Chapter 338

It was all worn-out and half-covered, but it was clearly readable.

Heavenly Sky, Imperial Emperor.

It was referring to the Tenno.

“What the hell is this?”

The officer let out a curse without realizing it.

Seeing it was in a high-end wooden box, he thought it must be something unusual.

The Emperor?

‘No, why is there a Japanese item here… Wait a minute. If this is a Japanese item…’

Countless thoughts raced through his mind.

In the mountain where the monster appeared, the cause was directly found by the shaman, and it was a Japanese item.

And it clearly stated “Emperor” on it?

That much was obvious.

This was bound to cause a ruckus.

‘No, isn’t it none of our business?’

The soldier’s face turned pale for a moment before returning to normal.

It’s going to be a disaster.

Yes. That was certain.

But so what?

What does that have to do with national defense?

There might be friction with Japan, but that’s a diplomatic issue.

A soldier only needed to protect his country well.

I mean, it’s not like we’re going to go to war with Japan, and the Japanese won’t be going crazy to commit terrorism, right? What’s the problem?

Sure, the navy guys might get busy dealing with some trouble, but that’s… well, not my concern.

He was in the army after all.

He could just take credit for finding evidence, get praised, receive awards, and then relax.

Getting promoted would just be a bonus.

“I found it! It seems like an unusual item, so please have the shaman come down to confirm!”

“Certainly.”

Thinking that it had nothing to do with him, the soldier called Jinseong with ease.

This was something for others to handle.

Thus, Jinseong responded to the soldier’s call and entered the pit.

Along with the PD, who was filled with anticipation.

As they entered the pit, both confirmed the wooden box that peeked out from the beam of the intense flashlight held by the officer, and the soldier checked the corner of the silk piece that was just barely visible.

“Hmm. It’s a bit worn out, but the characters are legible. Emperor…?”

Jinseong mumbled with interest as he saw the characters.

His demeanor was akin to that of a scholar who had come across something of academic value.

But the person next to him…

“Hah… Hah.”

Was gasping as if about to fall over.

‘Shit, shit, shit…’

Heavenly Sky.

Imperial Emperor.

If he had only memorized the thousand-character texts in elementary school or hadn’t dozed off during classical Chinese class in middle school, he would have recognized these words.

So simple and straightforward.

But when those two are combined…

They become a mine.

‘Shit. No wonder things were going smoothly.’

A mine that could get tied up in politics with a wrong step.

If it were under normal circumstances, it might have been a method to attract attention like noise marketing.

But this? Right now?

The worst.

Moreover, this wasn’t just casually revealed.

The shaman found something related to this uproar, and that came out.

So a rational person… No, anyone with a brain would surely think, “This uproar is related to the Japanese.”

Then what happens?

‘No, we wanted the broadcast to attract attention.’

The broadcast would definitely get attention.

That was for sure.

But…

‘I wanted to attract attention, but not this much!’

That was the problem of it being excessive.

He merely wanted high ratings and some buzz, not to cause a national upheaval that would ripple internationally!

Right.

The emergence of a Japanese item was somewhat expected.

There had been discussions on the internet about whether this was Japanese.

But the name Emperor being attached? That was beyond consideration.

‘Damn it. This will turn into a diplomatic issue!’

The Emperor no longer held the omnipotent power it once did.

Like other royal families, it had a strong symbolic meaning.

However, even so, it represented the country and was nominally the head and face of the state.

Having the name of such a person popping up meant it was far from something trivial.

The moment it got out that this uproar was related to the Emperor, Japan would undoubtedly raise an uproar at a government level.

They would claim it’s a manipulated broadcast, that it tarnishes Japan’s national dignity, and if they weren’t clarified soon, they’d consider economic sanctions!

Moreover, they could send the Self-Defense Forces near Dokdo to provoke.

No, it’s not “could”—they definitely would.

‘No, no, maybe not. After all, it’s just two letters appearing, so the content inside might be different, right?’

But the PD didn’t completely lose hope.

It was merely two letters showing.

If they opened it and found phrases praising the Emperor, they could claim it was an individual act.

But.

“Hmm. Let’s see, although the silk is worn out, a few letters are missing, but I can read intermittently.”

