Chapter 182
Chapter 182
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 182
Chapter Title: The Price of Information
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All the wealthy people in the world fall into one of two categories.
Those who inherited a fortune of ten thousand gold, or those who pulled themselves up and earned it on their own.
Jin Yeong-gil was the latter. The young merchant dreamed of becoming a titan who dominated the markets of the world, and he devoted his entire life to that ambition.
A mere peddler with no inherited wealth had gone through countless trials to reach this point.
He had lived ruthlessly, thinking only of accumulating riches.
And the status he had clawed his way to...
One of the world's top three richest men, a powerhouse who could dictate the price of silk across Szechuan.
"You must have much to say. Speak it all. I'll listen and decide how many bolts of silk it's worth."
He was the one who set the price. This was the power he had craved his entire life, sacrificing everything for it.
When people stood before him, they scrambled desperately to inflate their own value.
Watching that struggle was one of Jin Yeong-gil's greatest pleasures.
That was why he had asked.
He was curious just how much value the boy who had healed him placed on himself.
But...
Baek Yang-hui shattered Jin Yeong-gil's expectations.
"How many bolts will you offer? I'll tell you that much."
An insolent response. Not even the young lord of the Tang Clan, just the scion of some insignificant martial family clinging to them, daring to speak like this.
"Amusing. Is it arrogance, or confidence?"
He applied a subtle pressure, but Baek Yang-hui didn't flinch.
He even let a faint smile creep onto his face.
"Which do you think it is?"
"If you were a fool, it would be the former. But according to my son, you're known as the sharpest mind in all of Gangseo."
"Then it's confidence."
"Hahaha. Do you have so much faith in yourself that you act this way before me, Jin Yeong-gil?"
"Shouldn't a true man have faith in himself?"
A valid point. One who doesn't believe in themselves can never accomplish great things.
"What's wrong with showing a bit of spine to the man whose life you saved?"
"Ho. Are you pointing fingers? You saved my life, yet instead of thanks, you jump straight to demanding your due?"
Baek Yang-hui shrugged casually and replied.
"Your first words were about value, so you seem like the calculating type. No issue there."
"...First, one bolt."
Jin Yeong-gil picked up a small wooden token engraved with the pattern of a silk bolt and continued.
"I'll give you one bolt. So speak worth one bolt."
The finest silk, called Chok-geum, was worth about fifty silver taels per bolt.
An able-bodied man earned one silver tael working all day, so it was a luxury beyond the reach of most.
Considering inn storytellers got a single coin per tale, this was incredibly profitable.
'Well, the value of words varies wildly depending on the information they carry.'
For example, like this.
"Our Baek Clan and the Tang Clan have developed a new poison-antidote martial theory through exchange."
"Ho. That alone seems worth more than one bolt."
"Only you need to know, Clan Lord."
"Still doesn't balance the scales."
Jin Yeong-gil picked up two tokens and tapped them on the side table by his bed.
The wood clacked pleasantly against wood.
"Three bolts. Make it six total."
"Man-geum syndrome is caused by harmful energies entering the body. Yours had progressed to a malignant state. Think of it as using poison-antidote principles to treat the malignancy."
In truth, it was the power of pure righteous energy that had eradicated the latent demonic energy hidden in Jin Yeong-gil's body.
Righteous energy, which guided all things to correctness, was the ultimate counter to foul energies like demonic qi.
'Even if you know the treatment, holding the wrist for a single gak to diagnose doesn't explain the cure. Impossible without righteous energy.'
But he had no intention of telling anyone about that.
'Blood-eyed Ra said something like that at Geomwang Fortress. That I'm the prophesied arch-nemesis.'
Utter nonsense Blood-eyed Ra spouted the moment he sensed the righteous energy.
He'd never heard it in his past life, so Ra must know something about righteous energy and reacted to it.
Better to keep it hidden, just in case.
"So that's how it is. Whether true or not, you're not planning to tell me?"
Instead of elaborating, Baek Yang-hui just smiled.
"Two more bolts."
When no answer came, Jin Yeong-gil added more tokens.
"Two more, for a total of ten."
"......"
"That's quite valuable. We'll skip it then. Tell me something else."
'Sharp at calculating profit and loss.'
He deemed it useless information for himself right now and didn't even bother with curiosity.
In truth, Jin Yeong-gil didn't care what the treatment was.
He had woken in a single day, so he was confident no sinister ritual had been performed.
'Then shall I toss him the information he wants.'
"My lord's man-geum syndrome is completely cured."
"You claim full recovery from just holding my wrist for one gak to diagnose?"
"That's the value of the Baek Clan and Tang Clan."
"Fascinating."
"I've given good news, so shall I share some bad? Man-geum syndrome can recur anytime."
Jin Yeong-gil furrowed his brow. His irritable demeanor sharpened.
"Why... Hm. You have to eliminate the root cause."
