C129 - Something Different (1~)
The Brain Demon picked up the tea cup brought to him by Eunuch Chief Wi.
As if savoring the taste of the tea, his appearance was very relaxed.
-Young Master. The Brain Demon is the right-hand man of the Heavenly Demon and is also his master.
Cale also quietly savored the tea and listened to the Sound Transmission from Eunuch Chief Wi.
"They have more information about the Demon Cult than the Evil Faction."
Although the Demon Cult was only a faction, it had a considerable amount of records among the many Murim-related documents he had seen in the Imperial Palace.
Less than the Just Faction, more than the Evil Faction.
It was a moderate amount.
One might be surprised by the small amount of information about the Evil Faction, which caused many incidents and affected people's daily lives, but from the perspective of the Imperial Family, this was natural.
"Because the Demon Cult causes significant accidents from time to time."
The Heavenly Demon.
This entity is worshiped and followed almost like a God.
In other words, from the perspective of the Imperial Family, the Demons were those who followed the Heavenly Demon instead of the Emperor, and it was right for them to judge that they were dangerous.
At least the people of the Evil Faction were afraid of the Emperor.
"However, the Imperial Family's decision to leave the cult alone was also based on their geographically remote location."
The leaders of the Demon Cult at least listened to the Imperial Palace.
And so far, even during the Great War Between Good and Evil and the wars between factions, they had not involved themselves with the Imperial Palace or the Government.
Of course, they had touched common people quite a few times, forcing the Imperial Palace to take action.
At least when facing the Government, they made an appearance of stopping.
Because of that, the Imperial Palace could not easily subdue them even though they closely monitored the Demon Cult.
If they touched the beehive, they could get stung. Especially if the opponent was a wasp instead of a regular bee.
"Of course, there are more cruel reasons."
Cale's gaze shifted to Eunuch Chief Wi.
His affiliation was the Department of Internal Affairs. The Eastern Office.
The Emperor had shown Cale the records as they were, through Eunuch Chief Wi.
Only then did Cale understand the Emperor's audacity.
"The Imperial Family is always watching the Murim."
That was the basic scheme.
"And they also do not disapprove of clashes between the various factions."
So, although they would intervene if there was a certain level of harm to the Government and common people, they would look the other way when it came to fights among themselves.
Because every time there was such a war or a major battle.
"The numbers of Murim Martial Artists are controlled."
And their overall power is reduced.
"The Imperial Family. It's not a good place to be either."
Cale inwardly smiled wryly, but outwardly, he averted his gaze from Eunuch Chief Wi.
"Anyway, this is the world they live in."
The Murim and the Government.
The Central Plains.
Cale couldn't involve himself in the relationship and logic they had built over many years.
He just had to catch the Hunters and those Blue Blood Family types who had meddled with him and the Roan Kingdom.
Click.
The Brain Demon set down his tea cup.
"Young Master Kim. I'm sure you're wondering what brought me here and why I requested a meeting with you."
"Yes, I'm curious."
Cale's candid response didn't make the Brain Demon falter, but it did make his smile widen.
He then asked in a low voice.
"Do you know, Young Master, how I rose to the position of Brain Demon?"
The question made Eunuch Chief Wi hesitate, but this time Cale answered without hesitation.
"Yes, I know."
Upon hearing that, the Brain Demon nodded slightly.
"I see. You probably know more about our Demon Cult than anyone in the Imperial Palace."
The Brain Demon continued.
"The current Heavenly Demon had a very difficult childhood."
"And I've heard that he grew up under the tutelage of the Brain Demon, who recognized his brilliant talent."
The Brain Demon let out a small laugh at Cale's comment.
"That's right. The Heavenly Demon was someone who learned ten times faster when taught one thing, and sometimes twenty times faster. So at first, I gave him teachings, but at some point, he surpassed even my teachings and forged his own path."
Listening to the Brain Demon's words that seemed to be telling an old story, Cale recalled the record of the current Heavenly Demon.
"The previous generation Heavenly Demon had many problems."
The current Heavenly Demon. He lived a miserable life as a child.
The former Heavenly Demon was a man with numerous wives and concubines, and of course, he also had many sons.
Of course, his wives and concubines were not marriages but rather contracts for political connections.
"But that guy doesn't even deserve to be called trash."
Cale's reasoning was simple.
The previous-generation Heavenly Demon did not protect his numerous wives, concubines, and children.
Instead, he supported conflicts, chaos, and death among them without concern.
One of those victims was the current Heavenly Demon.
As the son of one of the powerless concubines, he lost his mother as a child and had to live alone. The Brain Demon recognized his talent, and thanks to that, the current Heavenly Demon was able to rise to his current position.
