The Outer God Needs Warmth-Chapter 89: Soo’s Gangho (9)

The next day, the Heavenly Demon came as if nothing had happened.

From the perspective of the Heavenly Demon, it seemed like they weren’t particularly concerned about me, which likely means they thought I was fine, as I had hoped.

I had a general idea of what to expect.

A dragon that flies across the clouds, scattering rain before disappearing, or a tiger that can devour every living creature in a deep forest, or a manticore that leaves scars even after killing a child, or a monster shivering in the cold of a strange world — they’re all the same.

If I had to choose something dangerous, I’d go with the manticore right away. The experience of facing it would be different.

It’s a matter of perspective on who kills more people. When explaining something abstract, if there’s no foundation to understand it, the explanation ends up being strange.

It’s like choosing between a nuclear bomb and a candle that burns forever without fuel.

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If you ask someone with no knowledge of physics, they’d likely choose the nuclear bomb, but someone who understands physics would choose the never-dying flame.

Without knowledge, one might even think the fire in the stove could be dangerous.

Seeing that the Heavenly Demon and Soo are not particularly alarmed, it seems that they’re not consuming any unknown energy either.

Anyway, it seems like the Heavenly Demon doesn’t think seriously about me.

So today, another ordinary day continues, just like before.

It would be nice if Soo became stronger, but spending time like this is a waste.

Perhaps because the Heavenly Demon Church has taken control, even though I left a good image as the one who healed disabilities at Jeonyang’s funeral, no one comes.

Jeonyang is still around fourteen years old.

If there’s time.

Maybe it’s better to form a connection with the Heavenly Demon and act under her protection.

The problem is that the Heavenly Demon Church is a religion.

Religions can’t leave the existence of other gods alone. Even in polytheism, the main deity remains while lesser gods are demoted, and their influence is mixed in.

It’s like how Buddhism spread through Hinduism, and Buddha became the avatar of Vishnu.

It’s not unpleasant to follow someone. But the reason I hesitate is that I won’t be able to control things once that happens.

Last time, I didn’t control anything at all, and things spread out of control, destroying the world.

Who would’ve known that if the harvesters increased, the glass jar would break?

To limit that, a secret society where they only gain benefits privately seems ideal. Something like the Freemasons.

If I could use healing as bait to pull in politicians, high-ranking officials, or wealthy people and turn them into harvesters, their warmth from killing others would come to me.

This is the structure I need to set up to make it work.

Hmm? This feels like a pagan simulator...

It seems somewhat fitting.

How exactly can I create an automatic warmth-harvesting system in the second world?

As I was thinking about that, I watched as the Heavenly Demon and Soo repeated certain movements in the yard.

From lunchtime until before dinner.

Of course, they weren’t the only ones training. I also work out separately.

However, unlike what Soo does, it’s not a movement requiring internal energy, just exercise to move the body.

I especially run a lot.

It’s similar to how I used to run around the rocky desert as Rebecca, except now I run around here.

The difference from Rebecca’s time is that Choseol is taller, so she’s faster, and running isn’t boring anymore.

Also, since she’s genetically different, she can run quickly and for long distances without getting tired.

Of course, compared to Soo, who leaps around using his internal energy like flying, I’m incredibly slow.

But that can’t be helped.

Once the exercise is over, the Heavenly Demon leaves, and Soo and I prepare dinner together. We have food sent by the Heavenly Demon Church, so we don’t need to worry about meals right now, but the ingredients need to be cooked.

So, we prepare the meal, eat, and clean up, which brings us to midnight.

There’s nothing to do here, so we sleep early once the sun sets.

And so the days go by.

Before I knew it, it had become chilly, and eventually, white crystals started falling from the sky.

Snow.

Winter had arrived.

The water below the cliff was frozen white, and the trees to the north were covered in snow. Every time I breathed, my breath came out in puffs, and I had to wear thicker clothes.

The only fortunate thing is that the house isn’t cold.

The fire in the stove is still burning. Of course, since there’s no underfloor heating, only the wall facing the stove is warm.

But it’s enough to get through the winter.

The interesting thing is that I’m the only one who cares about that flame. While the Heavenly Demon only stays for a short time and doesn’t notice, Soo has never paid attention to the fire for long either.

Soo is a little uneasy.

What if that flame, which was supposed to burn forever, goes out? What will happen then?

To maintain that flame throughout the winter, there should be a stack of firewood in one part of the house. Soo doesn’t know about this, though.

Maybe I’ll have to build a campfire in a different place someday.

While keeping this in mind for Soo, I continue watching the daily routine.

“Here, let your energy flow faster. If you let it stagnate, your energy might backfire and rupture your blood vessels.”

