Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 177

Nine Dragons Chronicle (177)

As Prince Heung, Ju Young-ho’s birthday approached, his residence teemed with visitors, many of whom were members of the imperial family, royalty, and military personnel. Gwan-rim, along with those associated with Seorim and Murim [martial arts world], rented inns near the Prince’s residence, showing their respect to the guests celebrating Ju Young-ho’s birthday.

Hwa-rin stood at the entrance of the inn, diligently recording the names of visitors in a guestbook, along with their occupation and province of origin.

For example, he’d write: ‘Ju Hwa-rin, Head of the Nine Dragons Manor in Seoseo Province.’ This system allowed for easy identification of attendees. As Hwa-rin organized the guestbook, he identified individuals of interest and subtly used the Cult of Joy’s techniques to create a sense of familiarity with them.

“I heard land prices have skyrocketed lately. Have rice paddy prices also increased?” Hwa-rin inquired.

The man shook his head. “Who would buy rice paddies at such inflated prices? Farming is more profitable than selling them these days.”

“Is that so?” Hwa-rin responded.

While meticulously filling out the guestbook, Hwa-rin engaged in brief conversations with the visitors. They were primarily landlords who owned substantial rice paddies in their respective provinces, cities, or counties.

Seo Dae-young, observing the scene from the sidelines, shook his head in disbelief.

“I thought I was leaving the Prince’s residence early to avoid the princes and princesses…” he muttered to himself.

He had left the Prince’s residence early in the morning, only to find Hwa-rin, not the Prince’s staff, meticulously recording the names of visitors. He was dumbfounded to realize that Hwa-rin’s true intention was to target landlords with vast rice paddies.

“Even before, he wasn’t one to avoid a fight, and now…”

-Don’t just stand there, go inside the inn and listen to the conversations, Hwa-rin telepathically instructed.

-Why the conversations?

-To see if there’s anything that might be helpful.

-Understood. But how long are you going to sit there?

-I don’t know. I need to meet all the people I have in mind. There are about three people left, so I’ll decide after waiting for them. I’ll get up by the end of Misi [9-11 AM] at the latest, so don’t worry.

-Understood. How should I bring you dinner?

-No, I’m thinking of eating a little later. So, you stay hungry too.

-No, why do I have to stay hungry?

-It’s not tasty to eat alone.

After a moment of silence, Seo Dae-young chuckled, finding Hwa-rin’s words absurd but not entirely wrong.

-Understood. Then I’ll go inside, have a drink, and listen to the surrounding sounds.

-Don’t drink too much.

Seo Dae-young entered the inn, searched for an empty seat, and headed towards it.

“Sir,” a waiter stopped Seo Dae-young.

“I’m sorry, but for the time being, only those with invitations can enter the inn. They came to celebrate Prince Heung’s birthday…”

“I know. I’m the attendant of the person receiving the guestbook outside, so don’t worry and bring me some wine and snacks.”

“Are you talking about that person over there?”

“Yes.”

Seo Dae-young sat down and looked at the waiter.

“If you don’t trust me, you can go and ask.”

“No, it’s nothing. What kind of wine and snacks would you like?”

“Bring Mihokka wine, roasted duck, and pancakes.”

Seo Dae-young said, handing him a gold coin. “When that person comes later, they will have a meal, so calculate that in advance. You can keep the rest.”

“Ah, thank you!”

The waiter’s suspicious look vanished, replaced by a respectful gaze, a bright smile, and a bow before he turned away.

“Money is indeed good,” Seo Dae-young mused.

He smiled as he watched the waiter leave and surveyed the room. The attendees were gathered to celebrate Prince Heung’s birthday, and unlike ordinary merchants, most were heads of trading groups, local leaders, or landlords with vast estates.

“Have you come?” A man entered, addressed a group of three already seated, and joined them.

“I heard you’ve been having fun with land trading lately?”

“Fun is just buying and selling in small ways. I heard you acquired an inn operated by Hwamyeong Trading Company this time.”

“It came out at a cheap price, so I quickly grabbed it. It seems Hwamyeong Trading Company is not doing well these days.”

“Is that so?”

“Rumor has it that they sold their businesses, including inns, all over the Central Plains.”

“There was talk that their finances were not good, but it seems Hwamyeong Trading Company’s luck ends here.”

“You never know. They might start a new business after securing funds.”

“Wasn’t a member of the Cult of Joy involved in the grain theft incident last time?”

