Chapter 301: Chapter 301
The massive merchant guilds that had divided the world into four could no longer be considered ordinary guilds buying and selling foodstuffs.
Each was a power unto itself.
A market unto itself.
Entities practically equivalent to worlds of their own, gripping and shaking the lives of millions.
Silver River Merchant Guild in particular had grown by monopolizing nationwide logistics through deep connections with government officials centered in Beijing, making it inseparable from the capital’s power.
The reason the other Three Great Merchants, Wang Estate among them, found Silver River Merchant Guild burdensome was the colossal governmental power that had become one with it.
Unlike the murim, which was separate from the government, the merchant world was inextricably tied to it.
If even the Three Great Merchants felt this way, then guilds weaker than them could hardly dare to breathe easy before Silver River Merchant Guild.
No matter how closely connected a guild might be to a great martial sect.
Once you stepped into the world of commerce, the power of money determined who stood above and who stood below.
‘He’s not the kind of person who wouldn’t know that…….’
Watching Jin So-un—who had beaten up Silver River Merchant Guild’s warriors and stashed them away to claim a private annex, even had a lavish spread of drinks brought out—gleefully tipping back his cup, Wang So-so couldn’t help but let a sigh escape.
Could he really drink in the heart of enemy territory, even after picking a massive fight with them?
“……Brother Jin. Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Hm? Is something not to your liking? Want me to call the manager?”
“N-no, it’s fine.”
Wang So-so shook her head vigorously.
Who knew how much inner arts he’d put into his voice—every time he called for the manager, the entire Silver River Merchant Guild rang thunderously with the sound.
The problem wasn’t whether he was being ignored or not—it was that he acted like a person utterly devoid of the emotion called shame.
Since she couldn’t say that directly, Wang So-so quickly changed the subject.
“Um, Jeong So-gun. That man is a senior from the Academy, isn’t he? I’ve heard that in the Murim Alliance, getting favorable evaluations from seniors and having people above pull you up is important for advancing…… Is it really alright to go this far?”
“Advancing?”
Jin So-un tipped back his cup without a care, as if he’d heard something utterly uninteresting.
That only made Wang So-so’s insides burn with more anxiety.
“Yes. I’ve heard that having excellent connections is essential if you want to advance in the Murim Alliance.”
“Connections……”
“Everything in the world ultimately comes down to people, doesn’t it?”
Her own father, for one, had people he always looked after without receiving anything material in return.
The heads of great martial sects, officials he was friendly with.
Skilled artisans and the managers who oversaw those artisans, among others.
Whenever something big or small happened in their lives, Wang Geum-san would carve out time from his busy schedule to visit them, to congratulate, to console, to encourage.
Wang So-so had heard it drilled into her ears since childhood—his conviction that “people” were the most important thing in business.
And yet, how could her Brother……
Unlike Wang So-so, whose eyes wavered in confusion, Jin So-un calmly refilled his cup and spoke.
“The thing about connections—they don’t just form because you’re nice to someone.”
Then he tipped back another cup.
“First, you have to be on equal standing with the other person, or above them, before connections even begin to form.”
“What…… do you mean by that?”
“I mean that if you don’t hold a position the other person can respect, connections can’t be made in the first place.”
Wang So-so reconsidered the concept of connections in light of Jin So-un’s words and found herself nodding.
Come to think of it, all the connections Wang Geum-san had built could only have been formed because Wang Estate existed.
While Wang So-so was lost in thought, Jin So-un continued.
“No matter how much I grovel before Jeong So-gun, he’s never going to pull me up. If anything, he’d use me.”
“And so you raise hell?”
“Hey now, to be precise, it wasn’t raising hell. They started it.”
Hadn’t he reacted as if he’d been waiting for them to pick a fight?
That doubt crossed her mind, but Wang So-so didn’t interrupt.
Listening to him speak gave her the feeling of hearing hidden secrets of the world that she’d never heard from her father.
“What if…… you wanted Jeong So-gun’s help, Brother? Then you’d need to build connections with him, wouldn’t you?”
“Why bother trying to build a relationship with someone I’m on bad terms with? Just give Jeong So-gun what he needs, and I’ll take what I need. That’s all.”
“……”
A very simple and clear-cut way of thinking.
A transaction only needed to satisfy both parties’ needs, after all.
But applying that to Jeong So-gun was another matter entirely.
