Chapter 56
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Wanna Go a Round? (1)
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"What... is this?"
Kang Moo-jin's pupils trembled faintly.
He'd faced all sorts of ridiculous situations in the Linked Qi Realm, so nothing rattled him easily anymore. But this? This was an exception.
Churur-
A massive table—big enough for two regular ones pushed together—was buried under a hundred-odd request scrolls spilling across it.
There were so many that over a dozen tumbled off the crowded surface, scattering across the floor.
"These are all the requests that came into our Diamond Escort Agency over the past week."
At his second brother Kang Moo-seon's words—the man in charge of the main ledger—Moo-jin's pupils shook even harder.
"...!?"
Not even a month. Just one week, and this many requests!?
A typical large-scale escort agency might get around a hundred requests a week, while a mid-sized one handled half that—about fifty.
The Diamond Escort Agency was mid-sized, yet the influx here rivaled slapping a large agency's face three times over.
"Why is this happening?"
"Why do you think? It's all because of you, Moo-jin."
"Me?"
Kang Moo-seon shot him a look that said, Are you seriously asking?
"You snatched up every single escort request from the Ironclad Pavilion and made them ours."
"All of these are from the Ironclad Pavilion?"
Moo-jin's eyes went wide as saucers.
No matter how skilled and renowned the Ironclad Pavilion was, this volume was downright excessive.
They weren't the Tang Family's ironclad escort service or anything.
"No, that's not it. When a faction like the Ironclad Pavilion puts their trust in an agency, it signals reliability. So others started sending us their requests too."
Until now, most requests to the Diamond Escort Agency had come from small sects, families, or merchant groups.
Larger sects, families, or merchants tended to stick with established agencies over up-and-comers just hitting their stride.
But once even the famously conservative Ironclad Pavilion of Shanxi Province switched to them, things changed.
In a way, it was like the Ironclad Pavilion giving the green light to everyone on the fence about the Diamond Escort Agency's rising rep.
"Just from that one thing?"
"It's not just that one. It was the spark that lit the fire you'd already built with all your achievements."
From the Silver Push Sect and Crimson Flame Gang to the Imperial Palace, Shaolin Temple, and the Sichuan Yun Family.
Lately, Moo-jin's name carried more weight than any escort in the business—higher profile, too.
"Hah..."
A sigh escaped Moo-jin, who hadn't dreamed snagging the Ironclad Pavilion's full roster would snowball like this.
"It's good... but it's a huge problem."
"Exactly."
Sure, a flood of requests was great news for an escort agency. But only if they could handle it.
Fail that, and all those requests meant nothing.
To turn this mountain into a real opportunity...
"We'll need to hire more escorts."
"Right on the money. What we need now is to expand the agency, and that means more escorts."
To take on all these requests, they'd need people for the caravans: caravan leaders, escorts to guard the cargo, and porters to haul it.
Leaders to run the show, escorts as warriors, porters as the muscle. All essential.
"Porters are easy—times are tough, so plenty available. The escorts, though? That's the issue. Good fighters don't grow on trees."
"Hmm..."
Moo-jin stroked his chin thoughtfully.
He had killer knowledge and talent for martial arts and sorcery, but running an escort agency? Not his wheelhouse.
Sure, he'd once lured in ronin with martial arts training as bait, but repeating that now was impractical.
Turning ronin into escorts took too long, and right now, quality hires beat quantity.
"Father, how do we recruit escorts?"
"Two ways. First: reach out to the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, or the Eight Great Families."
"...?"
Moo-jin tilted his head, confused.
Why bother with those stiff-necked pricks?
"The Nine Great Sects have tons of lay disciples under their main branches. We hire recommendations from them, or collateral kin from the Eight Great Families."
Lay disciples from the Nine Great Sects—ones who learned just enough but weren't core members—often struggled to make a living with their swords.
Opening their own schools? Too much competition from entrenched players. Bodyguard gigs? Boring and stifling.
So many turned to escort work.
Escorts got to roam the world under the caravan banner, with pay scaling to skill. Plus, women tended to dig them—way stabler than wandering ronin.
The Eight Great Families' collateral branches were in the same boat: basic training, no family backing or secret arts, so limited ways to earn with the blade.
"Agency Head, I doubt any from the Eight Great Families or Nine Great Sects will come just because of our name yet."
Chief Escort Kang Moo-woong shook his head.
"They go to province-level agencies. Not mid-sized ones like us."
Even servants aim for the governor's mansion, right?
Lay disciples and collaterals, riding their main branch prestige, only worked for big agencies—even if strapped for cash, pride demanded it.
