Chapter 179
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 179
Chapter 179. On the Way Back (2)
I smiled brightly and said, “Luckily, I can help you.
I will buy all the leather you have in storage.”
My decision was not only to repay the hunters who had helped us, but also for the benefit of the Eunhae Trading Company.
The animal skins from the North Sea region are thick and soft, making them popular among the upper classes.
However, it was difficult to find a supplier and secure a deal.
In places like this, the existing merchants are very protective of their business.
But thanks to the greed of one merchant, we now have an opening.
We can't miss this opportunity.
The hunters will be saved from having to hand over the skins, and the Eunhae Trading Company will gain a new trading partner.
This may seem like a win-win situation, but knowing what the future holds, it is more like a triple win for me.
This is because this winter will be hit by a severe cold spell.
I will never forget this winter.
Not only because of the severe cold spell, but also because it was the year I became a captain.
Even now, when I think back on it, it makes me shiver.
The number of people who died from the cold was several times higher than in previous years.
But that wasn't the end of it. The cold weather continued for five years after that.
On top of that, there was a famine, and the people's lives became extremely difficult.
As the weather grew colder, the demand for fur clothing skyrocketed.
People had to get fur clothes to keep from freezing to death.
As a result, supply couldn't keep up with demand, and the value of fur clothes skyrocketed.
Looking back on that time, trading fur here would bring us tremendous profits in the future.
We soon followed the rich hunters to the village where their tribe lived.
“This is our village.”
As expected of a hunter's village, animal byproducts were drying everywhere.
“Fook, who are your friends?”
At that moment, an elderly man appeared, and the hunter's son ran to him.
“Grandfather! We brought these people here because they said they would buy our tribe's fur.”
“Really?”
The hunter next to me said.
“He's my father. He's also the chief of our tribe.”
“Ah!”
I quickly clasped my hands together and greeted him.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Eun Seo-ho from Eunhae Trading Company.”
“I am Jigeol, the village chief. You want to buy our tribe's hides?”
“Yes.”
The hunter, who was his son, explained the situation to the old man, and upon hearing this, the chief became furious.
“Damn! You bastards! I'll shoot arrows into your heads!”
Although his words were harsh, I understood his feelings, so I just smiled faintly.
“Ahem.”
The chief seemed to notice my presence and cleared his throat.
“I'm sorry for my harsh reaction. I didn't mean to.”
“No, it's fine.”
“By the way, is this a one-time purchase of our tribe's leather, or do you intend to continue doing business with us in the future?”
“We intend to continue doing business with you.”
“In that case, follow me. I'll show you the craftsmanship of our tribe.”
He led us to a place where leather was piled up.
“These are the hides we will trade this time. Take a look.”
The chief showed us the interior with a confident expression. He must be proud of their leather craftsmanship.
I examined the hides closely.
Looking at the condition of the leather, I could see why they were proud.
What do you mean, the leather is poor quality?
This leather is of such high quality. That's ridiculous.
“How much did the merchants you traded with before pay for each piece of leather?”
“We got half a silver coin for 100 rabbit skins and half a silver coin for five wolf skins.”
Sh... I almost cursed.
Half a silver coin for 100 rabbit skins? They weren't merchants, they were bandits, except they didn't have knives.
Well, sometimes money is scarier than knives.
“I'll give you one silver coin for ten rabbit skins. And one silver coin for two wolf skins.”
The chief was taken aback and asked again.
“You'll give me that much?”
“I'm just offering a fair price. As I said, I'm a merchant, and merchants never sell at a loss.”
“I suppose so.”
The chief muttered with a disappointed look on his face.
“Then that means the guy who's been doing business with us all this time has been cheating us.”
“...”
“Son, bring me an arrow. We need to shoot that guy in the head.”
“I'll go with you.”
The atmosphere was becoming violent, so I quickly stopped them.
“Calm down. Isn't the future more important?”
“Yes, you're right.”
Then, the tribe chief's grandson, who was called Bok, said,
“But what if the merchant we used to do business with comes back and says something? From what the handsome Hyung-nim said, it seems very likely.”
I nodded in agreement.
“You're right, he's the type who would do that. But I have no intention of standing by and watching him persecute those who have agreed to trade with us.”
Once we have planted our flag, it is our duty to protect it.
“We would like to establish a branch of our Trading Company here and station some warriors. Would you grant us permission?”
Establishing a branch would naturally cost a lot of money.
However, if we could protect this place and maintain trade, that cost would be nothing.
This place was even classified as an Outer Region by the martial artists.
However, that meant that once we established ourselves here, we could reap considerable profits.
This was even more so when considering the future.
“A branch here?”
“Yes. The hunters of your tribe are not weak, but if our Trading Company establishes a branch and stationed warriors there, those merchants will not be able to cause trouble.”
The chief stared at me silently.
It was as if he was trying to see into my mind.
“How much will it cost?”
“Of course, the Silver Sea Trading Company will cover the costs.”
“Then I will give you permission.”
“Then, please take good care of them until our trading company dispatches personnel to establish the branch.”
“Don't worry about that. Our hunters are not weak.”
“You must be careful. We don't know what tricks they might try.”
That day, we decided to rest at the tribe's village and headed to the house of the chief's son.
Once inside the house, I took out my writing materials from my pocket and wrote a letter to my father.
“Geum-ryung, this is a letter to your father.”
“Kui? Kui. Kui!”
Geum-ryung wagged his tail and said something.
“So you're saying that one silver coin isn't enough because it's a long way away?”
“Kui!”
“Then two...?”
“Kui...”
“Okay, I'll give you three.”
At my words, Geum-ryeong quickly stuck out his tail.
This guy is even negotiating now.
