There was no need for a thorough search. When Jaekyung stated his business, the people of Three Frog Island brought out everything they had. Most of it was cultivation techniques, and there were quite a few miscellaneous books as well.
But not a single thing caught his eye. The cultivation techniques were almost all of such a low level, akin to basic techniques, that they were not even worth keeping for reference. Among the miscellaneous books, however, a few were interesting enough to be set aside.
'Truly impoverished.'
In the end, all he got from Three Frog Island were a few miscellaneous books. What could those Black Shark Gang fellows have possibly squeezed out of an island as wrung-out as a dry rag?
An island that wasn't a spiritual land wouldn't produce something like spirit stones, so at best, it would have been fish, aquatic spirit beasts, or perhaps people. 'My, my, should I be thanking those Black Shark Gang fellows?' The people of Three Frog Island were extremely cooperative with him.
Among them, Han Cheong-yu was particularly enthusiastic, even volunteering to be his guide. Seeing his unadorned and proactive attitude, Jaekyung couldn't help but rethink his impression of this fellow, too big to be a boy, yet too small to be a man. He hadn't thought much of him before.
Just a tool that had been useful once? But the passionate attitude this fellow was showing now was by no means false. This young fellow clearly held a favorable view of him and was itching to express it.
Jaekyung could somewhat guess the psychology of this fellow, too big to be a boy, yet too small to be a man. The brilliant light of longing in his eyes was so obvious, it would have been more difficult to miss it.
“You volunteered for the patrol?”
“Yes, Dragon Lord.”
“To do so at such a young age is impressive.”
“N-no, not at all!”
Jaekyung took Han Cheong-yu along, exchanging occasional conversation, and through him, his suspicions turned to certainty. This boy was special. He was someone who could fearlessly express what everyone else vaguely desired but didn't dare show.
The matter with the Black Shark Gang was a prime example. There was a deep-seated grudge, and Jaekyung’s temptation, but at the same time, a fear cast a shadow that was just as deep. Overcoming such fear and taking action was not something just anyone could do.
"I am not adept at dealing with humans. I plan to tour the islands of the water territory. Can you assist me?"
“O-of course!”
Considering the task could be burdensome and even dangerous, Han Cheong-yu was overjoyed, as if he had received some grand gift. Watching him, Jaekyung inwardly nodded. * Jaekyung took Han Cheong-yu on a tour of the islands in the Black Flood Dragon water territory.
However, this short journey had a small incident right from the start. As always, Jaekyung prepared to move by transforming into his original form, and just as he did when moving with Hyeon-gu, he habitually opened his mouth… but Han Cheong-yu, who saw this up close, fainted on the spot. 'What a weak-hearted fellow.'
His Aura Concealment Art was perfect, so it could only be that the young man's imagination was far too rich. Fortunately, Han Cheong-yu soon regained consciousness and, ashamed of his own faint-heartedness, apologized repeatedly to Jaekyung. Jaekyung, barely listening to the apology, placed the fellow on his neck.
Han Cheong-yu was horrified, exclaiming how he could possibly ride upon the Dragon Lord's body, but when Jaekyung insisted, he had no choice but to comply. After that, things went smoothly. Han Cheong-yu, unable to withstand his high speed, would occasionally faint, but that posed no obstacle to their tour of the water territory.
They covered a distance that would have taken over a month by ordinary boat in just three days. And that was with Jaekyung deliberately controlling his speed for Han Cheong-yu's sake.
"You humans are truly poor."
When they had finished their harvest on the tenth island, including Three Frog Island, Jaekyung couldn't help but sigh.
“Poor….”
Han Cheong-yu muttered blankly.
“Yes. I suppose we are.”
Poverty was a topic Han Cheong-yu had never considered. Wealth and poverty are things one cannot know or feel without comparison. The only world he could see was the Black Flood Dragon water territory, and even within that, just the single island of Three Frog Island.
So how could he know what was wealth and what was poverty? He just thought, if the Dragon Lord says we are poor, then we must be poor. Seeing Han Cheong-yu’s indifferent reaction, Jaekyung solidified his impression of the humans in the Black Flood Dragon water territory.
They were frogs in a well, birds in a cage. They had been confined to a small world for so long that their inner frustration had turned into a sense of security, and their curiosity about the outside world had turned into fear.
‘Unless an outsider comes and stirs the pot, these people will live just as they are for a hundred, even a thousand years.’
However, there are always exceptions. Jaekyung did not think Han Cheong-yu was the only special one among the hundreds of thousands of humans living in the Black Flood Dragon water territory. Given the chance, there would surely be quite a few who would bravely leap out of the well, out of the cage.
“Do you know what this is?”
Jaekyyung asked, tapping the jade slip he had just collected with his finger. Han Cheong-yu glanced at the characters written on the surface of the jade slip and answered.
“It is the Hundred Herb Classic.”
“Not that, I’m asking if you know what is contained inside.”
“That… I do not know.”
Of course he wouldn't know. The contents of a jade slip cannot be seen from the outside.
“It contains records of all sorts of medicinal herbs. Their appearance, names, uses, and the like. It is truly knowledge as precious as treasure.”
This Hundred Herb Classic was the greatest and only harvest they had reaped from the ten islands. Though its name was the Hundred Herb Classic, it dealt with well over a thousand types of herbs, from the common to the rare.
Furthermore, the corresponding uses for each herb were varied and detailed, making such knowledge well worth recording in a jade slip.
“But this treasure is of no use here.”
