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Pa-at!

I used the Golden Lamp technique to slip into the Imperial Palace. The first place I arrived at was the Heart of the Palace, the location of the Crystal Stele. It was known as the Ruins of the Two-legged underground and, as I realized, it was a place where only a select few executives ever appeared, resulting in no guards present.

I sneaked a glance at the Crystal Stele. It had a total of 14 clauses, which seemed to blur the line between poetic content and metaphor. I was familiar with it, having studied it once before.

[Without a doubt, it is the truth, certain and most real.]

[To achieve the unique miracle, above and below are the same, and the upper and lower are one.]

[From one meditation, everything emerges, hence, all is connected as one.]

[The sun is its father, the moon is its mother, the wind is its womb, and the earth is its nurse.]

[The father of all perfection is here.]

[The power of all is unified by earth.]

[With careful and great skills, remove the invisible fire from the whole.]

[This rises from the land to the sky and descends from the sky to the land, receiving the power of all that lies above and below.]

[You gain the glory of all things.]

[Ambiguity will vanish.]

[This is the strongest power, penetrating all liquids and passing through all solids.]

[Thus, the world was created.]

[I possess three pieces of wisdom and philosophy; hence, I am called Hermes Trismegistus.]

[This tablet contains the workings of the sun’s operation.]

“Hmm…”

Looking at the Crystal Stele again, I found myself wrapped in questions. I had only taken it before without grasping its power, but now I was curious about why this stele held such potent magical power.

‘This Crystal Stele is from the West, and it’s a treasure targeted by Westerners. So, was the first person to create this stele called Hermes?’

Having left it to Mangnyang and the Sorcerers, I felt it was time to research this stele myself. After all, my current task was my own growth. If I could use the “power” of the Crystal Stele, I wouldn’t have to rely on anyone else.

After putting the stele into my wooden armor, I headed over to the Lord of Inner Imperial Pavilion. As expected, there were no people here, and the Nameless Ritual Book I was searching for was right in front of me. However, I remembered that I wasn’t supposed to only take the Nameless Ritual Book.

[Baek Woong. This time, you should not bring just the Nameless Ritual Book, but also the Astronomical Measurement Data and the equipment used to measure the stars.]

[Where is that?]

[As you know, the Nameless Ritual Book is on the 3rd floor, and Lord of Inner Pavilion Zhuge Bu is on the 5th floor. The astronomical materials are on the 4th floor. There are about thirty books, all collected in one shelf, so they should be easy to find.]

[4th floor…]

[While other things are not certain, the astronomical equipment is the latest imported from the West. You must bring that as well.]

It would have been effortless had I brought Mangnyang with me, but if Zhuge Bu happened to show up, it would be a disaster. Right now, it was essential to remain as unreactive as possible in the palace.

‘I’ll get the Nameless Ritual Book later.’

If I took the Nameless Ritual Book now, Zhuge Bu would likely pursue me using Transmission Technique. Knowing that, I was just checking the location.

I concealed my aura and cautiously made my way up to the 4th floor.

Unlike the 3rd floor, the 4th had a noticeable presence. I hid myself to see if it was the aura of Zhuge Bu, but it turned out to be that of an ordinary scholar. It seemed they hadn’t mastered any martial arts, so I thought I could avoid being noticed easily.

‘The astronomical materials should be here…’

After quickly putting four shelves into my wooden armor, I glanced around, and spotted a special room housing the astronomical equipment. Unfortunately, two or three scholars were loitering in front of it, making it a bit tricky to grab.

If I used the Soul Exchange Technique, I could forcibly sneak in, but it wasn’t originally intended for stealth, so getting caught was a real possibility.

‘It can’t be helped.’

Stealth Technique.

As I cast the spell, my body turned transparent. This was one of the most useful spells I knew, akin to when I sneaked into Namgung Hwan’s room before. Combining Stealth Technique with the trick of concealment would keep me off anyone’s radar.

Then, I entered the special room housing the astronomical equipment and quickly shoved everything inside my wooden armor. Contrary to my expectations, many of the astronomical devices looked quite distinct, so I couldn’t categorize them individually. After gathering what I thought was everything, I returned to Jinrang Valley.

Upon arriving back in Jinrang Valley and showing the equipment to Mangnyang, he seemed pleased.

“Well done.”

“Mangnyang, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“What do the 14 clauses of the Crystal Stele mean?”

