The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
chapter-261

The 31st Piece Turns the Tables

Chapter 261

Whir…

Whir…

“Oh no, are you alright?”

“C-Could you go a bit more softly? The carriage is shaking way too much.”

“It’s because of the rough roads, hrm… It will be difficult.”

The coachman muttered to himself, grumbling about being ordered to take them to the city's outskirts. However, the carriage Seol and the others had rented for a set period wasn’t particularly comfortable either.

Still, it was a significant improvement compared to the days when they had to go everywhere on foot.

“......”

They had been silent ever since Seol Hong decided she wanted to go to Dokkaebi Street.

‘It’s not like it’s a particularly nice place.’

Dokkaebi Street was like the slums, an underdeveloped area in the backstreets of Hong Yeon.

In fact, most of Hong Yeon’s criminals were born there, causing many of the city’s residents to look down on those who came from the area.

This situation persisted for so long that it became difficult to tell whether they were looked down upon because they were criminals or if they became criminals because they had been looked down upon their entire lives.

Dokkaebi Street was a place where cause and effect were so jumbled that it became impossible to untangle, let alone cure.

‘It’s a breeding ground for crime… and it’s not a particularly pleasing sight either.’

Whether it was pity or repulsion, Dokkaebi Street left visitors with no positive emotions, leading to very few wanting to venture there.

Shake, shake…

“Hmm…”

Chi Woo, who had been shaking his legs with his arms crossed, finally broke the silence.

“Is there a reason you had to come here, though?”

“Do you not like the Dokkaebi Street, Chi Woo?”

“I wouldn’t go that far, it’s just… the people there aren’t very kind. There are also a lot of shady jerks.”

“You’re not wrong, most people there are like that. However, not everyone is.”

“Are you close with Yu Shin?”

“Yes, I visited him often. Although it has been difficult to go there recently.”

Yu Shin.

‘It’s my first time hearing that name.’

Given that Seol Hong mentioned she was close to him, he was likely around her age.

If not for that, the fact that Seol, who had operated in Khan multiple times, did not know their name suggested that they had only recently gained renown.

Of course, these were just his assumptions.

‘After all, it’s not like I know everything about Dokkaebi Street either.’

Seol then asked the two of them a question.

“Is this Yu Shin person famous?”

“I don’t know if I should call him famous, but…” began Chi Woo. “They do charity work in Dokkaebi Street.”

“There are multiple people who do charity work there, no?”

Countless philanthropists have tried to help Dokkaebi Street by sweeping the streets, cleaning up broken glass, and mending houses.

In the end, however, everything always returned to its usual state.

“There are, but… hm…”

Chi Woo patiently waited for Seol Hong to speak.

As Yu Shin was Seol Hong’s friend, he was careful not to say anything that could upset her.

Sensing this, Seol Hong answered instead.

“Yu Shin is a member of the Soul Eyes Tribe.”

“The Soul Eyes Tribe!”

The Soul Eyes Tribe.

As expected of a small, declining tribe with only a few members, it made sense that rumors about Yu Shin spread, given his affiliation with it.

“The Soul Eyes Tribe, huh…”

In some ways, the Soul Eyes Tribe was deeply intertwined with Khan’s history. Although their unique abilities allowed them to rise alongside the Dragon, ironically, these same abilities were also why ordinary citizens of the Empire discriminated against them.

After all, it was human nature to reject those who were different from them.

‘I didn’t expect to meet a member of the Soul Eyes Tribe here. Then that means…’

As expected of a tribe with a short lifespan, they had their own personal messaging network, whether directly or indirectly.

Although they weren’t all close, each member had at least some idea of how the others were doing and where they were.

However, the reason Seol knew about this was because he had some connections to the Soul Eyes Tribe.

More accurately, it was his piece, Hye Myeong, the Great Virtue, who had these connections.

- Hye Myeong, have a seat here!

- What is it this time, Mi Ah? Are you going to smudge the face again?

- I’m not! I’m definitely going to create a masterpiece this time! Although, it’s challenging being an artist with your ugly face as the subject!

- I feel like even someone who has never seen me before could draw a more accurate portrait of me than you, Mi Ah…

- Hahaha! That’s because I never got a good look at your face, either, Hye Myeong!

Seol then imagined a small, young girl.

She was a child who had lost her sight even before reaching adulthood due to her great power.

‘...Mi Ah.’

After hearing about the Soul Eyes Tribe, Seol became curious about Mi Ah’s whereabouts.

‘I wonder if she’s doing well…?’

Deciding whether to ask a few questions about Mi Ah when he met Yu Shin, Seol looked around once more.

