Chapter 171
Chapter 171
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: Shouting for Subcontracting at the End of Murim
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Subcontracting.
The act of a third party, a subcontractor, taking on all or part of the work entrusted to a primary contractor.
I never dreamed I would see such a heinous system, something you'd expect only in modern times, here in Murim.
‘Damn it.’
Wondering if I’d misread it, I rubbed my eyes and looked again, but the content was the same.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Yes, it was decided at the Hall Masters’ meeting this morning.”
If it was decided at the Hall Masters’ meeting, it meant it was definitely happening.
“Why was it decided this way?”
“I’ll have to look into the details, but I heard the Silver Dragon, White Dragon, and Blue Dragon Halls opposed the strengthening of our forces.”
“Damn it, why the hell…”
“Strengthening our forces would mean strengthening the power of the Fortress Lord's faction.”
In short, the Silver, White, and Blue Dragon Halls were checking the Fortress Lord’s growing power.
“…What do you think? Is this really possible?”
“It will be possible. It might even be more efficient than directly expanding our forces.”
“How so?”
“If you look at the official notice, it says that in exchange for entrusting the defense of Hanzhong, we will grant them ninety percent of the taxation rights in the area. This is only slightly more than the resources currently used by the Hanzhong branch for defense.”
“Money aside, isn’t it ridiculous for the great Nine Dragons Fortress, one of the Five Hegemons of the world, to rely on others for its defense?”
“It seems they value the strategic benefits more.”
“Strategic benefits?”
“As you know, my lord, the Nine Dragons Fortress is structurally bound to move slower than the Ten Demon Alliance.”
“That’s true.”
Eight sects dispatch their warriors to form a single military unit to counter the enemy.
It sounded simple, but it was a time-consuming process.
That was because the quality of warriors wasn’t determined by mere numbers.
For example, let’s say they decided to each dispatch fifty men.
If one sect sent fifty second-rate warriors while another sent a peak master, it would feel unfair.
That’s why every time a military unit was formed, the Grand Chancellor and the eight Hall Masters engaged in a fierce, subtle battle of wits.
They had to. It was to avoid even the slightest disadvantage.
It wasn’t because they were foolish, but because that is the nature of power.
Naturally, it couldn’t compare to the Ten Demon Alliance, where the strong did as they pleased.
That’s why the Nine Dragons Fortress’s defense strategy had always been to hastily dispatch an advance team while the main force was being organized and sent out.
“However, if we operate this way, an advance team becomes unnecessary. In fact, while they buy time in Hanzhong, we can bypass them with our main force and even aim for the enemy’s headquarters. In other words, we no longer have to be dragged around by the Ten Demon Alliance.”
“Hmm…”
He wasn’t wrong. However, there was a prerequisite.
“That’s only possible if we gain an ally that powerful.”
“Correct. That's why we're even handing over effective control of Hanzhong, isn't it?”
“Hmm…”
It was the era of the Five Hegemons, but that didn’t mean there were no other major sects.
Just look at the Southern Heaven Palace. A single sect was formidable enough to rival half the strength of the Nine Dragons Fortress.
When I saw the official notice, a few places came to mind as well.
The problem was.
“…We’re screwed.”
The Jinmu Hall had hit its greatest crisis.
Yu So-pyeong, as if sensing this, nodded with a heavy expression.
Awesome-! Jinmu Hall-! There are many, many-!
The sound of the martial song, which happened to drift over just then, felt unusually heavy today.
* * *
Give me back my money, you swindler!
“Ugh!”
I had a nightmare where the seven hundred members of the Jinmu Hall were chasing me to kill me.
“Gasp, gasp.”
The scene was so vivid that I was out of breath.
Gulp. Gulp.
I picked up the nearby kettle and drank some water.
Seeing the empty wine bottles scattered around, my head throbbed anew.
“Damn it…”
It wasn’t because of a hangover, but because of the impending reality.
“Squad Leader, are you okay?”
*Creeak.*
“Sister…”
“I came to check on you because I thought you might be unwell. I heard a sudden loud noise.”
My scream must have been audible since her room was right next door.
“It’s late. What are you doing up?”
“I have a lot to do.”
“You should take care of your health while you work.”
“I can’t run the Hanzhong Merchant Guild you entrusted to me carelessly.”
“Ah…”
I’d known her my whole life, and she was truly an exceptional woman.