“Oh… so you’re curious about that. It seems you’ve developed an interest in Alchemy.”

“Thinking about it, I realize I knew very little about the alchemy the Alchemists handle.”

Mangnyang pondered before replying, “Actually, alchemy isn’t a skill exclusive to the West. There’s a similar scholarly pursuit in the East referred to as the study of elixirs. However, it seems the Westerners developed it further into magic and numerology…”

“Can you really create gold from alchemy?”

“Of course. Just look at clause 2 of the Crystal Stele.”

I pulled out the Crystal Stele from my wooden armor at his suggestion. Examining clause 2, I read aloud: [To achieve the unique miracle, above and below are the same; and the upper and lower are one.]

“Sky and earth, above and below.”

Mangnyang pointed his finger at clause 2 as he explained: “The Crystal Stele is essentially a manufacturing guide for creating the ultimate substance, the Philosopher’s Stone. Clause 4 indicates that the energies of the sun and moon, which constitute the most divine material in the world, are originally one.”

“The energies of the sun and moon?”

“The sun symbolizes fire, energy, and sulfur, while the moon represents water, semen, and mercury.”

“Ah.”

“The fire in the heavens is originally one with the water on the land, and the water on the land is originally one with the fire in the heavens. This is easy to understand within the context of the Five Elements Cycle.”

Mangnyang continued his explanation quietly. “The two circulate and combine to form the Xuan Pearl, which is the Philosopher’s Stone. This allegorical depiction leads to the phrase, [Above and below are the same; and the upper and lower are one.]”

Intrigued, I asked Mangnyang, “This text seems enigmatic, but how can you interpret it so thoroughly?”

“I told you: alchemy is a discipline studied in the East too. I am knowledgeable in the theories of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, so interpreting this isn’t too difficult. Especially since the theory of this Crystal Stele touches the most fundamental aspects.”

“Hmm.”

“However, this clause 14 has no efficacy on its own. This is just a theory, and the true potency of the Crystal Stele lies in its ability to materialize the 14 clauses.”

Mangnyang gently stroked the surface of the stele as he spoke. “This Crystal Stele was crafted through advanced alchemy and is made from a material I’ve never seen before in my life. I couldn’t explain its material using any of the metallurgy knowledge I possess. Probably the only person who knows this material is the Alchemist who brought the Crystal Stele back from the West.”

“So, the material has mystical properties, allowing for powerful spirit energy?”

“Exactly.”

As I contemplated, I said, “So if I were to chip off a piece of this Crystal Stele to use as a fragment…”

“That would not work. This Crystal Stele was created with advanced magic, so doing that risks causing the whole thing to collapse. There’s additional content that only reveals itself when penetrated to the core, making it even more crucial not to tamper with it.”

Mangnyang firmly stated, and then asked, “Do you have any more questions?”

“Looking at clause 13, it seems someone like Hermes created this?”

“Hmm… I’m not sure about that either. It seems like a riddle.”

It was surprising to find that Mangnyang didn’t know everything. As I pondered, he said, “Let’s head to Zhuge Clan now.”

Both Mangnyang and I made our way to the hut where Cheon Woo-jin resided. Spotting us while tilling the fields, Cheon Woo-jin stood up.

“Older Brother, you’ve come?”

“Yes, I’ve come to meet the Zhuge Clan.”

“Understood.”

Pa-at!

As Cheon Woo-jin wielded the Treasure Land and Earth Diagram, the figure of Zhuge Sa emerged from the illustration with a flash. Zhuge Sa stared blankly at us and said, “You impudent rascal. How dare you treat your uncle like this?”

When Zhuge Sa expressed annoyance, Mangnyang chuckled lightly.

“Let’s skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point. Let’s exchange the Crystal Stele for the Soul Exchange Technique.”

“……”

Bypassing all the flowery language, Mangnyang dove right into the essence. Zhuge Sa paused momentarily, deep in thought before responding, “If it’s the Crystal Stele, is it what I know?”

“It’s certainly a treasure of alchemy.”

“Hmm… I’ve only heard rumors about it. Let’s see what kind of object it is.”

At Zhuge Sa’s suggestion, Mangnyang shook his head. “Uncle, first show me if you’re willing to exchange.”

“Hmm. If it’s indeed the genuine Crystal Stele, I would be willing to trade.”

Zhuge Sa continued with a sly smile. “You know, if Hyun had come to the Jangryeong Valley the moment you left the Imperial Palace, I would have agreed to pass on the Soul Exchange Technique.”

