Almighty God of War - Chapter 82

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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082

Guyang Cheongang arrived at the Imperial Capital, the heart of the Empire, on an afternoon in April when the season had fully transitioned to spring, ten days after the bloody battle at the abandoned temple.

The city walls seemed to pierce the sky, and through the nine massive gates, an endless procession of palanquins carrying silk-clad nobles and merchant caravans from all corners of the land continued without cease.

The immense vitality emanating from this metropolis of one million people was hot and dynamic.

Guyang Cheongang headed toward the prosperous residential district in the eastern Imperial Capital.

His steps stopped in front of a manor bearing a signboard that read “Yeom Estate.”

This was Shangguan Wana’s base of operations in the Imperial Capital.

The reason she hadn’t hung her own name but deliberately used a signboard bearing Yeom Pung’s surname was due to her caution in trying not to reveal their presence in the Imperial Capital as much as possible.

When he told the gatekeeper the alias Hahou Gang and said he wanted to meet Shangguan Wana, claiming to be acquainted with her, he was soon guided to the reception hall.

Shortly after, a man with a massive build entered the room.

It was Yeom Pung of the Thunderbolt Iron Palm.

He briefly looked over Guyang Cheongang’s ordinary face wearing the human skin mask.

What appeared in his eyes was not wariness toward a strange visitor, but joy.

Since he was the one who had given Guyang Cheongang the human skin mask, there was no way he wouldn’t recognize it.

Yeom Pung spoke in a powerful voice.

“Young Master Hahou, you must have had a hard journey coming such a long way. I wonder if my gift was helpful during your travels.”

Guyang Cheongang replied with a faint smile.

“Thanks to Hero Yeom’s consideration, I was able to come here comfortably while avoiding unnecessary attention.”

Yeom Pung laughed heartily and said.

“Hahahahaha, that’s an answer I quite like. However, the Trading House Master is currently out on business, so you can’t meet her right away.”

His way of addressing Shangguan Wana had changed to ‘Trading House Master.’

Here, she was the head of the Mangeum Trading Company, and it was because he wanted to clarify her business partnership relationship with Guyang Cheongang.

“Is it for business?”

Yeom Pung answered with a frown.

“That’s right. She’s meeting with high officials from the Imperial Palace to break through the final barrier regarding the new business that Young Master proposed.”

“Looking at Hero Yeom’s expression, it seems things aren’t going well.”

“The recent situation has been somewhat unfavorable. That’s why the Trading House Master has been suffering a lot mentally.”

Around sunset, Guyang Cheongang was able to sit face to face with Shangguan Wana.

Though her face clearly showed signs of fatigue, her eyes were much more intense than what he had seen when they parted.

After briefly sharing the joy of reunion, she asked Yeom Pung to bring her a ledger.

Then she showed it to Guyang Cheongang and said.

“Young Master, let me first show you the results we’ve achieved.”

Her voice contained unmistakable pride.

“Last month’s total sales were two hundred twenty-five thousand nyang. Of that, seventy-five percent, which is one hundred sixty-eight thousand seven hundred fifty nyang, was sent to the Guyang Family Estate.”

A look of amazement appeared on Guyang Cheongang’s face.

“That’s three times Bamboo Forest Manor’s monthly sales.”

“Because we raised the price threefold.”

“Threefold? So you charged three nyang for regular and fifteen nyang for premium?”

“Yes.”

“Wasn’t the pricing set too high?”

Shangguan Wana answered with a smile.

“Young Master, this is the Imperial Capital, the heart of the Empire and the most prosperous city on the continent. There are tremendously many people who don’t care about price as long as the product quality is excellent.”

“That’s remarkable.”

“What’s more, I hear that those who bought salt pills from us are engaging in black market trading, reselling them at double or triple the price. Even so, they can’t sell enough to meet demand, so you can understand the value of these salt pills.”

“But wasn’t there any interference from Geumsan-ru?”

“Of course there was. We suffered quite a bit from their interference in the beginning. However, since salt pills aren’t a direct competing product with theirs, we were able to avoid a head-on confrontation.”

She closed the ledger with a smile.

“The salt pills have successfully established themselves in the Imperial Capital market. Now it’s time to seriously execute that plan you proposed to me.”

