Chapter 786: I Have Quite a Bit of Money.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 786: I Have Quite a Bit of Money.
"If we can secure the justification that we have stepped forward for a greater cause, the Uicheon Alliance will be able to soar as if a tiger has grown wings."
Sun-woo continued, his eyes sparkling with confidence.
People admire sacrifice for a great cause.
Because it is something they cannot achieve themselves, they watch from afar and yearn for it.
The Uicheon Alliance would become the object of that admiration.
Rumors would spread that they realized chivalry for the weak in the lowest of places, completely unconcerned with the gaze of others.
And their admiration would become the driving force that allows the Uicheon Alliance to grow.
Countless chivalrous experts would harbor dreams and seek out the Uicheon Alliance.
"…I agree that we can secure a justification. Certainly, the chivalrous deeds of the Uicheon Alliance will move the hearts of many. The prestige of the Alliance will undoubtedly rise."
Lee Se-jin nodded in agreement as he spoke.
It wasn't wrong.
If they had the justification of relieving the people's suffering, it was certain that the Uicheon Alliance's status would soar.
"But that is as far as it goes."
Soon, Lee Se-jin's sharp eyes flashed as he spoke again.
"You might be able to raise our prestige through chivalry, but bringing in members is another matter entirely."
"Why do you think so?"
"Because it is Nanchang."
Lee Se-jin spoke with a heavy expression.
"Nanchang is more wretched than you think. It’s a wasteland where nothing functions properly. Why would chivalrous men knock on the doors of the Uicheon Alliance with nothing but a dream in such a place?"
Lee Se-jin offered his own cold analysis.
In his mind, there was no reason for martial artists to go out of their way to visit Nanchang.
Nanchang was a barren land.
There were no inns to relieve travel fatigue and rest, no taverns to enjoy the arts and blow away worries with a cup of wine, no fabric stores to buy clothes, and no blacksmiths to purchase or repair weapons.
Nothing was as it should be.
In Nanchang, there were only thieves, prostitutes, the poor, and the thugs who exploited them.
What sane person would want to set foot in such a terrible place?
It was preposterous.
Though Lee Se-jin had lived a life pursuing chivalry, he was not ignorant of reality.
He knew well that altruism—caring for others—does not exist unless one is stable themselves.
That was why he was certain.
The chivalrous acts of the Uicheon Alliance might move the hearts of martial artists, but they would not move their feet.
Nanchang was far too underdeveloped and shabby for them to come.
"Can we not simply create an environment that would make them want to come?"
Hearing Lee Se-jin's words, Sun-woo replied in a calm tone.
"How on earth? Are you saying you'll build convenience facilities?"
"That is correct."
Sun-woo nodded as he continued.
"That's absurd!"
At those words, Lee Se-jin raised his voice and shouted.
"The Alliance is not a charity organization! It is an interest group gathered to maintain the peace and order of the Murim! How can you think of spending money like water? If you spend the budget so recklessly, we will go bankrupt before we can even recover the principal!"
Lee Se-jin shouted with a flushed face.
It was because he disliked Sun-woo's behavior of consuming the Alliance's budget without thought.
Building the breakwater alone was already expected to consume a significant portion of the budget.
But now he wanted to build convenience facilities on top of that?
At this rate, they would go bankrupt before they could even properly launch.
"I have no intention of using the Alliance's budget."
"What?!"
"I will ensure the convenience facilities are built without using the Alliance's funds."
Sun-woo continued in a composed tone.
"Nonsense!"
Lee Se-jin vehemently denied Sun-woo's words.
It was impossible.
How could he build convenience facilities capable of serving thousands of people without the Alliance's budget?
It was too far-fetched a story.
The facilities currently needed in Nanchang were countless: inns, taverns, blacksmiths, fabric stores, schools, and more.
How could he handle all those facilities without using the Alliance's budget?
It was illogical.
"To build facilities that can accommodate thousands, it would cost at least several hundred thousand nyang! How on earth do you plan to handle that much money!"
To build facilities for thousands of martial artists, an enormous amount of money was required.
They would have to build at least dozens, if not hundreds, of buildings.
To build those facilities, a vast amount of timber and professional carpenters were needed.
Even just considering labor and material costs, tens of thousands of nyang would disappear instantly.
Furthermore, building the facilities wasn't the end of it.
The interiors had to be filled one by one.
For inns and taverns, they had to be stocked with alcohol and food ingredients.
For blacksmiths, they needed furnaces, charcoal, and blacksmithing tools.
The initial setup costs would be as high as the construction costs.
At the very least, it would be several hundred thousand nyang—the basic cost once the facilities were completed.
It's impossible. Of course, it's impossible.
Lee Se-jin thought.
It was an amount of money that simply couldn't be handled.
"I can handle it."
"What!?"
Hearing those words, Lee Se-jin asked back in a shocked voice.
He wondered if he had misheard.
"Provided I have the investment of the elders."
Sun-woo continued with a soft smile on his lips.
"Assuming we build the facilities, I will distribute shares to you."
Sun-woo spoke in a calm tone.
"What!?"
"Shares?!"
"Is that true?!"
Hearing this, the elders each asked back with surprised expressions.
Because of the risk of speculation, it had been agreed that the shares would be vested in the Alliance's ownership.
But now he was saying he would distribute those shares?
How could they not be shocked?
"You said shares could not be held by anyone other than the Tang Clan... because of the concern that it would turn into speculation?"
"Since you are investing in a place that is no different from a wasteland, shouldn't there be this level of benefit?"
"This could cause a controversy over special treatment."
Lee Se-jin spoke with a grave expression.
"It won't. Because I plan to hold a public recruitment."
"Public recruitment?"
