Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 182

Nine Dragons Chronicle (182)

After finishing his conversation with Daeri Myeonghan, Hwa-rin returned to Heungchin Wangbu [Prince Heungchin’s residence]. In his assigned room, he discussed his conversation with Daeri Myeonghan with Seo Daeyeong.

“Then we need to tighten the purse strings of Hwamyeong Merchant Group for sure. I heard they’ve been clearing out stores with poor performance.”

“It seems Hwamyeong Merchant Group is betting everything on this grain supply for the Heungchin Royal Guards.”

“Isn’t there a contract period left with the current supplier? That’s why you told Lord Jang it would be difficult, right?”

“That’s right. So, I gave up and am waiting for the next bidding.”

“But how are they going to win the supply contract?”

“I don’t know either. Maybe they have another method I don’t know about.”

“Then there’s only one way.”

“What is it?”

“Bribe the person in charge of the Heungchin Royal Guards’ grain supply and have them suggest to Prince Heungchin that the quality of the current grain is poor.”

“So, when they want to change suppliers, they recommend Hwamyeong Merchant Group?”

“That’s right. It seems clumsy, but it’s quite effective.”

Hwa-rin thought for a moment and then said to Seo Daeyeong.

“Didn’t you bribe the vendor last time to say the vegetables coming into our business were bad?”

Seo Daeyeong stared at Hwa-rin for a while.

“If not, then just say so. Why are you looking at me like that, making me feel awkward?”

“I was just a little taken aback by this unexpected attack.”

He knew that Hwa-rin’s specialty was to nitpick and that he was always trying to tease him, but he never expected him to ask in this way.

“Even if Hwamyeong Merchant Group ends up supplying grain to the Heungchin Royal Guards, it won’t happen right away, will it?”

“That’s right. It will take at least three months, or maybe six months, to make the change. If we assume there will be an inspection, that period will be even longer.”

“Really?”

In fact, Hwa-rin acted like he was smart, but his entire social life consisted of five years in the military, so Seo Daeyeong’s advice was a great help.

“Hwamyeong Merchant Group agreed to repay the money they borrowed from Daeri Clan in three or six months, but aren’t they short on funds?”

“If they have proof of the supply contract, they can get a loan from the Continental Battlefield [a financial institution]. Military supplies are a sure guarantee.”

Hwa-rin looked at Seo Daeyeong with a fierce look.

“Why, what’s wrong?”

“Why didn’t you tell me there was such a method?”

“Guryong Guild [Nine Dragons Guild] is doing well, so there’s no reason to take out a loan, is there?”

“No, if you had told me before building Guryong Guild, I could have borrowed money easily. Do you know how hard it was for me to get money?”

“I was by your side, so what was so hard? I managed the money and organized the assets, didn’t I?”

“Ah, Chief Seo managed it.”

Hwa-rin smiled awkwardly, and Seo Daeyeong muttered to himself.

“Lies just come out automatically when he opens his mouth.”

“What? What did you just say?”

“No, I didn’t say anything.”

“You did, you were just grumbling.”

“I really didn’t.”

“Lies just come out automatically when you open your mouth. Huh?”

When Hwa-rin repeated the same words he had said, Seo Daeyeong was taken aback.

“I absolutely didn’t.”

“You know lying is bad, right?”

“I know very well.”

Hwa-rin nodded with a satisfied expression and asked.

“Then what’s the plan?”

“What plan are you talking about?”

“The plan to dry up Hwamyeong Merchant Group’s money? You’ve been talking about it all this time, and now you’re asking me?”

He thought there was no such thing as this kind of unreasonable demand, but he thought this was the Lord of Guryong he knew, so he said as if he had given up.

“First, we need to prevent them from supplying the goods. And we need to prevent other landowners from selling grain to Hwamyeong Merchant Group.”

“I’m good at that. I’ll take care of that, what else?”

“Acquire the well-performing businesses with a slight premium.”

“With a premium?”

“Since the business is doing well, they won’t sell it cheaply, no matter how tight their finances are, so we’ll offer a slight premium. Hwamyeong Merchant Group, which is short on money, will sell the stores.”

“Will they sell when the business is doing well?”

“If they need a lot of money right away, they will sell. As Lord Jang said, they agreed to repay Daeri Clan in three or six months, so if the grain supply to the Heungchin Royal Guards fails, they will move to raise money immediately.”

Hwa-rin understood Seo Daeyeong’s words but had a question.

“Can’t they borrow money using the well-performing stores as collateral? They can borrow money and do business.”

“You might think so, but if it’s a large sum of money, they can’t borrow money using a few stores as collateral. Usually, they give about 80% of the store’s price. If we say we’ll buy the store with a 10% or 20% premium, they’ll have no choice but to sell.”

“Did it cost a lot of money to acquire those guys’ businesses?”

“It will cost some money. But it won’t be a large sum of money all at once.”

“Why?”

“Hwamyeong Merchant Group won’t be thinking of selling all the stores at once.”

“Then can we buy it with what we earn?”

“Of course. If it’s difficult, we can borrow some money from the Continental Battlefield to acquire the business and then pay it back slowly.”

Hwa-rin shook his head.

“You need to know that other people’s money is scary. If you think of other people’s money as your own, you’ll end up like Hwamyeong Merchant Group.”

“That’s a sound idea. Conflicts arising from money are caused by thinking of other people’s money as your own.”

“Okay. Chief Seo, tell the assassin clan in the area where Hwamyeong Merchant Group’s businesses are located to deliver the money and use them as a front to acquire the businesses.”

“To the assassin clan?”

“If we say we’re acquiring them, they’ll foam at the mouth and make a fuss, so we need to use a proxy.”

“I understand. I will inform Protector Lee and take action.”