"Plus, they're a flashy bunch. What a growing agency like ours needs most is solid foundations and discipline. They wouldn't fit the current vibe."
Yu-hwa, the former grand scholar's granddaughter with knowledge across the board, chimed in. She often dropped gems like this in meetings.
"So that method's out."
"Second option: spread word publicly that we're recruiting escorts, then hold exams."
Test potential hires to verify skills, then put the qualified ones straight to work.
This was standard for most agencies outside the top five.
"That sounds good, Agency Head."
Even Chief Escort Kang Moo-woong nodded.
"We can throw them right at the backlog."
"I agree. Veterans cost double rookies, but verified talent's worth it."
With ledger chief Kang Moo-seon on board, Agency Head Kang So-gong's gaze shifted to Moo-jin.
He held no formal post here—unlike the other three—but everyone knew his say mattered most.
"Sounds good to me. Way better than my half-assed rush job before."
"You had no choice then."
"True. Circumstances sucked."
"Public recruitment it is, then."
"With growth, we'll need more caravan leaders too. I'll reach out to Grandpa about that."
"...!"
Kang So-gong's eyes bulged.
Contacting former Grand Scholar—now Imperial Tutor—Won Jong-do over caravan leaders!?
"Th-that might be overkill. He's a busy man..."
"It's fine, Agency Head. Grandpa has friends who quit government for personal reasons. They'd love leading caravans."
She said "personal," but Moo-jin figured it tied to Inspector Eom's corruption.
Clean officials ruined by crooks like him? Plenty.
"I'll handle the Underground Network and Beggar Clan."
Moo-jin volunteered.
He'd met their reps before, and to haggle prices, better him than someone else.
"You're swamped already. I could go."
"I hate fattening those pigs' purses."
A wicked grin curled Moo-jin's lips.
* * *
Crash!
An Ji-so, branch chief of the Underground Network's Taiyuan outpost, frantically stuffed valuables into a bundle.
"Stall him! Buy time!"
With his soft, sheepish looks, he hastily packed pricey goods, slung the bundle on his back.
Anyone could see he was bolting like a thief in the night.
"Every damn time. Always running. And for what? You didn't even do anything wrong."
"Gah! K-Kang, sir?!"
An Ji-so jumped, dropping a jade ring that clattered to the floor.
"H-how...?!"
He side-eyed the subordinate behind Moo-jin.
Buy time, my ass—you let him in already, you useless fuck.
"Don't blame your guy. I forced my way in."
"R-right."
"Anyway, why do you always rabbit when you see me?"
"W-well..."
An Ji-so looked mortified.
The tale of Golden Ghost Indestructible raising hell at the Sichuan Yun Family to save his little brother was legendary by now.
Folks praised Moo-jin's brotherly love, but to An Ji-so? Pure nightmare fuel.
The Underground Network had taken his cash for intel on the second brother—then delivered squat.
Hence the flight instinct.
Get on Golden Ghost Indestructible's bad side—the guy who shreds ghost-limb techniques—and you'd split clean in half.
"...I'm not some psycho who rips people apart for fun."
"R-right, I know."
An Ji-so's face screamed otherwise.
"And I get you couldn't help with that job. No hard feelings."
"R-really?"
As An Ji-so edged back, Moo-jin sighed deeply.
"I swear on my honor and the agency's name."
"G-got it! Understood, sir."
Only then did An Ji-so relax a hair, setting down his bundle.
"Welcome to the Underground Network. What brings you?"
"...Quick to ask."
"S-sorry!"
Moo-jin waved off the paling man hastily.
Like handling a skittish globefish—never knew when it'd freak.
"The Diamond Escort Agency's recruiting escorts publicly."
"Putting up notices?"
Notices were postings on busy streets or crowds to spread word.
No one beat the Beggar Clan or Underground Network at plastering them.
"Yeah. Can you help?"
"Of course! How many? We can do hundreds to a thousand. Price-wise..."
"Like you said earlier, the Underground Network didn't help much last time."
"..."
"But took the money anyway."
"..."
Moo-jin eyed his money pouch soulfully.
"Just thinking about it makes my pouch scream in pain. 'Money's flying away, master! It hurts so bad! Sob sob. Please let this cash be worth it.'"
"..."
"Haven't broken the news yet. 'The money you took? Straight down the drain.' Felt too cruel."
"...F-for this job, consider it our apology for last time. On the house, sir."
"..."
Moo-jin placed a warm hand on An Ji-so's shoulder, smiling gently.
"Thanks. My pouch won't forget your kindness."