Chapter 16
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 16
Chapter 16. An Unexpected Journey (4)
At the suggestion of the Green Forest Bandits, Master and Jeong-chung, who were the representatives of our group, glanced at each other and nodded.
Then Jeong-chung approached me and whispered.
“First, it would be best to follow them to the mountain keep. This kind of thing happens often, so there is no need to worry.”
“I understand. You two are more experienced than I am, so I will follow your lead.”
Jeong bowed his head with a slight smile at my words.
Then he replied to the Green Forest Bandits.
“We will accept your offer.”
With that, we headed for the mountain keep.
Then Lim Gakwon asked me,
“Aren't you afraid?”
“What do you mean?”
“The Green Forest Bandits. They invited us, but if we refuse, they will draw their weapons.”
He looked quite worried.
But I wasn't too concerned.
“That's true. But Head Escort Gwak and Team Leader Jeong made the decision, so it should be fine.”
“Yes, you're right. If it's their decision, then it must be right. But you seem very calm. You're like a seasoned merchant. Ha ha ha.”
He's more perceptive than I thought.
Did I give myself away?
As he said, the reason I was so calm was because I had a lot of experience.
However, my attitude seemed strange to Lim Gak-won.
“No, that's not true. I'm worried too. I'm just trusting Head Escort Kwak and Assistant Chief Jung.”
I gave the credit to the two of them.
That way, he wouldn't think anything strange.
By the way, if the Green Forest Bandits invited us to their mountain keep, it must be to talk to us.
There was no need to be afraid in advance when we didn't know what they wanted to talk about.
Even if something happened, Master was with us, so we were at least safe.
Besides, the owner of the O-dong Mountain Keep that I knew was someone who hated unnecessary bloodshed.
.
.
.
Soon, we arrived at the mountain keep.
It was strategically located and surrounded by wooden barriers and sturdy fences.
As if he had been informed of our arrival, a well-built man came out.
“Hahaha! Come in, come in!”
It was a familiar face.
He looked just as imposing as I remembered, and I couldn't help but smile.
I said to Pal-gap, who was standing next to me.
“Let's get out of the carriage.”
“What?”
“He's the leader of the Green Forest Bandits, but he's also the owner of this mountain keep. If we greet them from inside the carriage, it could give them an excuse to start a fight.”
“I understand.”
Lim Gak-won nodded in agreement.
“Good thinking.”
Seeing us get out of the carriage, Master nodded slightly as if to say we had done the right thing.
As soon as we got out of the carriage, Pal-gap stood in front of me to shield me.
I tried to stop him, but he said, “It's okay.
I'm fine.”
“No, I must protect you, young master.”
“All right, I understand.”
“Besides, you are becoming more and more handsome these days, and I am worried that someone might take a liking to you. It would be troublesome if you got involved with someone dangerous.”
“....”
I decided to stay quietly behind Pal-gap.
Meanwhile, Master and Jeong-chung bowed to the big man with clasped hands.
“Greetings, mountain hero. I am Kwak Myeong-hyun, head escort of the Changin Escort Agency.”
“I am Jeong Chung, third leader of the Eunhaesang Trading Company.”
“I am Jang Dae-soo, owner of the O Dongsan Mountain Keep.”
I remember that name.
Jang Dae-soo, the Wolf Tooth Blade Ghost.
It was an alias given to him because he wielded a wolf tooth sword like a ghost.
“It's cold, so I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to rest a while before continuing on, so I asked you to come here.”
“Thank you for your kindness.”
Jeong Chung, the leader, expressed his gratitude on behalf of the group, and Jang, the boss, gave instructions to prepare a meal.
A large bonfire was lit in the middle of a wide open space, and seats were arranged around it.
Then, warm tea and grilled meat were served.
“Thank you.”
“I will enjoy it.”
When Master and Jeong-chung raised their cups to their lips, the others cautiously followed suit.
Drinking alcohol while traveling is taboo.
Jang Dae-soo knew this, so he served tea instead of alcohol.
I drank the tea as well.
This is pretty good tea. It must be expensive...
What on earth is he trying to tell us by serving us tea and meat?
“By the way...”
The boss looked at me and asked.
“You don't seem to be old enough to be a merchant.”
I smiled and replied.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Eun Seo-ho, and I work at the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“Eun... Are you related to the captain of the Eunhae Trading Company?”
“He is my father.”
He laughed heartily at my answer.
“We have a distinguished guest! Hahahaha!”
I bowed my head slightly in humility. Then I started eating again.
‘...’
But I had been feeling something strange since earlier.
It was...
“Gulp!”
“Gurgle.”
It was the sound of the Green Forest Bandits swallowing their saliva as they looked at the tea and meat, and the sound of their stomachs rumbling.
Something was strange.
I looked at the Green Forest Bandits' table while pretending to look at the food.
There were tea cups just like ours, but the color was dull.
“But why aren't they touching the meat?”
I looked closely at the meat on their tables and noticed something.
They had spread pine needles thickly and covered the meat with them to make it look like there was a lot.
“Why on earth?”
I retraced our steps.
The fact that we had to clear the snow from the mountain path meant that no carts had passed before us.
And with all the snow that had fallen, wild animals would not be out and about either.
“So that's what it was.”
I understood why they had invited us to their mountain keep.
They were suffering from a food shortage and wanted to ask us for more money to solve it.
It had been fine until now, but this year there was a particularly heavy snowfall.
Still, they had their pride, so they served us plain water and meat that had been tampered with.
It was a bluff to hide their weakness caused by hunger.
Furthermore, Jang Dae-soo, the boss, was too kind to be the leader of the Green Forest Bandits.
