Entomologist in Sichuan Tang Clan Chapter 306

306
“Ahhhh… The moon? Then, just the moon will do? Easy.”

I thought the village chief would be flustered, but he nodded with a brighter face than I expected.

Something felt strange, so I asked the village chief.

People usually get flustered when asked to make something easy, but he answered as if it was so easy.

Because it was one of two things.

Either he’s a really big talker or I misunderstood.

It’s usually the latter, so I wanted to double check.

“Uh… What size are you thinking about?”

“If it’s the moon, then that’s why···.”

Then the village chief looked around the sky and pretended to search for something.

It seemed like he was looking for the moon in response to my question, but what moon would be up in the sky in broad daylight?

“Oh no. It’s broad daylight right now? With this crazy mind.”

He realized that it was daytime, put a peck on his head, made a fist with one hand, and asked with a smile.

“Maybe it’s about this much? But this is too small. Let’s make it like this.”

The village chief now smiles, expressing the size of a watermelon.

His buck teeth flashed in a smile from his slightly parted mouth.

His smile was so bright that I couldn’t help but blink.

“The moon is originally a bit smaller, but the lanterns must be a bit bigger to make it bright, Confucius.”

The village chief gives kind advice.

I wondered what this was, and upon thinking about it, I realized that it was an unknown space in the Central Plains where the goddess of the moon, Hang’e, lived.

But that is just dismissed as a tale.

Since he had not learned basic astronomy knowledge, the village chief seemed to think that the size he saw was the size of the moon.

Even in the 21st century, aren’t there many people who believe that the Earth is square?

Moreover, in such ancient times, it would have been natural for there to have been people who thought that the moon was as big as they could see with their own eyes.

‘Innocent.’

I smiled awkwardly and decided to explain exactly what size I wanted.

“Um… I think I misspoke, but I wish it was a little bigger.”

“How big is it?”

“How big can you make it?”

At those words, the village chief’s expression became slightly worried and his words trailed off.

“Well, if you put your mind to it, everyone can join in and make it as big as they want, but···.”

“Oh! Is that so?”

As I was delighted by his words, the village chief now looked clearly embarrassed and began to make excuses.

“But even if I make it, it’ll be hard to move and use, right? Also, if it’s too heavy, it’s easy to break… And it uses a lot of oil….”

The village chief was making excuses like it was hard to move and hard to take, but what I needed was the biggest lantern possible.

He asked with a smile.

“But please make it as big as possible.”

“As big as possible, you mean?”

The village chief now looked obviously embarrassed, and then I heard my grandfather’s voice in my ear.

[Little Dragon, the lives of country bumpkins are not easy. I don’t know why they ask for a large lantern, but it must be because a lot of paper is needed to make a lantern.]

‘You’re saying it’s because of the paper?’

As I looked around at the sound of the electric current, I saw the herbal medicine old man approaching me.

I was a little embarrassed by my grandfather’s words that he made such an excuse because he was concerned about wasting paper.

That would be the case, because I don’t know about anything else, but there are three things cheap in the Central Plains: one is paper, another is sugar, and the last is people.

Paper was cheap because many people knew how to manufacture it, and it was used even in private homes. Also, because it was ancient, I thought sugar was expensive, but sugarcane was grown in large quantities south of the Yangtze River, so sugar was cheaper than I thought.

There were so many people that it was just cheap.

It’s not that they were using slaves, but the labor costs were extremely cheap.

But one of them is paper, so I’m saying that because I feel bad about it.

‘Oh, I see.’

But after thinking about it for a bit, I could understand why he was flustered.

The bigger the lantern, the more paper it requires, so no matter how cheap the paper is, the more money it costs to make a large lantern.

Even if it was cheap paper, if there was a lot of it, it was a significant amount of money, as if clothes got wet in a drizzle.

I think it’s cheap there, but that’s just my standards, and for people who make a living selling lanterns, it could be a lot of money.

‘It seems like I’ve lost some sense of economics because I became the son-in-law of a rich family.’

