Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
62. Way back home (13)
Eun-ho highly praised the Imoogi’s Rise To Heaven with a deeply impressed voice.
“It’s worthy to be a cardifiable item made by Korean Peninsula outstanding Player from materials that came from otherworlds, eh? It seems to have more than simple aesthetic value.”
At the word ‘map’, I momentarily thought about information related to Eun-ho and his involvement with the ‘Imoogi’s Rise To Heaven’, but the answer didn’t come out right away.
A different tiger gave a hint.
“It looks like a composition that reveals a hidden content if you look at it with an Insight category skill, eh?”
Saying this, shining golden superpower wave flashed in Hwang Jiho’s eyes.
Paaa…!
Seeing this, I belatedly realized.
It seemed that they were using the ‘Brilliant Gaze’ skill that all key members of the Ho tribe possessed.
‘Eun-ho is a Ho, so he probably can use the ‘Brilliant Gaze’ skill, huh?’
I felt superpower wave reaction from Eun-ho’s eyes, so why didn’t I realize right away?
Even though I accepted and acknowledged that Eun-ho was a member of the Ho tribe, somewhere in my head it seemed that the impression from his days as Cheon Seong-heon was still stronger.
I belatedly followed the tigers and used the ‘Brilliant Gaze’ skill.
〈Skill ‘Brilliant Gaze’ activated.〉
When the skill activated, with the sensation of superpower wave flooding my eyes, my vision changed.
My sight became clearer, and I had a strange feeling of the flow of surrounding superpower wave changing based on the movements of my eyeball.
As I observed ‘Imoogi’s Rise To Heaven’ in this state, I certainly saw different things from the time without Brilliant Gaze skill.
‘Something is visible all over Imoogi’s body.’
Some of the scales of imoogi hold superpower wave and the painting was shining here and there.
‘They just seem like points and lines… isn’t it difficult to turn it into a map?’
To compare, it looked like constellation paintings that had lines drawn between stars to easily recognize stars and constellations.
If you insist it’s a map, you can indeed call it that, but something bothered me.
‘How does it look like a map? Are there no more clues?’
I scrutinized it in detail, but didn’t get a feel for it.
It could just simply be that my Brilliant Skill level was low, and I didn’t see a map, or I couldn’t guess it was a map, because my base knowledge was different from Eun-ho.
“Map…. Eun-ho, for your eyes this painting looks like a map? Let’s ask for a reason.”
Seeing that Hwang Jiho, who certainly had a high level of Brilliant Gaze skill, made such a sound, it seemed to be the latter.
Eun-ho, who withdrew superpower wave from his eyes, said:
“I had an ability to read Heavenly Secrets, remember?”
Eun-ho looked at me and said.
At the words Heavenly Secrets, I recalled the conversation he shared with Hwang Jiho, the day Eun-ho opened his eyes in this world.
— Did you read it in ‘Heavenly Secrets’ too? But because the myth era was different from the present, there would be a lot of variables…
— I no longer have the ability to read Heavenly Secrets. Because I committed a great sin of going against the Heavenly Secrets.
Heavenly Secrets[1] meant principles operating the world and heaven, and most important secrets.
Put very simply and shortly, in this world it meant ‘future’.
But it seemed that the things read as Heavenly Secrets couldn’t be concluded as unconditionally leading to the future.
‘It wasn’t properly mentioned in PMH, and in this world, it exists only in academical usage, so I don’t know much about it.’
I knew about the existence of the word ‘Heavenly Secrets’ in the worldview, and its dictionary meaning, but it was difficult to understand what kind of ability Eun-ho had.
As it seemed that Eun-ho’s ability already disappeared, even if I knew, there was no way to specifically use it.
In fact, there was something that bothered me more than Heavenly Secrets.
‘… If I had to say it, I’m bothered by the trigger for him to lose the ability to read Heavenly Secrets, the ‘great sin of going against the Heavenly Secrets’.’
I was bothered by it, but had no plans of asking Eun-ho.
If it was something to be described as ‘great sin’, it wouldn’t be an ordinary thing, so it felt like I couldn’t forcibly ask.
I just spoke of facts, relinquishing my doubts.
“I remember the story I heard last time.”
“As expected, Uisin hyung remembers.”
Eun-ho smiled gently, and continued to speak.
“You can’t read Heavenly Secrets just by knowing the heaven. Not until You’re well versed in the earth and beings in-between can You see the intentions of heaven. Because the three are one in the end.”
The heaven, earth and in-between Eun-ho spoke about seemed to be the Three Realms[2].
I guess the person, who read the Heavenly Secrets, had to be learned in the Three Realms, and I guess that was related to the map Eun-ho saw.
Eun-ho stopped speaking for a moment, as he floated up a hologram besides the ‘Imoogi’s Rise To Heaven’.
On the hologram was displayed the map of Korean Peninsula.