As he himself had said, Jeong So-gun was a man who lacked nothing—looks, martial arts, family background. Everything.
Arrogant, yes, but no one would fault someone in that position for being arrogant.
He genuinely had nothing he was lacking.
Wang So-so cautiously voiced the question that had surfaced in her mind.
“But…… he doesn’t need anything.”
A transaction, after all, could only take place when you possessed something the other party wanted.
Jin So-un, who had been bringing his cup to his lips, stopped his hand dead.
Then he pulled his lips up to his ears.
“Then……”
As his lips slowly parted, Wang So-so held her breath without realizing it.
“You just make them need something.”
“……”
The words hung in the air, but coming from Jin So-un, she somehow felt he could actually do it.
‘Wh-what is this…….’
A strange feeling she had never once experienced from any of the remarkable people she’d met through Wang Geum-san’s introductions.
Wang So-so grew even more curious.
“……I’m sorry for asking so many questions.”
Jin So-un nodded readily, as if enjoying himself.
Before she knew it, the corners of his eyes had curved into half-moons, wearing a relaxed smile.
“In that case, Brother. Great Heaven Merchant Guild still has to keep doing business with Silver River Merchant Guild. In a situation like this, you’d need to maintain connections…… What do you plan to do?”
“What did I say connections come from?”
“……Respect.”
“Then do you know where respect comes from?”
Wang So-so was about to answer money or status, but something told her that wasn’t right, so she shook her head.
After all, there were plenty of people with high government posts or great wealth who were not respected by Wang Geum-san.
Jin So-un set his cup down on the table and said in a low voice.
“Fear.”
“……Pardon?”
“You don’t necessarily need to stand above the other person. However.”
Jin So-un’s eyes flashed.
Wang So-so swallowed hard without realizing it.
“You have to plant the fear that provoking you might bring terrible consequences upon them. That alone is enough to draw respect from anyone.”
“But what if…… the deal with Silver River Merchant Guild falls through because of it……”
“For a Merchant Guild Master, credibility is life itself—their very lifeline. They’d rather pour out every last coin of their fortune than let their credibility falter. And you think they’d let a deal fall through over an incident that started from their own mistake? How far do you think their credibility would drop in the eyes of the world?”
In that instant, Wang So-so felt goosebumps spread across her entire body.
There had been no threat, no killing intent, nothing at all—and yet it felt as though she had glimpsed an abyss she should not have seen.
‘From the very beginning…… it was all planned.’
When trouble arose at the entrance and she saw him resort to force, she’d thought Jin So-un had changed.
Had he still been the disciple of Taeul Sect—a sect that had been nothing more than a minor martial sect—the old Jin So-un would never have acted that way.
She’d thought that now, having recovered the martial arts of the Taeul Sword Emperor and risen to the top of the Academy, a change of this degree was only natural.
But listening to him now, that wasn’t it at all.
From beginning to end, Jin So-un was not a man who acted on impulse driven by his pride.
He had been operating under meticulous calculation the entire time.
And come to think of it.
[Argh! When that kid went off to take the Murim Regular Exam—or mental asylum festival or whatever the hell it was—I should’ve just kept him at Wang Estate! Argh!]
Her father would lament like that on nights when he got drunk.
Of course, she knew full well how outstanding Jin So-un was, so she hadn’t thought much of it. But her father’s sighs over losing him were many times longer and deeper than when he missed out on any other talent.
‘Could it be that I was the one who wasn’t seeing Brother Jin properly?’
Jin So-un, chuckling lightheartedly and trembling with delight at the aroma of his drink, suddenly looked like a completely different person.
“Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?”
“N-no, there isn’t.”
“Did you sneak some drinks behind my back? Your face is red.”
“Excuse me?! How could you say that to a lady! I would never do such a thing!”
“Hahaha.”
While Wang So-so was flaring up, a voice came from outside.
“Young Master Jin.”
The voice was more courteous than any they had heard before.
“It is time to attend the banquet.”
Wang So-so looked at Jin So-un.
Jin So-un set down his cup and grinned.
“Then shall we go receive some respect?”
Anticipation swelled in Wang So-so’s heart over what Jin So-un would do next and what results it would bring.
Just then.
“But that warrior just now……”
Jin So-un, halfway to his feet, cocked his head to the side.
“Didn’t he sound a bit coercive?”
“What?”
