Goblin Library - Chapter 167

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

Chapter 167.

Letting Peng Ying choose the merchandise was a gesture that cost me nothing. I had plenty of goods to sell anyway.
Once I sold through my current inventory, I’d need to decide on new products anyway—so I could use that opportunity to do him a favor.
Peng Ying, holding a ballpoint pen and studying the paper, spoke.
“But there are places where I can strike you.”
“There will be places that come looking even if I sell different goods. Or perhaps you could write down some product categories that would be safe to sell.”
“Everything coming in from China has an owner.”
Peng Ying, having spoken, slid the paper toward me.
“Aren’t you going to write it down?”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
Watching me take back the paper, Peng Ying added.
“When your business grows, I’ll write it down then.”
“Understood.”
At my response, Peng Ying smiled and spoke.
“What I said earlier was just talk… but try to survive well.”
“If you have any information, please let me know. Then I’ll do an even better job of surviving.”
At my reply, Peng Ying tapped his business card with his finger and moved away.
Once Peng Ying left, I sighed and gestured toward Salim.
As Salim approached quickly, I held up three fingers to the Street Vendor Stall owner.
The stall owner then poured soup into cups and brought crepes on a plate.
“Since we’re here anyway, let’s have breakfast together.”
At my words, Mahmoud and Salim brought over bathhouse chairs and squatted down.
“Did the conversation go well?”
Since I’d spoken with Peng Ying in Chinese, Mahmoud had no idea what was discussed.
“That man is apparently a former soldier too.”
“Is that so?”
At my words, Mahmoud looked puzzled at the spot where Peng Ying had been sitting and murmured.
“I didn’t get that feeling from him.”
At Mahmoud’s words, Salim nodded in agreement.
“Maybe he lived roughly after discharge.”
“In any case, he figured out that you two aren’t people to be trifled with. He probably didn’t want any unnecessary bloodshed….”
I explained only the important parts of the conversation I’d just had, and Mahmoud spoke with relief.
“That’s fortunate. That Peng Ying gave off a dangerous feeling, but at least he won’t lay a hand on us.”
“That is fortunate, but….”
At my trailing words, Mahmoud asked.
“What are you worried about?”
“The Gang Members here aren’t just Peng Ying. According to what he said, that place just does their work well and caught us quickly—but the other Chinese will figure it out soon too.”
“So what’s your plan now?”
“What do you mean, plan?”
Lee Gang-hun shrugged his shoulders.
“First, I need to change accommodations.”
“Change accommodations?”
“Yesterday was lucky. If that call hadn’t come through, I’d have been captured. And my limbs would’ve been broken.”
Even with Lee Gang-hun’s formidable fighting skills, he wasn’t some movie protagonist capable of taking on a dozen or more gang members alone.
Had he confronted the Chinese Organized Crime members inside a hotel room, he would’ve certainly taken a beating and been captured.
“So where will you go?”
“The warehouse is the safest place around here.”
“The warehouse? You’ll be staying in the warehouse?”
“Bathing will be inconvenient, sure, but aside from that, what’s different from the hotel? The weather here isn’t even uncomfortable for sleeping at night.”
“Still, it’ll be more inconvenient than the hotel, won’t it?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”
Lee Gang-hun answered lightly and looked at Mahmoud.
“Do you know where I can buy a desk, chair, and sofa?”
“Of course.”
“Used ones. Very cheap.”
Mahmoud nodded at Lee Gang-hun’s words.
“Yes, I do.”
“Okay. Let’s eat then.”
After breakfast, Lee Gang-hun checked out of the hotel. As he left, he also squeezed money out of the Hotel Staff.
“You’re checking out?”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
The staff member processed the checkout with relief, having already accepted payment and handed over the key, thinking Lee Gang-hun would be taken away by the Chinese and never seen again.
But having Lee Gang-hun remain and seeing his face had been awkward. Moreover, he’d even used that as leverage to demand special services, making it even more uncomfortable.
So the staff member was simply delighted that Lee Gang-hun was leaving on his own.
“Let me help you with checkout.”
The staff member smiled, settled the bill, and handed it to Lee Gang-hun. Lee Gang-hun smiled back, glanced at the settled bill, then swiftly slid it back to the staff member.
“Here you go.”
“Pardon? Guest, how shall I process the payment?”
“Process it on your end.”
“What?”
Lee Gang-hun smiled as he faced the bewildered staff member.
“One of your employees had his stomach stabbed with a knife yesterday and went to the emergency room.”
“That… that’s…”
“Don’t you think the police and the Company President would be curious about that? Especially the Company President—he hired this employee to look after guests’ convenience, so wouldn’t he be curious whether the employee got involved in something like this?”
Lee Gang-hun glanced at Mahmoud standing behind him.
“Isn’t that right?”
『It seems likely. If the Company President finds out that you’ve been earning side income beyond your salary all this time, he’ll be furious.』
Mahmoud said, surveying the hotel.
『And the other guests will probably be concerned too. They stayed here thinking it was a safe place to lodge… but if robbers break in while they’re sleeping, using a key—one that a Hotel Staff member gave them, no less—well, that would certainly feel unsettling.』
At Mahmoud’s words, the Hotel Staff’s face fell. He sighed and lowered his head.
『You’re… checked out.』
Lee Gang-hun smiled and spoke in response.
『From now on, focus on protecting the guests who come to the hotel. They’re people who trusted us, after all.』
With that, he pulled his luggage and left the hotel.

