I barely suppressed the blood boiling inside me and managed to stay calm as he introduced his family.
There were four of them in total.
A father and mother, then a boy and his younger sister.
The man with the surname Gong was named Dui, and the siblings were Gong Mil and Gong Rae.
"When their mother was pregnant, she dreamt of a jar full of honey, so we named her Gong Mil. As for the younger girl, she picked a bunch of goosefoot flowers, so we named her Gong Rae."
"I see. They're all good names."
The siblings' father said he was a potter.
Gong family expressed their thanks to me and my companions and brought out their cherished tea.
"Thank you for the tea."
"I'll enjoy it."
Just then, I noticed the boy, Gong Mil, playing in the yard with his younger sister.
"Look at this!"
"Wow! That's amazing! Big brother! You're so cool!"
In the boy's hands was a toy cart, seemingly handmade.
But that cart was moving on its own.
I was startled once again.
'T-that's, an automatic cart?'
Its design was rather crude, but its fundamental structure was something I recognized.
A toy that had once been explosively popular among children from wealthy families—an automatic cart.
And here he was, having already made one.
Gong Dui, noticing my gaze, spoke up.
"My son's pretty good at making those little things."
"To already be able to make something like that, he's really gifted with his hands."
"He is talented, I admit, but that skill doesn't earn any money, and he's messing with that stuff all day—it drives me mad."
"What do you mean by that?"
At my question, Gong Dui looked at me, and I responded firmly.
"It can make money. In fact, I'm the son of the Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group. So I can say this with confidence. If we sold the items your son makes, we could earn a great deal of money."
"I know that too."
Gong Dui gave a bitter smile.
"But the one who makes money is the merchant, not the craftsman who makes the product, isn't it?"
"..."
I went blank for a moment.
"Craftsmen are merely used. They say the bear dances, but it's the master who takes the coins."
"..."
It wasn't wrong.
"I've seen that happen far too many times in my work as a potter. That's why I don't want my son to suffer the same kind of exploitation."
His eyes were filled with worry for his son.
And knowing that Gong Mil would end up dying of overwork after being cruelly exploited made my heart heavy.
If I backed off now, fate would once again play its twisted games with Gong Dui's family.
I didn't want to face that regret again.
After a brief moment of thought, I came up with an idea and spoke up.
"Then, may I make a proposal?"
"A proposal, you say?"
"Of the profit earned from selling the pottery you make, how much of it do you think you currently receive as your monthly wage?"
"I don't know exactly, but I'm sure it's less than a tenth."
"Then if I offered you forty percent of the profits, would you allow your son to work with our Merchant Group?"
"What?"
"Of course, later on, we could adjust the split based on contributions..."
I trailed off and looked at Gong Dui.
His eyes were filled with suspicion—wondering what exactly I was after, why I was doing this much.
I realized mere kind words wouldn't be enough to persuade him.
Judging by their household, they weren't particularly well-off.
Even so, they were sending the boy to school—clearly hoping he wouldn't live a life of exploitation.
That's probably why Jingyeon Merchant Group had tried to get their hands on Gong Mil through underhanded means.
I felt the need to approach him more sincerely.
But to speak candidly, the escort guards nearby had to be gone.
"Um, excuse me..."
I spoke to the guards.
"Could you go buy some snacks for the children?"
At my request, they nodded.
"Understood."
They nodded and walked out the front gate. But I could sense it with my qi.
Only one of them had truly left.
The other lingered nearby.
They must've realized I wanted privacy and stepped aside, but their duty as guards meant staying close just in case.
Still, this should be far enough that they wouldn't overhear.
"The truth is, I already knew about that child's talent."
"Excuse me?"
"To be honest, I saw him in a dream. That's why I was so startled earlier. I met the very child I saw in my dream."
"..."
"It's hard to believe, right?"
I smiled and continued.
"I understand if you don't believe me. I don't have proof, and I can't beg you to trust me either. Hahaha."
"..."
"That's why I came here to find the boy. But I had trouble locating the house. All I remembered was a house with a paulownia tree, so I searched the village, checking every such house one by one."
I gave a small smile.
"And just by chance, the thief I caught earlier was after Mr. Gong Dui's purse. That led you to bring us here."
"..."
"I think it's fate. Don't you?"
"..."
After a long silence, Gong Dui finally spoke in a heavy voice.
"So, what happened in this dream that made you come all this way?"
He continued.
"I know of the Eunhae Merchant Group. It's a fairly big group that often trades with the place I work at. For a noble young master from such a place to come all this way... I'm curious about what happened in that dream."
"...Someone discovered the child's talent. But it caught the attention of a wicked Merchant Group."
Gong Dui looked at me, and I didn't avoid his gaze.
"That group kidnapped the child's parents to threaten him. From then on, the child's life was pure exploitation. Shedding tears of blood, he gave up sleep and meals to develop new inventions, and in the end..."
I gave a bitter smile and continued.
"He died of overwork."
"...!"
"In the dream, the child cried out in agony. Begging for someone to save him, to save his family."
"..."
"Do you really think this is just a dream? No. After seeing the child's talent, I became convinced that the dream had a high chance of coming true."
I called it a dream, but it was something that had actually happened.
"He's still only of school age, but even I noticed his potential. Surely others will too?"
"..."
"As a member of a Merchant Group, it might be strange for me to say this, but there are plenty of people who will do anything for money."
