Departure (6)
Ji Taek-mun trudged back to his lodging.
Honestly, everything that had happened today felt like a dream.
No, he wished it had been a dream.
And why wouldn't he? In an instant, all his hopes had vanished.
"Damn it!"
He stopped in his tracks and swung his fist at the wall in front of him.
Thud!
"Argh!"
The sound of breaking bone rang out, followed by excruciating pain that made him clutch his hand.
"Damn! Damn! Dammitttt!"
After bellowing like that for a while, he finally calmed himself down.
What the hell do I do now?
He didn't even need to imagine the Merchant Group's leader's reaction when he reported this. It would be a barrage of insulting curses, and he'd probably get beaten half to death.
But he felt utterly wronged too.
No, if there'd been any hint of something off, I could've done something.
There hadn't been the slightest sign.
The truth was, Ji Taek-mun was a cautious and shrewd man. He'd already bribed Song Un's small unit leader's close aides to tip him off if the man did anything foolish.
But nothing suspicious had happened.
"He was just meeting merchants he knew and venting to them."
In any case, it was like a bolt from the blue.
"Hoo... Should I just run?"
Part of him wanted to flee right then and hole up somewhere no one would ever find him.
But he couldn't.
Where did he belong? The Baekcheon Merchant Group, under the Murim Alliance. Their net of warriors was terrifying enough to make his skin crawl.
"No choice, then. Hoo..."
If he delayed reporting, he wouldn't just come close to death from a beating—he'd actually die.
With a deep sigh, he returned to his room and immediately wrote a letter to Baekcheon Merchant Group Leader Namgung Kang, sending it off via messenger pigeon.
In the Baekcheon Merchant Group's leader's office.
Namgung Kang was pondering gifts for the Murim Alliance's elders.
He planned to offer some of the imports from this foreign trade—or a portion of the profits—as presents.
Of course, they were meant to curry favor.
It would be great if they joined the Three Great Merchant Groups of the World, but he had to prepare for the possibility they wouldn't.
If this venture succeeded and things kept going smoothly, it was entirely possible. But there were no guarantees everything would go according to plan.
Those fickle old fogies in the Murim Alliance could replace me anytime...
Of course, with the three-year grace period they'd given, he wouldn't be dismissed within that time. The problem was after.
Just then, a guard's voice came from outside the door.
"My lord, a messenger pigeon has arrived. It's from Namgyeong, sent by Manager Ji."
"Bring it."
The door opened, and the guard handed him the letter.
What's so urgent that they'd send a messenger pigeon now...?
Namgung Kang unfolded it casually, but his face soon hardened.
There was a reason for the pigeon.
We must return the Changhae Merchant Group. Manager Mo Cheong's ledger has been discovered...
...and in response, Namgyeong's Provincial Commander Ak Yeong-gyeong is personally heading to the Murim Alliance to lodge a protest.
He furrowed his brow.
"Manager Mo Cheong! That utterly useless bastard!"
But there was an even bigger problem.
Other officials are watching the situation as well.
Bam!
He slammed both hands on the desk.
Having to return the Changhae Merchant Group was a problem too. It meant losing the profits he'd expected and any chance to boost the group's ranking.
But the Provincial Commander was an even graver issue.
Provincial Commander Ak Yeong-gyeong.
Anyone could see he was from the Shandong Ak Clan.
And what was the Shandong Ak Clan known for? Their righteous and hot-blooded nature.
So his threat to go straight to the Murim Alliance wasn't empty talk.
Moreover, while the Ak Clan had strong influence in the martial world, their sway in the military was immense.
A force even the Murim Alliance couldn't ignore.
And a Provincial Commander was a high-ranking official of the jeong-i-pum class.
The Alliance elders couldn't just brush him off.
According to Manager Ji Taek-mun's letter, other officials were observing too.
Returning the Changhae Merchant Group was unavoidable, but the real issue was the Alliance's reaction to what he'd done.
Getting dismissed would be lucky.
Imagining the punishment awaiting him, cold sweat trickled down his back.
Just then, his adjutant entered the office and, seeing his pale face, asked,
"Leader, is something wrong?"
The moment he saw the adjutant, Namgung Kang's eyes flashed.
"You bastard."
"Pardon?"
"Because of you, we're all as good as dead! Why the hell did you go and do something I didn't order?"
"Wh-what are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"Even blinded by功績, killing Manager Mo Cheong? Guards! Seize this man and throw him in the brig!"
"Yes, sir!"
"And toss the escort team that was guarding Manager Mo Cheong into the brig too!"
"Yes, sir!"
Of course, the scheme had come from the adjutant, but Namgung Kang had approved and ordered it with glee.
But now, he needed to erase his guilt somehow.
So he had no choice but to sacrifice the schemer and the escorts as scapegoats.
But that was just a minimal measure. He needed a more fundamental solution.
After a moment's thought, he made his decision.
Right. If I can just get rid of the Provincial Commander, I can avoid the worst.
With the matter resolved, the Changhae Merchant Group returned to its original owners, including Small Unit Leader Song Un.
They just needed to handle things from there...
But seeing Song Un's face when he invited me to dinner told me otherwise.
"You didn't call me here just for a meal, did you?"
Song Un nodded at my words.
"You're right."
He let out a deep sigh laced with anger.
"What's wrong?"
"...Thanks to you, we got our group back. But cleaning up the aftermath isn't easy."
"If you put it like that, I have no idea what happened."
"I wasn't clear. My apologies."
He explained the whole story.