Her expression became serious.

They needed to discuss the new business, namely ‘salt production and sales.’

Several months ago, Guyang Cheongang had secretly sent Du Jinseong to the Imperial Capital to deliver a business plan for the new venture to her.

It was intended to directly strike at salt production and sales, Golden Tower Manor’s biggest source of income.

“The salt production method you sent is truly amazing. Using this method, we can produce more than ten times the amount of salt from the same size salt field compared to existing methods, and the quality is also superior.”

Since this was what Guyang Cheongang had expected, he nodded with a calm expression.

Shangguan Wana continued speaking.

“We’ve already mobilized all the connections we built through salt pill sales to secure large-scale salt production sites, and now only His Majesty the Emperor’s final approval for the salt sales license remains.”

Her expression darkened as she continued.

“But… the final barrier is the most difficult. Geumsan-ru is interfering to prevent us from obtaining the salt monopoly license.”

“We can’t rule out the possibility that they’ve joined hands with Golden Tower Manor.”

“I think the same as you, Young Master. Because of them, His Majesty’s approval keeps getting delayed.”

The problem Shangguan Wana mentioned was a massive barrier called politics that couldn’t be solved with force or money alone.

The two of them had to find a new solution for how to overcome that barrier.

Guyang Cheongang silently took a sip of tea.

His face showed no signs of anxiety or impatience.

He said.

“Young Lady’s current expression is similar to what I saw the night before leaving the Family Estate.”

“Pardon?”

“Back then too, Young Lady spoke to me with the same worried face as now. That bringing down Golden Tower Manor was close to impossible.”

At Guyang Cheongang’s words, the conversation she had with him in the separate building of the Guyang Family Estate came vividly to Shangguan Wana’s mind.

* * *

Sitting face to face with Shangguan Wana in the separate building, Guyang Cheongang spoke to her in a polite tone.

“Young Lady, could you tell me what you know about Golden Tower Manor?”

Shangguan Wana slightly frowned and said.

“That place is Young Master’s maternal family, so I’m not sure what I should tell you.”

“Just tell me what you know about their business scope and main products.”

Shangguan Wana’s gaze deepened.

“How unexpected. Are you interested in your maternal family’s business? Wasn’t Young Master’s mother completely excluded from the succession structure there? Moreover, Young Master isn’t even blood-related to the Dong family.”

“I have no interest in the manor’s succession.”

“Then why…?”

Guyang Cheongang spoke honestly.

“It’s to find a way for our family to escape from the manor’s influence.”

The genius Shangguan Wana immediately understood the hidden meaning in his words and opened her eyes wide in surprise.

“Don’t tell me… you’re thinking of bringing down the manor’s business?”

“Not to that extent. My abilities don’t even reach that level yet. But I’m only thinking of making things hectic enough that grandfather won’t be able to pay attention to the Main Family Estate for several years.”

“You need time… It seems Young Master is planning to scheme something during that period.”

“I’m thinking about it, but I haven’t conceived of specific methods yet.”

Shangguan Wana paused for a moment to organize her thoughts before speaking.

“Young Master, Golden Tower Manor’s power extends like a spider web throughout the Empire.”

She explained while counting on her fingers one by one.

“Their main businesses are largely four types. First, they supply military materials to frontier garrisons, second, they import leather and horses from the northern grasslands and supply them throughout the Empire, third, they sell the Empire’s silk to the Western Regions for enormous profits. And the last one is…”

“Hmm…”

“Salt. While the three businesses I mentioned earlier are certainly massive, the one that occupies the largest portion and serves as Golden Tower Manor’s pillar is this salt business.”

She looked directly into Guyang Cheongang’s eyes and spoke decisively.

“Young Master, if you want to properly fight Golden Tower Manor, it would be good to attack the salt business, which is both their biggest source of income and their weakness.”

“Salt?”

“Yes. That’s their main core business after all. But it won’t be easy. The manor’s oligopoly structure is so solid that no one has dared to try breaking it for decades.”

Shangguan Wana continued with a serious expression.

“Golden Tower Manor controls most of the Uncheon Rock Salt Mine in Shanxi Province and the coastal salt fields in Jiangsu and Fujian Province, and they have perfect control over the distribution network as well.”

