At that same time…
The Ice Palace Lord looked toward the bridal chamber and gave a small chuckle.
“This is only the second time I've seen that bridal chamber in use.”
The first had been at the Ice Palace Wedding of her friend, the previous Palace Lord of Snow Wind Palace.
And now, here it was again.
In truth, it had continued to weigh on her heart that the current Snow Wind Palace Lord, Gwak Myeong-hyeon, had never been able to have an Ice Palace Wedding.
“Look after that foolish son of mine for me, will you?”
“Why are you suddenly saying that? You sound like someone who knows the day he's going to die.”
“I suppose I do.”
“Has something really gone wrong?”
“I don't know for certain yet. I'll tell you when I do.”
That had been the last conversation she ever had with her friend, the previous Snow Wind Palace Lord.
‘I don't know what you think of your son. But at least from where I stand, he's as fine a Snow Wind Palace Lord as anyone could ask for. After all, he has chosen such an exceptional person as his successor.’
While she was thinking that, Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin came to see her.
“Palace Lord. I've ordered a change of the guards on watch and confirmed that it has been carried out.”
“Well done. And by the way, that was rather impressive.”
“Pardon?”
“Getting away with a wedding gift of just ten gold taels for Young Palace Lord Eun Seo-ho, I mean.”
“Ah…”
Bing Hae-rin gave a broad smile.
“I learned it from Young Palace Lord Eun himself. He said that even a small amount of money can seem like a great deal if you give it meaning.”
In truth, ten gold taels was no small sum of money.
But as a wedding gift from the Young Palace Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace, it was hardly a large amount.
She had used a method she learned from Eun Seo-ho to get the greatest effect out of a smaller wedding gift.
She winked as she continued.
“Oh, but that's a secret.”
* * *
The next morning, I opened my eyes.
For some reason, I felt wonderfully refreshed.
Lady Seohyang was sitting beside me.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Oh! You're up early. Somehow, every time I come to the Ice Palace, I seem to grow lazy.”
“Please don't think that. I simply happened to wake up especially early, that's all.”
I got up and put on my clothes. Then we took turns standing guard for each other while we finished our Breathing Meditation.
“To be honest, I never thought we'd have our wedding so soon.”
“Have I… done something improper?”
At my worried question, she gently shook her head.
“No. I meant that I'm happy about it. And I enjoyed last night, too.”
As she spoke, a rosy color spread across both her cheeks.
I had always been able to smell the scent of plum blossoms about her. But this was the first time it had been so intense that it made my head spin.
“Geumryeong isn't sulking, is it?”
I'd told Geumryeong to go outside for a while last night, after all.
I gave a small chuckle as I answered.
“It's all right. We negotiated a little in private.”
“Negotiated?”
“Yes. I agreed to give Geumryeong one silver tael in exchange for leaving us alone for a little while, and the little one went out quite happily.”
From the way Geumryeong had been wagging that tail on the way out, there was no doubt the little one was in a good mood.
Geumryeong never wagged that tail when in a bad mood.
“Then where do you suppose Geumryeong is now?”
“Who knows? But when it's time to come back, the little one will know to return.”
Then came a scratching sound: scritch, scritch, scritch.
What was that noise?
I looked toward the sound and saw a hole being made in the wall of the little snow house we were staying in.
Through that hole, Geumryeong slipped inside.
“Kui!”
“So it was you? Still, what do you think you're doing making a hole in the wall?”
“Kui. Ku!”
There weren't any windows, so there had been no other choice.
And since the whole thing was made of snow anyway, couldn't we just patch it up with some more snow?
That wasn't wrong.
Geumryeong held something out to me, something the little one had brought wrapped in that tail.
“Kui!”
“Hmm? It's a gift?”
I tilted my head as I took it.
Huh? This… could it be White Pearl Herb?
It was a Spirit Herb of the North Sea, with white leaves and fruit that resembled white pearls.
It even had fruit on it!
The White Pearl Herb was so precious that a seller could name their own price. That was because of its special properties.
Those properties were…
“Kui! Kui!”
The fruit was good for men, and the leaves were good for women?
I wasn't to think of selling it just because it was expensive? Lady Seohyang and I were supposed to eat it ourselves?
I stroked Geumryeong's head several times.
“All right. I understand.”
What a thoughtful little one, bringing us such a wonderful gift.
“Then shall we go outside?”
“Yes.”
I pushed against the door we'd come in through.
Whew. Just as I thought, it had frozen shut and wouldn't open.
Now I understood why they called this a room to be used only once.
I drew my sword, cut along the outline of the door with a smooth stroke, and pushed.
With a soft scraping sound and a heavy thud, the door opened. Or, to be strictly accurate, it fell down below us.
Holding Lady Seohyang in my arms, I jumped straight down and landed.
My Escort Guards were waiting for us below.
