Episode 15

In the garden, there are elixirs; in food, there are spices; in clothing, there are luminous pearls; in the sky, there are sun, moon, and stars; and in language, there are mnemonic verses.
–Hebrew Proverb

“Speak your mind. Are we not friends?”
“I wanted to ask for your help in my martial arts training.”
“Haven’t you already mastered the army’s standard martial arts?”
“My achievements are still quite lacking. I refuse to be a burden if a situation like last time arises.”

I pondered.

Baritsu is a secret martial art that is passed down to one person, and even though we may be friends, I can’t teach it carelessly.
However, if it is just to reinforce the techniques she has already learned, there shouldn’t be a problem.

If my assistant Watson becomes stronger, it would be beneficial to me rather than harmful.
Moreover, at the upcoming Debutante Ball, the elixir given as the top reward, will be given in pairs.

Since one elixir will be awarded to the most exceptional male and female rising prodigy in internal cultivation, thus, if Watson resolved to partake in the grand ball, it was imperative for her to hone her skills to an adequate degree.

In the worst case, I can secure one, but the more elixirs, the better.

Above all, even setting aside these practical aspects, the fact that Watson wants to actively assist me is truly moving.

“Alright. I don’t often use Fingertips, but I can offer some useful advice.”
“Could we start today?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you, Holmes!”

Watson smiled brightly, shaking my hand repeatedly.

At first, I thought she was forced onto the martial path to treat her Nine Yin-Qi Nails, but I was mistaken.
Watson purely enjoys martial arts training for its own sake.

She was a natural-born martial artist.

Based on the knowledge of Martial Physiognomy and Typological Martial Arts, after conducting several assessments, I found that Watson possesses excellent martial talent.
Despite having the unfavorable constitution of Nine Yin-Qi Nails, her internal energy, which she has relentlessly cultivated, was not inferior even when compared to other soldiers.

Therefore, what I needed to refine was not the power of Fingertips, but its application.

The Dead Man we encountered last time was merely a monster exuding Enhanced energy, but Watson’s techniques, if they hit the vital points, were effective even against top-tier warriors.
By mastering various advanced techniques derived from Fingertips, she would be able to confront stronger opponents even if her leg impairment prevented her from using lightness skills.

“I see. Even if the power is slightly reduced, if I can strike the vital points precisely with multiple rapid shots, it would be more impactful from the opponent’s perspective.”
“Exactly. If continuous shots are possible, you could also attack two other vital points almost simultaneously.”
“I never thought of this when I was in Afghanistan…”
“People are bound to be influenced by their environment.”

The British army struggled against the guerrilla tactics of sniper swordsmen who hid on hills, targeting lives from afar using the Jezail Sword Technique.
Initially, they responded with concentrated fire, but later realized that wasting energy put them at a disadvantage, leading them to reserve their energy for counterattacks.
However, in London Murim, duels, life-and-death matches, and the suppression of Murim’s Most Wanted predominantly occur mostly at close or mid-range.

In other words, Watson needed to learn methods to ravage enemies at much closer distances rather than techniques that silenced targets 50 yards away in one strike.

“It seems we need a different approach since we have to fight indoors or on the streets, unlike in the military.”

Fortunately, Watson was quickly absorbing my teachings.
Her observational and deductive skills were on par with Lestrade, but having rolled through the battlefield, she had a keen sense of real combat and an exceptional talent for accurately practicing what she learned.

“Scattering the wind to restrain an approaching opponent. To think such a thing was possible.”
“Remember this. The key to a scattershot is to forsake aiming and maximize its power.”

Even with just a rough concept given, watching her skillfully control the power and release it into the air made me proud.
The master who taught someone with a brain and skill superior to hers, like me, must have felt even more satisfaction. How did he manage to live without showing any awe?
To teach a genius like me without displaying any joy or delight is, no matter how you think about it, superhuman composure.

“Excellent. Now you just need to get used to it.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Holmes. I’ll keep practicing even during my night shift!”

Watson, pleased with the new martial knowledge she had acquired, smiled brightly as she headed to the hospital for her shift.
It was a smile so devoid of any shadow that it was hard to believe it was the face of a patient who had spent the night on the rooftop, recovering from Nine Yin-Qi Nails.

‘That aspect is similar too.’

Watching the Watson of this world harbor such passion for martial arts reminded me of the insatiable curiosity of the Watson I once knew.

In any case, I worry if Watson won’t be too tired since she’s on emergency duty today.

‘…Well then, I suppose I should start preparing too.’

As I’ve repeatedly mentioned, London Murim is full of unknown dangers.

To deal with them, I must also be well-prepared.

“Mr. Holmes, there’s a guest on the first floor.”
“Please send them up.”

It seems he has arrived just in time.

The man who’s awkward to call upon when Watson is around.

Sitting across from me at the table was Yan.

“Where’s your assistant?”
“He’s at work.”
“I thought I smelled medicine, turns out he’s a doctor.”

He had just organized the body of Hope and the remnants of the poison inside it this morning, and brought the item I requested.

“Shall we chat over a light meal?”

Mrs. Hudson served slices of freshly baked Sichuan Cottage Pie on plates.

“Thank you, ma’am.”

-Clink.

Yan had to empty his hands to hold the fork and knife, so he placed the alloy container he was holding on the table.
The cylindrical container was periodically rattling and shaking.
I intended to check its contents as soon as I finished the meal, but if Watson were here, she would probably shudder with disgust.

“This fellow has quite the appetite. Probably takes after its mother. It can’t resist poison.”

Yan chuckled awkwardly, smoothing his long braided hair.

“All creatures, whatever they might be, need a lot of nutrients during their growth phase.”

