#257
The Zhuge Clan (3)
The perk “Summon Otherworld Transfer Formation” had grown to the point that it could now be used once every five days in this world’s time.
The moment its cooldown ended, Hugo crossed over to the Ganghwan Realm, and with Harris’s arrangements, he was able to enter the Zhuge Clan immediately.
‘Mm, this is rather thrilling.’
As he leisurely strolled through the clan grounds, he smiled bitterly at the wary hostility subtly radiating from all around him.
Well, they had accepted him because they had no choice, but from their perspective, this was no different from humiliation. Their reaction was understandable enough.
‘It would’ve been better if Harris had approached them a little more gently.’
Because he had acted so aggressively, their antipathy had grown that much stronger.
Even if there was nothing to be done about what had already passed, now that things had turned out this way, Hugo couldn’t help feeling regretful.
‘I think I need to restore relations first. What would be the best way to do that?’
Once Harris left in a few days, matters in the Ganghwan Realm would be handled entirely by Hugo, who was now Ha Seunghun.
Of course, even then, the Zhuge Clan would not dare try anything rash, but improving their relationship was essential for smooth work going forward.
‘There’s nowhere with better conditions than this place for naturally blending into this world, gathering information, and expanding influence.’
They had no outstanding supreme experts, yet as a group, their strength was no less than that of any other faction. Even after the world fell into chaos, they maintained amicable relations with other orthodox factions. Geographically, they were located in the center of the continent, making expansion easy.
‘On top of that, they’re a family famous for their knowledge and competence, so they should be able to help in various ways when it comes to learning martial arts in a stable environment.’
In truth, Harris had simply been lucky and absorbed the Muyu Eight Trigrams Secret Art in his own way; it could not be said that he had properly learned martial arts.
That was why Hugo needed, at least once, the experience of learning it “by the book.”
Only then would he be able to estimate how to make use of the power known as martial arts afterward.
‘…Should I give them some kind of gift after all?’
Since time immemorial, there was no one who disliked gifts.
And as it happened, he had plenty of wealth piled up from looting the Eighteen Strongholds of Dongting.
But a clan of this caliber didn’t seem likely to be swayed by mere money and valuables.
With the world in its current state, he wasn’t even sure how much value such things held.
Then, as expected, something difficult to obtain even with money and power would be best, like a spirit medicine or a divine weapon…
“Excuse me. I apologize, but you cannot go beyond this point.”
“Ah? This place is…”
While he was lost in thought and wandering aimlessly through the clan grounds.
Hugo stopped walking at the words of a female warrior who had suddenly appeared and blocked his path.
“This is the residence where the women of the clan stay, so I ask for your understanding, Young Hero Ha.”
“…Goodness, I was walking while lost in thought and ended up committing a discourtesy. I will turn back at once.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
It seemed that, while walking absentmindedly, he had somehow come all the way to an area forbidden to men.
He could not afford to loiter around a place like this for no reason and lower his already poor favorability even further.
So he lightly bowed his head and was just about to turn around and leave when, suddenly—
From deep inside the area, he heard the voices of women conversing.
—So, how is the young lady…
—The situation is not very good…
‘Mm?’
It was only a few brief words.
But at some instinctive hunch, he stopped in his tracks and pricked up his ears.
Until now, Hugo had mostly waited on his main body back on Earth, but that did not mean he was powerless or without ability.
Of course that could not be the case.
The Karma he had poured purely into his stats alone was nearly four million, so how could he be?
No matter how much the core of a returnee’s military might lay in the mysteries and skills they had gained from their respective worlds, those overwhelming numbers were enough to raise his body beyond a certain singularity.
Naturally, his senses had also far surpassed ordinary levels.
Add to that the focus from “Hypersensitivity” and the assistance of “Versatility,” and eavesdropping on the conversation of people speaking unguardedly was not particularly difficult.
—For her to suffer another seizure at a time like this, when things are already unsettled because of those unwelcome guests. What are we to do?
—The spirit medicine we brought this time did not even last half a month. The young lady has developed resistance to the medicinal ingredients as well, but the overall efficacy of the spirit medicines themselves is decreasing. At this rate, before long…
—Ahem! Watch your tongue. How dare you speak so rashly!
