Ghost Market (5)
Soon, the auction house manager arrived, and I asked him,
"So, can I really receive the genuine elixirs today?"
"I'm sorry, but for some reason, it seems we need to verify things more thoroughly."
"I see."
"Um, to prevent any unfortunate incidents, would it be all right if we searched your bodies?"
If I refused the body search here, they would definitely find it suspicious.
I stood from my seat and said,
"If it's to clear up the misunderstanding, I can endure that much. But do we all have to undergo a search?"
"Yes, given the circumstances..."
"In that case, since this person is a woman, please have another woman conduct her search."
"Understood."
Soon, a woman in red robes entered, and we were each searched separately.
Of course, nothing turned up on any of us.
I'd had the golden token hidden elsewhere in advance.
Once the searches were finished, I asked the auction house manager,
"Now, is the misunderstanding cleared?"
"Yes. We're terribly sorry."
"Actually, we have circumstances requiring us to leave this place by day after tomorrow at the latest. Can we receive the items within that time?"
"We'll make it happen. Two days from now, we'll hang a blue ribbon on the third floor of Yeongryeong Inn nearby. Come there when you see it."
"Then we'll await your word."
We rose from our seats and left the building.
Then, as we browsed the merchants' tents, we headed for the exit of the Ghost Market. Our business here was done.
At that moment, someone cried out.
"Please, I beg you! Sell this sword to me!"
I turned at the voice. In front of a weapons stall, a man was bowing his head low.
"I'll repay the shortfall somehow later..."
"Do you know who I am, to hand this over at half price?"
"I, well... Anyway, I beg you."
A man was haggling with the merchant over a sword displayed on the counter.
The listed price was one thousand silver taels.
A considerable sum.
He seemed to be trying to pay half upfront and put the rest on credit.
What's the story behind that sword?
His appearance and demeanor didn't suggest an ordinary warrior. He was reluctant to reveal his identity, too.
He pleaded desperately once more.
"If I can't get my hands on this sword, I'll die."
"Your plight is pitiable, but those are the rules here. We also have to hand over a hefty commission to the market's owner, so we can't accommodate your situation."
His tone was gentle, but his eyes were ice-cold.
"Please, I beg you."
He prostrated himself before the man, but the merchant remained unmoved.
Of course—no one without that mindset could do business here.
Even listening this far made him a good merchant.
But what on earth is that sword, to make him beg like this?
I approached the sword for a closer look.
From the aura it emanated and the quality of its material, it was clearly an exceptional blade.
But who is this man, exactly...?
As I turned my head with those thoughts, the man's upper garment rode up, revealing a scar on his back.
"......!"
That "之"-shaped scar...
I rubbed my eyes in disbelief, but there was no mistaking it.
In my previous life, the Moyong family had been loyal to the Murim Alliance. They actively participated in the Alliance's initiatives, without a doubt.
But it hadn't always been that way.
They changed course after a new family head took over.
That head wasn't the former lord's eldest son, but his third.
Typically, the position would go to the eldest or second son, but something happened to them, leaving the third to inherit.
The eldest had been flawless as heir apparent, but he'd been ousted from young lord due to some scandal.
And I knew that eldest son well.
In my previous life, while passing through Yonyeong territory, I'd run into bandits—and he'd come to my aid.
His name was Moyong Taegol.
After his expulsion, he'd taken charge of the family's armed forces.
We grew close through that connection.
Whenever I visited Yonyeong, we'd share drinks; in summer, we'd swim in the river and such...
That's when I saw that scar.
When I asked about it, he said it was from a childhood brawl with street thugs.
It was such a distinctive mark that it stuck with me.
His face was hidden behind a goblin mask, but it had to be him.
He'd lamented watching the Moyong family get tossed about by the Murim Alliance's whims.
"What's the use of me saying anything? The family head now is... that guy."
"......"
"It really chafes. If I hadn't lost that sword! I wouldn't have been pushed out of the young lord position!"
"What sword are you talking about?"
"The sword my grandfather gave me as our house's heirloom treasure. It only revealed its true form in the hands of direct bloodline heirs. But... one day, it vanished."
"Vanished?"
"Yes. I searched desperately for it but ultimately... failed. Having lost the trust of Grandfather and the elders, I was forcibly removed from young lord."
Then that sword had to be the one Moyong Taegol had lost as young lord.
He'd tracked rumors of its whereabouts and somehow learned it was here.
But one thousand silver taels stood in the way of reclaiming it.
In my previous life, I'd wondered what path the Moyong family might have taken if not the third son Moyong Seonggol, but Moyong Taegol as young lord had become head.
Beyond that, I was glad for the chance to repay the favor I'd received back then.
I approached him and the merchant.
"This sword—is it one thousand silver taels?"
The sword seller nodded at my question.
"Ah, yes. That's right."
I pulled ten bearer notes worth one hundred taels each from my pouch and offered them.
There are two kinds of notes: named and bearer.
Named notes are cashed by the listed bearer on your behalf; bearer notes are prepaid to the exchange upon issuance, so you just present them for payout.
Naturally, the ones I'd brought were bearer notes.
Couldn't risk exposing my identity.
And bearer notes are standard for places like this.
"Please verify."
The merchant checked the notes and nodded.
"These are genuine."
"Then this sword is mine now?"
"Of course. Thank you for your business."