“Good morning, my lord.”
“Good morning.”
“Well then, Young Master. Did you enjoy yourself last night, sir?”
At Palgap's question, I gave a broad smile and asked one of my own.
“Curious? You'll find out when you marry Young Lady Ha Hwa.”
“W-What, what are y-you s-saying, sir!”
Seeing how thoroughly flustered he was, all of us laughed.
Teasing Palgap really was the most fun of all.
The Ice Palace's banquet was still going on.
They really did have stamina to spare.
They had told us the banquet would last through today. Then we should be able to head back tomorrow.
But there was something I needed to do before then.
Instead of joining the banquet, I went to see the Palace Lord.
The door opened, and I entered the Palace Lord's quarters. Once again, the Palace Lord was reclining at an angle, looking languid.
“Where's your bride? Why have you come alone?”
“There's something I'd like to discuss with you.”
“What is it?”
“I was curious about the gift you said you'd give me back when I became Young Palace Lord. And I'm curious about your wedding gift, too.”
The Palace Lord gave a small chuckle as she asked a question.
“Were you worried I'd forgotten?”
“No, that isn't it.”
“As a matter of fact, I did forget.”
“Pardon?”
At my flustered reaction, a mischievous look came over the Palace Lord's face.
“I'm joking.”
The Palace Lord's expression soon turned serious, and she began to speak.
“First, the clue to your wedding gift is in those ceremonial clothes… From the look on your face, you still haven't worked out what silk they were made from.”
“I'm afraid I haven't.”
“Follow me.”
The Palace Lord got up and went outside. I followed behind the Palace Lord.
The place we eventually reached was…
“Huh? Is this a farm?”
There was good reason for me to ask. Healthy plants were growing there in neat rows.
“This is the secret behind those clothes.”
The Palace Lord plucked a leaf from one of the plants. It was a little on the thick side, but with a sweep of her hand, she sliced it straight across. Red juice ran out between the cleanly cut surfaces.
“Dye with this, and the silk will take on the same color as the ceremonial clothes you're wearing.”
“Can it produce that shimmer as well?”
The Palace Lord nodded at my question.
“If it were merely a dye that produced an ordinary red, would we go to all this trouble to grow these plants?”
“That's true.”
I nodded as I continued.
“Why are you showing them to me?”
“I'd like to put this on the market. And as a gift to you, I'll give you thirty percent of what we earn from it.”
“That's your wedding gift?”
“It is.”
Looking at the plants spread out before my eyes, I asked another question.
“What is this plant called?”
“We named it Nogik Herb.”
“Does that mean it's a plant that never existed before?”
“It arose as a mutation among other Spirit Herbs. When its juice got onto someone's clothes and stained them, we realized it could be used as a dye.”
But why hadn't I known about this in my previous life?
I would certainly have known about a plant that could produce a color as beautiful as this, shimmering without even a dusting of silver powder.
Could it be…?
“Can you eat it as well?”
“Of course. It's very tasty.”
I thought I now understood why no one had heard of it in my previous life.
When the Asura Blood Cult's scheming caused the North Sea Ice Palace's food shortage, they must have eaten all of these plants.
When you're about to starve to death right then and there, what good could a dye possibly do for you?
This time, though, I had intervened and resolved the North Sea Ice Palace's food shortage. Thanks to that, the plants seemed to have survived.
“A dye like this should bring in a considerable profit. Giving me the right to handle the trade would be more than enough. Why give me thirty percent of the earnings on top of that?”
Even as a wedding gift, it seemed far too generous.
“There are several reasons. The first is that these plants could survive because of you. If you hadn't helped us, we would have eaten every last one of them.”
Just as I'd thought… my guess had been right.
“The second is that I've never seen a merchant as capable as you.”
“Pardon?”
“You know better than anyone what I mean when I say that.”
To be honest, I could think of all too many examples.
“You'll do everything you can to increase the value of that thirty percent. And that will make our share larger as well.”
Well, thirty percent might be thirty percent, but thirty percent of ten and thirty percent of a hundred were two very different things.
She knew me far too well.
“The third reason… is the most important one, I suppose.”
She looked at me.
“Our palace doesn't do business with rats or beasts in heat.”
Ah…
I nodded.
“That's a very sound reason.”
I clasped my fist in my palm and bowed my head.
“I'll make sure you never regret entrusting this business to me.”
“I trust you.”
“Then may I ask one more thing? It could be a slightly sensitive question.”
“Go ahead.”
“If you're selling Nogik Herb dye, I take it that you need money. To be frank, there are Elixirs everywhere here. Is there a particular reason you're trying to make money from this dye?”
“Because turning Elixirs into ready cash isn't all that easy.”
“Ah…”
“The last food shortage taught our palace that lesson again. The more money you have, the better. You never know what might happen or when, so you need to keep a reserve of cash.”
