Chapter 175
Chapter 175
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 175
Chapter Title: War King Gate (4)
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From the next day on, I rushed all over the Nine Dragons Fortress.
Securing armor and warhorses for seven hundred warriors was no ordinary task.
Warhorses, in particular, were items so restricted that merely acquiring them would have been a crime before the imperial family's power waned.
But what could I do?
I'd made up my mind, so I had to see it through.
The first place I visited was the Gray Dragon Hall, which operated numerous mines and forges.
It was the only place that could handle an order for a thousand breastplates and helmets, including spares, plus extra iron spears and shields to be fixed to the forearm.
Of course, there was something I had to do before placing the order.
“Congratulations on establishing your gate, Senior!”
That was to call on Jeon Muk, the heir of the Gray Dragon Hall, and secure a friend's discount.
Saving even one nyang per item would easily save me a thousand nyang in total.
“It's no different from a small neighborhood martial arts school. No need to flatter me.”
“Aren't you standing tall in the world as a true man? Besides, I, Jeon Muk, have heard the rumors.”
“Rumors?”
“Yes, that in order to crush the White Dragon Hall… Mmph…”
“Will you shut up?! Someone outside might hear you, you bastard.”
“Phew… So it's still a secret. I was inconsiderate.”
“…Well, you're not wrong, though.”
I had been planning to crush those White Dragon Hall bastards eventually.
“Anyway, what brings you here? Perhaps to give me some guidance?”
Jeon Muk looked at me with eyes full of expectation.
It was overwhelming.
“…No, I'm here to place an order.”
“An order…?”
I handed Jeon Muk a booklet detailing the armaments my disciples would use.
He tilted his head as he reviewed the contents.
“This resembles military equipment… specifically, armaments for heavy cavalry. These aren't things you'd use, Senior, since your specialty is unarmed combat.”
“I just need them.”
“Hmm, you must be training in a new martial art. Understood. I'll have them made for you within a few days.”
“How much?”
“Pardon?”
“Even you can't just give them to me for free. I asked, how much?”
“Come on, I'm just using some leftover iron. Why would I take money for that? Between you and me, Senior.”
That was right. The Gray Dragon Hall was a gathering of unprecedented madmen who had merged their livelihood with their martial arts.
Naturally, their iron production was overflowing.
They even ran forges to deal with that surplus inventory.
However, the quantity I was ordering was too large to be given or received for free.
“Even if I'm ordering a thousand of them?”
“…Pardon?”
“A thousand.”
“…”
Jeon Muk snapped back to his senses and asked again.
“A-A thousand, you say?”
“Yes. A thousand.”
“Unless you're planning to build an army… Senior, don't tell me?”
“It's a secret.”
“Understood.”
“Then give me a quote. I need to know the price before I can place the order.”
“Yes. The cost of iron plus the artisans' wages comes to about five nyang, so…”
*Hey, don't tell the buyer the production cost.*
“Just give me five thousand nyang.”
“…Are you sure you only want the cost price?”
“I wouldn't know.”
“…”
Jeon Muk grinned, revealing his white teeth.
“What's important is that you, Brother, need my help, isn't it?”
The address had suddenly changed to ‘Brother’, but from the moment he knocked off several thousand nyang, Jeon Muk was as good as my sworn brother.
“Ah, Brother!”
“Brother!”
Fwump.
I hugged Jeon Muk, a man twice my size, with all my might.
***
A few days later.
“We've arranged to bring in a thousand warhorses from the western territories.”
“Really?!”
I knew she looked bright for a reason; Myo Hyang had brought good news.
The gist was that she had finally completed the purchase of the warhorses, which had been stagnating.
The difficulty had arisen from trying to acquire a thousand horses at once due to our lack of time.
The interference from the Shanxi Merchant Guild also played a part.
“However, the price is steep. Even though we didn't get the highest grade, it looks like they'll cost nine nyang per head.”
“Hmm…”
Even though there was practically no army outside of Nanjing, the price of horses was still formidable.
But.
“It can't be helped. We'll have to use the dividends from the Merchant Guild to pay for them…”
The die was already cast.
The amount of money I'd invested so far was astronomical; if we weren't selected as a partner company, all the money I'd saved would be gone.
It was better in every way to increase our chances of being selected.
“…Aren't you investing too much?”
“We can cover it with the tax revenue from Hanzhong.”
*I just have to earn it back.*
“…Just now, Gate Master, your eyes looked exactly like So-so's.”
“Sister, don't you think that's a bit harsh?”
“I-I'm sorry. It just slipped out…”
“It's fine. Just be more careful from now on.”
“I'll keep that in mind.”
Myo Hyang, who had bowed her head in apology, explained the details.
“The horses from the western territories might be weaker than the ones from Shanxi, but I hear their endurance is better.”
“Strength is more important, though.”
“I'm sorry. With the Shanxi Merchant Guild interfering, I just couldn't get them.”
“What do you have to be sorry for, Sister? It's the fault of those Shanxi bastards who are jealous of Hanzhong's success. It's getting worse, isn't it?”
“It's getting more severe by the day. Right now, we can't even enter the Shanxi region.”
“I'll figure something out, so just hang in there a little longer.”
“Yes.”
The Righteous Path Alliance was backing the Shanxi Merchant Guild.
I figured I could somehow resolve it by using my connection with Jin Gung.
‘Looks like I'll have to use my golden connections for a change.’
Anyway, that wasn't the urgent matter at hand.
“By the way, are you going to prepare for the gate-opening ceremony, Sister? It'll be tough…”
The gate-opening ceremony was much more urgent.
I had to announce the existence of the War King Gate to as many people as possible to avoid being rejected at the gate during the partner selection.
“Hehehe, it's the moment the Gate Master's dream unfolds. Of course, I should step up, right? Besides, all I have to do is manage the ceremony, so it won't be that hard.”