“Yes, Master!”

Soo and the Heavenly Demon are getting along well again today.

It’s not surprising that Soo has become attached to the Heavenly Demon, but the Demon’s attitude has softened significantly.

In other words, the Heavenly Demon has grown fond of Soo.

Heh heh.

This is very good.

Once affection is attached, it’s hard to remove. Just being around them benefits me as well.

It’s only been half a year, but they’ve fallen for each other so easily. Honestly, I’m starting to worry if the Heavenly Demon can truly lead the Heavenly Demon Church properly.

Then again.

Being alone from the start is different from being alone after losing someone.

They say loneliness can only be filled by people, right?

When the Heavenly Demon is in the main building of the Heavenly Demon Church, they don’t meet anyone privately unless it’s for work. So, this place must be considered a private space.

How foolish.

Anyway. One thing.

When the Heavenly Demon is in the main building of the Heavenly Demon Church, they work all the time, and surprisingly, their reputation inside isn’t bad.

In fact, it’s quite good.

Yes.

Surprisingly so.

From the perspectives of Byeongil or the head of the Heavenly Palace, there aren’t many people who are openly hostile toward the Heavenly Demon.

In fact, when the sect leaders meet, they say that the Heavenly Demon has been acting more like the Heavenly Demon, and some even joke that Jeonyang should’ve died much sooner.

From my perspective, it’s surprising that more than half of the sects that rebelled against the Heavenly Demon haven’t been punished yet. Honestly, it’s amazing that the sect leaders are still alive.

I thought at least one of the examples would have been executed, but instead, it was just swept under the rug, and there was no backlash. The Heavenly Demon Church quickly returned to normal, and everything passed without issue.

In other words, there have been no major incidents.

Now, how are the lower-ranking people doing...?

Surprisingly, they accepted the Heavenly Demon willingly.

From the perspective of the common harvesters from the Heavenly Palace or those who gave us fruits at Jeonyang’s funeral, they see it that way.

Some even believe the Heavenly Demon has completely changed, some say it’s divine intervention, and there are many different opinions, but most of them conclude the same thing.

They say things are much better than when Jeonyang was around.

Some even joke that everything returned to normal after Jeonyang died, like the mischievous woman who confused the king was finally gone, which is quite funny.

They only talk bad about Jeonyang.

Yes.

No one mentions the Heavenly Demon.

It’s as if it’s a topic you shouldn’t even bring up. Right now, the Heavenly Demon Church is a good place to live, and that’s all they say.

In the open, no one talks about it, and even when they drink in their homes, the only conversation about the Heavenly Demon is about their leadership.

I’m curious how they view someone whose gender and appearance have completely changed, but I can’t gauge their reactions.

From them, I can feel a sense of reverence and fear toward the object of their worship.

So, that’s probably why they don’t talk about the Heavenly Demon except in praise.

Honestly, it’s disappointing.

If they truly respect the strong, there should be a chaotic process to become one. But here, there are only livestock content with their rank.

All harvesters could become Heavenly Demons, but no one is striving for it.

The Heavenly Demon Church is a very static place.

I tried to shake things up, but failed... Is it really better to leave if I’ll just let time pass with no results?

Soo follows the Heavenly Demon, and the Heavenly Demon cares for Soo.

Maybe I should go alone.

I look down at myself and then glance toward the distant forest.

The outer world of the Heavenly Demon Church.

Far, far away.

Through the forest, after passing through the city, then after crossing a few more cities, I’ll reach a place.

There, Omyoungseong is waiting.

He’s often in places filled with monks, eating elixirs or sitting in a lotus position.

Each time, my containment rate increases and then stops. Even if I become a harvester, I’ll just steal the warmth when they die, so I’d prefer to become a harvester sooner.

Maybe it’s because I’m not fully theirs yet, but Omyoungseong doesn’t get warmth when he kills.

Sometimes, his vision flickers, or there’s only sound, or I can only see his body’s interior, like when communication is bad.

But I learned something.

There’s an intermediate state.

In other words, if this state continues for a long time, there’s a chance I can develop a way to oppose it.

It’s a problem I never thought of before.

I must have been overconfident somewhere.

I’ve been thinking that no one can stop me from injecting myself with light.

But if I can stop it, I might eventually be able to expel it. This means I need to make harvesters carefully.

I’ll be cautious. After all, I’m still just someone feeding from the bottom.

But, even with the risk, I must go out. Omyoungseong’s place is full of good people, ordinary people, and bad people.

Such a chaotic place is exactly where I can easily gather people.

But rushing in blindly would be foolish.

I need to grow stronger until I can repel a certain level of danger.

At least, once this body grows to look like an adult...

Then I’ll go outside.