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Join the Server“You are all five years old, so you’re the same age.”
At the Teacher’s words, the eyes of all the orphans turned toward Ion.
“Teacher, he looks small.” “Teacher, he’s clearly a baby.” “Teacher, that baby is a really little kid.”
Children were calling a child a child. The Teacher, however, remained unbothered.
“If I say you are the same age, you are the same age. Get along accordingly.”
The orphans didn’t believe the Teacher; they treated Ion as the youngest. It wasn’t just because of his appearance. Instinctively, they felt that Ion’s actual age was significantly less than theirs.
“We have arrived at the Temple. Please disembark.”
As Ion moved his body at the guard’s words, his head immediately throbbed.
‘I should have brought medicine.’
His headaches had worsened noticeably since arriving in the Heavenly Realm. It was largely because neither Sanse nor the bat was there to soothe them. As the royal carriage came to a halt, the temple librarians came out to greet them.
The Great Sage introduced Ion to the librarians, but he mentioned nothing specific, only stating that Ion had come from afar to consult the temple’s records.
The librarians looked at Ion’s somewhat familiar face with confusion, but they didn’t harbor any suspicion. They trusted the Great Sage, whose status in the Heavenly Realm was equivalent to a High Priest in Idea.
“Wow… this is completely different from what I imagined.”
Blan marveled as they entered the temple lobby. The Temple of Records was a cutting-edge data center. It featured high ceilings, a cool temperature, and mechanical devices that whirred without pause. The 250-story building was packed with tens of thousands of years of data, and they said it was still being expanded.
“There are no people here besides the librarians.”
“Traffic is prohibited during the mourning period. Don’t worry, Ion. In your case, an exception has been made to allow access until your roots are found.”
“Thank you.”
“There are four sectors in the temple, but the areas accessible to visitors are the West, East, and South wings. The North wing contains classified records of the Heavenly Realm, accessible only to the elders among the Angels. For finding your roots, the archives in the West wing should be sufficient.”
“I see.”
Ion immediately resolved to find a way into the North wing.
“I would like to help you search, but I must return now. Leaving the capital to come this far during national mourning is, in fact, a taboo.”
“Ah, I see. Then you should head back quickly. Before you go, could I ask one thing?”
“Please, speak.”
“Is there any record in the temple regarding how to manipulate Won-gi (Vital Energy)?”
Ion put on his most harmless expression, drawing from his experience in acting class. He didn’t want to look like a suspicious person trying to exploit the Heavenly Realm’s most vital resource.
“How to manipulate Won-gi…?”
The Great Sage blinked slowly and then let out a hearty laugh.
“Hahaha! That is impossible. Unlike other races, we can only sense Won-gi; no being can manipulate it. I am sorry to disappoint you.”
The Great Sage’s explanation was as follows: The Won-gi of the Heavenly Realm is different from the Demonic Energy of the Demon Realm or the Mana of Idea. Won-gi simply exists; it cannot be utilized. Even the mechanism by which Won-gi grants lifespans to the Heavenly Tribe has never been clearly uncovered.
Since the Heavenly Tribe has neither Demonic Energy nor Mana, they developed their civilization through science and technology, much like Earthlings. Aside from their ability to fly due to their wings, they possessed a system very similar to that of Earth.
“Nevertheless, ancestors who craved power conducted various studies. They even built Mana generators, but in the Heavenly Realm, Mana dissipates almost as soon as it is created.”
“So that’s why you gifted them to Idea.”
“The Guardians who created the Mana generators said that since we couldn’t use them, we should at least let Idea use them.”
“The Guardians?”
“The Heavenly Realm is a small and weak world compared to the Demon Realm, Earth, and Idea. After being easily conquered during the Demon invasion ten thousand years ago, a barrier was established at the borders. Guardians are those who have inherited the knowledge of the one who created that barrier.”
Ion’s eyes sparkled.
‘Did that barrier protect the Heavenly Realm from the power of Apostles, like Madness and the System?’
“Is the barrier a mechanical device?”
“Only the Angel elders know about the barrier. Even if I knew, I could not speak of it. It is the sole defense system protecting our world.”
“Then, could I possibly meet a Guardian?”
“Is there a reason to meet a Guardian? Did you not come to find your roots? Did you have another purpose?”
The Great Sage’s friendly tone turned stiff at Ion’s persistent questioning. Ion had clearly touched a sensitive nerve. However, Ion used his delicate features to maintain a gentle expression.
“I was a student at the Magic Tower in Idea. I was studying barrier magic specifically… perhaps my academic curiosity was a bit excessive. I’m sorry.”
“Ah, is that so? Give up on the Guardians and the barrier. However, since you are a student with high academic passion, I shall show you one thing…”
The Great Sage unfurled a fan painted with an ink-and-wash landscape. He slowly waved the fan through the air, and a transparent energy shimmered along the movement.
“This is…?”
“It is a power called Gi (Qi). It is a force that accumulates inside the body through repeated training; unlike Won-gi, any member of the Heavenly Tribe can utilize it. Our ancestors who craved power devised it.”
So, while the Demon Realm had Demonic Energy and Idea had Mana, the Heavenly Realm had Qi.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“I hope you find your roots. Since the King said you are a Celestial, it must be true. Start by scouring the Celestial archives.”
“Thank you.”