What on earth was he talking about?
The man had clearly been the most courteous of anyone they’d encountered since entering Silver River Merchant Guild……
“No, not the tone—I mean what he said. ‘It is time to attend.’ It’s as if he’s telling us we have no choice but to attend, isn’t it?”
“……”
That…… seems like a bit of a stretch……
But before Wang So-so could say a word, Jin So-un strode over and flung the door open.
BANG—!
The warrior outside had apparently overheard the conversation inside, because his face had already gone deathly pale.
“I-I-I, Young Master Jin, that’s not what I meant……”
Jin So-un looked at the warrior and grinned.
“See, you should’ve asked first whether we’d like to attend or not.”
The warrior had already given up and squeezed his eyes shut.
Jin So-un’s voice thundered through the annex once more.
‘What’s this? Is this calculated too?’
But he seemed to be enjoying it far too much for that—was it just her imagination?
***
We followed the warrior’s guidance toward the banquet hall.
Stepping into the banquet hall for the first time, I had to struggle to hide what must have been a genuinely surprised expression.
‘This seems…… even bigger than Taeul Sect’s Grand Training Ground.’
Moreover, the Grand Training Ground was an outdoor structure.
This banquet hall had its ceiling blown wide open to the roof, creating an open-air sensation even indoors—the sheer grandeur of it was enough to overwhelm anyone.
And on top of that.
‘That’s not all?’
Railings on the second and third floors overlooked the banquet hall below.
Government officials and Silver River Merchant Guild’s VIPs were looking down at the banquet hall from up there.
That alone was enough to feel overwhelmed, but at the far end of the hall stood a set of doors twice the size of the entrance we’d come through.
Unable to fathom what purpose they served, I turned to Wang So-so with a questioning look.
“So-so, do you know what that door is for?”
“Hmm, probably for when the banquet hall gets too crowded—they’d open that to expand the space. It’s likely also a reception area for VIPs.”
“……”
Was there ever an occasion that would fill a banquet hall this large to capacity?
Besides, if it was a reception area for VIPs, couldn’t they just build a separate annex?
“People who think they’ve made enough of a stink are incredibly fixated on seating arrangements. See how that door is built slightly higher than the banquet hall?”
Just as she said, reaching that great door required climbing another ten or so steps.
“If you sit up there, you’d probably have a wide-open view of the entire banquet hall below. That would make it comfortable for watching the dancers’ performances too. They probably built it attached for exactly that reason.”
I was marveling at the fact that there really were people with more money than they knew what to do with, when I glanced back at Wang So-so.
“How do you know all this? Have you been here before?”
“No, this is my first time too. Wang Estate has a similar building, so I guessed.”
“……”
Right. She was the daughter of a terrifyingly wealthy house, too.
“Oh, and it’d probably be better to call you Eldest Senior Brother here. After all, you came as a member of Taeul Sect……”
“No. Call me Brother.”
“What? But……”
“Enough. Let’s drop the distant formalities between you and me.”
“……Really? Is that alright?”
I’d clearly let my guard down just because I’d earned a little money lately.
To think I’d been treating Wang So-so like some girl from the neighborhood.
From now on, I’d treat her like a real little sister.
A flustered look dawned on the face of Wang So-so, dear as a real little sister.
“……But nobody seems friendly toward us.”
Well, of course. After all that ruckus from the entrance.
Those with power would have scowled at my boorish display, and those without would have been too afraid to even make eye contact, lest getting seen being friendly with me bring them trouble.
“Where are we supposed to sit?”
When I asked the warrior who had been standing beside us like a wooden post, he flinched and asked back.
“May I guide you to your seats?”
“Why make me ask twice?”
He flinched.
The warrior hurriedly gestured with both hands to show us our seats.
It was the very front row—what appeared to be the seat of honor in the banquet hall.
See, that’s how it should’ve been from the start.
“Now you’re doing your job properly.”
“Yes. ……The manager must have taken special care. P-please, enjoy the banquet.”
The warrior hurried out of the banquet hall as if afraid I might say another word to him.
The silence that had fallen when we first entered lasted only a moment. Once the music resumed and the dancers’ performance continued, people began enjoying the banquet again as though we didn’t exist.
The problem was that they were treating us as if we truly didn’t exist.
“Nobody’s coming over at all.”
“What?”
“Nothing. I just thought there’d be at least some people who’d want to exchange introductions.”
