Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 306

306. The Road to the Land of Flowers (3)

While merchants in Alexandria were preparing for the ‘War of Money,’ Hanseong—specifically District 51—remained bustling.

From weapon-manufacturing zones to royal workshops selling to the royal family and private merchant guilds, artisans and researchers in every district were working tirelessly.

In one corner, Pietro, taking a break, spoke to Raphael.

“That Crown Prince of Joseon would have been incredible if he went into business. As a Crown Prince, he could fleece those Jews and Arabs dry!”

“Why are you suddenly talking about the Crown Prince?”

At Raphael’s question, Pietro scratched his head and replied,

“Ah… Thinking about crystal glass just gave me that feeling….”

Raphael nodded at Pietro’s response.

“I agree with you this time.”

* * *

About a year ago, after the summer of Gyeongsul Year (1430), Pietro and Raphael could sense a strange atmosphere.

The glass workshop was running without any issues, but the atmosphere felt a bit odd.

“It feels like we’re short on people….”

Raphael, noticing Pietro’s keen observation, nodded.

“It does.”

As Raphael nodded, Pietro rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward.

“I can’t stand being curious. Hey! Mr. Kim!”

“Why are you calling me, Mr. Pie?”

“We’re a bit short on people, aren’t we? Is there some kind of epidemic going around?”

“An epidemic? No… They’re just away on an errand ordered by His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“What kind of errand?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Ah, come on! Don’t be like that!”

Pietro persistently pressed, but Mr. Kim’s lips remained sealed.

“Oh, you’re going to play it like that, huh?”

Spurred by Mr. Kim’s reaction, Pietro grabbed other artisans and kept asking questions. However, the other artisans only gave answers similar to Mr. Kim’s.

“Damn it! In times like these, I have no choice but to ask the person involved!”

Raphael grabbed Pietro, horrified by his words.

“Hey, you bastard! I thought you were being quiet lately, but are you starting again! Do you have extra lives or something?”

“I need to know!”

“Hey! You son of a bitch! Just keep quiet!”

“Life is a gamble!”

“Why are you saying that here!”

Pietro and Raphael, who were arguing, even started a fistfight, and the artisans around them rushed to break them up.

“They’re fighting again!”

“Stop them! Stop them!”

Eventually, the situation was somewhat resolved after Hyang arrived, having heard the news.

‘Is this guy getting restless because he’s been living a healthy life lately?’

Hyang looked at Pietro, who was bowing his head to one side, and opened his mouth.

“Pietro, I thought you’d become a bit more docile lately. Were you feeling restless?”

“That’s not it.”

Like a true Italian, Pietro had caused all sorts of incidents involving women.

Thanks to that, he had spent a few days in jail and had been beaten up by the neighborhood men, taking sick leave to rest several times. However, after being beaten up a few times, he had been living a relatively quiet life.

“Then why were you fighting with your friend?”

At Hyang’s question, Pietro took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“I will ask His Highness.”

“You son of a bitch, shut up!”

Raphael hurriedly tried to stop him, but it was too late.

“Yes, what are you curious about?”

“What is the head craftsman, Park, and some of the artisans doing separately?”

As Pietro asked directly, Raphael’s face turned pale, and he began to quietly invoke ‘Holy Mary.’

However, contrary to Raphael’s worries, Hyang answered with an expression that it was nothing much.

“Ah, is that why you were fighting? It’s nothing much. They’re just researching ways to improve the quality of glass.”

“What! How could you exclude me from such an interesting thing?”

As Pietro pressed, Hyang simply replied,

“Because you are foreigners.”

“Excuse me?”

“What do you mean by that?”

Hyang explained in more detail, as neither Pietro nor Raphael understood properly.

“It’s been over five years, almost six, since you came to our Joseon. That means you’ll have to return soon. How can I tell such people secrets?”

At Hyang’s explanation, Pietro immediately asked back.

“Are you really going to send us back?”

“Didn’t I write it in the contract? That after 10 years of service, I would send you back if you wanted to return home. Our Joseon keeps its promises well.”

