Chapter 114
Chapter 114
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: The Value of Real Estate (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
There was no other way.
I had to meet them in person.
“Let’s go.”
“Pardon?”
“You said we have to meet and negotiate. So we should go meet them.”
A short while later.
I, along with the others, went to find the Hanzhong Merchant Guild, which was situated on my land.
I was slightly overwhelmed by its scale, which could easily be mistaken for a palace, but I quickly composed myself.
No matter how grand it was, I was the landowner, and they were the tenants.
After all, isn't the landlord even mightier than the creator?
“Ahem.”
As I cautiously approached, a gatekeeper acknowledged me.
“What brings you here?”
“I’m here to see the Guild Leader.”
“He’s not in right now, so come back later.”
I sensed a dissonance in the gatekeeper’s blunt words.
‘Hmph, look at these bastards.’
He tried to lie, but he couldn't fool my eyes, which had earned me the moniker ‘the legendary liar’ in my past life.
‘How dare you lie to my face?’
Besides, there was no way the Guild Leader wouldn't be here.
As Jeok Hwa-ran had said, they must be aware of my existence as the new landowner.
The leader of a guild of his stature, absent when a potential crisis for the guild has arisen?
That was the real lie.
“The Guild Leader, is he really not here?”
“‘The Guild Leader?’ You insolent fool! Do you know where you are?!”
A smirk.
“You might get hurt, so step back.”
When I said this to Myo Hyang and the others, they looked at me with questioning eyes but still moved back.
The warriors of the Red Dragon Hall, sensing what I was about to do, stood in front of them to prepare for any eventuality.
“Wh-What are you trying to do—!”
The gatekeeper, sensing the sudden shift in atmosphere, hastily reached out, but…
*CRACKLE, KABOOOOM!*
I was a step faster, unleashing an Explosive Death Force right in the middle of the main gate.
*Rumble. Collapse.*
What was once the main gate was sent flying in all directions, and the pillars and walls that supported it crumbled from the aftershock.
*Gulp.*
The gatekeeper’s jaw dropped.
The same was true for my companions behind me.
Jeok Hwa-ran’s eyes, in particular, grew so wide they looked as large as her fists.
It seemed the nutrients meant for her heart had all gone to her eyes.
“Tell your Guild Leader. If he wants to do business on my land, he’d better bring a price.”
With those words, I turned and left.
‘So damn charismatic.’
I was proud of myself for exuding the dignity of the martial world’s middle class.
* * *
A short while later.
We returned to the rear courtyard of the inn where we were staying.
This place, comparable to a suite in a modern 4-star hotel, was a room Jeok Hwa-ran had paid for with her own money.
It was the kind of grandeur from the youngest granddaughter of a conglomerate family that made you want to call her ‘big sis’ instinctively.
“Big sis?”
“Is this really the time for jokes?! Our opponent is the Hanzhong Merchant Guild, one of the three great merchant guilds in the world. You just shattered their pride, Senior.”
“What pride?”
It was just a little broken gate.
“Besides, it’s built on my land, so don’t I have the right to demolish it?”
Or do I need to look into legal superficies here, too?
However, my question was answered by Myo Hyang.
“We need to determine if it was a legally binding lease agreement. If not, you can destroy it as much as you want, but if proper procedures were followed, you might have to pay for the damages, Squad Leader.”
“…Is the gate expensive?”
“Is money the problem right now?! The Hanzhong Merchant Guild might try to kill you!”
“Then that’s even better. I can just use force, too.”
If it comes to that, I could probably loot their entire warehouse without any issue, right?
“Are you crazy? Do you have any idea how many masters are in the Hanzhong Merchant Guild?”
“How many masters can a merchant guild possibly have?”
“What about the Gold Dragon Hall? Even the Gold Dragon Hall, which is just a battlefield, has nine peak masters to protect their money. Do you think the Hanzhong Merchant Guild wouldn't have masters? There are even rumors that a transcendent master recently joined them as a guest elder.”
Ah, that could be possible.
“A transcendent master? Why would someone like that work for a merchant guild?”
