The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 606

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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 606

Chapter 606. An Unexpected Clue (2)

I turned my head toward the direction from which the arrow had come.
I could see numerous vessels, and upon spotting the flag raised at their vanguard, I was taken aback.
That flag belonged to the Eun Hae Trading Company.
In other words, the ship at the forefront was one of our Eun Hae Trading Company’s merchant vessels.
Then these arrows must have been fired by the Eun Hae Trading Company’s archers, trained in Gung Shin Man-jeong’s Cheon Pa Bow technique.
When I observed their training exercises, I had no idea they were this formidable, but witnessing them in actual combat was truly terrifying.
But this is not the time for such thoughts!
Thwack!
Crack!
From the arrows embedded in the ship, I detected the scent of oil.
If we remained on this vessel, we would be in grave danger.
Since they were firing from such a great distance, they were attacking without knowing we were here.
I turned to the Haenam Sect Disciple who had come to provide support.
“What is the retreat signal?”
“Pardon?”
“We must retreat immediately. Now!”
Reading the urgency in my voice, he quickly raised his whistle to his lips.
Shrill! Shrill! Shrill! Shrill!
The moment that sound echoed across the waters, the Haenam Sect Disciples aboard the other vessels immediately disengaged from the pirates and leaped from the ships.
With arrows striking the vessels to our left and right, we seized the chaos to make our escape.
We too jumped from the ship.
But to leave things as they were would be regrettable.
I charged at full speed toward the captain and struck him across the back.
“Ugh!”
The captain lost consciousness from the impact.
I seized him by the scruff of his neck and plunged into the sea.
The pirates attempted to stop me, but it was futile.
“Seize him!”
“That merchant is taking our captain!”
At that very moment, flaming arrows began to rain down upon the ship.
“Ahhhhh!”
“Damn it! Fire!”
Listening to the pirates’ screams, I moved swiftly through the water and reached the shore.
“Are you unharmed?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
I grasped the hand Seo-woo Warrior extended and climbed out of the water, then handed over the Pirate Captain I had brought with me.
“He’s a crucial witness. Don’t let him take his own life.”
“Understood.”
Do Jin Captain and Cheongryu Warrior approached me, asking if all the other Haenam Sect disciples had arrived.
“Phew, we nearly faced disaster. What on earth is happening?”
I answered Do Jin Captain’s question.
“Ah, it’s a merchant vessel from the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“What? But how does a merchant ship have such firepower….”
“It’s a merchant vessel for trade with the Dae-Wol Kingdom, and we invested considerable military capability to counter pirates.”
“That’s… considerable?”
I laughed awkwardly at his question and turned my head away.
Even I have to admit it’s more than just considerable.
“Regardless, the pirates already knew about our operation.”
Their expressions hardened at my words.
“That’s right. This is truly grave. Our operations have never been compromised before, but the fact that those pirates knew about ours means….”
“Someone informed them.”
They clenched their fists, clearly having already considered this possibility.
A pirate attack at this particular moment, and collusion with them….
It seemed they were preparing to wrap everything up and disappear.
From the perspective of those committing corruption, the most troublesome people were the Haenam Sect.
Not only for their martial prowess, but because the residents of Haenam Island held them in overwhelming support and respect.
To organize and flee with what they’d been doing, they couldn’t escape the Haenam Sect’s scrutiny.
So they mobilized the pirates to divert their attention elsewhere.
But fortune favored us—the merchant vessels from the Eunhae Trading Company returning from their trading expedition to the Dae-Wol Kingdom arrived at precisely the right moment.
And upon spotting the pirates, the Eunhae Trading Company’s merchant vessels attacked without hesitation and sailed away unscathed.
It paid off that I had instructed them to preemptively suppress any pirates they encountered on their route.
I’ll have to express my gratitude when I return.
Fortunately, they arrived at just the right time. Had they not come, I would have been like a dog chasing chickens, left staring only at the roof.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to exert strong influence over establishing a mooring point for Eunhae Trading Company vessels here.
In the meantime, the pirates who had landed and advanced inland were nearly all eliminated.
Though it seems cruel to mercilessly sever their heads and throw their corpses into the sea, it’s the best method.
Pirates possess some strange romanticism, so if imprisoned, other pirates rescue them and they return to piracy.
Once they complete their sentences, they inevitably return to piracy—it’s simply their nature.
