The Geumsan Money House's Hebei main office was a large building with no fewer than eight floors.
As befitted the main office, various departments occupied the second floor and above. On the first floor, however, the money house's everyday business was conducted.
“Next customer, please.”
“Yes!”
“How may I help you?”
At the employee's courteous question, the customer merely stared at his face.
“Ma'am?”
“Ah! I-I'm sorry! Um, I… I came to deposit some money.”
“Certainly. May I have your vault token and identity token?”
“H-here.”
She held out her vault token and the identity token the money house had issued.
After checking them, the employee spoke.
“Thank you. I've verified your identity. How much would you like to deposit?”
“Here.”
Looking embarrassed, the customer held out some coins.
“That's ten copper coins. Everything is in order.”
The employee accepted the coins, deftly filled out a document, and offered it to her.
“Here's your receipt. Is there anything else you need?”
“N-no.”
“Then have a pleasant day.”
She left with an air of reluctance, and the employee smiled as he attended to the next customer.
“Next customer, please.”
Watching him, the people inside the money house whispered among themselves.
“Is that the new employee who just graduated from the training center?”
“Yes. Plenty of girls have started saving just so they can see him.”
“When I heard the rumors, I wondered what he could possibly look like. But if he looks like that, I can certainly understand.”
The employee attracting everyone's attention was none other than junior employee Eun Seo-ho.
He had recently become a celebrity at the Geumsan Money House's Hebei main office.
Thanks to him, the amount of money customers deposited was rising rapidly.
Naturally, the main office's Branch Manager and sales staff looked at Eun Seo-ho with positively adoring eyes.
They no longer had to worry about their performance figures.
* * *
Whew. This really was tiring.
I tilted my neck from side to side.
Spending the whole day attending to customers and repeatedly handling deposits and withdrawals had left me worn out.
I looked at the company motto hanging beside me.
[Our customers' money is precious.]
I nodded.
Whether it was a single copper coin or a gold tael, all money entrusted to the money house carried the same weight.
That was why every bit of it had to be treated with care.
Perhaps that was what made the work even more tiring.
Just then…
“…!”
“Eun Seo-ho. This is wearing you out, isn't it?”
The Branch Manager had come up behind me and was kneading my shoulders.
Whew. I'd almost struck him.
I smoothly drew back the hand that was already halfway out.
Good. That had looked perfectly natural.
“I'm all right. I was simply thinking that you must have gone through all this yourself, Branch Manager. It's given me a new respect for you.”
I continued.
“I only wonder whether I'll be able to last as long as you have.”
The Branch Manager laughed as he answered my flattery.
“Of course you will! Ha ha ha! A capable employee like you will have no trouble lasting.”
“Thank you.”
I bowed my head with a wry smile.
A capable employee stayed for a long time because the employer treated him well enough to stay.
Someone with that much talent would be recognized and wanted wherever he went.
That was why the Eunhae Merchant Group paid so much attention to employee welfare.
Still, when would a counterfeit draft finally reach my hands?
I wished one would hurry up and arrive.
That night, I left the employee lodgings.
Private accommodations were provided to unmarried employees who wanted them.
I was staying there myself.
“My lord.”
I turned at the familiar voice and saw unfamiliar faces.
But I greeted them warmly.
I recognized the Qi of Escort Guard Seo Wu and Escort Guard Jin Yu.
“You had no trouble recognizing me.”
“You were the one lamenting that even a Disguise Art couldn't hide your looks, my lord.”
“Ah, true enough. Where are you two assigned now?”
Escort Guard Seo Wu answered my question.
“We're currently assigned to the security unit.”
“We deliberately showed only a little of our ability so we wouldn't be put in charge.”
Being made responsible would complicate what came afterward.
“Still no sign of their activities?”
I nodded at the question.
“In my opinion, they're probably working their way from one money house branch to the next, committing the same crime.”
I thought so because the Asura Blood Cult Qi left on the counterfeit drafts had been similar.
Even among members of the same Asura Blood Cult, that Qi differed slightly from one person to another.
“So if we wait, they're certain to appear.”
I'd also considered having Geumryeong sniff the drafts and track their scent.
But they'd already passed through so many hands that it was difficult to distinguish the right scent accurately.
