Goblin Library - Chapter 109

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 109.

Yu Tae-poong, lost in thought about the Gluttony Goblin, posed a question.
“Then there’s no Voracious Goblin?”
“There isn’t.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin continued from there.
“The absence of a Voracious Goblin probably stems from the influence of our ancestors’ circumstances.”
“Our ancestors?”
“You wouldn’t know, but even during the Joseon Dynasty Era, most people didn’t eat three meals a day. Only the nobility and those living in the palace enjoyed three full meals; the majority struggled to survive on far less.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin spoke while observing the fragrant coffee before him.
“That’s why the Gluttony Goblin appears far more often than a Voracious Goblin. Few could eat their fill, while countless starved. And when people go hungry, they develop an insatiable craving for food.”
Yu Tae-poong nodded at the Dung Carrier Goblin’s explanation before asking.
“But was life really that difficult back then?”
“It was brutal. The term ‘barley hill’ didn’t emerge for nothing. Those days were an era where even eating plain rice—not mixed grain—was a dream.”
“Was it truly that severe?”
Yu Tae-poong wondered if the Joseon Dynasty had been such a harsh time to live. Observing his expression, the Dung Carrier Goblin laughed.
“Ha! People romanticize the Joseon period, but it was genuinely a brutal era for ordinary commoners.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin then continued, addressing Yu Tae-poong.
“And this hunger wasn’t ancient history. Even after South Korea was founded, people starved well into the 1960s. No, wait.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin shook his head mid-sentence.
“Starvation then and now—it’s the same story.”
“But everyone eats well now, don’t they?”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, the Dung Carrier Goblin shook his head.
“Not everyone—most people. Even now, countless souls worry about tomorrow’s meal.”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong sighed and poured coffee into a cup.
“Your coffee.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin accepted the coffee and walked toward the chair by the entrance.
Yu Tae-poong, in turn, gathered his coffee and book, settling into his familiar seat by the entrance.
Now accustomed to their routine, the two sat quietly in their chairs, gazing out the window through the tea table.
“This—sitting here after a meal—has become so comfortable now.”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong nodded.
“I enjoy this too, sitting here after eating.”
Then Yu Tae-poong glanced downward and spoke.
“It would be nice if there were a small footrest underneath here.”
“A footrest?”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s question, Yu Tae-poong made a motion of resting his legs across something in front of him.
Of course, lifting his legs into empty air proved difficult, so he lowered them quickly.
“After eating, you get drowsy and sleepy, don’t you? If I could rest my legs like this while sipping tea, I think I’d fall asleep so easily.”
“Besides, some companies even let their employees take a twenty-minute nap after lunch.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin, mid-sentence, pulled out a cloth wedged in his waistband and swung it.
Whoosh!
The fabric unfurled before us, transforming into a long, low footrest.
The Dung Carrier Goblin propped his legs up on it and leaned back comfortably in his chair.
“This is definitely nice. You should try it.”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s suggestion, Yu Tae-poong also rested his legs on a footrest made from a goblin club.
“It’s more comfortable than I expected.”
“Right?”
“I should search for one online.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin spoke up.
“I’ll search and buy one for you.”
“You will?”
“I know how to do online shopping.”
As the Dung Carrier Goblin accessed an online shopping mall on his phone, Yu Tae-poong picked up the Lim Sung-un book placed beside the Gluttony Goblin’s book.
He planned to finish the Lim Sung-un book he was reading first, then move on to the Gluttony Goblin’s book.

