Chapter 464: Chapter 464

“Wow… is this what they call the sea?”

Jang Sam-tae couldn’t wipe the excited expression off his face.

It was his first time seeing the sea since he was born.

The thrill he felt the moment he saw it for the first time would probably never be forgotten until he died.

The water formed a vast horizon and the waves crashed.

The splishing and splashing sounds stimulated his ears, making him feel overwhelmed just by looking at it.

He felt a sense of his mind opening up, but an unknown fear also rushed in.

How scary would it be to float alone right in the middle of it?

Emotions he had never felt before, even when looking at something called nature, emerged and stimulated him.

“You’re noisy.”

Dan Woo-hyun frowned as he looked at such a Jang Sam-tae.

Since he was speaking loudly, passersby were staring.

He didn’t like the fact that their snickering made it look like they were looking at a country bumpkin.

However, Jang Sam-tae, unable to easily calm his excited heart, just jumped around and went ahead like an excited little child.

“Ca… Can we go a little closer?!”

“We can see it well enough from here.”

“No, still. Something like this is best enjoyed by seeing it up close, isn’t it?”

Jang Sam-tae sniffed and smelled the scent of the sea.

What was so fun and exciting that his beaming expression wouldn’t subside?

Before he knew it, he approached and walked towards the sea as if leading Dan Woo-hyun.

“Actually, I thought I might have followed you mistakenly, but looking at this, that feeling completely disappears. I even think maybe I was alive just to see this. Hahaha!”

Raising his voice loudly, he started walking a bit faster.

That’s how much the sea had captivated Jang Sam-tae’s heart.

However, on the contrary, Dan Woo-hyun was not keen at all.

The stares of the people were one thing, but it was because they didn’t come here to sightsee the sea.

But seeing Jang Sam-tae laughing in a good mood, he couldn’t bring himself to scold him, so he just let out a small sigh and approached the beach.

Enjoying the sea seen right in front of his nose, Jang Sam-tae ran around here and there.

He didn’t even care about the gazes of the surrounding people.

“Zhoushan Archipelago…”

However, conversely, Dan Woo-hyun’s gaze was fixed on a certain place.

It was the open sea.

He couldn’t see the islands due to the thick fog, but that place was called the Zhoushan Archipelago.

A place where he might find traces of the Heavenly Martial Emperor, and the place where the Heavenly Martial Emperor raised numerous subordinates, including Bi Cheon-ung.

“It’s far…”

How great would it be if he could just jump over there at once?

But because it was further than he thought, it wasn’t easy.

Unless they took a boat, it seemed difficult to enter the Zhoushan Archipelago.

Turning his gaze with those thoughts, Dan Woo-hyun looked at Jang Sam-tae.

“Stop sightseeing and find a place to stay. There are many things to do.”

“Understood! Hehehe.”

Jang Sam-tae nodded without a hint of displeasure despite Dan Woo-hyun’s blunt words.

Whether he was trying to find an inn with an ocean view as much as possible, his eyes quickly scanned the surroundings.

“That place would be good for lodging! You can see the sea and it looks like they sell something delicious too. What is it! Since we came to the sea, shouldn’t we eat some food that comes from the sea?”

“…Alright, do as you please.”

“Hehe, thank you!”

Jang Sam-tae hurriedly started moving towards the inn.

His footsteps became faster than at first, partly because he had looked at the sea to his heart’s content, but also because he was curious about what kind of food came from the sea.

Fish coming from the sea are not easy to store.

Unless there was ice, transporting them itself was a difficult task, so the food from here could only be tasted here.

That’s why he intended to try all sorts of delicacies taking this opportunity.

He moved vigorously towards the inn.

Even in the market street seen on the way there, Jang Sam-tae’s eyes continuously wandered without rest. The surroundings were so fascinating and full of things to see that his eyes couldn’t stay still for a moment.

Before long, he arrived in front of the inn that looked best to Jang Sam-tae.

That inn, where many people were coming and going without rest, seemed to be quite famous in the vicinity, and the smell wafting from inside was also quite good.

“Let’s go with this place!”

“Anywhere is fine, so just go in.”

Dan Woo-hyun muttered with a very displeased expression.

From his perspective, everywhere felt similar, so it seemed he didn’t have much interest in whether the inn was good or not.

As long as there was a space to sleep and rest, wasn’t that enough?

“Oh my! Welcome!”

Soon, the innkeeper, discovering the two, hurriedly ran over and bowed his head.

Whether he realized at a glance that they were guests, he smiled broadly.

“We plan to stay for a few days.”

Dan Woo-hyun also naturally took out one nyang of silver from his bosom and handed it over.

The moment he received it, the innkeeper’s face brightened.

“Shall I guide you to a room? Or would you like to eat first?”

“I’d like to rest a bit first… And I want you to get us a boat.”

At Dan Woo-hyun’s words, the innkeeper nodded as if it were a matter of course. Such a trivial matter could be resolved at any time, and it was entirely possible.

“Where are you going? Joseon, though it’s a bit far? Or maybe…”

“The Zhoushan Archipelago.”