I tied the letter to Geum-ryeong's tail, and he flew away at a considerable speed.
.
.
.
The next morning, when I opened my eyes, I saw Geumryeong sitting on my boat.
Wow, she's really fast.
I read the letter my father had sent.
“I am glad to hear that you have completed your mission in the North Sea and are returning safely. Everything is fine here. I have reviewed your proposal, and everyone is in favor of it. Sangyu Gakju was particularly pleased. I will send people to you soon.”
I smiled.
As expected, Sangyu Gakju seemed to recognize the value of this place.
While eating breakfast, I told my bodyguards and Palgak the news and told them to prepare to leave.
However, after we finished eating, Jin-yu quietly said to me.
“I have something to tell you, Liege.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“I will stay here until the people from Eunhae Trading Company arrive.”
“You're going to stay here?”
“Yes, I think it would be better. It will show the local people that we care about them, and it will give you peace of mind.”
Of course, I had no reason to refuse his offer.
The other bodyguards would have no problem returning on their own.
However, living here might be uncomfortable...
As if sensing my thoughts, Jin-yu added, “I used to live in the North Sea, so you don't have to worry. Please let me stay.”
“I feel bad that you're doing this for me.”
“Don't say that.”
“All right, then. I'll leave it to you.”
“I'll do my best.”
I told the chief that Jin-yu would be staying behind. Seeing how happy they were, I felt a little uneasy.
So we left Jin-yu behind and set off.
Our destination was the Gwangjun Trading Company.
I had to return the whistle that Bok-yoon, the captain, had lent me.
The journey from the North Sea to Yeongnam was similar to the journey here.
The tribes that were friendly with the Gwangjun Trading Company treated us well, but those that weren't...
In fact, there weren't many who bothered us.
Even though the tribes in this area were warlike, everyone valued their lives.
The tribes that had bothered us before knew that we were not to be trifled with, so they didn't even approach us.
Thus, we entered Liaoning without incident.
“It would be best to spend the night there.”
I nodded at Seo Woo's words.
“Yes, let's do that.”
There were no inns until we entered Liaoning and arrived at the Gwangjoon Trading Company, so we had no choice but to spend the night there.
It's not that there were no inns, but there were no inns that we could trust.
Rather than staying at such a place, it was better to sleep outdoors.
Now accustomed to sleeping outdoors, we prepared for the night, ate dinner, and were gazing at the bonfire when Seo Woo approached me.
“Liege.”
“Yes.”
“Was it martial arts that you were seeking this time?”
I looked at Seo Woo and he continued calmly.
“I saw you fighting at the inn. You used the same martial arts as before, but the power was clearly different.”
Seo Woo, as a martial artist who had reached his peak, seemed to have noticed my growth.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, it was as if you had been practicing martial arts in isolation for years.”
“....”
His accuracy was so accurate that it gave me goose bumps.
It was really hard because I practiced there for so long that I lost track of time.
Suddenly, tears blurred my vision.
“The smoke must be hurting your eyes.”
“Yes.”
Then, I suddenly had a question.
“By the way, do you know what kind of martial arts I use?”
“I've never seen it before. But I could tell that it was a very advanced martial art.”
“I see.”
That's good.
Seo Woo Dao is quite knowledgeable about martial arts, so if he doesn't know, then most people probably don't.
Seolpunggung was a very closed and mysterious place, and it had been more than ten years since the clan was destroyed.
That must be why Master taught me martial arts.
At that moment, Seo Woo sensed someone approaching and became alert.
However, I wasn't very nervous.
I didn't sense the same repugnance I felt from Dao.
After a while, they appeared.
There were about five of them, pulling a cart.
Judging from their appearance, they were merchants.
“We are travelers passing through. May we borrow some fire?”
Seo Woo looked at me, and I nodded and said,
“Travelers should help each other. Go ahead.”
“Thank you.”
They found a place nearby and borrowed our fire to light their own.
Even if you carry a fire starter, it's much faster to light a fire with burning wood.
“Would you like some dumplings?”
At that moment, the person who seemed to be their leader came to us with steaming dumplings.
“Thank you.”
I expressed my gratitude and asked him.
“Where are you coming from? You must have come from far away to prepare dumplings like this.”
“Hahaha, you're right. We are wandering around this area selling various miscellaneous goods. Here in Yingling, there are few houses, so we make a living by selling to the people who live here.”
“I see.”
“But you don't seem to be from around here.”
“That's right. We are from the Yinhai Trading Company in Hubei.”
“The Yinhai Trading Company?”
His reaction seemed to indicate that he knew something.
“You seem to know our company.”
“Of course. Isn't that where you make the style book and martial artist dolls? I also heard that you were ranked among the top 50 of the 100 best trading companies in the world.”
“Hahaha, that's right.”
“It's an honor to meet you.”
While I was talking to the man from the trading company, Pal-gap checked the dumplings for poison.
We couldn't let our guard down for even a moment.
He shook his head, so it seemed that there was no poison.
“It's been a long time since I've been to Liaoning. Has anything major happened recently?”
He thought for a moment before answering.
“If you mean something major that happened recently... Ah! Do you know the Sambu Trading Company?”
“Of course I do.”
“The Sambu Trading Company has collapsed and is now on the verge of bankruptcy.”
“Isn't it a well-known company in Liaoning? How did that happen...?”
“Rumors spread that someone had hired an assassin to kill the captain of the Gwangjun Trading Company, and it seems that it was true. Judging from the actions of the Gwangjun Trading Company.”
“It seems that the Gwangjun Trading Company used its power effectively.”
“Yes, that's right. I heard that the captain of that group took action himself and thoroughly pushed them out.”
I smiled to myself.
That's my friend.