Fabre in Sacheon's Tang-Chapter 141: Love (3)

Geolhwang explained that a massive swarm of unknown insects had spread throughout Yueyang, causing great harm to the people. As a result, the newly appointed prefect, who happened to be the husband of Princess Gwan-do, was in deep trouble.

In ancient times like this, natural disasters were often seen as spiritual omens or blamed on individuals, so the newly appointed prefect was essentially being hunted like a scapegoat.

In the end, they wanted me to go and help.

If I did, the princess, who was favored by the Emperor, would assist the Martial Alliance, which was currently being restrained by imperial intervention and unable to mobilize its forces.

From the Martial Alliance’s perspective, this was like rain in a drought. Since the imperial family was involved, they had even sent Geolhwang, one of the Three Grandmasters, to personally request my help.

"So, in the end, you want me to go to Yueyang, figure out why these Black Bugs have suddenly multiplied in such numbers, or at least find a way to deal with them?"

"Yes, exactly that."

In other words, through the Martial Alliance’s referral, they wanted me to accept Princess Gwan-do’s request and provide expert consultation on insect-related issues.

It was basically a consulting job.

"So they’re asking me to consult now? Hah... I only showed a fraction of my abilities, and they’re already calling in a consultant. Do I look too competent?"

All I did was demonstrate a small part of my skills, and now they were asking me for consulting services.

The thought inflated my ego for a moment, but the situation was complicated.

Right now, I wasn’t in a position to take on a long journey.

With the imperial family involved and Geolhwang personally making this request, refusing didn’t seem like an option. But there was a major issue—Moji and Soji, my hidden venomous creatures, couldn’t be left behind.

If they were separated from me, they would turn feral.

That meant I had to take them with me, and on top of that, Sera was close to laying her eggs. A long journey at this time was far from ideal.

A month and a half had passed in the blink of an eye since I had returned from the Martial Alliance and helped with Shintu’s case.

If the mating I had witnessed wasn’t their first, it wouldn’t be surprising if Sera laid eggs as soon as today.

I rested my chin on my hand and let out a deep sigh.

Without a solid plan, there wasn’t much I could do.

"Haa... but what should I do about this..."

"What’s the problem?"

Geolhwang tilted his head, looking at me in confusion.

I gave him an apologetic smile and explained.

"I’d like to help, but I have creatures about to give birth, and I also have venomous beings with me that become unstable if separated from me.

Not just that, but the ones I’m raising now dislike being apart from me, so I’d have to take them all with me.

But I can’t exactly bring them to a crowded place, so that makes things difficult."

I left out the part about Moji and Soji emitting deadly toxins when upset. Instead, I simply expressed my concerns about the logistics.

Geolhwang, however, simply smiled and replied,

"Don’t worry. Since we need to establish trust with Princess Gwan-do, it would actually be better if you bring some of your venomous creatures. The strategist of the ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Martial Alliance, Zhuge Hu, has already arranged for a ship from the Zhuge family."

"A... ship!?"

"Wait, they even arranged a private ship for me?"

My eyes widened in disbelief, and Geolhwang continued.

"Yes. It’s one of the fastest and largest vessels the Zhuge family owns, designed for travel along the Yangtze River. It should make the journey far less exhausting.

Additionally, aside from you, the ship will not carry any other passengers."

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A large vessel meant less turbulence, and the temperature inside the cabin would be stable.

More importantly, if it was just me and my creatures on board, I wouldn’t have to worry about running into anyone else.

It seemed they had gone to great lengths to accommodate me.

But what Geolhwang said next really caught me off guard.

"And, as a way of repaying you for your past assistance, they are willing to give you the ship if you need it. Including the crew.

Since the Blood Cult issue will require you to visit the Martial Alliance frequently, they figured transporting venomous creatures would be difficult for you otherwise.

If necessary, they even offered to modify the ship to suit your needs."

"Huh!?"

A personal livestock carrier.

No, a personal venomous creature transport ship.

This was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

I still had seven of the Ten Supreme Venomous Creatures left to find.

I already knew who possessed one of them, and I had even encountered the king of all venomous creatures, the Zhenbird.

That meant there were only five remaining that I had never seen before.

If I was going to track them down, a ship would be incredibly useful.

Having a vessel meant I could bring my other creatures along safely, keeping them hidden from prying eyes.

Moreover, the final creature I planned to capture was undoubtedly the Zhenbird.

And I would need a ship to reach Hainan Island for that.

"Sure, my father-in-law could arrange a ship for me... but getting one through my own abilities feels way better than relying on my in-laws."

It was an excellent offer, so I glanced at my father-in-law, Tang Cheolsan.

This wasn’t just my problem—it involved the imperial family, meaning it was a Tang Clan matter as well.

Then, I heard a message through sound transmission.

[*"Son-in-law, if it’s possible, I think you should accept this. Even though you’ve formally married into our family, earning the goodwill of the imperial household is an opportunity.

It may not seem immediately useful, but someday, in some way, it will be."*]

If even my father-in-law, the leader of the Tang Clan, thought this was a good idea, then refusing wasn’t really an option.

The rule about the martial world not interfering in imperial affairs didn’t seem to apply to favors like this.

Come to think of it, I had once sent the governor of Sichuan a confidence-boosting tonic...

By now, my mind was already fixated on the venomous creature transport ship.

"Yeah, getting tangled in things like this is just part of life. I can’t just ignore it completely. Should I leave Sera and Bingi with Hwa-eun and take a short trip?"

I worried about missing Sera’s egg-laying, but a personal venomous creature transport ship was too good to pass up.

Still, I needed to make sure this was within my field of expertise.

