Chapter 236
Chapter 236
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 236
Chapter Title: Lord Bukgung Baek (4)
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After my master was inaugurated as the Lord, the Nine Dragons Fortress stabilized with incredible speed.
Led by the Grand Chancellor, the scholars of the Military Affairs Department continuously proposed plans to stabilize the northern regions—namely Qinghai, Xinjiang, and the lands north of Gansu.
In line with those plans, the Hall Masters of the Inner Fortress prepared to bolster their forces with a unified voice.
Although the Nine Dragons Fortress had always operated with a small, elite force due to budget constraints and other reasons, the expansion of its territory now required a larger headcount.
Moreover, with the departure of the Baek Family Manor and the Silver Star Escort Agency, the void in their military strength was felt even more keenly.
In response, the six halls of the Inner Fortress devised a very simple method to increase their strength.
Mergers.
Isn't mergers and acquisitions the best way for a large corporation to grow?
They were overflowing with money, and with their secular sects and collateral bloodlines scattered across the land, it wasn't difficult.
After all, people naturally desire stable employment.
I figured if they sent out letters asking, ‘Wanna merge?’, people would come flocking on their own.
The sharp-witted merchants also began to move swiftly.
They embarked on the Silk Road expeditions they had been too afraid to attempt because of the Ten Demon Alliance.
They brought goods made in Yunnan and Sichuan to Hanzhong, exchanged them for smaller, rare items, and headed for the Western Regions.
Naturally, the market streets of Hanzhong became so crowded there was hardly room to stand.
On one such morning, when Sichuan was bustling with activity.
I arrived at the Great Dragon Hall where my master was.
“…”
Seeing my master sipping alcohol when the sun had barely risen left me speechless.
“Have you never seen someone drink before?”
“Did you become the Lord just so you could drink?”
“Weren't you the one who told me to do it?”
“No.”
I suppressed my frustration and said.
“Still, you need to be presentable today, of all days.”
“Is something happening?”
“Today is the day the War Dragon Hall enters the fortress.”
“Hmm… I had forgotten.”
My master, usually famous for his poker face, cleared his throat in apparent embarrassment.
“…”
That was right.
Today was the day the War King Gate joined the Nine Dragons Fortress.
It was the day that Bukgung Chang, who had been appointed Vice Hall Master, would arrive leading the three hundred members of the Black Dragon Brigade.
Bukgung Chang’s appointment as Vice Hall Master was only natural.
He excelled in martial arts and character. He had the political acumen to lead the clan council, and moreover, a wealth of experience from leading a branch of the family for a long time.
Anyone could see he was the perfect candidate for Vice Hall Master.
Furthermore, all the executives had agreed unanimously, so it couldn't have been better.
From now on, he would represent the War Dragon Hall's views in my absence, and when I was present, he would assist me with the hall's overall operations.
The thought of such a reliable man arriving already had me excited.
I had been so lonely all this time.
I tried going out here and there to make friends, but failed every time.
No one approached me because of my status as a Hall Master and my background as the Lord's disciple. And as for hanging out with the people I already knew, few of them were sane.
Wi Ji-pung, practically the only sane person I knew, had been dispatched to the Hubei defense force to confront the Lion Alliance.
And it's not like I could hang out with the Jeok brothers or Jeok Hwa-ran.
Thanks to that, I exchanged letters with Myo Hyang almost every day.
After exchanging dozens of letters, we became lovers.
Overwhelmed by loneliness, I confessed to her using ‘GooGoo-Talk’ via the carrier pigeon network.
In response, Myo Hyang sent back a letter with the character for ‘love’ (愛) written on it.
And today.
‘I want to see her soon.’
She was finally coming to the Nine Dragons Fortress to see me.
As I waited, thinking of Myo Hyang, my master came out.
“…”
He was wearing the same frayed gray robe he had worn since his days as an Outer Hall Master—a garment easily over ten years old.
“Don’t you have anything else? Like one of those splendid grandmaster robes? I know you have a few.”
“This is more comfortable for me.”
I watched my master stride away and thought.
“Seriously.”
Why is there no one normal around me?
* * *
“Everyone, attention!”
*Clack.*
“At ease!”
*Clack.*
“Attention!”
*Clack.*
“Salute the Lord!”
Nine-! Dra-! gons-!