That was why I was going through all this trouble now.
Should I feed Geumryeong a little more money?
—Kui?
It was only a thought. Just a thought.
—Kui…
Aren't you a little too disappointed?
But why was I doing all this without even getting a chance to rest?
Even the emperor was refraining from summoning me so I could take a break.
It was all those Asura Blood Cult bastards' fault.
They were the reason I was going through this ordeal.
“You don't look well. Are you all right?”
“Ah, yes. I'm fine.”
I waved a hand, gave them instructions for what came next, and returned to my lodgings.
As I washed and changed my clothes on my own, I suddenly missed Palgap.
At the Beijing Branch, Palgap would have helped me and made things easy.
A few days later, I was once again playing the part of a friendly money house employee.
Then I felt that unpleasant sensation.
“…!”
That was the Asura Blood Cult's Qi.
They'd finally appeared.
I raised my head and looked for the person responsible for it.
He approached the employee beside me.
That employee was my fellow recruit Gang Il.
“Please pay out the amount on this draft.”
“Certainly. I'll need to verify your identity. May I have the identity token issued by the money house?”
The man offered his draft and identity token.
I discreetly released a little of my true Qi and knocked the draft to the floor.
“Oh!”
I quickly bent down as I spoke.
“I'll pick it up for you.”
The moment I took hold of the draft, I knew.
It was counterfeit.
But my fellow recruit Gang Il, who had bent down across from me, wore a very grim expression.
I found myself asking him a question.
“What's wrong?”
“…This draft is counterfeit.”
“…!”
What? He'd recognized it as counterfeit? How?
But this wasn't the time to investigate that.
“Trust me and pay it out as usual. I'll take care of the rest.”
Perhaps because of the commanding presence I briefly let show, my fellow recruit Gang Il nodded without resistance. I put the draft back on the counter.
Then I sent Voice Transmissions to Escort Guard Seo Wu and Escort Guard Jin Yu, who were on security duty.
—Follow the man in front of me.
—Understood.
At the same time, I asked Geumryeong for help.
—Geumryeong. Remember this man's scent carefully.
—Kui!
He received a full hundred silver taels.
It seemed that, now they knew the counterfeit drafts worked, they were becoming bolder.
Once I'd seen him leave, I stood up as well.
I took out the three sick-leave requests I'd prepared in advance.
Gang Il knew the situation now, so it should be all right to submit them through him.
I asked him quietly.
“If I haven't returned in two hours, please submit these for me.”
Then I hurried out through the back door and asked Geumryeong for help.
“Geumryeong! Track that man from just now!”
“Kui!”
And so we followed him.
How far had we gone?
He entered an inn, and my two Escort Guards and I went in as well.
He went straight to a guest room on the third floor.
In that case, I had a way to see inside.
I left the inn and climbed onto the roof.
The third floor was the highest, so I could hang from the roof and peer into the room.
“Heh heh heh. Just look at all this money!”
“Our superiors will praise us, won't they?”
“Of course! But they seem to be making the drafts a little slowly lately. We're already out.”
“The paper for the drafts isn't coming out on time.”
“Damn those bastards. They made the paper so damn hard to reproduce. Anyway, are we ready to get out of here?”
“Of course.”
“If the Money House Lord catches on, we're dead. Let's go.”
“Yes.”
They gathered their belongings and left the inn.
They'd said they had no more drafts.
That meant they would surely be going to replenish their counterfeits.
In other words, this pursuit would take a fair amount of time.
—Geumryeong. Bring all my Escort Guards.
—Kui!
My two Escort Guards and I continued following them.
Before we knew it, evening had come, and they entered another inn.
My two Escort Guards and I watched them from outside while waiting for the other Escort Guards.
“Forgive us.”
“We're a little late.”
“It's all right. You arrived sooner than I expected.”
“Here are some clothes to change into.”
I changed into the clothes Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am held out.
They were easy to move in, with colors that wouldn't stand out.
“Palgap packed them.”
“Just what I'd expect of Palgap.”
We all changed clothes and continued watching the inn.
The next morning, we saw them leave and followed them again.
They traveled farther than I'd expected.
Damn it. This was going to take much longer than I'd thought.
They not only passed out of Hebei, where we'd been, but went all the way into Shandong.
