Chapter 261
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 261
Chapter 261: The Dragon and Phoenix Gather (1)
The captain of the Seobin Trading Company said to me,
“Thank you. You saved my life.”
Yes, that's right.
When Geun-gi confirmed that Gui-myeon was dead and confessed the details, everyone else was busy, so only Mister was there with him.
After things settled down a bit, he came to see me himself.
At that moment, Pal-gap cleverly intervened.
“I brought some tea. Let's have a drink and talk.”
“Oh! I didn't offer you a seat. Please, have a seat.”
We sat down in front of the table.
Gyeon-sung didn't pretend to be Captain Bok-yoon just to get the silver plate.
What he really wanted was the life of Captain Se-bin.
That was why he looked at me with relief instead of resentment.
“I interrogated the Boss of Yeongsa Bang and found out why he did it. He was resentful because we took the inkstone he had been working so hard on.”
He tried to kill someone for such a trivial reason?
Of course, this is a world where people are killed for much more trivial reasons...
By the way, if they hired a master swordsman like Captain Gisu, they could have had him assassinate him. Why...
However, when I saw the middle-aged warrior standing next to Captain Seobin, my question was answered.
He was a master swordsman called Geumam Jin-geom.
Only one or two people in most sects or martial arts schools reach such a level of mastery.
It was in my previous life that I learned why such a master was content to be a bodyguard for the captain of the Sebin Trading Company.
It is a common story, but he was saved by the captain of the Sebin Trading Company and vowed to protect him for the rest of his life to repay his debt.
Since then, his heart has remained unchanged for decades, and he has always stood by his side like a rock, earning him the title of “Gyeom-geum.”
With such a man standing guard, what kind of assassin could take the life of the captain of the Sebin Trading Company?
However, there was one place where no bodyguards were allowed: the meeting place of the Baekdae Trading Company.
It was a meeting based on mutual trust. Therefore, they did not even conduct a simple inspection of personal belongings.
That meant that if someone hid a dagger and attacked the captain of the Sebin Trading Company, there would be no way to stop them.
However, even if I had not noticed his disguise, the assassination would not have been successful.
In my past life, the captain of the Sebin Trading Company died of old age.
And to be honest, from the moment he reached the peak of his powers, he could no longer be considered a normal human being.
Even if it hadn't been me, the Master of the Dao Sword would have sensed his killing intent and taken action.
But in my past life, the Yeong Clan wasn't destroyed...
So he died without confessing?
The Captain of the Sebin Trading Company continued.
“All of this is thanks to you realizing his true identity and getting him to confess. I want to repay you. Is there anything you want?”
What I want...
He is the captain of the world's best trading company.
Of course, there are many things I want. But it would be a loss to leave it out now.
“It's fine. I only did what I had to do. How can you ask me to repay you? For me, the meeting ended safely, I was able to rescue my friend without delay, and the captain, who supports this trading company, is safe. That is my reward.”
“Heh heh, I can see why people call you a noble man.”
I'm not used to that name.
When I looked embarrassed, he laughed heartily and said,
“All right! If you ever need my help in the future, come find me. I will gladly help you.”
Captain Se-bin stood up and said to his father, who was standing next to him.
“Now that we're here, I should offer you a cup of tea.”
“Yes, please. Our Trading Company is known for its tea.”
My father headed toward the guest room with the captain of the Sebin Trading Company. Naturally, my father was all smiles.
It wasn't often that he had the opportunity to talk with the captain of the world's best trading company.
However, Master Geumjin did not follow Master Se-bin, but remained where he was.
He looked at me quietly, then opened his mouth.
“I didn't realize that your skill was so high, Young Master.”
“...!”
As expected of a master of the highest level, he recognized my skill.
However, he did not say anything more about my skill and simply clasped his hands together in gratitude.
“I, Dan-Yul, express my gratitude to the Captain. Thanks to you, I was able to keep my oath. I will never forget your kindness.”
