The Merchant and Appraisal

Translator : Elizabeth

Clang!

A crisp metallic ring echoed. Something hard had caught the edge of the Aura Shovel. Even though Kang Jin-ho had regulated the power of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Aura, it was still enough to dig through solid marble. For it to be blocked like this meant the material surpassed the hardness of at least standard steel.

Jin-ho’s hand stopped immediately.

"Bingo. Found it at last."

Kang Jin-ho smirked and cleared away the last layer of soil. Revealed beneath was a heavy iron wall. It wasn't just simple steel; it looked like a concoction of various magic metals. It was a pointlessly sturdy ceiling.

"The entrance must be somewhere else," he noted.

It was only natural, as he had simply dug blindly through the dirt without knowing the layout. However, finding the actual passage to the basement now would be too much of a chore.

"This is clearly a wall made of magic metal. It’s got decent strength."

Without further ado, Kang Jin-ho shoved his fingers into the gaps of the iron. His fingers dug into the steel plate as if it were soft clay.

Crunch!Rrrrrip—!

The Aura generated at his fingertips acted as an extension of his digits. That overwhelming grip strength tore away the magic metal alloy, which was nearly a meter thick, in an instant.

Thump!

Kang Jin-ho tossed the massive torn-off iron wall to the side. The heavy metal rolled across the floor with a resounding roar. In the place where the iron ceiling had been ripped out, a hole gaped open like a pitch-black mouth. It was the interior of the underground vault.

"Let’s go."

Kang Jin-ho approached, dusting the dirt off his hands.

"Pardon? Ah, yes! But... there are no stairs."

Since it wasn't the formal entrance, there were no stairs nearby.

"Then we'll do this."

Kang Jin-ho snatched her by the waist.

"Kyaak?!"

He lifted her effortlessly with one arm. Serafina’s face flushed red at the sudden embrace, but Kang Jin-ho didn't pay it any mind.

"Hold on tight. Don't bite your tongue."

With those words, Kang Jin-ho leaped into the darkness.

Shoooooom—!

Serafina squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't even guess the depth of the underground vault. It had to be at least several dozen meters. Terror washed over her that they would be crushed to bits upon impact.

Just as a scream was about to burst from her throat—

Tap.

The expected impact never came. It was a soft landing, as if they had descended onto plush fur. Serafina cautiously opened her eyes. Kang Jin-ho stood there with his knees bent on the floor. At the moment of landing, he had used the elasticity of his knees and muscles combined with Aura discharged from the soles of his feet to perfectly negate the kinetic energy of the fall. It was such a perfect control that not even a tremor was transmitted to Serafina in his arms.

"We’re here. Get down."

Serafina snapped out of it at Kang Jin-ho’s blunt voice. She hurriedly scrambled out of his arms. Her heart was thumping wildly. She couldn't tell if it was from the terror of the fall or because she had been held against his hard chest.

"Ah, thank you."

"Hurry up and find the stuff. It stinks in here."

Kang Jin-ho grimaced. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Even Serafina could tell the smell here wasn't pleasant. It was a mixture of that characteristic musty basement odor, the smell of old paper, and the scent of metal.

Serafina pulled a magic stone lantern from her robe and lit it. The interior of the vault was revealed.

"My goodness..."

An exclamation escaped her involuntarily. This was a treasure house. Piles of gold bars and gems, scraped together by the Charon Merchant Guild through all sorts of illegal means, were stacked like mountains. The glittering gold was enough to blind the eyes.

However, Serafina’s eyes did not linger on the gold. Her gaze moved to a storage chest at the very back of the vault, where a chilly air lingered.

"Over there!"

She ran toward it in a single breath. Upon opening the lid, she saw blue herbs that looked as if they were imbued with soft moonlight. They were all Moonlight Grass. It was the lifeline of the Lapis Merchant Guild—the very item that had driven her father to his death.

"It’s here... everything is really here..."

Serafina’s hands trembled. With this, she had everything she needed. With this, she could save the guild and resolve the penalty issues. She could carry on her father's legacy. Joy and relief washed over her simultaneously.

"Fist Emperor-nim! I found it! This is the Moonlight Grass!"

Serafina shouted, turning back in her excitement. In her immense joy, she momentarily forgot her caution as a merchant. Her foot stepped on a floor tile that was minutely different from the others.

Click.

A tiny mechanical sound echoed. Simultaneously, the statues along the walls opened their mouths with a bizarre noise.

"Huh?"

Before Serafina could even grasp the situation, arrows were fired from the statues' mouths. It was a vicious trap aimed at the moment an intruder would be most off-guard—the moment they confirmed the treasure and cheered.

Swish—!

The arrow flew accurately toward Serafina’s heart. There was no avoiding it. The distance was a mere five meters. It was a speed her merchant reflexes couldn't even perceive. The arrowhead entering her vision seemed to move in slow motion.

'I’m going to die.'

It felt futile. She had found the goods. She could have started over. To think she would die so pointlessly here. She squeezed her eyes shut.

Grab.

A dull thud sounded. It wasn't the sound of flesh being pierced. The anticipated pain never came. Serafina cautiously opened her eyes.

"……!"

