We Do Business In Full Auto [EN]: Chapter 39

039

The Legacy of the British Empire (1)

My heart is indescribably heavy.

When I left, my brother-in-law’s face was swollen. He had fainted halfway and was dragged inside by the Cotton family.

Soon after, all outsiders were sent away, and only Cotton family members prepared for the funeral. In the process, James had no choice but to return.

Although he was adopted, it seemed James wasn’t fully accepted by those people.

British society, the starting point of Western civilization and seemingly very open, didn’t mean everyone lived with modern values.

The world of the aristocracy was more than conservative; it was downright closed off.

Didn’t James have all the rights? But he couldn’t participate in the funeral preparations because he was an adopted son.

Naturally, James was upset.

My wife took Sujeong and Sua to the assigned room.

I was about to go into the room as well, but James stopped me.

“Hey, nephew-in-law. Fancy a drink?”

“Yes, I will.”

It’s hard to refuse a drink here.

I could understand his situation of not even being able to prepare for his sister’s funeral. Besides, I had something to say in my own way.

‘Now that I’ve acquired the rights to the Seun Line, I should dig up information about it.’

If I’m lucky, there might be a navigation log from that time.

James’s study.

He was a member of the Cotton family but also an executive at K Group.

That meant he was very wealthy.

Within the family, he was treated like a half-outsider, but when my mother-in-law was alive, no one could treat him carelessly.

What about now?

I’m not sure. Now that James’s strong shield, my mother-in-law, has passed away, wouldn’t there be some internal shifts within the group?

Of course, that wasn’t my concern.

James’s wife, my aunt-in-law, brought simple snacks.

“Honey, you’ll ruin your health. It’s okay if you ruin your own, but are you going to ruin your nephew-in-law’s too?”

“Haha, I understand.”

Simple fruit and jerky were excellent snacks.

I got up and took the snacks.

“Thank you, Aunt.”

“Don’t worry about anything today. Isn’t this the kind of day you should drink?”

James’s expression relaxed for a moment.

It seemed James usually got nagged by his wife for drinking too much.

Come to think of it, I never get nagged. Am I really having a happy married life?

As soon as my aunt-in-law left, James smiled bitterly.

“It’s been 30 years since we got married, and she still nags me.”

“Everyone lives like that, they say.”

“What about you?”

“Ah, I’ve never been nagged by my wife.”

“Huh. You’re really blessed. Well, she’s always been like that.”

“She occasionally shows her emotions, but even that is rare.”

“I thought you were having a really comfortable married life. From some point on, I became afraid of my wife. Do you know why?”

“I don’t really know…”

“It’s because of the nagging. Fighting is only good for a day or two; if you live like that, you just end up accommodating her. Then, you suddenly become afraid of what nagging your wife will do next. I’ve heard stories from friends about mastering the art of ignoring nagging.”

“I’ve heard those stories too. But ignoring nagging doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

“Haha. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Once you get calluses on your ears from nagging, you won’t say that.”

“Haha…”

Whether it’s Korea or England, people live the same everywhere.

Seeing that everyone maintains their married life even while disliking nagging and fighting periodically, I’m newly impressed.

Not just James, but all the fathers in the world.

“You must have saved a country in your past life.”

“I think so too.”

The conversation naturally led to my mother-in-law.

To be honest, it’s a really unpleasant topic.

My memories of my mother-in-law are nothing but contempt.

She treated me like a foreigner, almost like a commoner, and there was a limit to how much I could bear those harsh words.

What about when I was covered in excrement?

I don’t know about me, but when she threw excrement at my wife, I almost exploded with anger.

It was the same when I was excommunicated [formally excluded from the family].

She declared my excommunication in front of all the family members and immediately excluded Lisa from the family.

She was that kind of person, but James seemed to have more good memories.

“When my sister was young, she was quite bright and considerate. But as she got older, she became steeped in aristocratic society, and she changed.”

“Materially?”

“Yes, that’s right. She was too obsessed with material things and the honor of the aristocracy. Seriously, times have changed, but she was still like that.”

“The British aristocratic society seems quite closed off.”

“Is it just closed off? They’re terribly picky about bloodlines. If your blood isn’t connected, you can’t be recognized as a true member of the family.”

James said bitterly.

When they were young, they were close siblings, but in the end, they couldn’t bridge the gap. It was such a conservative group.