“To read the Heavenly Secrets, I needed to have a good understanding of this land. And about the ley lines connecting the Power of Earth overflowing in the Korean Peninsula.”
“No way, what you’re seeing here is…”
Hwang Jiho’s eyes narrowed, while he looked at the map and ‘Imoogi’s Rise To Heaven’ in turn.
Eun-ho nodded slightly, and flicked his finger before the hologram.
“With the passing of the myth era, the ley lines would have disappeared, or became difficult to detect. Like the existence of the higher beings and Jin people, the ley lines would also become faint. Until the Clash of Different Worlds occurred.”
Each time a white hand moved to the top of the hologram, a line was drawn.
Eun-ho moved his hand, while continuing to speak to Hwang Jiho.
“Hwangho-nim also couldn’t figure out the location of all the ley lines on the Korean Peninsula, correct?”
“Yeah, because no records remained. The best we could do was to figure out the ley lines inside the Eungwang District.”
Just like Eun-ho and Hwang Jiho said, the Power of Earth development was having a hard time.
In comparison to the energy[3] held by Power of Earth, the precise flow of ley lines was difficult to figure out and complicated to use.
Nevertheless, the shape of ley lines was properly identified in Eungwang School.
‘Government and Association couldn’t figure out the ley lines as much as the Ho tribe, but they knew enough about their flow to develop the Power of Earth terminal.’
In fact, one of the companies in the center of the Four Groups’ secret fight case led the development of Eungwang District Gwangli neighborhood ‘Power of Earth Terminal’.
Because there was no guarantee that other ley lines would be found later, a secret war ensued between the Four Groups over the development of the Power of Earth Terminal.
There were omens of it in this world in the incident involving the Eungwang Brilliant Light Children’s Home and Namkung Group.
Hwang Jiho’s expression stiffened for a moment as if he also recalled that.
“Eun-ho, I guess that map you spoke of is related to the ley lines that weren’t figured out.”
“Yes, it will be faster to see it directly.”
At the time when Eun-ho replied, something like a drawing of constellations formed on top of the Korean Peninsula map.
And the lines that Eun-ho drew matched what I saw on the Imoogi’s Rise To Heaven.
“Those lines accurately represent the flow of ley lines existing in the Korean Peninsula. The person, who left those lines, had to be as knowledgeable about the ley lines and Power of Earth as me.”
“Based on what Jo Uisin said, the person, who commissioned this painting to be drawn was the old head of Korean Branch.”
Painter Hong Gyeongbok said this painting was drawn at the commission of the old head of Korean Branch.
The old head of Korean Branch was said to make very detailed requests about the size of imoogi and materials used.
Because Min Geurin finished the painting, there were painted-over variables, but painter Hong Gyeongbok finished the base, precisely adhering to the commission of the old branch head.
“Uisin hyung, You’ve said the old head of Koran Branch had left clues in this painting.”
“… Yeah.”
The Dark Age, just after the Clash of Different Worlds occurred, where manpower, information and items were all lacking.
At the desperate times, when even the Players, who were born with superpowers, played things safe, the old Korean Branch head, who was representing the Players of Korea, had no choice.
It was a situation where he had to make a deal with the Jin people, who were trying to do something sketchy on the Korean Peninsula.
Even in the situation where his soul was tied by a contract, the old head of Korean Branch used his wits and succeeded in leaving behind clues.
‘No, it wasn’t just the old head of Korean Branch’s contribution.’
If not for painter Hong Gyeongbok accepting the will of the deceased and doing a perfect job making the base of the painting.
If the prodigy Min Geurin didn’t complete that painting instead of painter Hong Gyeongbok, who lost his enthusiasm to finish the painting.
If not for the two painters, the Imoogi’s Rise To Heaven wouldn’t exist.
In addition, Eungwang School students, who belonged to the secret society, including Seong Gukeon, protected the secret left underground the school from other Jin people.
Because they protected the secret, no one discovered it, and I found the message left by the old head of Korean Branch.
‘If you didn’t know how to read ley lines, you would never be able to pinpoint the precise coordinates.’
The old head of Korean Branch left a clue at Eungwang School.
Didn’t the fact that he troubled himself to leave the clue at the Eungwang School instead of Player’s Association mean he believed the talented junior would figure it out one day?
‘Eun-ho plans to enroll at Eungwang School, but… He is a Jin, so it would be difficult for him to go to that location, right?’
In conclusion, arrangements prepared by the old head of Korean Branch weren’t perfect, but with the hands of numerous people, they were completed.
“Jo Uisin, you’ve said that there are Jin people, who planted ‘Frozen Otherworlds’ on the Korean Peninsula, and that this painting contains clues to their number and locations, right?”
Hwang Jiho looked at the ‘Imoogi’s Rise To Heaven’ again, while smiling slightly.
It seemed he admired it in a different sense when he first looked at this painting as a work of art.