Guyang Cheongang’s eyes sparkled.

“Thanks to Young Lady’s words, I can see the path. I’ve thought of a way to shake their very foundation, not just simply interfere with their salt business.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

A smile appeared on Guyang Cheongang’s lips.

“Young Lady, what if… I knew a method to produce more than ten times the amount of salt using conventional methods, at less than half the cost?”

“…!”

Shangguan Wana doubted her own ears.

What he had said was impossible with this era’s technology.

“Is that… possible?”

“It’s possible. If I were to start that business, would you partner with me?”

Shangguan Wana felt chills run down her spine.

If Guyang Cheongang’s words were true, she could instantly gain the upper hand in the succession struggle of Mangeum Manor.

“I will plan that business. Young Lady, please prepare the stage in the Imperial Capital to make it reality. So we can start immediately when I join.”

* * *

A smile appeared around the eyes of Shangguan Wana as she returned from her past recollection.

“Honestly… back then I was half-believing your words, Young Master. Until Young Hero Du Jinseong came to find me with your business plan.”

“That’s natural. I’m grateful you didn’t think of me as a madman. Anyway, Young Lady believed in my seemingly impossible proposal and did your best here in the Imperial Capital.”

Guyang Cheongang smiled as he continued.

“Now it’s my turn to keep the promise. I’ve personally brought the key that can complete that plan.”

Shangguan Wana nodded.

She had already experienced firsthand the synergistic effects of the Dragon Nourishing Pill and Yin Dragon pill.

Perhaps because of this, her eyes looking at Guyang Cheongang contained strong trust.

She took out a small booklet from her bosom and handed it to Guyang Cheongang.

Guyang Cheongang asked.

“What is this?”

“It’s what I know about the leadership of the five major trading companies of the Merchant Alliance, recorded as best I could. You’ll be staying in the Imperial Capital for a considerable period, so knowing about them will be helpful.”

Guyang Cheongang smiled broadly as he received the booklet and put it in his bosom.

“I was just thinking I needed this. Thank you.”

* * *

In the secret chamber of Geumsan-ru, the largest manor in the Imperial Capital.

In that place where heavy agarwood incense flowed, Yeon Suseong, the leader of Geumsan-ru’s intelligence organization Uncheopdan, frowned as he received a report from his subordinate.

“A new visitor named Hahou Gang appeared at the Yeom Estate?”

“Yes, Leader. He appears very close to Shangguan Wana and Yeom Pung, and has been meeting privately with them since his arrival.”

“Check that man’s identity thoroughly once more. The more suddenly someone appears, the more suspicious they smell. Don’t miss even the smallest detail.”

“Yes, Leader.”

Yeon Suseong was known as someone with a cautious personality bordering on madness.

After the subordinate withdrew, a new subordinate entered and made another report.

“Leader, while investigating Bamboo Forest Manor, another sales outlet for the Dragon Nourishing Pills and Yin Dragon pills that the Yeom Estate sells in the Imperial Capital, we discovered something strange.”

“Speak.”

“As a result of backtracking Bamboo Forest Manor’s medicinal herb procurement route, we detected evidence that massive amounts of rare medicinal materials recently flowed secretly into the Guyang Family Estate in Nanchang. Also, it was confirmed that part of the funds the Guyang Family Estate is using are silver notes issued by the Imperial Capital branch of Mangeum Exchange.”

His report was not mere speculation.

It was irrefutable evidence of logistics and financial flow.

Yeon Suseong’s complexion hardened.

In his mind, the scattered pieces of information began to fit together into one picture.

‘The Guyang Family Estate is the family where the Divine Physician of Life and Death, who stopped the plague, stayed before mysteriously disappearing…’

With thick wrinkles forming on his forehead, he muttered quietly.

“…Then, there’s also the possibility that the Divine Physician of Life and Death created the Dragon Nourishing Pills and Yin Dragon pills.”

He gave orders to his subordinate.

“Confirm whether the Guyang Family Estate is really the production site of the spirit pills. Dig up everything about that place.”

“Yes, Leader!”

As the subordinate withdrew, silence flowed through the secret chamber.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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