Chapter 389
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 389
Chapter 389. Seolpung Palace Was Not Destroyed (1)
Seeing them running toward us, kicking up dust, Jin-ho said to me, “Seo-ho, the flags they're carrying look like the emblem of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”
“Yes, you're right.”
I nodded.
“I'm a little late in telling you, but that's Seol Seo-yoon, the law enforcer.”
“What?”
At my words, Jin-ho's eyes widened as much as they could.
I thought my eyes would pop out of my head.
“You mean my mother-in-law?”
Hae-cheol Head Escort also looked surprised at those words. That was understandable because even though Seol Seo-yoon and Dao were not officially married, they were lovers and even had a daughter together.
“This isn't right… Quick, let's get some clothes…”
“It's okay. You look fine without dressing up.”
In the meantime, the girls arrived.
Binghaerin, the Palace Head, came out to greet them.
“Thank you for coming.”
“We are grateful for your warm welcome.”
Then, they greeted us.
“Hello, Mother-in-law.”
“My son-in-law. You've become even more handsome since I last saw you.”
“Thank you.”
“And... it's been a long time.”
“Yes, it has. It's been a long time.”
The eyes of Head Escort Ha Cheol and Law Enforcer Seol Seo-yoon were filled with affection as they looked at each other.
I waited for a moment before clasping my hands together and greeting them.
“Greetings, Law Enforcer.”
“Nice to see you. I heard you did a great job this time.”
“It was Jin-ho Hyung who worked hard, not me.”
He casually praised Jin-ho Hyung and continued.
“More importantly, we need to hurry.”
“Yes, you're right.”
Ho-beom Seol looked much thinner than I had expected.
He looked even worse than those who had been called to the hospital.
He probably took the initiative to reduce his food intake.
That may be true, but in my opinion, it was more likely that he gave his food to others.
It is true that his inner arts were stronger than others, so he could survive longer without food.
However, even that had its limits.
If people could survive without food, why would they need wall-climbing training during isolated training?
In their previous lives, many would have starved to death as time passed.
And there would have been more bloodshed as they sought revenge for their deaths.
I prevented those tragedies from happening.
I feel a little proud.
After a short rest, we finished our preparations and began to move again.
Once we left Yōngning and passed through Jilin, we found ourselves in a vast grassland.
It was the land of nomadic tribes.
It was not advisable to pass through this area with so much grain.
However, we had Palace Head Bing Haerin.
As soon as we entered the grasslands, Palace Head Bing Haerin manipulated the bracelet on her wrist.
Hwaak!
Then, the symbol of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, the character for “ice,” appeared in blue in the sky.
Wow, that sight is spectacular even when I see it again.
Now, the tribes of the grasslands will not come near us, whether they are friendly or hostile.
That means we won't be able to get supplies, but it doesn't matter. We brought plenty of water and other supplies in preparation for this.
We quickly passed through the grasslands and soon entered the North Sea.
I asked the Palace Head Bing Hae-rin for permission.
“May we stop by the North Sea branch for a moment?”
“Go ahead.”
We stopped by the North Sea branch for a moment.
From now on, the cold weather we had experienced so far would be nothing compared to what was to come.
The escorts from Changin Escort Agency had all mastered the martial arts of Seolpung Palace, so they would be fine, but it would be too harsh for the ordinary guards.
I didn't want to force them to suffer.
I said to Head Escort Ha Cheol and the guards leading the guards.
"From here on, the road will be too difficult for the guards. So, it would be better if you let them rest here and join us when we return.“
”I agree.“
The box carrier nodded at Ha Cheol's words.
”We are grateful for your consideration. We would like to stay with you until the end, but we are not capable enough. We will follow your advice."
I asked the head of the North Sea branch to let the porters stay.
I gave him some extra supplies as well.
“Of course! It would be my pleasure.”
“Thank you very much.”
The next morning.
We hurried back to the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
From here, we decided to leave the carriages and continue on horseback.
There were so many carts that it was impossible to take them all.
