Chapter 171
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 171
Chapter 171. In the North Sea (1)
The position of Inspector General was more powerful than expected.
This was because the investigation of the Three Trading Companies was conducted quickly and extensively.
However, they will not receive a severe punishment. Jihyeon must have received a considerable amount of money from the Three Trading Companies.
Unless the emperor issues a direct order, they will only receive a moderate punishment.
That will be enough.
The real culprit is someone else, and I only diverted their attention.
Now, I should slowly withdraw.
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“The road to the North Sea is very dangerous, so please take care of yourself.”
I smiled and nodded at the words of concern from Captain Bok-Yoon.
“I will. Please take care of yourself too, Captain Bok.”
“Don't worry. I'm a bit slow on the uptake.”
“That's just like me.”
I replied with a light smile and glanced at the boy next to me.
His face looked familiar.
It was Mister Bok-yeong, the younger brother of Captain Bok-yoon.
In my past life, Mister Bok-yeong became a captain of a trading company.
I heard that he was well-versed in academics.
However, unless he wanted to enter the royal court, it was not a necessary talent for a captain of a trading company.
“Mister Bok-yeong.”
“Yes.”
“Are you interested in entering the royal court?”
“...What? How did you know?”
“I can tell by looking at you. There is a school called Hyeonghakdang in Beijing. It was established not long ago, but it is taught by university professors. If you want to study, I recommend you enroll there.”
His eyes lit up at my suggestion.
As the son of a trading company owner, he had received some arithmetic education, so he was exactly the kind of talent the emperor wanted.
If he gained the emperor's favor, it would be beneficial for the Kwangjoon Trading Company.
And from what I had seen, Captain Bok-Yoon was not the type to act rashly, even if his younger brother gained the emperor's favor.
Captain Bok-Yoon nodded.
“I will take the lead and give it a try.”
“Yes.”
“And please take this.”
He handed him a small horn made from the bone of an animal.
“What is this?”
“If you happen to encounter the tribes of the prairie, this horn will be useful. It will prove that you are one of our trading company, and they will let you pass.”
It literally meant that the trading company would vouch for him.
“You must return this.”
It meant that he had to return to the trading company to return the horn, so he had to come back safely.
I could feel his feelings and nodded.
“I understand. I will definitely return it.”
I put it in my pocket and said goodbye.
“I'm going now.”
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It wasn't that I couldn't ride a horse, but running across the grasslands was harder than I had imagined.
No matter how fast I ran, all I could see was the vast grasslands.
That's why I had to bring dry food and water with me.
Occasionally, I encountered nomadic tribes, and the whistle that Captain Bok-Yoon had given me came in handy.
Not only did they not harm us, they even shared their food and water with us.
However, sometimes that didn't help, and when that happened, we had no choice but to fight.
We couldn't just let them rob us.
After traveling for several days, we finally arrived at the North Sea.
“This is the territory of the North Sea.”
I nodded at the words of the Jinmu warrior.
“I see.”
Even without his words, I knew that we were in the North Sea.
Not only did it get colder as we moved north, but there was also white snow piled up beyond the horizon.
“Are you trying to cross over to the North Sea?”
When we heard someone calling us, we turned around and saw a middle-aged man wearing fur clothes looking at us.
“Yes?”
“Are you heading for the North Sea?”
“Yes, that's right.”
When we answered yes, he frowned and said curtly.
“You must be crazy to want to die.”
“...”
His harsh words made me wonder what he meant.
“Don't talk back, just follow me.”
What is this? Why is he being so rude?
He just told us to follow him.
I stood there dumbfounded for a moment, and the man yelled at me.
“Hey! If I told you to come, why are you so suspicious? You're freezing to death. Hurry up and follow me!”
I exchanged glances with my bodyguards and followed him.
I didn't feel any particular dislike toward him, and I didn't see any malice in his actions.
He led me to a hut built under a rock.
“Tie your horse up in there.”
He pointed to a place that looked like a nomad's dwelling.
“Bring anything you need with you. You won't be able to leave until tomorrow morning.”
After tying the horse inside and carrying our luggage outside, the middle-aged man closed the door.
“This way.”
When we entered the hut under the rock, a fire was burning, and there were two men sitting around it.
One was a young man, and the other was about the same age as the middle-aged man who had brought us there.
“Who are these sudden guests?”
“They said they were crossing over to the North Sea, so I brought them here.”
“Why today of all days? You're desperate to die.”
I couldn't understand what they were talking about.
Seo Woo stepped forward and asked,
“It's still daylight. Is there a reason you can't cross over to the North Sea today?”
“You really don't know anything. Today is the day of the snowstorm.”
“Ah! Today is the day of the snowstorm?”
Hearing this, Jin-yu was startled and bowed his head to me in apology.
“I apologize. I didn't know today was the day of the snowstorm... I almost put your Liege in danger.”
“Snowstorm...?”
It was a familiar word.
It was the name of the fourth technique of the Jinseokshik sword technique I was learning.
And that martial art was the sword technique of Seolpunggung.
A middle-aged man sitting nearby explained.
“On days when the snow wind blows, it is best not to cross the North Sea. If you are caught in a strong wind mixed with snow, you won't be able to see an inch in front of you, and if you encounter flying snowflakes, you may lose your way due to the illusion.”
The fifth technique of the Twelve Movement Snow Flower Sword Technique is Snow Flower.
“If you do, you will get stuck in a snow swamp and won't be able to get out.”
Snow swamp.
That is the sixth technique.
“If you get caught in the snow in that state, you'll freeze to death.”
The second technique is snow accumulation.