I was thinking of something small because they asked me to make it as a gift, but the cost of materials alone would be enough to make hundreds of small lanterns, so of course it would be burdensome as a gift.

Feeling a little sorry, he took out a few coins from his pocket and handed them to the village chief.

This is money that Hwa-eun gave me to buy delicious food on the way to her brother’s house and to buy delicious food for the grandfathers, but I didn’t have any use for it in this rural town.

“Oh, if you make it big, it seems like a lot of ingredients will be needed. I hope this helps.”

“This, this much money!?”

The village chief was surprised by the amount, but he waved both his hands and said.

“I can’t accept this kind of money from my benefactor.”

“No, I really need a lantern···.”

“I’ll just make it for you.”

“It would be a waste, so we can’t do that.”

Take it.

I won’t accept it.

As I continued to argue with him, the old man who was the herbalist approached and asked me.

“But Little Dragon, why did you ask me to make a lantern?”

“that is···.”

As I was trying to explain to my grandfather, the village chief standing next to me.

I was thinking about moving to another location to explain, but then I remembered that even if I made a lantern, I would need help setting it up from the villagers.

[This is essential for catching the Blood and Dream Drop.]

[okay?]

First, I whispered to my grandfather and explained that it was absolutely necessary to catch the Blood Flower Dream Butterfly, and then I asked if it would be okay to inform the village chief and get help, even if it wasn’t everyone in the village.

[But I need some help from the villagers, so I guess I’ll have to explain to the village chief what’s going on right now…]

[If you need people’s help, then it’s probably a good idea to do so.]

When I explained the whole story to the village chief with my grandfather’s consent, the village chief was surprised.

“Are you saying there’s poison in the village!? Then wouldn’t that be a big deal? Then would it be poison that would make us all fall asleep!? Elder Yakseon, are we okay? Are the children okay!?”

I grabbed my grandfather’s sleeve and spoke to him to calm him down as he asked earnestly.

“Calm down, Chief. It’s nothing serious.”

“It’s nothing? How is this not something?”

“The best herbalist in the Central Plains is here, so what are you worried about?”

Well, he couldn’t make a deal, but anyway, when the village chief looked at my grandfather, my grandfather nodded.

He said it with an expression that told me to trust only him.

Then the village chief, with a slightly relieved expression, asked in a cautious voice.

“But if it is such a spirit and poisonous thing… how can we catch it?”

The question was how he would deal with the poisonous creature, even if his grandfather saved him from the poison. However, since he had the reputation of a herbal medicine grandfather, he had no worries about treatment.

‘Is this why people have to become famous?’

He smiled at the question and stepped forward.

And she confidently explained to him, pushing back her hair behind her ears.

“I was embarrassed to say this myself, so I didn’t want to say it, but if it’s poison, you don’t have to worry. People call me that.”

“?”

“The father of the most poisonous things in the world.”

The village chief’s eyes blinked indifferently at my self-introduction.

***

The village chief said he would make a lantern.

And you pretend not to be able to win even my money.

‘Perhaps the world’s most poisonous man will be remembered for his chivalry?’

Since the conversation with the village chief went well, I talked to Hwa-eun with the expectation that I would become known as a chivalrous person.

“‘It might not be poison, but something similar to the art of seduction?'”

What Hwa-eun found out was nothing else.

There was an opinion that the poison of the Blood Flower Dream Butterfly might not be poisonous.

『’Yes, isn’t the little dragon still waking up on his own? And is it because he hears my voice? I think it’s probably something like a soul-binding spell that moves his heart and makes him fall asleep.

So, wouldn’t it be that only the dragons that communicate through the heart are awake?

It’s not like the little dragon is afraid of my voice and can’t sleep. Haha.’

‘Gyaaaah!’

I was really shocked by Hwa-eun’s last joke.

Because I was thinking that might be the case.

To be honest, I was scared sometimes.

‘Does Hwa-eun really have some kind of divine energy?’

It calmed my surprised mind.

And just in case she would catch my attention, I quickly explained to Hwa-eun what I had found out.

“Then, I guess I should explain what I found out next.”

