I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 712

Yoo So-wol remained in the audience chamber for a while after her meeting with the Hero, Asella.

Most of those with high enough status to discuss state affairs met with Wi Seol-ak and the elders first.

Yoo So-wol was the Heavenly Demon—the sky of the Demonic Cult—and held a position where she could not be met lightly. Without permission, even facing her was difficult.

In Asella’s case, Yoo So-wol had a personal interest, and Wi Seol-ak and the elders also deemed it a necessary meeting, so they granted permission.

Furthermore, realistically speaking, the Heavenly Demon Cult had not officially launched a ’government’ yet.

In such a situation, if someone capable of discussing state affairs met Yoo So-wol, things could get complicated.

Wi Seol-ak and the other high-ranking officials knew this, which was why they concluded matters at their level as much as possible.

It was just that the Hero was deeply connected to religion, making a face-to-face meeting unavoidable.

’How boring.’

Several hours had passed since Asella’s departure.

Yoo So-wol stared at the flowerpot in her bedroom with a bored expression.

The Rose of Sharon had only formed buds and had not yet fully bloomed. The flower, which looked as if it might burst open at any moment, remained stubbornly silent.

She worried that perhaps her devotion was lacking. If that were the case, she couldn’t bring herself to message Grylls out of sheer guilt.

Of course, Grylls would say it was fine and that just continuing to grow it was enough. But Yoo So-wol did not want that.

’Others must have received seeds besides this lady. But if only this lady has failed to make it bloom...’

Would she get publicly roasted? She had a strong premonition of it.

Getting roasted in the Gallery was a daily occurrence, but Yoo So-wol didn’t care much about that.

What she did care about was her proud martial arts, the plants she grew, and lastly, Grylls.

If any of those three things were mocked, even Yoo So-wol couldn’t help but get worked up.

Moreover, the Rose of Sharon involved two of those things. Yoo So-wol herself couldn’t predict what would happen the moment she got roasted over it.

’First, I should message those who might have received the flower.’

She pondered who that might be. First of all, two people immediately came to mind.

One was the Orange Badge, Don’t Abandon the Hero, and the other was Sword Matstar.

First, she sent a message to the Orange Badge, Don’t Abandon the Hero.

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Are you teasing me right now?]

[Heavenly Demon: I do not know what you mean. Ah, did you perhaps not receive a seed? How unexpected.]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: If you’re teasing me, I’ll ban you.]

[Heavenly Demon: I believed you were fully worthy of receiving one.]

[Don’t Abandon the Hero: Huuu... Just this once.]

She realized that, unexpectedly, the Orange Badge hadn’t received one. Yoo So-wol wore a puzzled expression before thinking of her next target, Sword Matstar.

A fixed nick who usually bickered with her in the Gallery and occasionally scraped at her insides.

Most of the time, Yoo So-wol would counter with composure, but there were occasions when she got on her nerves.

’An unpleasant fellow. I do not even like discussing martial arts with her.’

To begin with, they bickered every time they met, and having a serious discussion about martial arts was no easy task either.

Since Yoo So-wol mostly discussed depth through the ’Internal Cultivation Art’, while Sword Matstar discussed breadth through the ’Mana Cultivation Method’.

But extremes meet; since both of them had reached the pinnacle in their respective ways, even their debates on swordsmanship were fierce.

In fact, if Yoo So-wol claimed to launch an unavoidable attack, it was routine for Sword Matstar to lightly parry it.

Whenever Yoo So-wol asked if she could truly do that, Sword Matstar would counter by asking if she herself couldn’t do the same.

Through this, she had realized early on that the level of Sword Matstar’s martial arts was extraordinary.

In other words, there was a high probability that Sword Matstar had also received a Rose of Sharon seed from Grylls.

’...There is no way that person made it bloom when even this lady could not.’

Opening her message window, she had thoughts she wouldn’t normally entertain.

After hesitating for a while, she sent a private message to Sword Matstar.

[Heavenly Demon: Are you there?]

[Sword Matstar: Huh? What brings you to send a private message?]

