Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 110

That morning.

‘Huh! Branch Manager, did you stay up all night?’

Moyong Woo smiled, his face showing a hint of fatigue.

‘I had things to think about.’

Concern etched itself onto Lee Geon’s face.

‘You should rest today. I’ll handle the trade union representatives.’

‘It’s alright. It’s not like this is just a one-day thing.’

‘Are you really okay?’

‘I’m the one who’s been squeezing in time to train in martial arts, you know. Don’t worry too much. If I can’t find a solution, I’ll just have to draw my sword.’

Lee Geon couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘That’s right. You might as well draw your sword. Who could stop you, Branch Manager?’

He wished that were the case from the bottom of his heart.

Of course, Lee Geon also knew that shouldn’t happen. Although they were on edge because their livelihoods were at stake, they were also victims in a way.

‘Then, please get some rest for an hour. I’ll finish up the morning tasks.’

‘Should I?’

‘Yes.’

However, Moyong Woo did not sleep.

He was definitely tired, but his mind was clearer than ever. There was no need to force himself to sleep.

‘It’s like I’m bewitched by something.’

Moyong Woo thought of Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Was he just reaching adulthood? Perhaps it was thanks to his inner energy, but his face was without a single wrinkle and full of life.

Overall, he had a sharp but very handsome appearance. He seemed somewhat stiff, yet he had a strange charm that drew people in.

However, that was only in terms of appearance.

‘What on earth is his true nature?’

Moyong Woo was used to looking at the inherent nature of a person rather than their outward appearance.

It was only natural. The Moyong family was a hellish stage where even blood relatives were killed for power. To survive there, developing an eye for people was the first priority.

And from what he saw, Yeon Ho-Jeong was already a man who could stand on his own.

A power stronger and more precious than martial arts. It was the eye to see the flow of the world and the ability to control that flow as he pleased.

‘I would have been less surprised if his martial arts were stronger than my brother’s.’

Of course, it was still surprising enough. In Moyong Woo’s eyes, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s martial arts were at a level where even he couldn’t be sure of victory.

That alone was enough to make him a monstrous talent.

‘A prey…?’

Moyong Woo suddenly felt uneasy.

What on earth was Yeon Ho-Jeong planning to do with the trade union? What did he mean by making them beg?

‘Surely… he’s not going to threaten them with force, is he?’

He wouldn’t.

He seemed like a rough person, but he also seemed like someone who knew at least the minimum of morality. Moyong Woo decided to trust his judgment.

How much time had passed?

It was around the time the sun was slowly moving towards the zenith.

‘B-Branch Manager!’

‘What is it?’

‘The representatives of the trade union have arrived!’

Moyong Woo’s eyes flashed.

‘I see.’

‘But the atmosphere is strange.’

‘Strange? What do you mean?’

‘I-I don’t know. For some reason, everyone’s faces are pale…’

Could it be…?

Moyong Woo hurried outside.

‘H-Huh! Branch Manager!’

‘You’ve arrived!’

‘Oh my, we should have come to see you sooner…’

Moyong Woo blinked.

What was with these groveling reactions?

‘I don’t know why you’re acting like this, but let’s go inside first.’

The three men looked at each other.

Moyong Woo tilted his head.

‘Is there a problem?’

One of the men cautiously opened his mouth.

‘Are… are you alright?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘It’s not that…’

‘….?’

‘Um, are you going to stay here?’

What on earth was he talking about?

Moyong Woo looked at the three men’s faces.

Their faces were ashen. But their expressions were a bit strange.

‘Me?’

It wasn’t that they were threatened by someone, but rather that they seemed to be afraid of Moyong Woo himself.

‘Are you going to stay here? Does that mean…?’

At that moment, the eldest, a man in his fifties, spoke.

‘We didn’t know how much Branch Manager Moyong was suffering. When we think about it, you didn’t have to, but you deliberately took on the difficult tasks for us.’

‘….’

‘It’s all our fault. It’s our negligence. However, we’ll try to coordinate among ourselves, so please, just stay in your position, wouldn’t you?’

Moyong Woo was inwardly frustrated.

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. What does it mean for me to stay…’

From Moyong Woo’s perspective, he was just saying what he didn’t understand, but to the three men, it was like a bolt from the blue.

‘We’re sorry! Please, just save us once!’

‘If the Branch Manager leaves, we’ll really starve to death!’

‘We’ll even give you our shares!’

What, what is this?

Moyong Woo was at a loss for words at the merchants’ enthusiastic reactions.

At the same time, his mind became cold.

‘Yeon Ho-Jeong?’

That man must have used some kind of trick.

But from the looks of it, it didn’t seem like he had threatened them with force. They were afraid of him, not Yeon Ho-Jeong.

At that moment, Moyong Woo remembered Yeon Ho-Jeong’s words.

‘Don’t let them come to demand food, but make them come begging for forgiveness.’

‘When you think it’s an opportunity, bite their throats right away.’

…Hmm, I don’t know what’s going on, but should I try to probe them?

Moyong Woo pretended not to know and said,

‘Aren’t you three the representatives of the trade association? You should be able to lead it well enough without me.’

Instantly, Moyong Woo felt the atmosphere around him freeze rapidly.

The three men’s faces turned pale, almost blue. They seemed half out of their minds with extreme fear.

‘W-We’re sorry! We’re sorry, Branch Manager! Please, just forgive us once!’

‘Kuh-huh-huh!’

‘We’ll never fight among ourselves again! If there are any guys who interfere in the fight for interests, we’ll be the first to get rid of them!’

