The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 601

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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 601

Chapter 601. Haenam Island (3)

Mu Clan Trading Company.
“So, we’ve concluded the contract on those terms.”
The Merchant Guild Leader nodded at Wang Seok’s words.
“Do as you see fit, Chief Manager.”
His expression betrayed complete indifference to the guild’s operations.
He was merely a figurehead, after all—Wang Seok held all the real authority within the Mu Clan Trading Company.
He extended his hand without a glance at the contract.
“Oh, and give me some spending money. I promised to go drinking with some old friends.”
Since the alcohol prohibition hadn’t been lifted yet, he meant to go drink illicit liquor.
“As I’ve said repeatedly, don’t let anyone else find out. If it seems like you might be discovered….”
“You mean I should sell those bastards out? Understood.”
“Then sign here and here….”
The Merchant Guild Leader signed where Wang Seok instructed, took the purse of money, and left giggling.
Wang Seok watched him go without any change in expression.
He harbored no affection for the Merchant Guild Leader whatsoever.
All that mattered to him was the wealth he could extract from the Mu Clan Trading Company.
He spoke to his guard.
“Prepare the carriage. We’re heading there.”
“Yes, sir.”

A short while later, the Chief Manager arrived at the County Office.
However, the building he entered was not the County Office itself, but rather a structure located behind it.
It was the Mu Clan Trading Company’s building.
Upon entering, I informed the servant of my arrival.
After waiting briefly in one of the rooms, the bookshelf inside shifted to the side.
I rose from my seat to greet him.
“I pay my respects to Ji Hyeon Dae-in.”
“Please, sit. So, what brings you here?”
“As you commanded, I’ve come to discuss winding down our Mu Clan Trading Company operations.”
“Didn’t you say it would be difficult to do so immediately?”
“Yes. There are dissolution costs to consider, and I thought there might be more to gain, so I planned to settle things about a year from now. But we’ve just secured a major transaction, so I intend to proceed with the dissolution right away.”
“A major transaction, you say?”
“We’ve conducted business with the Eunhae Trading Company.”
I explained the details of this transaction to Ji Hyeon.
“You mean Eun Seo-ho, the Small Merchant Guild Leader? But didn’t I tell you he’s likely an inspector sent by the Emperor? Yet you conducted business with him?”
“After hearing your words, we deployed our own people to investigate from multiple angles. The results suggest he came to Haenam Island on personal business rather than acting under the Emperor’s orders.”
“What led you to that conclusion?”
“What inspector would openly indulge in entertainment like that? And he certainly knew how to enjoy himself.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Moreover, would an inspector conduct business with us? If he knew our true nature and did so anyway, he’d be directly defying the Emperor’s orders. If he didn’t know, then he’d be neglecting his primary duty to the Emperor by engaging in other activities—would the Emperor overlook such a thing? And before that, the Geumui Guard would certainly raise objections.”
“You make a fair point.”
“Since we promised to deliver the grain in a fortnight, we plan to complete our dissolution before then. Please convey this to your superiors.”
“Understood. Then let’s meet at the agreed location.”
“Yes.”

And so he returned to the Mu Clan Trading Company and made his way to the office.
“You’ve arrived, sir?”
Two of his trusted subordinates bowed respectfully in greeting.
“Good. Have you exchanged the promissory notes for silver?”
“Yes. It’s all here.”
Where they pointed, a wooden chest sat brimming with silver coins that gleamed in the light.
“Excellent. Now all of you, leave.”
“Yes, sir.”
Once his subordinates had departed, I opened the office’s vault.
Creeeeak.
A Night Luminous Pearl was embedded in the vault’s ceiling, bathing the interior in brilliant radiance.
Precious metals and jewels of every kind sparkled dazzlingly within.
I carefully placed the chests overflowing with silver coins into the vault.
They were considerably heavy, but I managed to move them nonetheless.
Once they arrived, handing this over would complete my task.
Yet I knew the truth.
What I had gathered was not the entirety of what those above had accumulated.
Part of me wondered where all this vast wealth was intended to be used.
It was enough that everyone involved in this scheme could live in idleness for a lifetime with plenty to spare.
But I soon dismissed the thought.
I would receive only my promised share and nothing more.
Creeeeak. Thud!
As I closed the vault door, a satisfied smile crossed my face.

