Recruit the Craftsman (3)
I barely suppressed the urge to let my blood boil over and instead let him introduce me to his family.
There were four of them in total.
The father and mother, along with a young boy and his little sister.
The man's family name was Gong, and his given name was Doi. The siblings were named Gong Mil and Gong Rae.
"When my wife was pregnant with our son, she dreamed of a jar overflowing with honey, so we named him Gong Mil. For our daughter, she dreamed of picking armfuls of gardenia flowers, hence Gong Rae."
"I see. They're all wonderful names."
The father of the siblings was a potter, known as Master Potter Gong.
Master Potter Gong's family expressed their deep gratitude to me and my group, then brought out their prized tea.
"We'll enjoy it."
"Thank you."
That's when I noticed the boy, Gong Mil, playing in the courtyard with his little sister.
"Look at this!"
"Whoa! That's amazing! Brother! You're incredible!"
In the boy's hand was a toy cart that looked handmade.
But the cart was moving on its own.
I was startled once again.
That... that's an automatic cart?
The shape was quite crude, but the basic mechanism was exactly what I knew.
The toy that had swept through the children of noble houses in my past life: the automatic cart.
And he'd already made one here and now.
Noticing my gaze, Master Potter Gong spoke up.
"My boy has a knack for tinkering with little gadgets like that."
"To think he can already make something like that at his age. He truly has a gift for craftsmanship."
"He's talented, sure, but that skill doesn't put food on the table. He spends all day fiddling with those things, and it drives me up the wall."
"What do you mean by that?"
At my question, Master Potter Gong looked at me, and I pressed on firmly.
"It will make money. In fact, I'm the son of the Eunhae Merchant Group's leader. That's why I can say with confidence: if we sold the devices your son makes, we'd make a fortune."
"I know that much."
Master Potter Gong gave a wry smile.
"But merchants make the money, not the craftsmen who create the goods, right?"
"……."
I was stunned speechless in that moment.
"Craftsmen just get exploited. As the saying goes, 'The bear shows off its talent, but the handler pockets the cash.'"
"……."
He wasn't wrong.
"I've seen it happen countless times in my years as a potter. That's why I don't want my son to suffer that kind of exploitation."
His eyes brimmed with worry for his son as he spoke.
But knowing that Gong Mil would end up brutally exploited and die from overwork made my heart heavy, rendering his concerns all the more poignant.
And if I backed off now, fate would toy with the Gong family all over again.
I didn't want to regret it a second time.
After a moment's thought, I came up with a plan and spoke.
"Then, may I make a proposal?"
"A proposal?"
"How much of the profit from the pottery you make do you receive as your monthly wage? A few tenths?"
"I don't know exactly, but it's definitely less than one tenth."
"What if we gave you four tenths of the revenue? Would you allow your son to work for our merchant group?"
"Pardon?"
"Of course, we could adjust the share later based on his contributions..."
I trailed off, watching Master Potter Gong.
His eyes held suspicion. Why would you go this far?
I realized sweet words alone wouldn't convince him.
Their home wasn't exactly prosperous.
Yet they sent their child to the village school, no doubt hoping he'd avoid a life of exploitation.
That's why the Jinyeon Merchant Group had schemed so desperately to get their hands on Gong Mil.
I needed to be more sincere.
But to have that conversation, my guards had to step out.
"Excuse me..."
I turned to the escort warriors.
"Could you buy some snacks for the kids?"
They nodded.
"Understood."
They nodded and headed out the gate. But my senses picked it up.
Only one actually left.
The other lingered nearby.
He'd understood I wanted privacy but stayed vigilant for any threats—that was his duty.
This should be far enough that our talk wouldn't carry.
"Truth be told, I already know about your son's talent."
"Pardon?"
"I saw him in a dream. That's why I was so shocked earlier—seeing the boy from my dream in the flesh."
"……."
"You don't believe me, do you?"
I smiled and continued.
"I can't force you to. There's no proof, so I can't beg you to trust me. Haha."
"……."
"That's why I came to find him. But I couldn't locate his home. All I remembered was a paulownia tree, so I'd been searching every house with one in the village."
I grinned.
"Then, by chance, the thief I caught was aiming for your pouch, Master Potter Gong. And you led us right here."
"……."
"I think it's fate. Don't you?"
"……."
After a long silence, Master Potter Gong finally spoke, his voice heavy.
"So, what happened in that dream to make the young master of a great house like Eunhae come all this way?"
He went on.
"I know of Eunhae Merchant Group. They often traded with my workplace—a fairly large outfit. For their esteemed young master to visit in person... I'm curious what you saw."
"Someone discovered the boy's talent. But it caught the eye of a shady merchant group."
Master Potter Gong stared at me, and I met his gaze steadily.
"That group kidnaps the boy's parents and blackmails him. From then on, his life is nothing but exploitation. He sheds blood and tears, forsaking sleep and food to develop new inventions, until finally..."
I smiled bitterly and continued.
