The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 654

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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 654

Chapter 654. Wrapping Up (7)

I returned to the Cheongseong Sect first.
I needed to retrieve Seo Hyang, the Eunhae Trading Company members, and the Changin Escort Agency personnel who were there.
“Small Guild Master!”
The first to greet me upon my arrival at the Cheongseong Sect was Seo Hyang.
“Gwak Vice-Manager. You knew I would come.”
“Yes.”
She nodded.
“Are you alright? I was so worried.”
“I am fine.”
I tapped my chest lightly as I spoke.
“Thanks to you, I’m safe.”
“Thank goodness. Truly.”
Seo Hyang exhaled a sigh of relief, her eyes reddening.
How anxious she must have been watching that scene unfold!
The thought filled me with remorse.
“I apologize.”
“No, there’s no need to apologize like that. You were in danger doing what needed to be done.”
She shook her head and continued speaking.
“I’m just grateful I could be of help.”
I embraced her and patted her back gently.
“But Palgap, what’s with that expression?”
“Young Master is being so affectionate! Oh my! If the Madam had seen this, she would have been moved to tears!”
“Hmm.”
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In the meantime, the heroic tale of my capture of the Blood-Eye Demon Ghost spread rapidly throughout the Cheongseong Sect.
“Oh! So that’s the Immortal Chivalry Beauty!”
“He’s truly handsome.”
“He captured that Blood-Eye Demon Ghost, didn’t he?”
“And he stood at the vanguard too! Truly, a hero is a hero!”
Everywhere I went, people gazed at me with admiring eyes, which felt rather burdensome.
And my title remains the Immortal Chivalry Beauty.
Sigh, it simply won’t change.
“But what about Seongbo Wang?”
“Two days after you left, the Provincial Inspector summoned him, so he went.”
“It seems something has come up.”
It was likely a discussion about establishing the royal residence.
The Cheongseong Sect had largely been put in order by now.
Support from the Dang Clan continued to arrive, and our Eunhae Trading Company’s Construction Merchant Guild would arrive soon as well.
The rest was their responsibility.
If I stayed here any longer, I felt my limbs would wither away and disappear.
I bid farewell to the Cheongseong Sect Leader and immediately headed toward the Provincial Capital.
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“Our Seo-ho has returned!”
When I arrived at the Sichuan Branch, Uncle greeted me warmly.
“I heard the news. That you rescued Hyang-ok. I don’t know how to repay such a debt….”
“A debt? That’s not right at all.”
I waved my hand.
“Are we outsiders? Sister Hyang-ok and I share the same grandfather, so how could I not step forward? Rather, I’m grateful I was able to rescue Sister Hyang-ok.”
I spoke with a bow.
“I apologize for how coldly I treated you before.”
“No, no.”
Uncle patted my shoulder and said.
“Rather, because you spoke so bluntly, I was able to come to my senses. Thank you.”
I scratched my head.
“Sister Hyang-ok went directly to the Ami Sect. She said she would stop by home soon.”
“I see. Come inside quickly.”
I headed to my quarters, and with Palgap’s help, I washed in warm water for the first time in a while and lay down on my bed.
Thud.
“Ah… this is good.”
Now that I think about it, I remember that hot spring I discovered this time.
To be precise, it was Geum-ryeong who discovered it.
I’ll look into work-related matters later… but first I should check the Secret Vault.
I got up and opened the Secret Vault, stepping inside.
Everything I had carefully accumulated over time was neatly organized inside.
I had organized it with Seo Hyang’s help before.
On the floor was one unorganized sack.
I had found it while searching the safe house where the Blood-Eye Sword Demon was and put it away.
When I opened the sack, it was full of gold coins, silver coins, and precious treasures.
Likely some of this was plundered from nearby homes during the earthquake, and the rest would be tolls collected over time.
I took out an appropriate amount equivalent to the estimated damage to the homes and placed it in another sack.
I had to return that.
And I divided the remaining wealth in half.
“Geum-ryeong. Come out here.”
“Kwui?”
Geum-ryeong poked his head out from inside my sleeve, and his eyes sparkled as he gazed upon the gold and silver spread across the floor.
“Kwui! Kwuiiiit!”
“Here, this is your share.”
I pointed to half of the money as I spoke.
“Kwui? Kwuit?”
“Really? Then yes, really. I don’t joke around with money.”
“Kwuiiiit!”
The moment Geum-ryeong heard my answer, he leaped into the pile of gold and silver, swimming through it with frantic movements.
Clink, clink.
The sound of coins colliding echoed.