"Exactly. For reference, we haven't found it yet. Will you cooperate in the search?"
Another token joined the table.
"Tell my son later about how to cooperate."
A sudden playful impulse rose. He lifted one corner of his mouth and asked.
"You trust your young clan lord, I see?"
"This Jin Yeong-gil certainly has many enemies. Living a life of fighting alone without inheritance means no friends, only foes."
Jin Yeong-gil was one of the world's top three tycoons but famous for avoiding the social scene.
More precisely, he focused solely on running his merchant company, eschewing separate socializing.
Not from a longstanding noble house, he had no inherited connections.
"Take one bolt off."
"Why?"
"What you just said seems worth one bolt."
"That's no secret. So you've found its value?"
Jin Yeong-gil wasn't indifferent to building connections.
He just ignored worthless ones.
"What about the Tang Clan?"
"......"
Instead of answering, three tokens clacked onto the table.
"Including the one deducted, four more bolts."
Baek Yang-hui thought to himself despite himself.
'Ah. This guy's fun.'
This uncle had a really entertaining personality in conversation.
"You rate my uniqueness highly?"
"Plus, even with the Tang Clan mentioned, the young clan lord beside you showed no change in expression."
Learning the young lord of the Tang Clan Household's temperament was worth something too, it seemed.
"The Tang Clan, eh. I'll answer that later. Keep talking?"
"Now I'd rather ask. Deduct one bolt—you said you have many enemies, but you don't seem wary of the most dangerous one?"
A king's greatest rival was usually the crown prince.
But Jin Yeong-gil smiled warmly.
Who knew that irritable, cold face could soften like that.
"It's different. Family can never be enemies."
Family was different. True enough.
Though he was curious how far "family" extended.
"My turn to speak again."
"Earn your keep and talk hard."
"The physician Jeom-chang brought isn't a disciple of the Divine Physician Seong-su."
"Ah. So you really are the divine physician's disciple."
"Not me either."
"Hm?"
Confusion crossed Jin Yeong-gil's face, soon turning to bewilderment.
"My son said you caused quite a stir. All that was bluff?"
"I did have a connection in the past. But not as a disciple."
It was from his past life, but the past was the past.
So it wasn't a lie.
Jin Yeong-gil picked up a token and asked.
"I have to ask this. How did you plan to clean up the mess?"
Hm. Honestly, he hadn't even thought there'd be a mess when he did it.
"At first, I just borrowed the divine physician's reputation to treat you quickly. I didn't know Jeom-chang would bring an imposter disciple to stay as a guest."
A sudden transmission rang out.
-That's your only reason, Brother Hui!
Dang-geon, who had listened calmly without betraying any emotion until now.
But he couldn't hold back this time.
"Come to think of it, you didn't reveal your identity at first. Once treated, you figured the impersonation wouldn't matter."
"Yes. Though things escalated, it's still no issue now."
At this point in the conversation, Jin Yeong-gil should have one question.
'He's surely wondering. Why take the risk of approaching with lies, acting so boldly.'
The original goal was to make connections and squeeze money periodically, so excuses would sound lame.
Well, spotting the Ming Cult gave him an alibi now.
But instead of asking that, Jin Yeong-gil fell deep into thought.
'As expected of one titled world-domineering. Deep thinker.'
More precisely, Jin Yeong-gil knew how to cut to the core.
He didn't waste time on irrelevancies.
Probably due to his obsessive valuation of everything.
He seemed to abhor worthless endeavors.
Tak-tak-tak-tak.
Ten tokens spilled onto the table.
"Speak worth ten bolts."
"Mind wandering because you're short a piece?"
"Like crossing a stepping-stone bridge made of rocks, only to find a gap midway."
Nice metaphor.
Words worth ten bolts.
End it in one line.
"Brother Dang. Shall we renew the ten-year covenant?"
"Hm? What do you mean, Brother Hui?"
Chuckling, he raised his hand.
His spread fingers balled into a fist, as if grasping the world.
"The Baek Clan will secure the waterways within ten years."
"......"
"The Baek Clan is in Gangseo."
"......"
"Well? Worth ten bolts?"
Incredulity, or suspicion.
Jin Yeong-gil stared at Baek Yang-hui for a long while.
He didn't blurt out nonsense like "What do you mean?" That satisfied Baek Yang-hui once more.
"Ah, I want to tell you my dream too."
"Speak."
"A man should hear 'world's best' at least once in his life."
Jin Yeong-gil's face changed dramatically.
As expected. Just as he thought.
Old and ill, but Jin Yeong-gil was a man.
He knew the tycoon title wasn't enough to satisfy him.
Clatter!
About twenty tokens hit the table.
"One more. But if it's not the answer I want, I'll take them back."
Without hesitation, Baek Yang-hui answered immediately.
"Hire Jeom-chang."
A moment later. The same expression appeared on Baek Yang-hui and Jin Yeong-gil's faces.