"At that time, he wasn't the Brain Demon; he was a mid-level officer belonging to the General Staff, right?"
Although he was from a famous family within the Demon Cult, he was a bastard.
As such, despite his ability and age, he had not been promoted, and his limit was being a mid-level officer.
However, looking at the great influence that the Brain Demon now wielded as the right-hand man of the Heavenly Demon in the Demon Cult, it was clear that people's lives were unpredictable.
"The current Heavenly Demon is only a little over 30 years old, right?"
The age of the Heavenly Demon was quite young to be the leader of a faction.
Click.
Cale set down his tea cup and asked.
"May I ask why you're telling me all this?"
He didn't need to hear the old stories of the Brain Demon and the Heavenly Demon.
"Young Master Kim. General Commander Jegal Miryo is a very good person. I was often amazed by her brilliant mind. More than once, I was startled every time I read the letters she sent or the reports I received from her subordinates."
It was a story out of context, but Cale listened in silence.
The Brain Demon continued calmly.
"That's why I came here myself."
Cale's gaze met the Brain Demon's.
"To read people's expressions."
Among the warm smiles, there were eyes that were not laughing.
"That's why I, the Brain Demon, am a little better than General Commander in strategy."
Eunuch Chief Wi's expression hardened as he listened.
"Although I may be less intelligent than her, I have fought in countless battles in this world, and I have learned at least a little more about how to read an opponent's expression."
In a humble tone, but still with a smile, the Brain Demon turned to Cale.
"General Commander doesn't seem to have come here for negotiations between the two factions either."
Gulp~.
Eunuch Chief Wi involuntarily swallowed.
"The Brain Demon has realized that General Commander has something else on her mind!"
It was the Brain Demon after all.
Even Kunlun and the other members of the Murim Alliance still believed that General Commander Jegal Miryo's intent was centered on negotiating with the Demon Cult!
Eunuch Chief Wi felt goosebumps.
At that moment, Cale's voice sounded with an equally gentle tone.
"So the Lord Brain Demon didn't come here for negotiations either."
Eunuch Chief Wi's eyes widened.
Suddenly, he remembered what the Brain Demon had said.
"General Commander doesn't seem to have come here for negotiations between the two factions."
'Doesn't seem to have.' That was the word the Brain Demon used.
It wasn't a slip of the tongue.
A man of his stature must have said it on purpose.
"Young Master."
The Brain Demon looked at Cale and asked.
"Would you like to visit the Demon Cult?"
The corner of Cale's mouth lifted.
"Am I the only one being invited by the Demon Cult?"
"I invite you, Young Master, and your entourage."
Cale responded in an interesting tone.
"While you were in Kunlun, did you already talk to the Heavenly Demon about inviting me, or did you plan to do this from the moment you came to Kunlun in the first place?"
The question was casually posed, and the Brain Demon responded without hesitation.
"Neither."
"Then?"
"It was my own judgment."
The Brain Demon stared at Cale with eyes that still didn't smile.
"I decided for myself that it was necessary to bring you, Young Master, to the Demon Cult."
"Even without the Heavenly Demon's permission?"
"With or without his permission. I must use my own judgment."
Eunuch Chief Wi furrowed his brow.
"What kind of answer is that?"
He had no idea what was going on.
At that moment, Cale responded without delving into deep thought and in a frank and straightforward manner.
"I don't understand what you said a moment ago."
From the moment he mentioned that he had understood General Commander Jegal Miryo's intent by seeing her expression, to when he voluntarily came to the most hostile and dangerous faction, the Brain Demon had been an enigma. Now, Cale decided to act straightforwardly.
In a moment like this, lying would only cause confusion.
The Brain Demon closed his mouth for a moment and then opened it again.
"Since ascending to the throne of the Heavenly Demon, the Heavenly Demon has wanted to fight against the Justice Faction. He considered the Cult of the Demon's advance into the Central Plains as his life, as his mission."
Gulp~
Eunuch Chief Wi swallowed involuntarily.
Despite that, the Brain Demon continued.
He said, "I come from a non-prestigious family, and I don't have a solid foundation. There are still many enemies within who want to kill me. So, the only way to divert their attention is to aim at the Central Plains with a sword." I agreed with him, and the other subordinates did too."
A gentle smile appeared at the corners of the Brain Demon's lips.
"Unlike the previous Heavenly Demon, the current Heavenly Demon has the personality of always seeking the opinion of his subordinates when he does something."
There was pride and a sense of achievement in his words.
Seeing this, Eunuch Chief Wi glanced at Cale and then hesitated.
