Multiverse , Leveling Up in the World I Created

Chapter 426: 426 Return to the Volcano 12

Hyeonjong was out of sorts for a while, so I had to use magic to wake him up.

"Ah... I was having a good dream... Huh! So it wasn’t a dream."

"Are you awake now?"

"Y, yes... How long was I out?"

"About a quarter of an hour."

"I see. Oh, this is no time to be standing around."

Hyeonjong got up, grabbed the ledgers, and tried to hurry off somewhere, but I stopped him.

"Sect Leader, there’s something you need to see."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

In fact, there was another hidden space here.

Inside were not only the gold and silver treasures that Mount Hua had accumulated a hundred years ago, but also various precious swords and martial arts manuals.

I knew about this from reading the original, and I had also come here once before as Shintu.

Back then, I broke in from the top rather than the entrance.

"There seems to be a hidden space below. When you were about to collapse, I hurriedly tried to catch you and accidentally nudged the empty bookshelf next to me, and there was a space underneath. Since I’m not a disciple of Mount Hua, I didn’t feel right entering, so I just waited until you woke up to tell you."

"What?! Which bookshelf are you talking about?"

When Hyeonjong asked, I lifted the bookshelf that was blocking the hidden space and moved it aside.

Then the hidden space below was revealed, and although it was dark and hard to see clearly, I could see something glinting.

It seemed to be the treasures Mount Hua had accumulated, reflecting the light, just as in the original.

"Heh... Such a space..."

Hyeonjong calmed his heart, fearing he might faint again, and went down below.

But the unexpected sight made him exclaim once more.

"Oh! Gold and silver treasures, martial arts manuals, and even precious swords!!!"

While Hyeonjong was amazed, I also glanced inside.

But there was less gold and silver than I had seen in the original.

Probably because I had stolen a considerable amount before.

Nevertheless, the amount remaining was still substantial.

In the original, Cheongmyeong coincidentally discovers Mount Hua’s treasure vault and solves their financial difficulties.

But the current Cheongmyeong hadn’t yet fully adapted to Mount Hua and was busy training his body, with no time to pay attention to other matters.

So it seemed there would be no major issue even if I pointed out the treasure vault.

And that brat Cheongmyeong, in the original, only returned the gold bars from the previous sect leader’s treasure to Mount Hua and kept the rest of the jewels and small gold nuggets for himself, spending them on alcohol and meat.

It might actually be better for me to find it for Mount Hua.

"Phew... I can’t move this alone. Since this is a place only the Sect Leader can enter, I can’t call for help. Please assist me."

"Understood. I’ll do that."

When Hyeonjong asked for help, I helped him move the items from the treasure vault to his quarters.

However, Hyeonjong didn’t move everything out, probably because Mount Hua’s situation had improved significantly since the last Hwajong Meeting.

"Since you found Mount Hua’s treasure vault, I feel uneasy sending you off empty-handed. So, do you need a sword?"

Hyeonjong said that thanks to me, Mount Hua had been able to find its treasure vault and tried to offer me a precious sword.

But without even examining it, I knew it would be a sword made of ten-thousand-year cold iron, and such an item was of little use to me.

I was about to decline, but thinking that Hyeonjong would feel uneasy about being indebted to me, I ended up taking two suitable swords before leaving the vault.

I’d give them to someone who needed them later.

From that time on, the elders of Mount Hua became extremely busy.

They seemed to be discussing day and night how to handle the ledgers.

In particular, Hyeonyeong, the Chief Elder, was moving very busily, verifying the authenticity of various documents.

Then Hyeonjong had the disciples summon all those involved in the Huayin County business ledgers to Mount Hua.

It seemed they had finally decided how to proceed.

Things moved quickly.

They showed the ledgers to the merchants who had been running the businesses they couldn’t touch before due to lack of evidence.