“Nine Dragons!”
The disciplined movements made me smile with satisfaction.
I was right to teach them modern drills.
‘To hell with “Exterminate the Demons and Annihilate the Wicked”…’
The thought of standardizing the Nine Dragons Fortress’s chants with modern drills already had me fidgeting in my seat.
And then came the crowning glory of the ceremony.
*Ting, ting, ting, ting, ti-ti-ti. Tiri-tiri-ti. Tiri-tiri-ti…*
It was the sound of Myo Hyang’s zither.
‘Ah…’
Her elegant posture as she played a beautiful melody, her lovely face, and that overflowing heart.
She was a celestial fairy incarnate.
I kept my eyes fixed on her, taking in the sight of her surprise visit.
But a moment later, I felt some impure gazes.
‘Hmm, the guys from the Gold Dragon Hall are looking at her strangely. I might have to pluck out their eyes one by one. Huh? Is that bastard Geum Jong-dae still at it?’
It seems I’ll have to discipline them.
After the enchanting music from the zither ended, my master’s congratulatory speech began.
“Ahem, respected comrades of the Nine Dragons Fortress… We have overcome the great mountain that is the Ten Demon Alliance… We are now the greatest in the martial world… Furthermore, against any future threats…”
Oh, for the record, I wrote the speech for him.
Seeing as the War King Gate, which I founded, was joining the Inner Fortress, this was the least I could do.
“…Therefore, we will accept the War King Gate as a pillar of the Nine Dragons Fortress, and I shall name them the War Dragons.”
Finishing his speech, my master called me in a powerful voice.
“Hall Master of the War Dragons, step forward.”
The moment I heard my master’s call, I shot forward.
“Jin Mujeon, Hall Master of the War Dragons, greets the Lord!”
At my slightly cringey line, the Grand Chancellor and the other Inner Hall Masters nodded their heads.
*Fwip.*
My master used his telekinesis to send a red Hall Master’s plaque, made of blood gold, to me.
As I took it, my master looked at me with an amused expression.
*Smirk.*
I felt the same way.
I recalled the first time I met my master.
He was a master whose name resounded throughout the world, yet he had no interest in worldly success.
And I was just an Outer Hall Squad Leader, only thinking of saving up money as quickly as possible and bolting from the Nine Dragons Fortress.
Now, those two people stood facing each other as Lord and Hall Master.
‘They say you can’t predict even an inch of your future…’
For some reason, my heart swelled with emotion.
And then.
“I’m counting on you.”
“I will take it to heart!”
*Waaaaah-!*
And so, the War King Gate joined as one of the pillars of the Nine Dragons Fortress.
* * *
As soon as the ceremony ended, I headed to the War King Gate outside the Outer Fortress with Bukgung Chang and the Black Dragon Brigade.
A plaque with the name ‘War Dragon Hall’ (戰龍黨), written by the Grand Chancellor as a congratulatory gift, greeted us.
Although we had inherited the grounds previously used by the Silver Dragon Hall, I liked this place and planned to make it the base for the War Dragon Hall.
“Now that the Successor has become the Lord of Nine Dragons, all that's left is to soar.”
“This is all thanks to capable aides like you, Chief of the Black Dragon Brigade.”
“Haha, to hear you say that, I am deeply moved.”
“Where’s your family? Did you come alone?”
“They are on their way, taking their time. They would have had to force the march to arrive on time.”
“I see.”
“Then, I will head inside first.”
Bukgung Chang glanced around before taking his leave.
I handed him a heavy pouch of money.
“Ahem, since it’s a joyous day, go inside and have a drink.”
“The men will be pleased. Thank you.”
*Grin.*
As the large-framed Bukgung Chang stepped away, a slender woman ran toward me.
*Fwump!*
“My- Myo Hyang.”
“I missed you so much!”
The sensation against my chest almost made me lose my mind for a moment.
“There are still so many people around…”
“Let them look.”
“No.”
At her boldness, unthinkable for a woman of the martial world, the warriors of the Black Dragon Brigade hastily made themselves scarce.
“Heehee.”
Myo Hyang released the hug and smiled, her face flushed with excitement.
“Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“To eat. And drink. There’s so much I want to hear. And so much I want to say.”
* * *
Seeing her for the first time in a while, she chattered nonstop.