"I inspected the goods we were set to load on the ships. And... they were all subpar."
"You mean the quality is poor?"
"Exactly. I rushed over and demanded answers. What the hell is this?!"
"What did they say?"
"That it was the best they could do."
"What kind of idiot picks suppliers like that?"
"I looked into it... Turns out Manager Ji took bribes."
In other words, Ji Taek-mun had pocketed money on the side.
"What do we do now?"
In this situation, one could argue loading the goods as per contract and sailing off was the best option.
But that wasn't best—it was barely avoiding disaster.
The people of Daewol Kingdom weren't fools.
Showing up with shoddy goods would just earn mockery.
Worse, they might accuse us of looking down on them.
"Can I see the contract?"
"I brought it just in case."
He placed the contract before me, and I examined it.
A smile crept onto my lips at the final clause.
Well, aren't they thoughtful.
I said to Song Un,
"Look here—the contract isn't with the Changhae Merchant Group. It's in Manager Ji Taek-mun's name. Probably so he could claim the profits from this trade later."
Or maybe since Changhae was about to vanish, they made it easy to transfer to Baekcheon.
"In that case, the responsibility lies with Manager Ji."
I continued,
"Don't load those goods. If they complain, push the blame onto Ji Taek-mun."
"Understood."
Song Un nodded readily.
I chuckled and asked,
"But it doesn't seem like you were unaware of this, Small Unit Leader Song. Am I right?"
He'd brought the contracts with other groups too, after all.
"What is it you really want?"
At my question, Song Un burst into laughter.
"As expected! The man I acknowledged. Entrusting our group's future to you is the wise choice."
"Pardon?"
His expression turned serious.
"We, the Changhae Merchant Group, want to entrust ourselves to your Eunhae Merchant Group."
I'd never even considered it.
"You've helped us without ever mentioning compensation."
Well... I'd just missed the chance.
"Helping a rival without expecting reward! I'm in awe of your magnanimity."
Uh... that's not quite it.
"So after deep discussions with my father and the group's elders, we decided. Let's entrust our future to Eunhae."
But I replied calmly,
"No. You've just reclaimed the Changhae Merchant Group. You should grow it bigger."
"Exactly! But we realized that's only possible under the shadow of Eunhae Merchant Group."
"..."
Thud.
He placed something on the table.
"The Changhae Merchant Group's seal. Please don't refuse our request."
I couldn't turn it down anymore.
And Song Un was a decent fellow anyway.
And so... the Changhae Merchant Group came under our Eunhae Merchant Group.
Sheesh. I'd just been trying to screw over Baekcheon, and this is how it ends up.
.
.
.
Preparations for departure were in their final stages.
Tomorrow, we'd set sail.
I was having dinner at a tavern with Mudong Merchant Group's Small Unit Leader Dam Jin.
"To provide us with such high-quality tableware— I don't know how to thank you."
This time, Mudong had supplied excellent teacups and dishes.
Thanks to them, we could load them not just on Eunhae's ships but on Changhae's too.
Dam Jin smiled and shook his head.
"How can you say that? We know Eunhae will sell our wares at proper prices, so that's why."
He continued,
"And it's also a token of gratitude for the help at that Shandong meeting."
Ah, he meant when those low-quality fools were harassing us.
"It was the right thing to do."
"You may say that, but from my position, it meant the world."
True enough...
Being bullied like that must've been tough.
Especially wanting to pay it back to those tormentors in full.
"I'll head back to headquarters tomorrow morning."
"Safe travels."
After dinner, I saw him off and returned to the inn.
Then I called Palgap.
"Palgap. Fetch Captain Yong Eung-wan for me?"
"Got it."
Soon, Captain Yong arrived at my room.
"Have a seat."
"Yes."
He sat across from me, and I asked,
"Heading home after so long—how do you feel?"
He paused, choosing his words, then spoke.
"I'm... trembling. Honestly, I don't know how to describe it. Returning in such fine form is great, but I'm worried if my family is safe..."
I nodded with a smile.
"I can imagine a little."
I continued,
"First, I've asked the accompanying official to vouch for your status."
"Thank you."
Until the redemption price was paid, Yong Eung-wan was still a slave. This was insurance against coercion.
"They'll also witness your emancipation via redemption."
Even with the funds, the owner might pocket them and deny it.
Well, his owner was Daewol's king, so petty tricks were unlikely... but better safe.
I lifted the chest from underfoot and set it on the table.
Thump!
The sound hinted at its weight.
This thing's heavy.
"Here's the redemption price I promised."
I opened it myself. Captain Yong's eyes widened at the money inside.
"Ah..."
"With this, you and your family will be free."
"Thank you. I'll repay this debt."
"What are you talking about?"
He tilted his head at my words.
"Pardon?"
"Why would you repay it?"
"W-well... You're lending it to me."
I shook my head.
"When did I say I was lending the redemption price? I said I'd provide it."
"S-so you're really giving it to me outright?"
"Yes. That's right."
"What do you see in me to grant such grace?"
I answered flatly,
"I know you'll bring our group profits greater than this."
I went on,
"Is this money not enough to buy Captain Yong's loyalty?"
He bit his lip, then rose from his chair, prostrating on the floor.
"I, Yong Eung-wan, warrior of Daewol's Guho Clan, pledge my soul and valor to Small Unit Leader Eun Seo-ho."
As far as I knew, Daewol warriors could pledge their soul and valor only once in a lifetime.
It was that solemn a vow.
Whoa, no need to make it so heavy...