Expanding the Eunhae Merchant Group's Luoyang Branch meant I needed to grease a few palms in the right places.
The first person I needed to visit was the Alliance Leader.
Haa… I really didn't want to go, but I didn't have much choice.
In Luoyang, meeting the Alliance Leader once was more effective than meeting a hundred other people.
I sent Escort Guard Lee Pil to request an appointment.
The Alliance Leader was an extremely busy man, so if I wanted any chance of seeing him before the end of the month, I needed to arrange it well in advance.
On top of that, it was now the First Month.
The beginning of the year was always busy.
At this past Winter Solstice, the Eunhae Merchant Group's ranking had risen.
Seventeenth.
Considering we'd ranked twentieth last time, we'd climbed three whole places.
Our foreign trade, along with the favorable response to the brewery we'd acquired and several other ventures, had all contributed to the result.
Considering how hard everyone in the Eunhae Merchant Group had been working, myself included, the rise might seem slow, but I was satisfied because we were strengthening our foundations and advancing one careful step at a time.
Compared to my previous life, the difference in our foundations was like night and day.
Back then, I'd focused almost entirely on growth and neglected to build a solid foundation, which was why pressure from the other merchant groups had caused us so much trouble.
This time, we needed to become so solid that no amount of interference from anyone could shake us before we continued rising.
Only then could we truly become the greatest merchant group under heaven.
Besides, the moment when everything we'd quietly prepared behind the scenes would finally prove its true worth was drawing closer.
"My Lord. It's Lee Pil."
"Yes. Come in."
The door to my room opened, and Escort Guard Lee Pil stepped inside.
"I went to request an audience with the Alliance Leader."
"Thank you for your trouble."
Now all I had to do was wait for an answer.
The Alliance Leader was so busy that anyone wishing to see him had to submit a request beforehand.
The people managing his schedule would then consult with the Alliance Leader and inform the petitioner when an audience could be arranged.
After Escort Guard Lee Pil left, I let out a sigh.
"Why are you sighing?"
At Young Lady Seohyang's worried question, I gave a faint smile.
"I was just thinking about how far I still have to go. But I'm fine. I'm nowhere near tired enough to be worn down by something like this."
"Even so, make sure you sleep when you're supposed to."
"Yes. I will."
Just then, Young Lady Seohyang's eyes briefly lost focus before she looked at me and smiled.
"What is it?"
"Looks like you'll be seeing him sooner than you expected."
"…What?"
So the meeting was going to be arranged that quickly?
Damn it. I wasn't ready yet…
The next day.
After breakfast, I was working in my room when Palgap called out to me.
"Young Master! You've got a visitor, sir!"
"A visitor?"
"Yes, sir. Someone from the Murim Alliance. I've shown him to the first floor of the inn, sir."
I immediately opened the door and went downstairs.
Someone I recognized was sitting there drinking tea while waiting for me.
It was Team Leader Wang Gu of the Murim Alliance's Tiger Justice Division, the same man who had once come to fetch me when the Golden Buddha Statue disappeared.
"This humble merchant pays his respects to Team Leader Wang."
When I greeted him courteously, he returned the greeting.
"Please, there's no need for such excessive formality. If people saw me accepting a greeting like that from the Handsome Young Hero, they'd point fingers at me."
"It's only proper to show respect to someone who works tirelessly to preserve order in the martial world."
"Thank you for saying so. Hahaha."
After easing the atmosphere, I asked him why he had come.
"What brings you all the way here?"
"The Alliance Leader has summoned you."
I'd already expected something like this thanks to Young Lady Seohyang, but seriously?
Still, I widened my eyes in surprise before asking.
"What? The Alliance Leader himself?"
"Didn't you request an audience with him?"
"I did, but I assumed it would take at least half a month before he had time to see me."
"Hahaha. How could we possibly make the Handsome Young Hero, one of the martial world's heroes, wait half a month?"
"But the Alliance Leader has countless responsibilities. Surely his schedule is already packed."
"It's fine. He deliberately leaves small gaps in his schedule in case something unexpected comes up."
"Then that's fortunate."
"If you're available now, we can leave immediately. Otherwise, I'll wait for you."
What I really wanted was to tell him to wait, but if I did that, he'd either take offense or spend the entire time grumbling to himself.
"Then I'll just get ready and come right back down."
One day.
That was all it had taken to secure an audience after requesting one.
If Young Lady Seohyang hadn't warned me, I would've been seriously caught off guard.
I wouldn't even have had time to mentally prepare myself.
I quickly got ready, came downstairs, and followed Team Leader Wang to the Murim Alliance.
Once there, I was escorted to the Alliance Leader's Reception Room.
"This humble merchant, Eun Seo-ho, pays his respects to the Alliance Leader."
"Hahaha, good to see you. Have a seat."
"Thank you."
We sat across from one another, and a maid poured us warm tea.
