Chapter 464
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 464
Chapter 464. The Meaning of Advice (4)
The next morning.
“Are you awake, young master?”
“Yes.”
“You should eat breakfast.”
We ate breakfast and looked around the area under the pretext of taking a walk.
Then, we naturally gathered in one place for lunch.
“There are more troops than I thought, Captain.”
“I noticed that too. It seems like more troops have arrived from outside.”
“Outside troops?”
I nodded in response to Master Kwon's question.
“Yes, it's the Black Dao forces of Murim.”
“...”
At this point, it would be difficult to resolve this matter with our own strength alone.
We need additional support...
At that moment, we heard someone's voice from outside.
“Liege, there is someone who wishes to see you.”
This energy... Could it be one of those who were watching Yeon-woo yesterday?
I calmly opened the door and went outside.
“What is the matter?”
“The Magistrate has returned. He will write the certificate you asked for yesterday.”
“That's good news.”
“Before that, the person in charge of the Magistrate's military wants to talk to you.”
A moment later.
I was led to a room in the mansion.
It was a rather luxurious room.
According to Yeon-woo, this was the Magistrate's room.
A man welcomed us inside.
“Welcome. I am Gongho, a soldier of the Magistrate.”
“I am Eunseoho, the captain of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“Please have a seat.”
I sat down where he asked me to, with Seo Woo and Yeo Eung-am standing behind me.
“The reason I wanted to meet with you is to express my personal gratitude.”
He continued.
“The current situation is not good, and your support will be a great help.”
“I appreciate your kind words, but as you know, there will be a price to pay for this. I am a merchant. I do not do business without profit.”
“Of course. I haven't forgotten that.”
His counterpart replied with a faint smile.
I sensed a stronger aura of black Dao from him than from the man who had guided me earlier.
To be precise, it was an aura of black Dao mixed with the smell of blood.
This man must be the mastermind behind this affair and the hidden leader of the Martial Alliance.
I fanned my face with my fan and said.
“By the way, I have one question. Would you mind answering it for me?”
“Go ahead.”
“Why did you say that outsiders are restricted in Yunnan to protect the envoys from assassins? I was very confused when I heard that upon arriving in Yunnan.”
“Oh, you mean that.”
He nodded.
“That was to buy us time to prepare for this mission. As the saying goes, the enemy closest to you is the most dangerous, isn't that right?”
“Indeed... You are right. Once again, I am impressed by your military strategy.”
“It's nothing. I'm just doing my job.”
He was modest, but his face was full of satisfaction and joy.
This guy is thirsty for recognition from others.
After all, even if the Jamyung succeed in their work, they cannot boast that it was their own doing.
So how much must he want to talk about it?
As I gently scratched his itch, he looked satisfied.
I naturally dropped the teacup on the floor.
Clang.
“Oh, I'm sorry.”
I bent down to pick up the teacup and glanced at his shoes.
This was because Miss Seo had advised me to “look at his shoes.”
Since I didn't know who “him” was, I had been looking at the shoes of everyone I met.
This time, I tried to look at his shoes as she advised, but they were covered by the tablecloth, so I had no choice but to do this.
“...
Then, I heard Geum-ryung's voice in my head.
- Kui!
Huh? Geum-ryung is responding?
”Are you okay?"
“I'm fine. Fortunately, the teacup didn't break, but the tea spilled and stained the mat.”
“It's okay. We can just replace it.”
I put on a relieved expression and changed the subject.
“Excuse me. By the way, when will I be able to receive the notarized document?”
“I will have it ready by this evening at the latest.”
“Then, can you tell me how many troops are currently stationed here?”
He narrowed his eyes at my question.
“You must know that troop numbers are confidential. Why are you asking?”
“I know that it is confidential. However, knowing that will allow me to decide whether to provide additional support or not.”
“...”
“Don't worry. We are in this together now, aren't we? I also want this to succeed.”