—…I apologize. But we need some kind of countermeasure…
“…Young Hero Ha?”
After he had been listening intently for some time, the voice of the warrior who had blocked his path reached him again.
As if asking why he was still standing there after saying he would leave.
Unlike Hugo, who was close to superhuman through sheer physical ability alone, she needed to circulate internal energy separately to enhance her hearing, and it seemed she had not heard the sounds he had picked up.
“Ah! My apologies. I was lost in thought for a moment. Hahaha!”
At that, Hugo gave an easygoing laugh and hurriedly stepped back.
Thinking that he had obtained good information unexpectedly.
‘Hmm, I heard the Zhuge Clan is also quite renowned for medicine. And there’s a patient even they can’t heal?’
In addition, judging by the title “young lady,” she had to be a daughter in quite a high position.
Perhaps even a direct descendant of the clan head.
In any case, there was no doubt she was an important figure.
‘An incurable illness that even the Zhuge Clan cannot cure…’
Hugo lightly stroked his chin and turned the matter over in his head.
“Good.”
And finally, when a certain thought occurred to him.
With a faint smile on his lips, he headed toward his quarters with a much lighter heart.
***
While Hugo was wandering through the clan grounds, Harris was conversing with the former clan head of the Zhuge Clan, whose eyes were gently closed.
To be more precise…
It was closer to Harris unilaterally receiving the information he wanted.
Since the biggest reason he had come here in the first place was to gather information, that was only natural.
And the information he obtained was quite useful.
‘Twenty-two years ago, a winged outsider attacked the imperial palace and caused a tragedy. He assassinated the emperor and ripped out the continent’s largest dragon vein, the Dragon Heart, which lay beneath the imperial palace?’
As expected, the Zhuge Clan had connections even in the imperial palace and knew quite a lot.
Since the imperial family had completely fallen, there was no reason to keep silent, so they answered Harris’s questions readily.
‘The leader of the Beoncheon Society. So that bastard really did come here.’
Harris’s gaze sank coldly.
There was a great difference between merely suspecting something and being certain of it.
Moreover, had he not also come to know for certain why that bastard was so powerful?
‘Crossing dimensions like me is only the basics. Since he led an entire world to ruin, the Karma he obtained that way must be beyond imagination. And on top of that, I don’t know what method he used, but he even tore away something no different from the source of qi?’
It was so absurd that he couldn’t even let out a hollow laugh.
And when he considered that there were likely not just one or two worlds the man had passed through in this way, his mind grew even more chaotic.
‘No, calm down.’
But that confusion only lasted a moment.
Thanks to his overwhelming mental stats, he quickly regained his composure, let out a deep sigh, and calmly sorted through the situation.
It was now certain that the leader of the Beoncheon Society’s hand had reached this world.
It was also clear that the method he had chosen to gain strength was the destruction of the Ganghwan Realm.
Yes.
If so—
‘What if I do the opposite?’
Would he not perhaps be able to interfere with him?
If the bastard had already taken everything he wanted from this world, washed his hands of it, and left, then no matter how hard Harris tried, it might not be of much use.
But even in that case, he would be able to reap Karma as a harvest.
However, what if the scheme imposed upon this Ganghwan Realm was not yet completely finished?
What if that bastard had left a straw stuck in it and was still using it for something?
‘I don’t know what he wants, but I can’t just let things go according to his wishes.’
No matter in what form.
The very fact that things did not go according to that bastard’s will could become a variable.
He had not particularly intended to become the savior of the world…
But if things had come to this, he had no choice.
‘First, stabilize this world as much as possible.’
And for that, the Zhuge Clan’s assistance was essential.
Harris suppressed his temper as much as he could and offered his thanks.
“Thank you for the valuable information. It has been a great help.”
“Hoho, I am glad it was of help. …However, this old man also has one thing he would like to ask.”
“…I do not know much about that man either. I am gathering information like this precisely to find out. However, there is one thing I can tell you for certain: he is also my enemy.”