“Both broad-minded and cautious, huh? Leaving the clues in the painting of Korea’s famous painter, and leaving arrangements that an ordinary person[4] wouldn’t be able to recognize. Indeed, a clue left by a righteous person, who pushed his way through the Dark Age.”
“Then shall we complete the clue?”
Eun-ho started to put points on the lines he drew.
The points we saw on the painting were copied on top of the ley lines drawn on the Korean Peninsula.
When Eun-ho’s hand stopped, there were dozens of points on the map of Korean Peninsula.
And among the dozens of them, there were two locations I recognized.
‘One is at the Seokchon Lake, and the other is around Ju-Oh Island… this has to be the location from that time.’
The Frozen Otherworld of Seokchon Lake we found with Kwon Jane, through the coordinates left by Nabiryeong.
The Frozen Otherworld of Ju-Oh Island, which the strong homeroom teacher Im Yeonhwa smashed, while on a boot camp with 3rd year class 0.
As the location of the two Frozen Otherworlds matched precisely, there were no doubts.
This map pointed to the coordinates of the Frozen Otherworlds.
“No mistake, eh? It matches with the locations of the Frozen Otherworlds discovered in the meantime. If I check the other places, it will be certain, right?”
Hwang Jiho, who observed at the points on the Korean Peninsula, pressed his temples.
It seemed he was moving his alter-egos, while drawing the map in his head.
Eun-ho scrutinized the map again without a word, and then stared at a certain location as if something about it bothered him, and he said:
“Hwangho-nim, can You please start checking with this location? Those three points are very close together.”
“There is a high chance that those three Frozen Otherworlds are dormant, eh?… wait.”
Hwang Jiho stopped talking.
The moment I saw the location Eun-ho pointed to, I also flinched.
“… It seems to be the location of the TC Research Institute.”
“Jo Uisin, you’re right.”
Beep.
Following Hwang Jiho’s reply, Eun-ho opened up area information on the side hologram, and it became certain.
The location of the three Frozen Otherworlds was the area where the TC Research Institute was.
“What a coincidence.”
Hwang Jiho seemed to be irritated by something besides the TC Research Institute’s existence.
“Do you remember I was moving under the request I received from Qítiān Dàshèng at the irregular luncheon?”
“Ye.”
How could I forget the suggestion the freaking head of Won tribe and Qítiān Dàshèng from the Journey to the West made with the Tight-Fillet Spell as collateral?
“I was searching the whereabouts of his dongsaeng, Wúzhīqí, with the clues provided by Qítiān Dàshèng as a basis.”
Hwang Jiho opened a few holograms.
In them were records, from the records of superpower wave observations to trivial records like movements of birds and changes of weather.
At the very end of those records were attached coordinates, and those coordinates pointed to…
“Those place those clues lead to is the TC Research Institute.”
*~*~*
[1] Heavenly Secrets — 天機, in case I never gave it in traditional Chinese.
[2] Three Realms — or more literally translated as Three Talents (三才). A core idea in Confucianism (and heavily influencing other East Asian’s beliefs) that elevated humans to be on par with Heaven and Earth, and the forces behind the changes of the world. This is a very simplified explanation, but what I wish to point out for the readers, who don’t know about this concept is that originally this is a very human-centric concept — animals and plants weren’t included in it — it was just humans that were so special. In fact, with time, as ‘Earth’ lost its significance in East Asian thought, it became mainly about the relationship between Heaven and Humanity. But Eun-ho nor Jo Uisin mention ‘humans’. It’s only ‘in-between’.
[3] energy — I would usually translate it as ‘power’, but to avoid the repetition…
[4] ordinary person — if not for hanja provided, this word could be interpreted as ‘criminal’.
Translator’s note: Jo Uisin, sorry to be the one to break it to you, but if someone assumed and predicted your existence and actions, then those arrangements are perfect.
Patron thank you note:
Thank you patron, Nobody, please accept this Erica lutea’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Al, please accept this Erica lusitanica’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Dust, please accept this Erica labialis’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Maru, please accept this Erica parviflora’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, kamisonk, please accept this Erica patersonia’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Kasimir Ilmonen, please accept this Erica paucifolia’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Tara Hess, please accept this Erica pinea’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Ice, please accept this Erica planifolia’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Hematite, please accept this Erica plukenetii’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Deflubs, please accept this Erica peltata’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, TheFloorGuy, please accept this Erica perspicua’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Akemidy, please accept this Erica physodes’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, vicky moch, please accept this Erica pyxidiflora’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Diana-Maria, please accept this Erica pyramidalis’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Links to support this translation and access to 8 advanced chapter (Patreon & Kofi)
> Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LibraryKeyTranslations
> Kofi-Euro: https://ko-fi.com/wanthetranslator
> Kofi-USD: https://ko-fi.com/wanthetranslatorusd
Did you see a mistake? 🐞
Leave a Reply