NOVEL NEXT Chapter 177
Chapter 177: Fabre in the Four Heavenly Houses
“Well, that’s all I’ve heard up to this point. I didn’t catch where in Sichuan it was found; is that okay?”
The General of Iron Castle wore a somewhat apologetic expression, seemingly feeling that the information provided was inadequate for the price of the Spirit Medicine.
It was indeed lacking detailed information on where it lived, but even so, this much information was not nothing.
If I had no Intel at all, that would be one thing, but the fact someone had seen it in person and that it had been found somewhere in Sichuan was already a significant gain.
I had asked the same question to everyone who had helped me so far, but the only person who provided information about Spirit Venomous Creatures was the Princess.
“Yes, elder. Thank you. Your words are really a great help to me.”
“Is that enough? I sense it’s quite lacking for the price of a Spirit Medicine, though?”
“No, it’s more than enough. In fact, it’s even overflowed, so it’s fine.”
‘From tomorrow, I should pester my father-in-law to ask for more information.’
I thought I should start gathering rumors about the Tiger Salamander among the fishermen and those who hunt giant salamanders starting tomorrow.
If that wasn’t enough, I would ask the Beggar Emperor, who had been a constant source of help.
I had heard through Geolhwang that he was the one who knew most about the Central Plains, and since I was still sending him plagues now, he would surely not refuse my request.
As I settled on this plan and couldn’t help but smile, the General of Iron Castle let out a hearty laugh.
“Haha, are you that pleased? I thought it was just trivial talk yet you seem so happy…”
He had a confused expression as to why I was so delighted, but, of course, why wouldn’t I be?
I might have three lizards, but the feeling surrounding a Lizard and a Salamander is completely different!
Honestly, in Korean, “도마뱀” (daughter of a lizard) and “도롱뇽” (daughter of a salamander) sound plain, but in English, “Salamander” definitely has a more appealing vibe.
Salamanders are depicted as elemental fire spirits and burning lizards in fantasy, giving off a totally different heroic aura.
Plus, this fire lizard appearing in fantasies is based on a real creature.
A type of amphibian belonging to the family Salamandridae, they have a striking black body with yellow spots.
In my previous life, the Fire Salamander brought from Europe was one of the most popular pets!
But if we’re talking about the Giant Salamander that’s the size of a general salamander, with yellow bodies and tiger stripes, it could very well look like a big Fire Salamander, which really got me excited!
‘Yellow body with tiger stripes… calling it a ‘Large Fire Salamander’ wouldn’t be wrong, would it?’
In that happy anticipation about catching either a Tiger Salamander or an Oye from tomorrow, I heard the voice of the Sichuan Province Lord.
“Hmm… if that’s the case, I might know of one.”
“Ohhh!? Really!?”
There it was! The Sichuan Province Lord had information at least on par with what the General of Iron Castle mentioned.
Today sure felt like a jackpot! I perked up my ears to hear the Sichuan Province Lord’s words.
‘As expected, those with higher ranks collect noteworthy information!’
As I focused on listening intently, the Sichuan Province Lord smiled and said:
“Ha ha! You see, he’s so bright-eyed! With such a thirst for knowledge, your success in passing the exams is guaranteed.”
“Haha, that does sound right.”
“…”
I had heard that line quite a bit in my previous life, often echoed by my parents when they saw me immersed in my studies, like, “If you study that hard, you’ll make it to S University!”
Despite the differing eras and worlds, adult sayings seem to remain the same.
As the Sichuan Province Lord seemed to recall a memory, he spoke with a thoughtful expression.
“Right, wasn’t it the year before last? There’s a place called Shijip (石潗) on the border of Sichuan and Qinghai, where something unusual occurred. That’s what I heard.”
“Something unusual?”
“Indeed, it’s a rather bizarre matter, which is why I remember it clearly.”
“What kind of unusual thing?”
Pitching in, as unusual means sudden disasters or accidents, I tilted my head in curiosity at the further explanation.
The Sichuan Province Lord, seemingly deep in thought about that incident, replied with an expression of confusion.
“It was said that the animals in the village began to disappear one by one.”
“Animals in the village?”
“Yes. At first, it was the mice, then chickens, cats, dogs, and pigs. The strange part was that they disappeared without anyone realizing how or why.”
“Surely that is peculiar?”
While tigers or leopards could take chickens, cats, or dogs, the idea that even mice had disappeared was odd.
That’s because mice, known for their reproductive capability, don’t just vanish like that—so for the village’s mice to disappear entirely meant they had to be scared off or some other bewildering event occurred.
Nodding at the Sichuan Province Lord’s description, I chimed in.
“Doesn’t seem like it was the work of large beasts like tigers or wolves, does it?”
“As expected, you know your stuff about Venomous Insects! Can I borrow the writing supplies of the Clan Head for a moment?”
Asking for writing supplies made the Artisan summon the servant girls to prepare what was needed.
Moments later, the Sichuan Province Lord turned to me while holding a brush, having drawn something on the paper.
“I had ordered two junior officers and a commander from the guards to hastily investigate the village, but while they couldn’t uncover the mastermind, they found these marks around the village.”
He presented me a drawing that resembled a piece of pie.
The only difference was that it didn’t have one of the middle sticks.
Was it a Y-shaped mark or something?
It looked a bit elongated…
‘What is this? What kind of mess is this…’
But judging from the Sichuan Province Lord’s artistic ability, it seemed like his drawing skills were sorely lacking.
Honestly, I couldn’t tell what he was trying to depict as I inspected the paper thoroughly.
Feeling oddly familiar with the drawing…
‘It looks like something I’ve seen before? Where on earth was it? Hmm… Oh! Could it be!?’
As I debated where I might have seen it before, a sudden thought flashed in my mind.
