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Chapter 166: Chapter 166

"Jio look like a person?"

Yu Seong-un corrected his words.

"Ah, no. I am sorry. He looks like that to you?"

"You may speak comfortably. Just like you do to Mr. Jio."

"...Is it because I wasn’t taught well when I was young, informal speech is more familiar. It’s not a bad meaning so don’t think of it crookedly."

"Since I already know well that Mr. Yu Seong-un is a good person, you do not need to worry."

"Oh, really? Although it wouldn’t go as far as being called a good person... it is a grateful thing if you view me like that."

To think a guy 3 years younger would openly use informal speech, he sure has good guts.

’He is such an upright living human to the point that I wonder why the Guild Master hates this kind of person so much....’

Passing over the uncomfortable feeling toward his superior as it was, Yu Seong-un smiled lightly.

"Anyway, this is truly a unique consultation."

Yu Seong-un, who finished the meeting with Bisabeol, slept soundly at home after a long time and woke up, visiting his neighbor Ju-hyeon’s house to ask after him.

Actually, he didn’t have the thought to come in, but it became like this because Ju-hyeon led him.

"In a sense, it is amazing too."

Yu Seong-un, who was drinking the tea Ju-hyeon handed him, blinked his eyes which were not fully awake yet.

"...Uh-uh, wait. Is this tea Jio gave?"

"Ah, yes. He said it was tea made of Basuram Flower, would there be a problem?"

"...No, I probably won’t die after eating it."

It probably won’t contain lethal elements either.

’Let’s just drink.’

If there is a point Yu Seong-un felt all this while, it was the fact that ’Jio’s Portrait’ rarely touches human identity.

Isn’t even Ju-hyeon, who came out after being inside the portrait longer than Yu Seong-un, still human?

’Well, although the test results say so, it’s not that there aren’t dubious parts....’

At least from the perspective of humans, it was certain that Ju-hyeon was still ’human’.

’So my identity won’t become strange just because I drink a little tea.’

He was out of it because he just woke up after sleeping, having stayed up all night for 5 days.

If he were in a slightly more fine state, he would have worried more deeply than this, but for Yu Seong-un who receives the influence of the garden he serves with his whole body, this medicine that warms the body like this could only be welcome.

’As expected, Jio’s gift is amazing.’

Especially when waking up from sleep, Yu Seong-un’s body was even colder.

"...This is delicious."

"Right? It was good because it had a savory scent like grain."

"It’s not an item one can buy somewhere either. Should I pester him to invite me sooner or later."

"It became a little hot when I drank too much...."

"Since I tend to have a cold body originally."

Seeing that the effect of warming the body is strong, it must be a medicine that fits the constitution of Yu Seong-un, a hunter and Gardener, better than Ju-hyeon, an ordinary person.

"Let’s see."

[Sun’s Star]

[Grade: - ]

Tea made of ’Basuram Flower’ that grew wild in the beginning of ’Breathing Sea’. It was in an extinct state but was restored in the Water Vein of Fate.

Jio, the owner of the forest, raised it with love together with his child in the nest of living water.

Because he processed it directly, a human body can also accept it.

It exerts an excellent effect in breathing life and warmth into the soul.

"...."

"Ah, did you appraise it just now?"

"...Is it your first time seeing a Hunter appraise?"

"Because Appraisers were not common in the research institute where I was."

"It’s been a long time since I heard the title Appraiser. Indeed, if we’re being technical, I did get an appraisal license."

Conversing lightly, Yu Seong-un put on an easygoing smile.

"As expected, it is not bad for the body."

"...."

"Don’t be nervous."

"Although it is a body already ruined...."

"What are you resigning already for?"

It wasn’t just him who worried about Ju-hyeon’s state after receiving too much care from the eye of the Source.

Because of that, they proceeded with a test directly at The Collectors including Yu Seong-un, but truly fortunately, Ju-hyeon was indeed still a fine human.

"...."

The test results, that is.

"...There is a common phrase in the gifts Jio gives. ’Because Jio, the owner of the forest, processed it directly, a human body can also accept it’. It must be one of the ways that Jio considers humans."

If one eats ingredients that went through his hands, there was no worry of mutating into an existence of the Source. At least in Yu Seong-un’s judgment, it was so.

"If there is another worry, it is that no one becomes excessively healthy...."

"I did feel like my lifespan increased. Would this also be a problem?"

"Even if they say lifespan increases, it’s hard to live long in this world nowadays."

It was a world where the average lifespan was 60.

"At least high-grade Hunters like me or our Guild Master would live a little long, but apart from the sturdiness of the body, Hunter is a job just right for dying young. The person sticking next to them is the same. So I think you don’t have to worry about becoming half-immortal."

"...So don’t worry because no matter how much lifespan increases, I will die artificially anyway?"