She had a beautiful face, of course, and her cooking skills were on par with a Michelin chef. Her resourcefulness was like that of our mothers haggling for bean sprouts at the market, and she was smart, wise, and diligent to boot.
Above all, that firm and beautiful heart of hers… *Ahem*, I’ll stop there.
“Is something troubling you? You don’t look well.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. You must be tired. Go on and get some rest.”
“How can I rest after seeing you look like this?”
She strode into the room and sat at the table.
“Hey, what are you doing in a man’s room in the middle of the night…”
“We even slept in the same room back in the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion. What’s the big deal?”
“That was because a typhoon shattered the door…”
“Stop fussing and sit here. Tell me what’s bothering you.”
She pulled out a chair and patted it.
“Sigh.”
A moment later.
“…and so, the Jinmu Hall is now facing a major crisis.”
I hadn’t intended for this effect, but after confiding in her, I felt a little relieved.
It was like being a kid telling my mom about my troubles at school.
“It’s true, from the Jinmu Hall’s perspective, there’s no way out.”
“I suppose so, right?”
“Yes, you could end up losing over two thousand nyang.”
“Hmm…”
Myo Hyang’s calculation was spot on.
The cost of training the members so far was exactly that amount.
“I guess I’ll have to give up, right?”
The money I’d invested so far was a waste, but it couldn’t be helped.
They decided to use subcontractors instead of hiring new people. What could I do?
‘You can’t expect to succeed at everything your whole life.’
In fact, I had already somewhat come to terms with it.
If I kept dwelling on an unsolvable problem, I wouldn’t be able to move forward.
However, money aside, what I regretted was failing to pave a path for the seven hundred members who had trusted and followed me.
But it seemed Myo Hyang thought differently.
When I said I should give up, she admonished me as if to say, “What are you talking about?”
“Why is a grown man like you giving up so easily?”
“…You said there was no way out, Sister.”
“I said there was no way out *for the Jinmu Hall*. When did I ever say there was no way out at all?”
I tilted my head, wondering what she meant, and then she offered an extraordinary idea.
“Why don’t you participate directly, Squad Leader? You have the people. You have the martial arts. Most importantly, if the direct disciple of the Heaven and Earth Combat King participates, wouldn’t it be more than possible?”
“Ah…”
That was it.
If I took on the subcontracting myself, I wouldn’t have to suffer a loss of over two thousand nyang.
I might even be able to earn more money than by running the Jinmu Hall.
Most importantly, I loved the idea that I could provide stable jobs for the members who had come to me in faith.
Being a primary subcontractor for a major power was a pretty decent job, after all.
*Whoosh.*
“Oh!”
“Thank you, Sister! Thanks to you, I’ve found a way!”
“W-Wait a minute…”
* * *
The next day.
I left the Jinmu Hall as soon as the sun rose to meet with several people.
For me, a warrior belonging to the Nine Dragons Fortress, to establish a sect with over seven hundred members was impossible with just a simple permit to hold a second job.
That’s why I had to meet people.
This was the Murim of *guanxi*, where a solution named ‘power’ existed, capable of making the impossible possible.
The first place I visited was the home of the Flame Demon King, located on Black Snake Road.
I came to meet Master Bukgung, the most powerful person I knew and with whom I had the deepest relationship, to the point of forming an economic community…
“Do you think that’s possible?”
Right from the start, I was met with the despairing judgment that it was impossible.
“Can’t you make it happen with your power, Master?”
“I am merely a Hall Master of the Outer Hall.”
“But you’re one of the Ten Great Masters.”
“If personal strength could solve everything, why would the Black Dragon Hall be poor?”
“Ah…”
He wasn’t wrong.
After all, the Black Dragon Hall had the Great Pure Adept, known as one of the two great sword immortals of the Righteous Path, alongside the Sword Immortal of Mount Hua.
“Hmm, this is a complete bust then…”
“You’d be better off shedding the shackles of the Nine Dragons Fortress.”
“How can I leave the Nine Dragons Fortress?”
“And why can’t you?”
“As you know, Master, I have learned the martial arts of the Nine Dragons Fortress…”
He cut me off with his characteristic sneer.
“Among the martial arts you’ve learned, the only ones from the Nine Dragons Fortress are the basic techniques. And even those can be found anywhere in the West.”
“…!”
That was right.
I hadn’t learned the martial arts of the Nine Dragons Fortress, but the martial arts of the Bukgung Clan.
