He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 202

< Episode 202 Treasure Ship >

◈ Seoul, Tae-oh’s apartment.

Late evening. Tae-oh sat in the living room, blankly watching a classic movie on TV.

However, his mind was filled with the multiverse interpretation he had heard from Dr. Choi Min-hyuk that day.

‘Even though it sounds like something out of a movie, he said that another universe could exist in the same dimension. It means that even if they start from the same point, they can be separated by choices at some point and endlessly diverge into different worlds.’

‘So, is my return to the 18th century also a return to a fork in the road of some choice? But this isn’t about splitting and proceeding, but rather going back to the past, and that past completely changing the present, right? And I’ve returned to the 21st century again.’

‘Then, shouldn’t the me before going back to the 18th century disappear? But why do I have the memories of the previous 21st century and live in the changed 21st century? Is it really due to an error in the material world, as the doctor said? Or am I just going crazy?’

Tae-oh felt alienated in this changed world.

The Seoul before he returned to the 18th century and the Seoul now were different in appearance, atmosphere, and even the people… subtly altered.

If the multiverse interpretation of the universe really exists, he would rather return to the 18th century and go to London.

However, the fact that he couldn’t go just because he wanted to weighed heavily on Tae-oh’s heart.

「♫~♩~♬~♪」

A scene of a beautiful foreign actress leaning against a window and shedding tears played on TV.

Thinking of Princess Maria again at the sight, Tae-oh quickly changed the channel.

Fashion, home shopping, dramas… meaningless broadcasts flickered by.

Then, news was being broadcast on one channel.

– Kim Se-yeon reporter? What interesting overseas news do you have for us today?

– It’s about a treasure ship.

– You brought a story about a treasure ship?

– Yes, that’s right. Anchor, have you heard of ‘Horace Wilden’?

Tae-oh’s hand, which was about to change the channel, hesitated and stopped.

– Is there anyone in Korea who doesn’t know Horace Wilden? Isn’t he someone that even middle school students know?

– Yes, that’s right. Horace Wilden is the person who introduced Western development to Joseon [historical Korean kingdom] and contributed to the Muo Reform [a series of political and social reforms in Joseon].

However, it was announced a few days ago that the person who taught Horace Wilden Korean was Duke Theo Sanderson, which is surprising.

Tae-oh raised the TV volume without realizing it.

– Wait a minute, Kim Se-yeon reporter! Did you just say that Theo Sanderson taught Horace Wilden Korean?

– Yes. According to what we know so far, Horace Wilden came to Joseon and learned Korean, and he taught it to British officials, but a letter that Duke Sanderson was going to send to Theo School but couldn’t was discovered in Naples, Italy, revealing a new fact.

Tae-oh’s eyes widened at the mention of the letter he had written.

– Is that fact that Theo Sanderson taught Korean, as you said earlier?

– Yes, that’s right. At the time, it would have been Joseon language. The letter, presumed to have been written by Duke Sanderson at the time, mentions concerns about the Joseon language class at Theo School.

Based on the contents of the letter, it can be inferred that Duke Sanderson himself taught the Joseon language class.

– That’s a very surprising story that we didn’t know until now. But, the story has digressed a lot, but Kim Se-yeon reporter initially talked about a treasure ship, right? Then, is the treasure ship related to this story?

– Yes, that’s right. With the discovery of Duke Sanderson’s letter, a list of gifts that Theo Sanderson received before going to England was also discovered.

– Wasn’t Duke Sanderson reported missing after his warship sank on his way back from participating in the war of the Kingdom of Naples, which corresponds to his in-laws?

– Yes, that’s right. So, it has been assumed that the sunken warship that Duke Sanderson was on at the time was mainly carrying gifts from the Kingdom of Naples.

However, the newly discovered list of gifts reveals that that wasn’t all. It has been confirmed by the discovered document that many gifts from various nobles in the Italian region and the Republic of Venice were also on board. Thanks to this, the claim that the warship sank due to the large amount of cargo has gained more credibility.

And each item on the gift list was truly jaw-dropping.

– I’m curious. What kind of gifts were they?

