"Then, we part ways here?"
Seeing Kang Sora's hesitant expression, I can barely stop myself from dancing with joy.
"Not really. After all, we're on the same island. We can meet anytime."
'I'd rather commit suicide than meet you again, you Earth-worshipping fanatic.'
I bid farewell to Kang Sora and Shou Bao Tsai with a forced smile.
"Are you sure you don't want to participate in the entrance test for the Blue Flower Sect? You might not get a chance like this again anytime soon?"
Shou Bao Tsai stops in the middle of his path and asks me with a hesitant expression.
'Your presence in that place is reason enough for me not to go.'
I didn't want to get involved in more problems with a girl capable of turning into a terrifying monster and a mysterious cultivator reincarnation.
"No, it's fine. After all, the Blue Flower Sect's test is in two days, so if it turns out the old serpent was lying to me, I'll head to the test location and join you."
Seeing my insistence, Shou Bao Tsai sighs in surrender.
"Alright, do as you wish."
"I hope we meet again soon."
"Goodbye."
After making sure Kang Sora and Shou Bao Tsai were gone, I turn around searching for the trinket seller.
And indeed, I found him standing near the anchored pirate ship, arguing with Oliver.
"Heeey, you old serpent, aren't you coming?"
"Wait, I'm coming."
After what seems to be the end of his argument with Oliver, the trinket seller heads towards me while stomping angrily on the wooden pier and continuously cursing.
"Damn that ungrateful bastard! After all I did for him, he refuses to help me with a little money."
"Are you confident in your ability to get me into the Seekers of the Truth of Life and Death sect?"
"Because I heard they only hold acceptance tests next year."
The old serpent calms his anger while laughing at my nervousness.
"Oh, don't worry. Those so-called tests are just a symbolic thing agreed upon between the Blue Flower Sect and the Seekers of the Truth of Life and Death to share the talents that appear each year between the two sects equally, with each sect having a year to hold its test."
Saying this, the old serpent smiles an expert's smile.
"And yet, how can you expect the sects to abide by this agreement all the time? For example, if a legendary genius that appears once every ten thousand years emerges during the year of the Seekers of the Truth of Life and Death, do you expect the Blue Flower Sect to sit idly by while the Seekers take him?"
"Therefore, each of the two sects created some secret ways to recruit talented disciples."
Thinking about this, it seemed somewhat logical. It's impossible for established sects to rely on just one method to recruit disciples, especially a method like tests every two years.
"But you said those are reserved for the talented."
The trinket seller's steps falter for a moment before returning to normal.
"Aha-ha-ha, don't worry about that. I have some connections that can get you in there more easily than you can imagine."
The trinket seller laughs embarrassedly while quickening his pace.
'This doesn't bode well.'
"By the way, I have some questions about the island, since it seems it's not your first time here."
Indeed, I had immense curiosity about the Dead Giant Island since hearing about it.
"Ask away."
The trinket seller promptly puts on an expert's demeanor.
"Where did this giant corpse come from, and why did people choose to live on it?"
Indeed, unlike what I expected, the Dead Giant Island got its name because it's literally built on the corpse of a dead giant.
With a wooden city built on the back of the floating giant.
"Well, let me answer each question separately."
"Regarding the origin of the Dead Giant's corpse, there are many theories about its origin."
The trinket seller scratches his chin while seeming to try to recall old memories.
"Some say it's the remains of a legendary monster from the great war between the Immortals and the legendary monsters. Others say it's the corpse of one of the Sea Monster King's followers who died at the hands of the Five Immortals, given that the corpse's location is the Sea of Pain."
"But the most ridiculous theory is from those who say that, due to the corpse having a humanoid shape, it might be the corpse of one of the True Immortal's human soldiers."
The trinket seller laughs loudly as if he finds this theory extremely amusing.
"Why is this theory considered the most ridiculous?"
The trinket seller seems puzzled by why I'm asking, but he still explains.
"First, regarding appearance, there are many races that possess a shape resembling the human race, so that's not a strong argument. Moreover, the corpse is severely decomposed, making identifying its original features nearly impossible."
I feel puzzled hearing this and sniff the air forcefully.
"Strange, there's no smell of rotting corpses."
Well, if there were, I would have had a seizure a while ago.
"This is one of the peculiarities of the giant corpse; it doesn't emit a rotting smell despite being severely decomposed."
The trinket seller lets out a light laugh upon seeing my action.
"Anyway, let me continue. In addition to the corpse's decomposition, we can't be sure it didn't lose limbs like wings or a tail or others, which makes it unlikely to be the corpse of one of the True Immortal's human soldiers."
"But the most important reason for not believing theories that say it belongs to one of the Five Immortals' soldiers is that neither the Five Palaces, which blindly venerate their ancestors, nor the Five Sages, who were direct servants of the Immortals, ever came to retrieve the corpse."
Hearing this, I feel some familiarity with the name "Five Sages" and quickly remember where I heard it before.
'Aren't these the same ones Mo Chong said are the only high-level cultivators who managed to survive the Great Vanishing, or at least, that was the name of the catastrophe that caused the Sunset Sect's destruction?'
Hearing a familiar name, I can't help but ask.
"Who are the Five Sages?"
This time, the trinket seller seems genuinely shocked by my question.
"You don't know who the Five Sages are?"
I feel embarrassed seeing the trinket seller's reaction; even some passersby turned to look at me in surprise.
'Damn, these looks remind me of Li Chen's looks when I asked him about the Sea of Pain.'
"Yes."
The trinket seller's gaze towards me becomes even stranger.
"Well, the Five Sages are... the Five Sages."
"Damn, I don't even know how to explain it correctly. In short, they are the overseers left by the Five Immortals to supervise the world and their descendants, and ensure no world-destroying catastrophes occur."
"Generally, the Five Sages don't intervene in the detailed course of world events; that's the task of the Five Palaces. They are content to stay in the center of the Sea of Pain, guarding the seal of the Sea Monster King."
I wanted to ask about the Five Palaces, but remembering the trinket seller's looks, I held my tongue.
"As for your second question about why people live on a dead giant's corpse,"
"That goes back to several reasons."
"The most important one is..."