The Outer God Needs Warmth

The dark night, where light barely visible outside, has passed, and morning has come again.

I took Soo-oh, who was dazed and half-asleep, out of the room and headed towards the kitchen.

Soo-oh’s body has returned to normal, but he doesn’t know how to do anything.

Looking back at his memories, all he did was hold a rag to clean or run errands.

In fact, since he’s still in single digits for age, it’s normal for him not to know much.

Of course, if I wanted to put him to work, I could, and there are actually kids working in restaurants depending on their luck in this world.

But I have no intention of doing so.

Because I don’t know how to cook. I may know dishes from countless worlds, but the ingredients differ subtly.

For example, even if I know the recipe for kimchi, if napa cabbage and chili don’t exist in this world, I can’t cook it, can I?

It’s similar to that.

At least I know how to prep them, so they look decent enough.

Today, I managed to make food without burning it. Honestly, if someone were to ask about the taste, I’d deserve a slap for saying it has no seasoning whatsoever.

But I’m just glad that Soo-oh ate well.

As I sat in front of the stove eating breakfast, I heard a rustling sound outside.

When I went out, there were 8 people standing there.

Among them, one person was someone I had seen before.

He was standing in the place where the lord was when I was first summoned to this world. Since that wasn’t the place of the Hobeob, it’s quite likely he is also a lord of some kind.

Looking at his outfit, he doesn’t seem like someone who can perform magic.

“Who are you?”

When I went out to ask, a familiar-faced man stepped forward and introduced himself.

“I am Gijacheon, the lord of Cheongong.”

He was indeed a lord. Instead of using the character for “sky,” he used “my” for Cheongong.

He’s the lord of a minor institution dealing with trivial matters at the main hall of the Cheonma Church in the distance. If a maid or attendant is moving around, it means he’s the one who knows for sure.

Of course, this is assuming the report goes up correctly.

He looked me over and opened his mouth.

“I was worried about a monster that eats people, but it seems you are just a lady?”

I can see Soo-oh clenching his fist behind me, but isn’t this a bit unnecessary to get mad about? I silently gestured for Soo-oh to stay quiet and replied to the person in front of me.

“I don’t eat people.”

I just need warmth, that’s all.

Anyway, according to the information I got thanks to Gapjae moving around, this guy is hostile to the current Cheonma.

What brings you here?

His gaze drifted to Soo-oh behind me and then returned.

“I see. So, do you know the human dyed in purple? A mere third-rate warrior like Hobeob has taken the lord’s position. Is that something anyone can do?”

Heh heh.

Finally, someone wanting to connect to become a harvester has come forward. It took longer than expected. I thought Eunjai and Byeongil would come as soon as they became elders.

But I guess it’s better than not coming at all?

I replied to him.

“Anyone can do it. However, it’s limited to three people per day.”

The man named Gijacheon stared at me intently.

He seemed to be trying to figure out what I was thinking as he stared at me for quite some time before asking.

“Are those three determined by the Cheonma?”

He immediately asks for numbers.

“No. It just turned out that way.”

If he reads the contract document, it says thousands or tens of thousands could be done at once, but I won’t explain that. Because the number needs to be small for it to be controllable.

The lottery heats up more when there are restrictions and limits. Generally, people spend on currency, but in this case, it’s human.

When the exit is limited, it’s easier to get fixated.

“Three, huh. So, that’s why it was three. Good. Then, I shall give power to these three.”

He selected three among the seven men standing behind him and brought them forward.

Some looked at me nervously while others stared blankly into space.

They clearly expect me to give them power as a matter of course. They see me as someone who simply gives power, not as a monster.

I’ve already pretended to be strong towards the Cheonma. So I contemplated bouncing them back once, but…….

It seems better to extend the harvesting period here.

I mentioned the contract document.

“I’ll offer myself to you. However, once you handle everything afterward, I’ll take everything I have at that time. How about it?”

The three agreed, and they all became harvesters with purple hair and snowy-white skin. Gijacheon circled around them, inspecting them carefully.

“It’s fascinating that I can’t feel any Qi at all. One of them is a criminal who couldn’t enter the Hobeob yet his Qi blood has already been opened. But he wasn’t born anew; it’s as if he has become the best state he could obtain.”

Murmuring.

He grabs their wrists one by one, checking their pulses, or inserting internal energy to confirm.

That’s right. One is a Hobeob, one is just a handyman, and one was raised like livestock.

