Chapter 157: The Market Disrupter (4)
It was no exaggeration to say that the price of hermits in the central plains was determined by Taewoongbang. The huge capital was far greater than all other small battlefields combined. The Jangan branch of Taewoongbang was now going through a difficult time.
A secret space inside the branch.
This was the branch Commander’s office and also a place to entertain special guests.
Expensive golden decorations were shining everywhere. On one side, there was a door leading to a storage warehouse, and six warriors in charge of security were waiting near the entrance.
“Are you crazy? Are you kidding me?”
The branch Commander could not hide his bewildered expression.
“It’s true, Branch Commander. I said I would purchase all the silver held here.”
“Who else in the market has such wealth other than Hwang Dae-in? Have you checked to see if he has any money?”
The clerk shook his head and repeated the report.
“…She was an old-fashioned woman I had never seen before. There was something about her that I couldn’t treat lightly by asking about her.”
He was a clerk with a keen eye. There was no way he was lying.
After thinking for a moment, the branch Commander nodded and asked.
“How much silver do you have now?”
“We disposed of the silver we owned in advance… but there are 6,500 silver coins waiting to be sold by customers who reserved at the lowest price.”
Converting the soldiers’ one year’s salary to the current hermitage price, it was about eight taels. It was truly an unusual scale.
“You kept the customer waiting too long. Bring him inside first.”
The clerk tilted his head and asked back.
“Huh? If the deal really goes through, Prince Hwang will be upset.”
“If you have the resources, your best customers can change at any time. I have to meet them in person.”
“All right.”
The clerk went out through the secret door that led to the exchange.
The branch Commander took a deep breath. His mood suddenly changed. The expressionless face had a big smile on it and both hands were folded together. It’s about getting ready to welcome customers.
After half hour, the ornately decorated door was opened.
“This is the place. This place is only for special customers, so please feel free to use it!”
An unfamiliar woman appeared, approaching one step at a time. At that moment, the atmosphere in the room changed as if a ray of Il-gwang was shining.
The branch Commander rolled her eyes and quickly assessed the other person.
A red silk hanbok with a snowflake pattern embroidered on it. It was a high-quality item that was not easily found as clothing imported from Goryeo.
Her eyes seemed to be looking down at the world, like an empress. Moreover, he exudes elegance in every step. In one hand, he was holding something wrapped in silk.
After understanding, the branch Commander bent his upper body and carefully guided the person.
“Thank you for visiting our Taewoong room. I will take you here.”
It was a silk-covered tabletop and ornate chairs decorated with gold.
Seolhwa sat down, nodded once and asked.
“What is the total amount of silver in Taewongbang?”
“Yes, ma’am. I have 6,500 taels worth of silver coins. The current price, including fees, is 120 taels coins each.”
“I was asking about the amount held, including the silver coins at the head office.”
The branch Commander opened his mouth wide. I even thought I had heard wrong.
As he hesitated, he unwrapped the bundle of silk that Seolhwa had brought with him.
A currency that was difficult for the general public to even see. It was a huge amount of bills.
“It’s 200,000 taels as down payment.”
The branch Commander, who had been blinking, came to his senses and called the clerk. Then I whispered into his ear.
– You arrived at Jeonseo-gu from the main branch, right? How’s the situation?
– The market price was 123 taels, which was slightly more expensive than here. However, since there were not many transactions, the amount held was probably less than four thousand.
Taewoongbang flies electric tickets several times a day between the headquarters in Hanzhong and the Jangan branch to adjust the market price.
And recently, the number of transactions in Jang-an increased abnormally, and the amount of silver held by the branch increased.
The branch Commander smiled as wide as he could at Seolhwa.
“Our headquarters holds about 4,000 silver coins, and the market price is about 123 taels each.”
Seolhwa took out a piece of paper from her pocket and held it out. It was a map of Yangju Mountain, where her residence was drawn.
“We will purchase all the silver held by the head office and branches. If you transport the balance here, we will pay you on the spot.”
The branch Commander’s mouth opened as if it were torn apart. This was because it was the highest transaction amount ever since Taewoongbang was created. Even considering the fees alone, it was enormous.
“Please wait a moment. Since you paid the advance, I will draw up the contract right away.”
“There is no need for that.”
“How can you trust us?”
Seolhwa turned over her white hands, which were revealed between her sleeves.
When she slowly moved her palm, something amazing happened. Aren’t the bills lying on the table floating into the air?
The warriors who watched this from the entrance flinched with nervous faces.
The bills that had been unfolded were piled up again and returned to their original appearance.
Seolhwa stood up and walked slowly toward the entrance. Then he spoke softly behind his back.
“You’d better not do anything foolish. Starting tomorrow, all hermits who come into Taewoong’s room will be delivered to the same place every afternoon, regardless of the price.”
The branch Commander was still shocked, but his body was reacting instinctively.
“Okay, ma’am. Take a look!”
At that moment, Seolhwa’s steps as she was about to leave the door suddenly stopped.
Suddenly, the air inside the room cooled, and there was a breathtaking silence.
“And one more thing. You kicked out a kid here today, right? If you do that to my daughter again, I will erase Taewongbang’s name from the central plain.”
As soon as the story went out, the relaxed guard warriors sighed.
A person who appeared to be the leader approached the branch leader and spoke.
“He is a dangerous person. Be careful not to offend someone in your dealings.”
“Is it so bad that even you can’t handle it?”
“It would be difficult to summon all the masters of Taewungbang. If the level of attack that was just unfolded is the same, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he is one of the top ten players in the current martial arts world.”
“That’s it? I guess we should be careful anyway. But who is that kid you just mentioned?”
“This is probably the child who had to be sent out in the morning because of Daein Hwang.”