Then, he turned around and headed toward Se-Bin.
I scratched the back of my neck.
I had unwittingly received favors from two great men.
Ah!
Come to think of it, there was something I had to do.
That was to save the life of the man named Gung-soo.
Chun-il had asked me to do so. He asked me to save his life.
“Master!”
I quickly left the room and called out to Master Geum-jin.
“What is it?”
“I remembered something I wanted to tell the captain.”
.
.
.
It was easier than expected to get the man with tenacity handed over.
Although he had kidnapped Captain Bok-Yoon, he was given lenient treatment because he was threatened and revealed the mastermind behind the kidnapping.
There were also petitions from the junior leader Bok-Yoon and me.
I went to the Se-Bin Trading Company myself and brought him back to the inn.
As soon as he entered my room, he knelt in front of me.
Even though he was in poor health from the harsh interrogation, he knelt down, leaving blood on the floor.
It must have been quite painful.
“Thank you so much for saving my life and protecting my sister's life.”
“I only kept my promise. Anyway, what are you going to do from now on?”
“...”
He hesitated for a long time before finally opening his mouth.
“Just...”
“Are you just going to live as you have been?”
“...!”
Seeing him flinch, I knew I had hit a nerve.
“Actually... it's too late for me to change now. Stealing is second nature to me.”
That's just like Chun-il.
And if Chun-il was right, it would be a shame to let him go.
“Then change what you steal.”
I have a great example of a reformed thief named Chun-il. Now that things have come to this, it wouldn't be so bad for me to take him in.
“What do you mean?”
“I saved your life, didn't I?”
“That's right.”
“Then steal information for me.”
That's how I got another member of the information network.
.
.
.
A few days later.
I left the inn with my father.
Today was the day of the Martial Alliance's “seat selection.”
The Martial Alliance designated commercial areas centered around the venue of the Dragon and Phoenix Duel.
They then rented out spaces to merchants.
The Martial Alliance said that this was to prevent merchants from rushing in and causing damage.
However, in my opinion, it seemed that the Martial Alliance was holding the duel, but the merchants were reaping all the benefits, which was painful to see.
If they really wanted to prevent disorder, shouldn't they have waived the seat fees?
However, the Martial Alliance charged the participating merchants a considerable amount of rent.
What can the merchants do when the Martial Alliance says so?
They have no choice but to obey.
At least they send patrols to protect us.
To be honest, I'm not feeling very good right now. That's because the place where the seats are assigned is the Martial Alliance.
I knew that the Martial Alliance was where the seats were assigned.
I had been there several times in my previous life.
To be honest, it didn't really register with me.
However, as the day of the seat assignment approached, I began to realize what it meant.
The pressure of knowing that the people who had killed me in my previous life worked there was greater than I had expected.
My hands and feet grew cold, and I began to sweat profusely.
Damn, here we go again.
But it was my father who woke me up.
“Ugh, this day has come again.”
Even at first glance, I could tell he wasn't happy.
“Just thinking about how arrogant the Martial Alliance warriors will be makes me angry.”
My father sighed when he saw me looking at him.
“Ah... You don't know because it's your first time. But you'll soon find out how arrogant the Martial Alliance is.”
Thanks to my father's words, memories from my previous life began to surface.
From choosing the location for the duel to every time we did business with the Martial Alliance, their attitude really pissed me off.
They treated us as if they were reluctantly associating with lowly merchants who were only interested in money.
Without us merchants, they would be in trouble.
The fact that I was going to the Martial Alliance, where the people who killed me worked, made me so nervous that I forgot about my memories, but they came flooding back, and my anger pushed away my nervousness.
“But we must not act rashly. Be patient and endure. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Huh! It's so bitter that we will only suffer if we clash with them.”
“...”
They must have been real jerks for my serious father to react that way.
Soon, we arrived at the Martial Alliance.
Clang!
The gatekeeper crossed his spears to block us.
“State your identity and purpose for visiting.”
