The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 676

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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 676

Chapter 676. The Reward I Desire (1)

The next morning.
After breakfast, I was sipping tea when a maidservant came to find me.
“The Small Patriarch wishes to see you, sir?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Understood.”
I drained the remaining tea and rose from my seat, making my way toward the Small Patriarch’s office.
I could guess why he was summoning me.
The Small Patriarch had been away yesterday, and by the time he returned, it was too late for us to meet.
So this greeting was likely the surface reason.
But there would be more to it than that alone.
I was guided to the Guest Reception Room near the Small Patriarch’s office, and while I waited being served refreshments, the door opened and a middle-aged man entered.
He bore a striking resemblance to Hwangbo Seon-yu, the Great Hero.
So this must be the Small Patriarch.
I quickly rose from my seat and clasped my fist in salute, observing proper courtesy.
“I, a small merchant and Small Merchant Guild Leader of the Eun Hae Trading Company, respectfully greet the Small Patriarch of the Hwangbo Family.”
“Delighted to meet you. I am Hwangbo Seok-gil, Small Patriarch of the Hwangbo Family.”
He gestured for me to sit.
“Please, be seated.”
“Yes.”
He sat across from me and began speaking.
“This morning, I heard from my father that you brought the Emperor’s personal letter?”
“That is correct.”
I continued.
“It was to invite an instructor for the Martial Hall that our trading company is investing in and constructing.”
“I’m aware. That matter has fallen to me, and I must confess it’s given me quite the headache. Ha ha ha.”
“I apologize for the trouble we’ve caused you.”
He waved his hand dismissively.
“Not at all. It is the Emperor’s command—how could I call it trouble?”
“I am grateful for your gracious words.”
“Well, that aside…”
He took a sip of tea before broaching the subject carefully.
“I heard you put my son, Hwangbo Uk, to work as a porter yesterday… Is that true?”
As expected.
I nodded confidently.
“Yes, it is true.”
“Hmm, I did order you to assist him, but that doesn’t mean you should treat him like a pack mule.”
“Of course, I never intended to use the Young Master as a pack mule. However, since he insisted on it himself, I had no choice.”
The Small Patriarch asked in bewilderment.
“What? He insisted on it himself?”
“Yes.”
I nodded in agreement.
“He said that if he didn’t obey Father’s orders, he would be punished, so since he had agreed to assist me, it didn’t matter if I used him as a pack mule.”
“Hmm….”
“So I tested him to see how he would act on his own words. I apologize for that.”
“No need. If that’s the case, you have no reason to apologize. As the saying goes, a man’s word is worth its weight in gold. Anyone from the Main House should know how to take responsibility for what they say.”
The Small Patriarch continued.
“So from now on, I’ll leave matters to that boy.”
“Understood.”