*Shudder.*
My body trembled at the realization that leaving the Nine Dragons Fortress wouldn’t violate any rules.
How long had I wanted to escape this damn Nine Dragons Fortress!
But that excitement was fleeting, as a practical problem soon came to mind.
“If I leave the Fortress, I’ll lose the shield that protects me, won’t I?”
“I suppose so.”
The White Dragon Hall may have been beaten by Master Bukgung several times, but with over two hundred masters, not to mention the warriors from its branch families, it was a great sect among great sects, numbering well over a thousand.
The reason they couldn’t openly attack me despite our clashes was precisely because we both belonged to the Nine Dragons Fortress.
What if I were to leave the Nine Dragons Fortress?
It was highly likely they would attack me outright.
As I looked up in a bind, I saw Master Bukgung looking at me with pity.
“Are you afraid of the White Dragon Hall?”
“They’re a great sect, aren’t they? They’re not an enemy to be taken lightly.”
“Disappointing.”
‘No, my life could be on the line here. If I die, are you going to take responsibility, Master?’
I couldn’t actually say the last part out loud.
Because Master Bukgung’s face, usually devoid of expression, was terrifying.
He looked like the protagonist of a story titled ‘I Reincarnated as a Demon King in a Fantasy World’.
“To think you can’t even take a step forward because you’re afraid of the likes of the White Dragon Hall.”
“…”
“It seems I’ve misjudged you.”
“M-Master…”
“Don’t even call me Master! I’ve never had a disciple like you!”
“Then… mister?”
“Do you want to die?”
“I’m sorry.”
Mister Bukgung stood up and, from who knows where, produced a gourd bottle and turned it upside down.
*Gulp, gulp.*
No matter how I thought about it, I suspected the fuel for his Black Flame Dragon was the alcohol accumulating in his body.
He sighed and gazed into the distance.
“When the Bukgung Clan was still strong, the Baek Clan was nothing more than a family running a mere merchant group. They were cowards who didn’t even dare to meet our eyes.”
It was the typical ‘back in my day’ spiel.
“Isn’t that a story from the past?”
“The past?”
Mister Bukgung took off the long robe he was wearing and threw it at me.
I looked at him with questioning eyes, not understanding the action, and he explained.
“Thirty percent of the silk produced in the Central Plains belongs to the Baek Clan.”
“That is… true.”
That’s why they were a difficult opponent. The ones with power also had money.
“How is that possible?”
“That’s because they’re good at business…”
He shook his head and said.
“The Baek Clan’s history is a mere three hundred years. Do you think there wasn’t a single merchant group that dealt in silk during that time?”
“Th-Three hundred years is plenty long…”
I couldn’t help but be shocked by his following rebuttal.
“It’s because they stole it from the Bukgung Clan.”
“What?!”
It was a story tantamount to a secret history of the martial world.
To think the White Dragon Hall, a representative of the Righteous Path, would pull such a despicable act.
If they hadn’t stolen it, didn’t that mean the top textile enterprise in the southwestern Central Plains would have been mine?
“You have a duty to take it back.”
He turned his head to meet my gaze.
I could feel a heat like that of the Black Flame Dragon.
“I will help you. You will take everything from them.”
“M-Master!”
And so, with Master Bukgung’s advice, I made a plan to establish a subcontracting company for the Nine Dragons Fortress.
* * *
A while later.
After Mujeon left, Bukgung Baek, now alone, tilted his wine bottle.
“Tricking this disciple of mine is no easy task.”
That was right.
In truth, the Baek Clan’s silk business was simply inherited from their ancestors and had nothing to do with the Bukgung Clan.
He had only lied to persuade Mujeon.
Establishing a sect was as good as the first step to rebuilding the Bukgung Clan.
Of course, Bukgung Baek respected Mujeon’s choice regarding the reconstruction of the Bukgung Clan.
If Mujeon refused, he was even considering passing the task to the next generation.
However.
“It is a master’s duty to ensure his disciple gains much experience.”
He had only fanned the flames a bit, thinking that a dress rehearsal wouldn’t hurt.
And if that led to the rebuilding of the Bukgung Clan, that would be a good thing in itself.
“I suppose I should go see that old Fortress Lord.”
Bukgung Baek, known for his usual lack of emotional expression, tilted the wine bottle with an uncharacteristically excited look on his face.