Chapter 60: Invitation to the Dragon Palace

For a while, I was hounded by reporters.

It was because I was the first and only person able to communicate with another race.

‘Should I not have revealed it?’

I regretted it countless times amid the barrage of questions, but in the end, there was no choice.

If not, there’d have been no way to explain what had happened earlier.

It was fortunate that the Association of Superhumans and the Kanghan Group realized the situation and helped out; otherwise, I might have had to hold press conferences all day and through the night.

“Phew, thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to get out of there.”

“Of course I had to help.”

“Hm. I didn’t expect something like this to happen with the Superhuman team that went out to sea. Still, it’s a relief things didn’t get worse.”

I felt a bit sorry for the Kanghan Group’s secretary who had become the new focus, but stepping inside the tent eased my mind.

“So, what did you decide to do about the Merfolk?”

“We decided to discuss it again later. By the way, that….”

“Are you talking about Daehyun? Don’t worry. He simply did what he was supposed to do, so he deserves praise, if anything. The situation just wasn’t favorable, that’s all.”

What a relief.

It seemed the Superhuman Association President had gotten a summary of the situation while I was being harassed by reporters.

I’d said in front of everyone that it was our fault, so they must have felt bad.

Once things settle down, I plan to offer my apologies.

“Though the incident was sudden, the ocean clean-up is finished, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Then I won’t nitpick about that… I just need to sort out the parts involving other races.”

Honestly, the biggest hurdle remains.

Whatever I answer, the questions and scrutiny will only grow.

“Is there somewhere you could stay for a while? If need be, you can stay at the Association.”

“The Kanghan Group can arrange something as well.”

They meant it’d be best to lay low until the issue calmed down.

I thought so too… But that didn’t mean I wanted to leave my home behind.

“Thank you for your concern, but I intend to stay in Chilcheon-ri.”

If I were alone, I could just take off, but I have all sorts of crops in the field, not to mention Hwanggeum and the chickens.

I’ve never even imagined leaving them and going somewhere else.

“Well, if that’s how you feel, there’s nothing we can do. We can’t force you. By the way, what about your travel plans?”

“Travel plans?”

“Yes. I was going to talk to you about it today as well. Minho here gathered everyone and suggested we all go on a trip.”

“Yes. Kasia, Minjun’s party, and even the Association President—we all planned to go together. Chairman, what about you?”

“Ha! You rascal. As much as I’d like to join the young folks, we’re getting on in years!”

Hearing the list of travelers, Kang Daehan scolded Han Sangsoo, the Association President.

“We should hang out with young people to stay young! So, are you coming or not?”

It seemed Kang Daehan secretly wanted to go too; he flinched a little.

But the head of a conglomerate can’t just leave on a whim.

“My schedule’s full, so I won’t be able to join. Still, thank you for thinking of this old man.”

Kang Daehan declined politely.

“You should just skip out too, right? Read the room.”

“What did you say?! I’m definitely going with them!”

The Association President showed a firm resolve to go on the trip.

Looks like everything can proceed as planned.

“Kasia, maybe….”

• I think my father would enjoy it too.

“Right? Could you ask him when you get home?”

When I explained the conversation with Kasia, Kang Daehan sighed and a look of regret flashed in his eyes.

He shook his head as he checked his smartphone’s calendar.

“The chief of the Elves… It’d be interesting and I might gain something from befriending him, but I still can’t make it.”

Looks like he really can’t change his schedule.

Nothing to be done.

“Well, shall we get up now? You need to meet the Merfolk.”

The Association President ended the conversation at just the right time.

As he said, it was about time to wrap things up and go meet the Merfolk.

The ending wasn’t perfect, but our initial goal—cleaning the sea—was accomplished.

With a small smile, I said I’d keep in touch and headed off with Kasia and Jinsu to the meeting spot with Sailun.

• You’re here!
• We’ve been waiting a long time!

From a distance, I could hear the voices of the Merfolk whispering as they recognized me.

As I approached, several Merfolk were waiting together.

“Hello. By the way, which one of you is Sailun…?”

Seeing their torsos floating in the water, I realized—all of them were good-looking.

If they debuted as actors, they’d be called ‘straight out of a comic book.’

But just as Westerners have trouble telling apart East Asians, I couldn’t distinguish Sailun among the similarly-looking Merfolk.

• I am Sailun.

He was the one in the middle, and now that I looked, there were subtle differences.

Were his eyes a bit bigger?

Or was his hair nicer?

…To be honest, I wasn’t sure.

“Did you bring the children, by any chance?”

We were going to talk about what happened earlier, and it would be awkward if the Merfolk children were around.

• No. I already heard what happened earlier….

His words trailed off, as if it was hard to talk about.

• I’m sorry. I almost got caught and killed by a fishing boat, but I do have some sense. I know you lied for the sake of the children.

Oh, so even winks work with Merfolk.

“It’s fine. The kids were just playing a prank.”

• …Is that really okay among humans?

They seemed to think the whole Save Donghae operation had been ruined by the children’s prank.

“Yes. It was just a brief commotion and ended well. More importantly, is the injured child alright?”

• Thanks to your care, he’s healthy. He’s regained consciousness too. But….

Sailun lifted both hands from the water, revealing a fish I’d never seen before.

“Wait, what kind of fish is that?! It’s huge!”

The other Merfolk beside him also pulled out fish they’d hidden at their waists.

• Um… It’s a token of our gratitude.
• Please accept it!

“Hyung, is that really for us to eat?”

Jinsu, who had been watching quietly, asked with a dazed look.

