Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 789

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 789
045. Suspicion Breeds Shadows
“So this map of the slums is accurate, then?”
“Yes. However, given the nature of the slums, I cannot guarantee its precision.”
Most officials would have started by discussing how current the map was, but this was Yu Rang-hu—true to form.
Having spent time in Hao-mun, he already understood how the slums operated.
A house standing today could crumble tomorrow, and what you believed to be a street might sprout buildings, or the street itself could vanish entirely.
‘If the map is already a mess, the actual development will be even worse. Well, fine. I’ll need to mobilize people for this.’
It seemed I would need not just administrative staff, but also guards and inspectors.
And medical personnel as well as undertakers.
When clearing houses, if an unidentified corpse suddenly appeared inside a water bucket, wouldn’t I need to determine whose son it was?
And if I lifted a pillow only to have opium come cascading out from beneath it.
‘Right. That’s exactly what this is for.’
I decided to pull out my newly upgraded tool and wave it around dramatically.
The Prism Elder Taesoo’s staff—formerly the Magistrate’s staff.
Even as a Magistrate’s staff, its power was enough to level mountains, pave roads, fill ponds, and construct bridges!
Now my staff had been upgraded to Taesoo rank.
‘And now, beneath me as Taesoo, I have two Magistrates I can command as I see fit.’
And those Magistrates each carry a Magistrate’s staff, don’t they?
My friend Jin Cheon-hee now has three staffs. (One Taesoo, two Magistrates)
Even magical girls aren’t the same when alone versus when there are three of them.
Pink, who leads the center, was strong, but when the light blue girl and yellow girl beside her fired the triple-fusion finishing pinwheel beam together, even the most heartless villain would weep and beg for mercy like a dog.
‘Right. Three is better than one. I’ll push through this construction project with the power of friendship for all! (feat. authority)’
Of course, I didn’t bother asking the Magistrates for their opinions.
That was the privilege of the magical girl Pink—the Taesoo.
The Taesoo, who showed no mercy when grinding people up, had moved to the next phase.
‘Hmm, and the city is divided into the area inside the walls and outside them. The inside is at least somewhat organized, but outside is just chaos.’
When I pushed through there, I could already see corpses, drugs, and contraband spilling out.
The magical boy Pink Jin Cheon-hee pulled out the Taesoo’s staff and began gathering energy dramatically.
“First, we’ll need to reorganize the city, won’t we?”
Yu Rang-hu nodded in agreement.
“We didn’t realize it was this bad. Heh heh heh.”
“Well, it’s that large. Traditionally, people gather here, goods accumulate…”
I recited the next incantation.
“Then we should use the method we employed in Baekrin.”
Build first, then demolish.
Create housing and districts for the poor first, relocate those people, then tear down the original areas.
After rebuilding those sections, the state receives payment in money or grain and resells them.
They don’t need to repay all at once—it’s like a loan, received annually, and after about ten years it becomes fully theirs.
If they repay faster, it becomes theirs sooner.
“Well then, it’s time to learn the incantations.”
“Incantations?”
“To wield the staff of an incredibly powerful administrator, you need the proper incantations to match.”
With those words, I pulled out paper and began writing something down rapidly.
These were orders.
Activating the Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong, I typed them out like a typewriter, flowing seamlessly from one to the next.
The speed at which they poured out without hesitation was remarkable.
‘Just how much has Administrator Jin accomplished? For orders to be produced so spontaneously like this, how much experience must he have…?’
Orders had their own formats and procedures.
If commands were issued incorrectly, the sequence would become tangled, so they had to be written precisely, and one had to be prepared to revise them several times.
That’s why most people would pull out past templates and reference them while writing.
But Jin Cheon-hee had none of that.
He was the template himself, and he was the order itself.
“Ah, the first incantation is complete.”
A letter to the Baekrin Medical Guild’s construction department.
Then I wrote out the orders that would be delivered to each magistrate.
“Isn’t it customary to send letters to the magistrates first? The construction department would be the lowest rank, wouldn’t it?”
“No. This order is perfect for when the construction department needs to request materials from higher up.”
“….”
Yu Rang-hu looked at me as if I were insane.
But he didn’t know.
That I had personally done construction work myself.
That this was the fastest transmission system born from rolling up my sleeves and experiencing it firsthand.
And so the Baekrin Medical Guild’s construction department began.
Construction commenced.