* * *

That night.
I slipped out of the inn under cover of darkness.
Dressed in night clothes, I wore a smiling mask across my face and wrapped a cloth veil over it.
I concealed my features thoroughly so that even if discovered, no one could identify me.
I quietly scaled the wall toward the Mu Clan Trading Company and surveyed the surrounding aura.
There were quite a few guards posted about.
And every last one of them radiated the bloodstained aura of the Black Path.
In my previous life, such a sight would have turned my stomach—but now, I could manage it.
First, I needed to investigate this so-called Chief Manager.
Something about him didn’t sit right.
Normally, contracts of such magnitude proceed under the direct oversight of the Merchant Guild Leader.
Yet the Guild Leader wasn’t even present, and this man used the Guild Leader’s personal seal.
The answer was obvious.
The Guild Leader was merely a puppet displayed for show, while the Chief Manager handled all substantive affairs.
In my previous life, the Mu Clan Trading Company’s Guild Leader was found hanging from a beam.
Whether it was suicide or murder, and the reasons behind it, remained unclear—partly because those who fled were never apprehended during the investigation.
I evaded the guards and made my way to the Chief Manager’s office.
After confirming no one was inside, I slipped in and called out to Geumryeong.
– Geumryeong.
– Squeak!
– Do you smell money in here?
– Squeak! Squeak!
Seeing how eagerly Geumryeong responded, it was clear there was something far more valuable than silver hidden in this room.
Geumryeong scurried over and tapped repeatedly against the bookshelf.
So this was a secret vault.
Having seen so many hidden vaults before, I quickly grasped how to open it.
The hinges creaked open.
As I stepped inside the vault, I could barely contain my fury.
Mountains upon mountains of gold, silver, and precious treasures were stacked within.
These bastards!
I barely managed to suppress the killing intent that threatened to burst forth.
– Squeak, squeak…
Geumryeong drooled with desire, but I quickly scooped him up and tucked him into my sleeve.
– I’m sorry, but not tonight. I’ll give you a silver coin later.
– Squeak….
I hadn’t come here tonight to plunder this vault.
While my ultimate goal was to recover these treasures, opening it now would be premature and reckless.
Others would empty this place for me.
Today, after exchanging the pawn tickets I’d given at the Money Exchange House for silver, I’d come here for a reason.
I needed a place to hide something I currently possessed.
Even if I hide something inside the silver ingots that arrived today, it would be recognized as something new and go unnoticed.
I took items from the Secret Vault and carefully buried them inside the box containing the silver ingots.
Well then, shall I head out?
I left as if nothing had happened, closed the Treasury, and returned to the Inn.
“Welcome back.”
“You haven’t gone to sleep yet?”
Yet Seo Hyang was still awake, waiting for me.
“If I went to sleep first, I thought you’d end up sleeping on the floor again.”
“Ha ha ha.”
I laughed awkwardly.
Suddenly, the memory of that first night at this Inn came to mind.
Since we had agreed to pose as a married couple, we couldn’t use separate rooms and had to share the same Guest Room.
But since we couldn’t sleep in the same bed, I gave her the bed and intended to sleep on the floor.
However.

“Isn’t the floor too cold?”
“It’s fine. This is hardly cold at all.”
“Still, it seemed quite hard.”
“Compared to sleeping in the wilderness, it’s like silk bedding.”
“If it’s because of me, then I should sleep on the floor instead.”
“That won’t do! If the Provincial Inspector somehow found out, I’d be dead.”
Besides, I wasn’t keeping her for free—I was receiving proper compensation for looking after her.
“I understand the Small Merchant Guild Leader’s position, but my conscience won’t allow it. I’ll make a boundary with the blanket, so please sleep up there.”
“That’s not necessary….”
“What if someone saw and thought I was a cruel wife?”
“….”

