Chapter 358
The Youngest Son of Eunhaesang Trading Company Chapter 358
Chapter 358. In Shandong (4)
I tilted my head and answered my father's question.
“Doesn't it mean to earn as much silver as the sea?”
“That is also true, but that was not the original intention of the first captain who founded Eunhaesang Trading Company.”
“What?”
“There is a record that has been passed down from generation to generation of captains. It clearly states the reason why the first captain named the company Eunhae Trading Company.”
My father smiled.
“You cannot become a true merchant if you remain within this empire. You must look beyond the sea to become a true merchant. That is why he named the company Eunhae Trading Company.”
So that was the meaning behind the name Eunhae Trading Company!
But then a question suddenly popped into my head.
“But why... isn't it Geumhae Trading Company instead of Eunhae Trading Company?”
Honestly, gold is more valuable than silver.
My father laughed at my question.
“You're right. To be honest, I don't really know either.”
“Isn't there any record of it?”
“Yes.”
My father continued.
“You should find out why it's called Eunhae Trading Company and not Geumhae Trading Company.”
“Yes.”
In addition to finding out the real birthday of the old man at the general store, I now had another task.
I had to find out why our trading company was called Eunhae Trading Company instead of Geumhae Trading Company.
“Anyway, the first captain said that when our Eunhae Trading Company grew to rank 50th or higher among the 100 trading companies, we would be allowed to go out to sea.”
“Then we can go now.”
"Yes. It's time for us to give it a try.
Our Eunhae Trading Company is ranked 35th.
We more than meet the conditions set by the first captain.
Furthermore, our company is only ranked 35th, but we have plenty of room to grow.
We have many exclusive products, such as writing brushes, and the profits from those are quite substantial.
“And one of the places where our Eunhae Trading Company stores its goods is located by the river.”
“Yes, I know.”
“Don't you think it's quite large compared to the size of our Eunhae Trading Company?”
Could it be...
“Could that be the site that the first captain prepared in advance?”
“Yes.”
My father nodded.
“It is a place where we can build the ship that the first captain prepared in advance.”
Only then did I understand why my father had looked so bitter in my past life.
It was his self-loathing for not being able to fulfill the wishes of the first captain.
At that time, our trading company was not even ranked in the top 50.
Of course, we could have tried to trade with Daewook, but the problem was that we didn't have enough funds.
“I'll get started as soon as I return.”
“Thank you.”
I continued.
“And I've found someone who is suitable for the job.”
“Who is it?”
“He'll be here soon.”
My father tilted his head at my words.
“Find him?”
“I will hire a very talented warrior who is well suited to the sea.”
The earliest we can start trading with the emperor by hiring a trading company is next summer.
The reason I am in such a hurry is because trading by sea is not something that can be prepared in a short period of time.
That is why I am looking for someone who can build a suitable ship and lead it on a trading voyage.
Of course, I wanted to start earlier, but it was only now that I knew the exact location of the dragon sailors I had met.
And even if I had built a ship in advance, it would have been useless. I couldn't safely travel to Daewook with a ship built according to the existing design.
In other words, now is the perfect time.
Of course, I have no intention of going to Daewook myself.
I still have a lot to do in this empire.
* * *
Seeing Eun Seo-ho leave the inn, the warrior Yong Eung-wan looked at the words written on the table.
“Ransom.”
It meant the money needed to become a free man.
The man who came looking for him, Eun Seo-ho, wrote those words and said he would pay it for him.
He bit his lip.
“Can I trust him?”
To be honest, he was in a position where he couldn's trust anyone.
At that moment, he sensed someone approaching him, so he quickly erased the words with his hand.
“Hey!”
Someone sat down in front of him.
It was one of his close friends, a fellow sailor.
They had become close friends through working together often.
“What's going on? Is there a problem?”
“What problem...”
“There's no way someone dressed so fancy would come here. Maybe if you go find the ship owner.”
“...”
The other man's question was sharp, or perhaps he was just observant.
However, he couldn't tell him the truth, so he made up a story.
“Someone tried to steal my pocketbook, and I helped him, so he came to thank me.”
“I'm sure he said he would help you.”
“You have sharp ears.”
“I don't know what's going on, but if he said he would help you, accept his kindness.”
“Huh?”
“Do you... not know who came looking for you?”
Yong-eung nodded at the question.
“Oh my! How could you not know Master Eun Seo-ho!”
“Who is he?”
“He's a hero of the Martial Alliance! A hero of the Dragon and Phoenix Duel! He's the successor to the legendary swordsman from 500 years ago! He's so handsome that he steals the hearts of men and women alike, but in reality, he's a righteous warrior who is known for his good deeds!”
“...”
He remembered that the guy in front of him was quite knowledgeable about rumors. However, he wasn't the type to brag or lie.
“Then can I really trust him?”
But he still had questions.
Why would he give him his money just like that?
“Could it be that he wants me to be his bodyguard?”
But he was already surrounded by bodyguards so strong that even he felt intimidated.
Just then.
“Huh! Did Immortal qi come here?”
Turning his head at those words, he saw a guest who had just entered. Yung-eungwan's fellow sailor asked him.
“Do you know Immortal qi?”
“Of course. I've met him in person.”
He nodded confidently.
“He was a truly beautiful man.”
Yong-eung-wan nodded at his words. He was indeed handsome, just as he said.
“When did you meet him?”
“Let me see... Yes! I met him on my way to Lanzhou.”
“Lanzhou?”
“I was on a boat for work. Anyway, it was spring, and the water was high, so the rapids were very dangerous. You know how dangerous the rapids are upstream on the Yellow River, right?”
The two men nodded in response.