***

At Jang Ma-ru’s Hideout, Lim Sung-un was studying the monitor.
‘Just as you said, I checked the tax records of ex-convicts with fraud and theft convictions.’
As Jang Ma-ru spoke while looking at the monitor, Lim Sung-un replied.
‘There must have been many. Good work.’
‘There was a lot of data, but…’
Jang Ma-ru chuckled and tapped the computer with his hand.
‘The machine did the work. I just gave it the right instructions.’
‘So what did you find?’
Choi Tae-sik asked, and Jang Ma-ru answered.
‘Just as you thought, there were ex-convicts with fraud and theft records who were paying their taxes properly.’
As he spoke, Jang Ma-ru displayed the names of these people on the monitor.
‘However, among them were those who had gone straight and were working legitimate jobs. Some ran their own shops, others worked in factories.’
As Jang Ma-ru typed on the keyboard, several names were deleted at once.
‘I deleted those working at legitimate companies or shops. I also removed those working at entertainment establishments, bars, and illegal companies we’ve identified.’
With each word spoken, more names were deleted.
‘Why did you delete the illegal companies?’
Choi Tae-sik asked, puzzled, and Jang Ma-ru answered.
‘Since you said it’s a secretive company, the illegal companies we’ve identified wouldn’t be it.’
‘So you’re saying if we know about it, it can’t be the one?’
At Choi Tae-sik’s words, Jang Ma-ru nodded.
‘Exactly.’
After listening to Jang Ma-ru’s explanation, Choi Tae-sik nodded in understanding, then suddenly glanced at Lim Sung-un.
“But why did you tell us to exclude violent criminals like assault offenders from the search?”
“You know how it is. These days, even gang members work for companies that pay taxes.”
“Ah…”
“If we searched for those gang members too, we’d have far too many samples. But fraud and theft cases are different.”
At Lim Sung-un’s words, Jang Ma-ru nodded in agreement and spoke.
“And there are several companies we couldn’t verify…”
Jang Ma-ru pointed to a few names with his finger and continued.
“The companies these people work for appear to be shell corporations set up for fraud.”
“Make a note of it.”
“Already done. Once you arrest them later, that should take care of it. After eliminating them one by one like this, there are still some people remaining…”
Then Jang Ma-ru looked at the monitor and pressed a key on the keyboard.
Click!
Five names appeared on the monitor.
“Suspiciously, they all belong to the same company.”
“The same company?”
When Lim Sung-un looked at the monitor with interest, Jang Ma-ru spoke.
“Three with theft convictions, two with fraud convictions—all from the same company.”
“Five people from the same company?”
“Yes.”
“Here it is.”