With the deal sealed just like that, the young man—Moyong Taegol—who'd been pleading to buy it flailed his hands in panic.
"N-no, wait, you can't do this."
"What can't I?"
"The deal between me and the merchant isn't finished yet."
The merchant shot back coldly.
"What deal? The rule of the Ghost Market is whoever pays first owns it!"
"But..."
His voice rang with utter desolation.
I chuckled softly and handed him the sword.
"Here, take it."
"......Pardon?"
"It's yours now."
I continued,
"I just bought it on a whim because I wanted to gift it to you. So take it."
His eyes were dazed.
Those familiar features brought a smile to my face.
"Don't lose it again."
I forced the sword into his arms and turned away without lingering.
"W-wait, who are you?"
"It's rude to ask that here."
"But..."
"Just think of it as the goblins leading you astray."
With those words, I left the Ghost Market and returned my mask.
Then I moved at top speed.
I sensed presences tailing us.
I cranked my pace to the max and zigzagged my path as I raced through Yonyeong territory.
About fifteen minutes later, it seemed we'd shaken them—no more presences.
I said to Bing Hae-rin, the deputy palace lord,
"You endured admirably."
"The future of the Ice Palace hinges on my conduct."
"Good attitude. Now, let's do one thing with that resolve."
"What sort of thing...?"
I grinned and continued,
"I'll tell you on the way back."
A short while later, we returned to the Gwangjun Merchant Group.
I stopped by my quarters before heading to Deputy Leader Bing Hae-rin's room.
"First, take this."
"......?"
She tilted her head quizzically and lifted the lid of the basket.
"......!"
Her face lit up in shock as she looked at me.
"Oh my! Th-this is..."
"Correct. The genuine elixirs you were swindled out of at the North Sea Ice Palace."
"But earlier, you said those were fakes..."
I didn't respond to that and brought up something else.
"I'm going to spread a rumor that you, the deputy palace lord of the North Sea Ice Palace, brought these here to sell. Your disciples will arrive tomorrow, so that'll give the rumor wings."
She already knew her disciples were en route.
"Someone will surely approach the deputy palace lord."
"......Is that person the culprit behind this?"
"High probability."
He couldn't escape the Ghost Market owner's clutches without handing over the real ones.
***
A fairly large house next to the Im Cheong-mil Merchant Group leader's mansion.
Its owner was a man named Choseok, who was preparing to flee at any moment.
One part of those preparations was selling off the North Sea Ice Palace's elixirs through the Ghost Market's auction.
He despised the North Sea Ice Palace.
His family, once living large, had been ruined because of them.
As he nursed dreams of revenge, opportunity knocked.
Someone approached him and revealed a way to get even.
"The North Sea Ice Palace sells those elixirs to procure food supplies. But with the famine, food is scarce. What if the elixirs they brought to sell turned out to be fakes? Wouldn't that be entertaining?"
"The Ice Palace going hungry! Heh heh heh. Just hearing it is delightful."
"Something like that is well within your means, given your wealth."
Even after his family's fall, he was still rich.
The man explained the details.
"......Just divert those elixirs and pass them to Yonyeong's Ghost Market. You'll lose a chunk to commission, but it'll be worth it."
"I see. But why tell me this method?"
"I don't like the North Sea Ice Palace either."
He immediately followed the mysterious man's instructions to the letter and observed the carts heading to the Ice Palace, confirming the ploy's success.
The volume of goods had noticeably dwindled.
In any case, he'd been told to be ready to bolt anytime, so yesterday he'd handed the elixirs to the Ghost Market auction.
Morning came, and the auction manager visited his residence.
"Hahaha! Come in!"
They'd surely brought the sales proceeds, so he greeted them laughing.
"Please, come inside."
He led them to the reception room.
"Tea?"
"No need."
The man, once deferential and polite, was utterly different today.
The auction manager glanced back, and one of the accompanying warriors proffered a box.
"Take a look."
Choseok peered inside.
Not sales money—elixirs.
But not the genuine ones he'd handed over; fakes.
He could tell at a glance because he'd marked them with a personal sign to avoid confusing the fakes they'd provided with the real ones.
No—why are these here...?
Cold sweat beaded on his brow.
He'd definitely passed the real ones, yet they'd brought fakes back to him.
The fakes had come full circle to him!
"You've learned how to appraise elixirs, I see."
"I don't know much about elixirs. Hahaha. Those just happened into my hands..."
"Yet you spotted the fakes so quickly. Impressive."
"......!"
His eyes bulged.
He was cornered.
"Hand over the genuine elixirs you diverted, while I'm still asking nicely."
"What are you talking about? Genuine elixirs? I handed over the real ones, not these fakes!"
"Spotting these as fakes is proof you deceived us."
"......"
"No cooperating, then."
At his words, the warriors behind the manager seized Choseok's arms and subdued him.
The auction manager then struck his pressure points.
"!"
Despite the bone-crushing agony of divided marrow and rooted pain, with his mute acupoint sealed, Choseok couldn't even scream.
"Hah... hah hah..."
The quarter-hour that felt like a decade passed, and the manager released the mute point.
"We'll return this evening."
They left the reception room.
Choseok's vision went dark, and he collapsed in a heap.
I have to get the genuine elixirs somehow...
He hurriedly contacted the man who'd taught him the revenge method against the North Sea Ice Palace.
The guy was in Yonyeong right now, too.
But...
"H-he says no such person exists."