It… it seemed so?

“Wow, what are all these fish?”

It wasn’t just fish, either.

Looking closely, there were not only common fish like octopus and mackerel, but also all sorts of varieties.

Some were even almost the size of a person—enough to catch anyone’s eye.

• We brought these rare catches from the depths as a way to thank our benefactor and the others who helped.

As Jinsu examined them closely, he muttered,

“I think I’ve seen that somewhere… Isn’t that it? The Legendary Fish!”

“Legendary Fish?”

• Is it a legend, or does it really exist?

Jinsu searched on his smartphone and pulled up a picture.

It matched exactly, even in size.

For Merfolk, who live in the sea, catching the legendary deep-sea Dotdom was nothing special.

“Is this fish really that amazing? It’s definitely huge, but…”

“It’s said to be really tasty, but since it’s almost never caught, they call it a Legendary Fish! It lives among deep-sea reefs….”

“I see. Then thank you, we’ll gladly accept it.”

It wouldn’t be right to refuse such a gift.

I bowed in gratitude.

For a fish to earn the title of ‘legendary’ among so many, it must be extraordinary.

Now I was really curious how it tasted.

But we couldn’t accept more than five fish the size of a grown man.

They’d be hard to carry and impossible to finish.

“We truly appreciate your kindness, but I don’t think we can take them all.”

• Why not? These are rare even among humans…

“We don’t need that much fish. Let’s see… Counting the three of us and Minjun’s party, that makes six. Even one fish would be more than enough.”

Kasia and Jinsu nodded in agreement.

• Understood. Actually… Aside from these gifts, there was something else we wanted to say.

“What is it?”

• The Dragon King wishes to invite his benefactors to the Dragon Palace.

But Sailun’s eyes, as he spoke of the invitation, were filled with a sadness that seemed about to spill over.

“Did something happen?”

• …Haah. I don’t know if I should say this….

“If it’s hard to talk about, you don’t have to….”

• The Dragon King’s illness has worsened, so the invitation to the Dragon Palace has been postponed….

The Dragon King must be the king of the Merfolk.

He’d planned to invite us but had to delay because of his health.

“I’d really like to visit the Dragon Palace, but the Dragon King’s health is more important. Please invite us when he’s better.”

• Thank you for understanding.

When I explained it to Jinsu, who hadn’t caught on, he listened and then asked the Merfolk,

“The Dragon Palace… It sounds amazing, but isn’t it underwater? If we get invited later, can we even breathe down there?”

“Come to think of it… Sailun, do humans have a way to breathe underwater?”

Apparently he’d never considered it; surprised, Sailun gathered the Merfolk and they whispered together.

• Hm. For now, there’s no way for humans to breathe in the Donghae. Since it’s natural for us to breathe underwater, we never thought about how humans could do it. What should we do?

For a moment, I was a bit taken aback.

We might be able to visit the Dragon Palace someday, but unless we solved the breathing issue, it wouldn’t be easy.

I really wanted to see the Dragon Palace.

“We’ll have to find a way ourselves. If we get another chance to visit, we should be prepared.”

• Yes, understood. If you call for me here again next time, I’ll come see you. Thank you so much.

Sailun and the Merfolk gifted us a Dotdom and various seafood before vanishing into the water.

On the way home.

As we pondered how to get to the Dragon Palace, Jinsu spoke up, sounding frustrated.

“Can’t we just take an oxygen tank?”

It was simple but reasonable.

But….

“Sailun once told me that the portal connected to the Dragon Palace is at a really deep place. I don’t think an oxygen tank would last long enough.”

“Maybe not, huh. Hmm….”

Kasia, who had been listening quietly, suddenly started bouncing in place as if she’d had a good idea.

• Me! Me! I remember! There’s a plant in Eliya that grows very large. I recall it holds air inside.

“Air in a plant? Is there really such a thing?”

Even as I asked, I found it hard to believe.

And yet, after seeing things like Forti, which can lift curses, heal, and aid recovery, and Ainmosni, which can cure insomnia, I was questioning this?

“Oh! Hyung, does this mean you’ll show me around Eliya too?”

Jinsu sounded excited.

“Looks like we’ll have to go to Eliya for the Air Plant, right? Kasia, you haven’t closed the portal yet, have you?”

• You told me to keep it open just in case, so it’s still open.

We didn’t know its name yet and called it the Air Plant, but thanks to Kasia, we had a clue.

If that plant really lets us breathe underwater, maybe we could visit the Dragon Palace after all.

Carrying this hope, we soon arrived at home.

• Pant, pant-!

Hindungi came out to greet us, wagging her tail as if she might fly away.

“Aww, Hindungi~ Have you been guarding the house?”

As I patted her head, she licked my hand enthusiastically.

“Oh dear, I haven’t washed my hands yet.”

When I scratched her chin, she seemed pleased and sat down on the spot, sticking out her head.

Leaving the now-calm Hindungi behind, I went into the small freezer inside the cold storage.

‘Hmm. Should I prep these? Eh, whatever.’

I shoved the seafood gifts inside and went back into the house.

“Whew. So much happened today.”

• Seriously. I agree.

“Following you around, hyung, is harder than dungeon diving. It’s just one incident after another.”

“Right? I moved to the countryside for a quiet life…”

The three of us each sprawled out on the sofa or bed, adding our thoughts.

“So, let’s talk about it in Elysium tomorrow.”

• I agree. Elder Crea should know.

“Sounds good. See you tomorrow, hyung. And you too, Kasia-noona.”