Automaton Doll (2)
Then why, in the previous life I lived through, had the leader of the Jin-gyeon Merchant Group kidnapped Master Potter Gong's family?
If it had been a slave contract, there'd have been no need for a kidnapping...
Aha!
I thought I knew the reason.
It was because of the thief I'd caught.
If I hadn't nabbed that thief yesterday, Master Potter Gong would have lost all his money just like that.
Even so, he probably would have scraped by somehow.
Given his character, folks around him would have pitched in to help.
Even the Jin-gyeon leader wouldn't have foreseen that.
And something must have come up that kept him from keeping tabs on the potter.
So Master Potter Gong would have left the Jin-gyeon Merchant Group behind.
Then he learned about the automaton doll, and the ever-watchful Jin-gyeon folks caught wind of young Gong Mil's talent. That's how the tragedy began.
I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
To think a single trivial act of mine—catching that thief—had altered events this drastically.
And by sparing the thief's life, I'd thwarted this filthy scheme to boot.
Right now, though, priority one was rescuing Master Potter Gong and his family.
"Our group is holding Eunhae Merchant Group property? That's absurd!"
"It's no absurdity."
I pulled a document from my robe.
It was the contract between Master Potter Gong, his family, and me.
The seals were clearly stamped.
Of course, Master Potter Gong had never actually sealed it. I'd forged the damn thing myself.
"We signed it yesterday."
I nudged his leg lightly with my foot. Quick on the uptake, he chimed right in.
"That's right. You visited yesterday and offered generous terms, so I sealed it."
Now that he'd admitted it himself, it wasn't forgery in the strictest sense anymore.
I declared it boldly.
"Thus, as of last evening, Master Potter Gong and his family belong to our merchant group."
The contract I'd whipped up on a hunch after hearing the thief's confession yesterday was paying off handsomely.
I was the one who'd elevated the Eunhae Merchant Group to one of the world's top three.
Forging a little contract like this? Child's play.
Of course, the other guy was a merchant too—if he examined it closely, he'd spot the fake. But I had no intention of giving him the chance.
Hwang Ga-ryeong's face twisted in dismay at my words and Master Potter Gong's corroboration. Then, in a flash, he smirked slyly.
"In that case..."
Hwang Ga-ryeong smirked as he spoke.
"The Eunhae Merchant Group will have to compensate us for what this man stole."
"Stole what, exactly?"
"This gold ingot. We found it in his home."
Hwang Ga-ryeong held out the gold ingot.
"Mind if I take a look?"
"Be my guest."
I picked up the ingot and asked,
"Is this really a gold ingot?"
"Of course it is!"
"Bullshit."
His face flushed crimson at my words.
"Wh-what kind of rude mouth...!"
I drew a dagger from my sleeve—the one my brothers had gifted me.
Hwang Ga-ryeong flinched at the sight, but I channeled a sliver of inner energy into the blade and sliced the ingot.
The gold foil peeled away, revealing a dull metal beneath.
"Isn't counterfeiting currency a capital crime?"
"Th-that's... well..."
Hwang Ga-ryeong floundered in panic, and I grinned at the sight.
There were two reasons I knew the "gold ingot" he'd presented as evidence was fake.
First, the weight.
The heft in my hand didn't match the gold ingots I knew.
In my previous life, I'd handled countless ones.
So of course I'd notice something off.
Second, the Jin-gyeon leader's character.
Their group wasn't that big yet. They couldn't treat gold ingots lightly.
Yet this greedy, paranoid bastard had handed one over for something like this? No way in hell.
That was my comprehensive judgment—and here was the proof.
A lump of metal shaped like a gold ingot, thinly plated with gold foil.
Even if it hadn't been used in trade, it still counted as currency counterfeiting.
From Hwang Ga-ryeong's reaction, he'd known all along.
Just then, having gotten word late, the Jin-gyeon Merchant Group leader arrived where I was.
"Hah! What disgrace is this in another man's merchant group...?"
"Greetings, Merchant Leader."
It had been ages since I'd seen that face.
After I ruined his group in my previous life, we had no further business.
"No greetings in return. What the hell do you think you're doing?"
From the side, Hwang Ga-ryeong frantically waved him off. Not now, it said.
"You— what are you even...?"
"Merchant Leader. I've just uncovered something very intriguing."
I pointed at the ingot.
"You've been making fake gold ingots."
"...!"
"I'm thinking of reporting this to the county magistrate."
He denied it flat-out.
"Wh-what nonsense is this? Fake gold ingots?!"
"See that mark on the bottom? The Jin-gyeon Merchant Group's emblem."
"Gasp!"
It was probably stamped to prevent mix-ups with real ones.
And now it was tightening around his neck like a noose.
"Then if you'll excuse us. I need to see the magistrate now."
He grabbed my sleeve in haste.
Slap!
But my guard coldly swatted his hand away.
He dropped to his knees in desperation, shouting,
"Pl-please, let it slide just this once! I'll do anything you ask!"
"You mean that?"
"Of course!"
Counterfeiting was a heavy crime—he'd suffer plenty if hauled off like this.
But I had no intention of settling for just this.
Serious as it was, it might not be enough to bury him for good.
This was bait.
Bait to utterly destroy the Jin-gyeon Merchant Leader.
"Very well. I'll think about my demands tonight. I'll hold onto this, then."
"Understood."
"Alright, let's go."
