EP.17 If necessary (2)
If necessary (2)
He came out to the market with Muyeon, carrying the letter in his bosom.
I walked the same distance as last time, but I wasn’t out of breath like last time.
I felt like I was getting better little by little after practicing a little.
‘It’s strange that he said he would die for doing that.’
He smiled once and walked down the alley.
If you walk a little further, you will see the shabby building you saw last time. It is the Haomen Shanxi branch you visited last time.
When I arrived, the only thing different from last time was that the disciples who had been acting like rascals before greeted me wearing the same disciple uniforms that the branch manager was wearing.
As I approached the building, someone greeted me.
“Welcome, Your Highness.”
“What? You’re dressed neatly this time.”
“I’m sorry about last time.”
It was the man who had been swearing at me. He looked like a different person with his disheveled hair tied up and neat clothes on.
“That doesn’t matter, but where should I go? Should I go underground like last time?”
“There is no need for that, Your Majesty.”
I followed the voice and looked up to see Branch Manager Do-un Chu slowly coming down the stairs.
“It’s different from last time, this time it appears right away.”
“How dare you do that to our precious customers? You have to show up right away.”
“So you’re saying you weren’t a customer before?”
Dounchu just laughed at the meaningless quibble. I didn’t say anything else.
I could say more if I had to, but from my perspective, I wanted to finish my schedule quickly and go back, so getting to the main point took priority.
I followed Dounchu up to the second floor. Unlike the dusty first floor of the shabby building, the second floor was considerably neater.
As soon as I sat down, Haomendu brought me tea, but Muyeon stopped me.
It meant that I didn’t trust them.
When the disciple of Muyeon’s actions made a displeased expression for a moment, Do-un-chu pointed it out.
“Control your expression, you’re in front of an important customer.”
It’s a cold voice.
“…I’m sorry, branch manager.”
“Give the apple to Confucius, not to me.”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
I waved my hand roughly to indicate that it was okay and fixed my gaze on Do-un-chu.
‘It’s annoying… .’
Anyway, everything they are doing now is just useless acting.
I must have known that Muyeon would do something like this.
Do-un-chu immediately stopped him and pointed out his mistake to the disciple.
I knew that correcting the disciple’s slip of the tongue was just an act.
I found this behavior annoying and bothersome, whether it was to show that he was being polite to me or to take the initiative in the conversation.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to show me, but you’re just wasting my precious time, so let’s just get to the point, Branch Manager?”
Useless drama is a no-no.
Do-un-chu paused at the words that were mixed with irritation. It was hard to read his expression because his eyes were not very good, but he must have gotten the message across.
Do-un-chu sighed immediately.
“… I don’t know where to start editing the information we have about Confucius.”
“As I said last time, the information you have is correct, so you don’t have to try to change it.”
Do-un-chu took a quiet sip of the tea placed in front of him and only then did he get to the main point.
“If we were to resolve the request you mentioned, how far would you tell us?”
“How far? You’re not asking me to tell you everything?”
“We are the ones who buy and sell information. We know better than anyone else the value of the information that you have.”
The whereabouts of this person, whom Haomen’s key personnel searched for but could not find.
Now we are in a situation where we can monopolize such information.
Of course, I had no intention of spitting out this information all at once.
The recapture of Haomenju took place several years later.
Of course, Hao Wenzhu died during the operation, but if we go by the information alone, it means that Hao Wenzhu will be alive for at least several years.
Of course, he wouldn’t know who helped him, so it would be a very urgent situation.
‘I don’t know what kind of relationship Do-un-chu has with Hao-mun-ju, but if Do-un-chu becomes the next Hao-mun-ju based on past information, wouldn’t they be deeply intertwined?’
Otherwise, there would have been no need to lead the recapture operation.
But even in that situation, Dounchu doesn’t show me any signs of being impatient or hasty.
I don’t know whether they are hiding it thoroughly or whether they just deemed it necessary as information.
To be exact, there was no need to know.
It didn’t matter what Dounchu’s relationship with Hao Wenju was or what Dounchu was thinking.
If it’s an important relationship.