“……”

I looked at Mangnyang in surprise. If that’s true, then Mangnyang had an opportunity to become the next leader of the Heretical Sect? Moreover, it also showed Zhuge Sa held a high opinion of Mangnyang. After a moment of silence, he said, “Baek Woong, bring it out.”

“Understood.”

I took out the Crystal Stele and revealed it in the hall. When Zhuge Sa saw it, he was amazed and stroked the stele with his hands.

“Impressive! This is undoubtedly a genuine item.”

“Uncle, will you agree to the exchange?”

“Of course… but.”

Zhuge Sa trailed off, leaving an air of uncertainty. “I want to know why you need the Soul Exchange Technique now.”

“What if I can’t tell you?”

“Then I can’t trade. I want the stele, but it won’t matter if I don’t have it.”

This was not a good development. Mangnyang let out a light sigh before saying, “I plan to use the Soul Exchange Technique to measure the heavens of the New Continent.”

Zhuge Sa’s expression turned bizarre. “Huh? What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Then, Uncle must promise to help us out for that.”

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Sa waved his hands as if exhausted. “Come on! Aren’t you the one trying to outsmart me?”

“Who wouldn’t be?”

“Give me a moment to think.”

“Take your time.”

Zhuge Sa stood with his arms crossed, looking thoughtful for a long time. He then finally said, “Alright. I’ll help as much as I can. But if I can’t, that’s just too bad.”

“Must you always add that disclaimer?”

“It’s not my problem anyway, so why not?”

“… You make it hard to respect you.”

Mangnyang sighed and explained everything to Zhuge Sa.

He detailed the forces within the palace, the scheming they were involved in, along with information about the Seven Luminaries and the Old Sage of Mount Tai. The amount of information he provided was immense, making me startled just from listening along.

‘Did I just spill almost 70 percent of our secrets?!’

Could we afford to share this much with Zhuge Sa?

But it seemed Mangnyang valued bringing Zhuge Sa into our fold more than revealing our information. Given the caliber of information Mangnyang disclosed, Zhuge Sa listened with a blank expression for a while.

After a long time, Zhuge Sa regained his composure and said, “… Zhuge Yulong is actually the Old Sage of Mount Tai? And he serves an Evil God…?”

“If that’s not the case, I’d wager my life on it.”

“……”

Zhuge Sa looked genuinely shocked. Then he burst into laughter.

“Zhuge Yulong, that hypocritical jerk… Giving me a hard time when I joined the Heretical Sect while he called it evil! Hahaha!”

“While I’m not defending my father, it really was a necessary decision back then.”

Mangnyang calmly continued, “The Heretical Sect was an evil cult that worshipped the Old Ruler, and the magic they practiced was a wicked form of human sacrifice. How could Zhuge Clan accept that?”

“I knew that, and I didn’t raise a fuss to accept the restrictions, so I could leave Zhuge Clan. I wanted to sever ties with my brother and live my life freely. Yet, my brother turns out to be serving the Old Ruler…”

Zhuge Sa covered his face with his hands and chuckled uncontrollably. “How ridiculous! This is just annoying.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Of course, I’ll work with you. Until I get to kick my brother’s butt.”

With that, Zhuge Sa summoned a book from the void and tossed it to Mangnyang. As Mangnyang caught it, Zhuge Sa said, “Here’s the Soul Exchange Technique. But I’ll let you know that I think this method is impractical.”

“What?”

“Casting the Soul Exchange Technique on the indigenous people to acquire tens or hundreds of astronomical data… Well, it sounds plausible, but isn’t it too straightforward?”

Zhuge Sa chuckled, “Why not just destroy the Imperial Palace first, grab the [Gate], and then lead an army of ten thousand to conquer the Barbarian Continent? There might be folks among the chieftains who know when a solar eclipse is due. That’d be easier, right?”

“Hmm!”

I found Zhuge Sa’s suggestion quite reasonable. That method indeed sounded easier. Mangnyang responded calmly.

“We can consider that method. However, there’s no guarantee we’ll definitely win against the Imperial Palace, nor can we be sure the chieftains know the legends of the Fire Spirit ruins. Therefore, it’s wiser to seek a more reliable time.”

“Hmph… Do as you please.”

Zhuge Sa grumbled, but I could sense that at this moment, he had willingly joined as a companion, driven by his own motivation.

 

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