The Cheonma is taking control of the Cheonma Church again.
Not that he ever really let go of it in the first place. Guseongyong’s last-ditch effort failed, after all.
The Cheonma Church is still his, but they aren’t holding Jeonyang’s funeral.
To be precise, they seem to be preserving the corpse wrapped in bandages until a more suitable time for the funeral arrives. It seems funeral culture is the same everywhere; when it came to discussing the best time for the deceased’s final journey, Cheonma silently agreed.
From Cheonma’s perspective, the place overseeing this event is called Woljedang. It’s one of ten halls with “Ten Immortals” in its name, but this one hardly had any presence.
It’s where those responsible for rituals and ceremonies in the Cheonma Church gather.
It’s my goal, too.
But honestly, I’m not counting on it much. Looking through the memories of past and present Cheonmas, the summoning method is too complicated.
If Yasle’s method is simply sacrificing a person as an offering, here, they have to carefully manage and raise the offering for summoning.
It’s not something an ordinary person gaining special abilities can simply do.
Of course, that’s just from the memories I can see on the surface; if I were to check the actual techniques, it could be different.
It’s just that falling into Yasle’s complicated method seems more advantageous for harvesting.
But if there’s a special group like the Cheonma Church that can dedicate a lot of manpower and time, the second world’s methods might also be useful…
I mustn’t settle on one method and forget to approach from multiple angles.
You never know when an opportunity to break through a wall might arise.
If I only pursue convenient methods, I know that eventually, I could hit a dead end.
Anyway, today marks a week since the Cheonma transformed into a woman.
Soo-oh and I are living well in our small home.
In the morning, we wake up, prepare breakfast, wake the kid for breakfast, and then sift through memories to teach Soo-oh about this world.
Of course, since the information is based on Guseongyong’s memories, there could be some bias, but it can’t be helped.
Because combined, the external experiences of everyone other than Guseongyong are still less than Guseongyong’s alone.
Surprisingly, the Cheonma also hasn’t had much experience venturing far.
We wrap up breakfast and then move on to some light exercise in the afternoon.
I’m trying to practice the techniques I know which have high peaks. The unfortunate part is that these techniques require magic power or Qi to be used correctly.
Soo-oh will take care of that, I suppose.
After all, I send not just visuals but also direct memories. A person with a strong ego may not receive the memories I send.
Or simply refuse to accept them.
Having strange memories forced into their head might feel like an invasion of their personality, so they may instinctively block it out.
Especially since ads get mixed in, many people would likely want to cut it off if they can.
Ugh.
It’s like I’ve gained a lot of techniques, and while each one is good on its own, there’s some flaw, and there’s no connection point tying them all together, which is frustrating.
Once I’ve turned someone who has deeply despaired into a harvester, wouldn’t it be nice if they could voluntarily raise their skill level and summon me?
But what can I do.
I’ve been bound by a power that doesn’t force my concept.
Right now, there are no immediate benefits. In fact, it’s probably more beneficial to brainwash people into madness and then sculpt them to summon me.
But I must look to the future.
When I enter a world capable of revealing my true identity, or if such a technique is invented.
I can stand tall.
I don’t think I’ll be recognized in all worlds.
That would be arrogance.
Even without that, if I give them power, they’d naturally fight.
I believe humanity is like that.
So, I give them power while accepting the warmth at the end. Of course, until the end, there might be someone who never kills another.
Most are selfish, but it wouldn’t be strange if a few peculiar ones turn up now and then?
So, if I consider just that one person, it might seem like I incur great losses, but in a broader perspective, I actually profit. Such people are extremely rare.
How many would be able to drop the blade of revenge when they lose their truly beloved family or partner?
In fact, if more people grow indifferent and shun others, it will cause losses. If society mostly ends up like that, the very warmth contained in the light diminishes, and after becoming a harvester, they’ll have little motivation to act.
I saw that directly in the second world.
From the start, humans were reared to be materials to be harvested.
Even once they become harvesters, they don’t gain stronger physical abilities; rather, they acquire the ability to die faster. The light was dim before I turned them into harvesters, and the warmth was even less than the light.
They truly are nothing but a loss.
A world like George Orwell’s 1984 would be better. Those who are oppressed can sparkle the moment they harbor hope of breaking free from despair.
A world like Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We is not pleasant. Humans with diminished emotions will have less warmth. Even if despair brings them to me, it would be hard to gain the will to move forward.
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is the worst. That world would be one unable to gain harvesters.
It means the entrance to get in is blocked. There, desires exist, but due to the over-supply of pleasure, it’s hard to fall into despair.
A world stained with desires and greed due to scarcity is preferable.
In such a world, there will be some who fall to the bottom, and if they gain power, they will try to rise up no matter what they need to sacrifice.
Of course, if they can’t ascend to another world, they might be so eager it could end up costing them everything!
But still, I realized by seeing the second world.
