The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 388.

Chapter 388.: 388.

Seol Jihu and Philip Muller stayed up all night talking .

They mostly took turns talking, but sometimes intense discussions erupted between the two and they both raised their voices in heated arguments .

The door was shut tightly, of course, and the isolating barrier set up by Philip Muller prevented all sound from coming in or going out .

The turbulent atmosphere that filled the room gradually settled down as the darkness of the night began to fade .

“We should stop here for today . ”

Philip Muller’s voice was thin with fatigue from staying up all night .

“It’s meaningless to go on any further . You’re as stubborn as a mule . ”

“What a coincidence . I was just thinking the same thing . ”

“It’s the director who makes the movie . I wish you wouldn’t interfere with my directorial rights such as the right to decide the content of the shoot, the right to decide which camera angles are the best, etc . ”

“There are certain things that I just can’t give up as an actor . I’m the lead, after all . ”

“Damn it . If you’re an actor, you should just focus on acting and nothing else . I doubt a movie made by a director who gets pushed around by the actors would be any good . ”

Rebuked Philip Muller as he gathered books from the table and stood up .

“I doubt a movie made without the main actor would be any good . ”

Seol Jihu retorted .

Philip Muller shook his head side to side, clearly fed up with this discussion .

“…Will you at least reconsider the ending? I’ll get started right away once I get back . ”

“I’ll think about it . I’ll contact you when the time comes . ”

Seol Jihu rubbed his eyes and yawned .

When he opened his eyes again, Philip Muller was gone .

He must have used teleport .

Seol Jihu got up and stood beside the window with morning sunlight pouring over him .

What he liked most about fishing was the wait .

The skeptical fish that hadn’t even looked twice at the bait was finally beginning to show interest .

The fish was exploring, occasionally giving the lure a quick jerk . If they pulled too early, it would run away .

They had to wait for the perfect moment .

‘Let’s not be hasty . ’

Seol Jihu let out a small sigh . Then he walked over to his bed and sunk down on it .

Slowly, he closed his eyes .

*

After his meeting with the bishop, Seol Jihu refrained from going out .

He even stopped wandering around the city to look for offerings .

He waited patiently as he had promised himself .

Meanwhile, the bishop reached out to him .

He told Seol Jihu to prepare for an expedition and asked if he could tell him where Rothschear’s offerings were .

Because the bishop had given him the valuable holy artifact, Seol Jihu did not hesitate to tell him the location of the offerings . But of course, he feigned reluctance in front of the bishop .

He also asked the members of Valhalla not to speak about his plan . Other than that, he spent much of his time doing various things .

For example… .

“Ah— Sorry, sorry!”

Seol Jihu smacked his lips as he watched Chohong run frantically towards him .

This was what he called the Anti-Parasite Queen Preparation Project .

His first student, Phi Sora, had completed the entire curriculum and was on her way to graduating soon .

She mastered both Thousand-Ton-Pushing Strength and Floral Substitution . Now it was up to her to combine those two skills and achieve Grand Cosmic Shift .

Phi Sora was supposed to teach Chohong, but she herself was still learning, and because Seol Jihu had a lot of time on his hands—

Chohong became Seol Jihu’s second student .

After all, she was one of his oldest comrades and a Level 6, too .

However, as soon as he started teaching, Seol Jihu found that the reality wasn’t as satisfying as he had anticipated .

He finally realized what Black Seol Jihu must have felt when he was teaching him .

Phi Sora was the epitome of a model student .

She was always on time and sometimes even asked for extended lessons .

She studied hard and always bombarded Seol Jihu with questions to the point where he was almost afraid .

He could see that she was getting better every day .

It wasn’t like Chohong lacked enthusiasm .

She seemed really glad when Seol Jihu first volunteered to teach her .

But her determination was weak .

Today, because she didn’t show up at the promised hour, Seol Jihu went to look for her . He found her in her room, still sleeping .

“You know how Yi Sungjin came back yesterday . I went out with Team 1 to celebrate and ended up drinking way too much… . ”

“But why would you go out with Team 1?”

“Come on, why not?”

Chohong grinned .

“Hey, by the way, I’ve noticed this for some time, but— aren’t we like, really famous now?”

Seol Jihu let out a small sigh .

It was commendable that Chohong never skipped lessons, but she always spent half of her class time chatting away .

At this point, he couldn’t even tell whether she had come to learn or to chat .

“A bunch of people recognized us at the pub yesterday! They asked us about the Spirit Realm Expedition . They were still curious, even though the expedition happened 10 months ago!”

Seol Jihu’s eyes suddenly gleamed .

“And?”

“So we told them . Why shouldn’t we? The climax of the story was when Ghio shot the World Tree . They kept asking us if that really happened . You should’ve seen Ghio’s face! It was so red . He said it was because of the alcohol, but I doubt it!”