– Including Andrea del Verrocchio’s metalwork, who is said to be the teacher of genius artists, a teardrop diamond for his wife, Princess Maria, various porcelains and paintings, and rare statues, the items are worth a whopping 31 billion dollars at today’s prices, about 40 trillion won [Korean currency] in Korean currency.

The news footage showed a faded paper with the list of items recorded at the time.

Tae-oh stared intently at the screen with surprised eyes.

It was the very gift list that Prince Pietro had shown him a few months ago.

– Wow! 40 trillion won? That’s a huge amount. It’s truly a treasure ship.

– Yes, that’s right. This discovery is worth twice as much as the treasure of the ‘San Jose,’ which was discovered in the Caribbean Sea a few years ago and became a big topic, which was 17 billion dollars, or about 21 trillion won in Korean currency. Experts say that if it is discovered, it will be the greatest treasure ship of all time.

Then, a portrait of Leonardo da Vinci appeared on the news screen.

– But what’s even more surprising is that among the items on this treasure ship are a dozen works by Leonardo da Vinci that were known to be lost and five paintings by Michelangelo.

The art world is saying that if the artworks on this treasure ship are well preserved in wax-sealed lead boxes, as in the ‘Vrouw Maria,’ which was discovered in the Finnish waters in 1999, their value could be unimaginable, making it a treasure ship worth a total of 50 trillion won.

The news screen showed the value of the treasure ship in numbers through various paintings.

– That’s amazing. Kim Se-yeon reporter? Then, with this kind of all-time scale, there must be a lot of people trying to find the treasure ship?

– But, in reality, that’s not the case. The participation of private companies is very low, so the Italian government is the one looking for it.

– No, why is that? With this scale, treasure hunting companies from all over the world would be drooling and rushing in, right?

– The problem seems to be that Duke Theo Sanderson went to England on a warship of the Kingdom of Naples at the time.

– A warship was the problem? What does that mean?

– Yes. Looking at the judgments related to treasure ships overseas, the ownership of treasures on warships generally belongs to the state, and only when it is a commercial ship used for trade does it belong to the private ownership of the person who finds it.

Therefore, even though it is a ship containing a huge treasure of about 40 trillion won, the participation of private companies is almost non-existent because it is a warship.

– So, even if you find the treasure, the owner of the treasure becomes the Italian government?

– Yes, that’s right. In addition, the British government is also claiming special rights, saying that the owner of the treasure at the time was a British man, Duke Theo Sanderson, making the ownership situation very complicated.

Anyway, with this investigation that the value of the treasure will exceed 40 trillion won at the current price, the Italian side is planning to conduct a large-scale investigation again in the Mediterranean, where the warship is expected to have sunk, with several salvage companies…

Tae-oh shook his head and muttered quietly.

“No, no. It wasn’t a warship… The ship I was on was a merchant ship. And it wasn’t the Mediterranean either… It was the Atlantic Ocean, with the island of São Miguel visible in the distance.”

◈ The next day, Taewon Marriage Information Company.

Company cafeteria.

Tae-oh was eating and browsing the news section of a British portal site, typing ‘Theo Sanderson’ into the search bar.

Perhaps because of the news he saw yesterday, he suddenly wanted to read British articles related to Theo Sanderson.

When he typed in Theo Sanderson, most of the recent news articles were about the treasure ship, and there was nothing much different from the news he saw yesterday.

As he scrolled down for a while, he noticed an article that came out a few months ago.

It was a negative article related to Theo University.

『The board of directors of Theo University, which is suffering from serious financial difficulties, has revealed that it is considering selling the school.

Theo University, also famous for being founded by Duke Theo Sanderson, was once considered the best prestigious university in the world, surpassing Oxford and Harvard, despite its small size.

However, 15 years ago, it suffered huge losses due to aggressive investments and has since been struggling financially. As a result, it has failed to attract excellent students as funding has decreased, and its competitiveness is rapidly declining.

······The possibility that Theo University will be absorbed and merged into a nearby university is gradually increasing, causing strong opposition from students and graduates.』

Looking at other news, there was also past content about the difficulty of finding suitable space to build dormitories and research institutes for the school.