'Hmm?'
Cale's expression suddenly turned serious.
Meanwhile, the Brain Demon continued speaking.
"That's how the Heavenly Demon prepared the Demon Cult for the invasion of the Central Plains and diligently trained their Martial Arts. To the extent that the word diligent is not enough, he almost risked his life for training. And finally, he achieved it."
For the first time, the Brain Demon's eyes curved into a smile.
"He surpassed the level of the previous-generation Heavenly Demon."
"...Profound Realm!"
Eunuch Chief Wi exclaimed uncontrollably.
The cultivation of the previous-generation Heavenly Demon was recorded between the Unrestrained Realm and the Profound Realm. It was said that he didn't practice further and remained in the state of being called a genius in his youth.
And the Imperial Palace knew that the current Heavenly Demon was at the same level.
Just for this reason, the Heavenly Demon, who was now in his thirties, was considered to possess celestial talent.
Eunuch Chief Wi couldn't help but be amazed by the news that the current Heavenly Demon had entered the Profound Realm.
He could see that the Brain Demon spoke quietly as his eyes met his.
"I think it was about a month ago. He secretly called me and told me that he had reached that level."
The Brain Demon looked out into the void.
"I can't forget the moment we had that conversation."
Even within the Demon Cult, there were older masters who had reached the Profound Realm.
But reaching such a level at such a young age was extraordinary.
"And at that moment, the Heavenly Demon told me."
His voice was calm.
Like a leaf floating on a lake.
"He wants to invade the Central Plains."
Eunuch Chief Wi paused.
The Brain Demon continued.
"And at the same time, he said that he doesn't want to."
Eunuch Chief Wi's eyes widened, and Cale even leaned forward from the back of his chair toward the Brain Demon.
Eunuch Chief Wi swallowed nervously under Cale's stern gaze.
The Brain Demon continued without stopping.
"The Heavenly Demon wants to fight against the Justice Faction, but at the same time, he doesn't want to."
Cale's and the Brain Demon's eyes met.
"The Heavenly Demon wants to talk to the Murim Alliance, but at the same time, he doesn't want to."
"What the hell do you mean?"
Impatiently, Eunuch Chief Wi interjected, but the Brain Demon didn't stop speaking.
"The Heavenly Demon both wants to and doesn't want to."
"No, that's really..."
Faced with the unintelligible words, Eunuch Chief Wi was about to ask a question, but Cale raised his hand.
Eunuch Chief Wi was stunned into silence by the gesture.
At that moment, Cale spoke.
"So it was the Heavenly Demon himself, not anyone in the Demon Cult, who wanted to invade the Central Plains. No one said it first, but the Heavenly Demon initiated it, right?"
"Yes. That's correct."
Upon hearing that answer, the pupils in Eunuch Chief Wi's eyes blinked for a moment.
"No... It can't be..."
Muttering to himself, Eunuch Chief Wi looked at the Brain Demon, but the Brain Demon only gazed at Cale and spoke.
"Profound Realm. Upon reaching that stage, the Heavenly Demon realized."
When he crossed from the Unrestrained Realm into the Profound Realm, the Heavenly Demon had come to a realization.
"I've been manipulated."
Eunuch Chief Wi could feel the aura surging around the Brain Demon.
The Brain Demon wore a smiling face at this moment, but he was angry.
As the Heavenly Demon's master and his first ally. And to him, who was born a bastard and never formed a family, the Heavenly Demon was both a child and a family even though he didn't tell anyone.
Seeing that anger, Eunuch Chief Wi could recall a fact.
'The Blood Cult is trying to provoke the Great War Between Good and Evil through the Living Jiangshi.'
And Jang Hyung, the next Sect Leader of Kunlun Sect and a Living Jiangshi, and the current Heavenly Demon were in the same age range.
Furthermore...
'The person who wants to initiate the Great War Between Good and Evil and who has initiated it is the Heavenly Demon.'
Eunuch Chief Wi could recall how Cale's expression had turned serious from the moment the Heavenly Demon mentioned the invasion of the Central Plains.
"When crossing from the Unrestrained Realm into the Profound Realm, one can unlock their mental block and look at themselves. That's what the Heavenly Demon said."
The Brain Demon spoke in a calm tone with a gentle face.
"The Heavenly Demon is currently fighting with himself."
But the aura around him was growing increasingly frenzied.
Surrounded by the aura of savage and almost manic violence that the people of the Demon Cult possessed, the Brain Demon laughed.
"The Heavenly Demon desires to fight against the Justice Faction and, at the same time, desires to fight against the Blood Cult."
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