They decided to confiscate all the assets accumulated by the merchants who had been running Mount Hua’s businesses as they pleased and charging high interest, and they allowed the merchants who had supported Mount Hua and lent money at low interest during difficult times to operate the businesses on their behalf.

Of course, there was resistance.

Some strongly protested, claiming the ledgers were unreliable.

But the ledgers had already been verified as genuine by the government office, so their claims didn’t gain traction.

Moreover, by taking action at the moment when all the merchants were gathered at Mount Hua, when the government officials raided each business and began investigations, the merchants had no way to respond.

All of this was a meticulously prepared plan that Hyeonjong and the elders had worked on day and night.

However, Hyeonjong, who had a soft heart, showed one last mercy to the merchants being expelled from the businesses.

He allowed each of them to take one cartload of their possessions.

Of course, from my perspective, this was incomprehensible.

That much wasn’t mercy; it was practically being a pushover.

Moreover, there was one hidden truth behind this incident.

Behind everything was the Jongnam Sect, which had hoped for Mount Hua’s downfall.

When Mount Hua suffered a critical blow from its battle with the Demonic Cult remnants, Jongnam secretly planted people to gradually take over Mount Hua’s businesses one by one.

At the time, only young disciples remained at Mount Hua, so they had no power to respond.

To make matters worse, there were no ledgers left to serve as evidence, so there was no way to prove their grievance.

That’s why Mount Hua was forced to walk the path of decline for many years.

Knowing this, I couldn’t just leave them be.

They would surely ask Jongnam for support or go to Luoyang to bribe those with greater power to pressure Mount Hua.

I had no desire to get involved in such troublesome matters.

The merchants expelled from the businesses grumbled with dissatisfied expressions, loaded their accumulated possessions onto carts, and began to leave.

I quietly waited until they had left Huayin and were heading to other counties.

And when they reached a secluded spot, I used the ability of the [Bat-Bat Fruit Model Vampire].

In an instant, I absorbed their lifespans, and their bodies withered like mummies.

Then, using the [Blazing Fruit] ability, I burned the bodies and all traces without leaving a single shred of evidence.

After everything was done, I stored the carts and possessions they had been carrying into my inventory and left the scene as if nothing had happened.

’This should be enough to avoid any loose ends.’

This episode ended largely the same as the original.

The only difference was that the slush fund Cheongmyeong would have been able to secure in the original was now completely gone.

As a result, no matter how much he craved alcohol in the future, he wouldn’t have the money to even set foot in a tavern.

’Surely he won’t resort to stealing just to drink, will he?’

Thinking about it, I couldn’t be sure.

Because it was Cheongmyeong.

A few days later, Mount Hua began large-scale renovation work using the newly secured funds.

Buildings that had burned down in the past began to be rebuilt one by one.

Of course, the disciples also pitched in and worked hard.

In the meantime, I had been pretending to restore the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique.

I already knew it all, but I hadn’t restored everything.

I needed to be consistent, so I could only restore the parts where I could plausibly have obtained the information.

As a result, there were gaps in the techniques here and there, making it difficult to achieve mastery.

That being said, it wasn’t completely unusable.

It was, in a word, in an ambiguous state.

’I’d like to tell them everything, but I can’t help it. I wonder if this will be enough.’

Still, since it was stronger than the Chilmae Sword, I figured it would be fine for a while.

When things were roughly settled, I went outside and saw Cheongmyeong surrounded by the 1st-generation disciples, doing weight training.

"No, that’s not how you do it. You’ll throw your back out. I can’t stand it, move aside. I’ll show you personally, so watch carefully and follow along."

Despite the 1st-generation disciples’ nagging, Cheongmyeong silently continued his weight training.

Normally, he would have grumbled, but this time he showed no particular complaint.

He seemed to have realized that nothing beats weight training for building strength.

However, the hired workers at Mount Hua seemed completely unable to understand the situation.

They averted their eyes awkwardly, as if they had seen something they shouldn’t, and focused only on their work.