“We could just leave it to the guys from the Hao Clan…”
“No. It's proper for the mistress of the house to take charge of a sect's events.”
*Right, that makes sense… Wait, mistress of the house?*
I looked at her, startled, and Myo Hyang began to stammer.
“N-No, that's not what I meant. S-Since I'm managing the finances of the Guild and the Gate, I, ah, used the expression 'mistress of the house,' but there was n-no other meaning to it.”
“Ah… I see.”
Seeing Myo Hyang so flustered, I felt a strange sense of disappointment.
“…”
“…”
An awkward silence followed. I forced myself to speak, trying to change the atmosphere.
“Sister, you know I'm always grateful to you, right?”
“S-Suddenly?”
“What's so sudden? I express it often.”
“I-I-I-I see.”
Myo Hyang, who had been hesitating, opened her mouth, her eyes firm as if she had made a decision.
“…If you're truly grateful, could you make me a promise?”
“A promise?”
“Yes, a promise sworn to the heavens.”
*I'm not religious…* But I couldn't disappoint Myo Hyang, my benefactor and family.
Besides, hadn't she worked for me for over a decade?
“Of course, if it's what you want, Sister, I'll do it.”
“Then… once the War King Gate is fully established, please grant me one request.”
“A request? If it's something like that, I can do it now…”
“No. You must grant it then.”
“Well, alright. That's simple enough.”
“Really?! It might be a rather big request, but is that still okay?”
“Come on, what's a big request between you and me?”
“Thank you!”
Myo Hyang grasped my hands and shook them wildly.
I could feel her soft skin through my fingertips.
‘Good grief.’
It was a day that left my heart in turmoil.
***
A month later.
The armaments I had ordered from the Gray Dragon Hall and the warhorses Myo Hyang had procured arrived.
I thought the White Dragon Hall might try to interfere, but they didn't.
There were large armor plates that covered the thighs and shoulders, helmets that protected the back of the head, spare iron spears for their backs, and small shields worn on the left arm.
Despite the weight, which had to be at least 50 kilograms, everyone adapted quickly.
It was only natural.
‘For muscles forged in real combat, that kind of weight is nothing.’
After all, the members of the War King Gate had developed enough raw strength to easily lift five hundred kilograms.
Moreover, it wasn't just the heavy armaments the disciples adapted to.
*Hee-hing—*
“Hiyah!”
Having procured a hundred horses from the market and trained in horsemanship by taking turns, they quickly learned how to handle the warhorses as well.
It was a sight that warmed my heart just to watch.
And the one who would lead them from the very front was none other than.
“You better not forget you promised to raise my monthly stipend, you hear?”
“Come on, have a little faith. You think I'd cheat So-so's sworn uncle?”
The Iron-Blooded Hegemon, Yuk Hak.
In truth, Cheong So-so played a huge role in Yuk Hak joining the War King Gate.
No matter how much trouble she caused, the lord of the Cheong Family, worried for his precious only daughter, had asked his sworn brother, Yuk Hak, to look after her.
Thanks to that, Yuk Hak quit his position as a retainer for the Hanzhong Merchant Guild and came to the Nine Dragons Fortress, where he caught my eye.
Persuading him wasn't difficult.
What does a warrior need?
Isn't it money, which allows one to live a life dedicated solely to mastering martial arts?
As long as Cheong So-so remained at the War King Gate, Yuk Hak couldn't leave either.
If I hadn't extended a hand, Yuk Hak would have been starving.
‘There's nothing more miserable than being broke in middle age.’
Anyway, after recruiting Yuk Hak, everyone in the War King Gate, myself included, couldn't help but be astonished.
“Tsk, what kind of military formation is this?”
“The foundation of cavalry is its breakthrough power. If you're going to ride like that, you might as well quit.”
“Conserve your spear tip. Nothing makes for an easier target than a wavering spear.”
Every single word was golden advice.
It wasn't because he was a supreme master.
It was because of his military background.
Although he likely had no experience in actual war, since the imperial family's influence was now limited to Nanjing, wasn't he still a hundred times better than us, who knew nothing about horsemanship?
In fact, I just hadn't bothered to look into it, but hints about his background had been there from the start.
In the martial world, where swords accounted for fifty percent, sabers for thirty, and other weapons for the remaining twenty, a warrior who used a glaive was a rare sight.
Thanks to him, the War King Gate not only gained a supreme master but also a reliable commander.
And then.
“Gate Master! The notices have been posted.”
More time passed, and notices from the Nine Dragons Fortress recruiting partner companies were posted throughout Sichuan Province.
To some extent, it was a formality.
Messengers from the Fortress had already visited the influential sects in the southwest to inquire about their intentions.
Of course, we, who hadn't even held our opening ceremony yet, received no such contact.
“It's finally starting.”
“The documents are already prepared. We plan to submit them as soon as the gate-opening ceremony is over.”
“We'll be the last ones to enter, then.”
“It's more advantageous to attract as little attention as possible. Well, those in the know will know, of course.”
“After all the commotion we've caused.”
Of course, the figures from the eight halls would suspect our participation.
However, the difference between suspicion and certainty is immense.
Investigating with certainty versus investigating on a hunch would inevitably yield vastly different results.
Yu So-pyeong said with a bright smile.
“It's about time we invited the guests. The gate-opening ceremony is…”
“General Manager Myo said she's preparing it, so you don't need to worry about it.”
“As expected.”
Yu So-pyeong lowered his head, a sly look in his eyes.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Ah, it's nothing. Oh dear! I've left some work unfinished.”
Watching Yu So-pyeong's retreating back, I thought.
The War King Gate has finally taken its first step into the world.
‘Somehow, I feel like this has gotten too big…’