* * *
There was something a YouTuber I used to watch entertainingly said.
Preparation, preparation for preparation, preparation for preparation for preparation.
This wasn’t just something felt in building games, but a common thread in all games related to crafting.
To make one thing, you need to make base materials, and to make those base materials, you need to gather the base materials of those base materials.
It would be nice if construction fit together like Tetris, but reality doesn’t work that way—you don’t place an L-shaped block and have the remaining pieces burst like fireworks.
Even that Tetris started chaotic development, stacking blocks madly on the sides after new techniques like four-line combos and T-spin doubles appeared.
Back in the old days, the goal was simply to clear blocks one line at a time as quickly as possible.
“So this is preparation for preparation to lay down the water and sewage systems?”
“That’s correct.”
First, I began construction on water supply facilities—drawing water resources to be used as fresh water and creating devices to send it into the city interior.
Alongside that, sewage treatment facilities were also under construction.
“And organizing the slum districts is also preparation for preparation, right?”
“No. That’s preparation for preparation for preparation. Preparation appears three times.”
“….”
I don’t see what the difference is.
Yu Rang-hu glanced at the Officials around him.
He wondered if these people had some talent for understanding nonsense as if it made perfect sense.
“…Yes…. I’ll proceed as before, Taesoo.”
“Yes. As before!”
They don’t really understand it.
They simply filter out the rubbish.
But Jin Cheon-hee’s peculiar remarks are being dismissed as just the Jegallim Family’s characteristic eccentricity.
‘This kind of civil work is more like juggling than Tetris.’
I had to rotate multiple departments simultaneously and connect them organically.
If I dropped even one ball in the middle, the rest would come tumbling down.
Even as my hands caught one ball and threw it to the other, my eyes had to stay fixed on the next one.
“Thanks to organizing the Heterodox Faction in Gangso Province previously, there’s relatively little organized resistance.”
Even with the principle of separation between martial and administrative affairs, there’s no such thing before redevelopment.
When the Heterodox Faction’s smuggling warehouses that they’d hidden away crumbled down, and we laid gravel in their place, planted flower beds, and built playgrounds for children, what were they supposed to eat?
That was it.
The Heterodox Faction could be called the Gangho’s representative opponents of redevelopment.
Except for the Golden Blood Hall.
Those madmen had already planted inn buildings and were aiming for a skyrocketing profit.
Sama Hyeon had already tasted the flavor of real estate speculation.
“That’s fortunate.”
“It’s because you’ve been cleaning up the past whenever it appeared, Taesoo.”
It meant that whenever they touched Commoners, I beat them and dislocated their joints.
If the crime was too serious, I could just send them to Baekrin County—direct shipment from the source.
I used to slice up freshly caught, still-wriggling Heterodox Faction members right there in the administrative office, and that effort was bearing fruit now.
“Of course, the Golden Blood Hall is also voluntarily cleaning up their side.”
No way am I having hateful facilities in my commercial buildings.
Especially since this time the location is Namgyeong, so they seem to be keeping a particularly sharp eye on it.
‘Hmm, I’ll be riding on their coattails.’
And so Jin Cheon-hee spent the day handling duties, occasionally surprising the staff with dream-like inspections☆ as time passed.
‘Adding Baekrin Medical Guild duties on top of this is just the icing on the cake. The icing on the cake.’
My Master is a genius.
The most efficient way to keep a disciple in place isn’t through physical shackles like this.
Shackles are merely my Master’s way of venting frustration.
The best method was creating a situation where things couldn’t run without the disciple.
With both my Master and Yoo Ho absent simultaneously, I had to shoulder everything now.
‘Thanks to that, I can’t even think of anything else—each day is packed full.’
Today too, I’m inhaling herbal medicine Americano.
At this point, I can’t live without it.
I was spreading out papers and bamboo strips with a crackle, concentrating with full power, when I heard a voice from behind me.
“Hyeong is working hard today too~ But those shackles on your ankle—Jegalling put them on, right?”
“Yes. My Master had profound intentions behind it…. Oh. Hyeon-a?”
Not a voice in my head, but Sama Hyeon’s actual voice.
I turned to look, and there stood Sama Hyeon dressed in a warrior’s uniform.
The most incongruous combination imaginable.
Sama Hyeon in warrior’s garb—it was absurd.
Yet somehow, whether she’d tailored it herself or not, the cut and fabric of her outfit were distinctly refined.