In this situation, we would have just attacked them and killed them all to take their goods.
Or maybe he was someone who could see the long-term picture.
A trading company like Eunhae or Changin Escort Agency would have the power to take revenge on a mountain keep like this.
He must have figured that out, which is why he reigns as the master of this mountain keep.
However, Jang Boss didn't live long.
“It was about five years before I died. He said he was attacked by the Martial Alliance.”
When I heard the news at the time, I was puzzled.
The Green Forest Bandits led by Jang Dae-soo only collected tolls and didn't cause any trouble.
However, the Martial Alliance claimed that they had defeated the evil forces of the world by conquering the O-dong Mountain Keep.
Then
a branch of the Martial Alliance was established on the site of the mountain keep and began collecting money from travelers under the pretext of protection.
It was truly outrageous.
The white-robed martial artists were doing what the black-robed martial artists had done, and it was being justified.
At that moment, Boss Jang Dae-soo opened his mouth with a serious expression.
“Actually, our mountain keep is in dire straits.”
“I can imagine, since no one is coming or going because of the snow.”
“That's why I'd like to ask for a little more this time.”
“I understand, but it's difficult because we have a fixed amount of money we receive.”
“Please consider our situation.”
As expected, the conversation continued, and I watched the situation unfold.
However, a memory flashed through my mind, and I felt frustrated by the situation.
That was it.
“Ugh...”
I let out a sigh without realizing it.
“Hm?”
Boss looked at me and asked.
“Did you just sigh?”
“I'm sorry.”
This was my fault.
I quickly apologized, but Jang Dae-soo didn't seem to be willing to let it go.
“I want to hear your reason.”
The atmosphere turned cold in an instant.
At that moment, Pal-gap quickly knelt down.
“Please forgive our young master. He is still young and inexperienced…”
I looked at Pal-gap.
What on earth am I doing?
And then I realized.
I don't want to be a bad liege…
I put my hand on Pal-gap's shoulder.
“Get up.”
“Young master...”
“The only person who should kneel is me. So get up.”
At my words, Pal-gap raised his head and looked at me.
His face was moved.
I felt a little embarrassed when he looked at me like that.
Hiding my embarrassment, I looked at Boss Jang and said confidently.
“Actually... I found this conversation ridiculous.”
“What?”
The killing intent emanating from Jang Dae-soo froze everyone around him. Those with weak martial arts skills and those who knew nothing about martial arts turned pale and began to tremble.
But I wasn't the type to be intimidated by such things.
I had fifty years of inner arts training and decades of experience.
“Why are you acting so short-sighted without thinking about solving the fundamental problem?”
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
He grabbed the sword of the soldier next to him.
Then Master and Jung-chung also raised their weapons.
They were ready to attack at any moment.
It was a tense moment.
“Ugh!”
I sighed again, as if to show my disapproval.
Now was not the time to be timid.
It was time to push forward boldly.
And the Boss I knew was someone who liked to take risks when necessary.
“Why are you grabbing your weapons again? That's also short-sighted.”
“Now, Boss...”
Jang Boss tried to say something to me, but I cut him off.
“Boss. The reason this mountain keep is in trouble is because of the snow, right?”
“Can't you see that?”
“Then why don't you clear the snow?”
“What?”
“If snow is the problem, then just clear it away and pave the road. That way, more people will use this road. It's better to pay a toll than to take a long detour.”
“...”
Chae-ju blinked at my words.
Then the Green Forest Bandits around us began to murmur.
“Come to think of it...”
“Why didn't I think of that?”
“As expected, you're smart because you're educated.”
I was speechless.
I couldn't believe that no one had thought of such a simple solution.
'On the bright side, at least we'll save five years this time.
This was beneficial not only for the escort agencies but also for our Eunhae Trading Company.
If we could shorten the transportation time, it would be more profitable for us even if we had to pay the toll.
The boss cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Um, I see. There was such a method.”
“You are the owner of this place, Odongsan, right? As the owner, you have a responsibility to manage your own land. Isn't that right?”
“That... is it?”
“If the road is damaged, you should repair it, and if it snows, you should clear it. Are you trying to collect tolls without even doing that much work?”
“...Um.”
“If the road is well maintained, everyone will want to use it. It saves a lot of time. Then you won't need to ask for tolls, will you?”
Jang Dae-soo, who had been clearing his throat, laughed heartily as if to hide his embarrassment.
“Haha, you're a smart guy. I envy the captain of the Eunhae Trading Company!”
The other Green Forest Bandits nodded in agreement.
“We've got work to do.”
“Yeah, that way we can collect our money with confidence.”
The sudden change in atmosphere made our group feel uncomfortable.
“That's a good idea. I'll accept your proposal.”
“Good decision. And…”
I approached Jang Dae-soo.
When I approached him, he looked puzzled. He was taken aback by my approach.
“Let's talk in private.”
Jang Boss looked even more confused at my words.
“You want to talk in private?”
“I have something important to tell you.”
Jang Boss tilted his head for a moment, then nodded and stood up.
“Let's do that.”
At that moment, Jeong Chung quickly shouted,
“I'll be there too!”
Boss Jang smiled at his words.
“You worry too much. Your young master is stronger than you.”
“What?”
While Jeong Chung was taken aback by his words, Boss Jang pointed to a spot.
“There's a quiet place over there. Let's go.”
“Yes.”
At that moment, Pal-gap quickly came to my side.
“I don't know about the others, but I must stay by your side. I am your servant.”
Unlike when he was talking to Jeong-chung, Jang Chae-ju nodded readily.
“That's right. That is what servants are for.”