Chapter 116: Chapter 116
Sitting on a resplendent chair, Cheon-hwi looked at the interior of the extravagant room.
At a single glance, one could see expensive crafts.
And the ink paintings and masterful calligraphy hung prominently, making the room elegant.
Among them, a few were familiar.
Especially the ink painting hanging right in the center.
Or the crafts around it.
‘That was in the Heavenly Demon Cult.’
While he was looking at the ink painting and crafts that were similar to the items offered as tribute in the past.
Creaaak…
The room door opened, and a middle-aged man entered.
“I apologize for keeping you waiting.”
The middle-aged man who had kicked open the main gate earlier placed a teapot and cups along with a plate on the table where Cheon-hwi sat.
And he naturally poured the water.
Trickle…
As the hot water went in, the fragrant and sweet smell coming from the teapot stimulated his sense of smell and calmed his mood.
He naturally enjoyed the scent.
Although he did not like tea that much, he could tell how high-quality the tea leaves inside were just by the scent.
“The scent is nice.”
“Haha, I am glad it is to your liking.”
The middle-aged man, who was smiling, covered the teapot’s lid and sat in the opposite seat.
“Nice to meet you.”
Taking advantage of the short time the tea was brewing, the middle-aged man greeted the young man.
“I am the Fifth Chief Steward of the World Merchant Guild.”
“I am Cheon-hwi.”
“So it was young hero Cheon-hwi.”
Fifth Chief Steward smiled while looking at Cheon-hwi.
And Cheon-hwi calmed his eyes while looking at the smile he was making.
‘What is that smile?’
It was a smile he did not like at all.
It was not just a smile of gladness, but mixed with something quite complicated.
“Ah, the tea must have brewed by now.”
Fifth Chief Steward completely erased his smile, then lifted the teapot and poured.
“It is Junshan Yinzhen. Drinking one cup calms the mind and body, so I often drink it normally.”
Fifth Chief Steward carefully placed the fully poured teacup in front of Cheon-hwi.
“Hmm, is that so?”
Cheon-hwi, who was sipping the tea with no expectations, opened his eyes wide.
“Uh?”
He was someone who had never once thought highly of tea.
If it was tea, it was beneath alcohol.
He had considered it to that extent.
This tea was different.
‘This is really delicious.’
Not only the scent, but the taste was also clean.
The sweet taste stimulated his tongue for a moment before smoothly going down his throat.
“This tastes good.”
“Haha, I am glad it suits your taste.”
Fifth Chief Steward slowly tilted his teacup with a satisfied face at Cheon-hwi’s reaction.
They savored the tea together for a moment like that.
Clack…
Having finished all the tea, Fifth Chief Steward called an old servant outside and cleared the plates.
And only then.
They started the earnest conversation.
“May I check the World Merchant Plaque?”
“Here it is.”
Enjoying the lingering feeling of the tea, Cheon-hwi took out the gold plaque from his bosom and gave it to Fifth Chief Steward.
“Thank you for your understanding.”
Fifth Chief Steward received it carefully and examined it closely with sharp eyes.
His hand movements were careful, and his gaze looking at the gold plaque was endlessly serious.
‘Was that so important?’
Cheon-hwi tilted his head while looking at Fifth Chief Steward carefully examining the gold plaque.
‘The Flying Wind Merchant Guild Leader only said I could use it at any merchant guild…….’
Other than that, there were no particularly important words.
Only that if he went to any merchant guild and showed the plaque, they would give him a certain amount of money.
However, seeing that behavior, it did not seem like a plaque of just that level.
‘Would he check it so diligently if it was just a so-so gold plaque?’
Wasn’t the other party a Chief Steward of the World Merchant Guild, which had firmly maintained the position of the world’s number one merchant guild for a hundred years?
“Hmm, there is a pattern here……. And…….”
Meanwhile, Fifth Chief Steward muttered chatteringly, meticulously examining even the small crevices of the plaque, before nodding greatly.
“Huuu. I have finished the confirmation.”
Letting out a deep breath, he carefully held the gold plaque again and returned it to Cheon-hwi.
“It is indeed the World Merchant Plaque.”
Cheon-hwi grabbed the gold plaque and asked.