"Above all, Jio doesn’t change an innocent human into an existence of the Source for his own greed. So I’m saying you don’t have to worry."

An existence of the Source was something that became more trustworthy than a human if one just grasped the rules well.

From what he grasped about Jio so far, there would rarely be an occasion for him to harm humans.

"Rather than that, I find Mr. Ju-hyeon’s thoughts are truly surprising."

Yu Seong-un, who put down the warm mug, swept up the hair covering his eyes.

He usually goes around with a pin inserted neatly, but because he intended to visit lightly, his appearance was truly a mess.

"What exactly do you mean that Jio looks like a person?"

"Literally, I cannot stop ’Jio’s Portrait’ from looking like a person."

"Although they say human thought is something one cannot control, it is certainly peculiar."

"...I kept thinking it was presumptuous. Also the thought that it makes no sense."

Ju-hyeon fingered his portion of the cup and continued speaking.

"But continuously Mr. Jio just...."

"Looked like an ordinary young man?"

"Although it will sound strange."

"Hm."

Slurp─.

Yu Seong-un, who drank the flower tea, asked.

"Are you bewitched?"

"I also tried thinking that thought but."

"Ah, no. You aren’t bewitched."

"...Is that so?"

"Since I am a person with an Appraiser license in name."

The state of most people could be checked with Yu Seong-un’s own skill.

"At least in my eyes, you look fine."

In this case, the answer was one.

"It seems Mr. Ju-hyeon just views that guy as a human?"

"I did not know I would be a person brave to that extent...?"

"If Jio was a traditional Divinity, you would have been selected as a Saint."

"...Yes? Saint?"

"At least you would have been a religious leader."

"Somehow it seems like a cult."

"To call it a cult specifically... it is a tremendously typical flow."

Most Saints and Saintesses of the dimensions were made in this way.

"Do you know roughly what kind of people Saints and Saintesses are?"

"I know as much as others know. So isn’t it a feeling like a type of, god’s... foster child?"

"Right. And even if not necessarily a child, there are times when it takes the form of a friend."

"...I am hearing that for the first time."

"Since Saints and Saintesses aren’t common, naturally there are few examples on Earth."

The religious side was not Yu Seong-un’s specialty field, but since finding out that Jio harbored the Sun’s Divinity, he was studying steadily. To that extent, he could answer to some degree regarding this part.

"These Saints usually refer to those who built a bond with a god in a human body."

"Can one build a bond with a god? That sounds a little... impious?"

"What is impious is when that was a human’s one-sided offensive toward a Divinity."

Saints were completely different cases from such impious people.

"This is exchanging bonds from both sides. The god pours trust and love toward the human, and the human handles that as if natural and also returns trust and love befitting that. Just like ordinary family or friends do."

"...That was a possible thing...."

"Truly, really very rarely is it a possible thing. So the number of Saints and Saintesses is terribly small. Usually, humans receive a big burden just by receiving a god’s voice and goodwill, but this is adding to that and even returning it. And the god does not feel lacking in that."

It’s just that the number is exceptionally large in Korea, but when considered globally, the number of Saints did not exceed 20.

If one considers the number of current era religions as many as the stars in the sky, one could know how rare the existence of a Saint is.

"So a Saint is a miracle just by existence itself. The religious orders don’t dote on their Saints and Saintesses for nothing. Because they are the only window of humans that can communicate with god while simultaneously proving god’s love just by living and breathing."

So most Saints are stuck inside the religious order and take on the role of interpreting oracles or informing of God’s intentions.

Ju-hyeon, who heard that explanation, tilted his head.

"Then in a religious order without a Saint, how can they read God’s will?"

"They can’t read, most of them."

"Ah."

"From what I know, it was one of two."

Yu Seong-un unfolded his fingers.

"One is interpreting the intention of the god one serves entirely through old records of god and scriptures. As much as communication doesn’t work, the process and result are uncertain and the loyalty of believers also drops."

"What about other cases?"

"The remaining one is priests who are at least full of holy power gathering in droves and trying to receive an oracle. Performing rituals or supervising religious events or praying until an answer comes...."

"It’s not some rain ritual...?"

"That means it is that difficult to communicate with God. The elders within the religious order aren’t treated well for nothing. They receive respect and treatment inside because they are that close to their god."

And.

"What skips all this cumbersome process is exactly a Saint."

So even in an economic aspect, priests had no choice but to love the religious order’s Saint.

Isn’t it the very person who lets them skip performing rituals, supervising events, praying for a long time, and all this investment.

"But that doesn’t mean Saints exist in all religions. In the first place, vessels that can treat a god like family or friend are extremely rare, and because of that, religious orders with Saints receive preferential treatment and envy in the religious world."

"They receive preferential treatment and envy?"

"The more one can communicate directly and frequently with god, humans who serve him can receive their god’s grace more explicitly. To express it a little easily, a Divinity could inform the location of a gold mine for his believers...."

