The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 401

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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 Eun Hae Trading Company Chapter 401

Chapter 401. Setting Sail (3)

Mo Cheong flinched at the voice.
Though he couldn’t discern who was searching for him, a powerful instinct surged through him—if he obeyed this voice, he would live. He was certain of it.
It was an instinct honed through countless brushes with death.
“Very well.”
“Then, if you’ll excuse me for a moment.”
In an instant, his meridian points were sealed. The Mysterious Man spoke to the bewildered Mo Cheong.
“Your wound requires hemostasis, and movement would be dangerous. I’ve sealed your meridian points temporarily for safety. I’ll release them once we’re secure.”
From that moment, what Mo Cheong witnessed was astonishing.
Though the darkness obscured much, he could sense himself being carried on someone’s shoulder, moving swiftly away from his pursuers.
Their escape from those chasing him happened in mere moments.
Was it the relief of finally reaching safety, or the accumulated exhaustion catching up with him all at once?
He lost consciousness almost immediately.

When Mo Cheong opened his eyes, he looked around in alarm.
He lay in a clean room, covered by fine bedding.
“Where am I…? Ugh!”
He tried to sit up but winced at the pain, collapsing back onto the bed.
The sharp ache from his side wound confirmed that his brush with death had been no dream.
At that moment, the door to his room opened, and a man entered. His face was strikingly handsome.
Mo Cheong gasped in recognition. He knew exactly who this man was.
“You… you’re Eun Small Merchant Leader of the Eun Hae Trading Company?”
“I’m glad you’ve regained consciousness. How is your body feeling?”
“More than that… you were the one searching for me?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“But why would you…?”
“I need your help with the Changhae Trading Company.”

***

Jin Yu Warrior arrived in Nanking this morning with Manager Mo Cheong.
Early May.
Perfect timing.
Manager Mo Cheong looked terrible. He bore wounds from his escape….
Well, he’d been fleeing from those men all this time, so he couldn’t possibly be unscathed.
Still, I was grateful he’d survived.
In any case, I summoned a Physician to treat his wounds, had him washed, and dressed in clean clothes.
The moment I heard he’d awakened, I came straight here.
So he recognizes who I am.
Well, I’ve become somewhat famous. Yet I’ve revealed my face precisely to inspire trust. If I concealed it, he couldn’t possibly believe in me or commit to anything I proposed.
My proposal isn’t anything dishonorable anyway.
When I mentioned helping Changhae Trading Company, his expression flickered with both sorrow and rage simultaneously.
“So it has come to this… I suspected as much when I was ambushed on my way back after receiving funds from Changhae Trading Company.”
He struggled to sit up.
“Please, remain lying down. Your wounds haven’t fully healed yet.”
“I cannot. I cannot express my gratitude while lying in bed.”
He pushed himself upright regardless and bowed deeply to me with clasped fists.
“I am grateful for saving my life. And I apologize for the late introduction. My name is Mo Cheong, and I serve as the Finance Manager for Baekcheon Trading Company.”
I returned the bow, lowering my head respectfully.
“My name is Eun Seo-ho. I am the Small Merchant Guild Leader of Eunhae Trading Company. I would be truly grateful if you would help Changhae Trading Company, which was unjustly stripped of its position. And… I’m truly relieved you’re alive.”
At my words, Manager Mo suddenly shed tears.
“Ugh! I survived, but my Guard Warrior… lost his life. To save me….”
I understood that pain all too well.
In my previous life, there had been more than one occasion when Guard Warriors sacrificed themselves to save me.
It happened on the day I died as well.
“How can such anguish be expressed in words? Therefore, please understand that I cannot presume to offer comfort.”
He nodded at my words.
“Then… will you help me? Will you help Changhae Trading Company?”
“I must. I must. I will do so.”
A moment later.
Manager Mo, having composed himself, asked me a question.
“But for Eunhae Trading Company to help Changhae Trading Company… you must share some special connection.”
“No. We have no connection whatsoever.”
“Then why?”
“I prefer fair competition. It feels unsatisfying to compete against someone who has fallen into crisis through such cowardly tactics.”
His expression shifted subtly at my words.
What was that? The expression of someone holding warm dumplings on a cold winter’s day?
“You are a virtuous person.”
“Virtuous? What virtue exists in a merchant? I am merely a trader.”
“A benefactor? Where would a merchant find a benefactor? I’m just a trader.”
“Now I understand why the Eun Small Merchant Leader is called Seon Hyeop Mi-rang.”
A sharp intake of breath.
That title again, here of all places.
And I’m not truly a good person. This is all for my revenge against Baekcheon Trading Company.
“Ahem, you’re too kind.”
“And humble as well. In any case, how may I be of service?”
I answered his question.
“This entire situation arose because Changhae Trading Company failed to repay their debt to Baekcheon Trading Company.”
“So you need my testimony confirming that I received the payment in full.”
“Precisely.”
Manager Mo fell silent for a moment at my words, then spoke.
“Actually, there’s an even better way.”
“What method would that be?”
Manager Mo folded his fingers as he explained in response to my question.
“When I record in the ledger, I obtain signatures from three parties after receiving payment from the debtor: myself, the debtor, and a third party.”
“A third party?”
“Usually, it’s the local magistrate of that region.”
“…!”
“If the debtor comes to Luoyang, I obtain the signature of Luoyang’s magistrate. And if I travel to where the debtor is located, I obtain the signature of that region’s magistrate.”
“Others don’t know about this?”
“Since only I can see the ledger, others are unaware. I’ve never mentioned it. And the debtors themselves don’t know either, since I obtain the magistrate’s signature afterward. This time, I stopped by Changhae Trading Company in Qingdao on my return journey and obtained the magistrate’s signature then.”
Indeed, had Changhae Trading Company known of this, they would have already sought out the magistrate to appeal their grievance.
The fact that they didn’t means they remain ignorant of it.
Or rather, Baekcheon Trading Company would have made their move first.
As for why Manager Mo went through such troublesome measures…
“You were concerned for the debtors?”
He nodded with a bitter smile.
“Watching how Baekcheon Trading Company operates, it seemed the debtors would need that ledger. It pains me to see them struggling on the brink of death just to repay their debts—shouldn’t they have something to protect them? Yet here it is being used in this way.”
He continued with a solemn expression.
“And that ledger—I’ve hidden it away.”

