Supervisor Jang Eul-ju forced a smile at my words.
“Thank you. Then I’ll take my leave.”
He hurried out of the guest room without even looking back, and Palgap came in soon afterward.
“What did he have to say?”
“What else? He said he was grateful.”
“If he was really grateful, shouldn’t he have come yesterday?”
“It’s not like I expected him to.”
Palgap grinned at my answer.
“Then shall I bring in the next person waiting to visit you?”
“Hm? What do you mean, the next person?”
In response to my question, Palgap held up the ledger in his hands.
“There’s a line of people downstairs waiting to visit you, Young Master. This is the guest list.”
“Why is there even a list?”
“There was no helping it. So many people came asking to see you that they practically flooded the place. To keep everything orderly, I wrote down their names and decided to bring them in one at a time.”
“I appreciate that they came to see me, but isn’t this a bit much…?”
“Shall I tell everyone that you’re refusing visitors and send them home?”
I sighed at Palgap’s question.
I had no way of knowing whether the people visiting me were genuinely worried or had come with some other purpose in mind.
Still, it wasn’t as though I had refused visitors from the beginning. If I sent everyone away now, it would hurt my reputation.
Reputation was vital to a merchant.
After all, I was a merchant determined to build the greatest merchant group under heaven.
Besides, this could also be an opportunity to find out who was favorably inclined toward me.
“Bring them in…”
“Understood.”
I suddenly remembered what Lady Seohyang had told me yesterday.
She had said I wouldn’t have any time to review documents.
When I asked how many people could possibly come to visit me, she had merely smiled without answering.
Now I understood why.
.
.
.
By the time I had been receiving visitors for a while, it was already lunchtime.
The Ji Clan Lord and Young Clan Lord, along with Young Lord Ji Gyeong-hwa, came to visit that morning. So did the Hainan Sect Leader and Warrior Cheong-ryu.
After receiving one visitor after another, I collapsed across the bed, utterly drained without having gotten any real rest.
“Young Master, are you all right?”
“Yeah…”
“You still need to eat lunch. And you have to take your medicine!”
“Ugh!”
I grimaced before I could stop myself.
I couldn’t help it. The medicine the physician had brewed to keep up the act was surprisingly bitter.
It wasn’t meant to treat any actual injury. It was restorative medicine designed to relieve fatigue and build stamina.
Thanks to it, my body wasn’t tired, but physical exhaustion and mental exhaustion were two entirely different things.
Slap! Slap!
I slapped both cheeks with my hands to clear my head, then asked Palgap a question.
“So how many more visitors are left?”
Palgap showed me the guest list.
“We still have a long way to go.”
I recoiled when I saw it.
The list was even longer than before!
“Why are there so many people?”
Palgap snickered at my complaint.
“Isn’t it because you’re the most famous man in Luoyang right now, Young Master?”
“What did I even do to become famous?”
“Are you truly asking because you don’t know?”
I could only freeze.
Once I thought about everything I had done in Luoyang, I had nothing left to say.
I had brought this entirely on myself, and complaining now was shamelessly ungrateful.
Honestly, a merchant couldn’t ask for anything better.
I had earned the trust of countless people and raised my reputation.
It was good. Of course it was, but…
Then why did I feel like crying?
Just then, Escort Guard Seo Wu’s voice came from outside the door.
“My lord. It’s Seo Wu.”
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Escort Guard Seo Wu entered.
“The final match of the friendly martial competition just ended.”
“What was the result?”
“Young Clan Lord Zhuge Yu-a won.”
Just as I had expected.
Cousin Hyang-ok was no slouch, but Young Clan Lord Zhuge Yu-a’s talent stood a full level above hers.
In my previous life, she had reached the Profound Realm despite losing every advantage and source of support she had.
Now that she was training as the Zhuge Clan’s Young Clan Lord with abundant resources behind her, she would grow far faster than she had in my previous life.
That, in turn, would make the Zhuge Clan far stronger than it was now.
Because its members had served as the Murim Alliance’s strategists, the clan enjoyed considerable prestige, but its standing as a martial clan was relatively low.
Thanks to Young Clan Lord Zhuge Yu-a, however, that standing would soon rise.
I was looking forward to seeing it.
.
.
.
That afternoon.
The people who came to visit me were prestigious enough to surprise even me.
Now that the friendly martial competition was over, it seemed they finally had time to come.
As I exchanged pleasantries with them, I found myself realizing all over again just how hard I had worked.
Among them was someone the Alliance Leader had personally sent.