And unlike the original, Cheongmyeong didn’t gather the 3rd-generation disciples separately to teach them.

He seemed to think the training currently being conducted at Mount Hua was sufficient.

Above all, the current Cheongmyeong was more focused on improving his own skills rather than leading others.

Though it was still the same that he beat up his senior disciples whenever he was in a bad mood.

’It’s probably because I’ve stabilized Mount Hua quite a bit.’

But that didn’t mean there were no problems.

It was good that they had kicked out the swindlers who had been profiting from high interest, but Mount Hua had no one to run the businesses.

Because of this, the Sect Leader and the Chief Elder were racking their brains.

"Haa... this is a big problem. We’re going to go bankrupt at this rate..."

"I know. Isn’t there a good solution?"

"I’m quick with numbers, but I’m a complete novice when it comes to business..."

At that point, I stepped in.

"I can help with that problem."

"You? How?"

"You can use people from our manor. Since they’re already running businesses, they’ll adapt easily."

"Such a method exists! You’re truly a blessing!"

The Chief Elder was pleased, but the Sect Leader looked quite apologetic and spoke.

"But there’s distance from Sichuan, and if we incur another debt to the Jin Manor..."

"Don’t worry about that. Sichuan, where the Jin Manor is located, is tightly controlled by the Sichuan Tang Clan, so we have no room to expand our businesses further. As a result, we have some surplus personnel. From our perspective, this is a good thing as well."

"Oh~ I see. Then I’ll leave it to you."

With Sect Leader Hyeonjong’s permission, I immediately contacted my clone via telepathy, informed them of the situation, and told them to send people.

I thought it would be better for us to do this than to hand it over to others.

If we expanded our business, the Sichuan Tang Clan might interfere again, so using this opportunity to turn our attention outward seemed better.

The manor sent people right away.

Since they had business experience, there seemed to be no problem in normalizing the operations.

However, since it was a new venture in a foreign land, it seemed it would take some time to turn a stable profit.

Still, with ample financial backing, support from Mount Hua, and the remaining merchants who felt guilty and were pitching in, it probably wouldn’t take too long.

The good news didn’t end there.

Not long after, a letter from the Silver Merchant Guild arrived at our manor.

The letter stated that Lord Hwang, the head of the Silver Merchant Guild, was suffering from an unknown illness and was bedridden.

The Silver Merchant Guild had called in numerous physicians and doctors, but to no avail, and was now seeking help from various places to find someone well-versed in Western medicine.

That’s why the letter had come to us as well.

’Being mistaken for a foreigner has its benefits.’

The reason I considered this good news was that Lord Hwang was one of the wealthiest men in the world.

With his life in danger, the Silver Merchant Guild was promising a substantial reward to anyone who could cure him.

Moreover, this incident was one of the important turning points in the original story.

Cheongmyeong cured Lord Hwang, formed a connection with the Silver Merchant Guild, and used the enormous support he gained to solve Mount Hua’s business problems.

He didn’t stop there; he greatly expanded the business scale, laying the foundation for Mount Hua’s revival.

But the current Mount Hua, thanks to me, was not in such dire straits or crisis.

So it seemed fine for our manor to take this opportunity.

I immediately took out Western medical instruments from my inventory, packed them in a bag, and headed for Xi’an, where the Silver Merchant Guild was located.

The medical instruments weren’t strictly necessary for treatment, but since there would be onlookers, I needed to look convincing.

Thanks to [Jack Sparrow’s Compass], I was able to find the Silver Merchant Guild quickly.

"Excuse me?"

When I called out in front of the Silver Merchant Guild, a servant-like person came out and asked.

"Hm? A Westerner... How may I help you?"

"Tell them that the young master of the Jin Manor is here. Say that I am well-versed in Western medicine."

"Ah, I see. Please come in."

Guided by the servant, I entered the Silver Merchant Guild.

