Chapter 168
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 168
Chapter 168. Bok-Yoon (1)
The wind gradually grew colder.
It meant that we were getting closer to the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
“I think we should stay at the inn ahead and replenish our supplies.”
We nodded at Jin-Yoo's suggestion.
Seo Woo had led us to Beijing, but from Yingling, Jin Yu took the lead.
This was because Jin Yu was the only one who had been to Beijing.
Of course, I had been to Yingling in my previous life, but I couldn't reveal that here.
Jin Yu continued.
“This is the busiest place, so we should be able to get what we need at a reasonable price.”
Soon, we arrived at the inn that Jin Yu mentioned.
“Oh my! Why is this inn so big?”
I chuckled at Pal-gap's remark. The three warriors, except for Jin Yu, also looked surprised.
That was because the inn was indeed very large.
The huge five-story building looked just like the Yeochun Inn built by Sect Leader Gong and the couple Padu and Yeon-ga-hwa, whom we had visited not long ago.
“Although Liaoning is considered a remote area, it has many special products and is the most prosperous place in the northeast.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Ginseng and deer antlers are the most famous medicinal herbs, and jade crafts and horses are also famous.”
Jin Yu Musha expressed his admiration in a low voice.
“As expected of my Liege. You know so much about places like this.”
“Yes, I haven't been here yet, but I've heard a few things.”
In my past life, it was much later that our Eunhae Trading Company advanced into Liaoning.
This place is also a remote area, so merchants who had already established themselves had a monopoly on medicinal herbs such as ginseng and deer antlers.
That's why we were only able to open a branch here and expand our business after we became one of the ten largest trading companies in the world.
We dismounted from our horses and headed for the inn.
A waiter came out to greet us.
“Welcome. How many people are there?”
“Four.”
“Leave your horses with me and come inside.”
Just as we were about to hand the reins to the waiter and go inside, there was a sudden commotion.
“Young master! Don't let go of the reins!”
He wasn't talking to me.
It wasn't Pal-gap's voice in the first place.
Hee-ing!
I turned my head toward the sound of excited horses and people shouting frantically.
A young man who looked about my age was riding a bucking horse, looking panicked and not knowing what to do.
“Calm down! Calm down!”
Hee-ee-ing!
But the horse had no intention of calming down and was running toward me.
“Be careful!”
I tried to get out of the way, but stopped.
If I just got out of the way, the young man would fall off the horse and be seriously injured. He could even die.
That was when it happened.
“Kuit!”
I didn't know when it had come out of my sleeve, but Geumryeong stood on my shoulder and scolded the horse.
The only sound Geum-ryeong made was “Koo-ee,” but to my ears, it sounded like a scolding.
At that moment
"....
The horse began to calm down. At that moment, I looked into the horse's eyes.
They were frightened, as if it had seen something formidable.
Anyway, I was glad that it had calmed down.
Geum-ryeong quietly returned to my sleeve, and I approached the horse and gently stroked it.
“Calm down. You almost hurt your master.”
Pffft...
I deliberately approached the horse and spoke to it because I thought people would find it strange.
It had been running toward me, but suddenly stopped and calmed down.
As a spiritual beast, it was not good for Geumryung to be noticed by people.
But the horse seemed strangely afraid of me.
I looked up and asked the young man riding the horse.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes.”
“Be careful getting down.”
The young man got off the horse with the help of others.
“Thank you very much.”
“Thank you for helping our young master.”
Meanwhile, the young man drank some water and seemed to have calmed down. He approached me and greeted me politely with a clasped hands greeting.
“Thank you for your help. My name is Bok-yoon, the captain of the Gwang-joon Trading Company.”
I knew the Gwang-joon Trading Company.
It was a trading company that dealt in horses.
This area of Liaoning bordered nomadic tribes, so there were many horses here.
By maintaining good relations with them and supplying high-quality horses to the Central Plains, they had risen to become one of the 100 greatest trading companies in the land.
Come to think of it, I had seen the head of the Guangjun Trading Company at the last meeting of the 100 greatest trading companies.
But suddenly, a strange thought crossed my mind.
In my previous life, the captain of the Gwangjun Trading Company was not the man standing in front of me, but a man named Bok-yeong.
However, I dismissed the thought and greeted him with a clasped hands greeting.
“Ah, I am Eunseo-ho, the junior captain of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
It wasn't a secret that I was going to the North Sea. The reason was a secret.
Upon my introduction, he asked with surprise.
“You are the one with the sword skill.”
Ugh, his name has spread this far!
“It is an undeserved name.”
“No, not at all. Just by saving my life today, I understand why you were given such a name.”
At that moment, the waiter informed us that our room was ready.
“Please go in carefully and get some rest.”
“Thank you.”
We followed the waiter into the inn.
In the meantime, those who had come with Captain Bok-Yoon must have examined the horse closely, because they began to murmur.
“There was a needle stuck in the front leg of the horse.”
“That's why the horse was so agitated!”
“Who on earth did this?”
At that moment, Jin-yu sent me a telepathic message.
“It looks like the work of an assassin, judging by the needle stuck in the horse's front leg.”
“An assassin?”
“Yes. It looks like they tried to make it look like an accident, but they are more skilled than I thought.”
Only then did I realize why the captain of the Gwangjun Trading Company was someone else in my previous life.
So, it was an assassination disguised as a martial aunt.
And when I saw the captain of the Bokyeong Trading Company in my previous life, the Gwangjun Trading Company had just been pushed out of the top 100 trading companies.
It wasn't that he was completely incompetent, but he was just average.
In that case, it must be the work of those who are jealous of or want to keep Gwangjoon Trading Company in check.