If I went there and found out I couldn’t solve the problem, I’d feel guilty about accepting the ship.

"I’m considering it... but do you know exactly what kind of insects we’re dealing with?"

Geolhwang’s face lit up as he nodded.

"Oh! So you’ll go? That’s reassuring. Ah, as for the insects, I heard they are black and winged."

That was a very vague description.

But how many black, winged insects existed in the world?

To the untrained eye, many species could look similar, yet be completely different.

I had no choice but to go through a checklist.

To ordinary people, insects might all seem the same.

"Alright, as the expert here, I need to be patient."

"So, black, winged insects... Could they be flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches , or grasshoppers?"

The insects that usually multiply in large numbers and cause damage to human life are flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, or grasshoppers.

When I asked if it was one of the four, Geolhwang shook his head.

"No, it’s not any of those. If it were, they would have said so. They mentioned it was a bug they had never seen before."

"A bug they’ve never seen before...?"

A black, winged insect... what species could possibly multiply in such numbers?

Nothing came to mind immediately.

It seemed I would need to see them in person to be sure.

At that moment, a voice called out from outside.

It was Hwa-eun.

"Father, I apologize for interrupting your conversation."

"What is it?"

"I know you’re discussing something important, but it’s urgent. May I borrow So-ryong for a moment?"

I assumed they were just bringing more tea to the room since Geolhwang was here, but instead, Hwa-eun was calling for me.

Her voice was pressed down with urgency, as if she was trying to keep herself calm.

Me?

My father-in-law turned to look at me.

Even though he knew that Geolhwang had come to see me, whatever was happening was pressing enough that Hwa-eun was willing to interrupt anyway.

I decided to excuse myself and check what was going on.

"I’ll step out and see what the matter is."

"Go ahead."

"Yes, son-in-law."

After getting permission from both, I opened the door of the guest hall.

And there stood Hwa-eun—her face drained of color, chewing on her fingernails as she stared at me.

Her hands were trembling. Martial artists rarely sweated, yet cold sweat dripped down her forehead.

Then, as soon as she opened her mouth, the emotions she had been trying to suppress came bursting out.

"So-So-ryong! Hurry! Quickly!"

She grabbed my wrist and tried to drag me away, completely panicked.

"Hwa-eun, calm down and explain. I was in the middle of a conversation, so I need to get permission before I leave."

I had already said I would check the situation first, but I still needed permission before running off.

At my words, she stared at me blankly for a moment.

Then, she screamed.

"S-Sera is giving birth!"

"Giving birth!?"

Hwa-eun’s sudden outburst made my eyes widen.

Her explanation came in a rush.

"S-Sera was clinging to Bingok after you went to the guest hall earlier! At first, I thought she was just eating, but it felt off, so I kept watching...

Then, Sister Seol dropped by, took one look at Sera, and said something seemed strange—she even asked if Sera might be laying eggs!"

Seol wasn’t an expert in this field, but she was deeply invested in animals.

Not to mention, she had helped deliver many puppies and wolf cubs since childhood.

If she said Sera might be laying eggs, then the chances were high.

Hwa-eun, trembling from nerves, gripped my hand tightly.

At this point, asking for permission wasn’t important.

What mattered was getting there in time.

"Let’s go!"

I sprinted to Hwa-eun’s quarters.

The moment we burst in, I saw Sera curled up tightly around Bingok on the table, completely still.

Bingi was frantic, running in circles around the table, licking Sera’s face in distress.

"Ryong! Come quick! She’s definitely trying to give birth!"

Seol shot to her feet the moment we entered.

Bingi bolted toward me, tugging on my sleeve desperately.

—Kkukku! Kkukkku!

She had seen me save Sera once before.

She believed I could do it again.

"I understand, Bingi. Step back for now."

I gently pushed her aside, but even I felt nervous.

I had helped deliver countless eggs in my previous life, but this was different.

It had been about two hours since I had gone to the guest hall.

That meant Sera had been like this for two hours.

Laying eggs could take time, but with first-time mothers, there was a risk of egg binding.

Egg Binding was a common complication in egg-laying birds, turtles, lizards, and snakes.

If the egg was too large or it was a first birth, it could get stuck inside the body.

And if that happened, the creature’s body would start reabsorbing uric acid and toxins, which could destroy its organs and lead to death.

"Please, please don’t let it be egg binding."

"It’s okay, Sera. It’s me—Dad’s here. Let me check, alright?"

—Kuuu...

Normally, it was dangerous to touch an animal in labor.

But if it was egg binding, I needed to act fast.

Carefully, I lifted Sera’s tail.

—Drip.

A clear fluid trickled out.

"Fluid?"

A small amount of fluid was expected during egg-laying, but this was too much.

Was it because she was a spiritual creature?

As I was wondering, Sera’s vent opened wide, and something slid out.

I widened my eyes.

It wasn’t an egg.

It was a baby.

"A... baby!?"

"So-ryong, it’s not an egg—it’s a baby!"

"It’s so cute!"

Sera hadn’t laid an egg.

Wrapped in a transparent sac, a tiny lizard that looked exactly like Sera and Bingi had been born.

I had assumed that Sera and Bingi would lay eggs, but like some species of lizards, Sera had given live birth instead.

"Quick, Hwa-eun! A cloth!"

"H-Here!"

As shocking as this was, the baby was still encased in its birth sac.

I quickly used the cloth Hwa-eun handed me to peel away the membrane and wipe its tiny nose.

For the first time since being born, the baby took its first breath.

—Kkyut.

A sound so adorable that all three of us nearly collapsed from sheer cuteness.