Indeed. What Yan brought was a new roommate who would be staying at the boarding house for a while.
It seemed to be writhing inside the container, intoxicated by the aroma of the capsaicin in the pie’s spicy sauce and the amide compounds of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the Sichuan pepper.

Of course, I don’t intend to feed it human food.

In less than ten minutes, we finished a plate of Sichuan Cottage Pie and a teapot filled with Bloody Mary tea.

“Thank you for the meal.”
“How was it, Mrs. Hudson’s cooking skills?”
“It was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, achieving a perfect Crispy Outside, Juicy Inside. It would have been perfect with a bit more Sichuan pepper.”
“My tongue is still numb. Your taste seems quite extreme, perhaps because you eat poison all the time.”
“Poison doesn’t matter. It’s because the test subjects of the Chenzhou Yan Clan have dulled taste.”

It was quite interesting information.

“Is it a characteristic of a living Dead Man?”
“You could say that.”

Judging by the atmosphere, Yan didn’t seem like a living corpse coexisting with a Worm.
I don’t know how often I’ll need to feed stimulating dishes to the hidden living Dead Man in the future to observe his reactions.

Once we confirmed that the Worm Poison Immortal Frankenstein had already released bugs in London, we couldn’t be complacent.
Next time, it might not be a corpse controlled by a Worm but a living Dead Man coexisting with bugs like Yan, so it’s best to gather as much related information as possible.

Of course, besides information, we must be prepared to deal with their dreadful corpse poison in the future.
This was why I summoned Yan to my home.

“I’d like to check the gift now.”
“I brought the liveliest one, so don’t worry.”

We moved to the table by the window facing the opposite side of the street and carefully opened the container.

As Yan removed the glass dome covering the sapling, he carefully dropped the contents from the alloy container onto the soil in the pot.

*-Squeak! *

Making a trivial sound as if to greet, the creature lifting half of its body was a Worm.
Specifically speaking, it was a larva that emerged from an egg laid through asexual reproduction by the large bug attached to Yan’s chest.

“After feeding it poison and waiting for about a day, its size has tripled.”
“Isn’t that an incredible growth rate? More than that, I never thought I would end up raising a White Larva.”
“It’s your reward for getting me quality poison. And thanks to you, I’ve got a lead on that damned demon bastard.”

The White Larva, a mystical creature considered a treasure of the Chenzhou Yan Clan, had never been possessed by an outsider in history.
I asked if I could get one from Yan in case we ever had to fight Frankenstein, but I didn’t expect him to actually bring one.
Yan, having lived as an obedient test subject and developed complex feelings about his family, seemed likely to grant my request, and it turned out well.

“Are you planning to report this incident to the main family?”
“Isn’t that obvious? I also plan to inform the Modern Clan. They despise the Worm Poison Immortal, so they’ll surely pursue him fervently.”

No matter how dissatisfied he was with his origins, he was still a member of the Yan Clan.
His feelings toward his family were not hatred but mixed emotions, rooted in intense pride.
Yan, who even became a test subject to contribute to the improvement of his Clan’s secrets, would not tolerate Frankenstein’s criminal misuse of the Dead Man technique.

“I’ve already sent a homing pigeon to Chenzhou. The elders of the main family might come to visit you soon.”

In the past, when Dead Men was used as cheap labor in mines and salt fields, both the Yan family and the Modern Clan enjoyed wealth and glory.
However, after that bastard caused several bloodbaths across Europe, the use of Dead Men lost its place.
It was only natural for families and sects specializing in the Dead Man techniques to harbor hatred for Frankenstein.

“If an elder of the Yan family sees that you’re raising a White Larva here, I might get into trouble.”
“You’ve already died and come back to life dozens of times; why would you fear such a thing?”
“Just in case, keep it well hidden.”
“…I wouldn’t ask for more if you cooperate.”

Though possessing a near-immortal body, he seemed to be afraid of the Clan’s elders.
Well, after breeding several of the family’s treasured items and even sharing them with others, he wouldn’t be safe if caught.

“If you continually feed it poison, it will soon spit out what you want.”

White Larvae were used as substitute hearts to create nearly immortal Dead Men and had various other purposes.
For example, by feeding it the same type of poison multiple times, it can create and spit out a customized antidote pill.

“You said it could detoxify corpse poison too?”
“Seeing as I, as someone who became one with a Worm, quickly recovered after ingesting corpse poison, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
“That’s a relief.”
“However, since it’s newly born, it will take more time for it to create antidotes. It has to be a particularly horrific poison.”
“What do you estimate?”
“I don’t know. You can feed it other poisons while waiting. Whate Larva can produce multiple antidotes simultaneously. Use it wisely.”

I nodded, contemplating which poison to feed the Worm first.

“I won’t forget your cooperation.”
“Alright. Let me know if you find any peculiar poisons. And don’t think of feeding them only to your child.”

Having finished his business, Yan left without looking back.

“A man who can’t live without consuming poison, huh…”

If he takes a woman from the Tang family as a partner, he’ll live Happily Ever After.

In any case, I’ve acquired the item needed to fight against poison users.
With the White Larva’s help, I shouldn’t have to worry about succumbing to poison if I ever face the Worm Poison Immortal.

“Since I’ve got it, I should try feeding it various things.”

Taking this opportunity to use the White Larva to build resistance to various difficult and deadly poisons doesn’t seem like a bad idea.

-Clink.

I immediately opened the box where the substances were stored and began carefully selecting poisons to feed the White Larva.

“Just grow up healthy.”

Watson would surely have a fit if she saw this, so for now, I shall raise it in my bedroom.