The next day, Cheonma came as if nothing had happened.
From Cheonma’s perspective, it seems like he doesn’t care much about me, so I guess he thinks I expected that.
I kind of predicted this.
You have dragons flying through the clouds, sprinkling rain and disappearing, or a tiger that can eat every living thing in the deep forest, or a mama with scars left from surviving after killing a child, or monsters trembling from the strange cold that came from another world—it’s all the same, really.
In fact, if you asked to choose something dangerous, I’d pick mama right away; the feeling of danger is just that different.
It’s a perspective on who kills more people. If you explain something abstract without a basis for understanding, it just ends up sounding weird.
Like a nuclear bomb versus a candle that burns forever without fuel.
When faced with the question of which one is scarier, those lacking knowledge in physics would pick the nuclear bomb, while those with knowledge would likely choose the flame.
There is, after all, something like that in our fireplace.
If Cheonma or Soo-oh don’t feel anything strange, it seems like Qi doesn’t consume some unknown energy either.
Anyway, Cheonma doesn’t seem to think seriously about me.
So, today is just like any other day continuing on.
It’d be nice if Soo-oh grew stronger like this, but simply passing the time feels like such a waste.
Maybe it’s because the Cheonma Church has taken over, but even though I left the image of someone who can heal at Jeonyang’s funeral, no one comes.
Soo-oh is still around 14 years old.
There’s time, after all.
Maybe it’s better to cultivate a relationship with Cheonma and act with her as a backing?
The problem is that the Cheonma Church is a religion.
You can’t just ignore the existence of other deities; that’s what religion is. Even in polytheism, the main deity remains while the visiting deities are downgraded and blended into the mix.
It’s like how Hinduism absorbed Buddhism, and the Buddha became an avatar of Vishnu.
Going under someone doesn’t feel bad at all. But then there’s the fact that I might lose control, which is why I hesitate.
Last time, I didn’t control things at all, and everything spread out massively, leading to chaos in the world.
I mean, who could have predicted the glass would shatter if the harvesting period got longer?
To limit that, creating a secret society that just benefits itself, like the Freemasons, seems ideal.
Hooking political figures, high officials, or wealthy people with the bait of healing and turning them into a harvesting group would mean their warmth goes to me when they kill.
I have to figure out how to create a structure that can return to that.
Huh? This is totally a heretic simulator…
Seems about right.
How on earth can I create an automatic warmth harvesting system in the second world?
While contemplating that, I watched Cheonma and Soo-oh repeating specific movements in the yard.
From after lunch until before dinner.
Of course, they’re not the only ones training. I also exercise separately.
But it’s not the kind of movement that requires Internal Energy like Soo-oh does; it’s just to keep the body moving.
I especially run a lot.
I circle around here like I did running through rocky deserts back in my Rebecca days.
The difference from Rebecca’s days is that Soo-oh is tall, so she’s faster and running isn’t boring.
And maybe it’s the genetics, but she runs really quickly and doesn’t tire easily.
Of course, compared to Soo-oh who leaps as if flying using Qi, I’m incredibly slow.
But what can you do?
When exercise is over, Cheonma leaves, and Soo-oh and I prepare dinner together. They send food from the Cheonma Church, so having something to eat isn’t an issue, but we still need to cook with just ingredients.
So, we prepare the rice, eat, and clean up until midnight.
There’s not much to do here, so when the sun sets, we sleep early.
Days go by, then two days.
Before I knew it, it started getting chilly, and eventually, white flakes began falling from above.
Snow is here.
Winter has arrived.
The water’s edge visible below the cliff is a bright white, and the trees to the north are all covered in snow. Every breath lets out a cloud of mist, and I need to wear thick clothing.
The one good thing is that the house isn’t cold.
The flame in the fireplace is still going strong. Of course, since it’s not an ondol structure, only the wall facing the fireplace is warm.
Seems enough to get through winter.
The funny thing is that I’m the only one keeping an eye on that flame. Cheonma only stays for a bit, so it’s understandable, but even Soo-oh has never stared long at the flame.
Soo-oh seems a little anxious.
What if she starts saying, “Isn’t the flame supposed to not go out once it’s lit?”
To maintain a flame like that throughout winter, there should be a pile of firewood stacked up in one part of the house. Soo-oh probably doesn’t know this fact.
It might be a good idea to create a campfire in a different location sometime.
Keeping in mind what Soo-oh needs to learn, I observe the daily routine that’s going on.
“Here, let the Qi flow faster. If it slows down, it could cause a reverse flow and rupture the meridians.”