“We are here to select a location. We are Eun Gil-sang, captain of the Eunhae Trading Company, and Eun Seo-ho, vice captain.”
“Another trading company. Are you all here to beg for scraps?”
Those words made my teeth grind.
These bastards!
If even a gatekeeper was this sarcastic, what would the people higher up be like?
Damn it.
“But we have to eat, don't we? Hahaha.”
“Your identity tokens.”
“Yes! Here you are.”
My father and I handed over our identity tokens, and after checking them, they threw them back at us.
“Go on in.”
“Thank you.”
How dare that greenhorn speak informally to someone who is his father's age!
Has he lost his manners?
Still, there are some merchants whom they cannot treat so rudely. They are Namgung Gang, the captain of the Trading Company, and Se-bin, the captain of the Se-bin Trading Company.
Namgung Gang is a member of the Namgung Clan and one of the leaders of the Martial Alliance.
As for Se-bin, it is because of the Great Master Ge-am Jin-geom standing next to him.
How could a mere gatekeeper dare to be rude in front of such a master?
If you want to keep your head on your shoulders, you'd better watch what you say.
Ah...
Come to think of it, I'm a little jealous.
Anyway, my father and I headed for the place where the seats were assigned. It wasn't difficult to find.
There was a sign posted there.
My attendants and bodyguards were not allowed to follow us, so they had to wait outside.
Soon, we arrived at the seat selection area.
“Come in.”
“We meet again.”
There were many familiar faces among the people gathered there. That was because all the members of the Baekdae Trading Company were there, except for one.
This time, there were also people from other trading companies, so my father introduced me to them and I was able to get to know them.
How long did we wait?
“Humph! Everyone, be quiet!”
At that moment, I heard someone's arrogant voice. The moment I saw his face, I almost failed to control my expression.
It was a face I had seen countless times in my previous life.
He worked under the Chief Administrator of the Martial Alliance, but he thought he was the Chief Administrator himself.
By the way, it's been a long time.
Didn't you die after being caught embezzling money from the Martial Alliance?
I bet you're still embezzling money.
But I have no reason to tell the Martial Alliance about it. The money he embezzles belongs to the Martial Alliance.
Behind him, two warriors carried a large box. Inside the box were wooden tablets with numbers written on them.
“Then, let's begin selecting the seats for the Dragon and Phoenix Duel in the commercial district!”
He gave us a few instructions and then looked at us and said,
“Now, come forward one by one and draw a tablet.”
At his words, the captains of the trading companies stepped forward and drew wooden tablets from the barrel.
Soon it was our turn, and my father drew a tablet from the barrel.
“Number 21 in the third district of the Eunhae Trading Company!”
The third district was a pretty good district.
I glanced around. As expected, Captain Namgung Kang was nowhere to be seen.
That was to be expected, as the Baekcheon Trading Company was affiliated with the Martial Alliance.
Therefore, their spot was already reserved.
After selecting our spot, we registered and paid the spot fee.
To be honest, I was so upset that my hands were shaking.
Several days passed.
During that time, those who had left from the Eunhae Trading Company headquarters arrived in Luoyang with their goods.
Our Eunhae Trading Company mainly sold medicinal herbs.
There were places that sold gold and silver medicine and internal medicine, but there were also quite a few places that bought medicinal herbs and made their own medicine.
We also prepared tea, cloth, and thread.
Drinking tea was a habit of the people of the empire, so it was essential to have it.
In addition, the clothes were damaged more than expected during the duels, so we needed materials to repair them.
When we finished our preparations, the streets began to bustle with people.
Today was the first day of the five-day registration period for the Dragon and Phoenix Duel Tournament.
It was important to determine the number of participants.
So, I headed to the registration desk.
However, in one corner, a group of people were raising their voices.
“You think you can just drag him away like that?”
“Why are you arresting an innocent man?”
“If you keep doing that, we won't hold back!”
Those voices sounded familiar.
Could it be?
I headed toward them and let out a sigh.