‘Yes, I’m curious. Please tell me quickly.’

‘As I listened to the village chief’s explanation, I began to recall the reason why the Blood Flower Dream Butterfly appeared in the village.

The villagers fell asleep the night after the lanterns were lit in the village. However, the Blood Flower Dream Fantasies must have appeared on the day the lanterns were lit.’

In light of the village chief’s story, the most suspicious guy’s route of entry would have been as I explained.

It seemed as if the light was flowing in from the mountains and ranges leading from the village.

Most of our children are nocturnal and tend to avoid light rather than being attracted to it.

That’s why it’s not attracted to light, but the blood-flower dream butterfly was probably a nocturnal butterfly.

Most butterflies are originally diurnal insects.

About 100 million years ago, butterflies evolved from moths and became diurnal insects.

The butterflies that started eating the nectar of flowers chose the day when the flowers were in bloom.

However, if the Blood Flower Dream Butterfly feeds on the blood of animals as well as humans, it would naturally have to be nocturnal.

Because the moment animals sleep or fall asleep is when they eat.

And as a nocturnal insect, it would never be able to avoid the temptation of light.

Our children are also spirits, but they do not fall outside the instinctive category.

So, it was assumed that they were drawn to the light and flowed into the village.

Well, I guess it wasn’t exactly something I was drawn to.

“Oh, so you’re saying that you were drawn to the village by the light like the other insects?”

‘Yes, that’s right.’

‘And so, although it appeared, drawn by the light, it must have hidden itself for a day or so and observed people.

As the day went by and it didn’t seem dangerous, they would put people to sleep and start sucking their blood.’

Originally, when wild beasts caused damage to villages or people, the incidents proceeded in a similar manner.

An animal that accidentally drifts into the village and settles down upon seeing the various grains and vegetables growing in the village.

If you watch the Blood Flower Dream Festival for a day, you will probably think that it is a place where people gather and live.

From the perspective of the Blood Flower Dream, isn’t the human village a buffet restaurant?

“Oh, so that’s what it was?”

‘yes.'”

When I finished telling my story, Hwa-eun’s answer was somewhat lukewarm.

It seemed like it wasn’t a very important story.

“‘By the way, have you figured out how to catch it? What we found out should be helpful…'”

As expected, Hwa-eun asks if he has thought of a way to catch it.

He answered with a smile.

“Of course.”

‘Really? How?’

‘The lantern called the guy, so I’m going to try to catch him with the lantern.’

‘With a lantern? Please tell me more.’

‘I’ll let you know after I catch it.’

I felt a little bit sad, but I couldn’t tell you this first.

Because then it wouldn’t be fun.

***

Two days later.

The lantern is finally complete.

They made lanterns out of bamboo that was spread out all around the village and pasted paper on them to create a round shape that reminds you of the Central Plains.

Its size is a circle with a diameter of ten cubits.

It was quite large, so they hung it in the village square.

They gathered several tall bamboos that had grown on both sides of the vacant lot, tied them together, made two bundles, hung a rope between them, and hung a lantern in the middle.

“Do you like the color?”

“Yes, I like it.”

The color is blue.

It was a color that insects of the night were crazy about.

Nocturnal insects are crazy about ultraviolet light, so I made it blue, which is close to ultraviolet light.

So the lantern was completed and that night.

I stood alone in an empty lot at night when everyone was asleep.

No, I stood in the empty lot with the sleeping Hyang-i.

The pot hanging under the lantern contained an already dead pig.

The moment the village turned red again, Hyang-i sank her teeth into the pig’s body.

And as soon as he gently squeezed the poison gland and squeezed the poison out, flames shot out of the pig’s eyes.

-Poohwaak!

Above all, when the bright light rose, I immediately put the incense stick down on one side and started pulling the rope.

“Kkeungcha!”

When the pot rose little by little and eventually disappeared into the lantern.

The red waves rushing in from the village were soon swallowed up by blue lights.

And soon, the sight of the Blood Flower Dream Butterfly flying towards us from inside the village began to come into view.

‘Come in. It might be a little dizzy.’