Chapter 306
Chapter 306
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 306
Chapter Title: The Return to Duty
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Hyeok Mulin, who had returned to the Heavenly Demon Palace, leisurely made his way to the Pure Heaven Pavilion.
It was around noon, with the sun high in the sky.
He was surely there.
And so, as Hyeok Mulin stepped into the Pure Heaven Pavilion...
"Cult Leader...! You've returned!"
Sima Jin, whose face had been growing ashen, brightened up and immediately rose from his seat.
"It's been a while."
In truth, when he had left, Hyeok Mulin hadn't planned on staying in the Central Plains for so long.
He had simply headed there intending to exchange blows with the Sword Lord and Sword Sage.
Who could have known that witnessing their duel would stir his fighting spirit?
Somehow, he ended up stopping by the Manchu Gathering, and on the way back, he took his time enjoying the scenery, savoring the leisure. Before he knew it, the duration had snowballed.
Yet every time he returned to the main palace after being away...
'The shadows under his eyes keep growing like a mountain.'
For Sima Jin, the matters needing handling were far from few.
On top of his regular duties, he had been acting as proxy in Hyeok Mulin's absence.
Hyeok Mulin had supplied him with plenty of tonics and spirit pills in the meantime, but it seemed impossible to escape the fatigue from the sheer volume of work.
"You've worked hard."
"Not at all. It's just doing what's expected."
"Right, then keep up the good work and we'll meet again next time..."
"Cult Leader."
As Hyeok Mulin glanced briefly at his desk and turned to leave the office, Sima Jin swiftly blocked his path.
At that moment, his quick movement seemed in no way inferior to Old Man Gu's speed.
"Hm? Is there something else?"
"Now that you're back, it's time for you to work."
Sima Jin's lips curved up as he grinned.
"I've gathered and organized only the documents that absolutely require your final approval."
At those words, Hyeok Mulin's gaze slowly shifted back to the desk.
A pile of documents towered like a small hill, filling his view.
Already, his chest felt tight, a headache creeping in.
But...
"...I understand."
The more he put it off, the more the stack would grow.
Better to handle it now, so Hyeok Mulin accepted.
He sat down and began reviewing and processing them one by one, and surprisingly, the mound of papers shrank at an astonishing pace.
Not only had Sima Jin organized them meticulously for easy overview, selecting only the essentials, but he had also categorized the details thoroughly.
That said, none of it was the sort of content he could skim carelessly, so Hyeok Mulin examined each with full attention.
As he flipped through various reports, something caught his eye, and he spoke up.
"The Thousand-Li Merchant Guild has merged with the Demon Jewel Merchant Guild."
"Yes. After their guild leader suddenly passed away, infighting broke out among his children, putting the Demon Jewel Guild up for sale on the market. We snapped it up quickly."
"Lucky break."
The Demon Jewel Merchant Guild was one of the top trading companies even in the New Frontier.
They dealt mainly in relatively inexpensive goods rather than rarities, profiting through high volume and thin margins.
With such a group suddenly available due to unforeseen circumstances, Sima Jin had moved swiftly to acquire and merge them in a clean, efficient deal.
"Well done."
It was thanks to Hyeok Mulin's prior approval allowing such mergers even through preliminary processes.
Why had he permitted it?
Because he trusted Sima Jin's judgment.
In any situation, Sima Jin chose not just the best, but the optimal path.
Just like now.
"With the Demon Jewel Guild merging into the Thousand-Li Merchant Guild..."
"Yes. It will solidify their position as the largest merchant guild in the New Frontier."
The Thousand-Li Guild traded valuable goods over long distances.
The Demon Jewel Guild handled cheap wares within the New Frontier.
Two guilds with completely different styles formed a perfect merger, filling each other's gaps.
"The Myriad Gold Exchange is also smoothly adding branches, so no more worries there."
Hyeok Mulin's primary cash cows, the Myriad Gold Exchange and Thousand-Li Merchant Guild, were experiencing explosive growth.
Thus, with a satisfied expression, he stamped approvals until...
"That went faster than expected."
The endless hill of documents had bottomed out by sunset.
Sima Jin, confirming it, stuck out his tongue in amazement.
"No way. Did you study speed-reading in the Central Plains? How did you clear that much in less than half a day...!"
"You must have hoped I'd be stuck at this for a good long while."
"Ahem. Not at all."
Sima Jin averted his gaze at Hyeok Mulin's words.
With a chuckle, Hyeok Mulin rose and said,
"Enough work. Let's have a drink tonight."
"Music to my ears."
Grinning, Sima Jin stood and followed behind Hyeok Mulin as he departed.
Afterward, Hyeok Mulin headed to the Yin Flower Tower, where Yagul Okryeon welcomed him warmly, ushering him into a private room.
"We always keep this room empty in preparation for your visit. We've also added soundproofing, so no noise leaks out. Please feel free to come anytime."
She informed him that among the private rooms in the Yin Flower Tower, she had reserved the largest and quietest one exclusively for him.
Whether he came or not— even if he never returned—it was fine.
The grace he had bestowed upon her already outweighed it many times over.
Thus, Hyeok Mulin enjoyed the feast while continuing his conversation with Sima Jin.
Most of it covered his recent journey, though he deliberately omitted the duel between the Sword Lord and Sword Sage.
That would remain a secret among the three of them.
'No, four.'
Hwasan's greatest talent and future pillar had witnessed it alongside them.
