The Deal
“You want to buy the corpse?”
“Exactly.”
He guessed it from how the Blood Mages ran for Shi Wu-yuan’s body, but it was valuable. He wasn’t sure if it was simply because he was a Blood Mage or if it was something specific to him. Regardless, this old man would pay a fair price for it.
“What are you going to use it for?”
“Fufu. A Black Wizard has obtained a warrior’s corpse. What will he do with it? Besides, it’s a corpse of a warrior who has learned the Blood Techniques! What could be more precious than that?”
The old man didn’t seem to be deceiving him. If that were his intention, there would be no reason to speak so openly about Shi Wu-yuan’s body being of great value.
“The sins he committed are not few, and it’s perfect for making a Death Knight. Fufu.”
The grinning old man already imagined how to turn Shi Wu-yuan’s body into a Death Knight. He kept glancing at the corpse, just like a tomb raider with a precious treasure in front of him. Of course, the old man didn’t intend to obtain his treasure for free. It was true that the old man was a Black Wizard, but that didn’t necessarily mean he was evil.
Black magic was actually only one of the ways to find the truth. Like other wizards, they, too, were a kind of seeker. Although some Black Wizards went beyond that and fell into evil, such people were a minority. If the people of the Holy Empire heard that, they would protest, but the perception of the Black Wizards within the Shire was the same.
The old man in front of Kim Bongpal, Callinan, one of the recently become Four Lords of Dreimoor, was far from that image.
“Sins? What difference does that make?”
“Well, the extent to which a body can accept black mana varies. If it’s as strong as Shi Wu-yuan, with the sins he committed…it can take the top spot in my collection.”
“Collection? Well, anyway, is that guy going to become undead?”
Kim Bongpal, contemplating for a moment longer, met Callinan’s gaze and nodded. Callinan’s offer to make a Death Knight out of Shi Wu-yuan’s corpse didn’t seem too bad. Not just because he wanted Shi Wu-yuan to suffer after his death but also because it sounded lucrative. The Mana Stones that Mesut gave to Kim Bongpal were considerable, and even after his purchases in the black market, he hadn’t found their end. In other words, Johan was quite rich and so too was this old man.
“Fufu. Well thought, so what do you want in return? Is there anything you want from me?”
“Who knows? I just want you to set the right price for me. However, we’ll end the deal there if I don’t like your offer.”
He didn’t know what Callinan could give him, but the other side, not Kim Bongpal, would regret offering something worthless. They both knew that, so Callinan was troubled.
‘What should I give him…?’
First, the language he spoke wasn’t the official one of Lupaine. Although it sounded different from that spoken by the ordinary Moorim people, he heard that Moorim had many languages, so this guy must have come from there. Seeing how he was wearing a sword, he must use martial arts rather than magic.
He had to come up with something that a warrior would cherish. Fortunately, Callinan had one such thing. Since it was an item from Moorim, this man would know its value better than he did.
‘I saved it to use it when I needed it, but…I can’t help it.’
“Hmmm. So how about this?”
“…?”
Callinan pulled a small jade box half the size of his hand using his subspace from thin air.
“Since you are from Moorim, you must have heard about the Quanzhen Sect…of course, you know what the Quanzhen Sect is famous for.”
Callinan continued saying this was enough to pay for Shi Wu-yuan’s body. Looking at the Black Wizard, Kim Bongpal learned several facts. Johan contacted the Earthlings, but for some reason, he hadn’t told the others about it. Because of that, this old man somehow mistook him as hailing from Moorim.
Anyway. Kim Bongpal turned his attention to the small jade box that Callinan pulled out. He displayed it with such confidence that Kim Bongpal was curious about what it really was. Weren’t their aspects of the Shire that couldn’t be caught up with Earth’s current level of science and magic?
“This is no other than that! Yes, that!”
Callinan continued after a little pause.
“It’s rare for this thing to leak outside the Quanzhen Sect. But it is the Longevity Pill!”
“…Huh”Kim Bongpal looked at Callinan with a drained smile. Of course, Kim Bongpal, with little knowledge of Moorim, didn’t know what this Longevity Pill was. However, if he could guess based on the name, and that guess was correct…it was utterly useless to him.
However, Callinan misunderstood his exasperated smile as surprised to see this rare item.
“Fufu, that’s right! This is the Longevity Pill! It is said to extend one’s lifespan by 100 years upon ingestion!”
“…”
“What is the most important thing for a warrior who has reached a high level like you? The time needed to get to the next level! Isn’t that enough time to become a Transcendent?”
Callinan has convinced the man who killed Shi Wu-yuan in front of him now, Kim Bongpal, Johan’s guest, would like the Longevity Pill. Wasn’t it the precious medicine he obtained years ago by competing with a guru from the Quanzhen Sect? Actually, in terms of value alone, it was a bit of a loss for him, but Callinan was going to show favor to Johan’s guest and the one who broke the balance in Dreimoor. Besides, he desperately needed Shi Wu-yuan’s body.
“…”
There was no answer, but it was probably a silence borne from admiration. Watching for Kim Bongpal’s reaction, Callinan continued to confidently smile.
*
“No! Are you worried about authenticity? This is a real Longevity Pill! The Longevity Pill of Quanzhen Sect! I can swear on my mana if you want.”
“…I do not need it.”
“You don’t even need an oath? Ha! You’re taking the wizard’s oath too lightly….”
“No. It’s not the oath. I don’t need the Longevity Pill.”
Callinan was very confused. To refuse a treasure like the Longevity Pill? No way, was there something better? In such a case, things were different. If he had something comparable, Callinan wouldn’t be able to offer something he could afford.
