The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 357

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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 357

Chapter 357. In Shandong (3)

We tapped the boat we’d hired and emerged from the Geumgyeru.
I don’t know who the Head Chef here is, but I covet them.
I should bring my parents here sometime.
Except for Jin Yu Warrior, whom I’d given separate instructions, everyone proceeded toward our original objective.
Our destination was the Jinan Wharf.
Jinan was the most developed city in the lower Yellow River region and possessed the wharf closest to the sea.
That’s why seafood was extraordinarily abundant here.
Walking through the marketplace brimming with seafood held its own peculiar charm.
“Why have you come here?”
At Seo-woo Warrior’s question, I smiled knowingly and answered.
“Actually, this was our true destination today. So let’s see….”
I surveyed the wharf and pointed to an inn.
“Let’s head there.”
Upon seeing it, Palgap gasped and asked me.
“You truly intend to go there?”
“Yes.”
“Surely you don’t mean to say you don’t know what that place is?”
“I know.”
I smiled knowingly.
“It’s an inn where sailors stay.”
“Knowing that, you still intend to go? Is there no way to avoid it?”
The inns sailors frequented were nearly always the same establishments. This was because sailors required affordability above all else.
Whether on sea or river, tides were crucial for boat travel.
When they didn’t align, one had to remain at an inn for days on end.
Moreover, sailor work was almost always temporary employment.
Once that contract ended, one had to remain at an inn until securing the next position.
Naturally, given their meager finances, they could only afford the cheapest inns. The facilities and food were inevitably poor.
Furthermore, after spending weeks aboard a vessel, bathing became a distant dream.
The Yangtze was somewhat better, but the Yellow River ran thick with silt, and many sailors worked the seas as well.
Thus, the cargo they brought to the inn, as well as their own persons, reeked abominably.
Some used fragrant sachets to mask the stench, but when that mingled with the odor….
Palgap’s aversion stemmed partly from such considerations, but primarily from danger.
Sailor work was grueling and arduous, while simultaneously carrying high mortality risk.
Thus, many sailors spent every coin earned today by day’s end—living only for the present moment.
Of course, there are those who diligently save their earnings to become ship captains or pursue other ventures.
In any case, fights broke out frequently here, and their intensity was considerable.
In other words, Palgap was trying to dissuade me out of concern for my safety.
But where in this world could one truly find safety?
Besides, sitting idle has never suited my temperament.
“Don’t worry. They have their own set of rules. If you’re not a sailor, they treat you as if you don’t exist unless you speak to them first.”
“Is that so?”
“Those who aren’t sailors aren’t considered comrades. That’s the gist of it.”
“That’s quite an unusual rule.”
Though it appears rough on the surface, sailors share an incredibly strong bond of loyalty with one another.
And for good reason—when you’re surrounded by water on all sides, you can’t survive without relying on each other.
Of course, as always, there are exceptions.
“If you’d rather not go, you don’t have to.”
“No, no. I’ll go.”
Palgap clenched his fists tightly.
There was no need for such grim determination, really.
Just to be safe, I gave the Guard Warriors a word of caution.
“And don’t draw your swords carelessly in that place.”
“Understood.”
We entered that nameless inn.
In an instant, a foul stench assaulted my senses.
I felt every gaze in the place turn toward us.
But those gazes quickly dispersed.
They had recognized that we were not sailors.
That’s precisely why I had dressed up a bit for this visit.
As I surveyed the interior, my eyes came to rest on one particular spot.
There he was.
A man in the corner, intently eating noodles.
The noodles here, if you could call them that, would be served in a broth that barely tasted of meat, with perhaps one or two scraps of meat no larger than a fingernail.
I pulled out the chair in front of him and sat down.
Only then did he look up at me.
His body was gaunt, but his eyes gleamed with an intense, piercing light.
It was a face that could be called quite handsome.
I ordered tea, and he simply met my gaze without speaking.
Soon the Shop Attendant brought the tea, and I dipped my finger into the hot water and wrote a single character on the table.
“…!”
His eyes widened as if they might tear open at the sight of it.
“I’ll help you. And this may be your last chance.”
He bit his lip.
“I’ll help you, so help me in return.”
“….”
“If you wish to reconsider, come find me at the Cheongsan Inn within five days.”
“…What is your name?”
His speech was slightly halting, yet his pronunciation was better than expected.
“Eun Seo-ho. That is my name.”
I placed the tea payment on the table and rose from my seat, then departed from the inn.
We had walked perhaps half a quarter of an hour when it happened.
Seo-woo Warrior posed a question to me.
“Master, was that man perhaps a martial artist?”
Indeed, Seo-woo Warrior had discerned the man’s true nature.
“What gave you that impression?”
“When he saw us carrying swords, he subtly drew upon his inner energy. However, his aura differed somewhat from the martial artists of the Empire.”
He continued.
“Furthermore, his hands are those of one who has trained in martial arts since childhood. And when he realized we were warriors, he instinctively sought an escape route.”
I nodded in acknowledgment.
“Your observation was accurate. However, ‘warrior’ would be a more fitting description than ‘martial artist.'”
