Chapter 739: A Dangerous Scent (2)

Suddenly, I remembered what Zihwa had said, and it left me feeling uneasy.

But it could have been something Zihwa said in that moment because she was worried about me, and besides, this itself was an object, so it didn’t exactly feel dangerous.

For now, it looked like some kind of jewel.

I slid my gaze toward Chief Steward Mong-a.

The look in it asked whether this was enough payment for a dragon named Sua to stay here.

It looked like something impressive, sure, but I had no way of knowing its value.

Still, it felt like Chief Steward Mong-a might know what it was worth.

Hadn’t she spent a long time serving as chief steward?

Sua the dragon was talking like she had been terribly generous, but I couldn’t trust that completely.

‘She could’ve brought over something worthless and acted like it was a huge deal.’

Chief Steward Mong-a quickly nodded at my glance.

Apparently this thing called the true blood of an azure dragon really was quite the treasure.

Chief Steward Mong-a was nodding so fast it looked like the hind leg of a dog scratching its itchy belly.

I quickly smiled and said,

“Understood. Let’s do that. Thank you for the fine item.”

“Yes, thank you. Then I’ll go do some cultivation.”

“Yes, I’ll come see you again sometime.”

“Really? I’ll be waiting.”

Sua disappeared after the servants of Blood Market Tower.

The horns on her head and the scales on her wrists glittered in the light.

‘The horns and scales really are to my taste, though...’

The moment she vanished, I sensed a presence.

Chief Steward Mong-a had come right up beside me.

Blinking at the sparkling light in her eyes, I asked,

“Is this really that remarkable?”

At my question, Chief Steward Mong-a burst out in an excited voice.

It was an answer that sounded like she had been waiting to give it.

“O-of course it is, Elder. The true blood of the dragon race is an incredible treasure that can turn even the lowliest species into a dragon.

I’ve heard dragons can efficiently draw in the surrounding energy through their horns, so they can advance all the way to high-ranking cultivator realms without obstruction. Back when I was in the Nine Heavens, it came up in a transaction exactly once, and it sold for an enormous amount of spirit stones.”

“Hmm. That dragon didn’t look like much to me. No poison, either.”

“Yes?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

For the time being, I put the wooden box Sua had taken out into the Peach Garden Map.

And since something about it still bothered me, I decided to call my strategist and discuss it.

Because of the slight sin on my conscience, I didn’t really want to discuss it with my wives, and at times like this, my strategist Soto was an excellent person to consult.

“‘Soto, could you come to my office for a moment?’”

So I called for Soto, but no answer came back.

I soon let out a deep sigh and called another name.

“‘Gungbong, if you’re the one out instead of Soto, then answer me.’”

Because when no answer came, it always meant Gungbong was the one out.

Sure enough, Gungbong’s sluggish voice came through.

“‘Ah right, that’s true. Yes, So-ryong-nim. What is it?

Huu. I need to discuss something with Soto, so please come to the office.’”

What on earth had they been doing that they hadn’t heard the group-chat summons? It was a voice you could feel directly. There was no way it could’ve gone unheard.

I sighed as I spoke, but a sulky voice answered back.

“‘Hing. I’m eating noodles right now...’

‘You can come after you finish eating.’

‘I want one more bowl.’

‘Haa... Eat that too, then...’”

Sure enough, just talking like this made me feel my blood pressure rising and my energy draining away.

Shaking my head, I headed to the office first, but inside, Hwa-eun, Ji-ryeon, and Sister Seol had gathered and were talking.

I had been planning to discuss this with Soto here, so for a moment I wondered whether I should change locations.

Then Ji-ryeon asked,

“So-ryong, I heard a guest came?”

“Yes, an azure dragon cultivator named Sua, the ruler of the Jet-Black Sea in the Sixth Heaven, came. She says she’ll be staying about a month.”

“An azure dragon? Really? A dragon came? I’ve never seen one before. I’m curious!”