“And as we talked about before, send people who can do business so we can do the business, and leave the management to the assassin clan so we can use it as our base.”

“I will prepare it.”

“And now, the main point.”

Seo Daeyeong looked at Hwa-rin with a look that asked if he had anything else to say besides what he had said so far.

“Did you cause an accident somewhere?”

“Hey, do you think I just go around causing accidents?”

“If not, what else do you have to say?”

“You heard the news that martial artists have come in from the frontier and the outer regions, right?”

“I know.”

“Daeri Clan asked me for a favor, and it’s related to Soryeeumsa [a Buddhist temple].”

“Hmm.”

“So…”

Hwa-rin told Seo Daeyeong everything that Daeri Myeonghan had told him. Seo Daeyeong’s expression became more serious than before.

That was because Guryong Guild should not be involved in the Murim world [martial arts world] right now, and if it was related to the treasures of Soryeeumsa, they might have to fight Soryeeumsa.

“I don’t think it’s time to step in yet. If the Blood Cult finds out, things could get even bigger.”

“It’s not like we’re involved in the Central Plains Murim world.”

“That’s true, but since a promise is a promise, it’s best to stay away from Murim affairs as much as possible.”

“Okay. Let’s say that’s the case, but what I’m really curious about…”

“……!”

“Is why they’re moving now after being quiet all this time. I can understand Namhae Sword Sect [South Sea Sword Sect] or Bukhae Ice Palace [North Sea Ice Palace] to some extent, but I can’t understand Heukryonggang Province [Black Dragon River Province] and Seojang [West Tibet].”

“Why can’t you understand?”

“No, if they knew where their treasures were, they should have moved a long time ago, right? Why are they moving now?”

“Hmm, I think it’s because Lord Jang fought with the Blood Cult.”

“Is it my fault again?”

“It’s not that, but since the Murim world’s attention is focused on the Blood Cult and Lord Jang, I think it’s easier for them to move.”

Hwa-rin was silent.

“If they had entered the Central Plains normally, the Murim world would have been interested in why they came, and the moment they found out their purpose, the Murim world would have swarmed them like bees.”

Hwa-rin thought it made sense.

“Then if I spread rumors?”

“They will probably be in trouble. And the people who have the treasures will also have a hard time. If the fact that Seonhwa Yujeongdo [a painting] is in Heungchin Wangbu is revealed, all sorts of trash will secretly sneak into the royal palace to steal the painting.”

“Then my uncle and family will be in danger, right?”

“That’s probably what will happen.”

“Still, isn’t it a bit dangerous to cross the wall of the royal palace? If you get caught, your entire clan could be killed.”

“Would martial artists who risk their lives for opportunities even think about their families? And if they have families, they won’t even be interested in paintings.”

“That’s right. This isn’t an easy problem. What if I smash Soryeeumsa? Then wouldn’t the people who came out to the Murim world go back?”

“How far do you think it is from here to Seojang? Even if Lord Jang’s martial arts reach the sky, it will take a month to go back and forth.”

“That’s right. If I don’t return to Guryong Guild for a month, Baek Gunseong will suspect me. He’ll say I went somewhere and caused an accident.”

“That’s what he’ll say. Then the news that Soryeeumsa was smashed will come into the Central Plains, and if you roughly calculate the timing, it’s a done deal.”

“A done deal?”

“It means you can’t escape.”

“Hey, that word isn’t used here.”

“Why not? It was written in the Kama Sutra [an ancient Indian text on love and relationships].”

It was said that when a man and a woman were sharing a moment of intimacy, they were caught by someone, so they couldn’t escape, and now it’s used to mean that they can’t do this or that.

“Why can’t I do this or that? I can insist that it’s not.”

“Even if you insist, they won’t believe you. That’s the problem.”

“I need to solve this to buy farmland.”

“Farmland?”

“The farmland that Hwamyeong Merchant Group mortgaged to Daeri Clan.”

“Did you set that as a condition for solving it?”

“It’s a side benefit.”

Seo Daeyeong shook his head.

“Then there’s no choice.”

“Is there a way?”

“We need to tell Protector Lee to imitate Lord Jang. He’s been practicing a lot, so he’ll be able to avoid Young Master Baek’s eyes for about a month.”

Hwa-rin thought for a moment and shook his head.

“Gunseong is too quick-witted, so it won’t work. It’s better to take him to Daeri Clan and handle things by pretending it’s a coincidence.”

“Then do that. In the meantime, I will proceed with the work on Hwamyeong Merchant Group’s businesses.”

“There’s still time left until the repayment date, right?”

“You have to lay the groundwork first so the fish will come and bite the bait. You have to spread some rumors around.”

“Okay. Then I have to go back to Seoseong first and then go back to Unnamseong.”

“That’s what you have to do. Young Master Baek might not follow you this time, so it might be a good opportunity to go alone.”

“If Gunseong’s martial arts were a little weaker, it would be easy to handle things.”

If he could use the Demonic Cult’s sorcery to cast Subhun [a mind control technique] on him and make him move according to his will, the inspector would be useless, but Baek Gunseong also gets nagging from Hwa-rin, but he is a martial artist who has surpassed a certain level, so it was dangerous for Hwa-rin to cast Subhun on Baek Gunseong at his current level.

“If you could have suppressed him with force, Lord Jang would have already suppressed him. He has a strong backing, so this time Lord Jang has no choice but to follow them. So, don’t think about anything else, and cooperate as much as possible to get through it well.”

“Who’s saying anything?”

“Weren’t you going to beat him if he didn’t listen? That’s why you mentioned martial arts.”

“Do you think I only know how to beat people? I’m also a gentle man who can solve things smoothly through conversation.”