“Sir?”
“Did you not detect it in his accent? He is not a citizen of the Empire.”
Through memories of my previous life, I knew of his connection.
He was from the Dae-Wol Kingdom.
This foreigner worked as a sailor here in Shandong Province to earn money.
He needed to earn enough to purchase the freedom of his enslaved family.
He had originally been the son of a martial family in the Dae-Wol Kingdom.
But he had been falsely accused of treason, and his household had fallen into ruin.
By law, the women of families convicted of treason and males under fifteen became slaves.
He and his elder brother had been under fifteen at the time, so they survived.
He became a combat slave, and during a naval battle, he fell into the sea.
When he regained consciousness, he found himself on an isolated island.
A passing vessel rescued him.
This was his opportunity.
A chance to escape and live as a free man.
But his family weighed upon his heart, and he resolved to earn money, pay their ransom, and secure their freedom.
Even those enslaved for treason could become free if their ransom was paid.
Of course, the sum was astronomical, and slaves could not earn money independently, making it seemingly impossible.
For a proud warrior to labor in menial work must have been unbearably difficult.
Yet he had no choice.
Since the Dae-Wol Kingdom and the Empire were neighbors, if anyone discovered his slave status and reported him for the bounty, his chance to earn the ransom would vanish forever.
Therefore, he could only conceal the martial techniques that would reveal his origins.
This was also why he worked in Shandong, relatively distant from the Dae-Wol Kingdom.
Then, an opportunity had presented itself.
He had rescued a member of the Imperial Family swept away by a storm at sea.
With the help of the grateful Imperial Family member, he secured passage money and returned to Dae-Wol Kingdom, but his dream remained unfulfilled.
Everyone was already dead.
His Elder Brother had fallen in battle as a slave warrior, and his Mother and younger sister had died from exhaustion.
What made it even more tragic was that his family had been dead for less than a year.
In other words, if he had returned just one year earlier, the tragedy could have been prevented.
Yeo Eung-am Warrior asked me.
“Then did you summon him to serve as a warrior, my lord?”
“That’s not quite it.”
“Pardon? But didn’t you say he was a warrior?”
“He is indeed a warrior, but I intend to assign him to different work. I saw the fortune of a Trading King in his facial features.”
“Sir?”
Palgap asked with a bewildered expression.
“Young Master, can you read facial features?”
“Yes.”
“Then what about my facial features?”
“You’ll meet a good master, eat well, live well, and enjoy a long life.”
At my words, Palgap tilted his head.
“Hmm, that seems to match quite well.”
I appreciate how straightforward he is at times like this.
As I chuckled softly, Myeong-jong Warrior spoke with concern.
“From what I understand, the sea route to Dae-Wol Kingdom is quite treacherous.”
“That’s correct.”
Chang-un Warrior tilted his head.
“Wait, isn’t Dae-Wol Kingdom adjacent to Yunnan Province and Guangxi Province? Couldn’t we just go through there? Why must we take the sea route?”
Seo-woo Warrior answered Chang-un Warrior’s question.
“Going by land is even more of a pain—ahem, even more dangerous.”
Indeed, Seo-woo Warrior, being from Pyo Du and specializing in the Yunnan region, knew well.
“Crossing through those dangerous jungles and towering cliffs while carrying goods is an ordeal in itself.”
“I see.”
“That’s why the marketplace…”
I nodded.
“But here’s the thing.”
Yeo Eung-am Warrior asked me.
“Wouldn’t it be better to recruit or hire those already operating there?”
Trade with Dae-Wol Kingdom continues steadily even now.
“Until now, trade with Dae-Wol Kingdom has been conducted through their visits to the Empire.”
Why?
Because there’s no need for us to go there.
Trading with Dae-Wol people who visit the Empire is far more profitable than taking goods to Dae-Wol Kingdom ourselves.
“But now we must adopt a somewhat different approach.”
Until now, we had dealt exclusively in luxury goods, which made that possible, but circumstances have changed.
Whether it’s Imperial merchants or Dae-Wol Kingdom merchants, both seek profit without loss.
If we attempt to purchase grain from Dae-Wol Kingdom merchants who have come to the Empire, they will sell it at several times the local price.
Therefore, it is far more economical for us to travel directly to the Dae-Wol Kingdom and purchase grain ourselves.
“And the sea routes are the lifeblood of the ship captains—would they willingly reveal such secrets? Moreover, finding a captain in the Empire who knows the sea route to the Dae-Wol Kingdom is difficult these days, since no one has traveled there in a long time. He is a crucial figure who can resolve this dilemma.”
He knows the sea routes connecting the Empire and the Dae-Wol Kingdom intimately.
Thanks to this knowledge, I was able to rescue the Imperial royal family during a tempest, and subsequently established trade between the Empire and the Dae-Wol Kingdom.
In any case, when he learned of his family’s death, he fell into despair and attempted to take his own life, but the sight of his kinsmen enslaved weighed upon his conscience.
So he began trading with the meager capital he possessed.
To earn more wealth and liberate his enslaved kinsmen as free citizens.
Though he did not realize it himself, he possessed a talent for commerce, and within mere years, he had become a renowned merchant trader.
And by the time I had passed, he was called the Trade King of the Dae-Wol Kingdom.
“But tell me—will he arrive within five days?”
“Yes. He will certainly come.”
I spoke with absolute certainty.
“He is a proud warrior who cherishes his family.”