The arrowhead had stopped just a hand-span from her eyes. She saw a rough hand gripping the shaft of the arrow. It was Kang Jin-ho. He had appeared by her side unnoticed and snatched the flying arrow out of the air with his bare hands.

"Watch yourself."

Kang Jin-ho snapped the arrow in two and tossed it to the floor.

"If the client dies, I don't get the rest of my payment."

His voice was dry. There was no hint of worry or comfort. It was a purely businesslike tone, stating he had protected her because she was his employer. However, to Serafina, who had just returned from the threshold of death, those words sounded different.

Thump.

Her heart raced. It was a different kind of throb than the one from the fall. Overwhelming strength. A titanic power that made her wonder if he was even human. The fact that his broad back was shielding her hit her with profound intensity.

'This man...'

Her head knew the truth. He was a mercenary moving for money, and she was merely his client. He had saved her because of the contract. However, emotions do not follow logic. The one who had helped her when she was pushed into a desperate situation. The one who believed she could become the best. And now, he had directly saved her life. It was the so-called "Suspension Bridge Effect," but the intensity was hurricane-level. It wasn't for nothing that the proverb (?) "Love is always a hurricane!" existed.

"You alright?"

At Kang Jin-ho’s question, she managed to control her burning emotions and spoke.

"N-no. I was just... surprised."

Serafina found it hard to breathe as her chest tightened. She felt her heart thumping repeatedly.

'I have to calm down.'

She had to manage her feelings. Thinking that, she felt her emotions settle slightly. However, the seed planted in her heart had already sprouted.

"I will look for the ledgers now!"

She accidentally put too much strength into her voice. Feeling her heart race again because Kang Jin-ho’s gaze was on her, she quickly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠focused on the task.

'Ledgers, ledgers!'

She had to find them. Conveniently, there ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a steel cabinet next to the Moonlight Grass chest. It was locked.

"Move."

Kang Jin-ho approached and gripped the lock. He applied pressure.

Crunch—

The lock was twisted and torn away as if it were a toy. Kang Jin-ho tossed the broken lock to the floor and swung the steel doors wide open.

"Thank you!"

Serafina hurried to peer inside the cabinet. Thick ledgers bound in red leather were packed tightly inside.

"This is..."

With trembling hands, she pulled out a ledger and flipped it open.

'As I thought!'

The ledgers contained the ugly, naked truth of the Charon Merchant Guild. Records of illegal slave trades, drug distribution routes, and a list of bribes given to corrupt southern officials. And most importantly, the records of astronomical funding sent to the Followers of the Abyss.

'This is it! This is the ultimate weapon to slit the throat of the Charon Merchant Guild! This is all I need!'

Serafina’s eyes shone fiercely. With these ledgers, she could legally bury the Charon Merchant Guild. She could hold the justification to seize all the interests they possessed. She would take everything from the ones who drove her father to his death.

"This is the one!"

"Right. Check the others too."

"Yes!"

Serafina quickly pulled a Subspace Pouch from her pocket. First, she packed the ledgers and the boxes of Moonlight Grass inside. It was a top-tier artifact originally owned by the Lapis Merchant Guild, capable of holding a significant amount of items.

"Got everything?"

"Yes! The other things just seem to be precious metals!"

"Right. Then we should take the rest too."

Serafina looked at the mountains of gold bars and gems piled around them. The vast wealth scraped together by the Charon Merchant Guild over the years. It was an immense amount that couldn't even fit entirely into the Subspace Pouch.

'I can't take all of this myself.'

Though she had made the request, Kang Jin-ho was the one who solved everything. Furthermore, her contract was strictly for the recovery of the Moonlight Grass. It was dangerous to claim ownership of these gold bars and gems. In fact, if she took all this wealth alone, the aftermath would be perilous.

'The Southern Admiral. Would that man really stand by and let me occupy an amount this large by myself?'

The merchant’s calculator in her head whirred rapidly. This capital would more than solve the penalty issues. No, it was more than that. It was enough to serve as the seed money needed to rebuild and expand the guild to dominate the southern commercial sphere. The problem was how she could safely manage this capital.

There was only one safe way.

"Fist Emperor-nim."

Serafina opened her mouth as if she had made a decision.

"All these gold bars and gems... it would be quite a hassle for you to take them all, wouldn't it?"

"Well, yeah. There's pointlessly much volume. Carrying it around in a subspace pouch is a chore, too," Kang Jin-ho replied as if it were a bother. While more money was always better, collecting and exchanging all of this individually was a tedious task.

"Then... may I make a proposal?"

Serafina’s emerald eyes sparkled. It was the gaze of a woman in love, yet simultaneously the gaze of a merchant who had captured a massive opportunity.

"These riches... won't you invest them in me?"

"Invest?"

"Yes. Rather than taking them as cash right now, if you entrust them to me, I will multiply them several times over. I will become your asset manager, and using this money as a base, I will grow the Lapis Merchant Guild into the greatest guild in the Empire."

She stared directly into Kang Jin-ho’s eyes and gave her affirmation.

"I will become the Golden Queen and always remain on your side."

All the treasures here belonged to Fist Emperor Kang Jin-ho. She would merely be a merchant receiving an investment of his wealth. And touching this wealth would mean touching the Fist Emperor’s property.

"You're shrewd," Kang Jin-ho grinned.