan Hai Jing, the Shi Yi Ji, the Bo Wu Zhi, and the Shen Yi Jing.
It was indeed a transitional period for martial arts novels, moving from traditional martial arts to xianxia, and from xianxia to xuanhuan. Monsters and spirits that seemed out of place in traditional martial arts stories were embraced in xuanhuan as being youthful and trendy.
Obviously, being the cradle of martial arts, China was at the forefront of these trends.
Therefore, as the leader of this trip, I made a very rational decision.
“Let’s not go straight to Mount Hua. Let’s stop by Chang’an first.”
“Hm? Why? Wouldn’t that just be taking a detour?”
“There are extremely tricky monsters nearby. We need to move around them.”
Avoidance. Pure and simple.
If you asked me to name the most difficult beings to deal with in China, I'd personally point out two.
'Chaos' and 'Greed.'
To my knowledge, tens of thousands of Awakeners in China were destroyed by just these two creatures. And by tens of thousands, I mean closer to 100,000 than 20,000. Considering the civilian casualties, it was an uncountable number.
Even as the genre of the world shifted to xuanhuan, no human had yet achieved the realm of the immortals, a fitting testament to the tragedy that ensues.
“If we were fully prepared, maybe, but right now, taking them on is not a good idea.”
“Hmm. If you say so, brother…”
When venturing into unfamiliar genres, it's wise to maintain proper decorum and distance. My genre, after all, was firmly contemporary fantasy.
I meticulously planned our travel route to avoid Chaos and Greed.
Instead, we frequently encountered other lesser demons, but I handled them all single-handedly on my end.
Sword Marquess watched my swordplay from behind, occasionally letting out exclamations of admiration.
“Your prowess is truly amazing! Equal to or perhaps even greater than me at my peak!”
“……”
Something deep within me stirred like the lava of Mount Hua, but I held it back.
“…Thank you. I still have much to learn. Please continue to guide me, elder brother.”
It's wise to assign specific roles during a trip. You handle the hotels, I’ll find the restaurants, and so on.
If roles are not well distributed in any travel, it quickly becomes tiresome. Anyone who has been on a long journey with family or a partner will immediately understand.
I, Undertaker, might not have shown it, but I prided myself on being a master of travelling. Naturally, I understood the importance of dividing responsibilities.
Thus, during our two-month journey, my responsibilities were as follows:
Planning travel routes, covering travel expenses, procuring food, scouting lodging, hiring locals, interpreting Chinese (the next Sect Leader of Mount Hua did not speak Chinese), carrying luggage, standing guard, and acting as bodyguard.
And what did Sword Marquess handle? Well… drinking?
Anyway. Among my roles, the most crucial was interpreting Chinese.
This was my first time visiting Mount Hua, and we inevitably relied on local guidance, especially since the main roads had been devoured by Chaos and Greed.
Whenever we passed through rural roads, locals looked at us curiously.
“A Korean? What brings a Korean here?”
“We’re on our way to Mount Hua.”
“Oh?”
“This gentleman here is my grandfather. He insists on seeing Mount Hua with his own eyes before he passes away. I’m an Awakener who speaks Chinese, so I decided to fulfill his last wish by traveling here.”
“Ah!”
Initially skeptical, the locals warmed up after hearing my explanation.
Incidentally, throughout the journey, Sword Marquess was carried on my back. It was unavoidable. If I had asked him to walk on his own, the trip would have taken 24 times longer. I’m not exaggerating.
“What a rare filial grandson, no, a filial great-grandson!”
“It's nothing. I lost my parents when I was young, and he raised me alone. I believe it's only right to repay him.”
“In such a chaotic world, to think such people still exist! Well, I don’t have much, but please take some peanuts. Our village peanuts are really tasty.”
Indeed, filial piety is a magic pass that works anywhere in East Asia.
Despite their humble circumstances, local people in the countryside tried to offer me whatever they could. Village elders even tried to fill up buckets with peanuts, which I had to politely refuse. To show my gratitude, I cleared the nearby monsters like cutting weeds—true win-win.
Sword Marquess, still on my back, was amazed.
“I’ve heard the countryside has become stingy these days, but that’s all nonsense. Isn’t this kindness itself?”
“Well, if I had said you were the Sect Leader of Mount Hua and I was carrying you around, 99% of this kindness would have disappeared.”