We asked Miss Seo Hyang for her understanding, and fortunately, she was better at riding horses than we expected.
“Actually, I learned how to ride horses from my Orabeoni. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to ride well because it had been so long, but I was worried for nothing.”
Before we knew it, it was snowing heavily.
To protect ourselves from the wind and rain and keep warm, we wore windbreakers lined with warm fur and covered with oiled paper on the outside.
Even with these clothes, it was still cold in the North Sea.
“Aren't you cold?”
“No, I'm fine.”
“I'm glad.”
The others expressed concern about Miss Seo Hyang going to the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
In response, Palace Head Bing Hae-rin laughed and said,
“Lieutenant Kwak will be much less affected by the cold than them, so why are you all so worried?”
That meant that Palace Head Bing Hae-rin had already realized that Miss Seo Hyang had mastered the art of ice magic.
As she said, thanks to the mental technique of the Heavenly Ice Sword, which she had started learning last time, she did not feel the cold much.
Pagap, thanks to the Fahrenheit necklace I gave you, you were fine even in the cold.
Looking at the falling snow, Seol Seo-yoon said, “Looking at the snow, the road ahead will be smooth.”
“How do you know that?”
When Seo Hyang showed her curiosity, Seol Seo-yoon kindly explained.
“It's because the snow is moist. If the snow is dry and crunchy, it means that the wind is coming. If the wind blows, the journey to the Northern Sea Ice Palace will be difficult.”
“I see.”
“But the problem is that when the road is smooth, other dangers follow.”
At that moment, Miss Seo Hyang flinched and rushed toward me.
“What's wrong?”
“There's a monster...”
“It's a spiritual beast. Did its eyes look red?”
“Yes, they did.”
“There are bloodthirsty spiritual beasts in the North Sea. They are another obstacle that prevents people from reaching the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”
She nodded.
“You seem calm, so I guess you've encountered such monsters, or spiritual beasts, before. When I was organizing the records, I saw that you went to the North Sea several times other than when you brought me the eye.”
“That's right.”
She is truly talented to be able to guess that from the records.
“I must practice martial arts diligently. I can't hold back the Captain.”
I scratched my cheek and said,
“Don't people usually say things like ‘you're amazing’ or ‘that must have been difficult’?”
She smiled softly at my question.
“I already know that you are amazing, and would saying that it must have been difficult really comfort you? You knew that when you left, didn't you?”
“....”
She was right, so I had nothing to say.
“I will work hard to learn martial arts. By the way, what kind of spiritual beast was it that you called a monster?”
“...A duck.”
And so the day came to an end.
In order to reach the Northern Sea Ice Palace, we had to spend several nights camping along the way.
We prepared for the night and cooked warm porridge for dinner.
This was for the people of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, who had not eaten properly for a long time.
After we finished eating, Seol Seo-yoon said with a look of gratitude.
“It's been a long time since I've had a proper meal. Thank you.”
Hyung-nim Jin-ho replied with a shy smile.
“We should hurry and serve some warm porridge to Grandma Oejangjo.”
“I appreciate your kindness, but we must not be hasty. We don't know what might happen here.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
Overhearing their conversation, I asked quietly.
“Are there any spiritual beasts in the shape of ducks among the spiritual beasts that covet the blood of this place?”
“...!”
At those words, the faces of Seol Seo-yoon and Palace Head Byeong Hae-rin froze.
“Why are you asking that?”
Palace Head Byeong Hae-rin responded sharply.
“No, I'm just curious.”
Seo Hyang's ability was a secret, so I made up an excuse, but their reaction was unusual.
Was my question that sensitive?
Or was there another reason?
Seo Seo-yoon sighed and answered.
"Among the spiritual beasts that crave blood, we call the duck-shaped ones Baekhyeokap. They hide in the snow and then suddenly rush forward and tear flesh with their sharp beaks. They are usually about five feet tall."
Five feet (150 cm)? That's big for a duck.
But they can be killed with a single blow, so why the reaction?
The explanation that followed answered my question.