I helped Master Potter Gong to his feet.
"And I'm taking Master Potter Gong's family too."
"Ah, sure."
I turned to my guard.
"Tell Captain Jeong I'll be staying at Master Potter Gong's house tonight."
"Got it."
As he replied, I glanced sidelong at the Jin-gyeon leader.
If he was the man I knew, he'd never let this bait slip away.
I took Master Potter Gong and his family back to their home.
Palgap arrived at the house with Gong Rae in tow, per my message.
"Father!"
"Rae-ya!"
I watched their heartfelt family reunion with a warm smile.
A moment later, Master Potter Gong approached and bowed deeply to me.
"Thank you so much for saving my family."
"I only did what needed doing."
"Even so, we're deeply grateful for the grace you've shown us."
I smirked.
"Then, shall we make that contract now?"
"Of course."
His wife asked at his words,
"A contract?"
He explained the whole story, and she nodded.
"I see."
"You'll have to start fresh in a new place, but I promise fair treatment—no regrets."
Master Potter Gong waved it off.
"Don't say that. It's a thousand times—no, ten thousand times—better than becoming slaves. Ah! Young master, you must be hungry."
"Shall we slaughter a chicken?"
His wife spoke up, and I smiled as I replied,
"Don't worry about food. Palgap."
"Yes! You called, young master?"
"Go buy something for tonight's dinner."
"Right away."
I handed him a money pouch, and he took it before heading out the gate.
"So... Gong Mil, was it?"
Gong Mil nodded at my words.
"Yes."
"Care to chat for a bit?"
"Sure. What is it?"
"Truth is, I need something made. Think you can do it?"
"What do you need?"
I drew a rough sketch on the ground as I explained.
"Something like a doll that dances on its own at set intervals."
Gong Rae, listening in from the side, piped up.
"Hey? Isn't this the one big brother made me before?"
"...What?"
At my stunned question, Gong Mil scratched his head.
"Like my little sister said, it's a doll I made before. It should be around here somewhere..."
Gong Mil asked me to wait a moment, then went into the shed beside the house and came back with something.
No way...?
What he held was a wooden doll.
A bit crude-looking, but unmistakably an automaton doll.
"Whoa..."
He'd already made one!
How much of a genius was this kid?
"But what do we do? It's broken..."
I asked him,
"Can you make another one?"
"Sure. I remember how I did it."
"Good. Then tomorrow, make one with me."
"Okay."
"And I need your permission for something."
"My permission? For what?"
"I'm going to sell the things you make to people. I want your okay on that."
"Hmm..."
Gong Mil scratched his head.
"Is that alright? What I make isn't that impressive..."
"No worries there. What you make is amazing. And I'll give you a cut of the profits. You can use that to care for your parents comfortably and buy nice things for your sister."
I asked,
"Sound good?"
After pondering a moment, Gong Mil nodded.
"Yeah."
"Hold on."
"Huh?"
I told Gong Mil,
"You can't just nod and agree right away. What if someone tricks you? Don't give instant answers."
"But young master, you saved us..."
I wagged a finger at the head-scratching boy.
"Even so, don't trust too easily. They might pull that stunt just to exploit you bigger later."
"Ah... you're right."
"If someone makes an offer like this, check the profit split, working conditions, all the fine print carefully."
"Ah..."
I gave Gong Mil a crash course on contracts, and he and Gong Rae soaked it up, eyes sparkling.
Truly rewarding pupils, these siblings.
While most villagers slept, Gold Wire Village lay shrouded in darkness, unlike the bustling Gold Wire Market.
A band of men radiating menace slipped into the village.
At their center was one man.
The Jin-gyeon Merchant Group leader.
"Preparations?"
"All set."
He smirked viciously.
Today, he'd suffered an unexpected humiliation.
That greenhorn from Eunhae had blackmailed him with the fake gold ingot he himself had made.
A crack in his pride was inevitable.
Rotten little shit...
And he'd botched the plan to snag Master Potter Gong to boot, sending his rage toward Eun Seo-ho boiling over.
But
he wasn't one to take this lying down.
Even better—they said the kid was crashing at the potter's house.
Tonight's plan was simple.
Kidnap Master Potter Gong and family, kill Eun Seo-ho.
And retrieve the fake gold ingot from him at the same time.
Dead men tell no tales.
Then frame it as bandits' work.
Gold Wire Village got raided by river pirates now and then, plundering homes.
That's why they wore fishskin garb, armed with water parting needles and water parting swords.
Icons of river pirates.
As long as they left no traces of their own, it'd pass as pirate handiwork.
So why'd the little punk have to strut around?
There was a guard at the potter's house, but numbers would overwhelm him easy.
Even if Eun Seo-ho was Eunhae spawn, no proof meant they couldn't touch Jin-gyeon.
"But do we really have to go this far?"
Hwang Ga-ryeong spoke up, and the leader replied,
"What, scared?"
"I just mean we don't need to kill. And if they figure out it's us, Eunhae won't sit idle. They're top ten in Hubei Province."
"What if that punk takes the ingot to the magistrate? Neither you nor I walks away clean."
"...So why'd you make the damn thing?"
"Who was I supposed to trust with a real one? I had no choice."
Hwang clicked his tongue inwardly.
He followed because it was the boss, but the leader's greed even unnerved him.
Others' deaths, their tears—didn't matter, as long as he lost not a single coin.