That bastard really seems to love this.
Geum-ryeong deserved this reward.
Not only did he tell me about the hot spring, but most importantly, if he hadn’t informed me about Hyun Ro-do, I would have failed to rescue Sister Hyang-ok.
One might worry that giving him more than fifty gold coins at once would spoil him, but Geum-ryeong wasn’t that kind of creature.
Despite having consumed an enormous amount of gold and silver coins over time, he still meticulously collected every last silver coin.
That meant he truly understood the value of money.
“Oh! But Geum-ryeong.”
“Kwui?”
“You’re not planning to eat all of this at once, are you?”
“Kwui? Kwui?”
What? You’re asking who I’m calling a pig?
You are a pig, after all…
Right! Not just any pig, but Han Ho-su? I almost forgot.
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That night.
I rested thoroughly and ate dinner before heading to my Uncle’s study.
“Welcome. Did you enjoy your dinner?”
“Yes. It was delicious since it was prepared in the Hubei style.”
“Haha. It was worthwhile bringing the Head Chef from Hubei. Come, sit.”
As I sat at the tea table, my Uncle personally brewed and poured tea for me.
“This tea is truly delicious.”
“It should be. I too received strict instruction from my father.”
Indeed, my Grandfather was deeply passionate about tea.
I took a sip of tea and opened my mouth to speak.
“I heard you’ve given a name to the hot spring you discovered this time.”
“Yes. For convenience, people have been calling it the Eun Hae Merchant Group Hot Spring, but I thought it would be better to have a proper name.”
“That’s quite right.”
I consulted with Father about this, and he said that since it was in Sichuan, Uncle should handle it as he saw fit.
“I’ve named it Man-an Hot Spring.”
“A hot spring that fills one with peace and comfort… that’s an excellent name. By the way, how has the response been?”
“What can I say? It’s been absolutely scorching.”
“Wonderful!”
Uncle added his explanation with a satisfied smile.
“So I’ve also purchased land near the hot spring. I’m thinking of building an inn there.”
“An inn?”
Uncle nodded at my question.
“Given the efficacy of the hot spring and how renowned it’s become, there are many people who travel from distant places wanting to spend several days enjoying it.”
His reasoning wasn’t wrong, but…
After a moment’s thought, I voiced my disagreement.
“Uncle, I have a different perspective. Rather than building an inn, I’d like you to invest more effort into improving the hot spring facilities themselves.”
“Of course we’ll invest in the hot spring facilities, but then how do you propose guests should lodge?”
“They can stay at the existing inns in the surrounding area.”
I explained my reasoning step by step.
“Man-an Hot Spring began with goodwill from the people of Sichuan. But if we build an inn and make it exclusive, that goodwill will be wasted, just like other hot springs. ”
“That’s true.”
Uncle nodded in agreement.
Inns built around hot springs tend to be considerably more expensive than ordinary inns.
In their pursuit of higher profits through luxury, common people find it very difficult to access them.
“I want Man-an Hot Spring to be a place that everyone can use.”
“Your point is valid, but if that’s the case, the upper classes won’t come. Then we’ll face problems with the hot spring’s operations.”
“That’s why I suggested investing in the hot spring facilities. Build several private hot springs that they can use exclusively.”
“That’s also a good idea. But that alone won’t solve all the problems.”
“I understand. The distance between the nearby inns and the hot spring is considerable, isn’t it?”
“Yes, how do you plan to solve that?”
“Operate shuttle carriages connecting the nearby inns to the hot spring.”
“Shuttle carriages?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“If you operate carriages that circulate through the Gab Inn, Eul Inn, Byeong Inn, and Jeong Inn, then to the hot spring, guests can use it without any inconvenience.”
“That’s a good idea. Then the inconvenience from distance would be greatly reduced.”
“Exactly. This way, guests’ accommodation costs at the nearby inns would also decrease.”
“Indeed. And if done well, the inns might even volunteer to subsidize the shuttle carriage operations.”
Uncle truly is remarkable.
In fact, the shuttle carriages to Man-an Hot Spring don’t need to stop at every inn.
I only need to stop at a few inns.
Once that happens, which inn the circulation carriages stop at becomes crucial, so they’ll want to support our operating costs just to have us visit their establishments.
“From our perspective, it’s less burdensome than constructing our own inns. Building and operating an inn near the hot spring requires substantial investment and considerable attention, so having existing inns handle this for us is quite advantageous.”
“Exactly.”
“Seo-ho, your talent truly is remarkable. To come up with such an ingenious idea!”
Uncle posed a subtle question to me.
