An Offer I Couldn’t Refuse
There is a complexity to geniuses, and at the same time, a kind of simplicity. They could come up with thoughts that existed on an entirely different plane from ordinary people, yet when they were absorbed in something, they lost sight of everything else and fixated on it with almost childlike single-mindedness.
Just like Zhuge Hyeonggeon standing before me now.
“The proper use of Illusion Gate beast hide?”
Zhuge Hyeonggeon’s eyes were overflowing with greed for knowledge as he looked at me. In other words, the conversation had already shifted into my hands.
“Yes. You said you were making a talisman to block beasts out of beast hide, didn’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Among the Livestock Class beasts, the one called a yeoryo held the richest concentration of Illusion Gate energy. That made it the perfect material for the talismans used in formations. But to complete the formation Zhuge Hyeonggeon had in mind, the hide of the yeoryo had to be refined together with another important material.
I only figured that method out later, after a great deal of trouble, and barely managed to finish the beast-defense formation.
I had heard Zhuge Hyeonggeon suffered terribly before discovering it. Now I knew a way to solve that problem in one stroke.
“Hmm... there is a method, yes, but...”
I decided to make him sweat a little. The moment I seemed as though I might answer, Zhuge Hyeonggeon’s breathing quickened ever so slightly.
“If you truly know a way, I hope you’ll tell me. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure whether the yeoryo hide alone would be enough.”
Just as I’d expected.
Zhuge Hyeonggeon hadn’t completed the beast-defense formation yet. From this point on, the initiative belonged entirely to me. Of course, if the card I played was a cheap one, I’d be stuck cleaning up the mess afterward—but that wasn’t going to happen.
Then I had to decide how I wanted to shape my relationship with Zhuge Hyeonggeon.
Zhuge Hyeonggeon is going to become one of the most important figures in the Zhuge Clan.
The early monopoly on interests from developing the beast-defense formation, along with the enormous profits that would come later, would make him a core figure within the clan. He was a direct descendant, yes, but not the heir, and not someone standing at the center of power.
I quickly sorted my thoughts.
For me, someone who intended to become independent from Jigeom Sect, an acquaintance like Zhuge Hyeonggeon would be a sturdy fence to shelter behind.
It would be a waste to end the deal with just this one matter of the yeoryo hide.
After settling my thoughts, I glanced to the side. Sect Leader Ji Pyeong looked utterly bewildered, as though he had no idea what I was talking about. He seemed genuinely startled to see how I handled a man from the Zhuge Clan. After all, I was carrying on a calm, untroubled conversation with someone from the Zhuge Clan without the slightest hint of tension.
“Then why don’t we finish the deal for the yeoryo hide today, and set aside another day to discuss its use?”
“Ah... I see.”
Zhuge Hyeonggeon swallowed his words and nodded. He had realized I wasn’t going to casually hand over an important piece of information like that. Of course, it didn’t seem to have upset him. Just as with the hide itself, information was a valuable resource, and it was only natural to pay a price for it.
“Understood. Then I’ll take delivery of the yeoryo hide first.”
“Then let’s go together.”
I bowed politely to Sect Leader Ji Pyeong.
“Master, I’ll go to the storehouse with Young Master Zhuge.”
“Very well. Ah... must I not go as well?”
“There’s nothing for you to handle, Master. I’ll take care of it.”
The sect leader seemed as though he wanted to stay with Zhuge Hyeonggeon a little longer, but it was awkward for him to involve himself in something as minor as retrieving goods from the storehouse, so he gave a reluctant nod.
“I understand. Make sure to treat Young Master Zhuge well.”
“Yes, Master.”
I left the sect leader’s room with Zhuge Hyeonggeon. Outside, the sect leader’s two sons were waiting. They had rushed over the moment they learned someone from the Zhuge Clan had arrived. To those two descendants of the insignificant Jigeom Sect, Zhuge Hyeonggeon must have looked like a lifeline they had to clutch if they ever hoped to succeed.
Of course, that was just their own thinking.
Jang Semin, the eldest son of Jigeom Sect and Jang Sejun’s older brother, put on a solemn expression and bowed to Zhuge Hyeonggeon.
“Greetings. I’m Jang Semin, the successor of Jigeom Sect.”
At the word “successor,” Jang Sejun frowned in displeasure. But he kept it hidden and forced the most pleasant expression he could manage.
“Greetings. I’m Jang Sejun, the second son of Jigeom Sect. It is an honor to meet a distinguished member of the Zhuge Clan.”
To their greetings, Zhuge Hyeonggeon replied,
“Zhuge Hyeonggeon.”
He introduced himself with only his name and then turned to me.
“Young Master Hyeonseong, let’s move quickly.”
“Yes. Let’s go.”
There was probably nothing in Zhuge Hyeonggeon’s mind now except the yeoryo hide. He was likely thinking only of taking it as soon as possible and then hearing the method of use from me. In that state, there was no way the greetings of Jigeom Sect’s two young masters had made it into his eyes or ears.
“See you later, then.”
I gave Jang Semin and Jang Sejun a casual smile and started walking away. I could almost see the two of them turning crimson behind me. They had probably frozen in place, helplessly stammering and not knowing what to do. Neither of them had the nerve to follow after us again.
Before long, Zhuge Hyeonggeon and I reached the storehouse.
