The Soul-Harvesting Puppeteer - Chapter 54

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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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Episode 54
Chapter 9
That afternoon, Han Eol was led by Ju Yeon-hee’s hand to Shinseong Department Store in Gangnam.
It was just the two of them shopping, without Lee Myung-woo.
Originally, Ju Yeon-hee did not prefer department store outings.
Normally, Shinseong Department Store would bring new items listed in their catalogs directly to the mansion and present them before her.
Clothes, accessories, shoes, bags, hats, and so forth.
All of these were showcased with models enlisted for personalized service—the VVIP customer experience the department store provided.
Ju Yeon-hee, too, disliked the bustle of crowds, so she typically received service at the mansion.
But today was an exception.
When the self-driving sedan carrying Ju Yeon-hee and Han Eol arrived, the VVIP department head of Shinseong Department Store came out to the parking garage to greet them personally.
“Madam, welcome.”
The department head maintained a perfect ninety-degree bow until Ju Yeon-hee had completely stepped out of the car.
Ju Yeon-hee did not spare the department head a glance and instead turned to Han Eol.
“Shall we look at clothes first? We can have a tailor come later to custom-fit a suit, but today I think we should focus mainly on casual wear.”
“Y-yes.”
Han Eol simply blinked.
In truth, he wondered why he needed casual clothes at all.
‘Wouldn’t just wearing a tracksuit do?’
This was Han Eol’s honest thought.
Still, seeing Ju Yeon-hee somehow tense and determined, Han Eol could not bring himself to refuse.
What followed was an ordeal.
Han Eol had to keep changing in and out of clothes—one style after another.
After clothes came his turn to try on shoes, running shoes, and sneakers.
Ju Yeon-hee even insisted he try on slippers one by one, and she made sure to pick out a coat for the approaching winter.
All of this took considerable time.
“Send everything he tried on today.”
“Yes, we will ship immediately.”
The department head answered Ju Yeon-hee’s request personally.
The assistant female employee at her side, clinging like a secretary, meticulously recorded the item numbers, colors, sizes, and Ju Yeon-hee’s specifications into the terminal.
‘Finally, it’s all done, right?’
Han Eol wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, his eyes glazed and hollow.
Then a puppet show caught his eye.
In front of the children’s goods section on the seventh floor of the department store, a puppet show for children was in full swing. Professionals dressed as clowns awkwardly bobbed a prince and princess, a magician, and a dragon puppet suspended on strings, spinning out an engaging story.
Han Eol became absorbed in the puppet show as if enchanted.
In fact, Han Eol had never seen a puppet show before.
Of course, the orphanage had shown a film during each holiday. And during his internship with Shinseong Group, Han Eol had watched dramas after finishing his training.
But a puppet show was a first.
While Han Eol was absorbed in this new cultural experience, Ju Yeon-hee called to him.
“Yes?”
Han Eol turned around with a start.
“Are you happy with the bedding in your room? If the color doesn’t suit you, would you like to buy new ones here? I heard there’s a bedding section on the eighth floor.”
“No, it’s fine.”
Han Eol made a firm sweeping gesture of refusal.
He had reached his limit.
On the way home after finishing shopping, Ju Yeon-hee stopped briefly at the Jangchung-dong mansion.
It was called her family home, but now the position of owner at the great Jangchung-dong mansion stood vacant. Or rather, to be precise, Ju Yeon-hee was now the owner of this mansion.
This place was more magnificent than Lee Myung-woo’s mansion. As she gazed up at those high walls, Ju Yeon-hee’s eyes drooped downward.
The fact that she had pushed herself to go out today and shop for Han Eol’s things was perhaps a desperate flailing attempt to forget, for just a moment, sorrow too unbearable to endure.
But now that shopping had ended and she stood before her family home, an unspeakable heaviness settled over Ju Yeon-hee’s face.
Ju Yeon-hee forcibly extricated herself from that mire of emotion and turned to Han Eol.
“Will you come inside with me for a moment? There’s something I want to show you.”