The branch Commander placed his hand on his forehead as if he had a headache.
“Definitely… I’m in a situation where I have to choose which line to take…”
“We cannot ignore Daein Hwang’s power and connections. However, I would never get along with that woman just now.”
The branch Commander crossed her arms and looked worried.
It was only after a certain moment had passed that he opened his mouth again.
“I don’t know if the kid will come back, but whenever he does, tell him to treat him with the highest level. And from this moment on, dealing with Daein Hwang will only follow the rules. However, we will have to make sure that the first contract is concluded.”
“All right.”
“And send Jeon Seo-gu to Hanzhong to ask my father for cooperation.”
The owner of Taewoongbang, which guarded the main branch of Hanzhong. He was the father of the branch Commander.
“Yes. And I will leave the transportation to the Blue Cloud Bureau.”
“Do it. Of course you should.”
Cheongunpyoguk was located right next to the main hall of Taewungbang. There was no better way to delegate the task of transporting the hermit.
Immediately after the contract was signed. On this day, the price of hermits soared from the lowest price to the upper limit.
Meanwhile, Seolhwa, who had returned to his residence, was flicking Seven String Zither in the hut.
In front of him was a box full of bills. The property of the Demonic Cult that she stole while she was the leader of the cult. It was about half of that amount. I have not yet told So-mu how much my wealth was.
At some point, her voice stopped. It was because the hermit who had been waiting had arrived.
Ten workers were carrying five boxes. Behind them, about twenty ensigns could be seen.
Even though it was a short distance, all available manpower was mobilized.
“Where should I put it down?”
“Leave it where it is.”
The workers placed the boxes down as neatly as possible. Then I looked at the story. Because there was something I needed to receive.
Pyodu stepped forward and cautiously opened his mouth.
“First, I brought 6,500 taels of silver. Then, excluding the advance payment….”
Even before he finished speaking, Seolhwa’s hand moved.
Kuung-!
A box flew out of the hut with a cheerful sound.
And it landed right in the center of the trees. At that moment, the faces of the ambassadors stiffened.
There was a moment of tension in the silence.
“First, three million taels in bills. First, please continue to deliver silver coins until the amount runs out. From then on, it will be calculated as gold coins.”
“Okay, I understand.”
***
Kwaang-!
“What kind of crazy bitch are you!”
Ooyanghoe’s Hoeju Hwanggi.
He was sitting in the special room of Taewoong’s room and constantly fussing.
“Calm down, great man. Isn’t it something you should be happy about, since all the money you want to exchange has been concluded?”
Hwang-gi took a deep breath as if his anger was not going away. The chair that was pressed against his flesh creaked as if it would break.
“There’s no way I really wanted to exchange money at that price! Do you know how much the loss is? Where is the branch Commander?”
“He left the office saying he was going to the main branch. I probably won’t be able to see you for a while.”
Hwanggi clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
“Tell me where you live.”
The clerk shook his head resolutely.
“Don’t you know? The battlefield ends when trust is lost. Even if a thief comes, I cannot tell you personal information about the customer.”
“You think I can’t figure it out? I’m Hwanggi. You’d better choose carefully which hand to hold.”
“We at Taewoongbang are always neutral and only follow the principles.”
Hwang Gi snorted and stood up.
“Hmph, we’ll see. I wonder how much that bitch you trust can look after Taewoongbang.”
“Please take a look, sir.”
After Hwang Ki disappeared, the secret door at the back of the special room swung open.
The branch Commander, who was said to have traveled to Changan, appeared there.
“They say there is no end to human greed. But maybe because it’s a pig, it seems to be worse than a human.”
“Haha. That’s true, Branch Commander. But why is Daein Hwang so angry?”
“Hwanggi had no intention of exchanging silver coins from the beginning. He was trying to push the price as high as possible and sweep it back at a lower price. But someone else took the initiative and swept away all the false items, so he couldn’t help but be enraged.”
“Now that the imperial family, which was involved in the market, has disappeared, all sorts of strange things are happening. In any case, the future is going to be interesting as the wealthy have joined forces.”
“All we have to do is collect the fees. But if my intuition is to go by, one of the two will be ruined.”
“That’s interesting. But is it okay if I don’t tell you?”
“what?”
“Don’t you know Daein Hwang’s personality well? Shouldn’t you say that the other person is a martial arts expert?”
The branch Commander sat down and filled his teacup and spoke softly.
“I managed to convince Cheongun Pyo-guk, who visited today, that he will not accept any more requests. It is on the condition that we remain silent together from a neutral position. So, please never come forward.”
“Pyo Guk said he wouldn’t accept the request?”
“That’s understandable. You know the Ilhyang Teahouse incident that happened last time, right?”
“How could you not know that this was an incident that turned the whole city upside down? Hundreds of residents were killed by the white-haired Madou, right? I heard that since they couldn’t do anything in the coffin, another Madou appeared and overpowered them like beating a dog and dragged them away. But really…?”
“Yes. It is him. I heard that among the envoys who went on a trip today, there was a witness to the Ilhyang Teahouse incident.”
The clerk had a blank expression for a while. Then he remembered something and spoke quickly.
“I heard that there is some kind of relationship with the captain of Wolf Fang Squad.”
“I think I’ve heard that too. He’s not a person that Hwang Gi can deal with, both in terms of military power and connections. They say he was a wealthy man with omnipotent power in Sichuan, but here in Shaanxi, he’s not even close to being a match.”
“I understand well. I will stop other store employees from speaking and be especially careful.”
The branch Commander took a sip of tea with a satisfied expression.
“That’s why I trust you the most. Anyway, the price of silver coins will continue to rise for the time being, so if you have any money you have saved, exchange it in advance.”
“Hehehe. I understand.”