That one day, I could return to another world with techniques that belong neither to Yasle nor to this world.
If there’s a second one, there must be a third.
So even if I incur losses right now, I invest for the future.
One day.
If all the harvesters roam throughout the worlds, and they send me warmth, I will happily sink down to the bottom!
Hehe.
At that point, I definitely won’t feel cold.
“Choseol, what are you thinking? You’re smiling with a strange face.”
Soo-oh, freshly done with her workout, suddenly approached and asked in a short tone.
“I was just thinking of a future filled with warmth for a moment. I really like warmth.”
Soo-oh tilted her head and pointed to the kitchen. She was referring to the unquenchable flame in there.
“That’s warm over there.”
“It is a bit hot in the daytime.”
If it were just the flame, it wouldn’t matter, but since it definitely radiates heat, yeah.
I wondered if it was something strange, but looking closely, it just appeared to be normal fire.
But I can’t move it.
If I poke a twig into it, it catches fire, but I can’t shift the fire itself. And if the flaming twig goes outside, it gets extinguished.
The only place it won’t go out is that space.
The term “spatial coordinates” flickers in my head, but I ignore it.
I once thought of pouring water on it to see, but then I’d have to bring firewood to rekindle it if it went out.
Though I don’t quite understand the structure, it’s just like using a phone— I won’t know the principles but will use it comfortably.
Anyway, I looked at Soo-oh, standing in front of me.
Soo-oh held a stick in one hand.
Martial arts. What do I do about that?
I need martial arts to live on, but I can’t teach her martial arts.
Sending memories?
That’s just like tossing a book and telling her to study on her own.
Moreover, what if I didn’t send everything, and it got cut off? Or I create a situation where she becomes depleted and has to practice martial arts?
No. Why am I even worried about this?
She can grow up fine. On her own.
Whether she lives or dies, all I need is to receive warmth.
At that moment, the Faded Man’s memories flickered.
A weak trainer.
What?
No, that’s right.
If my harvester is weak, that would just be annoying. Just like how you want a dog to go out and reign over others, right?
It’s just nice that I have content to raise a kid, but if she’s weak, there’s no way she can do it. That’s the blowback.
Hmm.
I’m thinking about the reasons.
If I gain experience training someone here, it’ll help when I raise harvesters in the future. I learned from my first world that just increasing numbers resulted in the world collapsing.
So, a small number.
But to kill many people, I need to elite them.
“What are you thinking about?”
“I’m wondering how to raise Soo-oh.”
How can I make it so she’ll be rumored to be well-raised?
Though I feel like being a professional educator is just too much.
I’m lazy.
Suddenly, Soo-oh dropped her sword. I was puzzled about why she lost it when she ran towards me with a face that looked like she could cry.
“I want to stay with Choseol!”
I hugged her for the moment, but what does that mean?
Did she hear I’d abandon her or something?
“Soo-oh, I wouldn’t ever abandon you.”
If anything, there’s a chance she might grow up and say, “I don’t like you!” and leave one day.
Adolescence comes for everyone, right?
The memories of the Faded Man flashed in my mind; RPG game character I focused on training abandoned me and I had to retrain her— that scene filled me with despair.
Seems like he didn’t have a kid, so he’s just reminiscing about it. Ugh.
I patted Soo-oh.
“Just relax; you should do what you want, Soo-oh.”
After saying that, I shifted my gaze to the fence that only left traces of the house.
There stood a woman with azure skin, who looked at me with a mix of emotions. Upon making eye contact, she stepped over the fence and approached me.
“You seem just like a human.”
That’s a line I heard before.
“This body, at least, yes.”
“Your actions say so too.”
If she knew my true self, she would feel disillusioned. If you’re human, you should rightfully do so, after all.
Anyway, I know why the Cheonma has come. So, I stared at her quietly to convey the meaning of hurrying up, and the Cheonma sighed softly before opening her mouth.
“I’m having Jeonyang’s funeral. Tomorrow. Wear the clothes I designate and attend.”
While you might not participate in a wedding, they do say to attend a funeral. I nodded in agreement. Then, I pointed to Soo-oh, who was tightly gripping me.
“Please prepare clothes for her too.”
“Alright. I’ll do that.”
After the Cheonma nodded, seeing that there was no more to say, she turned away and headed back to the Cheonma Church Main Hall.
A funeral, huh…
“Tomorrow will be busy.”
I told Soo-oh.
“A funeral?”
Soo-oh seemed puzzled, raising her head and asking me, perhaps it was her first time hearing it.
“It’s a ritual for the living to let go of the deceased from their hearts.”
“I don’t really understand.”
She wouldn’t at this point.
I watched the vague silhouette of the Cheonma deep in thought, then grabbed Soo-oh, tossing her into the yard.
“Yah!”
“We’re finishing the exercise!”
We don’t stop midway. Even if she looks like she’s about to cry, no way, Soo-oh.
In short, that’s it. That.
Member! One more set!