And so, in the end, I found myself sleeping in the same chamber as her.
Of course, as she suggested, we placed a blanket down the middle and covered ourselves with separate quilts.
The first night, sleep eluded me, but now… well.
Once I accepted it, it became rather comfortable.
And it also meant she trusted me that much, which I was grateful for.
But if she fell asleep first, I had planned to simply sleep on the floor—though it seemed she had foreseen even that.
She must have glimpsed the future.
“Ah, and there’s one more thing I should tell you.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“A Geumui Guard liaison will be visiting tomorrow.”
The fact that Seo Hyang brought up the future specifically meant there was good reason to do so.
“Is this person problematic?”
“Yes.”
She nodded with a hardened expression.
“He cannot learn of the Small Guild Master’s plans.”
“….”
Now I understood who the traitor was.
Those operating here had to remain in place, so someone needed to relay news and orders from Beijing.
But this liaison wasn’t only delivering information to the Geumui Guard.
The circumstances made it clear a traitor existed, yet strangely, I sensed no aura of the Black Path.
If he were a traitor, he would have been in constant contact with them, so he should certainly bear their mark.
But if the liaison himself is the traitor, that would explain it.
“Does he perhaps know your identity as well?”
That would be a serious problem.
“I’m not entirely certain. Still, it would be wise to be cautious.”
“Understood. Thank you for informing me.”
I immediately summoned Palgap and had Jang Won Grand Master called to my guest room quietly.
“You called for me?”
“My apologies for the late hour.”
“Not at all. I would be rising soon anyway.”
That was true.
Before I knew it, I had spent the entire night awake.
Wait? That means Seo Hyang also spent the night awake?
I felt rather guilty about that.
“What is the matter?”
“Ah, it’s nothing urgent—when does the liaison who brings news arrive here?”
“Gap-ja came last time, so this time Eul-ja should arrive. He’ll likely get here today.”
Gap-ja? Eul-ja?
“Are there two of them?”
“Three, actually. Since the journey from Beijing to here is long, the three of them take turns delivering news and orders.”
In other words, the traitor hasn’t revealed my identity to them yet.
But that doesn’t mean I’m safe.
The contact would likely know who I am.
Which means I need to prevent him from meeting with them.
“Great Hero, I need to ask for your cooperation.”
“Speak freely.”

* * *

Gap-ja had arrived in Seomun County.
In his possession was an order to be delivered to the Haega Inn in Seomun County.
He had his own real name, but during this work, he was known only as Gap-ja.
Selected for the Geumui Guard, he was exceptionally swift, and had been assigned the role of contact.
But he harbored no loyalty toward the Emperor.
He had become a member of the Geumui Guard for the power he could wield as one.
Yet even that was beginning to bore him.
It was then that an unknown figure approached him with a proposal backed by considerable wealth.
Naturally, refusal would mean death.
Should he die faithful as a member of the Geumui Guard?
Or should he take the money and sell information?
His choice was obviously the latter.
As a result, he betrayed his comrades, and several of them died because of it.
Yet he felt little guilt about it.
‘They were fools for trusting me.’
And now he had learned something crucially important: the Emperor had dispatched Eun Seo-ho to resolve the matter on Haenam Island.
By this point in time, Eun Seo-ho would have already crossed over to Haenam Island.
He needed to hurry.
Eun Seo-ho was an exceptionally capable individual, and there was a high likelihood he would uncover their corruption.
That would be catastrophic.
He would never die peacefully then.
But before that, he had to visit the Haega Inn and obtain the letter they were sending to Beijing.
Only then could he review it and relay additional information to them.
So he had come to the Haega Inn first.
“Jang Won! We have a guest!”
At those words, Jang Won approached the visitor.
“You’ll be staying with us, yes?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll show you to a room.”
Jang Won led him to a guest room, and Gap-ja handed him a letter.
“It’s a letter sent from above.”
“Thank you for passing that along.”
“I merely follow orders.”
Eul-ja watched as Jang Won received the letter from him.
He held a relatively high position among the Geumui Guard, making it impossible to eliminate him outright.
Instead, I was using Jang Won and the Haega Inn to my advantage.
After reading the letter, Jang Won paused briefly before speaking to him.
“I have something to convey to Beijing through you. However, since this requires absolute secrecy, we cannot discuss it here. Follow me for a moment.”
“Understood.”
At this, Eul-ja felt he had hooked something substantial. In other words, information that would fetch a price.
They paid him based on the importance of whatever intelligence he brought them.
They left the inn and ventured into the nearby forest.
After penetrating to a sufficient depth, Jang Won came to a halt.
“At this distance, there are no passersby, so there’s no risk of eavesdropping.”
“Indeed. What exactly is this matter, sir?”
“Well… truthfully, this should be written in a letter and submitted through official channels, but there’s a risk someone might intercept the correspondence. So I have no choice but to tell you in person. Brace yourself—don’t be startled by what you hear.”
“Understood.”
“The thing is…”
As Eul-ja leaned in to listen to Jang Won’s words, a sudden impact struck the back of his neck.
Thwack!
Thud.
He collapsed forward into unconsciousness, and the figure that emerged from behind was Seo-woo Warrior.
He had crept close and struck Eul-ja’s neck, rendering him senseless.
And beside him, Eun Seo-ho stepped into view.
“You’ve done well. Now then, shall we extract the truth piece by piece?”

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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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