“What does it say?”

“Let’s see. Emperor, bestowed, long live, divine vein, return… such letters are readable.”

The PD’s hopes shattered instantly.

The fully opened wooden box revealed unsettling letters on the silk.

Moreover, it wasn’t just the content of the silk that was unsettling.

The object wrapped in silk also felt unusual.

“Hmm. Let’s see, this is a divine object.”

There was a divine object.

A sword that seemed to be for ritual use.

One wooden tablet coiled around the hilt.

Moreover, the divine objects seemed to radiate an ominous energy, as if they were saying they were unusual.

The intensity was so strong that even the untrained PD thought, ‘That’s dangerous!’

Simply gazing at the sword felt like it would slice if he touched it, and staring at the wooden tablet ignited a desire to throw down the camera, rush over, and unravel it right then and there.

“Ah, PD, please turn your gaze away. This divine object has an alluring energy, and just looking at it might bring harm.”

A divine object that lured and enchanted just by being observed.

Every capture seemed extraordinary.

‘Ah, it’s over.’

Too much is just as bad as too little.

If it had been a bit lacking, they could have sent it off to the broadcast somewhat uneventfully.

But something so extraordinary had come out that now they had no idea what to do.

The PD sighed heavily, looking pitiful.

‘Wow, this seriously feels like a disaster.’

There’s a saying that serious criminal cases don’t even make it to the news.

‘What’s the difference between that and this?’

The PD felt as if that urban legend about crimes was now applicable to him.

There’s a scoop.

There’s a jackpot.

But he didn’t think he could broadcast this.

His expression twisted with a mix of regret, pity, and a desire to think of a hopeful future.

‘No, no, no. Maybe the green light will come. Maybe I’ll get a signal saying I’ll take responsibility, so just proceed. If that happens, this could be in the broadcast… right? They probably won’t be able to take responsibility for this either.’

He sighed heavily, swinging between hope and despair.

But his hands were instinctively capturing Jinseong.

“First of all, regarding the sword, it feels more Chinese than Japanese. The pattern drawn with silver gives it an ancient Chinese vibe… I can’t guarantee since I’m not well-versed in archaeology or history, but it doesn’t seem like it would have low value.”

Jinseong continued to comment, oblivious or aware of the PD’s deteriorating state.

He was calmly evaluating what was presented, hinting that they should look for someone with knowledge in archaeology or relics.

‘Good commentary…’

Perfect.

It was so good that one would not believe it’s his first time on TV.

The content could be edited merely to include the expert visiting it or the expert assessing that divine object in depth.

Several good scenarios popped up in his head all at once.

But what’s the use of that?

Whether the broadcast would even air was doubtful.

“The wooden tablet… it wouldn’t be wise to touch it now. It’s emitting wretched energy that could harm people. I can’t determine if this is the energy the tablet possesses or if it’s suppressing the evil energy from this sword… but if we release it here, we’re in for a world of hurt. The suppressed evil energy will undoubtedly explode outward, and through sheer bad luck, bystanders might meet with misfortune.”

Squeak.

“In that case, it seems impossible to examine everything in detail here, so let’s seal it for now and take the time to investigate later. What do you think?”

Jinseong made a statement the PD would approve of and placed the divine object back into the wooden box. Then, just like before, he pulled out tape from the bag to wrap it tightly, painting strange patterns on it with sticky red paint to completely suppress the emanating energy.

His skills were impressive and mystical, suggesting they’d produce an excellent video without requiring much editing.

Truly regrettably.

“Yes, we… should do that. As Park Jinseong the shaman said, it’s better to take it and go.”

The PD agreed with Jinseong’s words.

But they weren’t going back to search for the divine object, as Jinseong said.

They needed to figure out how to deal with this crap of a situation with the broadcasting station and the government.

Because it had escalated into a matter too big for a mere PD to handle.

This absolutely had to be reported.

Regardless of whether it was a disaster or a boon.

‘Please, please let this proceed smoothly.’

He muttered inwardly with earnest wishes.

He hoped such an unfortunate incident of being unable to use this video wouldn’t happen.

Having gathered such an incredible video, he had to be given the green light.

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