The interior of the guild was lavish, with buildings on a vast site, each one grand, showcasing their immense wealth.

"Please wait here for a moment. I will inform the Junior Sect Leader that the young master has arrived."

The servant led me to a splendid guest hall and told me to wait.

I passed the time admiring the guest hall or looking around the Silver Merchant Guild through the open windows.

Then, someone who appeared to be the Junior Sect Leader of the guild came and politely greeted me with cupped fists.

"Welcome. Young master of the Jin Manor, I am Hwang Jong-ui, the Junior Sect Leader of the Silver Merchant Guild. Thank you so much for coming all this way."

"Nice to meet you. I am Jin, the young master of the Jin Manor."

The Junior Sect Leader was middle-aged but greeted me very courteously.

He seemed like a fundamentally polite person, not just because of his father’s situation.

"It would be proper for you to rest after such a long journey, but my father’s condition is critical, so I must be rude and ask for your help. Please, I beg you to examine him immediately."

The Junior Sect Leader seemed urgent.

"Understood. I will do so."

"Thank you for accepting my request. I will guide you. This way..."

Led by the Junior Sect Leader, I entered the room where Lord Hwang was.

Lord Hwang’s entire body was flushed red but cold, and his brow and the back of his neck were filled with black energy; he seemed to have been unconscious for some time.

As in the original, this was demonic energy corruption.

I pretended to be greatly shocked.

"Th, this is..."

"What is it? Do you know what illness this is?"

I put on a serious expression and asked the Junior Sect Leader.

"Has Lord Hwang ever been to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains?"

"No, he hasn’t."

"Then has he been attacked by anyone?"

"No, not that either. What kind of illness requires such questions..."

"Lord Hwang has been afflicted by demonic energy."

The Junior Sect Leader seemed utterly shocked.

"Di, did you just say demonic energy? You mean demonic arts?"

"Yes. Do you know how the Jin Manor was established?"

"I don’t know the details, but I’ve heard rumors that it was founded by taking in refugees after the Demonic Cult Massacre."

"It is said that during that time, there was a person with symptoms like these. That person was said to have been afflicted by demonic arts while fighting the Demonic Cult."

"I can’t believe it... Then can you cure him?"

"Please wait a moment."

I touched Lord Hwang’s wrist and pretended to examine him.

"Hmm... It seems the one who did this to Lord Hwang was someone who had only clumsily learned demonic arts. Since the demonic energy in his body isn’t that severe, it should be possible."

When I said that, the Junior Sect Leader’s face brightened.

"Is that true? Then right away..."

"However, to save Lord Hwang, I must use our manor’s secret elixir. It’s a precious item that can only be refined once every ten years. That elixir is absolutely necessary to expel the demonic energy with pure energy. This is beyond my authority, so I must obtain permission from my father, the lord of the Jin Manor."

"Then... I’ll pay any amount, even a thousand gold pieces. So please, write a letter quickly!"

"That will take too long. Huh... It’s a matter of saving a life, so I suppose I have no choice. Originally, this was made for me, as the young master, but I’ll have to use it here."

After saying that, I took a small wooden box from the bag at my waist and opened it.

A clear fragrance spread throughout the room, revealing a fine-looking white elixir.

"Oh~!!! Is that the elixir you mentioned? Even at a glance, it’s clearly no ordinary elixir."

The Junior Sect Leader admired the elixir.

To ordinary people, it looked like something special.

In truth, this elixir was just white chocolate from the modern world, molded together, coated, and infused with a clear fragrance.

"Then I’ll begin the treatment immediately."

After saying that, I carefully sat Lord Hwang up on the bed.

After putting the fake elixir in his mouth, I placed my hand on his back and began the treatment.

In reality, the treatment wasn’t that difficult.

It was just a matter of channeling energy, gathering the demonic energy that had spread through his body into one place, and using the [Energy Manipulation] ability to convert it into pure energy.

All of this was just a show to get more out of them.