'Promising.'
Where Hwasan—and its future—would head.
And what color plum blossoms the seed Hyeok Mulin had planted there would bear.
Amid such thoughts, Hyeok Mulin lifted his glass for the first time and brought it to his lips.
The moment he tasted it...
"...Hm?"
"Is something wrong? A problem with it?"
Hyeok Mulin felt something oddly flat about it.
This was clearly one of the tower's premium liquors.
Yet it somehow failed to satisfy.
It hadn't been like this before.
The taste of the liquor hadn't changed.
Sima Jin, seated across from him, was still savoring it with evident pleasure.
So what had changed was...
'Me.'
Hyeok Mulin soon realized the reason.
Having tasted not only the prize-winning liquor of Wallmaster Ho at the Manchu Great Liquor Festival but also the lifetime collection of the world's finest brews gathered by the Drunk Tyrant, even premium liquors could no longer satisfy his palate.
It seemed it would take quite some time to shake off this aftereffect.
"Ah, after sampling all those famous liquors at the Manchu Gathering, this one doesn't quite measure up."
Sima Jin immediately picked up on Hyeok Mulin's sentiment and commented.
"Were they that exceptional?"
"Yeah. Quite remarkable."
The Drunk Tyrant's collection was top-notch, but Wallmaster Ho's brew had been overwhelmingly superior.
"Next time, I'll let you taste the festival master's liquor."
"That's a promise."
Sima Jin beamed with anticipation.
Afterward, they delved into the details of the events at the Manchu Great Liquor Festival.
From the Drunk Tyrant's death to the gathering's transformation into Hyeok Mulin's Mourning Wine Assembly.
Hyeok Mulin had sent a rough overview ahead for the necessary procedures, but hearing it directly from him was different.
Sima Jin listened intently and nodded.
"That venture is guaranteed success."
"I think so too."
Demand for fine liquors was always high.
Whether the world prospered or declined, whether the martial world was at peace or in chaos, the wealthy always existed.
Monopolizing the distribution of such premium brews?
Not only massive profits, but also opportunities to build ties across various contacts and gather intelligence.
Moreover, centering it in the Central Plains was advantageous for the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult as well.
"Now only one of the Three Saints and One remains."
The Three Saints and One had been cultivated to oppose Hyeok Mulin—to prevent his rise.
But one intentionally, one unintentionally.
Hyeok Mulin had already eliminated two candidates.
The Drunk Tyrant's death would soon become known.
Then, all eyes in the martial world would turn to the last remaining, the patriarch of the Shandong Dark Clan.
To that, Hyeok Mulin replied,
"We'll watch for now."
He had no intention of making the first move.
With the world's attention fixed on it, the Martial Alliance would be on high alert too.
There was no need to head to the Shandong Dark Clan immediately.
The Martial Alliance's plan built around elevating the Three Saints and One had long been shattered.
He had no hasty goal of eliminating them all to swiftly ascend to Great Martial Sovereign.
Besides, the Shandong Dark Clan's young master—he had met him at Hwasan.
"If we wait patiently, the time will come naturally."
With those leisurely words, Hyeok Mulin turned to Sima Jin, who was tilting his glass, and asked,
"Any incidents in the cult while I was away?"
"Incidents? Ah, recently the patriarch of the Great Flood Red Clan got embroiled in a scandal..."
After that, they shared various light topics.
Trivial worldly matters unconnected to martial arts or tangled complexities.
It had been quite some time since he last relaxed like this with someone he could fully trust, setting aside heavy thoughts.
Thus, free of distractions, the mood lifted, and the liquor even started tasting sweeter.
"Should we have invited the initial clan head too?"
"Good call leaving her out. She's at her busiest now."
After Hyeok Mulin eliminated the Drunk Tyrant, the Martial Alliance and Four Black Alliances had grown closer.
Choi Sa-hyeon was thus pouring all her efforts from the heart of the Secret Affairs Hall to track their movements, leaving no leisure for drinks.
"Guess I'll have to send her some good liquor separately."
The list of people to send liquor to kept growing.
Perhaps unconsciously, securing the Mourning Wine Assembly had been for exactly this.
With a chuckle at the sudden thought, Hyeok Mulin continued their enjoyable chat when Sima Jin suddenly clapped his hands, recalling something.
"Ah, right, there was something I needed to tell you."
Something to tell him?
Hyeok Mulin looked at Sima Jin, who scratched his beard with an oddly peculiar expression.
"A while back, Shim Hyo, the successor of the Southern Iron Gate, came looking for you."
Shim Hyo.
That name jogged Hyeok Mulin's memory of a forgotten promise.
He had earnestly requested permission to craft his robe.
Hyeok Mulin had gladly approved.
Because he trusted Shim Hyo's skill as a master smith—and his potential.
But...
"However..."
For some reason, Sima Jin hesitated to continue whenever Shim Hyo came up.
As Hyeok Mulin felt puzzled, he finally added,
"I think you need to meet him in person."
Meet him in person.
What could be so troublesome?
Though curious about Sima Jin's strange look, Hyeok Mulin felt no real worry and sought out Shim Hyo the very next day after their drinking session ended.
Entering his lodgings...
"Cult Leader!"
Shim Hyo greeted him with sparkling eyes.
And at the same time...
"Please execute this insolent subordinate!"
Bursting into tears, Shim Hyo prostrated himself on the floor with a voice full of guilt.