“The problem is that white-beaked sea eagles travel in flocks. There are usually around fifty, but sometimes there can be hundreds.”
“....”
It has been said since ancient times that there is no business in a mob. If such terrifying creatures attack in a mob...
I could understand why he looked so worried.
“They really are scary creatures.”
“But there's no need to worry. The White Blood Clots are creatures that live far away from the Northern Sea Ice Palace. They are rarely seen near the palace, maybe once every few decades. They don't leave their territory unless they have to.”
I'm sorry.
What happens once every few decades is about to happen now.
If Miss Seo Hyang said so, it must be true.
“What should we do if we encounter the White Blood Clan?”
“We have to wait until it gets dark. They can't see well at night, so they don't attack at night and return to their hideouts.”
“That's good. If those guys showed up at night, it would be a real nightmare.”
I asked the Palace Head, Binghaerin, quietly.
“If there's a royal decree, wouldn't it be okay?”
“Even though we chased the wolves away before, it's still too risky.”
.
.
.
The next day, we set off again.
And when it was almost lunchtime, I laughed hollowly.
“Hehehe.”
They really appeared.
Ducks started running toward us.
They were real ducks.
They had sharp teeth in their beaks.
There were at least five ducks with sharp claws.
I felt my blood pressure rise.
There seemed to be well over a hundred of them.
Seeing this, the disciples of the Northern Sea Ice Palace turned pale.
“Oh my god...”
“How could this happen...”
I drew my sword and shouted.
“There's no time to stand around! Everyone, form a battle formation!”
Hearing my words, Jin-ho came to his senses and shouted.
“Battle formation!”
“Yes!”
The others quickly formed a battle formation. I told Pal-gap to protect Miss Seo-hyang, then stood at the front.
"Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
It was the aura of a black sword.
It was the same aura I felt from the man called Choseok.
Then he was behind this!
Suddenly, I remembered what I heard last night.
“But there's no need to worry. The White Blood Clan operates far away from the Northern Sea Ice Palace. It's rare to see them near the Ice Palace, maybe once every few decades. They don't leave their territory unless there's a good reason.”
What if someone deliberately created a situation that wasn't normal?
It was quite possible.
In any case, we had to catch the perpetrator to wrap up this case.
But if we took care of those ducks, the perpetrator would escape.
However, if I left, it would be difficult for the rest of our group.
That was when it happened.
Gold Ring slipped out of my sleeve.
“Gold Ring!”
Ah! Right. I had Geum-ryeong.
“Geum-ryeong, remember the smell of that person over there.”
“Kui!”
Geum-ryeong ran toward him.
In the meantime, the battle began. We each grabbed our weapons and started fighting the white-haired men.
It was fortunate that they were ducks and couldn't fly.
If those creatures could fly, we would have been in real trouble.
Oh, Jin-ho is fighting better than I thought.
All his training has paid off. Unlike before, Jin-ho has started to fight using his head.
At this rate, he won't be too exhausted when the battle is over.
I deliberately led them to a place where I could sense the aura of the black Dao.
My intention was to make him flee.
I would be able to show my true abilities more freely without anyone watching.
Meanwhile, the aura of the black Dao began to fade.
Good. Now I can show them what I'm capable of.
I concentrated my energy on my sword.
This is Seolbak, the seventh technique of the Twelve Swords.
I need a wide-area technique to deal with so many Hyukbaekbu.
Then, it happened.
“Kui!”
Geumryeong rushed over and stood in front of me. Why did I hear “Wait!” in my ear?
And then...
“Kuiiit!”
At Geum-ryeong's shout, the Hyung-gyeopbu stopped in their tracks.
“Kuiiit!”
Geum-ryeong shouted again.
Pood!
Pood!
The Hyung-gyeopbu began to flee in a hurry. It was as if they were being chased by something incredibly terrifying.
I looked at the Palace Head, Bing Hae-rin.
Didn't you say it was a group?
She turned her head away with an embarrassed look.
As expected, Geum-ryeong never misses an opportunity to get a silver coin.