“Why else? Because they pay well.”
I was slightly skeptical, but Jeok Hwa-ran’s explanation made me nod in understanding.
‘Well, I guess there are cases of Seoul National University graduates working for small but strong companies.’
It depends on one’s values, but for a master who prioritizes money, it’s a perfectly plausible choice.
“…Do they pay a lot?”
Thinking about my future after eventually leaving the Nine Dragons Fortress, I suddenly became curious about the salary.
I might take on a temporary job as a side gig, after all.
I needed to know the market rate to avoid being lowballed.
In a world without a minimum wage system, let alone a labor department, being well-informed is key to survival.
“Is that what’s important right now?! We need to—.”
Just as Jeok Hwa-ran was about to lecture me again for my relaxed attitude.
“Um, a guest has arrived. He said you would know if I mentioned he’s here on business from the Hanzhong Merchant Guild…”
The innkeeper delivered the news of a visitor.
I tossed a coin to the innkeeper and asked.
“Thank you!”
“The leader of the Hanzhong Merchant Guild?”
“Yes? Yes.”
“Let him in.”
“Understood.”
Speak of the devil. Seems he’s not one to be trifled with.
“What do we do? They’re here already!”
Jeok Hwa-ran stomped her feet nervously.
“A man who’s the leader of a merchant guild isn’t going to start cursing at me the moment we meet, is he? We can resolve this with a conversation, so don’t worry.”
Or so I thought.
“Are you the bastard who dared to smash the gate of our Hanzhong Merchant Guild? You goddamn son of a bitch?”
“……”
Well, a character with a strong personality has appeared.
Still, it’s not like I could just cower, right?
I immediately fired back, using the verbal skills I’d honed in AOS games.
“Yeah, the beggar mooching off someone else’s land has a lot to say, doesn’t he?”
“Mooching? Ha! To think I’d live to hear such novel bullshit from some raggedy-ass beggar.”
“Is that so? I wonder if you’ll still think that when this raggedy-ass beggar starts smashing your shops tomorrow.”
“When I arrive at the Nine Dragons Fortress, the Grand Chancellor himself comes out to greet me. If you’re relying on your piddling authority in the Outer Hall, you’ve picked the wrong opponent, you damn moocher.”
“I know the old Grand Chancellor, too. That man would greet a passing beggar if it benefited the fortress, so don’t read too much into it. You’ll get stabbed in the back hard later.”
“If you’re trying to test my patience, I advise you to stop. Considering what you’ve done, it would be perfectly justified to mobilize the guild’s masters and kill you right now.”
“I could snap your neck right here before that happens.”
“……”
He fell silent, as if he’d run out of things to say. I seized the opportunity to drive the point home.
“Can’t open your mouth, so you must be out of words… Just admit defeat.”
He spoke, not bothering to hide his discomfort.
“For a young man, you have quite a tongue. I am Yeo Deok-jo.”
“Jin Mujeon.”
“I know.”
“You do? This is the first I’m hearing your name.”
“…You’ll get to know it.”
Yeo Deok-jo glanced at Jeok Hwa-ran behind me and bowed his head slightly.
“It’s been a while, Lady Jeok.”
“It’s been almost five years. Have you been well?”
“I was well until yesterday.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know my senior would act so aggressively.”
“It’s fine. This was bound to happen sooner or later.”
*Nod.*
As Jeok Hwa-ran bowed her head slightly, Yeo Deok-jo also offered a small gesture of respect.
Seeing that he was capable of such courtesy, his initial barrage of insults must have been an attempt to gain the upper hand.
When Yeo Deok-jo looked at his subordinates behind him, they skillfully set up a table and chairs.
“Sit.”
“If you want to sit down in a restaurant, shouldn’t you at least order a bowl of noodles?”
“I already ate.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
“I’m old enough to be your father, you goddamn bastard.”
“If you wanted to be treated with respect, you should have shown some first. Don’t try to pull a fast one after acting like a dog yourself.”
I deliberately provoked him, studying his face.
I had to understand my opponent, even just a little, to negotiate effectively.