I gave a small chuckle.
“You're absolutely right. Then what is the gift you promised to mark my becoming Young Palace Lord?”
“The right to one wish. As long as it doesn't put our palace in great danger or involve anything strange, I'll grant you a single wish.”
“Pardon?”
“Why, don't you like it? Shall I give you money instead?”
“No!”
I hurriedly waved my hands.
Depending on how I chose to use it, this could turn out to be a gift worth even more than a fortune in gold.
It might even save my life.
“I'll keep it in reserve until I need it.”
That afternoon, I discussed selling Nogik Herb with the people responsible for the Ice Palace's business and finances.
Of course, the people who would actually carry out the work would be those at the North Sea Branch.
It wasn't as though I could stay here forever. And this product was going to demand a great deal of work from the people of the North Sea Branch.
Apparently, the weather had to be cold to dye things with Nogik Herb.
Otherwise, it wouldn't produce that vivid red that sparkled as though it had been dusted with silver powder. In the worst case, the color might not take properly at all.
It seemed the North Sea Branch would have quite a difficult job ahead of it.
I wondered how the Branch Manager would feel about the branch becoming so busy.
.
.
.
The next day, it was time for our party to return to the North Sea Branch.
A hundred or so disciples, including Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin, prepared to accompany me.
Some of them were coming to discuss the Nogik Herb dye business in detail at the North Sea Branch.
The rest were coming to inspect the land I had acquired in Liaoning.
The Palace Lord certainly made sure things were done properly.
“Then I look forward to the day we meet again.”
“Thank you for all the kindness you've shown us. Please take good care of yourself.”
After offering our respectful farewells, my companions and I left the North Sea Ice Palace.
The disciples of the Ice Palace followed behind us.
A few days later, we arrived at the North Sea Branch.
“Welcome!”
The people of the North Sea Branch, including the Branch Manager and the Junior Commander of the Eunpoong Division, gave us a warm welcome.
Hunter Heuk Cheol happened to be at the North Sea Branch as well, and he welcomed me alongside the Branch Manager.
“Hunter Heuk has come to help us harvest the ice.”
“I'm grateful for that.”
“It's to help the Eunhae Merchant Group. How could I hold back from doing my part?”
Once we had exchanged greetings, the Branch Manager looked at the people who had followed us and spoke.
“Isn't that Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin of the Ice Palace?”
With a gasp, Hunter Heuk Cheol hurriedly threw himself flat on the ground and pressed his forehead to the earth.
“This lowly man pays his respects to the heir of the Ice Palace's Supreme Ruler!”
The Branch Manager, who had been greeting her with a courteous fist-and-palm salute, looked puzzled by that intense reaction.
Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin spoke.
“Please get up.”
“I can only thank you for permitting me to stand in your presence, Young Sovereign.”
As a matter of fact, the way he had reacted was how people in this region generally behaved when faced with the Ice Palace.
Around here, the very existence of the Ice Palace was enough to inspire terror in people.
The people of the North Sea Branch were probably puzzled because they still hadn't felt for themselves just what the Ice Palace's presence meant to people in this region.
“Please come inside.”
“Thank you.”
We didn't stay long at the North Sea Branch.
We had already been delayed for several days at the Ice Palace.
The main purpose of this trip to the North Sea was to bring back ice. We had to hurry and take it back if we wanted to sell as much as possible.
Nothing depended on the weather quite as much as ice did.
So I left the detailed discussions of Nogik Herb dye to the Branch Manager, and we set out at once with our ice.
With the people of the North Sea Ice Palace traveling alongside us, the journey to Liaoning went without a hitch.
Once we arrived in Liaoning, we headed for the Gwangjun Merchant Group.
We would need their help to make the rest of the journey to Beijing go smoothly.
“Welcome!”
To welcome Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin and the disciples of the North Sea Ice Palace on their visit, the Gwangjun Merchant Group's Merchant Lord and Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun came out to the front gate. They received them with the utmost courtesy.
“B-But what brings you all the way here?”
I explained on her behalf.
“The reason I've brought the Young Palace Lord here is the farmland I purchased.”
“…?”
“I've arranged to sell all the crops grown on that land to the North Sea Ice Palace.”
“Well… is that really so?”
“Yes. So they've agreed to patrol the area around the land from time to time.”
“That is very welcome news.”
After all, if the North Sea Ice Palace patrolled this area, even at irregular intervals, it would improve public safety. The Gwangjun Merchant Group stood to benefit indirectly from that improvement, too.
As we were enjoying this friendly exchange, someone came hurrying toward us.
Huh? Wasn't that…?
–TL Notes–
Tired of seeing Ads? Then please support me on Patreon! Any tier of subscription will make it so you won't get any ads!
If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/InsanityTheGame
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt