The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 19

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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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The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company – Chapter 19

Chapter 19. Recruit the Master Craftsman (2)

Soon Palgap entered my chamber carrying cold water. I accepted it and drank.
“Young Master, are you truly certain you’re well?”
At Palgap’s question, I nodded.
“I’m truly fine. So don’t worry.”
“It seems you must have trained far too strenuously yesterday.”
At those words, I laughed heartily.
Now that I thought about it, I had indeed trained intensely yesterday, barely managed to wash, and fell asleep the moment I collapsed onto my bed.
“It’s exhausting, but I can’t skip training regardless.”
“You distinctly complained to me last night that you didn’t want to train.”
“…Just forget about that.”

After breakfast, I set out immediately to Geumson Market with Palgap and two Guard Warriors.
I had told Father I wished to see the marketplaces of Jiangxi Province.
Without question, he would certainly ask the Guard Warriors where I had gone and what had captured my interest.
That’s precisely why I deliberately headed to the bustling Geumson Market.
Of course, I had visited this place many times in my memories of the future, but returning after so long, it felt quite fascinating.
‘Is it because I’m beginning a new life, or have my eyes simply learned to see differently?’
Well, either way, it didn’t matter.
The present was what mattered now.
‘Let me see what’s here…’
I spotted items that held little popularity now but would become wildly sought-after in a few years.
I would need to secure those in advance.
As I wandered excitedly from place to place, hunger began to creep in.
“Shall we try the local specialty of Geumson Market for lunch—White Fish Delicacy?”
One of the Guard Warriors responded to my suggestion.
“We shall follow your wishes, Young Master.”
“But where might serve the finest meal?”
“The establishment called Bigang Restaurant over there is quite palatable. I visited it before when accompanying an escort mission, and I dined there at that time.”
“Then let’s go there.”
We entered the restaurant the Guard Warrior recommended.
Bigang Restaurant.
In truth, I already knew this establishment. I had visited it during my previous escort mission as well.
The specialty here, White Fish Delicacy, perfectly matched the local epithet of “Mother’s Flavor.”
It was a dish made by mixing freshwater fish with white rice without any special seasoning, boasting a clean, unpretentious taste entirely free of fishiness.
The hallmark of Jiangxi cuisine was bringing out the original flavors of the ingredients.
“Your order has arrived.”
Soon, exquisite white fish dishes were placed before each of us, and we all devoured our meals with single-minded focus.
“It truly is delicious.”
After so long without such fare, it tasted even better.
Having spent the entire morning exploring Geumson Market, my plan now was to leave the restaurant and begin my earnest search for the Master Craftsman.
I knew the Master Craftsman lived in Geumson Village, where Geumson Market was located, but I didn’t know his exact address.
The only clue I possessed was that there were several parasol trees beside his house.
This was information I had learned when I commissioned the Hao Organization to investigate, intending to give the Master Craftsman and his deceased family members a proper burial in their homeland.
However, the Jingyeon Trading Company had incinerated all those bodies, so I was unable to fulfill that wish.
The more I thought about it, the more I despised those bastards.
The Hao Organization possessed no further information beyond that.
It meant the Jingyeon Trading Company had thoroughly erased all traces of them.
I could easily find the Master Craftsman by commissioning the Hao Organization to investigate the residents of Geumson Village known for their craftsmanship, but I couldn’t do that now.
Despite my youth of merely fifteen years, every move I made as the son of the Eunhae Trading Company Master was being watched closely by rival merchant guilds.
The man eating beside me, the man behind me—they were all tails attached to me.
The Guard Warrior seemed to have noticed this as well, signaling me.
With surveillance like this, I was supposed to commission the Hao Organization?
That would be feeding information to the rival guilds.
If I wasn’t careful, it could bring even greater suffering upon that Master Craftsman.
‘If I commission the Hao Organization, this becomes a problem.’
Since the Hao Organization maintained branches throughout the realm, it was useful for obtaining information I couldn’t get through the Sangyu Division.
But the danger of information leaking was the problem.
So when commissioning information from the Hao Organization, I had to either hide what I truly wanted to know, or conceal my identity.
‘It would be wonderful to have a personal intelligence network for times like these.’
That was a matter for later; for now, I needed to deal with the tails following me.
I deliberately spoke to Palgap in a slightly louder voice.
“I should explore this village a bit more.”
“Pardon? Are you finished viewing the market?”
“I plan to come back to the market at night. I heard earlier that the night market is worth seeing?”
One of the Guards nodded at my words. Though I didn’t know his intentions, he was astutely following my lead.
“That’s correct. The Geumson Market at night is quite the spectacle.”
“Until then, we have nothing to do, and it would be awkward to retire to the inn, so…”
“Understood.”
After finishing our meal, we rose from our seats. Simultaneously, the tails following us also stood up.
I set out with Baek Gab and two Guard Warriors, wandering throughout Geumson Village.
On the surface, I walked leisurely, but my eyes never stopped scanning the surroundings, searching for parasol trees.
And when I found such a house, I observed its inhabitants for a considerable time.
After all, I remembered the Master Craftsman’s face.
As I continued this process through ten, then twenty houses, I could see the tails growing increasingly exhausted.
They must be frustrated, unable to fathom what I was doing.
The followers gradually began to drop away. It seemed they had tentatively concluded that I had come to broaden my horizons.
And two hours later.
“Sigh… this is exhausting too.”
I sat down on a nearby rock.
After rummaging through the village for two hours, I had discovered just how many parasol trees existed in Geumson Village.
About a hundred or so.
Since parasol trees were tall, finding houses with them wasn’t particularly difficult.
But I still hadn’t found that Craftsman of Wooden Puppets.
That’s when one of the Guard Warriors spoke.
“All the followers have fallen away, it seems.”
“So they’ve finally all dropped off.”
“Ah, so that’s why you suggested we tour the village. And with such a convoluted route at that.”
“Hahahaha.”
I laughed awkwardly.
In truth, the route had only become complicated because I was searching for houses with parasol trees…
But I didn’t clear up the misunderstanding. It was better if the Guard Warriors thought that way.
The problem was that the sun was gradually setting.
This was troublesome.
It had consumed far more time than I’d anticipated.
Tomorrow was a day of transactions for the Merchant Guild, so I couldn’t wander about freely like this.
In other words, today was my only chance to find the Craftsman of Wooden Puppets.
I thought it would be easy to find…
I seemed to have thought about it too simply.
Still, I couldn’t give up.
If I did, that craftsman and his family would fall into tragedy’s abyss once more, just as I had experienced in that future.
And I couldn’t allow Jingyeon Trading Company to earn unjust profits again.
I stood up from my seat.
“Then let’s move again.”
“Understood.”
That’s when it happened.
I heard a man’s voice crying out.
“Thief! Oh no! Catch the thief! That’s our family’s livelihood! You wretched bastard!”
And I saw someone rushing toward us at breakneck speed. I unfastened the gourd flask I carried for water.
A water flask was an essential item when traveling.
I froze the water flask with ice energy and tossed it in front of the Thief as he approached.
“Oops!”
As if I’d accidentally dropped it.
Rumble rumble rumble.
The flask rolled along, and the Thief passing through that spot stepped right on it.
Typically, a ceramic bottle would shatter without question.
But the gourd bottle, frozen solid, did not break.
It slipped.
Instead, because of that frozen gourd bottle, the thief lost his footing, stumbled, and fell flat on his back.
If someone asked how I managed to time the throw of the gourd bottle so perfectly, I could only say—I simply knew.
Honestly, even I was bewildered by how I knew, but it worked regardless.
“You wretch!”
And without missing that moment, the Guard Warriors rushed forward and completely subdued him.
“P-please spare me, my lord!”
At the thief’s plea, I laughed and spoke.
“Well, fortune smiles upon us. To catch a thief because of a gourd bottle I accidentally dropped—how fortunate indeed.”
“Indeed, my lord.”
Just then, a man came running, gasping for breath. Upon seeing the thief we had subdued, he cried out.
“Give me back my coin purse, you scoundrel!”
“W-what are you talking about…?”
I spoke to the thief, who was stubbornly denying everything.
“Hand it over.”
“I-I don’t have it!”
At those words, the Guard Warrior struck his thigh with the hilt of his sword.
“Ahhhhh! A-alright! I have it! It’s here! Oh, I’m done for!”
I received the purse and asked the man.
“Is this yours?”
“Ah! Yes! Yes! It’s m-mine! That’s correct!”
How much was in the purse?”
“My monthly wages that I received today. So that means….”
He told me the amount of money that should be in the purse, and I opened it to count the coins.
The exact amount he mentioned was there.
“Here it is. Be more careful in the future.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
Just then, some Patrol Officers who were making their rounds came into view, and I revealed my identity before handing the thief over to them.
It turned out he was a notorious criminal in this area.
Delighted to have made an arrest, the Patrol Officers returned to their office with satisfied smiles.
With the matter settled, I prepared to resume my search for the Master Craftsman.
Or rather, I tried to.
But the man whose belongings had been stolen stopped us.
“I cannot let my benefactor leave like this. Please, come to my home and share a drink with us.”
At his invitation, I waved my hand in refusal.
“No, thank you. I have already eaten, and besides, I am in no position to drink at present.”
“Then at least have some tea before you go. I cannot simply let you leave like this.”
It felt awkward to continue refusing his persistent invitation.
To do otherwise would be to disregard that man’s dignity.
“Then I shall have a cup of tea.”
“Thank you.”
The man led us to his home.

“This is my humble residence. Please, come inside.”
The moment I saw the house he indicated, I felt a slight bewilderment.
There were four modest-sized parasol trees standing beside the dwelling.
“Parasol… trees.”
“Ah, yes.”
The man nodded.
“I planted them when my son and daughter were born. When they grow up and marry, I thought to give each of them one as a gift. Haha.”
“…”
Now that I thought about it, the information Hao Organization provided only mentioned that there were parasol trees—it said nothing of their size.
Moreover, there was a time gap between then and now…
“It is a custom of this region, after all.”
I began to understand why there were so many parasol trees in Geumson Village.
At the same time, I felt utterly deflated.
Hao Organization, you bastards.
No matter how limited the information, how could you call this intelligence and pocket three silver taels for it?
I’m going to establish my own Intelligence Unit, no matter what!
Through this affair, I had learned a valuable lesson.
The information I possessed was not necessarily accurate, and I could not afford to approach matters carelessly based solely on such intelligence.
Just then, I heard footsteps from beyond the private gate.
“Father! I’m home!”
At that youthful voice, I turned my head—and I was startled.
A young boy who appeared to be around ten years old entered, carrying a book bundle.
Upon seeing us, he quickly bowed his head.
“Greetings.”
“…”
“This is my son.”
“…He appears quite intelligent indeed.”
The reason for my shock.
It was because this child was the one from my dream.
The one who had grasped my wrist and pleaded with me to save him and his family this time.
That child was the Craftsman of Wooden Puppets.
Doubt crept into my mind.
Could this young boy truly be the Craftsman of Wooden Puppets?
His appearance was far too different from what I remembered.
I had visited Jingyeon Trading Company under a pretense and managed to catch a glimpse of that craftsman when no one was around.
With bloodshot eyes sunken and hollow, his skeletal frame had ceaselessly muttered, “Something new, something new to craft.”
In stark contrast, the Young Boy before me now possessed plump cheeks and an innocence that radiated from every feature.
Wait—had that Craftsman of Wooden Puppets been twenty years old back then?
And I had encountered that craftsman roughly a decade after the wooden puppets first appeared.
Then….

Suddenly, the words spoken by that Merchant Guild Leader came flooding back to me.

“Ah, that little brat’s hands are so dexterous! He crafted the most peculiar contraptions with such ease!”

Damnable wretches.
They had exploited this child so ruthlessly.
Six months from now, they would discover the Young Boy and forcibly take him away.
So a ten-year-old child had walked willingly into the jaws of danger for his family’s sake.

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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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