Chapter 43 - Episode 7. Master of Gorgon (5)
Chapter 43: Episode 7. Master of Gorgon (5)
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There were no funerals in 《Chaos》.
A funeral was fundamentally for the living. The living gathered under the pretext of mourning the dead, reflected on their own lives, and tried to imagine the distant concept of death. It was a rite that made them cherish their lives more desperately in the face of the death that would one day come for them.
That was what a funeral was.
Everyone in 《Chaos》 was already dead. The lucky ones might have received a funeral, while most had become food for crows on the battlefield.
Neither outcome was particularly better or worse. After all, no one there knew anything about their own funeral.
Still, that did not mean 《Chaos》 had no rites for those who had undergone soul extinction.
Three days after Jaehwan became Fortress Lord.
A rite for those who had undergone soul extinction was being held in the banquet hall of Gorgon Inner Keep.
On a platform enhanced by the 「Sound Amplification」 skill, Chief Internal Administrator Yulhen opened his mouth and began to read.
“Aimel Grosheck has left our side. Yet we cannot bury him. He no longer exists anywhere in this world. Without body or soul, he has become nutrients for the Tree of Illusion, leaving behind only a few memories.”
The Soul-Sending Rite was the name of the ritual held in 《Chaos》 to completely send off those who had undergone soul extinction.
“We will now forget Aimel Grosheck. One last time, we will speak of him. We will speak and speak until no stories remain to be told.”
If funerals were held to remember the dead, the Soul Farewell Rite was held to erase them.
Throughout the rite, stories of the soul were discussed again and again. Once the rite ended, the deceased was never mentioned again.
That was the final gift 《Chaos》 could give those who left it.
Only after attending this Soul Farewell Rite, which did not even have a memorial portrait, did Jaehwan learn the Fortress Lord’s real name.
Aimel Grosheck.
The man called the Master of Gorgon on the battlefield.
The one who had entrusted this Fortress to him before leaving.
That damned old man.
Jaehwan felt uncomfortable being here.
After all, the old man whose name he had not even known had grabbed his hand once, and suddenly Jaehwan had become Fortress Lord.
Yulhen, who was reading the speech from the platform, occasionally sent Jaehwan pleading looks.
Yulhen’s earlier plea echoed in his mind. “Fortress Lord, please attend. Just once will do. You are the Fortress Lord now, aren’t you?”
Yulhen’s eyes had filled with tears, seemingly deeply moved that Jaehwan had come. They probably thought their earnest persuasion had worked.
Of course, Jaehwan had another reason for attending such an annoying event as the Soul Farewell Rite.
He surveyed the people who had gathered for it.
Envoys had come from every Fortress in 《Chaos》, while the Hall Masters of the Ten Halls of Chaos had sent things like Horned Beast horns as condolences. Deputy Hall Masters and Senior Elders had attended in person to offer their sympathy.
A line of people wishing to attend the Fortress Lord’s Soul Farewell Rite extended beyond the Inner Fortress. Ordinary residents who could not join the banquet spent their time in taverns, downing One-Horn Liquor.
No one wailed or cried.
Everyone spoke of the Fortress Lord.
Watching them, Cheongheo chuckled. He looked remarkably calm for someone who had just sent off an old friend of nine hundred years. Yet shadows of time occasionally passed through his eyes as he drank Two-Horn Liquor.
“It looks no different from an ordinary funeral to me. Dead things pretending to be alive.”
“That is rich coming from an old man getting drunk on fake liquor.”
“This is that sort of game.”
With that, Cheongheo gulped down more liquor.
“Once you have lived for around a thousand years, soul extinction is not especially sad. It frees you from the life you spent your whole existence yearning for.”
Those who had undergone soul extinction could not miss life. It was like how someone who had met complete death could no longer fear it. Only those who had forever lost what they had desperately desired could finally find peace.
In a world where only contradiction was salvation, people danced and sang.
Cheongheo joined them, chugging straight from the bottle as he began to dance. The others burst into laughter, surrounded him, and sang along.
Jaehwan watched the scene quietly, then turned his gaze toward Yulhen.
