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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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I finally arrived at the Namgung Sega.
“My goodness.”
The building was magnificent at first glance.
No, it wasn’t just magnificent, it appeared like a fortress.
Was this real? Was this really a house?
A tall, large wall surrounded the vast grounds, and beyond it, several majestic buildings soared into the sky.
It looked strong enough to withstand even an attack from the Yuan Dynasty cavalry. Its appearance was fit to be called a castle. Was this Anhui Fortress?
Originally, as I knew, in the Ming Dynasty where the emperor was properly in place, it was impossible to surround a house with castle walls or build it like a fortress. The moment something like this was built, one could be arrested along with their entire extended family for suspicion of military rebellion.
But I heard that here, the Ming Imperial Army was too busy fighting the devils of hell, so they gave autonomy to the local clans to stabilize their territories. That’s probably why such a tremendous building existed here.
“Your jaw is about to drop, Geun-hyeop.”
“No way! This is not a house! It’s a castle! This is Anhui Fortress, Anhui Fortress!”
At my praise, Namgung Serin smiled faintly and said,
“I’ll provide you with a guest house. You can rest there.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“I’ll quickly arrange for a physician to be sent, so please take good care of yourself. Oh, I’ll also send a maid, so if you need anything, tell her.”
“I’m truly experiencing such luxury in my life. I’m glad I stabbed the Hayagriva in the back.”
“Think of it as a reward for your courage.”
“Oh yeah!”
The main gate opened, and we all went inside.
Once inside, it was even more magnificent. A huge building, tall and wide, welcomed us.
There were walkways everywhere, a training ground, and many other buildings used for various purposes. How should I describe it? A university campus? It felt exactly like that. Enclose a university campus with castle walls and change the building roofs to a muhyeop style, and it would be exactly this place.
That’s how grand it was.
As I stood there dumbfounded, a young maid who had received instructions approached.
“Hello, Daehyup.”
She was a maid with a smiling face and a memorable bun hairstyle.
“I’ll guide you to the guest house.”
“Ah, yes.”
I immediately followed the maid to the guest house. It was a one-story building nearby, and I noticed that there were many similar guest houses around.
Since this was such a place, there were probably many guests, hence the many guest houses.
As I was marveling, we arrived.
The maid opened the door, and I went inside.
“Oh.”
Such a clean room existed?
My first impression was extremely favorable. After sleeping only in the strange and inferior rooms of inns, seeing this proper building put my mind at ease.
First of all, the floor was clean.
The furniture was well-maintained, and the bedding looked very cozy.
“Such a nice room exists.”
“I’ll show you around the guest house. This is the living room, that’s the bedroom, and over there is the bathroom.”
“Excuse me? Bathroom?”
A bathroom inside the guest house?
Slightly surprised, I went in, and it really was a bathroom. And it was a bathroom with a complete sewage system.
Not only that, but there was also a bathroom next door, which used water drawn from a water pipe instead of a well.
Simply put, it was a shower facility.
“This is unbelievable!”
This wasn’t muhyeop!
“If you need warm water, please let me know.”
“Hot water too!”
Even hot water!
This was just a modern house!
“There’s a small training ground in the backyard, so if you want to practice martial arts, please use it. I’ll bring your meal soon. Oh, there are also spare clothes prepared, so please check the closet.”
The maid bowed her head and left.
“Oh my.”
Was this real?
Such a luxurious space was merely a guest house?
I was so surprised that I couldn’t close my mouth.
Feeling dazed, I opened the closet.
“Oh.”
Clean clothes were folded inside.
Upon checking, they were clothes I could wear.
There was even underwear.
“Do I deserve such luxury?”
That thought briefly crossed my mind, but then,
“Yes!”
I did deserve it!
No matter what anyone said, I had made a crucial decision at a critical moment, launched a reckless surprise attack on Hayagriva, and saved Namgung Serin’s life. I deserved this much reward.
I wanted to change clothes and rest immediately.
Before that, I went to the bathroom.
“I always washed with water drawn from a well, but here…”
I clicked the mechanism in front of me.
Whoosh.
Water sprayed out from the water pipe connected above.
“Ah!”
Cold water fell on the top of my head. It was very cold, but I was just excited. How long has it been since I showered like this? Scooping water with a dipper was really inconvenient.
So, I excitedly washed myself, dried my body with a towel, came out, and put on new clothes.
Then, I threw myself onto the bed.
“Wow!”
There weren’t even beds in inns!
Lying on this bed made me feel like I had finally returned to Earth.
This was the happiness that came from the victory of civilization.
Honestly, a place like this was livable.