“I’ve never seen a dragon before either. I’m curious too.”

At the mention that an azure dragon had arrived as a guest, Ji-ryeon and Hwa-eun’s eyes lit up.

Ji-ryeon shifted her gaze out the window toward the inn and said,

“Shall we go see?”

“Would that be all right?”

“Well, we can just say we came to greet our guest.”

“Ah, that would do it!”

Ji-ryeon and Hwa-eun had never seen a dragon before.

An ordinary human would never have the chance to see one.

So apparently they were extremely curious about what a dragon looked like, because under the excuse of going to greet the guest, they dragged Sister Seol out of the office to go see the dragon.

That worked out very well for me.

I had to discuss this with Soto out of sight of my wives.

“Hoo, then I just need to wait for Gungbong.”

-Tap tap tap.

Sitting in the chair in my office, I tapped on the desk and waited for Gungbong.

I was waiting for them to finish the noodles and show up.

But even after one shichen had passed, Gungbong still hadn’t arrived.

“What, did they forget in the meantime?”

There had been more than enough time to eat two bowls of noodles.

And yet they still hadn’t arrived, so clearly they must have forgotten in the meantime.

“Hoo...”

I had just let out a sigh, thinking I needed to call them again.

At that moment—

a noisy sound came from the direction of the window.

Gungbong’s grumbling voice and Cho’s voice were coming at the same time.

“Ah, I-I was going.”

-Tsrrt. “Don’t lie, unnie. I saw you taking out spirit stones from your pouch because you were going to buy one more sweet at the shop next door. Dad clearly told you to come after only eating noodles.”

When I looked toward the window, Gungbong was being dragged inside while bitten by Cho.

Gungbong was being dragged in by the scruff of the neck like a puppy.

Apparently that brat Cho had heard the group-chat conversation and gone to fetch Gungbong.

Because of course Gungbong would forget.

“Oh my, our daughter. Aren’t you adorable.”

I gently stroked Cho’s head as she came in carrying Gungbong in her mouth.

Because she had done the thing Dad was supposed to do.

-Tsrt. “I was watching from the sky, and after unnie finished eating noodles, I saw unnie picking up another sweet from the shop next door, so I brought her here.”

“Well done, our Cho. Unlike certain someone, you’re really a huge help.”

I gave Cho plenty of pets, then turned a sharp gaze on Gungbong and said,

“Gungbong, did you forget again that I told you to come?”

“N-no. It’s just... On the way here, the sweets looked good...”

‘Endure it. Endure it.’

Even if I scolded them, it would only matter in the moment, so I calmed myself and told them to call Soto out instead.

There was no point talking more. It would only raise my blood pressure further.

“Please call Soto. I have something to discuss.”

“A-all right, So-ryong-nim. So-ryong-nim, did you call for me?”

In an instant, the eyes turned bright and the voice that came out was crisp and clear.

Judging by the voice and the eyes, it definitely felt like Soto.

I nodded and took out the wooden box I had received from Sua from the Peach Garden Map.

“Yes, Soto, I’ve got something I want to discuss.”

“What kind—”

-Click.

When I opened the lid and showed Soto what was inside the wooden box, an exclamation came out.

“Wow, it’s pretty.”

“Gungbong...”

“Ah, all right... Tch... What is this?”

Apparently it looked like some kind of jewel. Gungbong had popped back out again, so I barked at them and shoved them back in, then explained to Soto what I had taken out.

“A little while ago, an azure dragon named Sua, the ruler of the Jet-Black Sea in the Sixth Heaven, visited White Night City. This is the payment that dragon gave. Payment for staying about a month.”

“Isn’t that a bit excessive for payment for a one-month stay? I don’t know what it is, but it looks very valuable.”

Soto might not know the exact value either, but clearly Soto also thought something was off.

So I gave more information to help make a more accurate guess.

“Right? That’s what I thought too. This is a secret, but this time, on the way back from bringing Porini of the Poisonous Water Calamity, I met Sua, the ruler of the Jet-Black Sea, and we talked.