The Alliance Leader smiled kindly as he asked,
"So, have you been well?"
"Thanks to your concern, I've been doing well without any trouble."
"Judging by the way you're moving, it seems your leg has healed."
He was talking about the injury I'd suffered while rescuing people from the fire during the Murim Grand Assembly.
"Yes. It's almost completely healed. I still shouldn't overexert myself, but it doesn't interfere with my everyday life."
"That's a relief."
"To tell you the truth, I still feel ashamed. You gave me such a valuable opportunity during the Murim Grand Assembly, yet I… wasted it because of my own carelessness. I cannot apologize enough."
I lowered my head.
Seriously, why did you have to recommend me in the first place and make my life so difficult?
The Alliance Leader chuckled.
"No need for that. It was unavoidable, wasn't it? As I told you before, don't concern yourself with it."
"I'm simply grateful for your understanding."
The reason I was apologizing all over again was simple. The higher someone's position, the larger their pride tended to be, and quite a few of them were unbelievably petty.
And if the Alliance Leader ever developed a grudge against me, my life would become extremely troublesome.
"So, what did you want to see me about today?"
"First, please accept this."
I placed the gift I'd brought on the tea table.
"What is it?"
"It's something I prepared while visiting Hainan Island."
"Hainan Island? You went that far?"
"Yes. I had some business to attend to there."
As I answered, I carefully watched the Alliance Leader's eyes.
There was a good chance he already knew I'd been to Hainan Island.
If I deliberately concealed it, his suspicions about me would almost certainly return.
It finally seemed as though he'd stopped paying attention to me and put most of his suspicions aside. I couldn't afford to ruin that.
That was why I'd deliberately chosen not to hide it.
"I remembered that you enjoy tea, so I brought you some Kuding Tea, a specialty of the region."
I personally opened the box and showed him the carefully packaged tea inside.
"This is top grade!"
"Yes. Since it was a gift for you, Alliance Leader, I took particular care in choosing it."
"It looks excellent. I'll enjoy drinking it."
The Alliance Leader accepted the gift with a satisfied expression and set it beside him.
"So, what else did you wish to discuss? I doubt you requested an audience with me solely to deliver a gift."
Now we were getting to the real reason I had come.
"The truth is, the Eunhae Merchant Group is planning to expand its Luoyang Branch."
"The branch?"
"Yes. The existing Luoyang Branch is too small, which makes it difficult for us to expand the amount of business we conduct here."
"I suppose that makes sense. Have you already secured land for the expansion?"
"Yes."
When I told him about the land I'd purchased, the Alliance Leader tilted his head.
"If I remember correctly, isn't that the place with the haunted manor?"
"That's right."
"Then why would you choose that place?"
"There weren't any suitable alternatives."
"That may be true, but couldn't you simply purchase the land surrounding your existing branch?"
"That is certainly one option, as you said, but it would cost far too much."
I continued.
"The Eunhae Merchant Group may be growing these days, but we don't have enough spare capital to pour such a huge amount of money into expanding a single branch."
"True enough. When the buyer is the one in a hurry, the price inevitably goes up."
"Exactly. So while searching for another location, I heard that particular property could be purchased cheaply, and I decided to buy it."
That should make him a little less suspicious.
"Well, it's hardly my place to interfere in the internal affairs of a merchant group. Still, I can't help worrying about it."
"One reassuring thing is that no one has actually died because of the ghost."
That was true.
Aside from the original Manor Lord and his household, who had been massacred at the very beginning, there had been no deaths.
There had been injuries, but those people had only hurt themselves after getting frightened and falling down.
"Besides, this is Luoyang, where the Alliance Leader himself resides. What could possibly happen? Hahaha."
For just an instant, the Alliance Leader's expression stiffened awkwardly at my words.
That place represented both a failure and an embarrassment for the Murim Alliance.
And knowing that perfectly well, I'd deliberately jabbed him right where it hurt.
Ah, that felt surprisingly satisfying.
"Th… That's true."
"Then I'll be counting on your support."
With my business concluded, I left the Murim Alliance.
Come to think of it, there was no way the Alliance Leader hadn't heard about my upcoming marriage, yet he hadn't mentioned it even once. That meant he'd finally lost most of his interest in me.
What a relief.
It wasn't the sort of attention I'd ever wanted in the first place.
Now that I had the Alliance Leader's approval, I could begin construction.
But before that, there was something else I needed to do.
I returned to the inn, brought Young Lady Seohyang with me, and headed for the land I'd recently purchased.
If I wanted to communicate with that marten, I needed Young Lady Seohyang's help.
Once we arrived at the manor, I asked Young Lady Seohyang to find the marten for me.
She found it almost immediately.
"There it is. Come here."
A moment later, the marten settled into her arms, allowing me to see it as well.
"Hello."
At my greeting, the marten wagged its tail.
"We bought this land. That means we'll soon be building the Eunhae Merchant Group's branch buildings here."
