There was a brief commotion, but when Shintu began distributing the gold bars, most of the silk craftsmen agreed to take the reward and head back home.
However, a few refused to return, namely the elderly Baek and two of the craftsmen.
Upon seeing Yo-hwa’s thread, they seemed mesmerized, and despite the gold bars, they refused to go back and earnestly begged me.
"You want to make silk with this thread?"
"Yes, we saw the finest thread in the world from the one you showed us, Young Master!"
"No, the finest thread is from the Celestial Silkworm..."
"The Celestial Silkworm’s thread is too tough, and weaving it into fabric requires internal energy. That’s impossible for common folk like us."
"Making something else out of it wouldn’t be easy either."
"Moreover, the Celestial Silkworm’s thread doesn’t shine as much, so even if we were to weave it, it would resemble cotton more than silk. But..."
Having thought about what it would be like to weave fabric from Yo-hwa’s thread, this suggestion was, of course, a delightful one.
However, since I needed to get permission from the elders of the family, I hesitated to give an answer.
Then came the resolute voice.
"The thread you showed us, Young Master, stretches smoothly yet is tough, and its luster is more splendid than any thread I’ve ever seen! It’s the kind of thread that ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ can make the finest silk!"
"Fifty years as a silk craftsman! If I don’t weave this into fabric, I will never be able to die in peace, even in the afterlife!"
"Yes! No need for payment, just please, let us weave it for you, Young Master!"
‘What is this, are they all obsessed with silk? Wait, could it be? Could it really be like that?’
I thought about what these people were, completely devoted to silk. But looking at their burning eyes, I saw something within myself—an obsessive soul, the same that would act if someone showed me an attractive venomous creature.
If someone showed me a rare poison, wouldn’t I react the same way? Begging for it. No, I’d even become a servant just to care for it.
I could see a bit of my previous life in them, the way I’d run out during a broadcast to claim some new species of lizard that had just arrived. Or the time I begged a shopkeeper to let me touch a rare lizard that wasn’t reserved for sale yet.
In the end, every obsession leads to making something yourself.
I used to aim to breed various patterns of lizards, so I could totally understand their desperation.
If I was a poison enthusiast, these craftsmen were silk enthusiasts.
‘All fans respect and support the tastes of other fans.’
I nodded, recalling the unwritten rule of the fan world.
Since it was about respecting their preferences, I gave them a thumbs-up.
"What, what’s that?"
The three of them blinked as they looked at my thumb.
I winked at them and replied,
"It means I respect your tastes—or rather, your determination."
"If that’s the case...!?"
"Alright, fine! But you must weave the most beautiful and finest silk in the world!"
"Of course! Young Master! I’ll give my life to make the finest masterpiece!"
"Thank you! Young Master!"
After accepting the three craftsmen into the family, the elders looked at me in surprise.
‘Did I make a mistake?’
"So-ryong, you brought silk craftsmen here?"
"Yes, they want to try weaving silk from Yo-hwa’s thread. Do you think it’s alright?"
I had loudly brought them in, but now I had no explanation. The elders were already aware, and I feared I might get a cold reception.
But unexpectedly, what followed was praise.
"Really? That kid, always bringing us good fortune."
"Isn’t it hard to find silk craftsmen like that?"
"Exactly. It’s not easy to find excellent craftsmen. Well done! I thought my son-in-law was just great at catching poisons, but it turns out he’s good at catching people too?"
It wasn’t easy to find skilled craftsmen for silk-making since it was a profitable business, like an export business. Though I was a bit concerned since Shintu had stolen these craftsmen, the elders assured me that they would handle that matter themselves.
"It’s hard to find craftsmen who want to move. But if they decide to stay with our family, don’t worry, son-in-law."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, we can negotiate where they came from and settle the matter."
After receiving the elder’s permission, I decided to introduce the craftsmen to Yo-hwa.
They would be working together, so I wanted them to get acquainted.
"First, you mustn’t be surprised. The thread Yo-hwa uses didn’t come from silkworms."
"Huh? Not from silkworms? Then where?"
Leaving the family mansion, I headed toward the well and, as I mentioned that the thread wasn’t from silkworms, the three craftsmen blinked in confusion.
"Yo-hwa!"
Thud!
When I called out to her as we arrived at the well, Yo-hwa immediately leapt down in front of me.
"Eek!"
"Y-Young Master!"
"The, the insect... is that... a monster!?"
The three craftsmen were horrified as they saw the floral appendages on Yo-hwa’s body.
Trying to reassure them, I patted Yo-hwa on the head and said,
"Don’t worry. Yo-hwa is a human-faced insect. She can change her body into a human form. She understands human speech and won’t harm anyone unless threatened."
"And if you want more thread, she will make as much as you need."
As I finished explaining Yo-hwa’s abilities, the three craftsmen stood frozen, still stunned, but strangely, their gaze was fixed on a single spot.
Looking where they were staring, I saw that it was Yo-hwa’s transformed leg, her pedipalps wrapped around her ankle.
More specifically, they were staring at the red thread tied around Yo-hwa’s ankle.
‘Why are they staring at the thread?’
Soon, the craftsmen’s eyes alternated between Yo-hwa’s ankle and mine, and suddenly, the three of them raised their thumbs toward me and shouted.
"We... We respect you, Young Master!"
"Huh?"
It felt like they misunderstood something completely.
‘No, that’s not it! She’s not my lover, she’s my pet!’
***
"Are you really planning to bring them all along?"