“For me?”
“Yes.”
Ju Yeon-hee intended to show Han Eol her late father’s study.
The servants had cleaned thoroughly, so the interior of the mansion was immaculate.
Ju Yeon-hee gazed at her father’s photograph hanging in the reception room for a long moment, then quickly wiped her reddened eyes with her palm and climbed to the study on the second floor.
“Father collected documents and writings from Highland, and he kept all of them here.”
As Ju Yeon-hee spoke, she watched Han Eol’s expression carefully.
The fact that writing existed in Highland was a secret known to only a few people. Humanity could not bear the knowledge that beasts like Demon Beasts used writing.
That’s why the authorities in each city, learning the truth from a small number of Seers, kept it under wraps rather than announcing it to the public.
‘Demon Beasts use letters and create documents with them. I barely believe it myself—Han Eol must be struggling even more. What if he thinks I’m a liar because of this?’
A flicker of worry crossed Ju Yeon-hee’s face.
Yet Han Eol took it surprisingly well.
In truth, Han Eol was acutely aware that Demon Beast civilization was vastly superior to humanity’s. His own Blood Drop Library was proof enough of that.
Seeing that Han Eol seemed to accept this shocking fact without too much strain, Ju Yeon-hee continued.
“Of course, the documents we collected from Highland are difficult to interpret because their writing system is completely different from ours. Still, Father believed they would become crucial guides when humanity finally explores Highland, so he kept collecting. Honestly, I’m not even sure this library will be useful to you. But it was Father’s life’s work, so I really wanted to show it to you.”
As Ju Yeon-hee finished her explanation, the elevator chimed and arrived on the second floor.
Han Eol stepped out of the elevator and asked a question.
“But can a private person own artifacts like these? Wouldn’t all artifacts brought back from Highland belong exclusively to Shinseong Group?”
“Most of them do. But Father wasn’t subject to such restrictions.”
‘Wait—could it be?’
An exclamation mark suddenly lit up in Han Eol’s mind.
Chapter 10
There exist in this world Ability Users who are free to explore Highland without restriction.
Natiko, the abbot of Wat Umong Chiang Mai, had told Han Eol that such Ability Users were called “Pioneers”—or “FERs” (Front-Edge Rangers).
Han Eol ventured a guess.
“Could he have been a Pioneer?”
“Yes, that’s right. How did you know?”
Ju Yeon-hee’s eyes widened in surprise.
She then opened her father’s library with a fingerprint scan.
The heavy iron door slid open, and the interior of the library came into view.
“Wow.”
Han Eol let out an involuntary exclamation.
In truth, when he heard the word “library,” Han Eol had imagined a modest room with three or four bookshelves.
But this far exceeded that.
Ju Hyung-seon’s library spanned five floors—from the second basement level to the third above ground—opened up as a single space and crammed with Highland documents and books.
Of course, compared to Han Eol’s Blood Drop Library, this collection was a drop in the ocean.
Yet for a mere human to have amassed this volume of Highland artifacts was a truly remarkable achievement.
When Han Eol’s eyes sparkled with wonder, Ju Yeon-hee felt delighted.
Han Eol bore the blood of the Lee Family and Shinseong Group, so he would inherit much from Lee Myung-woo in time.
But Ju Yeon-hee still wanted Han Eol to inherit something meaningful from Ju Hyung-seon as well—her father in all but name.
‘That way, Father’s spirit can rest easier in the afterlife.’
This was Ju Yeon-hee’s belief.
“How do you like it? Does it please you?”
At Ju Yeon-hee’s question, Han Eol answered with genuine enthusiasm.
“Yes. It’s truly magnificent.”
Ju Yeon-hee’s expression brightened at once.
“Wonderful. Then from now on, feel free to visit whenever you wish. I’ll register your fingerprint for access, and you can come freely and search for whatever you need.”
“Really? Is that all right?”
Han Eol asked, his face flushed with excitement.
Ju Yeon-hee nodded vigorously.