Before the Soul Farewell Rite, Yulhen had told him this.
“The Soul Farewell Rite will last for a week.”
He could feel eyes glaring at him throughout the banquet hall. Some seemed to be wondering what that bastard was up to now, while others watched with interest.
“Though the position of Fortress Lord is not inherited, this is the first time a complete outsider has become Fortress Lord. You must be careful.”
They were probably envoys sent by the Ten Halls.
Some gave off particularly intense auras. Through 「Doubt」, Jaehwan could constantly hear the Push messages they exchanged.
Judging by the sheer number of people exchanging Push messages at once, they seemed to be using the highest-grade Push skill, 「Multi-Push」.
[What in the world is going on? A soul that young became Fortress Lord?]
[I heard he has not even lived for a hundred years.]
[A brat who has not even lived a hundred years is the Fortress Lord? Is Yulhen plotting something again?]
Someone even muttered openly.
“He looks like he would be fun to fight.”
A woman holding a wineglass muttered from a corner of the banquet hall. Wearing a violet dress and a veil, she stole glances at Jaehwan through the thin fabric.
Then someone approached from behind her.
“Heh heh, the Deputy Hall Master of Goddess Hall came too?”
“You old Divine Doctor bastard, you’re still alive?”
“A beauty stays fresh for five hundred years, even after death.”
“And you’re still as wrinkled as ever.”
The Deputy Hall Master of Goddess Hall snorted and frowned, then jerked her chin toward Jaehwan.
“So that really is the new Fortress Lord?”
“That’s how it turned out.”
“He looks young.”
“He’s more worth expecting something from than an old fool who wasted a long life.”
“How strong is he?”
“He’s about as strong as I was in my youth.”
“I don’t think you were very strong in your youth.”
“I was strong in bed. Want me to prove it?”
“I’m not fond of spoiled goods.”
“I’m talking about that one.”
Cheongheo gestured toward a plump middle-aged man moving toward Jaehwan.
The Deputy Hall Master of Goddess Hall’s eyes gleamed.
[The old raccoon from Scholar Forest Hall? This should be entertaining. Which side will you bet on?]
[You only bet when there is a possible outcome.]
[What have you been saying since earlier...]
[Just watch, girl.]
While Cheongheo and the Deputy Hall Master of Goddess Hall bickered, the middle-aged man had already reached Jaehwan.
“Are you the Fortress Lord who has newly ascended?”
For some reason, his tone sounded offensive. With the heavy folds beneath his chin and his bulging stomach, the man looked exactly like a fat raccoon.
“That’s right.”
“Ho ho, you look remarkably young! May I ask your age?”
The other dignitaries from the Ten Halls seemed to have noticed the confrontation between the raccoon and Jaehwan. They, too, were watching with interest.
[That raccoon bastard is starting again!]
[Those who have lived nearly a thousand years are all the same.]
[Shh, the Divine Doctor is beside us.]
[Ah.]
From what Jaehwan heard through 「Doubt」, the raccoon before him seemed to have lived an extremely long time.
“About sixty.”
“Sixty?”
The raccoon asked again as if he did not believe it.
“Is there a problem?”
Then an uproar broke out.
[Sixty? He is practically a child! Old man, what the hell is that guy?]
The Deputy Hall Master of Goddess Hall asked.
Cheongheo discreetly took her hand as he answered.
[It would be best not to touch him. Do not even try to learn about him. He is frightening.]
[Why are you holding my hand? Do you want to die?]
[I’m scared, that’s why.]
The raccoon man continued speaking.
“Are you perhaps the former Fortress Lord’s son?”
“What?”
“Ah, I was wondering if Gorgon had introduced an 「Inheritance System」.”
The envoys who had been listening to their conversation stirred again.
[His son? What nonsense!]
[That old raccoon is being far too rude. No matter how young the Fortress Lord is...]
[Those Scholar Forest bastards only stuff themselves with ink. Their insides must be twisted too.]
[Well, is that not better than insulting him openly?]
Ignorant of 《Chaos》’s systems, Jaehwan only realized belatedly that the other man had insulted him.