I withdrew from the Small Patriarch’s presence.
I wondered if Hwangbo Uk would volunteer to be my pack mule again today.
When I returned to my quarters, Hwangbo Uk was there to greet me.
“Welcome back, sir.”
“Yes. I’ve just returned from seeing the Small Patriarch. And I’m planning to go out again today, so please prepare accordingly.”
His pupils wavered at my words.
“Do I need to prepare the hand cart again, by any chance?”
“Why would you ask such an obvious question?”
“….”
He rolled his eyes with a complicated expression, then cleared his throat and spoke.
“Well, I hadn’t mentioned it before, but I have something I absolutely must do today. So it seems I won’t be able to assist you today. I apologize.”
“I see. If you have something to attend to, there’s nothing to be done about it.”
“Then I shall take my leave….”
He hurried out of my quarters, and watching his retreating figure, I let out a quiet laugh.
“Was I really that harsh last night?”
At my question, the Guard Warriors exchanged glances and laughed.
“To be honest, you were quite severe.”
“You carried quite a lot, after all.”
“And you called out the Young Master’s name quite loudly as well.”
“Has that Young Master ever done such a thing before?”
The Yeo Eung-am Warrior smiled broadly.
“So, what was your intention in doing that?”
As expected, having been with me for so long, he understood me well.
“I need to accomplish something, and security is quite important for it. Please pay attention to that as well.”
“Understood.”
“And, Palgap.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Pull a hand cart and follow me.”
I needed to present a similar appearance to yesterday, just in case.
Thus, we headed to the Jinan Marketplace just as we had the day before, and I began wandering through it, purchasing various goods.
Then, in the distance, I spotted a familiar face.
“Ah? Ho Gyeong Prince?”
“Ah! Eun Seo-ho!”
The Ho Gyeong Prince of the Baek Yeom Merchant Guild.
He approached me with a delighted expression.
“It has been a while since we last met.”
“Ah, yes. It has been quite some time.”
“I received a letter recently. I heard you are getting married this autumn.”
At those words, I felt embarrassed.
“Haha. Yes, that is the case. But… your expression does not seem very pleasant.”
At my question, he flinched.
“Ah… does it show?”
“Please do not worry. Others will not notice.”
Ho Gyeong Prince’s expression control was nearly flawless. But my eyes cannot be deceived.
“That is a relief. Phew…”
Ho Gyeong Prince exhaled a sigh of relief.
I probed him with a question.
“Could it be the whetstone issue?”
“…!”
He startled in shock, his voice trembling as he asked.
“How did you… know that?”
As I suspected.
The Baekcheon Trading Company, which coveted the First Under Heaven Trading Company, would certainly not hesitate to employ such crude tactics to bring down the current First Under Heaven Trading Company.
The Baek Yeom Merchant Guild is an iron forge.
For them, whetstones are an extremely important consumable.
If the supply of whetstones were cut off, the damage would be far greater than what the Hwangbo Clan would suffer.
I spoke casually.
“According to recent information I heard, the Baekcheon Trading Company has monopolized the whetstone production areas.”
“That is correct.”
He nodded.
“I wondered what they were doing being so quiet lately… but they were scheming such things.”
Ho Gyeong Prince’s expression turned quite bitter.
I asked him subtly.
“If I were to supply high-quality whetstones, would you be willing to accept our delivery?”
“What are you saying? High-quality whetstones? Do you have some stored somewhere?”
“That’s not quite it—I’m asking for your preference on the matter.”
“Of course, if I could procure quality whetstones at a reasonable price, there would be nothing better.”
“I understand.”
Well, this timing worked out perfectly.
I recalled the short sword I’d received as a token of gratitude before, but this matter wasn’t quite so troublesome as to warrant that—perhaps I could make a lighter request?
“So then, might I impose upon you with a single favor?”
“Speak freely. You are my life’s benefactor—how could I refuse any request of yours?”
“Then lend me some laborers and warriors. And if possible, I’d also appreciate a stoneworker skilled in handling rock.”
“Could it be…?”
“Yes. We’re going to mine stone. Please exercise particular discretion regarding this matter.”
“Understood.”
After parting with him, I moved immediately into action.
There was work to be done, after all.

