What is this insane piece of writing? Seo'oh, regaining his composure, traced each character with his finger, reading carefully.
'...Sahngjon named it Ji'uigeum, meaning to understand the will of creation. Ji'uigeum is a metal that can even sever the eternal life of the Celestial Scions, and the only Ji'uigeum that exists on earth is the blade of Yeom'myeol. Nothing on earth can break Ji'uigeum, but it can be melted and reshaped with Iridescent-black Stone(黑霓石)[1]... until Ji'uigeum glows with a red, transparent light... Three days later, the king will... only a descendant of the king of Wi can wield Yeom'myeol... this is not self-destruction, but freedom...'
The record was damaged at the end, the text fragmented. The seventh day of the tenth month of the first year. Seo'oh's memory was hazy, so he retrieved the Compendium of Wi History(衛史便覽)[2] from a stack of books on his desk and flipped through it.
'The tenth day of the tenth month of the first year of Gwangyeon(光演)[3]. The day the Founder Cheon Gahng(天降) ascended to Sahngjon, as recorded in the Azure Scripture. Until Reillumination(反明)[4], it was called the Day of Ascension(招昇日), and celebrated for a long time, but as it is a baseless belief, it is reasonable to interpret that the founder of Wi abdicated the throne and went into seclusion after leaving the palace.'
The pieces clicked into place, sending a jolt through his mind. Three days later must refer to the Day of Ascension. Whether the Founder of Wi ascended to Sahngjon or went into seclusion, why did he order this record to be left behind before disappearing from the world? No, first, I have to confirm its authenticity. Seo'oh looked for other records from the ancient Sanctuary. Each record bore the imprint of an eye. He looked back at the copied paper. The seal, a faint imprint between the bold characters, was unmistakably that of the High Emissary Divine. If this wasn't a deliberate forgery, it was undoubtedly a secret record left by the first High Emissary Divine. Why have I brought this record and wasted time on other matters?
Forgetting it was already late at night, Seo'oh rushed to Wu.
Despite her frail health, Wu sat at her desk, reviewing the journal Seo'oh had compiled. She frowned at Seo'oh, who burst in, breathless and barely announcing himself.
"Why are you here so late at night?" she asked. "And what's that in your hand?"
Seo'oh presented the paper he held carefully in both hands. Wu received it and quickly scanned through it. Her eyes widened.
"Where did you find this?" she demanded.
"It was among the papers I copied," Seo'oh replied.
Wu brought the document closer to her face, scrutinizing it. "This is the High Emissary Divine's seal."
"Do you think he wrote this himself?" Seo'oh asked.
"The seal of the Sanctuary of Emissary Divine has additional lines above and below the eye," Wu explained. "Only the High Emissary Divine's seal has just the eye. Documents written by the High Emissary and promulgated by the Sanctuary have both seals. And in rare cases, even the royal seal."
She placed a few documents before Seo'oh. As she said, they bore both the seals of the High Emissary and the Sanctuary. She pointed at the document Seo'oh brought.
"This one only has the High Emissary's seal, right?"
"It could really be a secret record," Seo'oh said.
Wu, looking back at the document, grumbled, "Why do these damn things always cut off at the crucial part? What are we supposed to do with the Iridescent-black Stone to melt Ji'uigeum?"
"Do you think someone intentionally damaged it?" Seo'oh asked.
"If they did, they would have destroyed it completely," Wu said. "Why leave only the beginning? This must have been damaged when its owners were killed. If the founder of Dahn had been a more compassionate person, it would have been helpful in times like these. This is the accumulated sin of our kingdom."
Wu frowned, scrutinizing the damaged section, but the missing characters didn't magically reappear. There was no way to retrieve the original, which was likely stored in the Court Library in Sunyahng, and judging from the clean edges of the copy, the original was probably broken as well.
"Iridescent-black Stone is expensive, right?" Seo'oh asked.
"Of course it is," Wu replied. "It's barely used even for the King's clothes."
"We can't tell Her Highness without being certain," Seo'oh said. "What do we do now?"
"The first High Emissary Divine wouldn't fabricate something like this unless he were a madman," Wu declared. "To be certain, we need her help. We need to tell her immediately."
"Isn't it too late?"
"She usually stays up late."
"But, Master!"
Seo'oh hurried after Wu, who grabbed the paper and left without hesitation.
A faint candlelight flickered inside Kyeong'ui's tent. Wu rushed in, barely announcing herself. As she'd expected, Kyeong'ui was still awake, but she was dressed for bed, ready to retire for the night. Kyeong'ui looked at Wu, flustered.
"I told you to rest," she said. "Why are you still awake?"
Hongyoo, who had been helping her prepare for bed, frowned. "Master, it is far beyond inappropriate to disturb Her Highness at this hour."
"Oh... It's urgent... Your Highness, look at this. Seo'oh found it." Wu barely apologized, pushing the paper forward. Kyeong'ui gestured to Hongyoo, who relit all the extinguished candles. Kyeong'ui placed the paper on the table and examined it, but unlike Wu and Seo'oh, she didn't grasp its meaning immediately. She pointed at the unfamiliar archaic expressions and asked for clarification, and Wu explained them.
After reading through the fragmented text, Kyeong'ui's expression turned grave. "Where did you find this?" she asked.
"It was among the copies I made from the clay tablets and stone slabs in the underground archives of the Court Library," Seo'oh replied. "We can find the original when we return to Sunyahng."
Kyeong'ui turned to Hongyoo. "Summon Young Master Gahngyun," she ordered. "Wake him up if he's asleep."