There was more than a nine-hundred-year age gap between the former Fortress Lord and Jaehwan.
It was impossible for Jaehwan to be his son, and even if he were, that would be a problem.
No Fortress in Chaos, including Gorgon, had an inheritance system. The man had dressed up his words nicely, but the meaning behind them was blatant.
There was no way a brat like you could become Fortress Lord without inheritance.
Cheongheo clicked his tongue and chuckled.
[That old raccoon may end up receiving a Soul Farewell Rite here.]
[I told you to let go of my hand.]
The raccoon man extended his hand.
“Anyway, I look forward to working with you. I am Jang Ilhan, Deputy Hall Master of Scholar Forest Hall.”
Scholar Forest Hall?
Through 「Doubt」, Jaehwan picked up the conversation about Scholar Forest Hall.
From what he heard, Scholar Forest Hall was one of the mid-ranked factions among the Ten Halls of Chaos.
“I am Jaehwan.”
Jaehwan accepted Jang Ilhan’s handshake.
The moment their hands touched, Jang Ilhan gave a low laugh. At that moment, he had confirmed Jaehwan’s spiritual power value.
So the rumors were true. He really was a Non-Adapter.
Jang Ilhan recalled the order given by the Hall Master of Scholar Forest Hall.
“Coax him, pressure him, do whatever you have to. Secure the right to establish a branch in Gorgon. Does it make any sense that Scholar Forest has no branch in one of the Four Fortresses of Chaos?”
The fact that Scholar Forest Hall currently had no branch in Gorgon Fortress was entirely Jang Ilhan’s responsibility.
Even now, Jang Ilhan could not forget the humiliation he had suffered when he came to Gorgon ten years ago. He had bribed the guards at the northern checkpoint, then ended up fighting the checkpoint chief, some man named Karlton.
He thought he could settle it by adding a bit more to the bribe. Instead, the matter only grew worse. That Karlton fellow had reported it directly to the Fortress Lord.
“How can we accept a branch from a faction that openly uses bribes and casually causes trouble with the guards?”
They said you could know a superior’s character by looking at their subordinate. Gorgon’s Fortress Lord had been just as stubborn as the checkpoint chief.
Jang Ilhan had waited and waited for ten years to enter Gorgon.
At last, he had barely managed to return to Gorgon. This time, of course, he did not use bribes. Having to negotiate without bribes was like being told to write without ink.
Jang Ilhan entered Gorgon thinking such things, only to be greeted by a very unfamiliar sight.
The Fortress Lord was dead, and that northern checkpoint chief was laid up in a hospital room.
Then he discovered that some brat was sitting there, calling himself the new Fortress Lord. Jang Ilhan’s joy nearly reached its peak.
Was this a chance bestowed by heaven?
He felt confident enough to write without ink or even a brush. As his confidence returned, his pride followed.
No matter how badly he needed the right to establish a branch, he could not grovel before a brat like this.
Jang Ilhan, who had lived for a full eight hundred years, knew this well.
Groveling was not always the surest path to negotiation.
Having crossed countless battlefields and been battered about in the back alleys of filthy power, he knew that threats were far more effective than negotiations when the other side was weak.
That was why Jang Ilhan gripped Jaehwan’s hand tightly and activated his skill.
The highest-grade formation skill.
「Eight Gates of Hell」
Eight Gates of Hell was a secret skill that only the leaders of Scholar Forest Hall could use. It was a top-tier formation skill that could only be activated through skin contact with the target.
Once trapped in this formation, a person would be imprisoned within illusions that took the physical forms of countless monsters from the 《Great Realm》. Until the formation caster released the formation, they could never escape.
Jang Ilhan swiftly opened the third gate of Eight Gates of Hell. The third gate was Fever Hell, where the Red Dragon Tiamat dwelled.
By now, the brat Fortress Lord before him should have been frantically fleeing from Tiamat through blazing hellfire.
Jang Ilhan smiled unpleasantly and tightened his grip.
Struggle all you want.
Footnotes:
Chapter discussion