‘His face is that of a bear, but his eyes are those of a snake.’
What a snake-like bear.
Then again, a merchant guild is an alliance of shrewd merchants.
A bear-like man could never become its leader.
Yeo Deok-jo shook his head and said.
“Let’s get to the point. You want to sell the land, correct?”
“Yes.”
“How much do you want?”
“Three hundred thousand nyang.”
*Pfft.*
When I stated my desired amount, Yeo Deok-jo scoffed and said.
“…There’s no point in starting with a high price.”
“I don’t think it’s a high price at all. Right, Sis?”
“Definitely.”
As she answered, Myo Hyang took a step forward.
“Introductions. This is my negotiation representative.”
When Myo Hyang smiled brightly, his face instantly turned red.
For some reason, it reminded me of Yong Ma-san.
“It’s a pleasure.”
“Ahem… A woman…”
Myo Hyang began to explain to him in a serious tone.
“I did some research before you arrived. Renting a single shop on that street for a year costs twenty-five nyang. And there are over five hundred such shops. That means the annual profit is at least twelve thousand five hundred nyang. If you collect that for twenty-four years, doesn’t that amount to three hundred thousand nyang? That’s slightly less than half of the profits the Hanzhong Merchant Guild has made over the past fifty years.”
Despite the well-founded calculation, Yeo Deok-jo was not flustered at all.
Instead, as befitting a man at the pinnacle of the merchant world, he began to refute Myo Hyang’s claims one by one.
“You know one thing but not the other. While we do collect money for renting out the shops, we also provide various conveniences such as ensuring security and offering lodging to merchants who come to see the goods. Do you think that’s all? To avoid falling behind in the competition with the Shanxi and Huizhou merchants, we purchase goods in bulk to keep prices stable. That’s why the merchants who set up shop are willing to pay.”
“And that’s why the amount was set at three hundred thousand nyang. If we hadn’t taken that into account, we would have asked for five hundred thousand.”
“…Our guild legally leased the land from the previous generation’s Hanzhong branch master. And that lease still has over forty years remaining.”
“The conversation is suddenly veering off topic.”
“I am stating a fact.”
“I’ll answer that for you.”
I unfolded the land deed and showed it to Yeo Deok-jo.
“If you look here, it doesn’t say anywhere that it was entrusted to the previous branch master for management, does it? So on what grounds did the guild lease the land? Doesn’t something smell fishy?”
“I don’t know what you’re smelling.”
“It doesn’t matter if you can’t. I’ve already sent a carrier pigeon to the Red Dragon Hall, asking them to dig up everything on the previous branch master. Right, Hwa-ran?”
Despite it being an unplanned ad-lib, Jeok Hwa-ran nodded.
“Yes, by tomorrow, the Red Dragon Hall will begin to thoroughly investigate him. If any illegality is found in the contract, it will be nullified, of course.”
Jeok Hwa-ran smiled coldly.
‘Her facial expression is perfect.’
What started as an ad-lib had evolved into a method-level performance.
“And if, by any chance, it is deemed that the fortress has suffered damages, the Nine Dragons Fortress will have no choice but to hold the Hanzhong Merchant Guild accountable.”
Was she always this smart?
To the point where even Yeo Deok-jo couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
“…There’s no getting through to you. Let’s stop here for today.”
He rose from his seat. I thought he was running away after realizing his disadvantage.
“But you know.”
His last words made me realize I was mistaken.
“What do you think will happen if the entire Hanzhong Merchant Guild moves out?”
“……!”
“Think about it carefully.”
That was right.
No matter how good the commercial district and the buildings were, they only had value if there were tenants.
If the Hanzhong Merchant Guild were to move out entirely, I wouldn’t be able to get even fifty thousand nyang, let alone three hundred thousand.
“Hmm.”
Even Myo Hyang seemed flustered, apparently not expecting him to play such a high-stakes card.
“I will only come once. Next time, you come find me. Alone.”
Yeo Deok-jo flashed a sly smile and left the inn.
“Wow…”
He was truly worthy of being the head of a conglomerate-level cooperative.