I opened the door and stepped inside. On one side of the storehouse, the yeoryo hides had been carefully stored. Zhuge Hyeonggeon shot toward them as though he’d just spotted gold.
“Ohhh! There’s this much of it? Good heavens. And the condition is excellent, too.”
Zhuge Hyeonggeon’s excitement reached its peak as he touched the hides. There was an astonishing amount of them, and they were in perfect condition, so he couldn’t help but be thrilled. That was thanks to my own hands—the hands that handled yeoryo hide better than anyone else’s. After all, when I was at the very bottom of the sect, the thing I did most often was prepare yeoryo hide.
“Do you like it?”
“Of course. With yeoryo hide in this condition, I should be able to complete what I’ve been envisioning. Especially if you already know how to use it, Young Master.”
“I’m glad it’s useful. To be honest, I didn’t think it was that important.”
Zhuge Hyeonggeon looked at me with a strange expression. I smiled gently and said,
“There’s more of it than I expected, so I’ll need to call people to carry it.”
“Yes. I’ll send for workers with a messenger.”
Zhuge Hyeonggeon excused himself briefly to summon them. I waited in the storehouse for his return. Before long, he came back with workers and a handcart, and they loaded the box containing the yeoryo hide.
“Here is the payment. I added more because the hides are in such good condition. And I have already paid in advance for the lesson on how to use the yeoryo hide.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
He had even paid in advance for the method of use, so Zhuge Hyeonggeon must have been terribly eager. He didn’t even know what method I was going to teach him yet. I set aside the agreed-upon payment for the hides and returned the portion meant for the lesson to Zhuge Hyeonggeon.
“Please take this.”
“Pardon? Why would I...?”
“I said I’d tell you how to use it. I never said I’d take money for it.”
Zhuge Hyeonggeon stared down at the silver ingots before him with a conflicted expression. His fingertips trembled faintly. He clearly knew this was a transaction whose value went beyond mere money, but he seemed to be weighing the true meaning of the offer I had just thrown at him. Did the man standing before me understand what would happen because of the knowledge he was about to share?
“No. I can’t accept the method for free. A fair price must be...”
“Ah. I never said it would be free.”
Zhuge Hyeonggeon’s gaze sharpened. He sensed that I was asking for something beyond a simple transaction.
“Then what price do you want?”
I smiled softly. In my head, a variety of possibilities were already rapidly taking shape. In this moment, I was no longer looking at Zhuge Hyeonggeon as a simple trading partner, but as an important piece in a much larger picture.
“I want a long-term partnership. Not merely teaching you the use of the yeoryo hide, but also lending a hand in the development of the beast-defense formation you’re planning.”
Zhuge Hyeonggeon fell silent for a moment. My proposal had struck deeper than he’d expected. It wasn’t just the transfer of knowledge, but an offer to intervene directly in his research. That meant a partnership that went beyond a simple buyer-seller relationship.
“...Interesting.”
He seemed to think it over deeply, closing his eyes and then opening them again. Then he looked back at me and spoke quietly.
“Then I have conditions. If you’re going to involve yourself in the Zhuge Clan’s research, Young Master, you’ll need to bear a certain degree of responsibility as well. And... I’ll need your pledge that this technique won’t be leaked outside.”
I nodded.
“That’s only natural. And I’d like to ask one more thing of you, Young Master Zhuge. When the beast-defense formation is completed, could you share a portion of the future profits with me?”
Zhuge Hyeonggeon’s eyes wavered. But then, as though he had made up his mind, he nodded.
“Very well. Let’s cooperate.”
And just like that, the relationship between me and Zhuge Hyeonggeon began to evolve beyond that of a mere provider of knowledge into that of partners with a common goal.
“You really are bold.”
In truth, giving Zhuge Hyeonggeon a share of the profits to come would not be a difficult decision. What had made him hesitate for a moment was the matter of cooperating in the research on the beast-defense formation. More than profit, he craved knowledge. That was the defining trait of Zhuge Hyeonggeon. By contrast, I was interested in one thing only: profit.
The beast-defense formation is information that will eventually become common knowledge anyway.
Still, the reason I chose to take part in the research instead of simply demanding money was to continue building my connection with Zhuge Hyeonggeon. It would also be good to keep a thread tied to the Zhuge Clan itself.
Good. We connected at exactly the right time.
With that, Zhuge Hyeonggeon took the yeoryo hide and departed. We agreed to discuss the method of use and the research on the beast-defense formation again tomorrow.
Left alone, I checked the payment from selling the yeoryo hide.
“Let’s see...”
A large box sat on one side of the storehouse. I walked over and opened it. Inside, it was packed with silver ingots. The payment I received for selling all the yeoryo hide came to a full 500 nyang.
Without realizing it, I let out a whistle.
“Whew... that’s a lot.”
With 500 nyang of silver, I could probably go for a while without worrying about funds and proceed with my preparations steadily. I had gathered the yeoryo hide in order to build capital someday, but I hadn’t expected to secure such a huge sum so quickly. For some reason, it felt like everything was going smoothly from the very start.
That was when it happened.
“Hey! Hyeonseong.”
A voice that instantly drained all the good feeling from me rang out. At the entrance to the storehouse behind me stood Ji Hyunwoo.
“What?”
At my brusque reply, Ji Hyunwoo frowned deeply and said,
“Father is looking for you.”