「The One International」

“The One International… is it a trading company?”
“That’s right. They conduct trade with Japan, China, and Southeast Asia.”
Jang Ma-ru tapped the keyboard a few more times, and faces and names appeared on the screen.
“There are about fifty employees. And fifteen of them have criminal records.”
“Fifteen out of fifty?”
“Five for fraud and theft, and the others have records for assault or drunk driving—things like that. If this were a legitimate company, it would actually be a good one. Giving people with criminal records a chance to start fresh….”
Lim Sung-un spoke while studying the faces of those with criminal histories.
“Any other peculiarities?”
“Oh! There’s one more thing.”
Jang Ma-ru pulled up the criminal records of the fifteen and typed on the keyboard. Red lines appeared across the records.
“All fifteen have records of imprisonment at ** Prison.”
“** Prison?”
“Yes. And these people joined the company after their release from ** Prison. Oh! There’s one more thing. All fifteen have no additional criminal records after joining the company.”
“So they haven’t committed any crimes since joining.”
At Choi Tae-sik’s murmur, Jang Ma-ru spoke while looking at the screen.
“Either they haven’t committed crimes, or they haven’t been caught. One of the two.”
Then Jang Ma-ru shifted his gaze toward Lim Sung-un.
“Anyway, based on the investigation I conducted according to your instructions, this place is the most suspicious.”
Lim Sung-un studied the monitor for a moment, then turned to Choi Tae-sik and gave an order.
“Go meet some people who came out of ** Prison.”
“What should I investigate? If I investigate them as a criminal organization or honeypot operation, they’ll catch on.”
“Just find out what the atmosphere is like in that prison.”
“Understood.”
Lim Sung-un seemed to be thinking about something for a moment, then gave Choi Tae-sik an additional instruction.
“Contact Lee Hye-eun and confirm whether she can stay hidden safely.”
“Why would you do that?”
“We’ll move as quietly as possible. But if they find out we’re moving, they might try to find Lee Hye-eun.”
“Would they target Hye-eun?”
“If I were them….”
“Then what should we do?”
Seeing Jang Ma-ru look worried, Choi Tae-sik thought for a moment before speaking.
“I have a safe house I used to use in the rural areas of Gangwon Province.”
At Choi Tae-sik’s words, Lim Sung-un gave him an instruction.
“First, contact Lee Hye-eun and confirm she has a place to hide. And if she says she’s anxious, then at that point….”
Lim Sung-un, who had been speaking, looked at Jang Ma-ru.
“Just call from here.”
“Okay!”
Jang Ma-ru tapped on the keyboard, and soon a ringing sound was heard.
[Hello?]
“It’s Jang.”
When Lim Sung-un glanced at Jang Ma-ru, who now openly stated his surname, Jang Ma-ru smiled and spoke.
『We’re currently on a speaker call with my team members.』
[Oh, so your leader is there too?]
『Yes.』
[Big brother! How have you been!]
At Lee Hye-eun’s sudden greeting, Lim Sung-un paused for a moment before letting out a sigh and speaking.
『I’ve discovered a few things based on the information you provided.』
[What? Already? Wow, Jang really is capable.]
Listening to Lee Hye-eun’s voice as she assumed it was Jang Ma-ru who had uncovered this, Lim Sung-un spoke.
『The reason I’m calling is because we’re about to investigate that organization. When we do, they may try to capture you.』
[Me?]
『It’s a secretive organization. Right now, since you’re so well hidden, they won’t bother searching for you. But once we start digging into them, there’s a high probability they’ll do everything in their power to find you—someone who knows information about them.』
[So you’re trying to protect me?]
『Do you need protection?』
At the word “protection,” Lee Hye-eun fell silent for a moment before laughing.
[Even if I look like this, I’m quite skilled at hiding. You won’t be able to find me….]
『We found you.』
[….]
Of course, it was only because of Jang Ma-ru’s exceptional skills that they found her—something that would be nearly impossible under normal circumstances.
However, there was no guarantee that the other side didn’t have someone equally skilled.
After a brief silence, Lee Hye-eun spoke.
[Am I in danger?]
『There’s no one you can’t find if you’re determined to look. It’s only a matter of time, manpower, and money.』
[Hmm… So how are you going to protect me?]
『We’ll hide you in a safe house until we identify and apprehend that organization.』
[Hmm… The way you say “safe house” makes it sound like you want me to hide somewhere in the University District?]
『University District? Why would we hide you in such a crowded place? It’ll be somewhere remote.』
At Choi Tae-sik’s words, Lee Hye-eun laughed.
[Don’t tell me your idea of a safe house is some rural village, mountain village, or fishing village?]
At Lee Hye-eun’s laughter, Lim Sung-un paused before speaking.
『Why? Is there a problem?』
[When hiding, crowded places are better. In crowded areas, even if people see a stranger, they just assume it’s normal and move on. But in rural areas… Ah! Especially if an attractive young woman like me suddenly appears, it immediately becomes the talk of the town.]
At Lee Hye-eun’s words, Lim Sung-un smacked his lips and looked at Choi Tae-sik. At that glance, Choi Tae-sik nodded.
Now that he thought about it, she had a point. A woman like Lee Hye-eun going alone to the countryside would definitely draw attention.
『Then, would a one-room apartment in the University District work?』
[Well, that could work… but thinking about it… the University District has so many surveillance cameras that it’s also a bit problematic.]
After a brief silence, Lee Hye-eun continued.
[Let Choi protect me.]
At those words, bewilderment flickered across Choi Tae-sik’s face.
『Me? Why me?』

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