“At that time, the adults were tied to the boat, so they were fine, but a child fell into the water because the rope was tied loosely!”
“Gasp!”
“Oh no!”
“But then, Senkyo Mi suddenly stepped forward. Without a moment's hesitation, he took off his outer garment and jumped into the rapids.”
“What?”
They also know how dangerous the rapids of the Yellow River are.
Even skilled martial artists cannot guarantee their survival if they are swept away by the rapids of the Yellow River!
“Then, in less than a moment, he saved the child who had fallen into the water and returned to the boat.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really!”
“But why did he do something so dangerous? Even if he wanted to save the child, he could have been in danger himself, couldn't he?”
The sailor shrugged his shoulders at the question.
“I don't know. From what I heard, he's always been like that. He used our boat on his way back from Lanzhou to Beijing, and he was transporting a group of people who were trying to cause chaos in the country. He gave us a generous fare, saying that we would suffer losses because of them.”
“...”
He smiled slightly.
“If you don't believe me, ask our ship owner.”
“No, I believe you.”
He turned his head and said to Yong-eung-wan.
"He really is as good as rumored. The way I see it, helping you means hiring you as a worker for his trading company. So if he offers you a job, don't hesitate to accept it. I hear that Eunhae Trading Company, where he is the captain, treats its employees very well. You'll earn much more money and be safer than working as a sailor.“
He continued.
”You have to survive until the end so you can return to your family in your hometown."
“Huh?”
A friendly sailor said to Yong-eung-wan, who was startled.
“Why? Did you think I didn't know?”
He chuckled.
“I don't know what your story is. But desperate guys like you always have a reason. And most of the time, it's because of family or a lover. Otherwise, no one would be so desperate to make money like you.”
* * *
It was morning.
I got up from my bed and did some breathing exercises. Perhaps because the sea was so close, it felt more humid than usual.
Still, the most humid place was Hangzhou.
That was because it had not only the sea but also lakes.
After finishing my breathing exercises, I got out of bed and began my training.
I didn't want to show my training to others, so I decided to train in my room while I was staying here.
Of course, most of my training was physical training.
Physical training was more important to me than sword training because as I advanced, I needed to balance my inner arts and physical strength to avoid injury later on.
“Let's get started.”
You can do physical training in your room as much as you want.
That is, if you have the will to do so.
Saying that you have to go outside to train or that you can't train because you don't have the tools are just excuses.
You can do handstands on a chair and do push-ups with one hand, or hang upside down from a beam and do sit-ups.
Of course, it's hard because you're not using your inner arts.
It's so hard I feel like I'm going to die.
Still, I can't stop training because I don't want to die a dog's death like I did in my previous life due to my lack of martial arts skills.
My opponent is the Martial Alliance.
It is the center of the Central Plains martial arts world and possesses both military power and financial resources.
In order to fight against such an opponent, I had to possess both qualities myself.
At that moment, the door to my room opened and Pal-gap entered.
“Huh!”
Pal-gap was shocked to see me hanging upside down.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“Isn't it surprising to see someone hanging upside down?”
“Have you never seen me train before?”
“Yes, but you know I'm squeamish.”
“Yes, I know.”
I smiled wryly and jumped down from the beam.
“Are you done with your training?”
“You can finish up now.”
“Then I'll bring you some water and a towel.”
“Yes.”
I caught my breath for a moment and thought back to last night.
Jin-yu Musha returned in the middle of the night and reported to me.
“I tracked down the man you mentioned, and he is a member of the Baekyeom Trading Company. To be precise, he works at the ironworks.”
“The ironworks?”
“Yes. He appeared to be a blacksmith there.”
The ironworks is the heart of the Baekyeom Trading Company.
That means Baekcheon Trading Company is up to something against Baekyeom Trading Company.
Could it be that Baekcheon Trading Company is trying to get involved in the iron business?
That never happened in my previous life.
.
.
.
I went down to the first floor of the inn and had breakfast.
As we were drinking tea, a waiter approached us.
“Someone from the Baekyeom Trading Company is here.”
“Is that so?”
Soon, someone approached from behind. Judging from his clothes, he seemed to be a second-in-command.
“Are you the captain of the Eunhae Trading Company?”
“Yes, I am.”
In response to my father's answer, he bowed politely with clasped hands.
“Greetings, Captain. I am the second-in-command of the Baekyeom Trading Company. I have come to inform you of the location of the meeting.”
“Yes, where is the meeting place?”
“It is at Ihwa-ru, near the Baekyeom Trading Company. The meeting will begin at noon tomorrow.”
“I see. But it starts earlier than I thought.”
The aide nodded and explained the reason.
“We can't drink alcohol anyway because of the prohibition, so what's the point of meeting late? Why don't we meet early and enjoy the delicacies of Shandong?”
“That's true. I understand. Thank you for letting me know.”
“Then I'll be on my way.”
After the aide left, I said to my father, “I'm going out for a while.”
“Go ahead.”
A short time later, I headed for a teahouse.
I found a good spot and sat down.
I ordered tea in advance and drank it.
Shandong Province is not as good for growing tea as the areas along the Yangtze River.
Although high-quality tea is produced in Taishan, the quantity is small.
Shandong Province is not as good for growing tea as the areas along the Yangtze River.
Although high-quality tea is produced in Taishan, the quantity is small.
Therefore, most tea is brought in from other areas, mainly by ship.
It is a place where ships can easily come and go.
Due to its geographical location, it is a good place for trade, and it is one of the places where you can see many foreigners.
As such, trends quickly catch on here.
It is even said that more than half of the trends in the empire originate in Shandong.
At that moment, I sensed a familiar presence, and soon a man entered the room.
It was a welcome sight.