In the North Sea (1)
The prestige of the position of Inspector General was greater than expected.
The investigation into the Three Great Merchant Groups proceeded remarkably swiftly and thoroughly.
But they wouldn't face any severe punishment. Inspector Ji-hyeon must have taken a hefty sum from them as well.
Unless the Emperor issued a direct order, it would end with just moderate penalties.
Well, that was enough.
The real culprits were elsewhere anyway, and all I'd done was divert attention.
Now it was time for me to slip away.
"The road to the North Sea is incredibly treacherous, so please take care of yourself."
I nodded with a smile at Sub-branch Leader Bokyun's worried words.
"I will. You take care too, Sub-branch Leader Bok."
"Don't worry about me. I've got a knack for handling loose ends."
"Sounds just like me."
I replied with a light laugh and glanced at the young man beside him.
A familiar face.
Bokyun Sub-branch Leader's younger brother, Young Master Bokyoung.
In my previous life, Young Master Bokyoung had become the head of the merchant group.
He was said to be deeply versed in scholarship.
That might serve him well if he entered government service, but it wasn't the talent needed to lead a merchant group.
"Young Master Bokyoung."
"Ah, yes."
"Are you interested in entering government service?"
"...Pardon? H-how did you know?"
"I can tell just by looking at you. With that in mind, there's a place in Beijing called Hyunhwa Academy. It's newly established, but it's staffed by renowned scholars as instructors. If you want to study, I recommend enrolling there."
His eyes sparkled at my suggestion.
As the heir to a merchant group, he'd received some arithmetic training, making him a perfect fit for the kind of talent the Emperor sought.
If he earned the Emperor's favor, it wouldn't hurt the Gwangjun Merchant Group's position either.
And from what I'd seen, Sub-branch Leader Bokyun wasn't the type to act recklessly even if his brother gained imperial favor.
Sub-branch Leader Bokyun nodded.
"I'll take the lead and push for it."
"Yes."
"And take this."
He held out a small horn whistle carved from beast bone.
"What's this?"
"If you encounter any steppe tribes, this whistle will help. It's proof that you're with our merchant group—they'll let you pass without much trouble."
It was, quite literally, a guarantee from the merchant group.
"You'll have to come back to return it."
Returning the whistle meant he'd have to visit the Gwangjun Merchant Group again, a subtle way of saying to return safely.
Sensing his sincerity, I nodded.
"Understood. I'll make sure to bring it back."
I tucked it into my bosom and offered a farewell.
"Then I'll be off."
I could ride a horse just fine, but traversing the steppes was harder than imagined.
No matter how far you galloped, all you saw was endless grassland.
That was why you had to pack dry rations and water.
We occasionally encountered nomadic tribes, and the horn whistle from Sub-branch Leader Bokyun proved quite useful then.
Far from laying a hand on us, they even shared water and food.
But sometimes it didn't work, and when it didn't, blood had to be spilled.
We couldn't just surrender to plunder.
After days of travel like that, we finally reached the North Sea.
"From here on, it's North Sea territory."
Jin Yu Warrior's words drew a nod from me.
"I see."
Even without his words, it was obvious. The air had grown colder as we headed north, and beyond lay a white expanse of piled snow.
"Hey, you wouldn't happen to be heading into the North Sea right now, would you?"
Turning at the voice calling us, we saw a middle-aged man in furs eyeing us.
"Yes?"
"You look like you're bound for the North Sea—is that right?"
"Ah, yes. That's correct."
At my straightforward affirmation, he furrowed his brow and grumbled curtly.
"You're hell-bent on dying, huh."
"......"
His gruff words caught me off guard.
"Quit yapping and follow me."
What? This rude attitude?
Telling us to follow out of the blue.
I stood there dumbfounded for a moment, and he bellowed.
"Oi! When I say come, come! What's with all the suspicion? It's freezing out here. Hurry up and follow!"
I exchanged glances with my guards and followed him.
He didn't give off any repulsive vibe, and his actions didn't seem malicious.
The place he led us to was a dugout shelter beneath a rock outcrop.
"Tie the horses inside there."
He pointed to what looked like a nomad's tent.
"Grab anything you need beforehand. You won't be able to come out until morning."
After tethering the horses inside and grabbing our gear, he shut the door as we emerged.
"We're over here."
Inside the rock dugout, a campfire crackled, surrounded by two men.
One was young, the other around the same age as our guide.
"What's with the sudden guests?"
"They said they were crossing into the North Sea now, so I brought 'em."
"Whoa, today of all days? They're hell-bent on dying."
Incomprehensible banter.
Seo-u Warrior stepped forward.
"It's still daylight. Is there a reason we can't cross into the North Sea today?"
"You really don't know, huh. Today is a snowstorm day."
"Ah! Is today a snowstorm day?"
Jin Yu Warrior startled at that, bowing to me in apology.
"My apologies. I didn't realize it was a snowstorm day... I nearly put you in danger, young master."
"Snowstorm...?"
A familiar term.
It was the name of the fourth form in the True Snow Twelve Forms Sword Technique I was learning.
And that martial art came from the Snowstorm Palace.
The middle-aged man seated there explained.
"It's best not to cross into the North Sea on snowstorm days. Get caught in the gale mixed with snow, and you won't see an inch ahead. Encounter swirling snowflakes amid that, and you might hallucinate and lose your way."
The fifth form of the True Snow Twelve Forms Sword Technique was Snowflakes.
"Before long, you'll sink into a snow bog and never come out."