“Then now…….”
“Let’s make a deal quickly.”
“Yes…….?”
Fifth Chief Steward was flustered by Cheon-hwi’s words cutting in suddenly in the middle.
“Di-didn’t you come to use the World Merchant Plaque?”
Use?
Cheon-hwi narrowed his eyes.
‘It seems it was not ordinary after all?’
Looking at Fifth Chief Steward’s reaction, he realized that the item he referred to as the World Merchant Plaque was not ordinary.
And just as Cheon-hwi had thought, the World Merchant Plaque was not something ordinary.
As an item to challenge for the succession position of the World Merchant Guild, it was an object praised as a unique divine artifact in the merchant world.
‘Though I am curious about what this is.’
Meanwhile, Cheon-hwi, who did not know that, was quite curious about the true identity of the World Merchant Plaque.
He swallowed it down for now.
Instead, he spoke while recalling the purpose of his coming.
“I came to sell goods.”
“……Goods?”
Fifth Chief Steward’s eyes widened.
There was exactly only one type of person who entered the World Merchant Guild with the World Merchant Plaque.
To become a Chief Steward challenging for the succession position using the World Merchant Plaque.
However, the young man in front of him right now was not.
No, beyond not being that.
He didn’t even know what kind of item the World Merchant Plaque was at all.
The tension completely dissipated.
‘I was tense for nothing.’
He had wondered if his enemies were increasing.
Fifth Chief Steward was also someone who had become a Chief Steward of the World Merchant Guild using the World Merchant Plaque in the past.
Was that all?
All seven Chief Stewards existing in the World Merchant Guild were those who had used the World Merchant Plaque.
And they were fiercely competing to become the Guild Leader.
‘As long as he is not an enemy, it’s fine.’
Cheon-hwi, who was looking at Fifth Chief Steward lost in thought, parted his lips to solve it quickly.
“Why are you acting like that?”
Fifth Chief Steward answered while waving his hands.
“It is nothing.”
Like hell it was nothing.
Cheon-hwi knew everything that there was something, but he feigned ignorance and spoke.
“Then that is fine, let’s just trade.”
“If it is a trade, exactly what…….”
Fifth Chief Steward asked carefully.
At the same time, his gaze changed.
The gaze full of vigilance disappeared, and a sharp gaze surfaced instead.
“I am trying to sell some goods.”
“If it is the goods you are trying to sell.”
While speaking, he pointed at the huge bundle placed right next to Cheon-hwi.
“It is that.”
“That is right.”
Fifth Chief Steward clicked his tongue while looking at the bundle.
‘Since he used that as a wrapping cloth, I thought he came to use the World Merchant Plaque.’
Actually, as soon as he entered, that silk caught his eyes more than Cheon-hwi.
It was natural as the silk was a high-grade silk worth at least two gold sycees.
It was a top-grade silk that even powerful clans would cherish dearly like gold and jade.
However, the young man in front was not only using such silk to firmly tie goods inside, but he was also throwing it down on the floor.
‘He is not an ordinary person.’
The moment he was about to open his mouth regarding what goods were contained inside.
“I will show you first.”
Before him, Cheon-hwi firmly grabbed the silk. And lifted it up in a flash.
“……!”
In an instant, Fifth Chief Steward’s face stiffened slightly.
Even at a rough glance, it was a bundle about twice his size.
But to lift that lightly meant.
‘W-was he a martial artist!’
Right when he was swallowing his astonishment inwardly.
“This is everything.”
Cheon-hwi turned the silk upside down.
“Uh? Uh? Uh…….?”
The stiffened Fifth Chief Steward’s eyes widened roundly, and he was engulfed in shock.
Chwararak! Ting! Ting!
What poured out right from the start were gold nuggets, followed by jewels falling down.
Was that all?
“This is a green emerald? Gasp! This is…….”
Each and every thing falling continuously like a waterfall was extraordinary.
Gold nuggets, silver nuggets, gold sycees, silver sycees, etc.
Not only money, but hard-to-obtain jewels and ornaments continuously poured out.
“Wh-what on earth is this…….”
Fifth Chief Steward’s mouth dropped open.
A moment later, a hill full of jewels, gold, and silver had formed on the table.
No, the jewels and money that even that wide table could not handle fell to the floor and were rolling around.
“Is it all done now?”
Cheon-hwi, who was shaking out the silk containing the jewels, only then looked at the table.
“Uh?”
He did not know how much he had packed because he had just mindlessly put them in the silk.
But looking at it like this.
“Hmm? It’s more than I thought?”
It was quite a lot to say that the sect leader of a mere small and medium-sized sect possessed it.
And that was a given.
About half of it was the items handed over by the one who ordered the killing of Princess Sohui.
“Th-this won’t end with just saying it is a lot…….”
Meanwhile, Fifth Chief Steward, who did not know the details about the situation, burst into bewilderment.
The accumulated mountain of treasure was not ordinary.
The quantity was the quantity, but most of them were top-quality products.
Even if properly disposed of, it was a sufficient amount to eat and play for a lifetime.
“Are you intending to sell all of them?”
“Yes.”
“……Because it is a considerably large amount than expected, I think it will be difficult to do it on the same day.”
Cheon-hwi nodded his head.
Well, that couldn’t be helped.
It was a foreseen answer.
It was to the point where even he, who brought it, felt that it would take quite some time to process the mountain of treasure piled in front.
“I got it.”
It would be nice to have the money right away, but he did not need it that much immediately.
‘I just need money to eat and sleep for now.’
Meanwhile, Fifth Chief Steward gulped down his saliva.
At the same time, the seed of greed germinated.
‘No, with this amount of money…….’
His eyes gleamed with ambition.
This money was enough to execute his plan that he had planned for a long time.
The plan to aim not for the Fifth Chief Steward, but the Fourth Chief Steward above him. No, even higher!
At that time.
“Alright. Then I will come tomorrow.”
As Cheon-hwi was about to leave.
“Young hero!”
Fifth Chief Steward grabbed him.
“Is there anything else left?”
“It is not that…….”
Stopping his words for a moment, the Chief Steward stared straight at Cheon-hwi and spoke carefully.
“Do you perhaps have any intention to entrust this fortune to me?”
“Pardon?”
Cheon-hwi looked at Fifth Chief Steward who was making an out-of-the-blue proposal.
To entrust this much fortune to a person he met for the first time today?
As Cheon-hwi was looking with a dumbfounded gaze, Fifth Chief Steward felt urgency and spoke with force.
“If you just entrust this money to me, I will multiply this fortune by up to two times within a year.”
“How?”
“Th-that, please wait a moment!”
With those words, the Chief Steward jumped up and kicked the door open and went out.
* * *
Chwaaak!
Fifth Chief Steward, who returned after a short while, swept the money and jewels placed on the table to the sides, then slapped a piece of paper down.
‘A map?’
As he was looking at the map densely drawn with terrain, Fifth Chief Steward opened his mouth.
“First of all, I plan to buy this land with young hero’s fortune.”
“Land?”
“That is right. I have a piece of land in Shaanxi that I have had my eye on for a very long time.”
The Chief Steward pointed at one spot with his index finger.
Hm? Over there is?
Cheon-hwi’s eyes widened slightly upon seeing that.
Coincidentally, the place Fifth Chief Steward pointed at was none other than the foot of Mount Hua, a small rice paddy currently farmed by slash-and-burn farmers.
‘This is interesting.’
Looking at Fifth Chief Steward pointing out a completely unexpected place, an interest that wasn’t there arose.
“Why are you buying this place?”
Fifth Chief Steward spoke carefully while looking at Cheon-hwi whose listening posture had suddenly changed.
“Firstly, it is because this place is close to the mountain path heading to the Mount Hua Sect, and secondly, it is because slash-and-burn farmers live there, so it can be purchased cheaper than other lands.”
Hmm, that is true.
As he said, this place was deep in the mountains far from the village, so the land price was significantly cheap.
However, he couldn’t understand.
Wasn’t the reason it was cheap in the same context as there being no one wanting to buy the land?
“But what are you going to do by buying a land with nothing on it? Are you going to farm?”
“No. I plan to build a guest house here.”
“A guest house?”
Cheon-hwi chuckled.
