Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: Hanzhong Branch
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The process of acquiring the Hanzhong Merchant Guild proceeded quickly. No, it was bound to proceed quickly.
“Alright. Let's do it that way.”
“Hmm, that part feels a bit unreasonable. How about we do this instead?”
“This person is suspicious. I'm sure he has ties to the former Guild Master, Yeo.”
Because Myo Hyang, who had already reviewed the ledgers, was leading the charge.
I knew she had a knack for business, but this was beyond ordinary. Watching her up close, I could feel just how overwhelming her talent was.
I don't know how she managed to win him over, but the eyes of the chief, Mo Geuk, were filled with trust for Myo Hyang.
“Thanks to your help, Miss Myo, our Hanzhong Merchant Guild has been saved.”
“The situation was resolved thanks to many wonderful people. I hardly did anything.”
She continued with a light laugh.
“And I'm young enough to be your granddaughter, so it's hard for me to accept such formal address. Please, speak comfortably.”
“W-Well, shall I do that?”
“Hehe, that sounds so much better. It's more comfortable, too. Don't you agree, Chief Mo? No, Guild Master Mo?”
“G-Guild Master?”
Myo Hyang gave me a subtle glance. It was a signal to take out the Guild Master's token I had prepared.
“Oh? Isn't it obvious? Who else could take the position of Guild Master besides you?”
“But there's a separate owner...”
At Chief Mo Geuk's words, Myo Hyang gestured with her eyes, and I handed him the prepared Guild Master's token.
“It's only natural for a capable person to take the position. I, too, hope that you will accept the role of Guild Master, Master Mo.”
“Ahem... If you insist...”
“However, I'd like one of my people to be in charge of the finances.”
“Are you planning to take the role?”
“I wouldn't know what I was looking at. Instead, I plan to entrust it to Myo Hyang here, as she has the talent for it.”
*Nod.*
“...Very well.”
“But you can't just watch from the sidelines. You must guide and mentor her. After all, if a giant of the merchant world like you teaches her, she'll surely find her footing quickly.”
“Of course. In return, I also have one request.”
“Please, speak.”
“Please lead the Merchant Guild well.”
“That's your job, Chief Mo... no, Guild Master Mo. I will merely watch over things.”
As long as I make money, I'm happy.
Of course, Mo Geuk, oblivious to my inner thoughts, nodded in great satisfaction.
It was only natural.
According to the investigation conducted with Jeok Hwa-ran's help, Mo Geuk had remained with the guild for only one reason: his concern for its future.
Amidst all that, the new owners not only intended to run the guild properly but also entrusted the position of Guild Master to him. He must have been more than satisfied.
That's not to say I entrusted the Hanzhong Merchant Guild entirely to him.
In exchange for giving him the Guild Master position, we took control of the most important part: the purse strings.
And it was Myo Hyang, who could be called my closest aide, who was in charge.
“Then, I'll be in your care, new Guild Master.”
“I'll be in your care as well, General Manager Myo.”
With the two shaking hands, the acquisition of the Hanzhong Merchant Guild was complete.
* * *
The acquisition terms were simple.
I would give the guild the land, and in return, I would acquire a stake in the cooperative that was the Hanzhong Merchant Guild.
In addition, the merchants belonging to the guild would now pay rent on top of their usual membership fees.
The estimated profit from this arrangement was about forty thousand nyang a year.
Since Myo Hyang, who had combed through the ledgers, had asserted it, the amount was unlikely to change much.
Receiving a lump sum of a hundred thousand nyang would have been best, but these terms were satisfying enough.
Most importantly, I wasn't the only one who was satisfied.
“Chief Mo Geuk is the new Guild Master! What wonderful news!”
“You can say that again. He's ten, no, a hundred times better than that bastard Yeo Dong-jo, who ruined the guild.”
“It seems the day we surpass the Shanxi Merchants is not far off!”
Perhaps thanks to the reputation Mo Geuk had built over the years, the merchants of the guild were also greatly pleased.
Thanks to this, I didn't have to worry about the merchant groups that formed the guild's backbone leaving.
‘You can't trust contracts alone when it comes to people.’
Even with the Red Dragon Hall backing us, there would surely be those brave enough to line their own pockets behind our backs.
Watching them rejoice, I laid out my plans for the future.
‘I'll save up for three, no, four years, and then I'm out.’
It would take longer than I thought, but this was good enough.