"What can I do? It’s already like this. And they’ll be helpful."
At Shintu’s question, I looked around.
Seol and Bini were perched on my shoulders, while Hyang sat atop my head. Yo-hwa and Cho were at my sides, and Yendu was wrapped around my neck.
After already traveling quite a distance once before, they all seemed determined to follow me now, as we weren’t going far.
Shintu and I had planned to leave quickly, but that plan was completely derailed.
With the addition of Hwa-eun, Seol, and Shintu’s disciple Yeong-ryeon, our group could no longer be considered small. It seemed that this would be a leisurely trip after all.
After all, we were going to stick to mountain paths, and it wasn’t far from here.
And more than that, I had briefly considered sending them off, but my instincts—Fabre’s instincts—told me that this time, all my senses would need to be on high alert.
"They’ll be helpful, you say?"
"Yes, if any dangerous venomous creatures show up, these guys will protect us."
I thought about the two defensive weapons discovered in the Celestial Silkworm.
The strong thread and the organ, Osmeterium, which emitted a peculiar scent.
Thinking about it, it was possible that some very powerful creature might be feeding on the Celestial Silkworms. And if that were the case, Cho and Yo-hwa might be crucial in that moment.
‘Who knows? Maybe we’ll discover another deadly poison...’
If our adversary was a poison like that, dealing with it using a deadly poison was the best approach.
If it were such a poison, we would definitely need Cho and Yo-hwa.
After all, I’d learned that lesson with the powerful and terrifying creature we had faced before.
We barely managed to handle it when Cho and Yo-hwa were younger and still learning.
So, we left the family estate and headed for a forest located at the boundary between Sichuan and Qinghai provinces.
As we delved deeper into the dense forest, we encountered a unique geographical feature.
At the edge of a massive basin, the trees were thick, but in the basin itself, not a single blade of grass grew. Instead, red rock formations dotted the area, towering in sharp peaks.
The red peaks, about thirty to fifty meters high, created a spectacular scene.
It reminded me of the Stone Forest I had briefly visited in Yunnan, Seol’s homeland.
"Amazing, isn’t it? Is this the place?"
"Yes, the elder Shintu of past generations said he discovered the eggs and the Celestial Silkworms here."
"This place? It’s much bigger than I expected."
"Indeed, it is."
Looking down from the basin, it was clear that the area was vast. The Red Rock Forest stretched for miles, larger than I’d imagined. There must have been dozens, no, maybe even over a hundred of these red rock peaks.
As I realized the vastness of the area, it became obvious that what I had originally thought was a quick trip would be much more complicated.
Shintu knew that the Celestial Silkworm had been discovered here, but he didn’t know the exact location.
There was a code among thieves that said you couldn’t find the exact location of where something had been stolen, so this information was passed down by word of mouth.
In the end, to find the Celestial Silkworm’s food, we would have to search this place thoroughly.
"Seems like it’s not going to be easy to find."
Although I had hoped that my expert perspective would help, all I could see was red rock peaks.
If we were to find something here, we’d likely have to search through each of those peaks.
***
Tap! Tap!
"Quite the strange rock," Hwa-eun said as she picked up a stone and tapped it against the rock.
The echo reverberated through the basin.
As she said, the red peaks were indeed unusual.
The size of a few dozen people could fit inside, and the surface was unusually smooth, as though it had been melted by some force.
It looked almost like concrete or red skyscrapers, much like the ones in Yeouido.
"Did you find anything up top?" I asked Shintu, who had used his light body technique to ascend to the top of a peak and was surveying the area.
"Nothing special."
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.
Looking down from the basin, the barren, desert-like floor was made up of weathered rocks and red soil. It seemed like there was no life here, just like when we had looked from above.
"I’m not as knowledgeable about poisons and creatures as you, So-ryong, but there doesn’t seem to be anything here for the Celestial Silkworm to feed on."
Even Hwa-eun, who had always deferred to my expertise with poisons, didn’t think there could be anything useful in such a desolate place.
Even if the Celestial Silkworms were extraordinary creatures, it was hard to imagine them laying eggs here where food would be scarce.
"Still, since Shintu believes this is the place, we should search carefully."
"Alright."
"You all help your mom and dad out, too. Look for something like round red eggs or venomous creatures."
Chirp!
Whistle!
Rustle!
At my command, Cho soared into the air, and Yo-hwa began climbing the peak.
Yendu was perched atop my head, while Bini and Seol scanned the area from my shoulders like watchtowers.
Rustle!
Then, Hyang climbed down my body as if to search on her own, inspecting the surroundings.
"Hyang, be careful, don’t wander off too far. Yendu, follow Hyang just in case. It might be dangerous."
Hiss!
I attached Yendu to Hyang as a kind of guardian, but Hyang, cutely, brought back a round red rock and started climbing a pillar, continuing her search in her own way.
Click?
"No, that’s not it. That’s just a rock."
Hyang brought me a red rock, tilting her head as if asking whether it was the right thing. It was already the fifth one, but if it looked even slightly different, she’d bring it to me.
Rustle?
Soon, Hyang seemed to ask again, as if unsure.
I smiled and crouched down to look in the direction of her question.
Under my shadow, a small insect was wriggling in Hyang’s mouth.
Startled, I crouched and shouted.
"Hyang, where did you find that!?"
None of us had found anything, but Hyang suddenly returned with a bug the size of an egg.
It was struggling in Hyang’s mouth, seemingly frantic.