“Of course it is. After Father passed away so suddenly in Highland, I inherited everything—the Jangchung-dong Mansion and all his estate. So when I say I’ll register you as a user of this library, who could possibly object?”
“Wow. You inherited all of this? You really are wealthy.”
Han Eol marveled.
“What? Hahaha!”
Struck by Han Eol’s unexpected candor, Ju Yeon-hee burst out laughing.
The Han Eol she understood was an unusual child.
Ju Yeon-hee had heard that Han Eol had grown up struggling as an orphan in Old Earth.
Yet for all that, he bore no visible scars. He wasn’t gloomy or shadowed.
More striking still was the fact that, despite being an orphan-turned-Cinderella, Han Eol harbored little material greed.
He had admired Lee Myung-woo’s mansion, but without envy.
Even during today’s shopping, Han Eol’s unpretentious nature shone through.
In truth, he had accompanied Ju Yeon-hee without complaint out of consideration, but he seemed to have little genuine interest in expensive clothes, shoes, or watches.
Walking alongside Han Eol, Ju Yeon-hee felt this keenly.
‘He was indifferent to expensive clothes and watches, yet his eyes lit up the moment he saw this library. Perhaps Father’s collection has finally found its true master.’
Watching Han Eol swiftly scan through Highland documents written in unknown script, Ju Yeon-hee found herself thinking this.
While Ju Yeon-hee called the butler who managed the Jangchung-dong Mansion and gave him various instructions, Han Eol shut himself in Ju Hyung-seon’s library and began reading through its contents.
Of course, Han Eol couldn’t decipher every document and book on display in this library.
‘If I can read through about half of it, I’ll be lucky.’
This feat was only possible because Han Eol had acquired knowledge of the languages of Highland’s various races from the Blood Drop Library.
Moreover, the knowledge of the Girit and Dragon Tribe that Han Eol had absorbed through his omnipotent hands played no small part.
Still, Han Eol could not help but point out one regret.
‘Surely a library ought to work like this: you touch your finger to something and all the knowledge floods straight into your brain, imprinting itself there instantly. Instead, I’m supposed to read through all of this one piece at a time? This is ridiculous.’
Han Eol grumbled like this without even realizing it.
The truth was, he had grown far too accustomed to the Blood Drop Library. That’s why he harbored complaints that would astound anyone else who heard them.
While Han Eol was browsing through Ju Hyung-seon’s study like this, he discovered dozens of watches on display in one corner of the room.
‘These look similar to the expensive luxury watches I saw at the department store earlier. Does Ju Hyung-seon have a hobby of collecting watches? What value could there possibly be in gathering things like that?’
Han Eol’s eyes swept over the watches in the display case, but his interest lay elsewhere.
Yet in the next moment, a hypothesis suddenly flashed through his mind.
‘Wait. Why would he keep watches specifically in a study? Could these be… Guided Transmission watches from Highland?’
Ju Hyung-seon was a Pioneer who operated independently of the Shinseong Group’s control.
What if this Pioneer had discovered important archaeological sites while exploring the continents of Highland? Or what if he had amassed considerable wealth in those places?
‘If I were a Pioneer, what would I do? I’d probably bury Mother Metal at every significant location I discovered in Highland. Then I’d keep the corresponding Child Metal—the pair to that Mother Metal—carefully stored somewhere in Midland Seoul. Because I’d need that Child Metal later to find my way back to those important points in Highland.’
In fact, Han Eol himself had a similar experience. He too had buried Mother Metal at archaeological sites on the 5th Continent. Afterward, using the Great Method of the Ten Zodiac Constellations of the Spirit Tribe, he had absorbed the Child Metal paired to that Mother Metal beneath the skin of his own wrist.
‘But what if Ju Hyung-seon had arrived at the same conclusion as me?’
Then these watches were no mere luxury goods. They were nothing less than keys to finding the true legacy Ju Hyung-seon had left behind in Highland.
The Puppeteer Who Harvests Souls
Author |
Junon
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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Editorial Department
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No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission from Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books.

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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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