“You know how some merchants were whispering behind my back, saying that a crowing hen brings ruin to the household?”
“Hmm… I’ll have to cut off one of their arms as soon as I get to Hanzhong.”
“You don’t have to go that far. I already kicked them out of the market.”
“…What does kicking them out change?”
“They’ll be ruined. I deliberately waited until they had made their largest purchases before kicking them out, so there’s no way they can avoid bankruptcy.”
“…”
From little happenings while running the merchant guild.
“And guess what, So-so started going to the gambling den again.”
“What? You just let her?”
“What else could I do? She came in wearing a mask. But I did take measures.”
“How?”
“I told the gambling den manager to set up a rigged game and take all of So-so’s money. Now she won’t be able to come even if she wants to because she has no money. Oh, and I’m keeping her money safe to return to her later.”
“R-Right. Good job.”
After she finished recounting all the trivial stories about the people around her, the dishes and alcohol we ordered arrived.
Myo Hyang let out a gasp of admiration at the food, which was not extravagant but resembled a neat, home-cooked meal.
“Oh, these are all my favorite things! None of them look like dishes you’d find at a tavern.”
“It’s been a while, so you should eat what you like. I placed a special order with the owner.”
“Thank you…”
“Ahem, well, I’m always thinking of you.”
“Oh, my.”
Myo Hyang covered her blushing cheeks with her hands.
“It might not be as good as your cooking, but food made by others has its own charm, don’t you think?”
Touched, she took a large bite of the steamed fish.
“It’s delicious.”
“It is.”
As they enjoyed the food and drinks, Myo Hyang brought up work.
“I looked into the Baek Family Manor’s businesses that you recently acquired. They’re really something, aren’t they?”
“I was surprised, too. They said it was the richest after the Gold Dragon Hall, and it turned out to be true.”
“What’s more amazing is your skill in sweeping up all those assets for nothing, Sect Leader.”
“You think so?”
“Of course.”
Myo Hyang said, covering her mouth as she smiled and poured him a drink.
“Leave it to me.”
Her confident demand for control over the finances naturally made me worried.
“I don’t mind… but won’t it be too much work for you?”
“It just means more fun.”
She took a sip of her drink with an elegant grace and began to explain.
“No matter how much the Hanzhong Merchant Guild expands, it only profits from brokerage. Its own revenue is quite small.”
“What about the merchant groups we acquired last time?”
Previously, Myo Hyang and Yang Ryeong had taken over the merchant groups expelled from Hanzhong.
“It’s not enough to satisfy me.”
“So you want to incorporate the Baek Family Manor’s businesses into the guild?”
“That’s right. I plan to expand their scale as much as possible and then incorporate them.”
“How?”
“The Baek Family Manor mainly produced cotton cloth. Since they mass-produced it, their costs were lower than others, allowing them to make a considerable profit.”
“Right.”
“I plan to do it differently. I’ll sell it in the Western Regions, not the Central Plains where competitors are overflowing.”
“Hmm…”
“Thanks to the warriors of the War King Gate, we won’t need to hire an escort agency, which will leave us with an incomparable profit. My ultimate goal is to grow the business to that scale and absorb the merchant groups of the Nine Dragons Fortress.”
“…That’s amazing, but if that happens, won’t you need someone to manage the Hanzhong Merchant Guild? You don’t have two bodies, after all.”
“I’ve already found someone to help. Someone you know, Sect Leader.”
“Who?”
“Yang Ryeong.”
I was startled by the unexpected name and asked again.
“Myo Hyang, Yang Ryeong is…”
“I know. A member of the Hao Clan.”
“That’s the problem. No matter how close I am with the Hao Clan Leader, I’m a bit uncomfortable trusting and employing someone else’s person.”
There’s the issue of security, too.
“Don’t worry. Yang Ryeong has left the Hao Clan.”
“What?”
“Her belly is full.”
“B-Because she made a lot of money?”
“Of course not. Her belly is full because she’s carrying a child, not because of some psychological factor.”
“W-With whom?!”
“Well, it seems she was in *that* kind of relationship with Elder Jong Geuk-rin. Thanks to that, they had a shotgun wedding.”
As she relayed the news, Myo Hyang gave me a subtle look.
“S-So, when do you think we might…”
“Ahem.”
I still want to just date for a while.