Snow bog—Snow Quagmire.
The sixth form.
"And if the piling snow buries you in that state, well, you freeze to death."
The second form: Accumulated Snow.
I hadn't witnessed the full snowstorm phenomenon they described, but from the explanation, it seemed the True Snow Twelve Forms Sword Technique was inspired by the North Sea's natural forces.
"That's why experienced hunters like us hole up like this when a snowstorm hits."
"I see."
So our guide's rudeness had been for our own good.
I offered them a clasped-fist salute.
"Thank you for helping us."
"No big deal. Everyone helps each other here. It's that harsh a place—you can't survive otherwise."
"But there were no signs. How did you know the snowstorm was coming?"
"Hard to explain. Just experience."
Jin Yu Warrior added.
"He's right. I used to sense it too, but it's been a while since I left the North Sea, so I couldn't feel it."
"So snowstorms don't follow a regular cycle?"
"Pretty much. They come about once every half-month around now. But come autumn, all rhythm vanishes."
"Got it."
That's why Master said to go and return before autumn.
Our guide spoke up.
"So, how long you gonna stand there? Sit. My neck hurts."
"Ah, yes."
As we settled in, he asked.
"Got food?"
"Yes."
"Then eat your own. We're short on ours."
His grumbling put me at ease, oddly enough.
They knew better than to offer us any.
Then one of the middle-aged hunters by the fire spoke.
"By the way... uh... what is it... that..."
Why the sudden stutter?
"You wouldn't be a... ahem, a woman in disguise, would you?"
"Pardon?"
"No, I mean, your face is so pretty, like a woman's."
His words left me momentarily flustered. But...
"Our young master is just that handsome, so I get the misunderstanding."
Palgap's words had the guards nodding, which only embarrassed me more.
The middle-aged hunter apologized sheepishly.
"A man, huh. Sorry for the mix-up."
"No harm done. But why'd you think that?"
"This year marks the first time in a decade the North Sea Ice Palace opens its doors."
"Already that time, huh."
Jin Yu Warrior's eyes grew complicated as he explained to us.
"The North Sea Ice Palace accepts female disciples between five and fifteen every ten years. That's what they call 'the doors opening.'"
"I see."
"So among those like you—with escorts—knocking on the Ice Palace doors, quite a few are women in disguise to avoid needless trouble."
"Hence the misunderstanding."
But something felt off.
"W-wait. Doesn't the North Sea Ice Palace only take girls fifteen or younger? I'm... turning twenty soon."
"......"
A chill silence fell, as if a snowstorm had hit right then.
"I-is that so."
"You look young for your age."
Whoooosh—!
Woooong—!
Screeeeech—!
The wind howled like a master swordsman swinging without pause.
"That wind sounds downright menacing."
Yeo Eung-am Warrior's words drew a nod from Jin Yu Warrior.
"Indeed. No wonder even North Sea folk avoid snowstorms."
"In winds like this, your life really is at risk."
One hunter replied to Yi Pil Warrior.
"For ordinary folk, yeah. I only heard about it from my father—never seen it myself—but they say Snowstorm Palace warriors moved freely even in these storms."
"Pardon? Snowstorm Palace?"
"First time hearing it? Makes sense. They were so reclusive."
"Those experts ruled the North Sea Ice Palace's snowstorms."
The two hunters eagerly shared what they knew.
From their account, the Snowstorm Palace had mastered the Ice Palace's snowstorms, exterminated the North Sea's harmful spirit beasts, and served as its guardians.
"An incredible place."
"Yep. Called Snowstorm Palace for mastering those storms."
Master hadn't explained in detail, but to hear it here of all places.
"But why do you say 'were' when talking about the Snowstorm Palace?"
Palgap asked them.
Our guide answered.
"'Cause it doesn't exist anymore?"
"Pardon?"
"Wiped out. By the Demonic Cult."
I glanced at Jin Yu Warrior's face.
His expression was indescribable as he listened.
Regret? Rage? Pride?
A complex, subtle mix hard to pin down.
Watching him, a thought struck me.
Could Jin Yu Warrior be a survivor of the Snowstorm Palace?
The gale raged through the night—so fiercely the dugout might fly away.
Reading our worried faces, our guide said.
"Worried the shelter'll blow off?"
"A bit..."
"Looks flimsy, but it's sturdy. Rest easy and catch some shut-eye."
"Yes."
We took turns sleeping.
A man trudged through the snow-swept wasteland.
A handsome youth in his twenties.
A stranger, yet oddly familiar.
He halted.
A fierce blizzard swirled before him.
He drew his sword.
Its white blade felt strangely familiar too.
In that instant, his hair turned white.
The sword lightly cleaved the blizzard, parting the gale—as if barring all entry—creating a path within.
He strolled in leisurely, untouched by even a gust.
He stopped again, turned toward me, and spoke.
What?
"Young master! Breakfast is ready."
Palgap's voice pulled me back.
I opened my eyes to the dugout's interior, not the snowy plain.
Ah, a dream.
Seo-u Warrior's voice came next.
"Add some dried meat powder like this, and it gets even richer in umami."
"Aha!"
"Give it a try."
"Whoa! Delicious!"
"You! Were you a chef somewhere?"
"Father! This is really good."
I eyed the scene curiously, and Palgap explained.
"As thanks for letting us borrow the shelter last night, Seo-u Warrior's making breakfast."
"I see."
I nodded, recalling the man from my dream.
He'd definitely said... I'll be waiting there.