“It’s been a while. Hyeong~ I heard you got a free meal at a memorial service? What was that all about?”
Her amethyst eyes fixed intently on Jin Cheon-hee.
“Well… there were various reasons for that, but what brings you here? And why the warrior’s uniform?”
“Ah~ I was temporarily hired by the imperial palace. The Emperor ordered me to secretly guard you.”
This heterodox faction woman spoke of the Emperor, as celestial as heaven itself, as casually as one might address a neighborhood chief.
“The Emperor?”
I felt as though I’d just heard something insane.
“Yep. Interesting, right~?”
“But is that really secret protection? Shouldn’t secret protection mean watching from at least ten paces away? And shouldn’t you be wearing concealment clothes instead of such a conspicuous uniform, hiding out of sight?”
The chain of command surely must have been issued discreetly, like among old classmates.
Yet Sama Hyeon was announcing to everyone, “I briefly held an official post!” for all to see.
‘And the Emperor directly revealed he commissioned this himself?’
A commission, not an order?
Was there no imperial edict?
What was the Eunuch General doing?
The imperial household didn’t operate in isolation—naturally, systems existed for temporarily employing capable warriors.
Usually they were used and discarded around the time of imperial prince rebellions.
If the warrior examination was a permanent position, this was a contract position. While warrior uniforms were sometimes issued, why would they issue one to someone meant to be used and discarded?
Usually they didn’t.
Especially not to someone assigned to secret protection.
“Are you allowed to wear that?”
“They said I could?”
A scent wafted over. The scent of ruin.
Jin Cheon-hee realized something was happening with him at the center.
On a Go board, when such things occurred, it was usually one of two things.
Capturing or being captured.
He hadn’t even grasped the full picture yet, but the opponent had already laid their foundation stones.
‘And they’re using Sama Hyeon?’
If they wanted protection, using a classmate would have been more discreet. Or perhaps Cheonwoo, with his more serious temperament, would have been better.
Among the lay disciples of the Shamanic Faction, there were quite a few with warrior backgrounds.
Why Sama Hyeon?
“Hyeon-a. What were you doing before this?”
“Oh, I was told to resign temporarily.”
There’s no way this could be a secret escort.
If he’d pretended to be injured and recuperating somewhere, or claimed to have gone elsewhere and fabricated a proper route, I might understand.
But anyone in Gangho with sharp information networks would inevitably learn of this.
‘And it seems Sama Hyeon knows about this too.’
A foul stench of conspiracy hung in the air.
Ju Wang-ya and the Emperor Brothers are different.
They’re the kind who would use even me, Jin Cheon-hee himself, as a pawn when it suits them.
That’s what an Emperor is.
‘This is going to kill me.’
Perhaps those gifts packed into the carriage meant something like this.
I have no way of knowing what’s truly happening around me.
‘Right. The most annoying thing about rock-paper-scissors is when someone announces from the start: I’m throwing scissors. Those are the worst.’
What are they scheming?
It doesn’t seem like the two Emperors brought out Sama Hyeon just to throw scissors.
My stomach churned.
And Sama Hyeon went even further, showing up in military uniform and acting like a madman.
Sama Hyeon said.
“Brother~ listen. Do you know what the most basic principle of escort duty is?”
“Protecting someone?”
“Nope. It’s making sure there’s no need to fight. If I walk around this openly, anyone plotting to assassinate you will think twice—at least a hundred times more.”
“That sounds insane, but somehow it makes sense. Hyeon-a.”
“See~ so let’s travel together from now on~ instead of the Prism Elder.”
And with that, he performed an exaggerated bow.
I thought to myself.
‘Wait, so this is the picture the Emperor… the Emperor Brothers—no, the Emperor Twins—wanted?’
Look at this fashion statement.
The way he’d folded up the hem of his official trousers to expose his ankles.
Young people on Earth, especially those conscious of fashion, used to dress like this to make their legs look longer.
Meanwhile, the upper garment was tailored somewhat like a manta ray, giving it a loose fit.
It seemed designed to emphasize the shoulder line subtly, creating an elegant yet warm impression.
I couldn’t fathom why official robes needed such tailoring, but he’d done it.
‘Heh, remarkably, one wouldn’t even notice it was modified if they didn’t know to look.’
“Does it suit me, brother?”
