The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 487

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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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The Heavenly Supreme Has Died – Episode 487
An object from the Northern Sea. Moreover, it belongs to the Northern Sea Gungju, the master of the Northern Sea itself.
And the Heavenly Supreme personally commissioned it? I couldn’t fathom what that meant.
‘The Heavenly Supreme made it clear.’
His relationship with the Northern Sea was a complete mess.
Even considering his reaction upon witnessing Gungwi’s pitiful state, the fact that he commissioned a Northern Sea object as a tabsa left me bewildered.
“A commission from the Heavenly Supreme? What on earth did he ask for?”
“Well, only the Moyong Clan and the Heavenly Supreme would know that.”
“…This isn’t even a joke. Is that supposed to be an explanation?”
“Does it sound like a joke?”
The Branch Leader chuckles softly.
“It’s a tabsa personally commissioned by none other than the Heavenly Supreme himself. Do you think anyone has the power to casually examine his possessions right now? You know this well, Your Highness.”
“….”
I furrowed my brow. He was right. Anything within the Heavenly Supreme’s domain was difficult for me to touch. That’s precisely what made this so strange.
‘A tabsa from the Heavenly Supreme.’
The mention of it belonging to the Northern Sea Gungju felt decidedly ominous.
The fact that the Moyong Clan was handling it and transporting it together with the Tabsa Bureau was equally troubling.
“And the reason you’re curious about this is…?”
“We’re people for whom information matters. Since it reeks of something suspicious to anyone’s nose, we wanted to be involved. As I said, we have no intention of interfering.”
“You won’t interfere and won’t investigate?”
“If we investigate wrongly and the Heavenly Supreme becomes displeased, we can’t handle the consequences either.”
“That means you already have some idea what the tabsa is.”
“…Oh my.”
The cross-dressed Branch Leader laughs.
“I almost let something slip, didn’t I? Think whatever you like.”
A shame. If I’d pressed further, he might have revealed something.
‘If what he said is true.’
This was exactly the sort of matter that would make that Branch Leader pick up the scent and get involved.
I turned to look behind us. We were already nearly at our destination.
So then.
‘Are they planning to send it to the Northern Sea?’
Or are they trying to do something else? I couldn’t determine that much.
‘The fact that Nolrimdo got involved. And on top of that-‘
Honwondo, who was called one of the Four Kings, had attempted to intervene.
Looking at that, it meant this wasn’t just some ordinary object.
‘What is it?’
For now, there was no way to know.

* * *
Some time had passed since we began the escort mission. Fortunately, the Nolrimdo had not appeared again, and regarding Honwondo’s condition.
‘It’s too early to check.’
Since this wasn’t the right moment to touch upon it, I simply left him alone.
Not long after, we arrived at our destination.
“We’ve arrived.”
At the Tabsa’s words, everyone who had been conducting the escort mission released sighs of relief.
“Hahhh—”
They looked like people who had narrowly escaped death. And understandably so. Whether it was the Honwondo incident or the Nolrimdo affair, they had experienced things that should never occur during a normal escort mission.
Muyong Youngsoon bowed her head to express gratitude to them once the escort mission concluded.
“Thank you. It was only thanks to all of you that we arrived safely.”
With a member of the Five Great Clans speaking so humbly, surprise filled the eyes of the others.
“Not at all. Miss Moryong, we did nothing of consequence.”
The Tabsa spoke while looking at me. I smiled awkwardly at his gaze.
“I didn’t do anything either.”
“That cannot be. Had it not been for Wol-hyeop, we would have….”
“You all worked hard.”
Honestly, I was the one who suffered the most. But it was proper to show humility in this way. In any case, as the escort mission ended, I turned to look back. This place—
‘…the Great Merchant Association….’
From merchant association to merchant association. From clan to clan.
The escort route had been peculiar. And if it involved the Great Merchant Association.
‘Isn’t this moving us through paths outside the realm?’
The outside realm and the martial world weren’t completely without exchange. A certain degree of contact was maintained, and there existed merchant associations that specialized in facilitating such passage.
It was a special case where the Martial Arts Alliance had directly granted permission, and the outside realm had also approved it.
This Great Merchant Association was precisely that place.
“Welcome.”
As soon as the escort party arrived, someone came out to greet us.
He was an old man who appeared to be well over seventy.
“I am Go Munjin, the Merchant Leader of the Great Merchant Association.”
“I am Muyong Youngsoon of the Muyong Clan.”
“It is an honor to meet you. Please, come inside.”
“I shall impose upon your kindness.”
We were guided inside. Then.
“Wait—”
Go Munjin raised his hand. The Tabsa who were about to enter were stopped in their tracks. Martial artists had appeared to block their way.
“From this point forward, outsiders are not permitted to enter.”
The Tabsa who had conducted the escort with us frowned, but there was nothing they could say. The escort mission ended precisely here.
“I’ll contact the escort house separately and pay an additional fee. You’ve all worked hard.”
Muyong Youngsoon bowed as she spoke, and at her words, the Tabsa’s expressions improved somewhat.
And.
“Merchant Leader.”
“Please, speak.”
“Even if you send away the Tabsa personnel, these people must come inside with us. They are direct members of our clan.”
I gestured toward Haowen’s people and myself as I spoke. At my words, Go Munjin stared directly at her.
“If I’m not mistaken, Wol-hyeop is not a member of the Moyong clan.”
“….”
At those words, Muyong Youngsoon faltered, and I reacted as well.
‘Well, well.’
The fact that he knew despite my use of the face-concealing mask meant information had already been exchanged between them.
At that revelation, I let out a hollow laugh and removed the mask. A soft tearing sound.
“I am Bangseong-yeon of the Cheongwol Sect.”
“It is an honor to meet such a distinguished person. I am Go Munjin.”
“Thank you for your understanding. I apologize for concealing my identity regardless of the circumstances.”
“Not at all. I understand completely.”
He is no ordinary person. I felt it the moment we faced each other.
Cheon Rijin-an. A different kind of wall than what I sense from my maternal grandfather.
Then.
“You should be careful.”
The Branch Leader whispered quietly.
“That old man is quite capable and dangerous.”
“I can tell just by looking.”
One can tell at a glance. Still, if the Branch Leader felt compelled to warn me, that said everything.
‘The quality of his spirit runs deep.’
Deep and cold. Those honed and refined to such a degree have experienced tremendous things throughout their lives. Nothing about them could be taken lightly.
“I never expected to meet the famous Geomseong’s Predecessor, Wol-hyeop.”
“I appreciate the kind words, but—”
Looking at him, I withdrew the letter I had been carrying.
“I am participating in the Tabsa Caravan at the request of the Lord of the Moyong Clan. While Moryong Sojeo serves as his proxy, I am no less capable, and I hope you will take that into consideration.”
“…You speak of Baekwang?”
“Yes.”
The letter bore Baekwang’s seal. I had brought it with me beforehand. I had used that expensive wish token, so I needed to have something like this prepared, didn’t I?
“Hmm.”
Go Munjin accepted the letter and examined it, narrowing his eyes. The seal embedded in the letter was unmistakably from the Moyong clan—specifically, the direct seal of the Lord of the Clan.
“You are welcome to verify the contents.”
“No need. I trust Wol-hyeop. Please, come inside.”
Perfect. I had successfully gained entry into the Merchant Guild’s interior.
With that, Go Munjin entered first, and the martial artists guided the Tabsa Caravan from behind.