"Squeeeak. Squeak!"
Hearing the marten, Geumryeong crawled out from inside my sleeve and spoke to me.
"Kui! Kui!"
"So you're saying you don't care what we do, as long as we don't block the earth vein?"
The marten nodded.
"All right. I'll make sure we keep that in mind."
After making that promise, I carefully studied the marten.
I could clearly see it with my own eyes, yet I couldn't sense even the slightest trace of Qi from it.
And although Geumryeong could see this little creature and even communicate with it, Geumryeong had still failed to smell the treasure hidden underground.
That led me to a hypothesis.
Perhaps it had something to do with the particular nature of the pure Qi flowing from this earth vein.
Every earth vein carrying pure Qi had its own unique nature.
Some were gentle, some clear and pristine, while others were sharp and fierce.
And the martial arts practiced by sects or martial clans established upon those places often carried similar characteristics.
That was too consistent to dismiss as mere coincidence.
Judging from everything I'd seen so far, the defining nature of the earth vein here was probably concealment.
That was likely why no one had even realized an earth vein existed here.
Hell, even I hadn't noticed until I personally performed Breathing Meditation on this land.
Though the previous Snow Wind Palace Lord seemed to have discovered it somehow.
If this marten was the Spirit Beast guarding this place, then it should possess an ability related to the earth vein's nature.
"So, I have a favor to ask. Could you make the manor grounds and the buildings here a little harder to notice?"
"Squeak?"
Even without Geumryeong translating, I could practically tell what it was saying.
Something along the lines of, "Why should I do that?"
Which also meant it could do what I'd asked.
"You remember how I removed all those gold bricks that were blocking the earth vein, don't you?"
"…"
"You're a Spirit Beast now. What kind of Spirit Beast doesn't know how to repay a favor?"
"Squeeeeeak…"
"Kui."
"It's too much trouble? Then should I put all the gold bricks back? Ah! If I'm going to do it anyway, maybe I should cover this entire place in them. The whole floor, wall to wall. It'll sparkle beautifully, and we won't even have to worry about getting dirt on our shoes."
"…"
At my words, the marten's ears shot straight up, its tail went rigid, and its entire body began trembling.
It looked horrified by the mere thought of it.
"So, are you going to do me this favor?"
At my question, the marten nodded its head furiously.
You little brat. You should've just agreed from the beginning!
And now that I'd discovered its weakness, I was the one holding the upper hand in any negotiation.
The reason I'd made such a request was simple. I wanted the Eunhae Merchant Group to attract as little attention as possible.
My future actions were inevitably going to draw attention, so I needed to do whatever I could to keep the Murim Alliance's eyes away from us.
.
.
.
The next day.
The workers I'd hired began clearing out the manor.
The first thing they needed to do was remove the weeds around the grounds, then clean and repair the buildings.
At first, no one wanted to work in a place rumored to be haunted, but the moment I promised them considerably higher wages, I had no trouble finding all the workers I needed.
Money really was scarier than ghosts.
The weather was cold, but since there was almost no need to dig into the ground, the work proceeded without much difficulty.
The current manor buildings had been constructed after the original Manor Lord and his entire household were massacred.
However, no one had actually lived in them for very long afterward, so they weren't particularly worn down.
Buildings normally deteriorated quickly when left abandoned, but it seemed the Qi of this place had somehow slowed that decay.
The more I looked at it, the more satisfied I became with the land I'd managed to acquire.
Still, I couldn't stop thinking about the map I'd recently discovered.
It marked the Sword Tomb in Springview Fortress and contained notes detailing the groundwork necessary to search it.
Their primary objective had been to turn Springview Fortress into an independent nation, putting it beyond the Empire's direct reach.
If that failed, their second option was to utterly destroy Springview Fortress so thoroughly that no one would have any reason to pay attention to the place.
Either outcome would create a situation where they could search the Sword Tomb without attracting the Empire's attention.
Preparing the groundwork for a scheme like that took time, but the actual exploration of the Sword Tomb wouldn't take nearly as long.
In other words, by the time the Emperor realized something had gone terribly wrong in Springview Fortress and came there to conduct a memorial rite, everything would already have been over.
This time, my intervention had allowed Springview Fortress to survive intact.
But did that mean those people would simply give up on the Sword Tomb?
Not a chance.
They were definitely going to try something else.
The problem was figuring out how to stop them…
If I wanted to prevent whatever dirty scheme they came up with next, someone needed to explore that Sword Tomb before they could and strip it of its value.
Only then would Springview Fortress truly be safe.
And unlike Blood Staff Star Monk's fake Sword Tomb, the one in Springview Fortress appeared to be the real thing.
The thought of simply handing something like that over to them was far too painful.
But an exploration on that scale would require quite a few people.
More importantly, they had to be people who wouldn't betray me.
In that case, there was only one option.
I had no choice but to drag the Emperor into this.
–TL Notes–
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