As expected of Sword Matstar. Seeing how she replied instantly, she must have been idling around, browsing the Gallery.

Yoo So-wol snorted as if she had expected as much, and brought up her desired topic without delay.This chapter was taken from novelping . com without permission.

[Heavenly Demon: Did you not also receive a seed from the benefactor? I would like you to speak honestly.]

[Sword Matstar: A seed? What seed? Don’t tell me... a man’s seed?]

[Heavenly Demon: Your mind is filled with dirty thoughts. Are all women who have passed marriageable age like this?]

Yoo So-wol’s message dripped with pathetic disappointment. In fact, Yoo So-wol was wearing a look of utter pity.

She wondered if throwing such jokes was fun when one had aged as much as she had.

Furthermore, she resolved that she would never end up like that.

She would rather be teased for being an old geezer or having a weird way of speaking.

[Sword Matstar: No way. I’ve just been so happy lately that these jokes keep slipping out.]

[Heavenly Demon: Have you met a good man?]

[Sword Matstar: That’s a secret~]

[Heavenly Demon: It seems you have caught her way of speaking from hanging around Princess Chaenggu.]

As everyone knew, there was a chatroom where the administrators gathered. They usually discussed things there.

Of course, they were usually busy talking about useless things.

Especially Princess Chaenggu, who, whenever she had a spare moment, would go on about how happy she was because her favorite team was doing well, or how rewarding it was to be chosen by the Chief God, and so on.

She only said things with absolutely no substance, but it wasn’t unpleasant. It just felt like she was acting cute, which was adorable.

But that was cute because Princess Chaenggu did it; when Sword Matstar did it, it made her stomach turn.

[Heavenly Demon: This lady has no time for wordplay with you. So, did you receive the seed and plant it?]

[Sword Matstar: Since you seem to already know, I’ll answer honestly. I even made it bloom.]

She felt the word ’Liar’ rising to her throat.

Yoo So-wol furrowed her brow at the claim that none other than Sword Matstar had made it bloom.

[Heavenly Demon: Telling lies is not good.]

[Sword Matstar: It’s not a lie. My mom used to run a flower shop, so I got some advice.]

The reply came too quickly to be a lie. Yoo So-wol pondered.

If she asked to see a photo of the flower for no reason, Sword Matstar might catch on.

[Heavenly Demon: You are lying. Did it not wither before even blooming?]

[Sword Matstar: What nonsense is that? From what I know of the Central Plains, insulting someone’s parents is an invitation to fight?]

[Heavenly Demon: I will not be fooled by an obvious lie. Can you prove it?]

[Sword Matstar: And what about you? Did you make yours bloom?]

[Heavenly Demon: Regrettably, it has only formed a bud and remains unresponsive.]

Yoo So-wol decided to test her. And with the truth, at that.

Partly because she couldn’t think of a plausible lie, and partly because she had seen through Sword Matstar’s bluff.

And sure enough, after a brief silence, Sword Matstar spoke in a cautious tone.

[Sword Matstar: You too? Actually, mine is the same. It seems the flower is a bit unusual.]

"Huuu..."

Yoo So-wol let out a sigh of relief. She realized it wasn’t her devotion and effort that were lacking, but that the flower itself was strange.

Her heart, which had felt as heavy as a lead weight, grew lighter, but at the same time, she was puzzled.

What on earth was the identity of this flower that it refused to bloom fully?

She continued to talk with Sword Matstar afterward, but only received replies saying she had no idea either.

[Heavenly Demon: By any chance, are you also participating in the Heavenly God Martial Festival?]

[Sword Matstar: No? I’m just rolling around at home?]

[Heavenly Demon: Go outside once in a while.]

[Sword Matstar: You sound just like my mom. Still, I like staying at home.]

Yoo So-wol nagged her briefly before falling into deep thought.

A flower whose bud wouldn’t open. This alone made it very easy to identify.

Furthermore, if she had participated in the Heavenly God Martial Festival, there was a strong possibility she had brought the flowerpot with her.Enjoying the story? Read on at NovelPing.