Holding the paper and turning it every which way, I suddenly gasped, turning back to the Sichuan Province Lord.
“How, how big did you say it was?!”
“It was to scale.”
“Ehh!?”
The length of the mark the Sichuan Province Lord drew was about the length of an adult’s hand.
Quickly, I held up the paper, placing it down on the ground, then started sketching the approximate overall size with a stick.
If I was right about what I thought, it could lead to a major discovery!
-Zhuh, zhuh.
‘This looks like the last joint and claw… If it’s this size, depending on the type, it could be quite big… I mean, if it’s stepping on its claws and last joint… then at least, that middle joint should be around this size…’
With each sweep of the stick came the revelation of an unknown leg.
Finally, I was sketching the overall form of a bug leg, which seemed to be roughly the thickness of a human’s arm.
As my drawing came to fruition, the Sichuan Province Lord gasped in disbelief.
“Th-this is what!?”
It appeared he could barely fathom that the owner of the large bug footprints he sketched would have such enormous legs!
‘Well, of course, those who aren’t experts wouldn’t know!’
“It seems the enormous tracks discovered by the guards belong to a giant insect.”
“Insect!?”
“An insect, you say?”
“An insect’s legs are that big!?”
No wonder the guests were astonished!
The leg I’d drawn was roughly the size of an adult’s arms and length!
It was thicker than both Chao and Bin combined!
“This is a rough sketch, so there could be a bit of difference. But I think it should be around that size.
And since it was found by the water, it probably liked humid places. It’s good at grabbing things, but I doubt it’s good at hunting with that leg… so it might be one that catches something quietly with venom or has some other method. It could be a Spirit Venomous Creature as it might understand the difference between humans and animals.”
“Whoa! You really aren’t just fond of bugs; you know your stuff, don’t you?”
“Exactly. Just as one practices with a sword to master it, diving deep into bugs or Venomous Insects leads to mastery and expertise, doesn’t it?”
“Haha, I’ve never seen such talent before!”
The elderly folks marveled at my talent, making me feel a bit sheepish as I rubbed the back of my head.
“Anyway, after the unusual occurrence went on for about a month, it suddenly ceased. This was after all the animals in the village had disappeared.”
“Goodness, that must’ve caused a significant impact on the common folks?”
“Indeed. Could it cover the cost of the Spirit Medicine?”
The Sichuan Province Lord asked with a smile.
In response, I returned his smile.
I didn’t know what kind of creature it was, but I was sure the Spirit Medicine price would be well covered.
“Yes, it’s more than enough. Absolutely.”
A giant insect and an enormous salamander!
Which one to tackle first? That was a real quandary!
‘Hmm… I’m seriously pondering this. I’m curious about what that giant insect might be, and the Tiger Salamander is bound to look like a Fire Salamander, so I can’t hold back!’
Lost in that happy dilemma, I suddenly recalled something about the Chief of Qingcheng Sect as I snapped my palm in realization.
-Slap!
“Right! I remembered something!”
“?”
All eyes turned toward him in unison because of his action.
The General of Iron Castle inquired curiously.
“Did you think of a Spirit Medicine for the Qingcheng Sect?”
“Yes, yes! It just came to me!”
‘Oh wow, even here!?’
No way! They never came up when I wanted information, and now it’s raining intel all at once!
I thought, ‘What on earth kind of day is it today? It’s not even my birthday!’
Realizing I hadn’t celebrated a birthday since becoming this body, I decided I might as well make today my birthday.
After all, this felt monumental enough to count as a celebration.
With that thought in mind, I resolved to remember today and recognize it as my birthday, as the Chief of Qingcheng Sect continued speaking.
“Recently, I was asked by the Kunlun Sect to find someone skilled in tracking.”
“Tracking skills?”
“Tracking skills, you say?”
“Yes, our Qingcheng tracking skills are quite renowned.”
“Indeed, Qingcheng’s tracking skills are top-notch in the Martial Forest. How did the Kunlun come to request tracking skills?”
I hadn’t realized how prominent Qingcheng’s tracking skills were, but since it was recognized by the elders, I nodded along with the atmosphere.
“Over in the Qinghai Province where the Kunlun Sect is, there’s the Padangjilin Desert, right?”
“Padangjilin Desert?”
“It’s a weird desert where a hundred lakes spread out. Some of these even include salt lakes.”
‘Oh, an exceptional environment! My excitement is skyrocketing!’
Despite being a desert, to have a hundred lakes present, and amongst those, salt lakes too—that combination was quite unique!
Creatures in environments that are exceptional evolve distinctly, and I couldn’t help but feel excited about that!
The thought swirled in my mind as I asked impatiently, “Does something exist in those salt lakes?”
However, the Chief of Qingcheng Sect shook his head.
“No, not that. The request for a skilled tracker from Kunlun was due to traders with camels disappearing at night from time to time while crossing that Padangjilin Desert.
It’s not uncommon for people to occasionally vanish in the desert, but there’s been a sudden surge in the number of disappearances, forcing Kunlun, positioned in Qinghai, to step in.
It seems to involve seeking traces in the sandy desert, so even we in Qingcheng have limited assistance in this matter.”
‘Those who have vanished alongside camels in the sandy desert…’
While no animal or insect traces were present, if these were living beings, especially if they were isolated desert dwellers, it certainly sounded intriguing!
Three paths lay ahead.
I worried in earnest over which to explore first.
Would it be the Jjamppong or Jajangmyeon? Mom or Dad? Such dilemmas were tough!
Though I’d end up indulging in all flavors, choosing the order was incredibly challenging.
‘A senseless quandary akin to Hyang? Or Chao? Or maybe Bin? Such tough comparisons!’
My head felt it could explode from glee.