Tae-oh was filled with regret as he read the article.

‘If I had known that Theo School would develop into such a large university, I would have secured more land. There were plenty of abandoned lands right next to the school… The lands that didn’t cost much in the 18th century, it’s such a shame.’

Another news item related to Theo Sanderson caught his eye.

『T&S Coffee Shop in Kensington, famous as Duke Theo Sanderson’s first coffee shop, is set to disappear into the annals of history.

Once swept through England and Europe with Blue Mountain coffee, it has been operating as a regular coffee shop since 1950, and as a franchise coffee shop since 1995. With the aging building being put on the real estate market, the historic coffee shop is also facing the fate of disappearing.

The City of London tried to protect the coffee shop as a historical site, but it is showing difficulty because it does not meet the conditions set by the building owner.』

‘Ha- everything I poured into… is about to disappear one by one.’

Someone tapped Tae-oh on the shoulder as he sat there blankly.

“What are you doing? Just holding a spoon?”

It was his maternal uncle.

“Don’t you know that the employees are whispering that you’ve been spacing out all day these days? Put some strength in your eyes.”

“······.”

“What were you looking at? It’s a foreign site, right? Why? What were you looking for?”

“…Just.”

His maternal uncle put down his tray and sat next to him.

“My brother-in-law is still teaching the kids swimming, right?”

“Yeah. It’s what my father likes to do the most.”

“He’s amazing. I really respect his passion for swimming. By the way, Tae-joon is coaching at another swimming pool these days, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then, my brother-in-law can’t even drive, so he’s taking the bus?”

“He goes to work with Tae-joon and takes the bus when he comes back.”

“He always thought that opening a small swimming pool and running it with his son was his lifelong dream… Well, a swimming pool doesn’t cost just a penny or two.

Oh! That’s right, there’s an employee among the couple managers who’s worth promoting to matching manager this time…”

Tae-oh cut off his maternal uncle’s words, who was about to discuss company matters.

“Uncle, just a moment.”

“Yeah?”

“I have something important to tell you.”

“Something to tell me? What is it?”

Tae-oh put down his spoon and opened his mouth.

“Uncle, I think I have to quit the company now.”

His uncle stared in surprise at the sudden announcement.

“Quit? Why? What’s wrong with you, rushing back to the company as soon as you were discharged?”

“I’m really sorry. But the company runs well even without me now, right?”

His uncle, about to say something, sighed at Tae-oh’s serious expression.

Having worked with Tae-oh, he knew his stubbornness better than anyone.

Besides, after collapsing and teetering on the brink of life and death, he seemed much changed and in need of rest.

“Hmm… Okay. You’ve been working all this time, so you might need some rest. Then, while resting, what are you going to do? Are you going back to America?”

“No. I’m not going to rest.”

“Then?”

Tae-oh stared silently at the T&S Coffee shop logo on his smartphone and opened his mouth.

“I’m going to reclaim everything that’s mine.”

His uncle tilted his head.

“What? Reclaim everything that’s yours? What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Everything I poured my affection into… I’m going to find it all again now.”

His uncle asked with a worried look.

“Tae-oh… you don’t seem to be back to normal yet, do you? Are you really okay? Shouldn’t you go back to the hospital?”

Tae-oh smiled brightly and stood up from his seat.

“Uncle! I think I need to leave quickly. Consider the resignation accepted verbally, and please take care of it for me!”

“What? You’re quitting right away today?”

“Yeah! I just decided! Thank you so much for everything! I’ll definitely contact you later!”

“Just decided? Are you really out of your mind? Are you really leaving like this?”

Tae-oh waved his hand with a bright face he hadn’t shown since his discharge and hurriedly left the restaurant.

◈ One month later, at a hotel in Naples, Italy.

Late evening.

Tap- Tap-

Tae-oh, who was diligently typing on his laptop and examining the altered historical timeline, let out a regrettable sigh.

“Ha- I can’t believe it. Prince Pietro died in battle against Napoleon…”

The main players in the Italian unification that Tae-oh remembered were Emmanuel II of the Kingdom of Sardinia, Camillo Cavour, Giuseppe Garibaldi, and Giuseppe Mazzini.