“Well, that's true.”
“If you still find it difficult to believe, you can let me know after you have the notarized document.”
“Then let's do that.”
I left the room and returned to my quarters, thinking about the shoes of the soldier I had just seen.
They looked ordinary, but there was something different about them.
And what was decisive was Geum-ryeong's reaction when she saw those shoes. That meant that those shoes were a treasure.
What kind of treasure?
There must be a reason why Seo Hyang advised me.
It must be something important or something I must not miss.
As I arrived at my quarters with such thoughts in mind, Master Kwon was waiting for me.
“I was waiting because you called for me.”
“Yes, I think we need to talk together. Please gather everyone.”
A moment later, everyone gathered in my room.
“What did you call us for?”
The Royal Guards spoke in a formal manner.
At first, it was awkward, but now that they had become more comfortable with each other, it seemed that people were adaptable after all.
“I wanted to express my gratitude, but I felt that you were also trying to find out more about me.”
“I see.”
“I decided to receive the notarized document first and then ask about the forces here.”
“Really?”
“Yes. After hearing their explanation, I plan to leave for a while on the pretext of needing additional support. And then... I will take the prince with me.”
Everyone looked at me with surprise.
“Does that mean you already know where His Royal Highness is?”
“Yes.”
However, I did not tell them that the prince was being tortured and was in poor condition.
If they found out, they would be angry, and that could ruin our plans.
“First, let's take His Highness to safety, then request additional troops. Most of the men will remain here. That way, we won't arouse suspicion.”
At my words, Master Kwon Jik raised his hand first.
“I will remain here. I am responsible for this mission. I cannot sacrifice others for my own safety.”
What a good man.
But staying here could be dangerous.
“However, I would like you to take So-woon with you. Isn't it dangerous here?”
His words made me wonder.
It was something I had noticed before, but the Royal Guards seemed to be looking out for Master So-woon.
Furthermore, unlike the other Royal Guards, they easily fell for my provocation.
It didn't seem to be simply because they were young or the youngest.
There must be some other reason, but that wasn't important right now, so I put that thought aside for the time being.
“We need to move quickly on this. And it may be more dangerous outside than here. If anyone falls behind, I will leave them behind.”
“Then take Han-seok with you. He is the fastest among us.”
“Then only Master Han-seok should follow me.”
“Understood.”
I gave detailed instructions to the remaining members on what to do.
“Dismiss yourselves.”
“Yes.”
Everyone left, and I sat alone drinking tea, lost in thought.
I had made a plan, but I still hadn't come to a clear conclusion about the shoes of the man named Gongho.
I planned to carry the prince on my back and run at full speed to the imperial palace.
Joo Kang-ma was fast, but he couldn't be faster than my movement arts, which were at their peak.
But the shoes... Huh?
As I reviewed my plan, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
Could that artifact be what allows him to run so fast?
I finally understood the meaning of Seo Hyang Miss's advice.
It meant that my failure to realize that his shoes were an artifact would cause me trouble.
In order to carry out my plan, I must get rid of that martial arts item.
How can I get rid of it?
After thinking for a moment, I smiled.
It's a valuable martial arts item, so I can't just throw it away. Yes.
I'll steal it!
I don't like stealing, but it's different when the target is a member of the Martial Alliance.
Having made up my mind, I wondered how I could steal the shoe.
If it was that precious, he probably wouldn't take it off even when he slept.
I had to get him to take it off first, then I could steal it.
Just then, Pal-gap came in and complained.
“As expected, there are a lot of bugs in Yunnan.”
“Of course. It's a great environment for insects.”
“That's what I mean.”
Yes, that's it!
Looking at Pal-gap, a brilliant idea suddenly came to mind.
“Hey, Pal-gap. I have a favor to ask. Can you catch about ten ants for me?”
“What?”
“And you've been training hard lately, right? Let me see your results.”
.
.
.