"Then what about the Eunhae Merchant Group that you belong to? Is the Eunhae Merchant Group also a place that will do anything for money?"
To that question, I answered.
"The goal of any Merchant Group is profit. However, our Eunhae Merchant Group still holds onto its conscience. The idea that people should be valued is a long-standing tradition, and I believe in that too. That's why I offered forty percent of the profits. With that much, at least no one would call it robbery."
"Is that really the only reason?"
"And because with talent like his, I truly believe we can make a fortune."
I said with a smile.
"I am a merchant as well."
"..."
"Please think it over. I plan to return either the day after tomorrow or the day after that, and I'd like you to come with us then."
"Understood. I'll give it some thought."
Just then, the escort guards returned.
In their hands were snacks that children would love.
"Here you go."
"Thank you for your trouble."
I expressed my thanks to the guards and took the snacks to the two children.
"Kids, do you like candied hawthorn and taffy?"
"Wow! It's a candied hawthorn!"
"There's taffy too!"
They were children, after all. Excited, they each grabbed one of the treats with both hands.
Watching them, I smiled.
Seeing the two of them like this, the lingering guilt I had for the craftsman I failed to save last time began to shift into a new, unfamiliar emotion.
Even I didn't know what this feeling was.
.
.
.
The sun set.
Lanterns were lit in the Golden Boat Market, creating a spectacular scene.
I left Gong Dui's house and took a look around the market.
I had seen it during the day, but now, under the glow of the lanterns, Golden Boat Market looked completely different, dazzling in its brilliance.
Still, I turned back quickly.
"Are you heading back to the inn now?" Palgap asked.
I shook my head.
"No, there's somewhere I need to go."
No matter how much I thought about it, something still bothered me.
***
In a village next to Golden Boat Market, there was a merchant group.
Jingyeon Merchant Group.
It wasn't a large group, but in the field of porcelain trade, it had a decent reputation in the Golden Boat Market.
Inside the Merchant Lord's office.
The face of the Merchant Lord sitting at the desk didn't look pleased.
Before him, a man was bowing deeply.
"I heard you failed."
"My apologies. It's just, most unfortunately, he was caught by a passerby."
"Unfortunate, huh..."
"Yes, it happened because of a gourd bottle dropped by the third son of the Eunhae Merchant Group, who had come to trade..."
"Ha!"
"So that's why it failed?"
"I'm sorry. But don't worry too much. I've already told them to keep their mouths shut, so our identities shouldn't be exposed."
"That part was well done."
The Merchant Lord nodded as if satisfied, then tapped the armrest and asked,
"Did you find out why the youngest of the Eunhae Merchant Group came all the way here?"
"Well... truthfully, we had him followed all day, but all he did was eat and wander around the village."
"Hmm... maybe just gaining experience as a traveler?"
"That seems likely. He's just a fifteen-year-old brat, after all."
"I heard he stopped by Gong Dui's house?"
"Yes, Gong Dui insisted on serving him tea and wouldn't let him go otherwise."
"I see. Regardless, there must not be another failure."
"Of course. Don't worry. I'll make sure Gong Dui signs a self-sale contract."
A self-sale contract.
In other words, a contract in which one sells themselves into servitude.
"He doesn't even appreciate the favor of being allowed to work till now, and dares to try jumping ship to another Merchant Group—no need to pity him. Hahaha."
***
The day dawned.
"Are you awake?"
"Yeah. I'll do some internal energy circulation, so stand guard for me."
"Understood."
Once I finished circulating my energy, I felt more awake.
The Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Arts accumulated yin energy in the body, so whenever I did energy circulation, it made my mind feel clear.
Maybe that's why I rarely ever sweated anymore.
"I brought you some water to wash your face."
"Thanks."
I washed my face with the water Palgap brought, dressed neatly, and went downstairs.
Time to eat breakfast.
When I came down, Master and Squad Leader Jeong Chung were already seated at the table, chatting.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, thanks to you, I slept well."
We exchanged a brief morning greeting and sat at the table. Soon, other members of the Merchant Group began to greet me and take their seats one by one.
"What's the schedule for today?"
In response to my question, Ji Myeongcheon, a Pavilion Member from Sunset Pavilion, answered,
"At 09:00, we're heading to an open lot next to Golden Boat Market to conduct a trade. We've exchanged letters with the opposing Merchant Group and agreed to meet there."
Squad Leader Jeong Chung added,
"And we plan to leave early the morning after tomorrow. There's some Merchant Group business that needs handling."
At those words, the two Pavilion Members from Sunset Pavilion nodded.
"I see."
Lim Kyeongbin spoke from the side.
"You don't need to worry, young master. Just do as you've learned and record the details of today's trade."
"I might make a mistake, so please keep an eye on me."
"Don't worry. I'll be keeping a close watch as well."
After finishing breakfast, I returned to my room.
Then, through the window of my room, I gazed out at the village of Golden Boat Market.
I didn't know whether Gong Dui would accept my proposal, and that uncertainty made me feel uneasy.
Of course, the boy's own will mattered most, but he was still a minor.
We'd need the parents' permission for anything to move forward.
A while later, our group loaded the silk onto wagons and headed to the open lot beside Golden Boat Market.
It was a space designated for large-scale trades.
I'd been here a few times before, and the place hadn't changed at all.
After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, a group appeared in the distance, pulling their own wagons.
[T/L: Read extra 5 chapters: https://ko-fi.com/s/e038c3e76b ]
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