A short while later.
Ho Gyeong Prince arrived at the appointed meeting place leading the laborers and warriors, and introduced me to them.
“As you all know, this is Eun Seo-ho, the Small Merchant Guild Leader who saved my life. You need only follow his orders.”
“Understood.”
At Ho Gyeong Prince’s words, they all turned their gazes toward me, filled with goodwill.
I could readily discern Ho Gyeong Prince’s standing within the merchant company and how much trust he commanded there.
“Let us depart.”
“Yes.”
I led them into the mountains of Shandong.
“This is quite an enormous mountain.”
“Indeed. That’s why purchasing it required considerable expense.”
The very first thing I’d done upon parting with Ho Gyeong Prince was to purchase this mountain.
The distance was considerable, but that was manageable with lightness technique.
I’d completed the transaction for five hundred silver taels.
Fortunately, the mountain’s previous owner had been in urgent need of funds, making the deal straightforward.
As we ventured deeper into the mountain, I raised my hand, signaling everyone to halt.
“Wait here for a moment, please.”
“Yes? Why is that?”
“There is something here that does not welcome our presence.”
Before my words had even finished, a creature approached with a slithering sound.
A horned serpent—the Poison-Horned Snake itself.
The warriors and laborers who saw it recoiled in terror.
“That… that… is that not a Poison-Horned Snake?”
“It is.”
But my Guard Warriors and I drew our blades without hesitation.
The steel sang as it left the scabbard.
The Poison-Horned Snake possessed remarkably potent venom, making it a genuine threat to ordinary people.
Seeing that creature reminded me of the Poison-Horned Snake that the Sichuan Tang Family Estate kept.
The Poison-Horned Snake that had been slithering toward us suddenly froze in place.
What was that? I could have sworn I heard a sharp crack just now.
And then it averted its gaze from me and pressed itself flat against the ground.
Something similar had happened back at the Sichuan Tang Family Estate.
Could it be you, Geum-ryeong?
– Squeak?
What did I do? You’re saying you just stayed still?
Well, I didn’t do anything either.
In any case, if that creature cowers before me like this, that’s fortunate.
It saves me considerable time.
Though with it trembling and prostrate like that, killing it seems almost cruel.
Then a brilliant idea suddenly occurred to me.
Capture it alive and sell it to the Sichuan Tang Family Estate for research purposes.
Some might call it excessive, but I believe it’s the best solution.
It has harmed countless people over the years, so it must pay the price for that.
With that thought, I kicked off the ground and lunged at the creature.
Seizing its horn, I launched myself into the air and transmitted a message to the Guard Warriors.
– I’ll be gone for a moment.
Heading toward a deserted area, I opened my Secret Vault and spoke.
“Get inside.”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
“If you refuse, I’ll just take your inner core and horn and be on my way. Do you want to be difficult about this? Geum-ryeong, translate.”
“Squeak!”
Geum-ryeong climbed onto my shoulder and squeaked urgently.
At Geum-ryeong’s words, the Poison-Horned Snake shook its head frantically and obediently entered my Secret Vault.
I created a separate compartment inside the vault and confined it there.
Well, the Poison-Horned Snake is taken care of.
I returned to where the Guard Warriors and workers were waiting.
“Young Master! You’ve returned?”
“Yes.”
“What became of that Poison-Horned Snake?”
“I killed it. But just as I was about to collect its horn and inner core, they dissolved into nothing. What a waste.”
“I’ve heard that a Poison-Horned Snake only leaves behind its horn and inner core if it dies without knowing it’s dying.”
“That’s right.”
I claimed I hadn’t obtained the Poison-Horned Snake’s horn and inner core to preempt any greedy notions from these men.
Since such items fetch considerable money, one can never be too careful.
“Well then, let’s continue moving.”
We traveled for roughly two hours and finally arrived at our destination.
“Here it is.”
“Is this our destination?”
“Yes.”
I spoke to Seok-du, who oversaw the stonecutters.
“Seok-du. Try breaking any of these stones.”
At my words, he tilted his head curiously and approached a nearby stone. Then, taking up a chisel and hammer, he struck the rock.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
After he brought the hammer down several times, the stone split with a sharp crack.
Upon seeing what lay inside, he gasped in shock and stumbled backward, nearly falling.
I quickly caught him and spoke.
“Are you alright? You must be careful.”
“W-what… what is this…?”
“This is the stone used to make whetstones.”
Indeed.
This was precisely why I had confidently recommended supplying whetstones.
In my previous life, this was discovered about half a year from now.
However, developing this stone mountain proved far from smooth.
The Poison-Horned Snake I had just dealt with made its home here.
The mountain’s previous owner likely knew of it but feigned ignorance when selling it to me.
In my previous life, there was someone who purchased this mountain to build an estate, but the Poison-Horned Snake caused tremendous casualties.
Only after the Hwangbo Clan intervened could the creature be eliminated.
It was then that this place became known as a source of stone suitable for making whetstones.
Ultimately, as the Hwangbo Clan developed this site and produced whetstones to supply the region, both the Hwangbo Clan and the Baek Yeom Merchant Guild regained stability.
Yet such sudden, vast wealth brought grave troubles to the Hwangbo Clan.
Disputes over the distribution of income from this site sparked internal strife within the family.
Thus, I felt no remorse in seizing this stone mountain.
This mountain would only weaken the Hwangbo Clan’s power in the future.
There is a reason I did not prevent the Namgung Family from monopolizing the whetstone source.
This site, now developed, can be mined for years to come, whereas the Namgung Family’s monopoly will be exhausted within mere years.
The Baekcheon Trading Company, realizing this too late, will face considerable hardship.
Last time it was Namgung Kang, but this time his younger brother, Namgung Seok, will find himself quite troubled.
Thinking of that, why does this feel so satisfying?
I suppressed my smile and spoke to the workers.
“Now then, let us begin making whetstones.”
“Yes!”
At my words, everyone retrieved their tools and began their work.
.
.
.
Two days passed in this manner.
We loaded the cart with whetstones and headed toward the Hwangbo Family Estate.
“Where on earth have you been gallivanting about….”
Hwangbo Seon-yu, the Great Hero, grumbled as he approached me, but his words caught in his throat as I unveiled the cloth covering the cart.
“I’ve procured the whetstones.”
“Gasp!”
Hwangbo Seon-yu, the Great Hero, was startled at the sight of the cart brimming with high-quality whetstones, his eyes widening in astonishment.
“How on earth did you manage this?”
“I happen to have certain capabilities. Now then, where might the House Master be?”
It was time to receive my reward from the House Master of the Hwangbo Family.

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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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