“…!?”

“…!”

“Gasp!”

At the words he spat out, the surroundings murmured in an instant.

Even the innkeeper, who had been smiling broadly, looked at Dan Woo-hyun with a pale complexion.

Everyone around did the same.

As if there was something there, as if they didn’t want to go near because of it, they whispered while trembling in fear.

“Did you hear? He said the Zhoushan Archipelago.”

“He’s crazy… an outsider?”

“Does he know nothing at all?”

Buzz, buzz.

The entire inn started to buzz loudly.

The wave that had arisen did not easily subside and shook the surroundings.

Dan Woo-hyun frowned at that strange feeling.

“What is the matter?”

“Ah, well… the thing is…”

The innkeeper smiled awkwardly.

He too was at a loss as to how to explain it.

From the perspective of an innkeeper who ran his business thinking he’d do whatever the customer wanted, there was nothing as troublesome as this.

At that time, a man opened his mouth on behalf of the innkeeper who couldn’t answer.

“Give up the thought of going there. No one will launch a boat.”

“What does that mean.”

Dan Woo-hyun looked at the person who spoke with an uncomprehending expression.

It was an old man.

Perhaps he had worked on boats for a long time, as his physique was quite large for his age.

Traces of hard labor were all over his body, and perhaps because something bad had happened, his expression wasn’t very good.

Also, he already seemed to be heavily drunk.

Clack!

The old man set down his glass and stood up.

“Stop while I’m being nice. It’s better not to even step foot in there.”

Leaving those words behind, he exited the inn.

Everyone’s expressions were not so good. Some bowed their heads revealing unknown ominousness, and some trembled all over, drenched in terror.

At that incomprehensible situation, Dan Woo-hyun and Jang Sam-tae made peculiar expressions.

“I… I’m really sorry to say this, but… I think it would be best for you to give up on going there.”

The innkeeper carefully expressed his opinion and sighed.

Hesitating for a moment, as if thinking about what to do or what to say, he soon approached Dan Woo-hyun and spoke in a low voice.

“And don’t bring up the story about that place wherever you go. Otherwise… something terrible will happen.”

Guided by the innkeeper in a subtle situation, Dan Woo-hyun and Jang Sam-tae entered the room, simply unpacked their bags, and sat on the bed.

Glancing outside, they could see some of the people inside the inn go out and whisper with their acquaintances.

They would also glance towards the inn, and their behavior looked as if they were being vigilant or trembling with ominousness.

“Something is strange…”

“I know.”

Dan Woo-hyun also thought the same.

The atmosphere that changed the moment the Zhoushan Archipelago was mentioned was still vivid in his mind.

Some held surprise, some held fear, some held terror and ominousness, and the gazes of others contained pity, as if looking at a victim.

The innkeeper’s gaze was like that.

And the words he spat out also weighed on his mind.

Having various thoughts, Dan Woo-hyun let out a sigh.

“It seems… something interesting is happening.”

“Do you think it’s a big deal?”

“Well…”

Lost in thought for a moment, Dan Woo-hyun soon frowned. Since there was nothing concrete to go on, he tried to guess a few reasons why this had happened.

Of course, it didn’t take long for his thoughts to come close to the answer.

“Either the influence of the Zhoushan Archipelago is reaching here… or every single boat that headed there failed to return…”

Opening his eyes sluggishly, Dan Woo-hyun spoke.

Thinking about the emotions of those he saw before him, he felt that this was probably the closest to the correct answer.

“Shall I investigate?”

Jang Sam-tae’s eyes sparkled.

Seeing him offer to investigate first on his own, it seemed clear that he had also grown a step.

However, Dan Woo-hyun gave a small laugh.

“Do you want to go out that much?”

“No… well, not exactly that, but… aren’t you c-curious?”

Jang Sam-tae waved his hands with a startled expression.

He was planning to sightsee the village under the pretext of investigating. Whether it was because Dan Woo-hyun quickly read his thoughts, he showed an awkward smile.

“Alright, there’s no harm in finding out. Since we need to get a boat…”

Dan Woo-hyun gave a small nod.

They couldn’t approach without a boat.

No matter how great a power he possessed, Dan Woo-hyun was also human, and before nature, he was nothing more than an endlessly small human.

A human cannot beat the massive sea.

“Then I will be back!”

Jang Sam-tae raised his voice excitedly with a thrilled expression.

He sparkled his eyes, thinking he should go to the market street first.

Fumbling around, he even took the pocket money Dan Woo-hyun gave him, and hurriedly left the room with light footsteps.

“He’s a child.”

Dan Woo-hyun looked at the back of such a Jang Sam-tae and laughed absurdly. The sight of him running excitedly made him look like he was the same age as Dan So-mi.

With those thoughts, Dan Woo-hyun smiled and stood up.

He looked out the window again.

The vast ocean scenery stimulated his gaze.

“Are you there?”

He couldn’t tell whether he was there or not.

However, in Dan Woo-hyun’s heart, there was a wish to finish everything here.

He didn’t want to enter the labyrinth anymore.

His eyes gently harbored tranquility.

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