Chapter 198: The deal is set (4)

Ha~

Raon's rough breathing. And beside him...

"Young Master, may I inquire what happened?"

With a soft smile that lit up everything, Ron Molan looked at Cale.

'Ah!'

Cale's heart pounded in a way incomparable to when he saw the God of Balance.

'That ruthless old man!'

Although his mouth was smiling, his gaze was stern. Cale shivered slightly under the blanket after a long time.

At that moment, an even more severe story was conveyed through a rough voice.

"With the opening of the Bai Hui Point, I was worried that you had passed out from the recoil."

If one listened carefully, the calm voice held concern and relief.

Of course, that didn't matter much to Cale.

'Heavenly Demon, this guy is spouting nonsense again.'

When the Heavenly Demon and Cale locked eyes, Cale jumped up.

"Ugh."

A groan escaped without him realizing. After lying down for more than 47 hours, suddenly getting up made him feel dizzy for a moment.

It wasn't a big deal.

He didn't have orthostatic hypotension either.

"What's wrong, is your head about to explode right now?"

But this fool of the Heavenly Demon was saying alarming things.

'This guy!'

Cale's pupils lit up with fury. Staring at the Heavenly Demon, who had said something so dramatic, he realized.

'It's too serious.'

The expression of the Heavenly Demon was too serious. Despite using such light words and speaking with a calm tone, his expression showed a lot of concern for Cale.

'Hmm.'

Cale couldn't say anything due to the Heavenly Demon's extremely sincere expression. On the contrary, his expression became increasingly somber.

'Why is it like this?'

Cale opened his mouth, avoiding the Heavenly Demon's gaze.

"It's not that I collapsed from pain or fainted due to recoil."

Pat, pat~

Cale stroked Raon's warm head. As he did, he could see the bronze statue of the young monk rolling near Raon on the floor.

'That thing had surely become a precious treasure by holding the power of the World Tree. However, why did it seem like the head of the statue was a bit cracked and dented?'

Cale had an idea of why but chose to play dumb. Instead, he spoke a bit faster.

"I had a little dream."

"A dream?"

Instead of Raon, who tilted his head with a smile, Cale looked at the Heavenly Demon.

"It seems I have to leave this place."

The Heavenly Demon understood the meaning in Cale's gaze and stood up before Cale could open his mouth.

"May I inform the others that you're safe and sound, Kim Hae-il?"

"Yes."

"Alright, then, I'm leaving."

The Heavenly Demon returned to his usual atmosphere and left the room without hesitation. It was then that Cale realized there weren't many people around him.

He didn't see Choi Jung Soo, Lee Soo Hyuk, Beacrox, Choi Han, Toonka nor Durst in the room.

Ron understood from the gaze of his young master and spoke.

"Young Master, everyone has gone to do their own tasks. I can take care of you, Young Master."

Ron showed a kind smile. Cale was taken aback. Unconcerned, Ron asked quietly.

"What does the dream mean?"

Cale didn't hesitate to answer because there was no reason to hesitate. He spoke about it from the beginning.

"The God of Death sent me a message-"

Huff~

The breathing became agitated.

Cale lowered his gaze. Raon clung to the silk blanket as if it were about to break.

"God of Death... that annoying guy..."

At the quite energetic tone of Raon, Cale spoke quickly.

"It's not his fault."

fu~

The sound of breathing became a bit calmer.

"Anyway, I lost consciousness suddenly because the God of Balance came to find me."

Cale didn't reveal all the details but conveyed the general situation to everyone.

'Let's leave out the stories of Lock and Raon.'

The story of whether the two of them could be an exit in Aipotu. There was no reason to talk about it in front of Raon. He already knew the burden that had been assigned to him and shouldn't carry it further. And Lock...

'I'll have to meet him to talk about it.'

Cale had heard that Lock was living with his people. He didn't know how things were going.

"Human, human."

"What?"

Raon's eyes were shining brightly.

"So, is the God of Balance trying to devour you, while the God of Hope is trying to help you?"

"Well, if you just look at the revealed situation, more or less."

"Got it!"

Then he murmured quietly.

"...With that, the God of Death, Central Plains, the God of Balance, the Hunters..."

Cale felt like he had heard something he shouldn't have.

'Damn, what list is that damn Dragon making?'

For some reason, he felt chilled by the list that fierce Dragon was writing.

Thud~

A strange sound was heard.

Thud. Thud, thud.

Cale shivered as he looked toward where the sound was coming from.

'Wow, that's scary.'

The Buddhist monk statue.

Suddenly, it was writhing in a strange shape.

The statue creaked and groaned several times before its face turned thin in an instant.