“…”

“Anyway, they were so impressed that they offered to pay for our drinks . So I drank to my heart’s content!”

Chohong cackled merrily .

Seol Jihu asked with a smile .

“You didn’t make a mistake, did you?”

“Mistake?”

“Like maybe you told them what you shouldn’t tell them . ”

“Ah, you mean that thing you warned us about? Don’t worry . I kept my mouth shut the whole time because I knew I’d make a mistake somewhere down the line . ”

“Good job . ”

“But is the lying really necessary?”

Suddenly, Chohong leered at Seol Jihu .

“Why can’t we just tell them what really happened? I understand Raging Temperance’s divinity, but why lie about Moirai's Souvenir, too?”

“Trust me, I have a plan . ”

“What kind of plan? Just be honest . You’re making us lie to make yourself look cool, right? Because it sounds cooler if you say you used Moirai’s Souvenir to defeat him . ”

“Do you really think I care about looking cool?”

Seol Jihu gave a soft chuckle .

“Maybe not before, but you’ve changed . ”

Chohong snorted .

“Because now everyone practically reveres you, calling you a hero and a legend . ”

“Just— never mind . What would a sparrow know about a phoenix’s plan?”

“What? Are you calling me a sparrow?”

“If you’re not, prove it . It took Miss Phi Sora only one day to master the basics . ”

“Fine . Then I’ll master both skills by the end of the day . ”

‘Yeah, right . ’ Seol Jihu thought to himself before moving on to the explanation .

“Listen up . The basis of Thousand-Ton-Pushing Strength is… . ”

Chohong listened attentively, her eyes beaming with enthusiasm .

But of course, that didn’t last long .

“Chohong . Your mana is too rough . Try moving it gently . ”

“I am moving it gently . ”

“Now you’re too rigid . Remember the expression ‘softness overcomes hardness’ . I told you, think of inertia or a lever . ”

“What’s that?”

“…What?”

Meanwhile, Maria slowly rose from a crouch in the garden .

She held more than a handful of weeds in her gloved hands .

Not long ago, Maria signed a new contract with Valhalla’s administrator and became Valhalla’s garden manager .

Kim Hannah had offered her a pretty decent salary .

“God, my back hurts . ”

She had been up since early in the morning, pulling weeds, watering the garden, and feeding holy power to the plants . Her back ached from overwork .

“Let’s see . That’s enough for the garden, and now I only have the backyard left . ”

She hurried her steps, massaging her waist as she walked .

But then she stopped when she heard a series of shouts coming from the backyard .

“Why are you yelling at me? So what if I don’t know?”

“When did I yell at you?”

“You did! Just now!”

“Ugh, I can’t even . ”

Seol Jihu and Chohong were arguing there .

Maria clicked her tongue .

“Those two, they’re always fighting these days . ”

“Don’t worry about them . ”

Suddenly, she heard a voice .

Maria looked back in a startle . Eun Yuri was watching the pair from the first-floor terrace .

“That’s a common sight in Korea . ”

She muttered, putting a straw in her cup .

Maria frowned .

“It’s a common sight?”

“I’ve seen it many times at my house . ”

“At your house?”

“Yes . ”

Eun Yuri nodded and closed her lips around the straw .

“When my dad was teaching my mom how to drive . ”

She then sucked her drink through the straw .

*

At around the same time .

“You’ve been quite busy lately . ”

The bishop and a man sat facing each other in a dark room .

“You asked me to meet you here today . Does that mean you made progress?”

“I wouldn’t call it progress, but I can now say with confidence that the confirmation step has been completed . ”

The bishop answered with a faint smile .

“I talked to him at the temple . He seemed to be telling the truth . ”

“Is that so?”

“Yes . So I’ve confirmed that the stone bridge does exist, but that wasn’t enough to bring me peace of mind . I sent some men to knock on various parts of the bridge for a more thorough inspection . ”

The bishop coughed lightly .

“They spoke to the members of Valhalla at a pub . The whole story falls in place . ”

“How can we be sure that they’re not lying altogether?”

“You’re right, that is a concern . But he can’t lie to us about the location of Rothschear’s offerings . ”

“Yes, but… . ”

Seol Jihu told the bishop that he offered contribution points to the goddess to find out where the offerings were buried .

It was easy to determine whether he lied or not .

If the offerings were really buried there, he told the truth . Otherwise, he lied .

“He told the truth . ”

“What?”

The man raised his head in a flash .

“I sent someone trustworthy to check on his claim . He found a huge amount of offerings buried at the site . I saw them with my own eyes through a communication crystal . In both quality and quantity, they’re enough to cure Lady Seo Yuhui . ”

“Wait a minute . Didn’t you say that area was within the Parasites’ domain?”

The bishop smiled .

“Don’t tell me you’ve succeeded in the expedition?”

“Please calm down . I’ll explain . ”

The bishop raised both his hands in the air .

