Chapter 859
“Oh dear, oh my.”
Jaan wore a knowing smile. Whether East or West, the Son of Heaven was truly the Son of Heaven. Even after centuries of experience, this man was slyer than a snake slipping over a wall. If he got drunk, he might just strip you of your liver and gallbladder without a second thought.
Setting his long pipe upright on the table, Jaan shrugged.
“That wild stallion charged at him with everything he had, but our Son of Heaven? He’s trying to snap his pipe right here, right now.”
“It’s best to handle things cleanly. If the great Eastern mage is using tricks to toy with Bariel, it won’t be good for either side.”
“Let’s say he did toy with him. What then?”
“Do you think you can stop me?” The question was bold, even arrogant—and threatening.
Akorella furrowed her brow, about to retort, but Jin raised a hand to gently halt her.
“What then? I don’t gamble for fun, but I’ve heard this game has its own rules.”
“Hahaha! You really think that’s possible?”
“More than possible.”
Jin looked at Jaan with a hint of curiosity.
“Jaan, you may be a great mage of the East, but you’re still just human. If you cause a scene here, you’ll turn all of Bariel—and Gaia itself—against you. That would mean war between Gaia and the East.”
“Isn’t the East already in chaos because of the monsters? How could they handle an invasion from Gaia on top of that?” Jin laughed, telling him to stop the empty bravado.
“I don’t expect to defeat all of Gaia alone. You’re not that great, are you? If you were, you’d have already cleared out the monsters and brought peace to the East. We took down the underground god, but you didn’t.”
Looking at the situation objectively, Jin had a point. Who was the stronger force? Jaan laughed, amused by the question.
“Hahaha! I can’t tell if the Son of Heaven is bold or reckless.”
“Neither. I’m just reading the situation.”
“Let’s say the war with Gaia is a burden. True enough. But if that’s the case, you’ll be walking right into the lion’s den. Are you okay with that?”
“Listen here! Are you calling me a crazy old man?!” Akorella suddenly grabbed a cup, as if about to smash it over Jaan’s head.
The mages gasped and grabbed her arm, while Jaan just shrugged.
“Hey now, it was just a question.”
“Your intentions are obvious! Fine, I’ll ask too—if I smash your head with this, will it hurt or not?”
Ignoring Akorella’s outburst, Jin continued.
“I don’t die. So, Jaan, your assumptions don’t hold. Now, back to the point: prove you didn’t use any trickery.”
“And why are you so confident? Death is like a shadow, always lurking at life’s edge.”
“Sir Ian told me so.”
“That Ian again,” Jaan muttered with a groan. Though the reasoning was a bit absurd, Jin’s words were true. Jaan had been reckless but hadn’t crossed the line—there was no need to turn all of Gaia against the East.
Besides, if they really had driven off the monster king, the East should be begging them for help, not the other way around.
“I can’t share the deeper details—it’s top secret—but if we grow closer, things will change.”
“You’re quite skilled at scheming, just like the way you’ve broken many a woman’s heart.”
“If there’s a scale, it would be clear. This is no losing deal for you. You hand over your disciples, and in return, you get information on the monster king—the underground god—and even weapons that let ordinary people fight monsters.”
“Weapons to fight monsters?”
Jaan’s eyebrows shot up at the mention of such an unbelievable world. Jin smiled knowingly. He was talking about the silver hammer called ‘Kaang’ that Beric wielded—a weapon made by the Dera tribe.
“There are weapons that can easily kill monsters without magic. If it weren’t for Sir Ian, they’d never have come to be. Once you’re rested, I’ll show you the forge. It’s not far from the palace.”
“Hmm. Can I really trust this? Feels like I’m being tricked with my eyes wide open.”
“The emperor’s promise is solemn. Bariel will pay a fair price, so put your doubts aside. Now, break that pipe and lift the side effect of the binding magic. Along with the curse that your disciple Eunrang placed, and the whereabouts of Ian Hielo.”
Jaan shook the pipe thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded as if he understood.
“You’ll use the wish to lift the binding magic?”
“Yes.”
“What if that Beric gets up and starts causing trouble?”
“I’m his master. That won’t happen.”
“Very well.”
Jaan gripped both ends of the pipe lightly, then with little effort snapped it cleanly. Like a dry branch breaking, the pipe shattered.
“Thank you.”
Jin reached out for a handshake, and Jaan rolled up his sleeve and clasped it firmly. Then, he nodded toward the fuming Akorella.
“Now, prepare everything I say without missing a thing. A map of the Gaia region, the paper you saw in the relic, ink and brush, a fine pair of male and female chickens with golden thread, the broken pipe, and—”
Romandro and the mages began recording Jaan’s instructions, then rushed out one by one. Since these items couldn’t be found in the palace, they’d have to search the central guilds.
“Very, very clear cheongju.”
“More alcohol? Enough already.”