Lee Gang-hun loaded a secondhand sofa, chairs, and desk onto the small truck that Salim had driven, transporting them to the Warehouse.
After arranging the sofa and furniture near the Warehouse entrance, Lee Gang-hun also set up a military-style field cot beside them.
『You’re really going to live here?』
『Since Salim and Hamad will be staying here anyway… it’s safer than a hotel outside.』
『That may be true, but… it will be inconvenient.』
『As long as there’s a place to rest my back, it doesn’t matter.』
Lee Gang-hun placed documents on the desk. Since he’d need plenty of space for paperwork, he’d purchased the largest desk available.
Once he’d set up a secondhand printer and laptop, he’d created a functional workspace.
『Well then, let’s get to work today as well.』
Lee Gang-hun smiled and surveyed the boxes in the Warehouse before beginning to gather items for today’s shipment.

***

Yu Tae-poong and the Dung Carrier Goblin rode in the Shoe Goblin’s car toward his shoe shop.
“Enjoying it?”
At the Shoe Goblin’s question, Yu Tae-poong looked up from his book and nodded.
“Lee Gang-hun fights better than I expected.”
“It’s not mentioned in the earlier parts, but Lee Gang-hun boxed. That’s why he has solid fist skills.”
“When we went to the Rebel Territory, there were more scenes of running away than fighting, so I didn’t realize he could fight this well.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, the Shoe Goblin laughed and looked at him.
“What good is throwing punches well against someone with a gun? Whether you’re good at punching or not, the best fighting is running away the moment you see someone with a gun.”
“That’s true. What use would Taekwondo or boxing be against a gun anyway?”
“Exactly. Besides, there were so many gun-carrying people in that country that running away was the right call most of the time. Why would you fight?”
Yu Tae-poong nodded at the Shoe Goblin’s words. The novel content I had read focused mainly on scenes of running and hiding when smuggling goods out of the Rebel Territory.
There were only a couple of fighting scenes, and even those were mostly Mahmoud stepping in to fight.
As they talked, the Shoe Goblin’s car began entering a quiet neighborhood in Seoul.
“There’s a place like this in Seoul?”
As I looked around at the scenery of the residential neighborhood, the Shoe Goblin spoke.
“The village is small and the buildings aren’t large, but it’s a neighborhood where quite a few wealthy people live.”
“Really?”
“Not quite millionaire status, but it’s where people live who you’d hear are doing well wherever you go. That’s why there are many single-family homes with small gardens.”
The Shoe Goblin explained with a smile as he drove toward a two-story detached house.
The Shoe Goblin parked in front of the detached house, retrieved a carry-on case, and walked forward with Yu Tae-poong and the Dung Carrier Goblin.

「Handmade Shoes
Hwaro」

“Hwaro….”
As Yu Tae-poong read the Chinese characters on the sign, the Shoe Goblin spoke.
“It means ‘Walk only on flower paths in shoes we’ve made.’ Let’s go inside.”
When the Shoe Goblin opened the door and stepped in, an elderly man smiled and gave a small bow.
“Welcome, sir.”
“Master Jang, has everything been well?”
“All has been well.”
The elderly man called Master Jang answered with a smile, then accepted the document case and coat that he offered.
“This is Yu Tae-poong, and this is the Dung Carrier Goblin.”
At the Shoe Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong looked at him in surprise. Then, quickly grasping the meaning, he spoke.
“Ah! So you know about goblins.”
“I’ve known and worked with him for a long time. Ah! But the other employees don’t know, so be careful what you say.”
The Shoe Goblin carried the suitcase to a table on one side and set it down.
“Have the employees gather. I’m going to open the gift bundle.”
“Understood.”
Master Jang went to the counter, picked up the phone, and pressed a button.
“The boss has arrived. He’s brought a gift bundle, so please come down.”
After hanging up, Master Jang approached. Watching him, the Shoe Goblin opened the suitcase and spoke.
“Please fit shoes for these two.”
“Understood. Please come this way, both of you.”
Following Master Jang’s words, the two men headed toward the wall. Shoes were displayed along it.
“You can choose whichever style appeals to you.”
The displayed shoes were truly numerous.
“I’m not sure what I prefer.”
“Do you have a style you usually favor?”
“I prefer comfortable clothing.”
“Do you wear formal attire often?”
“I rarely have occasion to.”
“Then a comfortable style would suit you well.”
Master Jang examined the shoe display and selected one.
“This style should work nicely.”
Yu Tae-poong nodded at the brown, comfortable-looking shoes.
“I’ll take these.”
“Then, what would you like for the leather?”
“You choose the leather too?”
“Of course.”
“I’m not sure about that either. Please recommend something.”
“Then I’d recommend calf leather. It’s soft, flexible, and luxurious—your feet won’t suffer even after wearing them for a long time.”
“Then please do that.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Master Jang smiled, wrote on a piece of paper, and looked at the Dung Carrier Goblin.
“How may I assist you, Dung Carrier Goblin?”
“Do it the same way you did for Yu Tae-poong.”
“Then I’ll categorize them by the lacing style.”
Master Jang brought over different shoes and explained the various lacing styles, after which both Yu Tae-poong and the Dung Carrier Goblin made their selections based on his recommendations.
Since neither of them knew much about shoes, there wasn’t really any other choice they could have made.
“Now I’ll take your foot measurements.”
Master Jang led them to where the sofa was and returned carrying four boxes.
He set the boxes on the floor and opened their lids, revealing them to be filled with a blue plastic foam-like material.
“Remove your socks and step comfortably onto this. Don’t apply any pressure—just relax and let your feet settle naturally.”
At Master Jang’s instruction, Yu Tae-poong removed his socks and stepped onto the foam, which molded around his feet to create a perfect impression.

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