“Yes, Master!”
Soo-oh and Cheonma are still getting along well today.
It’s one thing for Soo-oh to get attached to Cheonma, but Cheonma’s attitude has also softened significantly.
In other words, Cheonma has become fond of Soo-oh.
Hehe.
That’s really great.
Once emotions get involved, it’s hard to sever them. Just being next to them brings me benefits.
It’s only been half a year, and yet they’ve bonded so easily. Honestly, I’m worried if Cheonma can properly lead the Cheonma Church.
Well…
Being alone from the start is different from losing someone and ending up alone.
They say that filling loneliness ultimately comes from people, right?
Cheonma has no one to personally meet inside the Cheonma Church Main Hall other than for work. So, this must be a personal matter.
How foolish.
Anyway. One.
Since Cheonma spends all her time in the Cheonma Church Main Hall working, surprisingly, her reputation inside isn’t bad.
In fact, it’s quite good.
Yes.
It’s surprisingly so.
From Byeongil or the Cheongung’s Lord Hobeop’s perspective, there isn’t anyone who’s overtly hostile toward Cheonma among the Lords.
In fact, when the Lords meet, they even express joy at how Cheonma behaves like a true Cheonma, or discuss how Jeonyang should have died earlier.
From my view, over half of the ten factions have had incidents of rebellion against Cheonma, so honestly, it’s surprising she’s still alive.
I thought at least those made an example would be executed, but they just pretend nothing happened, so there’s no backlash. The Cheonma Church has quickly returned to normal, and things flow smoothly.
In other words, it means there are no major incidents.
So what about the subordinates…?
They accepted Cheonma more readily than expected.
From Gapjae’s or the commoners involved with the Cheongung, and the perspective of those who handed us fruit during Jeonyang’s funeral, it seems so.
Some people even think Cheonma has become a different person, others say heaven helped, so opinions vary widely, but the conclusion is usually the same.
They say things have improved tremendously compared to when Jeonyang was around.
In fact, the only bad one was Jeonyang, and some even say that everything returned to normal once that person died—it’s hilarious, like saying the trouble-making vixen who confused the King has died.
They only curse Jeonyang.
Yes.
There’s no mention of Cheonma.
As if the topic is one no one should speak of, for now, the Cheonma Church is said to be a good place to live.
Not only in open spaces, but even in tavern drinking parties or at home, no one mentions Cheonma except for praising her conduct.
I’m curious how they see a person who’s not only changed in gender but also looks completely different, but it’s a shame I can’t observe their reactions.
I can feel their awe and fear towards the object of worship.
So they probably don’t talk about Cheonma except to praise or commend her.
Honestly, it’s disappointing.
If it’s a stronghold, I wanted there to be a chaotic struggle to become strong. But here, there’s just livestock content with their own ranks.
All harvesting periods could turn into Cheonmas, yet no one is trying hard.
The Cheonma Church is a very static place.
I tried to shake things up a bit, but failed… If time is to pass without gaining anything, maybe it’s better to actually go outside?
Soo-oh is following Cheonma, and Cheonma cares for Soo-oh.
I could go alone.
I looked down at my body and then gazed toward the distant forest.
Outside the Cheonma Church.
Far away.
After crossing the forest and reaching the city, it’s a place you arrive at after crossing the city multiple times.
There’s Oh Myeong-seong.
He often eats elixirs or meditates in a place filled with monks.
Every time he does, my absorption rate rises and then stops. I hope it speeds up because once I reach the harvesting period, it’ll only suck the warmth from dying.
Since it’s not entirely mine, I wonder if Oh Myeong-seong killing someone would yield me warmth.
Sometimes he disappears, and sometimes there’s only sound, or an internal view of his body—like when the communication environment isn’t good, it feels shaky too.
Yet, I learned one thing.
There’s such a thing as an intermediate state.
In other words, if this state lasts too long, it might mean there’s a chance to develop countermeasures against me.
It’s something I’ve never thought of before.
I might have also been a bit overconfident somewhere.
I thought nobody could stop me from injecting light into myself.
But if they can stop me, perhaps someday I could be evicted. It means crafting a harvesting period has to be done delicately.
I should be careful. I’m just a bottom feeder right now.
But still, I have to take the risk and go outside. There are good, ordinary, and bad people in the place Oh Myeong-seong lives.
A place that chaotic is exactly where I can easily gather people.
But it’d be foolish to just rush in blindly.
I need to build up my strength until I can ward off a certain degree of risk.
At least once this body looks adult-like…
Then I’ll be ready to step outside.