“Hmm—?”
Before a troublesome question could come from the former clan head, he took the initiative and answered first.
In truth, it was also true that he did not know much about the leader of the Beoncheon Society.
‘If I answer the questions of someone this smart for no reason, I’ll end up exposing all my cards.’
In fact, quite a bit of information had probably already passed over through the conversation they had had so far, but that did not mean he needed to lay out a mat for him as well.
And right now, there was a more important issue than that.
Harris cleared his throat lightly and began laying the groundwork for it.
“I have received your help, so I would like to repay you in some way. There is also the matter of having destroyed your formation, and I have caused you inconvenience in many ways, albeit unintentionally.”
“Hoho, repayment, you say…”
“As it happens, I have a few roots of spirit medicine with me. It is a small token of sincerity, so please accept them at least.”
To him, spirit medicines were something he could pick as easily as mugwort from a hill behind the house, so there was no need to be stingy.
He was also planning to visit Wudang Mountain soon and sweep through it once.
“Oh, if it is something like that, I shall gratefully accept.”
At that, the former clan head nodded with a small smile.
Of course, it was merely a polite reaction to Harris saying he wished to show sincerity; he did not seem particularly expectant.
Watching him, Harris quietly brought up the main point.
“Of course, rather than such things, the child I brought with me… Ha Seunghun, would be far more remarkable. Hahaha!”
“Mm? What do you mean by that?”
The old man with closed eyes tilted his head slightly.
If it were Harris, an absolute master, that would be one thing, but he wondered what help that young man, from whom he had sensed no particular internal energy, could possibly be.
“Ah, that child possesses a special power. Of course, his physique and comprehension are also very outstanding.”
In any case, Harris was someone who would soon leave.
As such, it was reasonable to take this opportunity to strengthen Hugo’s position, since he would be cooperating with them from now on.
Of course, there was a very small amount of…
“Namely, the ability to heal any illness.”
…bait mixed in.
***
Magic tools made in another world cannot be used in dimensions where the system of energy is completely different.
Then what about divine power, which borrows the power of a god?
‘It’s the power of a god in name and fact. There’s no way something so trivial would affect it.’
Of course, there were issues such as its power weakening when crossing dimensions, as on Earth.
But the cause was less a problem with the power itself and closer to a drop in output caused by restrictions placed on the channel used to draw it in.
In other words, it was not that divine power failed to activate at all.
That was why this attempt was also possible.
“Then please come this way.”
Hugo followed behind the maidservant guiding him and entered a certain building.
This was the interior of the place from which he had once turned back.
It was a kind of sanctuary where the women of the clan resided, and where outside men were not allowed to set foot.
Of course, he had not been invited here right away either.
No matter how confidently Harris had boasted, there was not enough trust between them for the Zhuge Clan to move carelessly based only on his words.
At first, it had been a verification of the truth, accompanied by a polite request.
Their attitude was so courteous that, had he known nothing, he would not even have thought of it as a test. And so over the course of two days, he came into contact with various patients, starting with those who had light injuries, then moving on to the wounded and those suffering from illnesses.
Of course, the method he presented was not something that could be used indiscriminately so easily, so the number of people he actually treated was not that large. But since the Zhuge Clan’s purpose was to verify the truth anyway, that was not a major problem.
In the end, things had turned out as both sides wished.
“Mmm.”
Upon seeing the person lying on the bed, Hugo let out a low groan without realizing it.
A girl who looked to be in her mid-teens, with ebony-black hair and pale skin.
She was pitifully thin, and her breathing was so faint and slow that, at a glance, she almost seemed not to be breathing at all. The girl slept silently, like a corpse.
“Then I will begin the treatment.”
Since this was a performance meant to facilitate smoother cooperation anyway, there was no need to drag things out any longer.
Hugo approached the girl on the bed and immediately reached a hand toward her forehead.
‘Well then, I’ll be counting on you again today!’
Before he knew it, a holy symbol of an unfamiliar shape in this world was clutched in that hand, and it began to shine dazzlingly.
Whoosh—
As it poured forth the divine power that the Saint from the other dimension had filled it with.