The Great Sage, after waving his fan, departed from the temple. The carriage and the guards left as well, leaving Ion’s group entirely on their own.
“Hey, you’re going to the North wing archives, right?”
“Of course. But we’ll look through the other three sectors first. Let’s each take one. Check all data with keywords like ‘Demon King’ or ‘Bat.’ If there’s data on ‘Apostles,’ check that too. And…”
Ion was about to mention the keyword “Divine Zone” but stopped.
“Just check those for now.”
“Damion, have you forgotten? We must also check records regarding lifespan extension. There must be a way to increase it.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“It is necessary.” “It’s not.” “It is.”
Ion and the nobleman glared at each other. More accurately, only Ion was glaring, while the nobleman had a worried look in his eyes. The nobleman changed his target.
“That is an order, Blan. Check books on lifespan and Won-gi as well.”
“You might have forgotten, Lord Baba, but I can’t read the Heavenly script.”
“…….”
“Wow, you two are really in sync at times like this. Giving me the ‘look’ like I’m a useless object? Don’t you worry. I’ll get information my own way!”
Ion’s group stayed at a lodging near the temple for several days. During that time, the national mourning ended and the new King was coronated. Consequently, visitors to the temple increased. Because the population was so small, people immediately noticed that Ion, Blan, and the nobleman were from elsewhere.
Rather than being wary of outsiders, they showed pure curiosity. Today, as soon as he arrived at the temple, a person with white wings on their back spoke to Ion.
“I haven’t seen your face before. Where are you from?”
“I came from a small village near the border. And you?”
“I see. I came from the Valley of Heavenly Seas to find my roots. I’ve been searching the archives for fifteen days, but it’s not easy.”
There were many at the Temple of Records who, like Ion, sought to find their roots. Since an 8-year lifespan was too short to pass down family trees orally, the temple records seemed to serve as a genealogy.
“The temple is vast, so make sure you carry a map. I’ve gotten lost twice and had to call a librarian.”
“Yes, thank you for the advice.”
“Ah, if you find any records about the couple Ha-yun and Hwi who lived on Mount Cheon-myeong 32 years ago, could you let me know? I’ll let you know if I find what you’re looking for. What records are you searching for?”
“I’m… searching for a black-haired man who lives on Mount Baba.”
Ion made it up on the spot.
“Mount Baba? I’ve never heard of such a mountain. Do you know his name?”
“No. I don’t know his name or age… I only know he has black hair, black eyes, is very handsome, and has a tall, well-built frame.”
“Ah.”
The other person’s gaze shifted behind Ion. More precisely, they were looking at the very handsome, tall, well-built man with black hair and black eyes.
“You are searching for that person’s roots. I understand. Mount Baba… it’s a place name I’m hearing for the first time, but if I find it, I’ll be sure to contact you. What is your identification code?”
The Heavenly Realm doesn’t have phone numbers; instead, they have something called an “ID tablet.” It’s a type of tablet PC granted at birth that also serves as identification. Ion gave the serial number of the ID tablet he had received from the Great Sage. As the other person quickly entered it into their own tablet, Ion’s tablet flashed. After exchanging codes, Ion strapped the tablet back onto his wrist.
“Damion, are we splitting up again today?”
“We should. Don’t look for useless keywords; find the things we actually need to find.”
“Understood.”
Blan had already disappeared. Although he couldn’t read the script, he had quickly picked up basic conversation and was using his own methods to gather information—gaining the favor of the librarians and having them search for him. Meanwhile, he didn’t forget to flirt; for the past few days, his bed at the lodging had remained empty.
‘Heh, compared to those mean and loathsome humans, the Heavenly Tribe is quite innocent! They aren’t as fun to toy with as humans, but I won’t be bored while I’m here.’
Ion hoped Blan would one day deeply regret toying with people’s hearts like that.
Shaking his head, Ion headed to the East wing. He boarded a translucent elevator designated for the library and began scanning data from the top down.
The data cases were in book form, recording events that occurred at specific times and locations. Upon opening a book, various characters rose as holograms, and one had to pick out desired keywords from the cluster. There were thirty million such books in a single archive.
Ion read through the data rapidly.
‘Every book I open has stories about kidnapping.’
Kidnapping incidents occurred roughly once every hundred years. Since one year in the Heavenly Realm is equivalent to ten years in Idea, it meant they were rare enough to happen only once every thousand years. That was likely why the kidnapping of the infant 18 years ago had turned the Heavenly Realm upside down.
The person from Idea who kidnapped one of the twins was said to be a woman with brown, curly hair. She had come to the Heavenly Realm as a friend of the Great Heavenly King and had stayed even after the King’s death. There was no other information.
“…A Celestial couple asked if there was a child here with brown hair and green eyes whose roots were unknown…”
No matter which book he opened, there was the sentence: “The parents of the Heavenly stray came here searching for their child.” They truly had spent their entire lives looking for him. Since someone from Idea had kidnapped him, there was a high probability he was on Idea, but they had apparently searched the entire Heavenly Realm without giving up.
The data also contained photos of the two. Whenever their photos appeared, Ion purposefully skipped them without looking.
‘What’s the point of knowing?’
There was a high chance they weren’t the ones who gave birth to him. And even if they were…
What could be done now? They were people who had died a long time ago.
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