Fortunately, just before crossing into Anhui, they headed for a manor in the mountains rather than another inn.
The place was closely guarded.
This had to be the destination I'd been looking for.
—I'll go inside and check.
—Please do.
Escort Guard Jin Yu moved as soon as I answered.
The truth was, no one could match Escort Guard Jin Yu when it came to slipping into a place.
He'd been excellent before, but since reaching the Profound realm, he had become so skilled that it was almost beyond belief.
A little later, Escort Guard Jin Yu reappeared without so much as a hint of his presence.
—My lord. That is definitely the counterfeiters' base. There are approximately a hundred and fifty people.
Quite an operation.
Then again, to carry out something that enormous, they'd need an organization of at least that size.
—I see. Thank you for your work.
Escort Guard Seo Wu asked a question.
—Are we attacking the place ourselves?
—No.
In terms of strength, we could attack them ourselves without difficulty. But with so few of us, we couldn't catch everyone who fled.
Besides, there were several martial experts there.
And the Geumsan Money House needed to be the one to finish this affair.
I took out the whistle hanging around my neck and blew into it.
In case the sound carried to the manor, I put up a barrier of Qi.
Even blocking one side would dampen the sound to some extent.
Hm?
Yet despite blowing fairly hard, I couldn't hear anything from the whistle.
What was this? Was it defective?
I tried blowing it again, wondering what was wrong, but still no sound came out.
Was it meant to be silent?
We waited there.
How much time passed?
As the sun began to rise, a black hawk appeared above us and started circling.
—Kui?
Geumryeong tilted its head at the sight, then spoke to me.
—Kui! Kui.
So that black hawk was calling its master?
Then could it be…?
Soon I sensed the Qi of someone rushing toward us at a terrifying speed.
He came to a steady stop as though he hadn't been running at all.
I cupped my fist and greeted him.
“My respects, Money House Lord.”
“Whew. Where is it?”
At his question, I pointed to the manor behind me.
“There.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes, I'm certain. My Escort Guard confirmed it.”
“I see.”
He held out his arm, and the black hawk that had been circling above us descended onto it.
The Money House Lord took a bundle of rolled cloth from inside his clothes.
When he opened it, there were wooden tokens painted in various colors.
He selected a yellow one, put it in the small, narrow tube attached to the hawk's leg, and sent the bird off with a flutter of wings.
“You use a hawk to communicate.”
“Yes. An intelligent friend who's been with me for a long time. About thirty years, I believe.”
Thirty years? Could a hawk live that long?
—Kui.
I heard Geumryeong's Voice Transmission.
Ah, that hawk was a Spirit Beast too?
Then I could understand how they'd been together for so long.
“Incidentally, I received the report. You earned excellent marks at the training center.”
“Ha ha ha.”
“And they say you're a popular employee at the Hebei main office. Quite a few people will be sorry to see you go. You'll be returning to your own work now, won't you?”
“Just thinking about the work piling up even now gives me a headache.”
“I'd like to recruit you directly, but I'm afraid I couldn't offer a monthly salary that would satisfy you, Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“Thank you for the thought.”
“There is something I'm curious about, though.”
“What is it?”
He considered for a moment before speaking.
“I know your martial arts are quite remarkable, Deputy Merchant Lord. I can't say for certain, but judging from experience, you're much stronger than the public knows.”
“…”
His instincts were good.
“With that kind of ability, you could enjoy wealth and distinction without belonging to a merchant group…”
“You're wondering why I keep myself tied to one.”
“Exactly.”
I grinned.
“Because I'm a merchant. There's nothing strange about a merchant belonging to a merchant group, is there?”
“True, but…”
“Then why do you serve as a Money House Lord with your abilities?”
“Because I have a dream. To protect the property of those without power.”
“I have a dream too. I want to make the Eunhae Merchant Group the greatest merchant group under heaven.”
And I had to take revenge on the Baekcheon Merchant Group and the Murim Alliance as well.
“I see. It was a foolish question.”
I smiled and asked him another question.
“How do you intend to deal with them?”
A sudden chill ran down my spine.
It was the cold Qi pouring from the Money House Lord.
“Isn't that obvious?”
Ah. I wished I hadn't asked.
–TL Notes–
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