Since it was her territory, I got permission to operate there.”

“Could it be? Ah, no, right? Surely not?”

Soto narrowed those eyes and looked at me.

I waved both hands and said,

“W-what are you thinking. N-no, absolutely not that.

Well, o-over on that side, I-it is true that, s-since she’s a female spirit-creature, she did seem interested in me, but anyway, I c-cut that off appropriately. And dragons are lousy spirit-creatures without poison.”

“Then before you found out she didn’t have poison, you must have been showing quite a bit of interest, and the moment you learned there was no poison, you quickly lost interest.”

“Khheuuuum.”

That was the problem with talking to a strategist who was too smart.

If I spoke vaguely, Soto caught on to the situation far too quickly.

“A-anyway, well, apparently that payment also includes the price of maintaining a friendly relationship with me.”

“Hm... Payment to maintain a relationship. And what is that thing worth?”

“According to Chief Steward Mong-a, it’s a treasure that can turn even a lowly species into a dragon. Apparently even in the Nine Heavens, she’d only seen one come up once.”

“Hmm.”

Soto, who had been holding the chin and sinking into thought for a while, finally gave an opinion.

“I don’t know the exact value of that, but from everything I’ve heard just now, it definitely feels far too excessive. Then is that what you wanted to ask about, So-ryong-nim? Because you’re curious about the intent?

Whether that person might be trying to take the position of the next wife?”

“N-no! Th-that’s not it. A-actually, when I first met a dragon, I lost my senses a bit. But afterward, when I touched Zihwa for a moment in the stone chamber where she was, a thought flowed in. That I should be careful of dragons.

I thought it just meant I should be careful of my own conduct, but for some reason, it feels unsettling.”

“Lady Zihwa said something like that?”

“Yeah.”

Up to now, Soto had either answered immediately or after only a brief pause, but this time Soto sank into a long thought.

Long enough to have easily finished a cup of tea.

Then, after that long contemplation, Soto looked at the true blood of the azure dragon and said,

“Mm. I don’t think it means to be careful of your conduct. Lady Zihwa was never someone who particularly minded the number of wives increasing.

She even told us there was no need to be especially on guard against her. She said that if there could be one spirit-creature wife, then two wouldn’t be difficult either.”

“S-she said something like that?”

“Yes.”

Just what in the world had that brat Zihwa been saying to the kids?

As I made a slightly shocked face, Soto continued.

“Most likely, what Lady Zihwa said simply happened to coincide by chance. I don’t think she was talking about the dragon So-ryong-nim met.

There’s no way to observe the outside from inside Dokmul-hyang.”

“What if she opened the Thousand-Mile Sight or something...”

“Lady Zihwa is still in the middle of consolidating her energy, isn’t she?”

“I guess that’s true too. Then does it mean I should be wary of dragons no matter what?”

“Yes. I think there’s probably some kind of inside story that we don’t know. So until you can confirm exactly what Lady Zihwa meant, I think it would be best to keep your distance from dragons.”

I looked at the true blood of the azure dragon inside the wooden box.

It was an object like a jewel, shining brightly like blue jade.

If the women from my previous life had seen it, would they have said it looked like a teardrop diamond?

I picked it up and held it in my hand.

Along with the cold touch, I could feel it brimming with the energy of water.

The extraordinary energy it gave off definitely made it feel worthy of being called a treasure.

But at first, because it was just an object, I had thought it would be fine.

Now, after hearing Soto’s explanation, it didn’t seem like something I could simply use without a care.

It struck me that it could be something like a Trojan horse.

‘She definitely said it changes you if you put it into your body, right?’

The way to use it was to put it into the body like an injection.

It was too wasteful to just throw it away, but using it felt too unsettling.

I was just agonizing over what to do with it.

Then a voice came from the window.

-Chiiiii. “So-ryong, what’s that thing that looks tasty?”

It was sister Jeokwol.