It meant I could prepare for my retirement that much more solidly.
‘A great man can't be satisfied with achieving just the bare minimum.’
In fact, when I first set foot in the Nine Dragons Fortress, my retirement fund goal was five thousand nyang.
But after recently dealing with matters involving tens or even hundreds of thousands of nyang, my thinking had changed.
How could the goal I set when I had nothing be the same as my goal now that I've joined the martial world's middle class—no, its upper class?
Since I'm building my own world, I plan to build a magnificent mansion like the one owned by the basketball emperor Michael Jordan, live with three wives and four concubines, and eat warm meals prepared by Myo Hyang.
‘With her talent and skill, she should be able to master Korean cuisine in no time.’
First, I'll teach her the king of all rice thieves, ganjang gejang, then have her master dakbokkeumtang and kimchi jjigae. Then I'll be able to live a life even an emperor would envy.
‘But are there chili peppers in this era?’
It doesn't matter if there aren't.
You make do with what you have. Andong jjimdak and doenjang jjigae are perfectly good substitutes.
Just as I was imagining that happy future.
*CRASH!*
An uninvited guest arrived.
“What is the meaning of this?!”
It was Geum Do-myeong, the Hanzhong branch manager of the Myriad Gold Bank.
It was obvious why he was here.
The new Guild Master, Mo Geuk, had declared at his inauguration that he was cutting ties with the Myriad Gold Bank.
“What are you talking about?”
“Are you asking because you don't know? Didn't the new Guild Master declare he was severing ties with us?!”
“Why are you asking me? If you have a complaint, take it up with the Merchant Guild.”
“Do you think I don't know that you're the real owner of the guild?!”
“So what?”
“What?”
“Didn't you say you were cutting ties with the Hanzhong Merchant Guild anyway?”
“...”
“It seems you've gotten desperate now that the Hanzhong Merchant Guild you were trying to swallow whole is back on its feet.”
“You bastard! How dare you!”
“Tsk.”
*Fwoosh!*
“Gah!”
A transcendent master, capable of wielding energy materialized from their will, can kill a person just by releasing their aura.
When I, having reached such a level, unleashed my aura, Geum Do-myeong clutched his chest and let out a choked groan.
“Don't call me 'bastard' this and 'bastard' that. I'm not your subordinate, am I? Right?”
The Gold Dragon Hall warriors who came with him rushed to block his path.
Once behind the human shield, he seemed to recover, catching his breath before shouting.
“The main hall will not stand for this!”
“On what grounds?”
“For interfering with the Gold Dragon Hall's affairs...”
“By that logic, does that mean I can slaughter all of you to protect the Hanzhong Merchant Guild?”
Judging that he couldn't win with logic, he resorted to a different threat.
“Do you think you can operate properly without our help? Especially here in Hanzhong?”
He was right.
Whether in the modern world or the martial world, businesses often find themselves short on cash.
That's when you need a bank.
In other words, the funds of the Myriad Gold Bank.
For the past hundred years, the Hanzhong Merchant Guild had relied on the Myriad Gold Bank's capital to grow.
The Myriad Gold Bank, in turn, had profited greatly from the Hanzhong Merchant Guild.
Furthermore, Hanzhong was the most important territory for the Nine Dragons Fortress.
For a small-time merchant it might not matter, but to do real business, a relationship with the inner fortress was essential.
However.
“That's my business.”
I had already signed an MOU with the Red Dragon Hall.
To be precise, the Red Dragon Hall had pulled me in to keep the Gold Dragon Hall in check.
In any case, the Red Dragon Hall was also a major faction renowned for its wealth.
They could easily replace the Gold Dragon Hall.
Moreover, since the Red Dragon Hall had a firm grasp on the information most crucial to merchants, they would be a far better choice than the Gold Dragon Hall in the long run.
“...So it was the Red Dragon Hall after all.”
Seeing how he grasped the situation after just a few words, it was clear he hadn't gotten the position of branch manager for nothing.
“Now that you know, get lost.”
“You'll regret this.”
I flicked my finger toward Geum Do-myeong, who was muttering the classic villain's line.
*Swish. Pow!*
The wall next to his head shattered into pieces.
I had thrown a black iron nail infused with my internal energy.
“Haa!”
“I'm letting you go in one piece this time because we're both part of the Nine Dragons Fortress. If you act this arrogant again, I'll blow your head off, so keep that in mind.”