I haven't seen the exact phenomenon of snowstorms they are talking about, but listening to their explanation, I think the Jinseolshik Sword Technique is a martial art based on the natural phenomena of the North Sea.
“That's why experienced hunters like us stay quietly in places like this when a snowstorm is coming.”
“I see.”
So even though the man who brought us here was rude, he did so with good intentions.
I gave them a clasped hands greeting.
“Thank you for helping us.”
“Everyone helps each other here. Otherwise, it's too harsh a place to survive.”
“But there were no signs of the snowstorm coming. How did you know?”
“It's hard to explain. It's just experience.”
Jin Yu added.
“That's right. I used to be able to sense it, but I haven't been able to since I left the North Sea.”
“So, the snowstorms don't have a specific cycle?”
“That's right. But around this time of year, they usually happen once every half month. However, once autumn arrives, they become completely unpredictable.”
“I see.”
That's why my master told me to leave before autumn.
The middle-aged man who guided us said.
“So how long are you going to stand there? Sit down. You'll get a sore neck.”
“Yes.”
When we found a suitable place to sit, he asked.
“Do you have anything to eat?”
“Yes.”
“Then eat it yourselves. We don't have enough to eat.”
I was taken aback by his gruff voice, but I felt relieved.
They seemed to know that, so they didn't offer us any of their food.
Then, the middle-aged hunter sitting in front of the bonfire asked.
“By the way... What is that...?”
Why did he suddenly stutter?
“Is that man... a woman?”
“What?”
“No, it's just that your face is so pretty, you look like a woman.”
I was taken aback by his words. But...
“Our young master is quite handsome, so I can understand why you would misunderstand.”
The bodyguards nodded in agreement with Pal-gap's words, which made me feel embarrassed.
The middle-aged hunter apologized with an embarrassed look.
“You're a man. I'm sorry for misunderstanding.”
“No, it's fine. But why did you think that?”
“This year is the year when the Northern Sea Ice Palace opens its doors for the first time in ten years.”
“It's already that time.”
Jinyu Musha explained to us with a complicated look in his eyes.
“Once every ten years, the Northern Sea Ice Palace accepts women between the ages of five and fifteen as disciples. That is what is meant by the Northern Sea Ice Palace opening its doors.”
“I see.”
“Therefore, among those who come with their escorts to knock on the doors of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, there are quite a few women who dress as men to avoid unnecessary trouble.”
“That's why you misunderstood.”
But something was strange.
“But you said that the Northern Sea Ice Palace accepts girls under the age of fifteen as disciples, right? I'm almost twenty.”
“...”
For a moment, there was a chill silence, as if a cold wind had blown in.
“I see.”
“You look young.”
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Whoosh!
Ooooh!
Sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
“That's right. It's not for nothing that the people of the North Sea avoid the snowstorms.”
“With wind like this, it must be dangerous for your lives.”
The hunter replied to Lee Pil's words.
“For ordinary people, yes. I've only heard about it from my father, but he said that the martial artists of Seolpung Palace could move freely even in snowstorms like this.”
“What? The Snow Wind Palace?”
“Oh, you've never heard of it. That's understandable. It was a very secretive place.”
“The masters there were beings who controlled the snowstorms of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”
The two hunters excitedly told him about the place.
According to their explanation, Seolpung Palace was where the beings who controlled the snowstorms of the Northern Sea Ice Palace resided, and it was also where the harmful spiritual beasts of the North Sea were dealt with and the Northern Sea Ice Palace was protected.
“It must have been an incredible place.”
“That's right. It was called Seolpung Palace because it was where the snowstorms were controlled.”
My master never told me about it in detail, but I never expected to hear such an explanation here.
“But wait a minute.”
Then Pal-gap asked them.
“Why did you say that when you were talking about Seolpungung?”
The hunter who brought us there answered that question.
“Because it doesn't exist anymore?”
“What?”
“It was destroyed. By the Demonic Cult.”
I glanced at Jin-yu's expression.
It was difficult to describe his expression as he listened to the story.
Regret? Anger? Pride?
It was a complex and subtle expression that was difficult to define.
Seeing him like that, a thought suddenly came to mind.
Could Jin-yu also be a survivor of Seolpung Palace?
The wind blew fiercely throughout the night, and I wondered if the hut would be blown away.
As if reading our minds, the hunter who brought us here said,
“Are you worried that the hut will fly away?”
“Yes...”
“Even though it looks flimsy, it's not, so don't worry and get some rest.”
“Yes.”
We took turns closing our eyes.
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A man was walking across a snow-covered field.
He was a young man in his twenties.
Although I had never seen him before, he looked strangely familiar.
He stopped in his tracks.
In front of him, a fierce snowstorm was raging.
He drew his sword.
The white blade also looked strangely familiar.
At that moment, the man's hair turned white.
The sword cut through the snowstorm with ease, and at the same time, a path appeared in the fierce wind, as if to prevent anyone from entering.
The man walked calmly into the path, and not a single piece of snow touched him.
The man stopped again, turned around, and spoke to me.
What?
“Young master! Breakfast is ready. Young master.”
I heard Pal-gap's voice.
When I opened my eyes, I saw the interior of a shabby hut instead of a snow-covered field.
Ah, it was a dream.
I heard Seo Woo-mu's voice.
“Adding this dried meat powder will make it even more delicious.”
“Ah!”
“Try it.”
“Wow! It's amazing!”
“You! Did you learn how to cook somewhere?”
“Father! This is really delicious.”
When I looked at him with a puzzled look, Pal-gap explained.
“Seo-woo Musha is making breakfast to repay you for letting him borrow your hut last night.”
“I see.”
I nodded and remembered the words of the man I saw in my dream.
He definitely said he would wait there, didn't he?