“I’m asking just to be sure . Do you really believe that Gorad Boga exists?”

“… . ”

“A legend is but a legend . How do you expect me to find a mythical site that existed long before the time of the Empire?”

A corner of the bishop’s mouth slanted upwards .

“It was for a different purpose that I went on the expedition at the time . ”

“A different purpose?”

The man’s eyes narrowed .

“Don’t tell me you… . ”

“Please, don’t get ahead of yourself . Did you know that some Parasites have a sense of self?”

“Get to the point!”

“I hope you won’t misunderstand me when I say that the site believed to be Gorad Boga was near the Parasites border and that I encountered a couple of Parasites while inspecting the area . I won without much difficulty, of course, since I’m a Level 6 Bishop . ”

“… . ”

“However, considering the efficiency of the Parasites’ communication, I had no choice but to retreat quickly before more of them came as reinforcements . But as I was about to leave, I suddenly thought of Sung Shihyun . ”

“Sung Shihyun?”

“His personality wasn’t exactly charming, but he was once called a hero . You see, he and I were on pretty good terms . I couldn’t help but worry about the safety of my old friend . ”

The bishop continued with a snicker .

“I was worried about how he was doing, and curious if he had any intention of coming back . So I left a communication crystal and a letter where the battle took place . Shame on me for being too attached, hmm?”

“Ha… . ”

The bishop’s barefaced impudence forced a peal of laughter out of the man .

“A few days later, I revisited the site . Everything was the same, except, the communication crystal and the letter were gone . ”

“Ha! So that’s how you confirmed the offerings . ”

The man exclaimed and shook his head .

“You always emphasized the importance of taking caution . You know what they say . It’s always the quiet ones . ”

“Please don’t tease me . This time, no matter what happens, we’ll certainly cross the line . And once we cross the line, we must not look back . ”

The man drew a breath and then asked .

“…What did Sung Shihyun say?”

“He asked if we could buy some time, preferably 3 to 4 months . He said that the Parasite Queen has been asleep ever since the war ended and that he and the other Army Commanders are still recovering from their injuries . ”

“That sounds reasonable to me . The Valhalla forces are quite powerful . ”

“I declined . Sung Shihyun doesn’t have the full picture . He was dismayed when I told him that Valhalla would take extreme measures because Lady Seo Yuhui is in a dire state and that the Parasites should strike before that happens . ”

“But why?”

“Did you forget our goal?”

The bishop said in a secretive whisper .

“As much as we need their help, we can’t let them run our show . We have to make sure the queen recognizes our worth . ”

“So you say . But in the end, you’re just being greedy . ”

“Huhu . Perhaps, but we need all we can get . Considering the state Lady Seo Yuhui is in, the awakening skill used to kill Undying Diligence must have been sealed . Also, he must have used quite an amount of contribution points to find the spot where the offerings were buried . This means his level can’t be any higher than 6 . Don’t tell me you can’t beat a Warrior who’s just reached level 6 . ”

“Well, that shouldn’t be too hard… . ”

The man nodded his head .

The bishop’s smile broadened .

“I’ve prepared a sumptuous meal for you . I hope you enjoy it . ”

“Does that mean I can proceed?”

“I’ll contact the Valhalla representative soon . ”

“I understand . I’ll get ready . ”

“I hope you do . ”

The bishop slowly got up from his chair .

He clasped his hands behind his back and stared down at the man .

“We must seize this opportunity . ”

“…”

“I believe in you, of course . If everything goes as planned, you’ll receive a great reward for your labor . Please look forward to it . ”

With quiet laughter, the bishop exited the room, already convinced that he would become the leader of a new era .

The man sat alone in the dark and laughed scornfully .

*

The day after his fight with Chohong, Seol Jihu received a call from the bishop .

The bishop informed him of the location of Gorad Boga and handed him all the data he had collected regarding the site .

He said he wrote down in his report the whole process of how he had found the site and asked Seol Jihu to persuade Seo Yuhui .

He also warned Seol Jihu to prepare a powerful expedition team in case of a contingency, as Gorad Boga was near the Parasites border .

Seol Jihu immediately began his preparations .

He contacted Philip Muller and talked to Phi Sora and Kazuki privately .

And he reached Seo Yuhui through Baek Haeju .

Seo Yuhui arrived in Paradise the following day .

The level of detail of the bishop’s report impressed Seol Jihu, but he didn’t need it to persuade Seo Yuhui .

[Noona, will you go out on a date with me?]

[Oh my, a date? What kind of date?]

[Let’s go fishing . How about it?]

[Sounds fun! I’ll go . ]

That was all it took .

After all the preparations were made, Seol Jihu finally stopped by the temple storage to pick up the Divine Elixirs and Harmonia Magic Square .

That very day, he left Eva in a carriage with his team members .

The final war to determine the future of Paradise was drawing near .

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