I didn’t expect much from the officials or merchants, but among the murim warriors of the jianghu, there were usually some with enough spirit.
I’d even thought there might be a few who’d pick a fight on behalf of the Merchant Guild Master’s honor…… But there were none whatsoever.
Just then.
“Father told everyone to make sure no trouble arises.”
A slender woman’s voice reached my ears.
I turned my head toward it and found Jeong So-eul in palace attire so dazzling it nearly hurt to look at.
Instead of the bewitching red from the previous night, she wore a palace dress embroidered with white gold thread.
She looked as though a celestial maiden had descended from the heavens above.
And yet, the slender legs glimpsed between the folds of her skirt with every step she took were more than enough to set the hearts of mortal men racing.
“We meet again, Young Master Jin.”
Jeong So-eul dipped her head in a refined bow.
I too rose from my seat and answered with a clasped hands greeting.
“So we do.”
Curiously, she acted as though she’d completely forgotten everything that had happened a few days ago.
“I have been eagerly awaiting today.”
“Oh! The nerve!”
Wang So-so let out a scoff as if she couldn’t believe it, but Jeong So-eul still paid her no mind.
“I felt it last time as well, but you are remarkably skilled at dealing with people.”
“Of course…… As you suspect, Young Master, there are those who call me a harlot, since I’ve dealt with so many men.”
I’d been planning to describe her as a fox at most, but this woman…… she really had no filter.
Even Wang So-so, who had been glaring at her with venomous eyes, was momentarily startled by her blunt words, her eyes going round as a rabbit’s.
“But you were the first to truly make my heart flutter, Young Master.”
“What?!”
I couldn’t help but furrow my brow deeply.
After all, those were not the kind of words that should come from the mouth of the “Silver Tiger”—the woman who would one day surpass her own brother and seize Silver River Merchant Guild.
When I showed a flustered reaction, Jeong So-eul covered her mouth with her sleeve and bounced her shoulders.
“My! I’ve finally managed to catch Young Master Jin off guard.”
Jeong So-eul burst into a fit of giggles, thoroughly delighted for reasons I couldn’t fathom.
What in the world was this woman?
“More importantly—what you said a moment ago…… what was that about? Trouble?”
“It seems your arrival here has put my father in a displeased mood, so he instructed the others to ensure nothing would provoke you.”
So instead of restraining me from causing a scene, he pulled everyone else back?
Truly, the mind games with this man were endless.
“I see.”
“Hm…… As expected, you aren’t surprised?”
“Surprised? Why would I be?”
“Most people would find a situation like this burdensome or unsettling.”
I replied as casually as I could.
“I’ve done nothing wrong. What is there to be burdened by?”
For an instant, I thought I saw Jeong So-eul’s eyes flash.
“What a fascinating man you are, as expected. Still……”
She paused briefly, then leaned in close and whispered.
“I do hope you won’t push things to the very end, Young Master. A broken toy doesn’t inspire the desire to possess it.”
With that, she gave a slight bow and drifted away to another table, striking up conversation with other guests as if nothing had happened.
“……What did that woman say?”
“She told me to stop acting up. Unless I want to end up broken.”
“……What?”
Wang So-so’s venomous glare had returned and she was about to say something more, when—
“The Merchant Guild Master is entering!”
A warrior’s booming voice rang through the banquet hall.
I turned my head toward the entrance, then found myself struck by a sudden curiosity.
My seat was in the very front row of the banquet hall.
So where exactly was the Merchant Guild Master going to sit?
But unlike me, who had turned toward the entrance, everyone else was still facing the front.
Then the doors—twice the size of the entrance—began to open.
“Ha…… haha.”
I could only let out a hollow laugh as I watched them part.
Beyond the opening doors, an interior space even more lavish than the banquet hall was revealed, just as Wang So-so had said.
Around twenty-some people seated at tables arranged in the shape of the character for “eight.”
And at the highest seat of honor, the Merchant Guild Master of Silver River sat with lofty composure.
‘Wow…… Fuck, look at those bastards.’
They had been holding their own private banquet, treating the entire banquet hall as their entertainment.
At that moment, the warrior called out again.
“I shall now call the names! Step forward in order and pay your respects to the Merchant Guild Master!”
The warrior spoke as if this were the most natural procedure in the world.
These bastards really set the stage perfectly.