“Hm? Brother, what did you just say?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
Day 62 of our trip in China.
After countless twists and turns, including barely escaping a typhoon, we finally arrived at Mount Hua.
“Ah, finally… Mount Hua…!”
The designated 261st Sect Leader of Mount Hua exclaimed as if he were seeing it for the first time.
Of course, I didn’t point that out. I was a respectful younger brother, merely posing a question.
“It was indeed a tough journey. I too am eager to see the grandeur of the sect where you trained. Where is the sect building?”
“Unfortunately, the main hall was destroyed 45 years ago by an attack from the Heavenly Demon.”
‘So there’s no sect building, right? You were just making it up?’ I could read between the lines, but the old man skillfully dodged the question. Clearly, a lifetime dedicated to playing a martial artist wasn’t thwarted by such trivial interrogation.
“The entire brotherhood was slaughtered, and I had no choice but to flee. Now, it’s hard to even find the ruins.”
“So you don’t know where it is?”
“The mountain scenery is truly serene, a real hidden gem.”
My inquiry didn’t even scratch the surface of the Sword Marquess’s mental fortitude.
I shook my head and continued hiking.
Great mountains never flaunt their landscapes from the start but keep them hidden. Mount Hua, a renowned mountain, revealed its true beauty only when one ventured into its layers. With each step, it felt as if a folding screen was unfolding, expanding the scene with each pace.
I looked around the ridge.
“People have left, but the buildings are relatively intact.”
Ah, and by buildings, I obviously didn’t mean those of the Mount Hua Sect. I was referring to various facilities such as rest areas, stairs, snack bars, etc.
Before the Void arrived, these places were probably bustling with tourists. The cable car station looked clean and seemed like the perfect base camp.
I checked the warehouse just in case, but as expected, no food was left.
Well, being a living, breathing biofarm meant there was no need to worry about food during this trip.
“Elder brother, I will set up our base here.”
“As you wish, brother.”
I set down my backpack and also set down Sword Marquess (he had been using my back delivery service even while hiking).
Sword Marquess lay down on the floor of the rest area as if he had finally come alive.
“Ah, my old bones. After decades, coming back here, it seems I can't even walk around anymore.”
Anyone would think he had climbed the mountain himself.
I took out bottled water, a burner, and ramen from my backpack and started cooking.
Just the single line of description about my actions here should give you an idea of how much I suffered during this trip. Yes, I carried Sword Marquess on my back while hugging a meter-tall backpack across the Chinese continent.
“Elder brother, the ramen is ready.”
“Hmm.”
The old man, who had been sprawled out on the floor, got up like a ghost and took the chopsticks.
After slurping down the ramen, Sword Marquess looked up at the ceiling of the rest area.
“Ah. As I've always said, the ramen you cook is truly a delicacy. I've met countless ramen masters in my life, but none can compare to you, brother.”
“You flatter me.”
“No, I'm serious. How do you bring out such a unique taste?”
Well, if you've been cooking ramen for over a hundred years, anyone would reach this level.
In fact, during the 45th cycle, I even became a chef. While I may not be the world's greatest chef, I was certainly the best at cooking with ingredients from the Void. Such is the seasoning of an Infinite Regressor.
“……”
Truly a useless skill.
“Burp. Thank you for the meal.”
I shifted my thoughts. Anyway, what mattered now was not my ramen cooking skills, but how Sword Marquess would react from this point forward.
Throughout our journey, Sword Marquess had always murmured about how he had no other wish but to visit Mount Hua. In the past cycles, he always longed for Mount Hua.
A wish consistently held across time signifies the intensity of one’s heart. It represents conviction.
As a regressor, I find few things as interesting as the human heart.
‘And I have fulfilled his lifelong wish.’
Now that his wish was granted, only curiosity remained.
A regressor’s curiosity, trivial and personal, yet of utmost importance in this world.
‘What will Sword Marquess do now?’
Will he say it’s time to return to the Korean peninsula now that his bucket list is complete? Or will he try to realize his delusion by building the Mount Hua Sect anew? Which will it be?
I quietly observed Sword Marquess. After patting his full belly, he stood up and stretched.
“Now that I’m full, it’s time to get to work.”
Let me mention in advance that all my predictions were wrong.
Footnotes:
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