Soon, Palgap entered the room with cold water. I took the water and drank it.
"Young master, are you really alright?"
I nodded in response to Palgap's question.
"I'm really fine, so don't worry."
"It must be because you trained so hard yesterday."
At those words, I laughed.
Come to think of it, I did train like crazy yesterday, barely managed to wash up, and fell asleep as soon as I lay down on the bed.
"It's tough, but I can't skip training."
"You clearly complained to me last night that you didn't want to train, sir."
"…Let's just forget about that."
After breakfast, I headed straight to Golden Boat Market with Palgap and two bodyguards.
I had told Father that I wanted to check out the marketplace in Gangseo Province.
It was certain that he would ask the bodyguards where I went and what caught my interest.
So I deliberately headed to the crowded Golden Boat Market.
Of course, it was a place I had visited many times in my memories of the future, but maybe because I hadn't been here in a while, it felt quite exciting.
'Is it because I've started a new life, or have my eyes changed?'
Well, either way doesn't matter.
What matters is now.
'Let's see....'
I even saw an item that isn't popular now, but will become explosively popular in a few years.
I should claim that in advance.
As I happily wandered from place to place, I started to feel hungry.
"Shall we try the famous dish of Golden Boat Market, White Fish Delicacy, for lunch?"
One of the bodyguards replied to my suggestion.
"We will follow your will, young master."
"By the way, where would be good?"
"There's a place called Blue River Restaurant over there. I came along once while escorting a trade trip, and we visited that place."
"Then let's go there."
We entered the restaurant the bodyguard recommended.
Blue River Restaurant.
In fact, it was a place I was familiar with too. I had stopped by during a trade trip as well.
The White Fish Delicacy, which this place is known for, perfectly fits the restaurant's nickname, "Mother's Taste."
It's a dish made by mixing freshwater fish with white rice without much seasoning, and it had a clean, non-fishy flavor.
Preserving the original taste of the ingredients was a hallmark of Gangseo Province cuisine.
"Here's the food you ordered."
Soon, White Fish Delicacy was served in front of each of us, and we all dug in enthusiastically.
"As expected, it's delicious."
Eating it again after a long time made it taste even better.
After touring Golden Boat Market all morning, it was now time to leave the restaurant and begin the real mission: finding the craftsman.
I knew the craftsman had lived in Golden Boat Village, where Golden Boat Market was located, but I didn't know the exact location.
All I knew was that there were a few paulownia trees next to the house.
It was information I had once commissioned from Hao Sect, intending to give the craftsman and his deceased family a proper burial in their hometown.
But I couldn't fulfill that wish because the Jingyeon Merchant Group had burned the bodies.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized—they were real bastards...
Even Hao Sect didn't know anything beyond that.
That's how thoroughly Jingyeon Merchant Group erased all traces.
If I were to commission Hao Sect now to find residents of Golden Boat Village skilled in crafting, I could easily find him, but I couldn't make a request now.
Even though I was only fifteen years old, as the son of the Eunhae Merchant Group Leader, every move I made was under the watch of rival merchant groups.
Even the man dining next to me, and the man behind me… they were tails stuck to me.
The bodyguard must have sensed it too, as he gave me a signal.
If I requested something from Hao Sect while being tailed?
It'd be the same as feeding a tiger. It might even bring greater harm to the craftsman.
'This is the issue with requesting info from Hao Sect.'
Because Hao Sect had branches all over the country, it was great for getting info not accessible through Sunset Pavilion, but…
The risk of information leaking was just as high.
So, when commissioning info from Hao Sect, I had to either hide my real intent or make sure they didn't know who I was.
'At times like this, having a personal intel network would be great.'
That's something for the future. For now, I had to deal with the tails on me.
I deliberately raised my voice a little and said to Palgap,
"I'm going to look around the village a bit."
"Pardon? You're done with the market?"
"I plan to come back at night. I heard earlier that the market is really something to see at night, right?"
One of the bodyguards nodded. He didn't know my intention, but he played along nicely.
"That's right. Golden Boat Market at night is famous."
"I have nothing else to do until then, and I don't feel like going back to the inn."
"Understood."
After finishing our meal, we got up. At the same time, the tails following us also stood up.
I walked around various parts of Golden Boat Village with Palgap and the two bodyguards.
Outwardly, we walked leisurely, but my eyes were constantly scanning the surroundings for paulownia trees.
And when I found a house with them, I would observe the household members for a while.
Because I remembered the craftsman's face.
After checking ten, twenty houses like that, it became clear that the tails were getting tired.
They couldn't tell what I was doing and must've felt frustrated.
One by one, the tails started to peel off. They must have concluded that I was just here to broaden my experience.
And four hours later.
"Whew… this is exhausting too."
I sat down on a nearby rock.
I had roamed around Golden Boat Village for two whole shijin, and thanks to that, I now knew just how many paulownia trees there were.
About a hundred.
Paulownia trees are tall, so it wasn't hard to spot houses with them.
But I still hadn't found the craftsman.
That's when one of the bodyguards spoke.
"The tails are all gone."
"Finally shaken them off, huh."
"Haah, so that's why you suggested wandering around the village. And even made the route all confusing."
"Hahahaha."
I laughed awkwardly.
In truth, the route got complicated simply because I was looking for houses with paulownia trees…
But I didn't correct the misunderstanding. It was better for the bodyguards to think that way.