* * *
The interior of the Ajusang Merchant Guild was quite expansive. Most successful merchant organizations naturally possessed such grandeur.
Yet this place transcended mere size—the very atmosphere differed.
Exotic, one might say. It carried a distinctly foreign quality, unlike the ordinary ambiance of the Central Plains.
‘How intriguing.’
Peculiar indeed. Sensing this, I proceeded inward and was guided into a vast reception hall for guests.
“Please wait a moment.”
Go Munjin bowed respectfully before departing. In his absence, a brief silence settled among us.
“How far do you intend to follow?”
Muyong Youngsoon posed the question to me.
“Surely you don’t mean to see the actual item itself?”
“Is it something I could see if I wanted?”
“If the Lord of the Clan had granted permission for that, I would understand. But if not… that would be problematic.”
“…Hmm.”
How far had Baekwang actually permitted? It seemed he’d merely allowed me to follow the transaction itself.
And I questioned whether viewing the item itself was truly appropriate.
“Then it’s best we don’t look.”
I spoke and moved toward the exit. At that moment, the Branch Leader regarded me with considerable disappointment in his gaze. What was that look supposed to convey? He clearly wanted to see it. But that wasn’t possible.
I led them outside.
The Branch Leader then clicked his tongue in frustration.
“You’re not going to look at it?”
“Does it look like I am? Besides, this wasn’t part of our agreement anyway. And besides—”
I spoke to the Branch Leader with my eyes wide open.
“You probably have a vague idea what the item is yourself.”
He doesn’t know the details. I was certain of that much. One couldn’t help but understand from his reaction alone.
“Your perception is sharp.”
“…That’s enough. This concludes our business anyway.”
Our agreement ended here. With this, I could close the matter regarding the Gungju of the Northern Sea.
“Hmph.”
The Branch Leader made his disappointment audible, but what could be done? He should have mentioned wanting to see the item when we made the contract.
“Enough. Focus on returning quickly. I have things to attend to once I’m back.”
Heavenly Supreme. I couldn’t fathom why she would accept the Gungju of the Northern Sea’s possession only to return it to him. Moreover—
‘If even the Nolrimdo and Patcheon-gung thugs are after it—’
It had to be quite an unusual item. Yet it was strange that she would simply entrust it to the Moyong family and have them transport it.
‘What is she planning?’
As I pondered Heavenly Supreme’s intentions—
Creak, creak.
People were approaching from the distance.
“There they come.”
The Branch Leader observed with interest. Members of the Ajusang Merchant Guild were pulling a cart forward. I looked toward them. Just a cart. Upon it—
‘Huh?’
What is that? My head tilted the moment I laid eyes on it. The tribute that had arrived was decidedly strange.
A jar? A rather large one at that. And.
‘…What?’
I froze. What was plastered all over the jar were talismans. Blood talismans, specifically, inscribed with crimson characters.
They clung to the jar as if concealing it.
“What is this.”
The moment I saw them, my soul began to tremble. Those blood talismans. Something was wrong about them. They weren’t ordinary talismans—they had been inscribed by a single individual, and the manner in which they sealed away spiritual essence was unmistakable.
The problem was.
‘That method.’
The blood talismans affixed to the jar, the manner in which they were inscribed.
‘…It seems identical to the method I learned?’
The usage of blood talismans. Their inscription. Even the technique of sealing away spiritual essence using them. It all felt far too familiar. Yet it shouldn’t have been. This—
‘It’s the method Baek Manager taught me.’
My superior from my previous life, the one known as Baek Manager.
I had been the one to capture and seal away all the Demon Gods, but he was the mentor-like figure who had taught me the methods to strike them down.

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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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