However, in this changed history, Prince Pietro and Caterina were at the forefront of Italian unification, opposing Napoleon I of France.

However, Napoleon’s French army, which had been faltering after a major defeat by Count Sanderson, regrouped after Sanderson’s death and declared war on the Kingdom of Naples.

The Kingdom of Naples successfully repelled the French army in three fierce battles but gradually began to be pushed back by Napoleon’s army, which was armed with new tactics and mobility, and eventually succumbed in the fifth battle with the death of Prince Pietro.

If Tae-oh had been alive, the French army would not have rashly invaded, but with the news of Tae-oh’s death, they boldly invaded the Kingdom of Naples first to conquer the Italian region.

While reading through the war’s progression with a heavy heart, he saw a passage from a diary that was discovered after Napoleon’s death.

It contained Napoleon’s honest feelings about the death of Count Sanderson.

「······The death of Count Theo Sanderson gave me a great sense of relief that is hard to describe, but at the same time, it presented me with a great sense of loss and sadness.

Gratitude to God for the disappearance of the enemy general who had instilled in me an endless sense of fear, but also resentment and sadness towards God who had completely taken away the opportunity to avenge him coexisted.」

“Ha-”

Sighing deeply and skipping through other content, Tae-oh’s heart sank at the name of someone that popped up as a related search term for the Kingdom of Naples.

‘Maria Sanderson, Duchess.’

It seemed to be a related term because she was a princess of the Kingdom of Naples.

Tae-oh had not been able to search for his wife since returning to the 21st century.

He didn’t have the courage to see how she had lived and passed away.

But today was different. Perhaps because he was in his wife’s homeland, he kept thinking about her more and more.

He couldn’t keep avoiding it like a fool.

Tae-oh carefully clicked on his wife’s name.

Soon, a portrait of Princess Maria appeared on the screen.

Maria in the portrait was staring at Tae-oh.

His beloved wife, whom he had seen in front of him until just a few months ago, was now a figure from two hundred years ago and could only be seen in paintings.

‘······.’

Tae-oh’s heart ached at the portrait containing her charming eyes.

‘···Maria, how did you live?’

He scrolled down the screen and read a brief description of her.

【Maria Sanderson, Duchess】

[As a princess of the Kingdom of Naples, she married Theo Sanderson, Duke of England, in 1790. ······She died in the Great London Flood of 1799.]

‘······!’

At that moment, Tae-oh’s eyes widened, and his brow twitched.

Barely dragging his stiffened body, he moved closer to the monitor.

‘Died in the Great London Flood? The Great London Flood of 1799? What is this?’

The Great London Flood of 1799 was something Tae-oh had never heard of in the history he knew.

He had heard of the Great Fire of London or the Great Plague in the 17th century, but the Great London Flood of the 18th century was unfamiliar.

Besides, 1799 was only two years after he died.

Tae-oh hurriedly clicked on the ‘Great London Flood’ link.

【1799 Great London Flood】

[On August 2, 1799, London, England, experienced the worst flood the likes of which have never been seen before. Due to the sudden heavy rain that fell overnight, the water level of the Thames River exceeded its banks in less than an hour, and most of the nearby areas were completely flooded in just a few hours.

At the time, many people drowned in their sleep, unable to evacuate because it was early dawn.

The official death toll exceeded 30,000, but there are reports that the actual number reached 50,000 because proper population surveys were not conducted.

This number is recorded as the highest number of casualties since the ‘Great Plague of London,’ which killed about 100,000 people over 18 months from 1665. However, scholars agreed that the number of more than 30,000 in just a few days is unprecedented worldwide.

Meanwhile, Princess Amelia, the daughter of George III, who was undergoing treatment, also died in the Great London Flood, and it is known that King George, who had always loved his youngest daughter, was so shocked by this news that he collapsed. And this is said to have worsened his underlying mental illness.]

[The main cause of the flood was the enormous amount of heavy rain that fell in a short period of time. As a result, the banks of the Thames River could not withstand it and collapsed, and it is estimated that the city’s sewer pipes could not properly handle the overflowing water.