Moyong Woo stopped probing. He felt like he might accidentally kill someone if he went too far.

At that moment, the man in his fifties said, tears streaming down his face,

‘We didn’t know that the Branch Manager was fighting alone. From now on, we’ll step up and protect you.’

‘I…’

‘So, we’re shamelessly asking you. Please, stop the Moyong family from coming to Jeolgang!’

Moyong Woo felt a chill run down his spine.

‘The Moyong family? Why is the main family’s name suddenly coming up?’

Moyong Woo tried to ask calmly.

‘Are you that afraid of the main family coming to Jeolgang?’

‘Kuh-huh-huh! We have no words to say.’

Moyong Woo was the same. He had no words because he didn’t know what was going on.

Anyway, he knew he couldn’t let things continue like this.

‘Let’s go inside first.’

The three men, with their faces flushed red, wiped away their tears and snot and entered the guest hall.

At that moment, as if waiting for it, someone knocked on the branch’s gate. It was a beggar from the Beggars’ Sect [a large, organized group of beggars, often with their own hierarchy and rules].

‘This is a letter from Young Master Yeon.’

Moyong Woo quickly opened the letter.

‘If you had made up your mind properly, you wouldn’t even need this kind of help. But I understand that you must have spent a lot of time agonizing. This matter can be excluded from the deal.’

It was a great confidence.

It was as if he could solve this kind of problem at any time, and his spirited remarks caught his eye. He thought that he had made a connection with an outstanding person, if nothing else.

‘If it were Moyong Gun’s personality, he would surely be thinking of cutting down all the merchants belonging to the trade union. You shouldn’t let them know that. They may seem weak on the outside, but they are people who have lived fiercely. If they are cornered, they will rather bare their claws. Then it will become troublesome in many ways.’

Moyong Woo felt a chill.

At this point, he wondered if Yeon Ho-Jeong had planted spies on this side. Otherwise, there was no way he could see through everything so clearly.

‘Terrifying!’

He knew one thing for sure, if nothing else.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was someone he should never turn into an enemy. This man’s strategy was already discussing the world. And on top of that strategy, he had a terrifying level of action.

‘Could it be that my brother has already turned Yeon Ho-Jeong into an enemy?’

‘I told them that the Moyong family was releasing funds to take over the entire Jeolgang trade business. And I made them understand that you are the one who is blocking it at the forefront. For now, you won’t have to worry about them giving you a headache, at least for a while.’

‘Huh!’

Moyong Woo was inwardly amazed.

The Moyong family was determined to get involved in the trade business?

Then the Jeolgang merchants would be finished. They would lose all the interests they had held to the Moyong family. Whether it was in the shadows or in the open.

If a group with astronomical financial power took away their interests, it would be the small and medium-sized merchants who would die.

He now understood why the merchant representatives were groveling like that. The Moyong family was trying to swallow them up, and Moyong Woo, a member of the Moyong family, was blocking it, so how could they not be grateful?

But now, they were tired of their behavior and were about to leave. It was like a bolt from the blue for the merchants.

‘He shakes the board with just a few words… I’ve never seen anyone actually do this in real life.’

Moyong Woo, who was shaking his head, suddenly hardened his expression.

‘Do you know why I brought up the Moyong family? If Moyong Yeon-Hwa comes, you will have to make a choice. Will you abandon them, or will you embrace them? The lives of all of them depend on your decision.’

Moyong Woo’s brow twitched slightly.

‘If you truly want to overthrow the family, start by seizing Jeolgang. If you don’t have the will or the ability to do so, then kneel before Moyong Yeon-Hwa.’

It was an extreme either-or situation. Yeon Ho-Jeong was openly testing Moyong Woo’s mettle.

‘Terrifying!’

At the same time as testing Moyong Woo, he made it possible to establish a base in Jeolgang if he passed the test, and furthermore, he seized the Jeolgang trade market, which was in a very sensitive period, in one fell swoop.

If Jeolgang became stable, then naturally, Gangso Province would also become stable. Then, the Byeoksan Yeon family would be able to proceed with their work much more easily.

‘He made it so that he could gain double and triple benefits with this one move…’

Talent recognizes talent.

Moyong Woo shook his head, thinking about the countless things Yeon Ho-Jeong would gain from this incident.

‘If I fail… then he’ll bring the Yeon family’s forces and occupy it.’

It meant that even in the worst-case scenario, he would still get what he wanted.

Amazing. It was an unconventional method that Moyong Woo could not even dare to imagine.

Moyong Woo finished reading the rest of the letter.

‘I’m planning to stay at the Hoseon Daehui Inn for about a month to investigate the Jeolgang market. If it’s successful, come visit me as a trip.’

Moyong Woo, who had folded the letter, let out a deep sigh.

‘I wonder if I’ve joined hands with someone I can’t handle.’

At that moment, Lee Geon ran over.

‘B-Branch Manager!’

‘What is it?’

‘The merchant representatives want to recommend you as the Great Benefactor of the trade union! Why are they suddenly like this?’

‘The Great Benefactor…’

Moyong Woo smiled bitterly.

‘He told me to bite their throats when the opportunity comes, and he sent them back with all their fangs and teeth pulled out.’

‘Yes?’

‘It’s nothing. Let’s go inside.’

Moyong Woo took a deep breath, and a light of determination was engraved in his eyes.

‘What can I do? Even if it’s a thorny flower, if it smells good, I have to pluck it.’