Wait a minute.
The maid said she would give me food, too.
“Delivery service…!”
Did food appear when I clicked the maid’s button?
Knock knock.
“Sir, your food is here.”
“Ah, come in.”
“Yes.”
I opened the door, and the maid brought in a table of food.
“Fried rice, twice-cooked pork, and yellow peach.”
“Oh!”
Appetizing-looking fried rice, some kind of meat dish, and a fruit with a yellow peel were served together.
An insane combination…!
“Thank you for the food!”
I immediately dismissed the maid, sat down, and started eating.
First, I took a large spoonful of fried rice and put it in my mouth.
“Hmm…!”
Delicious!
It was incomparable to the food at inns!
Next, I picked up the twice-cooked pork with chopsticks. Of course, this was also eye-opening in taste. The greasy and spicy flavor greatly stimulated my taste buds.
“Wow!”
Then, I tasted a piece of the fruit that had been sliced with the peel.
“Hmm?”
Wasn’t this a fruit I knew?
The fruit was soft, but the inside was slightly chewy, the flesh was moist, and it had a subtle sweetness. I had never tasted anything like this before. It must have been a local specialty.
“Delicious!”
Anyway, not only was it a perfect balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat, but it was also delicious, making me dizzy with pleasure. I had only eaten strange combat rations on my way here, so my sense of taste was parched, but even without that, it was incredibly delicious. It was pure heaven.
After finishing the satisfying meal, I called the maid to clear the table, brushed my teeth, and lay down on the bed.
“Ugh…!”
I felt so sleepy.
Although I rode in a carriage occasionally during the journey, I mostly walked, and when I slept, I camped with the Hacheondae warriors.
I was tired in many ways, and the sleeping arrangements were uncomfortable, so my body was worn out. Perhaps that’s why, as soon as I lay down on the bed, my whole body became languid, and I quickly lost consciousness.
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I woke up to someone making noise.
After regaining some consciousness, I saw the maid calling me from outside the door.
“Ah, what is it?”
“You’re awake. The young lady is here.”
Suddenly?
The door opened, and Namgung Serin entered.
“Lady Namgung Serin?”
“You’re awake. My father wishes to see you, so let’s go together.”
“What? Why?”
“You saved his daughter, so of course he has to see you.”
That made sense.
“Alright. I’ll get ready right away.”
I immediately finished preparing to leave and stood next to Namgung Serin.
“I’m wearing the clothes from the closet. Is that okay?”
“No problem. Oh, if you need clothes, please take them.”
“Really!”
“I’ll also give you some sturdy martial arts attire. Didn’t your original clothes get damaged from being covered in Ghoul’s blood?”
“Thank you so much, Celestial Maiden!”
“It’s nothing.”
It might be nothing to you, but to me, it was the most precious possession!
Overwhelmed with emotion, I trembled as I moved with Namgung Serin. The destination was none other than the place where the head of the Namgung Sega was. He was somewhere in that largest building.
“Wow. But the building is so big. Wouldn’t just going up and down the stairs be enough to train my lower body?”
“Not really. We usually use the seung-gang-gi.”
“Seung, what?”
“Here it is.”
An elevator appeared before us.
“It’s a mechanism. If you press this, you can go to the desired floor.”
“…”
This wasn’t muhyeop…!
No! Pull yourself together!
Strictly speaking, elevators existed even in the ancient Roman Colosseum. It wasn’t that strange for one to be in the Ming Dynasty.
Creak.
But it really was an elevator.
“This is a true celestial realm. Such a wonderful space exists. My whole body is trembling.”
“Feel that emotion fully.”
“I’m engraving it in my heart.”
The elevator stopped, and Namgung Serin stood next to me.
“Follow me.”
“Yes.”
I followed Namgung Serin here and there. It felt like I had entered a large company building. The hallways were long, and there were various rooms on both sides.
A giant building in the Murim was unacceptable.
Just because the roof was Ming Dynasty style, did that make it okay?
I couldn’t stand it!
Anyway, we arrived in front of the head’s room, and Namgung Serin knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
“Yes.”
The door opened.
“Father, I’ve brought the guest.”
“…”
The man standing in the middle of the room was, no matter how I looked at him, a young man.
However, I felt a certain profound and powerful energy from him.
That’s right!
That man was the head of the Namgung Sega…!
“I am Namgung Cheon. And you are?”
“I am the wandering swordsman, Kim Geun-hyeop!”
It was just a greeting, but I felt as if I was standing before a giant beast.
Was this a true Murim master?
My mind was shaken just by him standing there!
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Thanks simzy!