I asked Jin-yu, the warrior.
- Do you have any idea who the assassin is?
- There are a few suspects, but I'm not sure.
- Please look into it discreetly.
- Yes, sir. Are you planning to stop him?
“We must stop them if we can.”
Jin-yu Musha looked impressed by my words.
Of course, I wanted to stop the assassin from killing someone, but I also didn't want to see someone die in front of my eyes.
If we could save them, we had to.
However, I wasn't just trying to stop the assassination out of the goodness of my heart, so I smiled bitterly.
If Captain Bok-Yoon dies while we are at the inn, we will be investigated for the incident and our feet will be tied here.
This will further delay our already delayed schedule.
And if I help Captain Bok-Yoon this time, he may help me in the future.
It may be calculated, but I have no choice.
It is my instinct as a merchant, and I am helping him despite the danger.
I sent a telepathic message to Jin-yu.
“I am not such a good person.”
“No, you are. Considering how you saved me and what I have seen of your Liege's actions, he is a good man.”
“I appreciate you saying that.”
Then Pal-gap asked, “But why did you calm him down earlier?”
“But, young master.”
“Why?”
“How did you calm him down just now?”
Hearing this, the other warriors looked at me with curious expressions.
I smiled awkwardly and replied.
“It wasn't me. It was Geum-ryeong.”
“What?”
“Geum-ryeong said something, and he suddenly became quiet.”
“But it seemed like you were afraid of your liege.”
I scratched my cheek at Seo Mu's words.
“That's right. I'm not that scary.”
Pal-gap stared at me intently at my words.
“Why?”
“Nothing.”
.
.
.
After being shown to our room, we had lunch at the inn and then went out to the market.
As it was the busiest place in Yingning, we were able to buy the things we needed at reasonable prices.
“We should buy some beef jerky first, right?”
“Yes, and we also need to buy some leather bags to carry water.”
Jin-yu continued.
“Further north, water is scarcer than you might think. So we need to fill up as much as we can when we find water. And of course, we need to use it sparingly.”
Usually, when preparations like this are being made, I rest or do other things, but here I decided to go along.
This was a strange place, and there might be something I could do to help.
Then I saw a familiar face.
“Ah! It's you again. Captain Eun.”
“Captain Bok.”
It was Captain Bok Yoon of the Gwangjun Trading Company.
“What are you doing here in Jangsi?”
“I have a long journey ahead of me, so I came out to buy some jerky and water bags.”
“I can help you with that. I know a great place to get those things.”
He smiled and offered to help me.
“Follow me.”
He took me to a place that specialized in selling goods necessary for long journeys.
“You can find most of what you need here.”
“I didn't know there was a place like this.”
Actually, I knew this place, and I was planning to lead my party here.
Due to its geographical location, there were quite a few people traveling long distances in Liaoning, but the number was not large.
This meant that they had to prepare the necessary supplies themselves.
However, there were many different types of supplies, and they were not commonly used by the general public, so they were not easy to find.
Then, a merchant came up with a brilliant idea.
What if he specialized in selling items necessary for long-distance trade and travel?
The result was a huge success, and this place became the largest long-distance trade goods market in Liaoning.
However, since I was visiting here for the first time, it might seem strange if I knew everything.
So I admired it as if I had never seen it before, and Captain Bok-Yoon smiled and pointed inside.
“Come in.”
He led us in and handed one of the doors to a man waiting with a cart next to the door.
“Let's go.”
“Yes, sir.”
Bok-Yoon explained to us.
“We have to buy goods in large quantities, so it's impossible for people to carry them all. That's why we have cart drivers follow us with their carts. Of course, they also help load the goods.”
“Do you deliver?”
He nodded in response to Seo Woo's question.
“Yes, for a fee.”
In my previous life, I saw this and wondered if I could apply it in Hubei Province, but I quickly gave up.
This was unique to this area.
We loaded the cart with jerky, sturdy leather water bags, and other supplies.
When we went to pay, Captain Bok-Yoon interrupted.
“I will pay for these items.”
“No, it's fine.”
“I'm buying them to show my gratitude.”
After some haggling, Captain Bok-yoon finally paid for the goods.
I smiled lightly, told the cart driver where the inn was, and paid him.
“Please deliver them.”
“Yes, sir.”
Then I said to Captain Bok-yoon, "I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you.
“I will treat you to lunch today.”
“No, it's fine.”
“Even though I calmed him down and saved Captain Bok, I received more than I deserved for what I did. I would feel bad if I didn't at least buy you a meal.”
Captain Bok-Yoon nodded in agreement.
“Then, it's settled.”
We headed to a nearby tavern.
Taverns are usually places to drink, but they also serve meals during the day.
As we were heading there, Jin-yu sent me a telepathic message.
"I see some suspicious people.
Keep an eye on them.
Yes.
We soon arrived in front of the tavern, and Captain Bok-Yoon looked surprised.
“This place is quite expensive, isn't it?”
“It's fine.”
I gently pushed him forward and entered the tavern.
“Assassins cannot enter here.”
“I see.”
“Are you planning something?”
I chuckled to myself at the samurai's words.
He knew that this was an expensive tavern.
Expensive taverns like this are usually well guarded.
And it wouldn't be easy for an assassin to order such expensive food.
I decided to wait for another opportunity.
At least I should be able to eat in peace.
“That table looks good.”
I chose a table where the assassin couldn't see us from outside.
As we sat down, Captain Bok-Yoon lowered his voice and said, “The Captain must have noticed.”
“It seems that Captain Eun has noticed.”
“What?”
“That there is an assassin targeting me.”