“Hm… each and every one of them looks like a pain.”

Seol Hong and Chi Woo had been discussing the upcoming trials for the Dragon War while Seol was lost in thought.

They were trying to select an appropriate trial for their next challenge.

However, they had still yet to find one they deemed ‘appropriate’.

“Hm… Saigon, the Hexagonal Snake, subjugation… taking down the Bloody Bandits… resolving the crisis with the Black Gunpowder Pirates in the eastern sea… None of these are good options. Why do all the tasks that can be solved with strength offer so few points?”

The trials Chi Woo listed were all ones that Seol had confirmed as well.

For this trial, while Seol Hong had the freedom to choose whichever she wanted, the points awarded varied significantly.

“Why do they award you more for retrieving items?”

In truth, the reasoning behind it made complete sense.

There wasn’t much for the Dragon’s Flowers to show during subjugations or exterminations.

Meanwhile, valuable items were often difficult to acquire or already had owners, giving the archivists more to assess, including the decision-making involved.

It was for these reasons that such trials awarded more points. And, of course, there were differences in points among the trials to retrieve an item.

The one that awarded the most points was…

‘This one.’

Retrieving the Luminous Bell.

It was a legendary and fabled bell the size of an egg, renowned for its ability to restrain evil with its thunderous sounds.

‘The Luminous Bell, huh…’

Slide…

Chi Woo put the scroll aside.

“Retrieving the Luminous Bell? How the hell are we supposed to find it when we don’t know where it is?”

Most individuals had only heard about the Luminous Bell through legends. None knew its location, let alone whether it actually existed.

‘Yeah… the Luminous Bell.’

Seol had seen it before.

In fact, he had seen it very, very close by.

A few seconds later…

Creaaaaaak…

“I will wait at the outskirts,” said the coachman.

“Go ahead.”

The coachman quickly left Dokkaebi Street with his horses, leaving Seol, Seol Hong, and Chi Woo behind.

“Don’t you think we should bring some food?” Chi Woo asked. “It might not be a bad idea to throw it to the kids if they come swarming…”

“No, showing sympathy to anyone in Dokkaebi Street is dangerous. Not everyone is dangerous, but there are still dangerous people.”

It seemed as if Seol Hong knew a lot about Dokkaebi Street.

Given that Seol Hong was capable of operating a Large Soldier and knew a lot about the slums, she possessed a unique advantage that others did not have.

An impossible-to-describe weapon.

“Dangerous?” laughed Chi Woo. “Don’t worry, if they come scrambling in, I’ll—”

“......”

“I’ll just stop them.”

“Yes, it’s best to not get into any fights. All we have to do is meet Yu Shin without drawing any attention to ourselves.”

“Yeah, let’s go with that.”

If people in Dokkaebi Street learned about Seol Hong’s identity, they would come swarming, targeting her status and wealth.

“Let’s be careful, I’ll take the lead.”

“Do you know the way?”

“Seol Hong can teach me, it’s fine!”

“Yeah, sure.”

The three walked in a line, with Chi Woo taking the lead and Seol watching the rear.

This arrangement guaranteed that Seol Hong was protected on all sides, making it impossible for anyone to harm her.

Step…

Step…

The alleyway was ominous, with shadows seemingly darting from one corner to another.

“They’re watching us, right?” asked Chi Woo.

“I can sense their gazes,” responded Seol.

Though they did not feel any hostility, it certainly wasn’t welcoming.

“E-Excuse me…”

A few individuals began approaching them, attempting to beg for money. Despite this, Seol Hong walked past them without hesitation, not wasting even a single second.

Seol wondered whether he should try to scare them off or not.

‘I’ll watch for now.’

Just then, two children, a boy and a girl who seemed to be siblings, leaped out of the darkness. They appeared to be around six or seven years old.

“Give me your moneyyyyyyy!”

“G-Give us money!”

This time, Chi Woo had no choice but to stop.

It was almost comical to see such small children attempting to threaten them. Their brazen attitude was more hilarious than intimidating.

“Don’t you hear my stomach grumbling? Money! Give me money!”

“Yeah! We haven’t eaten for a few days!”

Despite claiming they hadn't eaten for days, their faces were plump and well cared for. It was clearly a lie.

“Hah…”

As Chi Woo tried to walk past them, the two did something strange.

Thud…

“You have to step on me if you want to cross!”

“Yeah, step on us!”

“Give us money! You’ll have to stomp on us to get past us!”

“I-It’ll hurt, though…”

Seol then saw a few options.

[[A few mysterious children have approached you, asking for money. How do you respond?]