“But why do you show no interest in the position of Merchant Guild Leader? I heard that you and Jin-ho withdrew from the competition for the position.”
Uncle’s expression revealed both regret and bewilderment.
I could sense his desire for me to become the Merchant Guild Leader, but I could only accept his feelings with gratitude.
“That’s correct. Eun Jung-ho will be the next Merchant Guild Leader. Jin-ho and I have decided to support him.”
“I see, though I’ve heard this before, it’s still a shame. With such overflowing talent, it is.”
“Uncle, I believe that simply possessing exceptional talent doesn’t necessarily make one a good Merchant Guild Leader.”
I continued with a smile.
“A Merchant Guild Leader must be able to present a vision of hope for the future to everyone. They must remain steadfast and lead everyone firmly, no matter what hardships arise. They must treat all people fairly, and when necessary, they must be willing to step forward and make sacrifices.”
“So that’s what Eun Jung-ho is.”
“Yes.”
“But you yourself don’t lack such abilities, do you?”
I laughed awkwardly and scratched behind my ear.
“To be honest, I find sitting in a position of authority rather tiresome.”
“Hahahaha!”
Uncle laughed heartily at my words.
“That’s right! Indeed, being a Merchant Guild Leader means sitting in authority becomes your daily routine!”
“I prefer traveling throughout the entire Empire like this. Perhaps I’m cursed with wanderlust. Hahaha.”
“I understand your thinking well.”
Uncle nodded.
“Thank you for settling this matter so early.”
Succession disputes in any organization become exhausting when they intensify.
Not only does the organization fall into chaos, but its power can also weaken.
Competitors won’t simply stand idle watching such an opportunity.
So his gratitude was for allowing a clean transition to the next generation.
The reason he brought up the succession matter again this time was likely because he wanted to confirm it once more himself.
“Ah, Uncle. The Construction Merchant should arrive in the Provincial Capital soon.”
“The Construction Merchant you mentioned?”
“Yes.”
I explained this to Uncle.
“Please oversee the construction of the Cheongseong Sect’s buildings.”
“Understood. This will keep me busy for a while.”
“And once the Cheongseong Sect completes their reconstruction, they’ll request your review of the inscription for the monument stone. I’d appreciate your attention to that as well.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“And I intend to return to Beijing with the Crown Prince and Seongbo Wang when they depart for the capital.”
“That’s right. You’ve worked hard. Thanks to you this time, the name of our Eunhae Trading Company has spread quite widely throughout Sichuan.”
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The next day.
I set out for Man-an Hot Spring at the crack of dawn.
Before heading to Beijing, I needed to inspect Man-an Hot Spring.
Since it was a bit early to call it dawn, the surroundings were still dark.
But I had the Night Luminous Pearl.
Thanks to it, I could make my way to the hot spring comfortably.
Splash, splash, splash, splash.
As I drew closer to the hot spring, I heard the sound of water bubbling up, and saw steam rising in wisps.
“Since we’ve come all this way, shall we soak for a bit?”
My Guard Warriors didn’t refuse my suggestion.
So we removed our outer robes and entered the hot spring.
“Ah, this is wonderful.”
“It truly is marvelous. Moreover, it even restores one’s inner energy! There’s truly no elixir quite like this spiritual spring.”
“Indeed.”
That’s when Seo-woo Warrior continued speaking.
“I realized it again this time. Though I’ve reached what I thought was the peak of my cultivation, I cannot protect my lord by merely resting on those laurels.”
Ah… he’s talking about when we faced the One-Snake Sword.
Indeed, we nearly died then.
Everyone nodded at his words.
“I will strive harder so that my lord never faces danger again.”
I spoke as well.
“I too intend to make greater efforts. I’ve come to realize that achieving my goals requires reaching an even higher realm.”
I nearly died without ever avenging myself or making the Eunhae Trading Company the Greatest Merchant Guild Under Heaven.
That’s when it happened.
“Chirp!”
Geum-ryeong, who had been paddling about in the hot spring, suddenly darted away like an arrow with a flick of her tail.
And moments later.
When Geum-ryeong reappeared, something was clenched in her mouth.
“What is this?”
I received it and spoke with astonished eyes.
“Isn’t this Longevity Herb?”
“Chirp!”
What? A gift? Saying thank you for the generous payment this time?
This Longevity Herb is a spiritual plant that extends one’s lifespan when brewed and drunk even just once.
In fact, I had been worried about Grandfather and the Ghost Face Broker, so this came at a perfect time.
Geum-ryeong, this little one… she’s quite capable, isn’t she?

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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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