It was Commander Geon Man-seok of the Tiger Justice Division, a unit that could effectively be called the Alliance Leader’s personal guard.
“How are you feeling?”
“This humble merchant, Eun Seo-ho, greets you, Commander. Please forgive me for having no choice but to receive you from my bed.”
“Of course. How could I demand proper ceremony from a sick man? I’d be a heartless bastard if I did. Hahaha.”
Commander Geon Man-seok laughed heartily, then took out an envelope and held it toward me.
“Here, take it.”
“What is this?”
“It’s your reward for the chivalrous stand you took this time. The Alliance Leader told me to deliver it while I was here visiting you.”
“Ah, thank you.”
I accepted the envelope and opened it.
Inside were ten bank drafts, each worth ten thousand taels.
“But why money, of all things?”
“Pardon?”
“You could have asked for an expensive Elixir or Artifact and received it. I’m curious why you asked for money instead.”
I answered with a smile.
“To begin with, I have little need for the sort of Elixir or Artifact you mentioned. In the end, they would be nothing more than goods I’d have to convert into money.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Then I’d have to go through a complicated process to sell them. The more expensive they are, the fewer people can afford them, and the sale itself would carry risks. There would be far too much to worry about.”
I raised the envelope as I continued.
“But money itself can be put to countless uses. Whenever I need something, I can simply buy it. What could possibly be more convenient?”
“You make a convincing case.”
Commander Geon Man-seok nodded.
“Ah, and the Alliance Leader asked me to convey his concern and say that he hopes you recover quickly.”
“Please tell him that I’m grateful.”
“By the way, you wouldn’t happen to…”
What now?
“Would you consider working for the Murim Alliance?”
“Cough!”
The question came out of nowhere, and I choked before I could stop myself.
“Cough! Cough!”
“Oh dear. Are you all right?”
“My apologies. Cough, cough! The offer was so sudden that it caught me off guard.”
“Is it really that surprising?”
“Of course it is. More importantly, why are you suddenly making me such an offer?”
I asked as though it were nothing, but inwardly, I was quite tense.
Commander Geon Man-seok sighed before answering.
“I’m only saying this because it’s you, but the Murim Alliance needs people who are willing to fight for justice in the martial world. Yet far too many people in the Alliance today are busy looking after their own interests. I’m deeply worried about its future.”
“…”
“I felt the same way when we met over the Black Cat Sect incident. The Alliance simply has no one like you. That’s why I’m sincerely asking you to consider this.”
To be honest, Commander Geon Man-seok was a genuinely decent man.
He was not only fair and upright but also loyal to his superiors and considerate toward his subordinates.
The problem was that the object of his loyalty was the Alliance Leader.
When Commander Geon Man-seok killed the Black Cat Sect Leader without hesitation, there hadn’t been the slightest trace of doubt in his eyes.
His entire being was held together by his own definition of justice and his conviction that he served peace in the martial world.
Only now did I understand why he served as the Alliance Leader’s personal guard.
I had no idea how the Alliance Leader had won him over so completely, but Commander Geon now believed that the Alliance Leader himself embodied justice. Nothing anyone said would get through to him.
What awaited a man like that in the end was obvious.
Even then, he would probably accept his fate with a smile.
Sorry, but I had no desire to meet an end like that.
Joining the Murim Alliance, pretending to serve it, and then smashing it in the back of the head with a brick wasn’t necessarily a bad plan.
But life inside a rigid organization like the Murim Alliance didn’t suit my temperament.
Besides, I was a merchant, not a martial artist.
I chose my words for a moment, then declined as politely as I could.
“I’m grateful that you think highly enough of me to make such an offer, Commander, but I cannot accept it.”
“Why not?”
“I like money.”
“…That’s your reason? Just that?”
“Just that? What reason could possibly be greater?”
I launched into an impassioned explanation.
“If someone offered me a bribe to make a problem disappear, I might accept it without thinking and end up involved in corruption.”
“…”
“Wouldn’t that be a disaster? Then you, the man who recommended me, would be dragged into it as well.”
“Then I’ll pay you more than whoever offers the bribe.”
“Do you believe greed has an end, Commander?”
“…”
“Greed has no end, and satisfying it is impossible.”
I continued speaking.
“Someone as greedy as I am is suited to being a merchant. If I joined the Murim Alliance, I might only end up staining its name.”
“…”
“Honestly, with my abilities, it’s not as though I couldn’t do something else. But because I understand myself so well, I choose to remain a merchant.”
“Now that I hear you explain it, I understand. By being a merchant, you channel that greed of yours in the right direction.”