“Well, you must have some good memories, right?”

“Ah, of course. Once, you know…”

As he started to drink, James rambled on about memories related to my mother-in-law. I just drank and listened to the story.

Since I came all the way to England and happened to hear about the inheritance left to my wife, it would be a waste to just abandon the rights to the Seun Line if they exist.

I came all this way, shouldn’t I get something out of it?

Because of that, I waited for James to get more drunk.

‘Am I such a snob?’

I shook my head.

It’s all for my family’s peaceful and worry-free life.

I’ve experienced times when we had no money, so shouldn’t my wife and children have a taste of luxury?

After James finished his story, I subtly brought up the inheritance.

“By the way, I really think the family is being too harsh.”

“I agree. Damn it. To be treated like an outsider even at this age. I’m clearly a member of the Cotton family. If that’s the case, they should just excommunicate me too.”

As he drank, the resentments that had been building up until now burst out.

“I said I wouldn’t accept the inheritance. That was my wife’s wish too. But now it’s like I haven’t received it.”

“It’s definitely upsetting. The Seun Line? What can you do to find the Seun Line that sank during the British Empire? Give the rights to that? Ha! Even a dog passing by would laugh.”

“Isn’t it just treasure hunting? You can’t even think about finding it unless something is left.”

“Ah, right. I forgot to give you the information.”

“Is there information?”

“Well, there’s the navigation log from that time, the Seun Line’s route, where the typhoon hit, and the statements of the surviving sailors. And which sea areas have been explored so far. I don’t think it will be of much help, though.”

James staggered to his feet.

It was a very antique wooden box, and inside was an old notebook that looked hundreds of years old.

The original statements and maps recorded at that time were all included.

“You can have this.”

“So, the Seun Line really did sink?”

“That’s a fact.”

Click.

Finally, James handed over a USB [Universal Serial Bus drive, a portable storage device].

“You might lose it, and some of the letters are erased. It was restored a long time ago and is stored here.”

So, it was a USB containing everything about the Seun Line exploration.

“I’ll send the certificate of rights by international mail later.”

“Did my family become rich?”

“Hahaha! Yes. Give me a treat when you find the Seun Line later.”

“Of course.”

We clinked glasses in a good mood.

If I find the Seun Line, will I only give one treat?

I can give two or three.

I think I drank until dawn yesterday and fell asleep. How can he drink so well? I think we drank at least five bottles of whiskey yesterday. Is it because it’s the home of whiskey?

I was sleeping soundly when I felt a shaking that made me nauseous.

“Ugh…”

“Dad. Dad? Father?”

It must be Sujeong tickling my face.

Sure enough, I can see my daughter’s face.

“Phew.”

“Ew! The smell of alcohol! How much did you drink yesterday?”

“Ugh. Enough. Your little great-uncle was too upset.”

“Dad, Dad. Listen.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Those things Dad brought yesterday? Sujeong analyzed them.”

“Huh? You already analyzed them?”

“Yeah! Look here.”

The Seun Line, which departed from India, was shipwrecked in a storm while sailing from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean.

Sujeong quickly drew the expected points on the world map with a pen.

“Sujeong thinks the ship is likely to have sunk in the South African waters.”

“Why?”

“Looking at the typhoon route at that time… if you calculate like this.”

Suddenly, she throws out a complicated formula.

So, Sujeong inferred the typhoon’s route at that time and estimated how far the ship was pushed, based on the navigation log.

Also, based on interviews with the surviving sailors at the time, she drew the traces of the ship and concluded that it sank in the South African waters.

“Then wouldn’t it have been discovered already?”

“Hehe. So, when I thought about it more, I thought it might have been swept away to this place with the most complex currents, deep depths, and numerous trenches in the South African waters.”

“This is…”

“Yeah. It’s called the graveyard of ships.”

A sea area where typhoons frequently occur, and countless ships have sunk as a result. But the currents are so strong that exploration is not easily done.

Many treasure ships have been found there.

“Certainly… If it falls into a deep sea cliff, it won’t be easy to find. Even if you find it, it will require so much technology that you’ll give up.”

“Yeah! Yeah!”

Sujeong had a very happy expression.

Anyway, if it is determined that it is the Seun Line that sank at that time, all rights belong to my wife. Of course, it will be a huge amount of money.

It was definitely worth investigating.