I returned to the inn.
“You’re late.”
At Father’s words, I cupped my fist and lowered my head respectfully.
“My apologies. The matter took longer than anticipated.”
“No matter. Your expression tells me things went well.”
“Yes. And I have urgent matters to report.”
Father studied my expression, then nodded.
“Let us retire to my room.”
“Very well.”

A moment later.
I entered my father’s chamber.
“By the way, I don’t see Mother. Where has she gone?”
“Ah, she went to meet the Lady of the Gwangjun Trading Company. She arrived yesterday, I hear.”
“I see.”
So Bok Yun Sub-leader has arrived as well.
Father personally brewed the tea and poured it into my cup.
“Thank you.”
I sipped the tea.
Father’s skill in brewing tea is indeed exceptional.
Rather than the refined technique one might expect from a Merchant Guild Leader who deals in tea professionally, it was more the skill he had acquired through enduring countless lectures from Grandfather.
“So, what did you want to discuss?”
“Father. Our Merchant Guild must build a ship.”
“A ship, all of a sudden?”
Father tilted his head in confusion.
“Don’t we already have several ships in our guild?”
“Not river vessels, but a large merchant ship capable of reaching the Dae-Wol Kingdom.”
“….”
Father fell silent for a moment at my words, then nodded calmly.
“Very well. Let’s build one.”
What?
Honestly, I expected Father to be startled and ask what I meant.
But this reaction—what is this?
Why is he so composed?
In my previous life, large-scale trade with the Dae-Wol Kingdom began not long after this.
The Emperor of the Empire, concerned about losing face by trading directly with the Dae-Wol Kingdom, heeded his Ministers’ advice and devised an alternative scheme.
He commissioned several merchant guilds to conduct the trade.
The guilds that began trading then achieved considerable success.
I recalled Father’s expression when he heard the news—unusually bitter.
“Why do you look at me that way?”
“Pardon?”
I quickly dispelled my thoughts and spoke.
“You’re so calm about it… as if you had anticipated something like this might happen.”
“Ah, I see….”
Father nodded.
“Seo-ho.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Do you know why our Merchant Guild is called the Eunhae Trading Company?”

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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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