Geum Do-myeong and his warriors began to exit the room, trying to hide their fear.
“Wait.”
“W-What is it?!”
“Pay for the wall before you go. It's your fault it's broken, so it's only right you pay for it, isn't it?”
As a squad leader of the Nine Dragons Fortress's Outer Hall, I couldn't just ignore the damage to the inn.
After everyone had left.
A figure in a red robe emerged from the darkness in a corner of the room.
It was Jeok Sa-jung.
“A man of your stature, a Hall Master, hiding and watching... Isn't that a bit much?”
“I tried out my stealth arts for the first time in a while. How was it?”
“...It's quite impressive. I didn't notice you until after the Gold Dragon Hall bastards had left.”
It was true.
Seeing this, it seems I'll have to work on my sensory training if I want to shake off Jeok Hwa-ran.
‘If she comes at me with a knife in the middle of the night for revenge, I'll be screwed.’
No matter if I've reached the transcendent level, I'd be helpless if attacked in my sleep.
Anyway, that wasn't what was important right now.
“That was refreshing to watch.”
“Thanks to you, I've now made an enemy of the Gold Dragon Hall.”
“Keke, do you really think you've made an enemy of them?”
“Didn't you see them earlier? They looked pretty menacing.”
“The Gold Dragon Hall is the type to treat even their mortal enemy as a benefactor overnight if there's a profit to be made. If you lead the Hanzhong Merchant Guild well, they'll be the first to come to you, singing your praises.”
“...If that's the case, then I don't mind.”
“You put on a satisfying show, so you deserve a reward.”
Jeok Sa-jung clapped his hands, and warriors from the Red Dragon Hall entered through the window.
“Hey, the door is wide open...”
How long were they going to stick to that damn concept?
*Thud.*
They placed a chest in the middle of the room and left through the window again.
Their ghostly movements, coming and going, were just what I'd expect from the Red Dragon Hall.
Jeok Sa-jung extended his hand, and the chest's lid opened on its own.
It was proof that his level was close to the realm of creation.
“This is your initial capital. You can't be expected to use your own money from the start. You don't have to pay it back, so use it as you see fit.”
A quick scan with a sidelong glance revealed it was more than three thousand nyang.
Faced with such a wonderfully reassuring gift, my head bowed automatically.
“Thank you! Overwhelmingly thank you!”
Jeok Sa-jung looked down at me and took out a piece of paper.
“What is this?”
“It's a temporary appointment, an order naming you the general manager of the Hanzhong branch. The branch master was dragged off to the Lightning Prison last night, so in a way, this position is as good as being the branch master.”
“Pardon?”
“You'll need to stay here until the Merchant Guild is stabilized, won't you?”
As I stared at him with a bewildered expression at the sudden appointment, Jeok Sa-jung explained with a faint smirk.
“We looked into the former branch master's affairs, and there was a lot of dust.”
“Just how much did he take...?”
The Hanzhong branch master was a high-ranking position, one not easily punished for bribery.
So for him to be arrested, I was curious about the amount.
“Keke, a mere branch master built a grand estate and lived with three wives and four concubines. That should tell you everything.”
“...”
For some reason, those familiar words made a corner of my heart ache with guilt.
I guess I really do have to leave the Nine Dragons Fortress to make my dreams come true.
“By the way, didn't Vice Hall Master Ga Rip object? He was furious when I took my vacation.”
“I got his approval after giving Hall Master Bukgung twenty bottles of Red Blossom Wine.”
“Ah...”
My vacation was ending soon, and I was worried, but he solved it all in one go.
I couldn't be more grateful.
You might ask, why not just quit since I'll be making a lot of money?
That's a naive question.
Those who learned their martial arts from the Nine Dragons Fortress are bound to serve the fortress for life.
You can think of it as a youth academy system with no transfer clause.
If you break this rule and run away, you'll be charged with the crime of betraying your master and sect, your dantian will be shattered, the tendons in your limbs will be severed, and you'll have to live the rest of your life in a wheelchair.
To think they try to suck you dry down to the bone marrow just for teaching you some martial arts... The martial sects are more vicious than the most predatory loan sharks.
“Thank you for your consideration, Hall Master. I feel so grateful I could call you grandfather.”
“Keke, in that case, why not marry Hwa-ran? A grandson-in-law is as good as a grandson.”
“That's a bit...”
Your granddaughter's heart is a little too small.