Book 16 Chapter 20

Where the winner goes

It's already been three days since the end of the clay pipes exam.

The morning dawned as usual, and the rain woke me up as usual.

But in the eyes of the Grand Duke, the sun rising today felt different than it did yesterday.

And tomorrow it will look newer, because today is the beginning of a new history. The sun rising to mark the end of the old world could not be the same as the sun rising to mark the beginning of the new.

The Archduke rippled and disturbed the copper basin that reflected his heartless eyes like a mirror.

He did not like to look in the mirror. A mirror always reflects only the present; it is impossible to see the future through it unless you have special powers. And the present always reminds us of the past.

The present and the past, he didn't like to compare the two; sometimes it was not a very pleasant thing to recognize the stark difference between the past and the present. So he didn't like to look in the mirror, even if it was only temporarily formed by the lingering of water.

Clack-clack-clack.

I washed my hands. Three feet away, Chu Myung bowed politely, a towel draped over one forearm.

"Ready?"

"It's all done, my lord. The dragon will fly today."

Chu Myung replied in an emotional voice.

"Okay, what about them?"

I knew who they were referring to without being asked. Someone named as a potential danger, an unpredictable variable. But the variable was already silent.

"…I haven't heard from them yet, they don't seem to be making any moves."

"Well… I guess we can't do anything about it then. What about Samsung?"

"I don't see any movement there either."

"Then there will be no one to stop us. The sages of the River Lake should remember this day. Destruction for rebirth! Today is the day that the history of the River Lake is rewritten! Today is the day that force ends and the New Murimaki begins!"

His voice, as cold as a sculpture made of ice, was warm for once. The sense of mission to usher in a new era was fueling him.

"Chu Myung, the plum blossoms blooming today will be even more beautiful, right?"

"Sure."

The Volcano Society's Five Elements exam is officially over. The contestants were all gathered in the great hall. The announcement of the winner was about to be made by the Heavenly Elder, Hyuk-jung.

The championship had been sealed with Group 1. All of the other teams had been attacked by mysterious silver masks in the center of the city and had their cards stolen. The only group that didn't lose a single card was Team 1. They too were attacked and beaten by silver masks with branches, but they didn't lose a card. Ironically, it was all thanks to Bi Ryuyeon, who they took the initiative to chase away.

"I don't see Bi Confucius and NaSojae? I don't see Confucius Hsiao and Confucius Zhang either……. Did something happen to you, Master Yin?"

Eunseulan asked in a worried voice.

Hyeondo was standing with Eunsulan at a distance from the dais on the pretext that she was bored of being in a formal dining hall. She was accompanying him because she was curious about the results, but when she didn't see any familiar faces where they should have been, she was puzzled and asked.

"Well… from what I heard, you were involved in some sort of incident during the exam……."

"What do you mean, a case?"

"Hmm, all I know is that someone was murdered."

Eunseulan's complexion has greatly deteriorated. Realizing that her mood has become depressed, Yeomdo said in embarrassment.

"Oh, don't look so worried. They said no one was hurt, and the dead guy must not have been a participant."

"But why……."

"Don't go any deeper!"

Yeomdo didn't want to worry Eunsulan, so he remained tight-lipped about the details.

"Then I'd like to announce the best group of the Hwasan Covenant Branch. Best group of the Five Elements Branch of the Centennial Hwasan Covenant Branch……."

The master of ceremonies paused for a moment, then exclaimed.

"Team 1! The winning team is Team 1. Representatives of Team 1, please come to the podium."

Cheers erupted from the first team. It was the Grand Duke himself, Bi, who stepped up to the podium with a commanding gait and an aura that overwhelmed the room. But that's when it happened. One by one, the gazes of the people looking at the Grand Duke turned upward. On the roof of the Heavenly Hall, a building located directly behind the dais, someone was climbing fearlessly.

"Wait!"

The man shouted, his voice carrying a depth of emotion that could have rattled a great armor.

"Objection!"

He shouted again in a gravelly voice.

"Hey, why is that author expression there?"

The Maharajah in the front row's eyes widened. He recognized the man on the roof. To his surprise, it was Bi Ryuyeon, who had disappeared after being accused of murdering Ahn Myung-hoo during the Zhongtao tube test.

But what is she holding? Before she could finish her thought, Bi Ryuyeon threw what she was holding in her right hand in front of the dais, right under Archduke Bi's nose.

The object looked very bulky and heavy, and it flew at an unexpectedly slow speed. It was as if an invisible hand was supporting it. But when it reached the Archduke's nose, the invisible hand vanished, and the object dropped, shattering the dais with a loud crash, rolling several more times before falling to the rain.

To my amazement, it was indeed limber, perhaps two or three times the size of a normal human. But the hulking man's face was puffy and swollen, and his mouth was a mess of foam.

At the sight of him, the Archduke's blade rose to the sky, and his eyes widened. The Archduke, who knew who he was and his hidden second identity, was horrified.

"The big guy, you know who he is, right?"

On the roof, Bi Ryuyeon shouted. He was a man they had never seen before. None of the spirit beings they knew were that big.

"Woo Dae Sook Soo!"

His identity was recognized by the ruler in charge of the ceremony. The number of chefs in Hongmae Valley was thirty-six. Standing at the pinnacle of all of them was the master of all master chefs, the great master butcher Wudun Wudun, and that was his identity.

"Okay, do you have your excuses ready?"

Bi Ryuyeon asked with a chuckle.

"Aren't you the one who should be making excuses before me?"

"Why would I?"

"You still haven't cleared yourself of the murder of An Minghu, haven't you? Weren't you the culprit in that case? Who would listen to the words of a criminal?"

Bi Ryuyeon smirked.

"Alas, not me again! Don't worry, I have my trusty vouchers, and they will vouch for my words and actions."

"Guarantor?"

"That's us!"

People aren't used to this kind of shock, so some people looked like their hearts were going to jump out of their chests, and some people looked like their eyes were going to pop out of their heads.

Surprisingly, it was the three Chunmusamis who stood up.

"This is… amazing……."

The Grand Duchess Bi couldn't hide her surprise. I can't believe they're stuck here……. They hadn't seen any movement. Perhaps it wasn't the incompetence of their subordinates. Perhaps it wasn't the incompetence of his subordinates, who had left everything to Bi Ryuyeon and her companions while they impersonated Taeyeon. To keep themselves, and their unseen enemies, off guard.

"Now, do you feel like confessing?"

Bi Ryuyeon smiled again.