"Yes. I intend to recruit investors by offering shares. If the elders invest then, there will be no controversy over special treatment. Equal opportunity will have been given to everyone."
"But if others invest, won't it all be for naught?"
"Others will not invest."
Sun-woo's eyes sparkled with certainty.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I don't plan to reveal how many investors have been recruited."
Sun-woo continued in a calm tone.
"You won't disclose the recruited investors?"
"Yes. If the investors are revealed, speculators might jump in. Therefore, I intend to block them in advance. If no one knows who invested how much, no one will invest recklessly. Even if there are some, it will be an extremely negligible, small amount."
Sun-woo continued in a confident voice.
"In the end, the ones who will divide the shares will be the elders here."
"I have an objection."
Lee Se-jin spoke with an expression that said he couldn't accept it.
"There is a limit to the amount we can invest. Even if I sell my house in Jinan, it would only be a few tens of thousands of nyang at most. How can we build facilities for thousands with such a small amount? We cannot handle the initial costs."
Lee Se-jin spoke with a heavy expression.
The amount each elder could mobilize was only a few thousand nyang.
And that was only if they put their current homes on the market at the going rate.
Even if all that money was combined, the final amount they could invest was only a few tens of thousands of nyang.
How could they build facilities for thousands with such a small sum?
It was impossible.
"I can handle the entirety of the initial costs."
Sun-woo continued with a firm expression.
"I'm asking how! Hundreds of thousands of nyang are needed, yet the amount we can mobilize is only a few tens of thousands, isn't it? Are you planning to pay the entire deficit yourself?"
Lee Se-jin began to sneer.
He was annoyed by Sun-woo's attitude of insisting it was possible no matter what.
"I will do exactly that."
Sun-woo answered with a resolute expression.
"Huh?"
Hearing that, Lee Se-jin asked back with a blank expression.
He thought he might have misheard.
"I will pay the entire remaining balance out of my own pocket."
Sun-woo spoke each word clearly so that Lee Se-jin could hear him properly.
"..............."
Hearing those words, Lee Se-jin fell silent, his mouth shut tight.
He felt absurd.
Lee Se-jin slowly looked up.
He began to look at Sun-woo with eyes full of suspicion.
He wondered if Sun-woo was perhaps telling a lie.
Sun-woo did not avoid Lee Se-jin's gaze.
He simply stared back with a straight look.
".........Are you serious?"
Finally, Lee Se-jin asked him back with a reluctant expression.
"I am serious."
Sun-woo nodded as he spoke.
"Even excluding a few tens of thousands of nyang... it is still an amount exceeding several hundred thousand nyang... How can you handle such a sum alone?"
Lee Se-jin asked him with an expression of disbelief.
He couldn't believe that an individual possessed a fortune amounting to hundreds of thousands of nyang.
"I have quite a bit of money."
Sun-woo spoke with a soft smile.
He was rich.
It was because he had accumulated considerable wealth in the meantime.
Paying several hundred thousand nyang was not a very difficult task.
".............Heh... Hehehehe."
Hearing Sun-woo's answer, Lee Se-jin began to let out a hollow laugh.
Sun-woo's financial power, which was beyond imagination, felt too abnormal.
His martial prowess was the best in the world, and now he even possessed enormous wealth?
How could such a human exist?
"Do you think you can accept it now?"
Sun-woo asked, looking at Lee Se-jin, who was laughing hollowly.
"...........If what you say is true... I suppose I can."
If his words were true—if he could provide the massive sum of several hundred thousand nyang—there was no reason not to accept it.
He was saying he would use his personal fortune to overhaul and transform the wasteland of Nanchang; how could anyone not be convinced?
"What about the others?"
Sun-woo turned to the rest of the room and threw the question to the elders.
He was asking if they accepted his proposal.
"................"
A heavy silence began to flow among the elders at Sun-woo's question.
They were calculating in their heads.
Whether Sun-woo's proposal was feasible, and how much profit it would bring them.
Sun-woo's proposal was incredibly attractive.
It was an opportunity to hold shares that had been permitted to no one but the Tang Clan.
But as attractive as it was, the risk was also great.
For the shares to have value, the launch of the Uicheon Alliance had to be successful.
It had to be attractive enough to not only absorb the forces of the Cheonmu Alliance but also to draw in numerous vested interest groups.
That was why they hesitated.
They wondered what choice they should make.
After agonizing for some time...
"I'll do it."
Gye Sang-deuk, who had been quiet, slowly spoke up.
He had agreed.
"It is a great opportunity to realize the chivalry of relieving the people's suffering. How could I refuse? It is only a few thousand nyang, but if my wealth can relieve the people's suffering, I won't regret it."
Gye Sang-deuk continued with a very serious expression.
"And above all, I firmly believe that the launch of the Uicheon Alliance will be a success."
His eyes sparkled with the emotion of certainty.
And those words began to set fire to the hearts of the elders who had been lost in thought.
The chivalry deep within their hearts began to burn.
"I will do it as well. Relieving the people's suffering is the way of a chivalrous expert."
"I feel the same."
"It was a topic not even worth the worry."
"It's only a few thousand nyang, but I hope it is used rightly."
"I'll do it too."
"Me too..."
"And me..."
Soon, the elders began to stand up one by one and cast their votes of approval.
They had been swayed by the public opinion Gye Sang-deuk created.
Before long, all the elders who had been sitting were standing.
Everyone had cast a vote of approval.
"Thank you for your decisive decision. I will work hard to ensure this is a decision you never regret."
Sun-woo stood up and bowed politely.
It was because he felt grateful to the elders for making a difficult decision.
Grin.
And as he bowed his head, a deep smile began to form on Sun-woo's lips.
It was because he felt that everything was proceeding according to plan.
...Ha Su-ryeon.
Sun-woo's eyes began to sparkle with desire.