1. How dare you beg for money? You should be ashamed of yourselves!

2. How much do you need?

3. We don’t have money.

4. Oh no… You must have starved so much…

5. [Dangers: Notoriety, Criticism, Mob Lynching] Step on them as you cross.

……]

While there were a few cutthroat options, Seol didn’t have to make the decision.

Seol Hong smiled before bending down.

“I came here to see Yu Shin.”

The two children laying on the floor immediately got up.

“What? You know Yu Shin?”

“You know Yu Shin?”

- Tch! We got caught!

- Kids these days are scary…

Seol Hong nodded in response.

“Do you know where they are?”

“...We’ll take you to him. Follow us!”

Somehow, they had ended up with guides.

After walking for quite a while, they arrived at a mud hut that looked like it could be swept away by the rain at any moment.

A large, burly man stood guard at the door. Even at a glance, he looked like someone who might be involved in shady activities.

“Who the hell are you guys?”

The children answered in their stead.

“They say they’re Yu Shin’s friends!”

“His friends? Wait a second here.”

Surprisingly, he was nicer than what his appearance suggested.

As the three stood outside, dusting themselves off, someone exited the mud hut.

“Who… Ah!”

A young man with a blindfold stuck his head out the door.

It was Yu Shin.

“Yu Shin!”

“This voice… Seol Hong, it’s been a while.”

“Yeah!”

As Yu Shin finally stepped outside to approach Seol Hong, she, too, walked closer to him. They then hugged, like friends who were enjoying seeing each other again after so long.

They then laughed before continuing to talk.

“Ah, right. Please, come in.”

They were then guided into Yu Shin’s house, where the sight of dozens of children greeted them.

The children watched Seol’s party in silence.

Gulp…

Chi Woo swallowed his spit.

A few seconds later…

“Argh! Hey, don’t pull on my ears!” shouted Chi Woo.

“Hahaha! That’s so cool! Dog ears! He has dog ears!”

“I’m a wolf!”

“Doggy! Hahaha! So fluffy!”

“Ahhhhh!”

- It’s so over for Chi Woo.

- He was chosen by them.

- He has the talent to become an uncle.

As Chi Woo, Seol, and Agony played with the children, Seol Hong shared a conversation with Yu Shin.

‘It might be best to leave those two alone.’

It was clear that Seol Hong’s mind and body were both exhausted after going through one Dragon Trial after another. Recognizing this as well, Chi Woo added something.

“I bet Seol Hong is the only Dragon’s Flower who has ever visited Dokkaebi Street! I can’t believe I ended up visiting as well…”

Enjoying her conversation with Yu Shin, Seol Hong laughed again and again.

“She looks like she’s having fun,” said Chi Woo.

“She does.”

“Going out every once in a while is good. As long as it’s every once in a while.”

“Yeah?”

“And the fact that she has a place to go outside the Dragon Palace shows that she’s a good person as well.”

However, Seol took a different meaning from Chi Woo’s words.

They implied that the Dragon Palace had not become a home for Seol Hong.

Seol Hong and Yu Shin’s reunion ended rather quickly.

Seol Hong seemed to have spoken candidly and openly to Yu Shin, laying everything out at once without dragging it out. Meanwhile, Yu Shin listened patiently, allowing her to pour out her heart.

‘He’s a good person.’

Seol Hong then began putting on her outerwear once more.

“Thanks, Yu Shin.”

“I should say the same thing,” responded Yu Shin.

Seol and Chi Woo then walked toward them once more, tearing the kids off of them.

“Could you let me go now? Stop touching my ear—It was nice to meet you, Yu Shin,” said Chi Woo.

“It was nice to meet you,” added Seol.

“...Thank you for playing with the children so well.”

“Well, it wasn’t that bad, except for the ear-touching thing. Oh, right. Didn’t you say you wanted to ask something, Seol?”

“I did.”

Seol then walked closer to Yu Shin before asking a question.

“Do you perhaps… know where Mi Ah is?”

Flinch!

Yu Shin visibly flinched upon hearing her name.

His reaction was definitely strange.

Then, several of the children Seol and Chi Woo had played with earlier joined them.

“Elder Sister Mi Ah?”

“I know where she is!”

“Elder Sister Mi Ah, she…”

Though Yu Shin quickly tried to cover the children’s mouths, it was already too late.

“...she came here yesterday as well—”

Seol’s eyes widened with shock.

- Do you… Do you have to go? Can’t you just not go?

- …Mi Ah.

‘Mi Ah is in Hong Yeon? Why?’

Seol immediately saw a few messages enter his vision.

[You have acquired new information.]

[Once the conditions have been met, a Sudden Adventure will activate.]