Pietro and Raphael were speechless at Hyang’s answer.

As Hyang said, Joseon kept its promises reliably.

There was no restriction of personal freedom, and salaries were paid accurately every month.

However, they had inwardly given up on returning home.

Because they were precious glass artisans.

Even when they were in Venice, they lived as if they were confined to Murano Island [an island near Venice famous for its glassmaking].

Of course, when they became recognized as full-fledged artisans, exchanges with guilds in other cities resumed under the name of journeyman travels, but mature artisans could not leave Murano Island.

The reason the two could go on journeyman travels was that they were fledgling artisans.

Although they were fledgling artisans, the guild sent them out with the calculation that they could gain both prestige and practical benefits as artisans recognized by the guild.

Of course, they were kidnapped by pirates on the way and came to Joseon.

When Hyang mentioned the possibility of returning home, not only Raphael but also Pietro fell silent. It was because the longing for their hometown, which they had been forcibly suppressing, was revived.

As their silence grew longer, Hyang shook off his seat and stood up.

“Is that explanation sufficient? Then, go and see to your work.”

“Your Highness! Then, if we return to our hometown, what will happen to our intellectual property rights fees?”

Pietro asked about the intellectual property rights fees they were receiving.

The techniques newly created by Pietro and Raphael in the process of producing glass in the glass workshop were registered with the Intellectual Property Management Office. And, the amount coming from there was quite substantial, so Pietro asked.

Hyang answered immediately to Pietro’s question.

“That? If you want, I’ll send it to you regularly. But, I’ll take responsibility up to Alexandria, but after that….”

Hyang trailed off and smiled.

“Your return home is the same. I’ll take responsibility and send you to Alexandria. But, what happens after that is not our concern.”

“That’s a bit….”

When the two looked troubled at Hyang’s words, Hyang added.

“Ah! Now that I think about it, the Mansur merchant leader said something. He said that there are many people in that area who are interested in our Joseon.”

The faces of the two turned white at Hyang’s words.

If Hyang’s words were true, it meant that their return home would be incredibly dangerous.

“You should probably decide quickly. Just as it’s already been six years, the 10th year will come soon.”

“….”

After finishing his words, Hyang returned to his office, and Pietro and Raphael stood frozen like signposts.

* * *

Even while Pietro and Raphael were worrying about their future, Head Craftsman Park and the artisans were sweating to develop new glass.

The beginning was always Hyang.

“Your Highness, did you call me?”

“Have a seat.”

Hyang, who had secretly called Head Craftsman Park, brought up the matter.

“The glass you’re making now.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“It was made with the knowledge of Pietro and Raphael, right? That means there are many glasses of similar quality to the glass made in our Joseon in those western countries, right?”

Head Craftsman Park nodded at Hyang’s point.

“That’s right.”

“So, I called you because I was thinking of making better quality glass. When I read the books of the Westerners, it seems that adding minerals to the glass can make it of better quality.”

“Is that so?”

Head Craftsman Park’s eyes lit up at Hyang’s words. He was also an artisan, so he had a competitive spirit to create works that were ahead of others.

Moreover, it was the Crown Prince who was saying it.

Based on past experience, almost nothing that the Crown Prince had initiated had ended in failure.

Of course, the intermediate process was incredibly difficult.

That’s how the development of crystal glass began.

As Head Craftsman Park and the artisans continued to make mistakes, Hyang subtly added MSG [a metaphor for providing helpful hints or guidance]. And, little by little, results that met Hyang’s desired level began to be produced.

Looking at such results, Hyang muttered to himself.

“The time I broke and got scolded for breaking Grandma’s crystal dinnerware set is helping me like this…. Ah! Now that I think about it…. There’s something else I broke and got scolded for. Bone china….”

Hyang, recalling the painful memories created by his otaku [a Japanese term for someone with obsessive interests, often in anime or manga] activities in the 21st century, felt a pain in his back for no reason.