······However, the Great London Flood was not just a natural disaster. This was because it was a large-scale man-made disaster in which the corruption and power struggles of influential figures, centered on Representative Littleton at the time, were deeply intertwined.

Those who tried to make huge profits from the sewer pipe maintenance project embezzled huge amounts of construction funds without carrying out proper construction, and it was later revealed that this caused an even greater disaster during the Great Flood at the time.

······After the Great London Flood occurred and countless people lost their lives, Sir Thomas Llewellyn, chairman of the City Planning Experts Council, wrote a letter to the King about the corruption and committed suicide, and an enraged George III quickly ordered an investigation into the letter.]

[However, this investigation order rather hampered George III’s reign.

Representative Littleton and eight ministers involved in the letter shifted the blame for the Great Flood to George III, whose mental illness had recurred, and succeeded in putting him in a hospital and ousting him.

George III’s mental illness, which was known to have greatly improved after receiving treatment from Duke Sanderson, was severely affected by the death of Duke Sanderson, whom he trusted and relied on the most, and the death of his beloved youngest daughter, and eventually he stuttered severely during a speech in Parliament and was even booed by members of parliament.

Representative Littleton and others threatened Queen Charlotte to issue an edict entrusting the protection of George III, and made her recognize the regency of Prince Josie IV, who was the Crown Prince at the time.

Afterwards, they imprisoned George III under the pretext of mental illness until his death, and after making George IV regent, they manipulated and wielded power behind the scenes at will.]

‘Ha······.’

Tae-oh felt dizzy, and his body trembled.

Looking back on what he had experienced in the 18th century so far, it was clear that the historical events he already knew in the 21st century mainly occurred.

However, whether it was because of Tae-oh’s intervention or for some other unknown reason, there were clearly changes that were completely different from the history he knew.

If so, the Great London Flood and its tragic consequences were a new historical event that would definitely happen, even though Representative Littleton and his group had made things much worse.

‘Even if I hadn’t died in the 18th century and had been alive, I would never have been able to prevent such a massive disaster as the Great Flood. And I wouldn’t have known that they were stirring up trouble behind the scenes and making things so big.’

Even if this world progresses and separates into different universes and different worlds unfold, it seemed that if it was within the same timeline of the same universe, most of the events that started in the past would be recorded and remain as history in the future.

‘Did I create another world and make history by touching something when I went back to the 18th century? But why do I have to come back to the 21st century and see this horribly changed past history again?

Could it be that God sent me back to the future to prevent the impending catastrophe? But wait, I’m not some kind of savior, there’s no reason to send me!’

He had never received any divine revelation in his life, nor had he ever thought that there would be such a change in the universe.

But now, whether all of this was a work of God, or whether it was due to some accidental error, he just wanted to change the tragic history of the past again.

So, he wanted to save Princess Maria and save countless London citizens.

‘How… how can I go back to the 18th century again? If it’s a divine revelation, shouldn’t I be given some means or hint… Ha-‘

Tae-oh focused again and looked for data and papers related to the Great London Flood.

Perhaps because it was an event that caused such great damage, there was a lot of related data.

And the more he searched and read the contents, the more he felt angry and like he was going crazy at the actions of Representative Littleton and his group.

Clearly, the severe heavy rain and the resulting collapse of the Thames River embankment, which had never happened in history, were not their doing. However, they were half responsible for the subsequent flooding and inundation in the city due to their dirty desires to satisfy their selfish desires.

His beloved wife Maria died, Princess Amelia died, and at least tens of thousands of people were unjustly killed. Perhaps he himself, who was with Maria in that disaster, would have died.

Even so, they unfairly blamed everything on George III and lived well, wielding power.

‘I… I should have looked more carefully at their actions…’

He was upset and so frustrated.

If he could go back to the past right now, he wanted to tear them apart.

Knock knock-

While he was frantically looking at data related to the Great London Flood, someone knocked urgently on the hotel door.

“Mr. Hyun, are you in the room? It’s Professor Pareto!”

Tae-oh, startled, stood up and hurriedly ran to the door.