After lunch that day, I went back to the military officer's room and received a notarized document.
It stated that I had helped with the affairs of Chunkyungseong and, in return, I would be granted exclusive trading rights in Chunkyungseong for the next ten years.
“Very well.”
“And here is something you wanted to know. Read it here and then burn it.”
“Yes, sir.”
I opened the document.
Wow... Two hundred warriors were brought separately? Yoo Yoo-mun said there were only a hundred or so.
They gathered quite a lot.
But there are some who are missing here.
My classmates and the defectors from the Royal Guards.
And the man in front of me, Gongho.
The skill of the man I saw is top-notch. That alone is a considerable force.
I committed this to memory and burned the document with a candle.
Whoosh!
Then, pretending to think for a moment, I said, "I'm afraid the wealth I have agreed to provide is not enough.
“I'm afraid the funds I've decided to contribute this time will not be enough. I will go out and gather some more.”
I continued.
“However, it would not be good to attract attention, so I plan to take only a few people with me.”
“You mean you're not taking all your bodyguards?”
“Yes. I plan to take only two or three with me. So please take good care of them while I'm gone. I spent a lot of money and time raising them.”
“I will.”
“I'll be back soon, so it won't take long.”
* *
Gongho returned to his quarters. He couldn't help but laugh out loud.
“Huhuhu, what a fool! I was nervous because of his reputation, but he's just a money-grubbing guy.”
The eyes of Eun Seo-ho he had just seen were full of greed.
Through their conversation just now, he completely dispelled his suspicions about Eun Seo-ho.
He smiled slyly and opened a box lying in the corner of the room.
It was the treasure Eun Seo-ho had brought.
“Hehehe, how much is this worth?”
Gong Ho was a member of the Martial Alliance.
His mission was to either rule Chunkyungseong or wipe it off the map.
He didn't know why.
He was just following orders from his superiors.
He became a member of the Martial Alliance for money.
He was given a substantial reward for each task he completed, and if he completed ten tasks, he would be released from his contract and set free.
However, once he had money, he wanted to spend it.
As a result, he was unable to save as much money as he had expected.
That meant he had to make sure he got a large share of the spoils this time.
However, he had received a large sum of money unexpectedly, and even more was on its way.
He closed the box, sat down on a chair, and put his feet up on the table.
Then he looked at his shoes and smiled with satisfaction.
His shoes were called “One Step Thousand Miles Shoes.”
They were shoes that could run as fast as one step could take one thousand miles.
He happened to acquire these shoes, and they became his lifelong treasure.
Night fell.
He lay down on his bed with his shoes on and fell asleep.
He slept with them on because they were so precious to him.
Then someone entered the room.
It was as if he had walked right in, but no one noticed his bear-like figure.
He took a bottle from his pocket and tilted it toward Gongho's shoes.
A moment later.
Ants began to crawl out of the bottle.
These ants are native to Yunnan, and their bites are quite painful to ordinary people.
However, for a first-class warrior, they were merely itchy.
The itchiness was more maddening than the pain.
After a while, Gongho began to feel the effects.
He felt itchy and began to scratch his shoes.
But why would he scratch his leather shoes?
“Ew! Damn it!”
Unable to relieve the itching, he finally took off his shoes and began scratching his soles.
That felt better. Suddenly, a scream rang out.
“Fire! Fire!”
“There's a fire!”
Bang!
The door to the room he was in opened, and the traitors rushed in and shouted.
“Evacuate immediately! The fire is spreading here!”
Gongho hurriedly got up and looked for his shoes, but it was so dark in the room that it was difficult to find them right away.
“What are you doing?”
“I have to find my shoes.”
“We're about to burn to death, and you're worried about your shoes? We need you!”
He was dragged away by the others, and Ibok-cheon-hye, who had been thrown to the floor, was picked up by a bear-like man.
The man had been there all along, but no one had noticed him.
He felt awkward and scratched his head before returning to his master.