* * *

After nearly four months of such trial and error and improvement work through MSG input, crystal glass was born.

“The quality is about this level, and what remains is for the health of the artisans?”

Since a large amount of lead was used as a raw material for crystal glass, traditional blowpipes were fatal to artisans.

Therefore, Hyang created a blow system using a steam engine. It was a method of making bottles or dishes using a steam engine to turn a blower, and a breath tube connected to the blower.

Of course, there were also trials and errors to adjust the appropriate amount of air blown, as it should not be stronger than the breath exhaled by a person.

Next, he instructed all artisans participating in the production of crystal glass to wear masks.

As it was the Crown Prince’s strict order, no one violated it.

* * *

The crystal glass born through this process was the best material for glass artisans.

The gloss and transparency were far superior to the existing ones, and what they liked most was that the surface was smoother than the existing glass, making processing—polishing, cutting, engraving—easier.

This characteristic stimulated the creative desire of the glass artisans, most of whom were potters or earthenware makers, and soon, outstanding products began to emerge.

Pietro and Raphael, who checked the crystal glass from the side, began to worry even more about whether to stay or return home. As long as the Crown Prince was there, it was certain that more and more new glass would come out. If they stayed, they could play a part in the process of developing such glass and gain another opportunity. However, they had to risk their lives to return home, and they were also worried about their lives after returning.

In the end, Pietro and Raphael were slowly leaning towards staying. It was just that Pietro, who didn’t like this situation of being dragged along, evaluated Hyang as a person who could strip even Jewish and Arab merchants clean.

In that way, under Hyang’s guidance, the chandelier was born.

* * *

On the day the chandelier that passed Hyang’s eyes after several failures was hung on the ceiling of Geunjeongjeon [the main hall of Gyeongbokgung Palace], Sejong and the ministers exclaimed in admiration.

“It’s truly amazing! The Crown Prince has created something amazing again! Well done!”

“What this son has done is not much. All credit goes to the artisans.”

Hyang gave the credit to the artisans for Sejong’s praise. Sejong wore a pleased expression at Hyang’s appearance.

“That’s right, Crown Prince. You must not forget the merits of those who do their best for you.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“By the way. How long would it take to make something like this?”

“If the artisans are familiar with it, about one or two pieces are possible per month. Of course, more can be made if more people are put in, but it is impossible to make more than that because there are many other things to make. Also, the value can only be maintained if it is produced in small quantities.”

As soon as Hyang finished speaking, Finance Minister Kim Jeom joined the conversation.

“How much does it cost to produce?”

“It costs 20% more than the existing glass production cost.”

“Then the selling price….”

As Kim Jeom began to calculate, Hyang immediately answered.

“We have to charge as much as we can get. That’s why we’re adjusting the quantity. So, I have a request for His Majesty.”

“Tell me.”

“I would like to sell the minimum amount to Ming [the Chinese dynasty] and boycott it to the Wa [derogatory term for Japan] for the time being.”

“What is the reason?”

“If we release a large amount to Ming, the Emperor will step in, and the Wa country needs to be fattened up a bit more before we eat them.”

“Then, where will you sell it after making it like that?”

Hyang answered immediately as if he had already thought about it to Sejong’s question.

“I will sell it to the West. They are already familiar with glass and like to show off, so they will gain great wealth. And, since it is sold far away from Ming, it will be difficult for Ming to notice.”

Sejong and the ministers nodded at Hyang’s words.

Sejong muttered, tapping the armrest.

“Ming is always blocking us.”

Foreign Minister Lee Maeng-gyun, who was listening to Hyang’s explanation, asked Hyang a question.

“You said you would sell the minimum amount to Ming, how many are you expecting?”

“I’m thinking of about three a year. But, before that….”

Hyang paused for a moment to draw attention and continued.

“I ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Finance. If we present this item to the Emperor, how many pillars of the Forbidden City [the Chinese imperial palace] can you take away?”

Lee Maeng-gyun and Kim Jeom smiled bitterly at Hyang’s question and asked back.

“How many do you want?”