’If she did not bring the flowerpot, then she is not qualified.’

Sword Matstar might have known this and lied on purpose.

Of course, she might truly not have participated. With that, she stood up and quietly went outside.

Wi Seol-ak had told her not to leave the Heavenly Demon Palace if possible, but she lightly ignored it.

Above all, he had only said ’if possible,’ not that she shouldn’t go out at all.

If Wi Seol-ak had heard this, he would have clutched the back of his neck, but Yoo So-wol’s erratic behavior was unstoppable to begin with.

’I should cover my face with a veil.’

Not only that, but she also concealed her presence to the utmost. From now on, anyone who saw her would only perceive her as a passing blur in the corner of their vision.

A technique highly suited for traveling in disguise. Having even covered her face with a veil, there was no issue with her roaming around as she pleased.

’I must find those who possess the flower.’

To be precise, those with flowers that had only formed buds. Surprisingly, there were many people carrying flowerpots.

The reason was extremely simple: it was due to the eccentric behavior Yoo So-wol had displayed during the Martial Arts Tournament.

Her martial prowess, which overwhelmed her opponents even while holding a flowerpot in one hand. When eccentricity and martial might combine, it naturally breeds a subtle sort of admiration.

One didn’t have to look far; even looking at Grylls, although his technique itself was lacking, his physical capabilities were so outstanding that no one dared to insult him lightly.

’By the way, I thought trends scattered like the wind, but this is quite fascinating.’

Quite a few people were carefully carrying small flowerpots. Even the foreigners who visited this time were the same.

It seemed that coming to the Demonic Cult naturally made them think of the Heavenly Demon, Yoo So-wol, resulting in this phenomenon.

Yoo So-wol felt a strange sense of pride for a moment before moving her feet again. Since there were so many people carrying flowerpots, it was surprisingly difficult to tell them apart.

Furthermore, because there were occasionally flowerpots with only buds, she sometimes ended up on a wild goose chase.

’Fortunately, they are vastly different from this lady’s, so I will not end up catching the wrong person.’

Had Sword Matstar really not participated? Was she really just rolling around at home despite possessing such martial arts?

It was complicated in many ways, but not entirely impossible. However, she did not give up and steadily searched around.

The Heavenly Demon Cult was chaotic due to the unprecedented tidal wave of visitors, but Yoo So-wol lightly slipped past that wave.

Soon, time passed, and the sun began to sink below the horizon. A few people gazed at the beautiful sunset, but most closed up shop or returned to their lodgings.

Yoo So-wol clicked her tongue in disappointment but prepared to return to the Heavenly Demon Palace immediately. The inside of the palace was probably busy by now.

’There is still plenty of time, so I can take my time looking around.’

Yoo So-wol toyed with her veil as she made her way toward the Heavenly Demon Palace.

Returning as silently as she had left.

Wi Seol-ak would surely nag her, but she didn’t care. It was enough to let it go in one ear and out the other anyway.

Rather than that, she was curious about who had entered the Heavenly Demon Palace. This was a place where not only the Hero, Asella, but also other distinguished guests would come.

She didn’t care much about what the guests were doing, but curiosity was something that couldn’t be hidden.

Just as she was about to open her ears and listen to the entire Heavenly Demon Palace.

"Huh?"

"Hmm?"

It was pure coincidence. The moment Yoo So-wol was about to search the palace, someone appeared from around the corner of the hallway.

Pure white hair tied in a short bob. A beautiful Western appearance that stood in stark contrast to the people of the Central Plains.

A body that looked firm from constant training despite being a woman, yet her curves were also prominent.

Lastly, a tremendous aura that was subtly revealed. Though their appearances were polar opposites, she was a woman even Yoo So-wol could not ignore.

Above all, the flowerpot in the woman’s hand. It caught Yoo So-wol’s eye more than anything else.

"That..."

A flowerpot containing a flower that had not yet fully bloomed but had sprouted a bud.

"...Who are you?"

Sword Matstar, Ash, asked as she looked at Yoo So-wol.

In a voice laden with wariness.