“Cult of Joy? I heard it was the Demonic Sect.”

“What are you talking about? The background that allowed them to steal and run away with so much grain without a trace was possible because they used the Cult of Joy’s techniques.”

“Well, didn’t they say that the guy who stole the grain from the Yangtze River was empty-handed? But the grain on the ship disappeared without a trace. This is impossible to explain without magic or techniques.”

These people seemed particularly interested in Hwamyeong Trading Company, sharing various stories. They were all landlords with large rice paddies in the region, and Hwamyeong Trading Company was renowned for its grain production and sales, making it a subject of interest.

“Then are the people of the Cult of Joy active again?”

“I don’t know. The Murim people who destroyed the Cult of Joy thirty years ago might have stolen and learned the Cult of Joy’s techniques.”

“Well, there were a few things circulating in the world that were said to be the Cult of Joy’s techniques.”

“There was also talk that the trading company was buying those techniques at a high price.”

As they spoke, a pot-bellied man entered. He wore silk clothes with elaborate embroidery, enhancing the luxuriousness of his attire.

“He’s here,” someone announced.

One of the men saw him, raised his hand in greeting, and the pot-bellied man joined the group.

He grabbed a bottle of wine, gulping it down as if parched, then set it down and wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

“Why is this person drinking so hastily?”

“Don’t even mention it. I heard a strange story on the way here.”

“A strange story?” The others looked at him expectantly.

“You all know that my sister-in-law is on the Continental Battlefield, right?”

“We know. Thanks to you, we borrowed money at a low interest rate.”

“Well, my sister-in-law said…” He glanced around, then gestured for them to lean in closer and spoke quietly. “Hwamyeong Trading Company’s finances seem to be in dire straits. They borrowed money from the Daeri Family to repay debts from the Continental Battlefield, mortgaging their rice paddies in Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou provinces.”

“What? Is that true?”

“That’s right. The Daeri Family received the rice paddies as collateral. If Hwamyeong Trading Company fails to repay the loan, what will happen to those rice paddies?”

“They will belong to the Daeri Family.”

“That’s right. But the Daeri Family doesn’t farm. So, from their point of view, they don’t need rice paddies.”

“Hmm…”

“But why are you so worked up about it?”

“I got this information and met with a person from the Daeri Family.”

“So?”

“I don’t know how other trading groups caught wind of it, but they’re also meeting with the Daeri Family to buy those rice paddies, and I’m upset that I might miss out.”

“The Daeri Family doesn’t farm, so if you played your cards right, you could have bought those rice paddies at a slightly cheaper price. You’re upset that you might not get the chance.”

Seo Dae-young eavesdropped on their conversation and immediately sent a telepathic message to Hwa-rin.

-I’m listening too. Don’t talk to me, be quiet.

Hwa-rin was also listening to all the sounds inside the inn while writing in the guestbook.

‘It’s amazing how he doesn’t miss a single thing he needs,’ Seo Dae-young thought.

Seo Dae-young looked at Hwa-rin, who was writing in the guestbook and talking to the people who came through the window, and recalled what he had experienced so far since meeting Hwa-rin.

“He does things that other people wouldn’t even start because they’re afraid, as if it’s nothing. He’s amazing.”

Seo Dae-young had met the Emperor up close only once. People were selected to assist Hwa-rin in leaving the Imperial Palace, and he met the Emperor at the meeting with Hwa-rin.

Seo Dae-young thought that the Emperor’s temperament and Hwa-rin’s temperament were similar at that time, but after spending time together, he felt that Hwa-rin’s temperament was a little clearer.

“He’s definitely different from the other princes. Maybe it’s because he didn’t grow up pampered and receiving attention in the Imperial Palace like the other princes, but he has a strange charm that attracts people.”

Sometimes, when talking to Hwa-rin, he felt like his insides were burning and his heart was about to explode, but when he wasn’t around, he felt bored and sometimes missed him, and when he saw him, he only said things that made him frustrated, so he wanted to break up with him immediately.

“This is also an addiction. I’ve heard of being addicted to drugs since I was born, but I’ve never heard of being addicted to people. I never thought I would be addicted to that person.”

-Hey, are you going to talk nonsense? You can’t hear other sounds when you’re talking to yourself. Be quiet and drink your wine.

Seo Dae-young chuckled at Hwa-rin’s nagging.

-Oh, with such bright ears, can you even sleep properly?