Building a guest house in a forest, not even a village, could not possibly succeed, right?
“It will probably fail.”
“At first glance, it looks like it will fail, but I believe this place is the most appropriate location to establish a guest house.”
Unlike Cheon-hwi, Fifth Chief Steward was overflowing with confidence.
And the source of that confidence could be known through the question that soon followed.
“Do you perhaps know much about the Jianghu?”
Jianghu?
Cheon-hwi tilted his head at the sudden mention of the word ‘Jianghu’ and parted his lips.
“Roughly.”
“Recently, the momentum of the Mount Hua Sect has been rising high enough that no sect in the Jianghu can catch up. Starting with the appearance of the outstanding master named the Mount Hua Divine Sword, they have recently opened the mountain gates that had been closed for a long time and accepted disciples.”
Was it because he heard praise for the Mount Hua Sect from the mouth of someone he completely didn’t expect?
Cheon-hwi’s mouth twitched.
“Hmm, hmm. That is right.”
Fifth Chief Steward looked strangely at Cheon-hwi, whose mood suddenly improved, before snapping out of it and continuing the explanation.
“In the Jianghu, when a sect’s reputation rises, the number of people visiting increases. That can be known by looking at the merchant guilds and sects visiting the Mount Hua Sect recently.”
Along with his words, he naturally took out a piece of paper and spread it on the table.
Cheon-hwi’s eyes flashed upon seeing the paper.
Oho. He did this properly.
On the paper, the number of guests who visited the Mount Hua Sect was properly recorded day by day.
The date, time, and even the number of people.
“And please look closely here.”
Fifth Chief Steward swept the paper with his index finger.
“Recently, the number of visiting people has increased day by day. However, one cannot enter to visit the Mount Hua Sect except for special cases.”
It is true that not anyone can enter.
Although visitors increased, the Mount Hua Sect was a Daoist sect, so it had a strong, slightly closed-off tendency.
Because of that, only a designated number of people per day could come in and go out.
‘Because ordinary people cannot even enter.’
“Looking at what is written here, about half of those who visited the Mount Hua Sect return without even being able to visit. However!”
Fifth Chief Steward struck the table at that moment.
Thump!
“Nevertheless, the number of visitors has not decreased. Rather, it is increasing.”
Cheon-hwi tilted his head.
“Why is that?”
“When I checked, they said that recently, there are even some people who visited just wanting to see the spirit of Mount Hua even if they cannot visit the Mount Hua Sect.”
Cheon-hwi smiled unconsciously.
“Is that so?”
“The guest houses nearby are far from the Mount Hua Sect, so it takes time to come. But if we build a guest house close to the Mount Hua Sect, wouldn’t all those who lined up early to visit the Mount Hua Sect or those who came just to look around try to stay at this guest house?”
It was a valid point.
If the Mount Hua Sect was the destination, it was better to look around and stay as much as possible rather than spending time going back and forth.
However.
“Can money be made just with that? No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like it would make that much even if we do that.”
The problem was precisely money.
No matter how many people came, wasn’t the money earned from a guest house clearly limited?
Because the number of tables and rooms was limited.
At that time, Fifth Chief Steward whispered very carefully as if he had been waiting.
“Actually, the biggest purpose of this guest house is not room and board, but the business aimed at those who will stay in the guest house.”
“Business?”
“That is right. First, I will cooperate with the Mount Hua Sect to allow the Daoists to visit the guest house once or twice a day. Then, wouldn’t it be bustling with customers who came to see the Daoists of the Mount Hua Sect?”
Oh, this is quite good.
This was satisfying.
It was because he knew the gaze with which ordinary people looked at the Daoists of the Mount Hua Sect.
Admiration and reverence.
So they would definitely flock to the guest house.
‘What does this have to do with making money?’
Right then, Fifth Chief Steward added words.
“And this is the most important thing; this time, I plan to make and sell goods with the consent of the Mount Hua Sect. Something that anyone would know is a product of the Mount Hua Sect just by looking at it…….”
Fifth Chief Steward’s eyes half-closed as he spoke.
Soon after, he drove in the wedge.
About the true purpose of this guest house!
“I am talking about tourist souvenirs.”
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