"He dies from overwork."
"……!"
"In the dream, the boy cried out in anguish, begging to be saved—him and his family."
"……."
"Just a dream? No. Seeing his talent with my own eyes convinced me it was all too real."
I'd called it a dream, but it was history that had actually unfolded.
"He's still young, but I've recognized his genius. Do you think others won't?"
"……."
"It might sound funny coming from someone in the merchant trade, but plenty of people will do anything for profit."
"And what about Eunhae Merchant Group, where you belong? Would they do anything for money?"
To his question, I replied.
"A merchant group's goal is profit. But Eunhae has its principles—we value people. It's been our creed for generations, and I believe in it too. That's why I offered four tenths. Anything less, and we'd be no better than thieves."
"Is that all?"
"Plus, with that talent, we could make a killing."
I smiled.
"I'm a merchant, after all."
"……."
"Think it over. I'm heading back the day after tomorrow, and I'd like you to come with us."
"Understood. I'll consider it."
Just then, the escort warriors returned.
They carried snacks the kids would love.
"Here you go."
"Thanks for your trouble."
I thanked them, took the treats, and approached the two children.
"Kids, do you like Bingdang Horo and candy?"
"Whoa! Bingdang Horo!"
"Candy too!"
Just as expected of children. They lit up, each grabbing one in either hand.
Smiling at the pair, the guilt I'd felt over failing to save the craftsman back then shifted into some subtler emotion.
I wasn't even sure what to call it.
.
.
.
Dusk fell.
Geumseon Market lit up with lanterns, creating a spectacular sight.
Leaving Master Potter Gong's house, I took in the market.
It was the same place I'd seen by day, but the lanterns transformed it into something dazzling and new.
Still, I soon turned away.
"Heading back to the inn now?"
I shook my head at Palgap's question.
"No, there's somewhere I need to go."
No matter how I turned it over, something felt off.
* * *
Near Geumseon Village stood a merchant group outpost.
The Jinyeon Merchant Group.
Not a massive outfit, but well-known in Geumseon Market for ceramics trading.
In the leader's office.
The man seated at the desk wore a sour expression.
A subordinate bowed before him.
"I heard it failed."
"My apologies. It was sheer bad luck—a passerby caught him."
"Bad luck, you say..."
"Yes. Because of a gourd dropped by the third son of Eunhae Merchant Group, who was here for trade..."
"Ha!"
"So it failed?"
"My deepest apologies. But don't worry too much. I told him to keep his mouth shut—no one will trace it back."
"Good work on that."
The leader nodded, seemingly satisfied, then tapped the armrest.
"Did you look into it? Why the Eunhae brat came all the way here?"
"We tailed him all day, but he just ate and wandered the village."
"Hm... Maybe just gaining experience on a trip?"
"Probably. He's only fifteen—what threat could he be?"
"Heard he visited Master Potter Gong's place?"
"Gong couldn't just send him away empty-handed, so he served tea."
"I see. Anyway, no more failures next time."
"Of course. Rest assured—we'll make Master Potter Gong sign the self-sale contract."
Self-sale contract.
In other words, selling oneself into slavery.
"After all we've done letting him work this long, and he dares try jumping to another group? No pity for the likes of him. Hahaha."
* * *
Dawn broke.
"Awake, young master?"
"Yeah. Stand guard while I circulate my qi."
"Yes, sir."
After circulating, my mind felt clearer.
The Taiyin Ice Sea Divine Art built yin energy in the body, leaving my head cool and refreshed afterward.
It also kept me from sweating much.
"Brought water for washing up."
"Thanks."
I washed with the water Palgap brought, dressed properly, and headed downstairs.
Time for breakfast.
Master Jin Yeong and Team Leader Jeong Chung were already at the table, chatting.
"Sleep well?"
"Yes, thanks to you."
We exchanged brief morning greetings and sat. Soon, the merchant group members trickled in, bowing and taking seats.
"What's the schedule today?"
Geumyeong-gak's Chief Geomcheon replied.
"At the Si hour (9-11 AM), we'll head to the open field by Geumseon Market for the goods exchange. We've arranged to meet the other group there via letter."
Team Leader Jeong Chung added.
"And we leave at dawn the day after tomorrow. Need to handle some group business."
The two from Sangyu-gak nodded.
"Got it."
Re-gyeong-gak's Chief Im Gyeongbin chimed in.
"Young master, just record the trade as you learned—no need to stress."
"Watch closely in case of mistakes."
"Don't worry. I'll be thorough."
After breakfast, I returned to my room.
Gazing out the window at Geumseon Village, I felt a vague unease.
I had no idea if Master Potter Gong would accept my offer.
The boy's own will mattered most, but he wasn't of age yet.
Parental consent was required.
Soon after, our group loaded the silk onto carts and headed to the field by Geumseon Market.
It was a spacious area built for large trades.
I'd been here before; nothing had changed.
We arrived and waited about an hour when a group appeared in the distance, pulling carts.