“Why is that?”
“Because not a single one of the thousands of herbs recorded here can be found in this place.”
Han Cheong-yu’s eyes widened. Jaekyung watched as Han Cheong-yu’s lips moved a few times before his expression darkened, and then nonchalantly tossed out a question.
“Do you want to go outside?”
“Pardon?”
“As it happens, I have a need for people. To go to the human territories and acquire a few items. It is complicated for me to go myself, so I need some fellows to go in my stead.”
Hearing those words, Han Cheong-yu’s breathing grew heavy. * In truth, Han Cheong-yu was not suitable as an errand boy. Because the fellow had no lingering attachments.
Would someone who has seen a wider, more prosperous world return to a small, shabby well? If he had family on Three Frog Island, perhaps, but unfortunately, the fellow was all alone. Therefore, Jaekyung did not expect Han Cheong-yu to faithfully complete the mission.
What he expected from the fellow was merely the role of a catalyst. He hoped that the courageous and motivated Han Cheong-yu would take the lead in gathering the errand runners and take the first step. Jaekyung would be satisfied if even three or four of the ten errand runners who left returned.
“I wish for you all to be a little more useful.”
Jaekyung concocted a plausible excuse for this ‘errand’. He instructed Han Cheong-yu and the others to procure cultivation techniques and the Hundred Arts of Cultivation for the humans of the Black Flood Dragon water territory. He then added a few words so that this wouldn’t seem like an overly generous act of charity.
“I have no need for fish or weakling lesser demons. If you wish to live in my water territory from now on, prove your worth.”
Jaekyung wanted this to be seen as an investment in the future. Fortunately, the frogs in the well, ignorant of the world, seemed to have fallen for his words completely.
“We will not disappoint the Dragon Lord!”
Even the uneducated who had been born and raised on a small island their whole lives knew some things, and cultivation was one of them. After all, they were also members of the cultivation world.
Moreover, with their past of being oppressed by the Black Shark Gang, it was only natural for them to dream of higher realms and greater strength. That dream was once nothing but a fantasy, but from now on, it was not.
“It truly feels like a dream.”
Having left the Black Flood Dragon water territory, Han Cheong-yu and his party marveled endlessly at the vast scenery of the Western Twin Lake spread before them. It was all the same water of the Western Twin Lake, so how different could it be depending on where one saw it from?
But at this moment, it looked truly different to their eyes.
“We must keep our wits about us. We need to be wary of people from the outer regions. Do not forget the Black Shark Gang.”
At Han Cheong-yu’s warning, everyone’s expression hardened. The words ‘Black Shark Gang’ sent a chill through their hearts.
“That’s right.”
“We must be careful. This is a mission given by the Dragon Lord, so there can be no negligence.”
The title they had used until now out of fear now came naturally from their mouths, born of sincerity. They were truly grateful to the Dragon Lord. The fact that the Dragon Lord was a ferocious demon race was not important.
The Black Shark Gang members, who were fellow humans, treated them like livestock, but the Dragon Lord, a demon race, had not only saved them from the oppression of the Black Shark Gang but had also opened the door to a new world for them, and even entrusted them with precious spirit stones.
They were overjoyed by this grace and trust, and feared they might mess things up.
“Remember. We must speak little, and never appear suspicious. And…”
On the swiftly moving boat, they put their heads together, discussing and re-discussing their plans for the future. * Jaekyung gave the two remaining fruits of Mook-soo, left over after the deal with Gwak Jeong-shin, to Cheong-o and Hyeon-gu respectively. He had actually considered selling these two as well, but after some thought, he decided against it.
In his opinion, four was just about the right amount. Jaekyung thought Gwak Jeong-shin was someone who could see the bigger picture, but one never knew for sure. He knew of the humans’ obsession with spiritual objects and did not want to test Gwak Jeong-shin’s limits, just in case.
“How is it?”
“G-good. My body feels at ease. I have never felt like this before.”
Hyeon-gu, after eating the spiritual fruit, trembled and couldn't seem to get a grip. The feeling of his spiritual nature being purified seemed so ecstatic that he could barely speak properly.
“For the Dragon Lord to bestow such an undeserved reward, I truly do not know what to do with myself.”
“Just continue to do your best with the tasks I assign you. That is enough.”
If loyalty could be expressed in numbers, Hyeon-gu’s loyalty right now would probably be 120 out of 100. After sending back Hyeon-gu, whose eyes twinkled like stars as he pledged his loyalty, Jaekyung checked on Cheong-o. “Jaekyung.
I’m sleepy.”
Cheong-o’s reaction was quite different from Hyeon-gu’s. At first, he chirped, saying it felt good, but soon he began to blink his eyes, complaining of fatigue in a fading voice before returning to his nest. 'Why is he different from Hyeon-gu? Is it because he has eaten a fair amount of Mook-soo’s fruit before?'
While Jaekyung was pondering this, Cheong-o, who had collapsed into a deep sleep in his nest, was dreaming a strange dream.
* ‘Huh?’
Cheong-o was bewildered. He had clearly fallen asleep in his pretty nest, but now he was in the middle of some dense forest. For some reason, the forest looked familiar.
‘What is this?’
Thinking it strange, he turned his gaze, and once again, a host of familiar things came into view.
Countless beasts.
And, encircled by those beasts, an old man with the air of an Immortal.
‘Huh? Huh?’
Cheong-o’s eyes widened. He wanted to make a sound, but no voice came out. In that moment, he felt as if he had become an ordinary crow.