‘Oh, my.’
Callinan sighed inwardly.
Both Callinan and Johan were high-level Black Wizards, but they were different in their fields. Johan was a man who rose to his level through his own power, and Callinan became a Lord of Dreimoor through the undead he commanded rather than his combat power.
Callinan had about three Death Knights, while it was difficult for others to control even one, and he also had about a dozen Dullahan with him. To strengthen his hold even further, Shi Wu-yuan’s body must be his at any cost. A corpse that could be made into a Death Knight was precious. Too precious.
However, it lost its value for Callinan, who already had three Death Knights. It should’ve, anyway. But if it was the body of a Blood Mage…after decades of studying them, Callinan was able to make Undead Blood Knights beyond the strength of his normal undead soldiers with the right materials.
“…So what do you need?”
Things were a little different in this situation.
“Ah! How about this?”
Callinan hastily pulled another object from the subspace. It wasn’t worth more than Longevity Pill, though it was still valuable to those of Moorim, and it was Shaolin’s Great Spirit Pill.
“Can you tell? It’s the Shaolin’s Great Spirit Pill.”
The word Great Spirit Pill wasn’t unfamiliar to Kim Bongpal, and he showed a bit more interest in it this time. But, as he examined it closer, he realized it looked familiar.
“…Hmm?”
Kim Bongpal took the elixir Johan had given him before out of his subspace bag.
“…Huh?”
Callinan looked embarrassed when he saw it. Kim Bongpal’s elixir was the same as the one he held now, no doubt about it. Kim Bongpal looked at Callinan with cold eyes, and now he was thinking…
…This old man. Did he actually have no money?
*
“A staff mixed with the branches of the World Tree.”
Kim Bongpal shook his head. There was no way that he needed such a thing.
“A bow that fires arrows which automatically hit the intended target.”He also had no interest in archery.
“A spear that shoots lightning when swung.”
He had no intention of changing his primary weapon to a spear.
“…These are all my treasures.”
“Hmm. Is this all?”
Callinan nodded as if embarrassed. What great treasures did this man have that he was so calm? After all, didn’t he just throw Shi Wu-yuan’s body away after seeing it?
Callinan was exhausted. Kim Bongpal, glancing at the old man, turned to look around Callinan’s treasure trove.
From the explanation, most of them were worthy of the title treasure. However, none looked very good to Kim Bongpal. Actually, since he didn’t know much about this other world, it couldn’t impress him that much.
“Haah.”
Callinan, noticing the apathy in Kim Bongpal’s eyes, let out a small sigh. How could that man maintain such composure even upon seeing all the treasures he collected?
“Then how about this?”
Callinan summoned something with his eyes closed.
“This is the Phantom Horse, one of my masterpieces.”
“L-Lord Callinan!”
A translucent silver-blue horse appeared from the air. Blue flames rose from its mane as it snorted. Mesut’s eyes nearly rolled out of his skull upon seeing the beast.
“You’re giving away the Phantom Horse?”
It was extremely difficult to obtain the materials needed for the Phantom Horse, and this one even had a single horn upon its forehead. An undead unicorn, a creature said to be impossible to corrupt, was incomparable to a Death Knight in terms of preciousness. Mesut, who knew this, had no choice but not to be confused by Callinan’s proposal.
Shi Wu-yuan’s body was a material that could be used to make a Death Knight. However, the Phantom Horse was already a completed undead. To Mesut, unaware of the research on Blood Knights, this was a clear loss for Callinan.
“What is this?”
Of course, Kim Bongpal still looked at the Phantom Horse without care. It seemed to him as nothing more than a means of transportation. But his mind changed with one subsequent explanation. Although the Phantom Horse exuded a strong aura, its combat power was poor. However, the reason why Phantom Horses were so valuable.
“…Is it that fast?”
They boasted the fastest speed among the various means of transportation available in the Shire.
“Then from here to the Evil Alliance, how long would it take riding this guy?”
“Hmm. Five days at most? That should be enough.”
That settled the matter. What Kim Bongpal needed the most right now was neither a weapon that could increase his combat power nor a tool that allowed him to utilize other abilities. Reaching the Evil Alliance and Celestial Demon Cult was his goal. But he couldn’t believe he could shorten the distance that would have taken nearly a month to five days.
Kim Bongpal replied with a grin.
“Great. I’ll take it.”
“Oh! You won’t regret it. I can’t say it myself since it’ll sound like I’m boasting about my ability, but I have a lot of talent when it comes to making undead-“
“Instead.”
“…?”
But Kim Bongpal had no intention of ending it with one Phantom Horse. After all, it wasn’t that he didn’t have anything he liked in Callinan’s treasure trove.
“Besides this guy, that bracelet, and that martial art technique book over there. Can’t we wrap it up like this?”
The bracelet-type artifact blocked spells and magic in the spiritual realm, while the one martial book was called Black Shot Energy Technique. Kim Bongpal didn’t know how much it was worth, but it was probably better than the book he bought at the black market since Callinan kept it in his treasury.
However, despite knowing how valuable they must be, Kim Bongpal demanded two more treasures as if it was natural. Callinan’s eyebrows twitched at his attitude.
“…It can’t be helped. All right.”
For him, Shi Wu-yuan’s corpse was more than just a body that could make a Death Knight. Kim Bongpal noticed it, and Callinan also realized that he had noticed from the suggestion.
Anyway. Kim Bongpal found an unexpected source of income from Shi Wu-yuan’s corpse, which he was planning to throw away. Meanwhile, Callinan obtained the corpse of a Blood Mage with a level higher than 7th.
It was a deal neither of them could call a loss.