Considering this, executing them outright is the better approach for everyone.
Watching the soldiers execute the pirates, I could see how much they had suffered at their hands.
I also had a pirate I needed to handle separately, so I decided to move.
I dragged the pirate I had brought with me toward the Haenam Sect.
It was a place where I could have a serious conversation without interference from others.
And on the way, I made a request of the Yeo Eung-am Warrior.
Bring Jang Won Grand Master, who is currently evacuating with Seo Hyang, to the Haenam Sect.
Jang Won Grand Master has some expertise in interrogation, and since this is work being conducted under the Emperor’s orders, it’s not advisable for me to handle it unilaterally alone.
By sharing credit with the Geumui Guard and exchanging information, we can avoid future complications.
We can also receive their assistance going forward.
Upon arriving at the Haenam Sect, I requested a secluded location from the Sect Leader.
“It’s no trouble. There’s a separate pavilion over there that we don’t use much.”
I brought the pirate there under the guidance of the Cheongryu Warrior and had him bound to one of the pavilion’s pillars.
He struggled to escape, but there was no one to save him.
After waiting a short while, Jang Won Grand Master arrived at the pavilion.
“Oh! I heard the news! You successfully eliminated the pirates.”
“Yes. Fortunately, one of our Eunhae Trading Company merchant ships happened to pass by and provided assistance.”
“That’s quite fortunate indeed.”
He continued speaking.
“But why did you call for me? Who is this merchant?”
I explained the entire situation to him.
Jang Won Grand Master immediately grasped my explanation.
“I see. So the merchant is the pirate captain, and since there are those on Haenam Island colluding with the pirates, you’ve brought the merchant here. And you’ve called me to identify those who are collaborating with them.”
“Precisely.”
“I understand.”
Jang Won Grand Master cracked his knuckles.
Crack! Crack!
“Leave it to me. I’ll show you what I can do.”
Perhaps sensing something, the pirate captain’s face turned pale with fear.
I left him with a warning before departing the pavilion.
“The faster you confess everything you know truthfully, the less painful this will be.”
.
.
.
I left the captain with Jang Won Grand Master and stepped outside.
At that moment, the Yeo Eung-am Warrior spoke to me.
“Sir, the Master’s Wife asked me to relay a message to you.”
A message from Seo Hyang?
“Please tell me.”
He relayed Seo Hyang’s words to me, and upon hearing them, I gave several instructions to my Guard Warriors.
Then I headed to the seaside with Seo-woo Warrior.
It was where the burned pirate ship had sunk earlier.
“Why have we come to this place?”
“Ah… I felt it would be a waste to leave the treasures remaining on the pirate ship.”
“What?”
“When I boarded the pirate ship earlier, I noticed from Geumryeong’s reaction that there were quite a few valuables on the vessel. So I came to retrieve them. It would be such a waste to leave them.”
At my words, the Seo-woo Warrior nodded in agreement.
“You speak truly, but the pirate ship has already sunk deep into the ocean. How do you intend to retrieve it?”
“I possess underwater martial skills.”
“Ah… of course.”
“So don’t worry and wait here for a moment.”
I asked the Seo-woo Warrior to keep watch over the surroundings, then descended into the sea while wearing my night-travel suit.
The night-travel suit even had a hood to cover my head, allowing me to enter the seawater without my hair getting in the way.
In truth, underwater martial arts is one of the Haenam Sect’s core techniques.
Since the Haenam Sect is situated on an island, one cannot move freely without martial skills that allow traversal of the sea.
However, the underwater martial arts they have mastered has its limitations.
They cannot dive to great depths.
How do I know this?
Ships that sank in the shallow coastal waters left no treasures behind, but those that sank deep in the ocean far from land still had their valuables intact.
In contrast, the Ice Sea Transformation Heart Method and Ice Sea Water Severing Technique that I have mastered allow me to descend to extraordinary depths.
Geumryeong paddled through the water with his short limbs, delighting in the task.
I had promised him a gold coin after all.
Geumryeong thoroughly scoured the sunken ships throughout the area, placing all manner of precious items into my secret vault.
I’m curious to see what treasures await when I open the vault later.
After spending considerable time plundering the sunken vessels in the region, I returned to shore.
“You’re only now returning?”
The Seo-woo Warrior approached me, his expression showing genuine concern.
“Were you worried?”
“Yes, because you didn’t emerge even as dawn broke.”
Indeed, seeing that daylight had arrived, it meant I had spent several hours beneath the waves.
“Haha, my apologies. The treasure hunting proved far more enjoyable than anticipated, and I lost track of time.”
By now, surely the pirate captain has confessed something useful?
“Let’s head to the Haenam Sect.”
“Yes.”