Folding up the military robe hem was common enough—whether from weight gain or loss, insufficient fabric, or the measurements provided from above being all that was available, sleeves and pant legs were often folded or altered.
But this subtle fit was the problem, and only someone who’d done modern internet shopping would recognize such tailoring.
Could this also be part of the Emperor’s scheme?
I suddenly wondered if this was connected to my Master emptying the Baekrin Medical Guild.
“Ah, well, it suits you quite a lot, actually.”
With a handsome face and a good physique, combined with wealth, he’d commissioned a first-rate craftsman to create a fit that transcended the era—of course it would suit him.
The way he’d spared no expense using that expensive Sichuan silk was remarkable too.
“Hyeong, something seems to be bothering you, doesn’t it?”
This guy. His perception is far too sharp.
“Well, when you suddenly show up as my escort out of nowhere, it’s hard not to be bothered. Especially with such an absurd reason.”
“It’s fine. It’s fine. Even though the organization is classified as Heterodox Faction, we’ve had considerable success going legitimate~ And we pay our taxes properly, right? We distribute plenty of bribes too.”
The “bribes” he mentioned were clearly not the kind you ate.
“Sigh….”
To catch or be caught.
On the surface, everything seemed to be operating rather sloppily.
It felt like even a small neighborhood shop would run better than this.
Yet, from the instincts of someone who had died several times, I felt that one wrong choice would lead to irreversible consequences.
‘My Master would never permit such a death.’
There was no option to turn back time after seeing this situation through to the end. The losses would be too great.
I myself… feared death.
‘I hope this turns out to be nothing.’
“Hyeon-a.”
“Yes?”
“I think it would be better if you removed your official robes.”
“Why?”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I said this.
“From now on, it would be best not to mention anything about the Emperor to anyone outside.”
“….”
Sama Hyeon fell into thought.
“It seems you’re planning a different move than me, Hyeong.”
“It’s nothing. I just want you to be safe. At this point, I can handle things one way or another. You just stay by my side, take a break from your real work, and enjoy yourself.”
I could somewhat guess what Sama Hyeon had been trying to do.
He was trying to flip the board and discern the Emperor’s true intentions behind this move.
It was the method he did best, and it was quite a threatening approach.
But I was worried my younger brother might be used as a sacrificial pawn.
‘If the Emperor denies ever giving such orders.’
Of course, that wouldn’t happen easily.
But if it’s one of the time bombs that could explode at the end of this affair.
Surely the Golden Blood Hall wouldn’t handle things carelessly. They would have verified it twice, three times. That’s common sense.
‘But did things really proceed according to common sense?’
Is the Golden Blood Hall truly on Sama Hyeon’s side?
‘Is the Golden King on Sama Hyeon’s side? Or….’
Gangho and the imperial palace are different. That’s a place where silver doesn’t work.
‘Wait, let me change my assumption from the beginning. What if it wasn’t the Emperor’s order from the start? What if it was a setup by someone else to eliminate Sama Hyeon?’
A chill ran down my spine.
Even if that were the case, Sama Hyeon would charge forward.
Once my name was involved, he would see it through with a smile.
The more flawed a plan appears, the more attractive it becomes as bait. It signals something suspicious.
Dragging the Emperor himself into this grand spectacle makes it even more enticing.
Having violated the rule against officials interfering in judicial matters and brought it here, death is certain.
Whether at the hands of the court or Sama Hyeon’s.
Surely someone who knows Sama Hyeon well.
‘Too many variables. This is strange. Wouldn’t such a crude move normally be resolved quickly?’
A crooked, clumsy scheme like a child drawing a picture—full of holes.
Yet why did it demand so much attention?
Jin Cheon-hee stopped calculating.
“Don’t be so impatient, Hyeon-a. Just because I’m entangled doesn’t mean you need to be.”
He’d noticed.
Sama Hyeon clicked his tongue softly.
But the true Sama Hyeon would never have listened to anyone’s words at all.
Soon Sama Hyeon sighed quietly, then let out a small laugh.
“I can’t win against you, hyeong.”
“You’d do anything to protect me and Hye-a.”
That was both Sama Hyeon’s strength and weakness.
Having something to protect.
Jin Cheon-hee removed one stone from the board that way.
A few words, some concern, and a touch of consideration.
“By the way, hyeong, so why did you eat your own memorial rice~?”
Had Hye-a already blown the whistle?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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