Especially the last person resembles Choseol.

But unlike Choseol, who was tied to fabric and spent most of his life floating in the air, the subtle differences are substantial.

However, the fact that he grew up by erasing his humanity is the same for both Choseol and this man.

His cerebral cortex is almost shriveled, indicating he can’t think straight. I didn’t understand his blank expression until now; he simply can’t think.

I remember hearing that excessive stress can change a human this way. He has been raised in such a state for a long time.

He had nails driven into his hands, was infested with various bugs, making him twitch or was fed nutrients through a tube stuck in his neck.

If this world is somewhat like a sect in martial arts, I can vaguely guess. These things would be ingredients for elixirs.

It’s still a hypothesis, though.

Soon it shall be revealed.

Light and warmth?

There’s almost nothing, smaller than dust. Of course, I’d be fine with that!

Gijacheon stood in front of me.

“This is great. I will drop by often, so if there’s anything lacking, let me know. I’ll prepare anything.”

Gijacheon makes a statement like that of a Cheonma.

It’s funny to see how evident he is about wanting to seize power.

He leaned his face close to mine. Then, staring directly at me, he opened his mouth.

“Just don’t mention this to the Cheonma.”

It’s clearly something done secretly from the Cheonma.

Right.

He, too, is someone trying to oust the Cheonma. The majority of the lords have turned their backs on the Cheonma, and he is one of them.

I need to respond carefully given that.

I decided to indicate I’m not on the Cheonma’s side and opened my mouth.

“The contract was made by the Cheonma first. I keep my contracts. However, I won’t answer unless asked.”

I’ll only act above the contract.

I have no intention of doing more than that, so figure it out yourself.

That also contained the meaning that if you don’t ask questions properly, I won’t answer. It’s about packing multiple meanings in a single phrase.

If you can’t understand, it’s your fault.

Heh heh.

“So you are passively supporting? Seeing your head turning, I guess you’ll live long.”

The man chuckled and placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Alright. So what does a day count as? Does that mean exactly a day has passed afterward?”

He asked while fiddling with my shoulder.

Saying precisely 24 hours feels a bit off. It’s awkward to explain why a day is the standard. In reality, there’s no such cooldown.

There are two bases that are plausible enough to leave no room for further questions: sunrise and sunset.

I ponder on which to choose.

If this man is to make a picky choice……

“Sunrise.”

He accepted the time of sunrise without any suspicion.

“If I need to receive power in the future, I’ll have to come to you at dawn. Okay?”

But suddenly, his face went pale, and he hurriedly pulled his hand away from my shoulder. Then, looking horrified, he stared at his hand.

Then he looked at me as if he saw something terrifying.

Did he try to check inside me with Qi when he touched my shoulder?

I felt nothing.

It doesn’t seem like this body is devoid of Qi senses.

“My apologies. I suppose I should take my leave.”

And he waved, as if making an excuse to bow. Then he swiftly walked away with the others toward the Cheonma Church building.

What on earth did he see inside me?

How cowardly to throw out one question and leave.

Ugh.

I entered the kitchen. As soon as I arrived, Soo-oh rushed at me and hugged me tightly.

What on earth prompted this kid to get attached? I don’t remember people getting attached this easily.

I spent some time with Soo-oh.

Of course, it wasn’t just playing around.

I imitated the techniques remembered by Eunjai.

Since I didn’t have a sword, I just picked up suitable branches and swung them around.

There’s a difference between men and women, so the movements are a bit odd. It’s not just that; there’s a lack of strength to move my body in specific ways using only the muscles.

It’s not merely that my strength is lacking, but some other kind of power needs to be pushing.

Qi should have been flowing in this instance, but I have none.

Lower Dantian, Middle Dantian, Upper Dantian. In these three sections, there’s no space at all. What on earth is what?

I have the sensations and memories of other people moving Qi, but I can’t implement them in the body I’m placed in.

Even if I mimic the state of those releasing Qi like turning on a faucet, nothing flows out at all.

Seeing that, it doesn’t look like any special power is contained.

Or perhaps, they are using all kinds of power to hold me.

This is a believable hypothesis.

Thus, Rebecca Rolfe was able to use special powers with her heart, but I couldn’t.

I spent the whole day trying to follow Eunjai’s movements and the movements of the warrior from the first world.

And the realization I came to was one thing.

It actually works.

I can do this with Soo-oh.

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