I headed toward the Haenam Sect, removed the dark clothes I had been wearing, and changed back into my original attire.
Then I made my way to the Separate Pavilion.
“Heh heh, you’ve finally arrived?”
Jang Won Grand Master was waiting in front of the Separate Pavilion.
“You must have gone through quite a bit of trouble.”
“It was nothing. He confessed more easily than I expected. Let’s go inside.”
I entered with him and saw the Pirate Captain hanging from the ceiling.
“….”
No wonder he confessed so readily.
I made a firm resolution once more.
I would never fall out of favor with the Geumui Guard.
“As the Grand Master said, there was indeed someone providing inside information. It appears a man named Cheon Cheon-bok was orchestrating this scheme using the pirates.”
“From what I understand, the Regional Branch Leader is the one backing Cheon Cheon-bok.”
“Then if we arrest Cheon Cheon-bok and interrogate him, the Branch Leader will be exposed.”
“That’s true. But do we really need to go through the trouble of doing this in order? Since we’re going to arrest them anyway, wouldn’t it be better to strike simultaneously?”
“That makes sense as well. Then I shall take care of the Regional Branch Leader. I’ll lead the Golden Army currently stationed in Seomun County and arrest him.”
“Then I shall handle Cheon Merchant Lord.”
“Then, for support….”
“That won’t be necessary. I have a plan.”
After Jang Won Grand Master left, we remained quiet as if nothing had happened.
We couldn’t cause a commotion before he arrived with the Golden Army, lest we make a careless mistake.
And after several hours, Jang Won Grand Master arrived on Haenam Island leading the Golden Army.
The moment I heard the news, I headed toward the Chaehong Trading Company.
In front of it stood the Black Blade Warriors he had summoned—in other words, the pirates—standing guard.
“I am Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Trading Company. Is the Sect Leader inside?”
“Please wait a moment.”
They were visibly anxious right now.
The pirate crew they belonged to had been annihilated, so they had no choice but to be uneasy.
That’s why, unlike before, they weren’t picking a fight with me.
“He says you may enter.”
“Thank you.”
I went inside and waited in the Guest Reception Room.
Soon Cheon Cheon-bok entered, and anxiety was evident in his eyes as well.
“What brings you here? The pearl ornaments still have a long way to go before completion….”
Seeing his expression, I smiled inwardly.
He must be wondering what could possibly be so important when the pirates were annihilated overnight.
The pirates must have been a crucial part of his operations and those of his associates.
But now that this crucial piece had suddenly disappeared, he must be confused about what to do.
“Come to think of it, I never properly thanked you for introducing me to such fine pearls. So I thought I’d stop by to express my gratitude and perhaps share a meal.”
“I’m grateful that you would go to such lengths for me.”
“Shall we be on our way?”
I told this lie to extract him without unnecessary conflict.
If these men were to rampage, innocent civilians would become collateral damage.
Together with him, I left the Chaehong Trading Company and entered the inn I had arranged beforehand.
“Welcome.”
Since I had reserved a room through Palgap, we were immediately shown to the separate quarters.
But there was no food laid out in that room.
“W-what is this….”
Sensing that something was amiss, he quickly tried to rise from his seat.
But,
Thud!
My fist was faster.
Having subdued Cheon Cheon-bok, I loaded his unconscious form onto a palanquin and headed toward the Haenam Sect.
And in the separate pavilion where I had suspended the pirate captain, I hung Cheon Cheon-bok beside him.
Creak!
At that moment, the door opened and Jang Won Grand Master entered.
But his expression was far from pleasant….
“My apologies.”
“What is the matter?”
“It seems he caught wind of it—Geum Sa-gyeon, the regional branch leader of Haenam Island, has already fled.”
These types always seem to have such keen instincts.

A moment later.
I headed toward the Provincial Office.
Now that I no longer needed to conceal my identity, I could walk about with confidence.
I sent a portion of the Golden Army to the Chaehong Trading Company to suppress the Dark Path Martial Artists there.
As a result, there weren’t many Golden Army soldiers stationed at the Provincial Office.
I made my way to Geum Sa-gyeon’s quarters.
There were clear signs that he had hastily packed his belongings.
Even if he fled from here, it would only be toward Guangdong Province.
But with the Golden Army already positioned throughout that region, he’d have nowhere to turn for help.
Well, it doesn’t matter.
He’s already within my grasp regardless.
Seo Hyang had informed me of this situation beforehand, so I had prepared accordingly.
I let out a quiet laugh upon seeing something in his chamber.
An empty box.
It was the box that had contained the golden toad I’d received as collateral from the Mu Clan Trading Company previously.
In his desperate circumstances, he’d judged it to be the most valuable treasure and fled with it as well.
But what could he do about it?
It was a fake.

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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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