-Of course, I sleep soundly. Even if you snore a lot, I sleep well.

-Haha, that’s good. Sleeping a lot.

-You listen carefully to what those people are saying. If you tell me the wrong information later, you’ll be dead.

-Yes, yes. People are coming over there. But it’s a familiar face.

Hwa-rin heard Seo Dae-young’s telepathic message and looked in the indicated direction.

“Why did that bastard come here?”

The approaching figures were none other than Hwa Jeong-soo, the head of Hwamyeong Trading Company, and his younger brothers, Hwa Saeng-bang and Hwa Jeong-wook.

Hwa Jeong-soo arrived in front of the inn and flinched upon seeing Hwa-rin writing in the guestbook.

“Oh, you came?” Hwa Jeong-soo’s face flushed as he greeted Hwa-rin as if they were close friends.

“What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here? I came to celebrate the birthday of someone close to my father.”

“What?”

“I know you, so I’ll record it myself.”

Hwa-rin personally wrote ‘Hwa Jeong-soo of Hwamyeong Trading Company in Seoseo Province,’ and added the names of his younger brothers next to it.

“The gift? You didn’t come empty-handed, did you?”

Hwa Jeong-soo’s stomach churned at the blatant disrespect, but he took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.

He glanced at his younger brothers, who presented their gift to the person standing next to Hwa-rin.

The gift was opened and inspected. While opening a gift on the spot might seem impolite, it was necessary to check for poisonous plants or animals that could be used in an assassination attempt against Prince Heung.

Hwa Jeong-soo narrowed his eyes as he saw the person next to Hwa-rin treating him with such deference.

‘If that bastard’s father is close to Prince Heung, is his father a general in the military?’ he wondered, considering Hwa-rin’s martial arts skills.

“Tiger skin?”

“It’s a Baekho [white tiger] skin from the Baekdu Mountain Range, found only in Haedong Country [ancient Korean kingdom]. It’s something you can’t obtain even with ten million gold.”

Ordinary tiger skin, Hopi, was also traded at a high price, but it was relatively common if you had money.

However, Baekho skin from the Baekdu Mountain Range in Haedong Country was a different story.

Throughout the Central Plains, nearby Byeonbang [border regions], distant Saeoe [foreign lands], and even further Saekmok Country [imaginary country], no creature was larger or more revered than the Baekdusan-gun [Lord of Baekdu Mountain], the tiger of Haedong Country.

Moreover, Baekdu Mountain’s Baekho was considered a spirit animal, and hunting or capturing it was strictly prohibited in Haedong Country. Violators faced the enslavement of their entire clan for three generations, followed by execution at the age of twenty. Consequently, no one dared to hunt or capture Baekdu Mountain’s Baekho.

However, Murim warriors from the Central Plains or individuals from other kingdoms occasionally targeted and hunted Baekho’s Hopi from Baekdu Mountain.

Hwa-rin glanced at the gift and said with a bright smile, “Oh, you got this precious thing again. I thought you lost it all when you got caught smuggling last time, but it seems that’s not the case.”

“Where do you think you are, trying to slander me? You better watch your words!” Hwa Jeong-soo retorted.

Even at Hwa Jeong-soo’s scolding, Hwa-rin answered casually with an indifferent face and asked, “Well, I’ll think about it. By the way, I heard you borrowed money using rice paddies as collateral?”

Hwa Jeong-soo’s expression twisted.

“If you needed money, you should have told me. Then I would have bought it at a high price.”

Hwa Jeong-soo turned and entered the inn, as if he no longer wished to speak with Hwa-rin.

“That bastard’s personality…” The youngest brother, Hwa Jeong-wook, scolded Hwa-rin, displeased with his rude treatment of Hwa Jeong-soo.

“My brother is older than you. Shouldn’t you show some respect?”

“What respect for a guy who wants to kill me? You should think it’s a relief that I didn’t kill him right away.”

Hwa-rin turned his gaze to the person next to him and said, “What do you think, Centurion Song Sang-yoon?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Should I spare the guy who’s trying to kill me? Or should I just kill him?”

“Of course, killing him will prevent any future problems.”

Hwa-rin looked at Hwa Jeong-wook and smiled faintly. Hwa Jeong-wook, meeting that smile, felt a sudden chill and goosebumps all over his body, accompanied by an inexplicable trembling.

“You must be cold. Go inside and have a bowl of warm soup.”