***

Baekcheon Trading Company.
Merchant Guild Leader Namgung Kang’s eyes widened at a warrior’s report.
“What? You let him escape?”
“I, I apologize! Just as I was about to sever his neck, the torch suddenly went out… and when I relit it, he had vanished without a trace.”
The trembling voice belonged to a Guard Unit warrior who had been ordered to kill Manager Mo Cheong.
“You can’t even eliminate a single manager whose martial prowess isn’t particularly strong? How incompetent can you be?”
“I, I apologize.”
“Does apologizing solve anything? Stop just talking and show me results through action!”
“It’s just that… he hides like a rat, so incredibly well…”
“Enough. Get out.”
At Namgung Kang’s irritated outburst, the Guard Unit warrior hurriedly left the office.
“Pathetic fool…”
His deputy officer, standing nearby, spoke up.
“Should we not devise some countermeasure?”
Namgung Kang shook his head.
“I know Manager Mo’s nature well. He’s always been a timid man, fearful of injury. If he values his life, he won’t show himself.”
“But…”
“Enough. There’s no need to worry further. What matters now is our trade with the Dae-Wol Kingdom. Is the selection of goods for the ship proceeding smoothly?”
“Of course. Manager Ji Taek-mun is handling it well.”
But he knew the truth.
That Manager Ji Taek-mun had selected goods from merchants offering him extra payment.
The reason he kept silent was simple.
Because he had arranged to receive a portion himself.
Then, suddenly, something very important flickered at the edge of his memory.
‘What was it? There was something very important related to Manager Mo Cheong…’