Like in a horror movie.

Thud~

Along with a strange sound.

Inadvertently, as Cale swallowed saliva, the mouth of the monk statue opened.

"Ah, I'm tired!"

Although it was Central Plains's voice, Cale's gaze turned cold.

"Hehe."

Central Plains, instead of reverting to his child form like the first time they met, scratched his cheek while still in the form of the statue.

Splish, splash.

A cheek, or rather, a fragment of the statue, fell to the ground.

Central Plains stared at the stone falling without realizing and then lifted his head to look at Raon.

Raon, who was on the bed, rolled his eyes with his round face and spoke.

"What's up."

For a moment, Cale thought it was him who was talking. The tone and way of speaking were the same.

Central Plains avoided Raon's gaze, he hides his hands behind his back.

"Hehe. Cale-nim, now that you've awakened, shouldn't we continue the conversation we couldn't have for all this time?"

Cale responded disdainfully.

"What have you brought?"

Since it was time to settle scores, it was time to receive payment. The sound of rolling stones sped up.

"Well, really, that is, I..."

Tsk. Raon rose into the air. Then, he stuck to Ron's back and stared past his shoulder at Central Plains.

Without daring to look in that direction, Central Plains desperately extended his arms.

"Take me!"

"No."

Cale said at once.

"No, not me, but this body! A statue infused with the power of the World Tree!"

When Cale looked at it silently, Central Plains spoke faster.

"The power of the World Tree inside this is considerable! Since Aipotu is an ancient world, even a part of its World Tree power is significant. Of course, it seems to have lost a considerable amount of power due to the use of the Magic Formation by the Blood Cult."

Central Plains patted his bulging stomach.

"With this amount, it will be enough to plant a new World Tree seed."

Cale blinked. Raon noticed that and smiled subtly.

"Aipotu will need a new World Tree too. If you plant this statue there, it should work."

It was quite useful advice. Honestly, Cale and his group had no need to create a formation like the Aipotu dragons did, and although they knew it was valuable, they couldn't think of a proper use for it.

This was especially true after meeting the God of Balance.

'When a being that can withstand the weight of an imbalance, a discrepancy, appears, it's a great gain for us.'

The God of Hope said that.

Among beings that can tolerate deviation, the World Tree has lost its will and can no longer perform its functions. If a new World Tree appears in such a situation-

'There is a high probability that it can handle a considerable number of issues with the Blue Wolf, known as the King of Beasts.'

So, there will be almost no burden for Cale and his companions.

"It's quite useful."

Cale nodded. It was then that Central Plains's expression brightened.

"Raon did a great job."

Central Plains's expression darkened again, and Raon's expression brightened.

"Human, did I do well?"

"Oh. After all, Dragons are great."

"Yes! Dragons are great!"

Cale looked at Central Plains without paying the slightest attention to Raon flapping his wings enthusiastically, and Central Plains opened his mouth at that look.

"Yes. Raon did this."

Hoo.

Central Plains's appearance was more solemn than expected.

"Cale-nim."

The statue of the young monk straightened its posture and looked at Cale.

And then...

Bang!

It knelt and bowed.

"I'm really a beggar, aaaaaah...!"

He shouted desperately.

"Hey."

At that moment, when Cale's face wrinkled, Central Plains called out to him.

"So, I will fill the gap with my body, aaaaaah...!"

Eh? In the moment Cale's expression seemed to distort even more, confused by the nonsense.

"Here."

Central Plains suddenly stood up and handed a paper to Cale on the bed, no matter where he got it from. Cale read the letters on the paper.

"An employment contract?"

"Yes, exactly!"

Central Plains spoke enthusiastically in an upright position.

"Currently, Aipotu is a place that doesn't connect to any World or God. All communication with the travelers sent there has been lost! Even communication with Choi Jung Gun-nim, whom you know, has also been lost. Therefore, if you decide to go to that world, you will face various obstacles."

"So, what?"

First, Cale decided to listen to the story.

"However, if you sign this employment contract, me and the divine artifacts that Cale-nim possesses will connect, and I will be able to participate to some extent in that world."

"And then?"

Central Plains spoke with bright eyes toward the indifferent Cale.

Well, it was just a stone.

Central Plains must have noticed this, and suddenly his voice started to sound too forceful.

"So! I will be able to handle a certain amount of karma! Of course, I am still a baby world, so I can't handle much karma. However, as mentioned in the contract, I will do my best. If I don't do my best according to my standards, I will lose my position, so naturally, I will do my best!"

He stood at attention and continued shouting forcefully.