The problem now was that the sun was starting to set.
This was troublesome…
I had spent more time than I expected.
Tomorrow was a day for trade transactions for the merchant group, so I wouldn't be free to wander around.
In other words, today was the only day I could look for the craftsman.
I thought I'd find him easily…
I must have underestimated this.
But I couldn't give up.
If I gave up, just like in the future I had lived through, the craftsman and his family would once again fall into tragedy.
And I couldn't let Jingyeon Merchant Group make unjust profits again.
I stood up from my seat.
"Well then, let's get moving again."
"Understood."
That's when it happened.
A man's voice shouted out.
"Thief! Oh no! Stop that thief! That's my family's living money, you bastard!"
Then someone came running like lightning. I loosened the water flask I carried.
A water flask was an essential item for any trade trip.
I froze the water flask using Ice Arts and threw it right in front of the thief as he approached.
"Whoops!"
As if I had dropped it by mistake.
Clatter clatter.
The flask rolled, and the thief, who just happened to be running by, stepped on it.
Normally, it would've shattered instantly.
But the frozen flask was rock hard and didn't break.
Slip.
Instead, the flask made the thief slip, causing him to lose his balance and fall flat on his face.
If you asked how I timed the throw so perfectly, I'd just say—I knew.
Honestly, even I wasn't sure how I knew. I just did it, and it worked.
"You bastard!"
Seizing the moment, the bodyguards rushed forward and completely subdued him.
"P-please spare me, sir!"
To the thief's plea, I smiled and said,
"Well, aren't we lucky? We caught a thief thanks to a flask I accidentally dropped."
"Indeed, sir."
Just then, the man who had shouted earlier came running, panting for breath. When he saw the subdued thief, he cried out,
"Give me back my coin pouch, you bastard!"
"W-what are you talking about…?"
To the thief who was feigning ignorance, I said,
"Hand it over."
"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"
At that, the bodyguard jabbed his scabbard into the thief's thigh.
"AAARGH! Okay, okay! It's here! I've got it here! Damn it, I'm dying!"
I received the pouch and asked the man,
"Is this yours?"
"Ah! Yes, yes! It's mine, definitely."
"How much was in the pouch?"
"My monthly pay was in there. So…"
He described the amount, and I opened the pouch to count it.
The amount matched exactly what he said.
"Here you go. Be more careful from now on."
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Just then, patrol officers passed by, and I revealed my identity before handing the thief over to them.
Turns out, he was well-known in the area.
Thanks to that, the patrol officers had a case to show for their efforts and happily returned to the office.
With that incident wrapped up, I was about to resume my search for the craftsman.
Or so I thought.
The man whose pouch had been stolen stopped us.
"I can't let my savior leave like this. Please, come to my home and have a drink with me."
I waved my hand.
"No need. I've already eaten, and I can't drink alcohol at the moment."
"Then at least have a cup of tea. I can't let you go just like this."
It felt wrong to keep turning down his insistence.
At this rate, I'd be disrespecting the man's hospitality.
"Then I'll accept a cup of tea."
"Thank you."
The man led us to his house.
"This is my home. It's humble, but please come in."
The moment I saw the house he pointed to, I was slightly stunned.
There were four modest paulownia trees beside the house.
"Paulownia… trees, huh."
"Yes, that's right,"
The man nodded.
"I planted them when my son and daughter were born. Thought I'd give them each a tree for farming or such when they grow up and get married. Hahaha."
"…"
Come to think of it, the info I got from Hao Sect only said there were a few paulownia trees—not how big they were.
And there's been a time gap since then, too…
"It's a local tradition."
Now I understood why there were so many paulownia trees in Golden Boat Village.
At the same time, I felt oddly deflated.
Hao Sect, those damn bastards.
Even if they lacked precise information, how could they give me something like this and charge three silver coins?
I'm definitely building my own intel division someday!
Still, I learned a lesson from this whole ordeal.
The information I had wasn't always perfect, and I shouldn't think things would go smoothly just based on it.
That's when I heard footsteps beyond the gate.
"Father! I'm home!"
I turned my head at the youthful voice, and I was startled.
A boy who looked around ten years old came in carrying a book bundle.
When he saw us, he quickly bowed his head.
"Hello."
"…"
"That's my son," the man said.
"…He seems quite bright."
The reason I was so shocked.
That child was the same one I had seen in my dreams.
He had grabbed my wrist and pleaded for me to save himself and his family this time.
That child was the one who would go on to create the Self-Dancing Doll.
For a moment, I doubted myself.
Was that boy really the craftsman who made the Self-Dancing Doll?
He looked nothing like the person I remembered.
Back then, I had visited the Jingyeon Merchant Group under a pretext and, in a moment when no one was around, saw the craftsman.
With bloodshot eyes and a body reduced to skin and bones, he kept mumbling, "Something new, a new device," over and over.
But now, the boy before me had plump cheeks and looked utterly adorable.
Wait a minute, wasn't the craftsman around twenty years old at that time?
And I had met him about ten years after the Self-Dancing Doll appeared.
In that case…
Suddenly, I remembered what the merchant lord had said.
"Oh, that kid's hands were amazing! He whipped up the most curious devices just like that!"
Those bastards.
They had exploited a child this young.
They found the boy and forcibly took him away about half a year from now.
So, this ten-year-old boy had walked into a living hell for the sake of his family.