Hongyoo bowed briefly and quickly left. Hyeok, hastily summoned by Kyeong'ui, arrived with his clothes barely on, flustered to see everyone gathered late at night.
"I see I wasn't the only one summoned," he remarked.
"Come and read this," Kyeong'ui said, handing him the record.
Like Kyeong'ui, Hyeok needed Wu's help to decipher the archaic language. As soon as he finished reading, he questioned the record's authenticity. Wu, as she had with Seo'oh, argued that it was credible, comparing the seals of the High Emissary Divine and the Sanctuary.
"I agree that the two seals appear identical," Kyeong'ui added. "It doesn't seem fabricated. And there's no reason for it to be."
"Then why didn't anyone know about this record until now?" Hyeok asked.
"Because it was hidden away in the basement of the Court Library, forbidden from being examined," Wu grumbled.
"If we obtain some Iridescent-black Stone and melt the Sphere," Kyeong'ui said, "we can confirm whether this record is true."
"But how can we acquire Iridescent-black Stone in Birahng?" Hyeok countered. "It's used exclusively by the royal family. We don't even know how much we need or how to use it."
"The cost is also a concern," Hongyoo added.
"More importantly," Hyeok continued, "the attempt itself is dangerous. If this secret record is true, the foundation of Dahn will be threatened. Will His Majesty condone and support this?"
"This isn't about what the truth is," Kyeong'ui retorted, "but about the integrity of pursuing the truth, which is the foundation of Dahn. It is when we abandon that integrity that the foundation of our kingdom is threatened."
"Most scholars will disagree," Hyeok argued. "Even Master Song'un was suspended for studying the Azure Scripture."
"Then what the scholars believe in and follow is not true truth, but mere contention," Kyeong'ui declared.
Hongyoo and Seo'oh exchanged uneasy glances. Seo'oh lowered his head, trying to avoid being caught between them.
"As I said from the beginning," Hyeok insisted, "I believe it's best to throw that troublesome sphere back into the sea."
Kyeong'ui frowned, displeased, but she couldn't simply overrule Hyeok's objections. Her intuition told her to delve into this connection between reality and the record they had finally found, but she, too, feared the uncontrollable consequences. She turned to Wu.
"What are your thoughts, Master?" she asked.
"We cannot ignore a path to the truth that has opened before us," Wu replied simply.
"Is it truly a path?" Kyeong'ui asked.
"We won't know until we explore it," Wu said.
Her casual answer was devoid of hesitation, fear, or solemn determination. Kyeong'ui was strangely relieved by her nonchalance.
"What do we need to explore it?" she asked, her gaze lingering on Wu, whose eyelids fluttered.
Wu's face lit up, and she eagerly listed the requirements. "First, we need Iridescent-black Stone. We also need to design and build a device to melt the sphere, which will be difficult to do here without attracting attention. The device will be larger than the sphere itself. And we won't be able to acquire all the necessary materials here."
Kyeong'ui walked over to where the new map of Birahng drawn by Hyeok and the map brought from Sunyahng hung side by side. Her eyes settled on a point between Birahng and the southern coast.
"Sahpung, right?" she asked. "The only island with a military presence between Birahng and the mainland?"
"Yes, that's correct," Hyeok confirmed.
"Let's relocate there," Kyeong'ui declared. "Although we might not find everything we need there, it's closer to the mainland. Young Master Gahngyun, go to Hyangdo tomorrow morning and ask the governor for reinforcements. Since we can't move everyone at once, it's too dangerous to travel with just our ship. Once you receive an answer from the governor, go directly to Sahcheon and tell your brother to evacuate Sahpung immediately."
"Evacuate?" Hyeok asked.
"Didn't we receive a royal decree to request support from the governor of Sahcheon if needed?" Kyeong'ui countered.
"That's not the issue... Although Sahpung is small, it has a considerable population. If you ask them to leave their homes overnight..."
Wu, who had been excited just a moment ago, also expressed concern. "Your Highness, Young Master Gahngyun is right. Although I'm eager to start working as soon as possible, is it right to evict people from their homes?"
"We cannot cross the southern sea until we understand that sphere," Kyeong'ui stated firmly. "Do we have any other options? Although there are plenty of uninhabited islands in the southern sea, we need an island with at least a basic defense. The residents can be accommodated in Sahcheon for the time being. We cannot afford to be concerned about their circumstances."
To Hyeok, Kyeong'ui's eagerness still seemed dangerous, and he remained silent, frustration simmering within him.
Kyeong'ui, looking back at the record, asked Wu, "What does 'the blade of Yeom'myeol' refer to?"
"It's the legendary sword of the royal family of Cheon, passed down from the Founder of Wi," Wu explained. "There are tales of an inscription on the blade that reads 'Yeom'myeol.' Isn't it in the Court Library?"
"No," Kyeong'ui replied. "There are only eleven swords of the Twelve Houses. The whereabouts of the King's sword is unknown."
Kyeong'ui stared at the two characters that formed "Yeom'myeol(念滅)." Wu interrupted her contemplation.
"But Your Highness, why eleven swords and not twelve?"
"Because the sword of House Myeonghyeon is here in Birahng."
Wu and Seo'oh gasped.
"Send a message to House Myeonghyeon at dawn," Kyeong'ui instructed Hongyoo. "If he's able to travel, I wish to see him."
[1] The raw ore used to create the iridescent-black robes, a symbol of the King, and a beautiful jewel in its own right.
[2] An abridged summary of "History of Wi(衛史)", the official publication compiled after the founding of Dahn
[3] The regnal year of Wi
[4] A term referring to the event when Yeongshin Hyeon, the founder of Dahn, overthrew Wi and founded Dahn.