"Moreover! If you wish, I can transfer some of the power from the Central Plains there! Also, if that world had not been destroyed by the imbalance, I could investigate a bit about that world! Thus, we could further ensure the safety of you and your group by guaranteeing the presence of entities capable of withstanding the weight of the imbalance."

Blink~

Central Plains, who met Cale's gaze, shouted again.

"And this is a contract permitted by the God of Balance! That God cannot intervene directly!"

He blinked again.

Then, Central Plains spoke desperately.

"Of course, I plan to offer some of the Divine Medicine I have!"

Finally, he bowed his head deeply and fidgeted with his fingers.

"...It's nothing compared to Lady Xiaolen, but still, it's the best I have."

A silence took over the place.

Drops of sweat began to form on Central Plains's stone statue.

Only the sound of the contract paper passing echoed in the silence.

It was at that moment when sweat drops started to fall down the stone head of Central Plains.

"Central Plains."

"Yes, yes."

Looking up, Central Plains saw Cale smile gently. Unconsciously, he took a step back.

"Come here."

Cale gestured with his hand.

Central Plains, fingers fidgeting, stumbled towards Cale.

Cale extended his hand and touched Central Plains's stone head.

He felt the texture of the rock, but for Cale, it wasn't important.

"You did your best."

Central Plains's expression brightened at the soft voice.

"Yes, yes! I really did my best."

"Yes, yes. So, we just need to make some adjustments."

"...Really?"

Cale, staring at Central Plains as if asking what the problem was, spoke with a bright smile.

"Here, let's change the term 'do my best' to 'give it all.' And about the strength you can bring from the Central Plains to Aipotu, wouldn't it be better to specify it a bit more detailed? How about we detail it a bit more to avoid problems later? Hmm?"

"Well, uh..."

"Don't worry. You'll just do what's possible for you. Let's modify the contract a bit more. Okay?"

Focused on Cale's fresh smile, Central Plains finally nodded.

"Yes, yes. Let's do it together after a deeper discussion."

"Good, good. It'll be good if we both achieve what we want through a serious discussion."

Central Plains, as if enchanted by the wise words, vigorously nodded his head once again.

After some discussions, Cale sent the freshly drafted contract to Central Plains.

"Take it and have the God of Balance approve it. It'll be a problem if it turns out later that it's not feasible."

"Yes..."

Central Plains felt that something was wrong, but he disappeared again with the contract. When only Raon and Ron were left with Cale, Ron offered him a cup gently.

"You've got a dedicated worker."

Raon, who was silent, suddenly spoke as if something was wrong.

"But Human, why didn't Central Plains specify the duration of the employment contract? He wrote everything, except for that! It seems he has no intention of working for a long time."

Raon continued tilting his head. Cale, without saying a word, took a sip from the cup Ron offered. Although he was sipping, a sour but sweet taste lingered in his mouth. Just at that moment, the sound of the door opening was heard.

"I brought him."

The Heavenly Demon entered. And then stopped.

"...Why is your expression like that?"

Cale looked at the Heavenly Demon from top to bottom with a happy face. Then he spoke.

"Heavenly Demon, let's work hard and become stronger."

"...What?"

"Everyone should work hard to become stronger."

By changing the contract, Cale specified that the strength he could bring from the Central Plains included people. Of course, the contract would only be executed if the person accepted it.

Cale intended to use any power he could bring with him in Aipotu as needed.

'It won't be easy battle against the Dragons.'

Even in a world dominated by Dragons, there might be Humans among their enemies. It was not possible for Cale and his group to face them all.

"Young Master."

At that moment, Chief Eunuch Wi, who was behind the Heavenly Demon, approached Cale.

"Do you plan to leave soon?"

The Heavenly Demon's eyebrows moved slightly.

As if he had detected something strange.

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

In response to Cale's question, Chief Eunuch Wi spoke cautiously.

"The Sun will soon come to this place."

The Sun.

This meant the center of the Central Plains, the Emperor.

The one who stayed still in Beijing was personally moving to meet Cale.

"He will arrive tonight. Can you meet with him and then leave?"

Hmm.

Cale found it annoying to deal with this.

At that moment, Chief Eunuch Wi continued speaking.

"As a gesture of gratitude, he says he has also prepared a gift."

"Ah, of course, I'll have to meet him."

The Emperor was larger than the Central Plains in terms of container size.

Of course, he would have to meet with him.

* * *

"The first Emperor became the first God of this land."

The Emperor offered Cale a black robe.

"It is an object left by our ancestor who became a God."

Now the cloak of the first person to become a God in Xiaolen, and the clothes of the first person to become a God in the Central Plains is in Cale's possession.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]