***

Upon learning of the ledger’s existence through Manager Mo, I immediately sprang into action.
First, I needed to find the ledger.
Hmm, should I send Jin Yu Warrior again? I feel like I’m working him too hard….
“What troubles you so, sir?”
“Hm?”
“You seem to be contemplating something, sir.”
At Palgap’s words, I nodded and shared what was weighing on my mind.
Palgap then spoke as though it were no great matter.
“Why worry, sir? You have Geum-ryeong, don’t you?”
“Hm?”
“A ledger shouldn’t be too heavy, so Geum-ryeong should be able to find it and bring it back.”
“That’s a brilliant idea! You’re truly remarkable, Palgap!”
At my exclamation, Palgap spoke with a disgruntled expression.
“Honestly, I don’t much care for how that creature keeps crawling all over me, but I acknowledge what deserves acknowledgment.”
Wait, Palgap?
Geum-ryeong isn’t crawling all over you—it seems like he’s just teasing you.
And this fellow has no interest in hierarchy or rank; he only cares about silver coins. I think you’re just misunderstanding….
But if I said as much to Palgap, it wouldn’t properly reach his ears anyway.
“Then go fetch something that belonged to Manager Mo.”
Shortly after, Palgap returned with the clothes Manager Mo had been wearing.
I tapped the sleeve and spoke.
“Geum-ryeong. Come here.”
“Squeak?”
“Want some silver coins? Do me a favor.”
“Squeak!”
At the mention of silver coins, Geum-ryeong’s eyes began to gleam.
“The owner of these clothes had a book. Bring me that book.”
Geum-ryeong sniffed at the garment, then vanished through the window.
And Geum-ryeong returned in… merely an hour’s time.
Wow, he really is fast.
“Squeak!”
Geum-ryeong placed what he’d been carrying in his mouth onto the wooden table.
Hmm… surely the book isn’t slightly damp because of his saliva?
“Why did you carry it so laboriously in your mouth? You could have stored it in the Secret Vault.”
“Squeak! Squeak squeak! Squeak!”
Ah, so the Secret Vault can only be entered if I accompany you or grant permission?
If I’d told you to store it there, you would have?
You had such a hard time carrying it in your mouth?
Ah, that was my mistake.
I scratched the back of my neck and spoke.
“From now on, if something like this comes up, just keep it in the Secret Vault and bring it to me. Understood?”
“Squeak!”
“Here, have some silver.”
Geumryeong swallowed the silver I offered and, looking pleased, nestled into my sleeve.
I unfolded the ledger and examined its contents.
Wow, this is far more significant than I expected.
Since it was a list of those who owed debts to the Baekcheon Trading Company, it meant they were either in close relations with them or unable to refuse their demands.
Therefore, for us who would need to check and confront them in the future, this information was worth its weight in gold.
And in that ledger, I found what I had been searching for.
Specifically, a record that served as proof that the Changhae Trading Company had completely repaid their debt.
I rose from my seat and headed toward Manager Mo.

“I found it.”
I entered the guest room where Manager Mo was staying and handed him the ledger.
Manager Mo, receiving the ledger, spoke hesitantly.
“This… you found it this quickly?”
“I happen to be quite capable.”
“Impressive. I thought it would take at least five days, no matter how fast I worked.”
“Then this must be the ledger you mentioned, Manager Mo.”
“It is.”
“Then I’ll proceed with the work in earnest now. Ah, and since I have this, if you wish, I will keep Manager Mo’s whereabouts strictly confidential.”
“I have no objections. I simply ask for your discretion.”
Those words carried countless meanings within them.
I nodded calmly.
“Of course.”
As I left Manager Mo’s guest room, I spoke to Palgap.
“Tell Song Un, the Small Merchant Guild Leader of the Changhae Trading Company, that I wish to see him.”
“Understood.”
“And I need to go meet with Ji Hyeon Dae-in.”

That evening.
I met with Song Un at a nearby tavern.
It didn’t matter if others saw us meeting together.
It was common for people from the same merchant guild to dine together.
After waiting briefly, Song Un entered the private room I had reserved.
“Welcome.”
“Ah, it’s good to see you like this.”
Song Un’s face had deteriorated considerably. It was understandable—the mental anguish he must have endured was beyond words.
“Please, have a seat.”
He sat down, and soon the food arrived.
“I’d like to offer you a drink, but the prohibition on alcohol makes it impossible. Please, have some tea instead.”
“Thank you.”
He drank the tea in one long gulp, as if parched.
“What troubles you these days? You’ve been difficult to find.”
He sighed deeply, then spoke with difficulty, his face dark.
“Watching the Changhae Trading Company—everything I devoted my entire life to—crumble before my eyes… it pains me so much that I’ve simply stopped looking at it altogether.”
“I see.”
“What can I do? Things have already come to this point.”
His tone carried resignation.
“Still, I’m grateful you remember me and called me here, even though I’m now nothing.”
“Why would you say such a thing?”
I smiled.
“The truth is, I asked to see you because I’ve discovered something quite interesting.”
I unfolded a ledger and presented it to him.
“Don’t you recognize this handwriting?”
Song Un’s eyes widened as he looked at it.
“This… this is…!”

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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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