"Uh... does work really proceed in such a way?"

"This is just an example. No matter how stupid a god is, since they are an existence superior to the smartest human on Earth, just by borrowing a part of their wisdom, their religious order can flourish. And they can enter inside that Divinity’s embrace."

Therefore, Saints receive tremendously precious treatment in the religious world.

"The fact that one can accept that voice and touch nonchalantly even though the god did not consider it greatly is truly a matter outside human limits. Just that existence itself is sufficient enough to receive the religious order’s love."

To that, Ju-hyeon harbored doubt.

"It sounds almost like they are not human, then is daily life possible for Saints?"

"There are Saints for whom it is possible, and Saints for whom it is not."

As he studied, it seemed Saints were also divided into a few types.

"While there are Saints of giant vessels who just accept anything well whether it is Divinity or whatever from the beginning, there are Saints who can only handle one or a few Divinities. Or else, there are cases where they are raised as Saints from the very beginning and recognized as Saints after numerous tests and hardships."

"...That is...."

"From what I know, the Saintess of the Lady Moon Cult is this last case. The Lady Moon Cult steadily adopts and raises children who become candidates until a Saint of one generation appears. Well, they said cases of dying unable to handle the god in the process of becoming a Saint are also quite frequent."

"...."

Ju-hyeon received a shock.

"...You mean the Lady Moon Cult does such things?"

"It’s not really a big deal in this world nowadays, is it?"

This world was overflowing with those who wanted to become god’s family even at the risk of their lives rather than remaining as roadside poor or living as a mere human child.

Therefore, the believers of the Lady Moon Cult, and the priests of that place, do not stop this education.

"Most children who didn’t die but couldn’t become Saints become priests of the Lady Moon Cult and work. So from the Lady Moon Cult’s position too, it’s not a big loss. Since they have been doing this kind of work continuously since the Great Catastrophe, it should be seen as a type of... custom."

If other religions tried to introduce this kind of education, it would not be easy.

Because the Lady Moon Cult had this custom from very long ago, the religious order was maintained stably; most religions lacked the will and capacity to do so.

"If considered as a concept of employment, it’s not a bad thing, is it?"

"...Certainly, Hunters also work risking their lives. It is indeed an already dangerous world to criticize as a dangerous custom."

"The Lady Moon Cult also doesn’t force them to become Saints, they just incite."

"But... isn’t that the same thing? If the guardian incites, the adopted children will feel a burden. They wouldn’t be able to not follow."

"At least the concept that it is a not-so-bad shelter in this world nowadays is also big. Above all...."

Yu Seong-un rolled his eyes as if gauging something.

"Where would they get the opportunity to become a son or daughter of a god?"

Whether they had parents or not, whether the house was rich or poor, the religion that gave the opportunity to become god’s family to every child with quality was only the Lady Moon Cult.

Ultimately, the parties involved also harbor greed for that glory.

"They are all things proceeding under agreement. So there is also a story that the priests of the Lady Moon Cult are all Saint candidates. Because only humans who all harbor qualities to become Saints above a certain level gather."

Ju-hyeon was making an expression that he was a little uncomfortable. Yu Seong-un smiled easily.

"As expected, you don’t like it?"

"...Just a little, I feel sick."

"Is it correct that you only feel sick?"

"Because there are times when I get tired of the religious world’s blindness."

"I agree with that part too."

Yu Seong-un sipped the tea that still maintained warmth.

"This tea is really delicious."

"Right?"

"It’s still warm too."

"Although there might be the fact that it lasts long because it is a mug, it also seems like the tea’s characteristic."

"It would be funny too if such a special medicine cooled down completely in an instant."

Yu Seong-un, who praised the tea’s warmth lightly, continued speaking again.

"Anyway, Saints made it that way, of course that is also tremendously rare but... as expected, unlike those who became Saints naturally, the burden on the body seemed big."

"Ah...."

"Should I say they become half not human. Actually, even if it is a congenital Saint, there can’t be any burden unless it is a constitution that can just accept anything carelessly."

"It must be so."

"When considered in such parts, Jio won’t harm Mr. Ju-hyeon. However, as I said earlier, this is, what is it, a typical shortcut for an ordinary human to become god’s family."

"...Yes?"

Yu Seong-un’s mint-colored eyes scanned Ju-hyeon as if analyzing.

"Divinity treating humans equally, and humans also treating Divinity equally...."

"...Uh-oh."

"Right, I’m saying it’s not largely different from Mr. Ju-hyeon’s situation right now?"

"I am non-religious though...?"

"Jio would be the same regarding that."

Yu Seong-un, who laughed loudly, put up a thumb.

"Fighting."

"Yes?"

"It will go well."

"What will?"

My human disqualification?

Ju-hyeon choked up a little.

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