“Yes, exactly. So I hope you’ll withdraw the offer.”
Come on, I’ve said this much. Take the hint already!
You thickheaded bastard!
Commander Geon Man-seok looked disappointed, but he eventually nodded.
“I understand your position. It’s regrettable, but I’ll withdraw the offer.”
“Thank you.”
“Still, I would personally like to maintain a friendship with you. Would that be possible?”
“It would be my honor.”
That wasn’t a bad thing for me, either.
As one of the Alliance Leader’s closest confidants, Commander Geon Man-seok knew more about his corruption than almost anyone.
He knew about everything the Alliance Leader had disguised as a righteous cause.
If I could win him over, he would be enormously useful in bringing down the Alliance Leader and overturning the Murim Alliance.
Of course, changing this man’s allegiance wouldn’t be easy, but nothing in the world was impossible.
I only had to let cracks form in his convictions, slowly. Very, very slowly.
Honestly, he was too valuable a man to spend his life as the Alliance Leader’s puppet only to be discarded in the end.
“Ah, look at the time. I should be going. I hope you recover soon, and I’ll see you again.”
“Take care on your way back.”
Once Commander Geon Man-seok left my room, I called for Palgap.
“Palgap!”
“Yes! Did you call, Young Master?”
“Could you bring the Hainan Sect Leader to see me after dinner?”
“Understood.”
.
.
.
Visitors continued coming until dinner, but none came afterward.
Paying a sick call at such a late hour would be discourteous.
But a guest I had personally invited was welcome at any hour.
“My lord. The Hainan Sect Leader has arrived.”
“Show him in.”
The door opened, and the Hainan Sect Leader entered.
“Welcome.”
“I heard you sent for me.”
“That’s right. Please, have a seat.”
Palgap soon brought tea, and the Sect Leader spoke first.
“I believe I already know why you asked to see me.”
“I should have gone to you myself, but as you can see, my leg is in no condition for it. My apologies.”
“There’s no need.”
The Sect Leader continued.
“You called me to hear my answer to the proposal you made before, didn’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
He answered with a troubled expression.
“I gave your proposal a great deal of thought. Of course, it isn’t a bad offer. No, to be precise, it’s a good one. But there is a problem.”
“The officials?”
He nodded at my question.
“Exactly. So you already know.”
If the Eunhae Merchant Group expanded onto Hainan Island, outsiders would enter the region, and the local officials’ corruption might come to light.
There was no chance they would stand by and let that happen.
Father had been worried about the same thing.
“The reason I made this proposal despite knowing that, Sect Leader, is because I can solve the problem.”
“How could you possibly… My sect tried everything we could think of, yet we couldn’t resolve it at all.”
“That is my trade secret. If I can take care of that issue, will you accept my proposal?”
The Sect Leader readily agreed.
“Of course. If you can resolve that issue, my sect would welcome the arrangement.”
“Excellent.”
I took out the contract I had prepared beforehand.
“All you need to do is sign here.”
The Sect Leader carefully read through the contract.
But he wouldn’t find any hidden traps.
I hadn’t included any in the first place.
Trying to profit through tricks buried in a contract was shortsighted.
“Mm. This is a fair agreement for both sides.”
“Of course. The point is for both sides to prosper.”
And so, we signed the contract in a warm and amicable atmosphere.
“By the way, did you ever ask the Murim Alliance for help?”
The Sect Leader chuckled at my question.
“Do you know the principle of noninterference between the government and the martial world?”
“So they hid behind that excuse.”
I couldn’t help chuckling as well.
No one took a greater interest in the government or worked harder to meddle in its affairs than the Alliance Leader.
Hadn’t he even been warned by the Emperor after trying to plant one of his own people inside the Imperial Palace?
Of course, that was thanks to all my hard work.
“Ah, please take this.”
I held out an envelope to him.
“What is it?”
“Open it.”
Inside was a bank draft worth ten thousand taels.
“Why are you suddenly giving me money? Didn’t you already give me some last time?”
“When I thought about grain prices these days, I realized that the ten thousand taels I gave you last time probably wouldn’t be enough.”
“…”
He tucked the bank draft away, visibly moved.
Honestly, I wanted to give him the entire reward I had received this time, but I couldn’t do that yet.
The officials on Hainan Island would only seize it from him.
It was better not to overdo it.
“Is there anything more I can do for you?”
“Not much. Just make sure you tell everyone around you that the Eunhae Merchant Group is an excellent merchant group.”
–TL Notes–
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