Chapter Forty-One

Sora, Mikail, Aeri, and Royo disarm and enter a side door into Gaya’s Temple of Knowledge, finding an interior mirroring Khitan’s temple. Priests and the keeper, Braya, move silently among shelves and a central fountain beneath a gilded dome. The group seeks answers about Dragon Lord relics and, at Sora’s urging, the history of Yusan’s queens.

Priests bring histories first. The texts reveal that two Baejkin queens ruled within the last millennium, but King Theum invaded the temple and erased records about queens roughly thirty years ago, likely to neutralize his popular sister before she conveniently died in childbirth. Sora flags this for Aeri as living memory contradicts the current narrative.

Next, the priests provide extensive lore on the relics. While myths agree the Dragon Lord left relics as gifts, no source confirms what happens if all etherum reunites. King Joon allegedly held the Flaming Sword in the Wei war but did not use it. Aeri’s possession of multiple relics appears unprecedented, suggesting consolidation might grant godlike power.

Tension spikes when a stocky, gray-haired priest returns, scrutinizes the group, and confronts Braya with a document. Despite vows of discretion, he storms over, demands the group leave, and accuses them of murder. He slams down a wanted poster: King Joon offers a million mun per person—four million total—for their capture for killing Tiyung.