“Hey, you! Just do as you’re told. We’ll need silver and gold bells too, and most importantly…”
Jaan pulled a precious gem from his pocket. The pale violet orb shimmered like living mist inside.
Akorella’s eyes flashed at the unfamiliar magical stone.
“What’s that?”
“Don’t even think about it. This is the secret to my immortality. Beric seemed curious, but he’s just lying there like a log. What to do, heh heh.”
Jaan raised his hand slightly, and the gem floated, spinning in midair.
“The relic’s side effect is soul erosion. That means the magic circle is built on the soul. We who use the relic have given up the next life, compressing our souls in this one to purify their essence.”
“What does that mean?” Jin frowned, clearly confused. Akorella explained.
“It means that while others live two or three lives, the old man never died. That’s why he’s lived so long.”
“But what happens to you when you use it?”
“It’ll take time to make a new relic, but I’m fine with that. I’ve lived 300 years—what’s a few more decades? Since they’re giving us weapons to fight monsters in Gaia, I’ll just travel the East distributing them. Time will fly.”
The only way to lift the binding magic’s side effect was to completely destroy the original relic and start over.
But Jaan thought it was doable. With the East’s information and those strange weapons, civilian casualties from monsters could be drastically reduced.
“Are you planning some kind of ritual? Don’t you need Ian for that?”
Jaan popped a cold snack into his mouth.
“Not necessarily. But you’re curious where he is, right?”
Akorella nodded obediently. Just then, Romandro entered carrying a large map of Gaia. He spread it out on the floor like a giant carpet.
Jaan grabbed the pen he’d been doodling on Beric’s face with and stepped onto the map.
“Exactly where he is—I don’t know that part—”
“Your story keeps changing,” Jin said.
“Hold on till the end. No need to rush. I can trace the relic’s movement, but you’ll have to figure out the route.”
Swish!
Without hesitation, Jaan began drawing. The line started in central Bariel, moved west, then north, and finally left Bariel’s borders.
Jin clenched his jaw, watching closely.
“So he was outside Bariel all along.”
No wonder they couldn’t find him.
Seeing the path, it seemed Ian was safe after all.
“Huh? Is this right?”
“Shh! I’m concentrating here, stop chattering.”
Jaan scowled at Akorella’s question.
The pen’s path went toward Astana, then south along Bariel’s southern border to Clipoford, then straight down to the southern lands. From there, it went straight up to the heart of the great desert, where it stopped—
Jaan tossed the pen aside.
“That’s as far as I can tell.”
“…Old man, you’re not drunk, are you?”
“Hey, what do you take me for?”
“Then you expect me to believe Ian went to Astana, then the southern lands, and all the way to the great desert?”
“Don’t believe it if you don’t want to. What a joke.”
Jaan absentmindedly picked at his ear and gave a half-hearted answer. He said all he did was mark on the map where traces of the earthing creature were felt; he had no idea what condition this Ian was in.
Acorella stood over the map, staring at the marks in disbelief for a long moment.
“Right in the middle of the Great Desert, huh…”
“That must be it.”
The tribe of the Great Desert—the Cheollyeo. Ian was definitely with Roel.
Thinking that brought a small measure of relief. But at the same time, she resented his stubborn silence, not sending a single message.
Jaan picked up the liquor Acorella had brought and added,
“The ritual to destroy the binding will begin when the moon is full. Until then, prepare everything you’ve requested with a clear mind—”
“Ah!”
And then, without hesitation, he downed it all in one gulp? Acorella didn’t even have time to stop him.
Jaan smacked his lips as if the taste was bitter, blinking his eyes.
“When the binding is broken… Ian Hielo will know too, and then… oh, damn it, why am I so sleepy all of a sudden?”
“Old man! Wait! Open your eyes!”
“The details of the exchange with the East are—”
“Old man? Old man!”
Gurgle!
He drank it without a second thought? Acorella grabbed Jaan by the collar and shook him, but he collapsed, eyes rolling back.
Jaan, snoring softly, leaned his head against Beric’s. Jin pushed the cup of liquor away from her hand and ordered,
“First, let’s prepare everything Jaan mentioned. The weather’s good today; maybe the moon he wants will rise soon.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Let’s get organized.”
Jin stared at the circle marked on the Great Desert map for a long time before turning and leaving.
The quiet meeting hall was filled only with the sound of Beric and Jaan’s deep snores.
A golden sandfield blazing under the sun. Beneath a palm tree’s dense shade hung a wide hammock.
A Cheollyeo warrior approached, parting the sand as he went toward the unknown owner’s resting place.
“Ian-nim.”
Ian, asleep with his hair roughly tied up, had a book covering his eyes and cheeks.
The warrior gently shook the dazed Ian awake.
“Please come inside and rest. It looks like it’s going to rain.”
“…Rain?”
Rain in the desert? What a ridiculous notion. Ian brushed lightly at the corner of his eye and looked up at the sky—clear, without a single cloud.
But the warrior was certain.
“The desert tunnel ants are restless. There will be heavy rain.”