Had to use it until then.
‘If necessary, of course… .’
“Branch manager, do you even believe what I say?”
Even I, a brat who is not even a seasoned child, would find it unbelievable if he suddenly appeared like this.
Do-un-chu laughed at my question.
“You can only have such doubts when you are in a situation where you have to be careful about water and fire.”
This is what I said last time.
“… Then, don’t worry, I will tell you everything I have about the information.”
“All right.”
Dounchu didn’t say anything more to my answer. He just added the necessary explanations.
“The request period is set at about a month. It can be completed sooner, but it will probably not be later than this.”
“…one month.”
By then it will probably be summer. It wasn’t that long of a wait, after all.
As I was organizing my thoughts, Do-un-chu suddenly spoke.
“…Can I ask you one thing?”
“If I can answer.”
“Your Majesty….”
Do-un-chu cut him off. Perhaps he was going to ask about Moon-ju’s life or death.
You probably know this yourself. It might be important to Do-un-chu, but it was clearly unnecessary to talk about it now.
I told Dounchu.
“You know that wasn’t helpful to the branch manager just now, right?”
It is a clear guess that I think that Dounchu and Haomunju have a close relationship. In this situation, Dounchu’s words were enough to give me confidence.
Of course, considering that he is Haomen, even that may be an act.
Dounchu is not saying anything.
Was it a mistake made out of impatience or a calculated move?
Since he was wearing a face mask, there was no way to tell from his expression.
To begin with, he doesn’t seem like the type of person who would express himself through his facial expressions.
After thinking about it for a moment, I said to Do-un-chu.
“Yeokjeok Mountain Range.”
At my words, Dounchu’s eyes widen slightly.
The name of the huge mountain range located in the south, not exactly where Haomunju is located, but one of the branches of the Black Night Palace.
‘I don’t know exactly where in the mountain range it is.’
The reason I specifically mentioned this place is because there is information that Do-un-chu needs in this branch.
“This is a deposit, I think this will be enough.”
It didn’t matter whether you believed it or not.
“If you want to check, it would be better to take a psychic with you.”
There was no way the Black Palace had not taken any measures.
The fact that the Murim Alliance had a hard time finding the Black Night Palace’s base was also due to the influence of the formation.
For now, that’s the end of the conversation.
I got up and headed back to Sega, leaving Dounchu behind.
‘One month.’
It was a bit too long to just wait.
******************
Back on the street, on the way to Sega, I was buying some yakgwa, as was my habit. Of course, I was going to give it to Wi Seol-ah.
Not only me, but all the servants in the residence gave snacks to Wi Seol-ah, so she seemed to have gained a little weight compared to when we first met.
The wind blew as I walked.
“It’s still cool because it’s spring… but starting next month it’ll be summer again so I’ll be dying again.”
It was a wordless remark.
A month later, it would be early summer. Next month, just like Muyeon said, summer would already be here.
‘It’s summer…’
I felt uneasy because something vague and vague was rumbling in my head.
What makes me feel so uneasy?
Stop.
I stopped walking in my tracks. It was because memories that were as vague as fog came back to me.
There was one big event during the summer at this time.
“..Why is this coming to mind now?”
It was around this time that the records of Geumcheon Yeon-ga, who was a freelance writer and ran the highest level of the old past, were discovered.
The first discoverer of the Bigo was the Sacheon Dangmun, but the one who eventually acquired the Bigo was none other than the Sacheon Gyecheonmun sect.
Both Dangga and Gyecheonmun are located in Sacheon, and they were not on good terms with each other.
And later, when the Demonic Cult appeared, Gyecheonmun joined the Demonic Cult.
‘The epitaph of Geumcheonyeon-ga is also in Sacheon.’
… . I ate some gummy.
I clicked my tongue briefly as I thought about the location and time.
The discovery of the Bigo was in late summer, and I wanted to seize it if I could since it was eventually in the hands of the Gyecheonmun, but the location was the problem.
‘There is no way to go to Sacheon right now.’
The deadline that Haomen mentioned was one month, so there was plenty of time, and if there was a way, I wanted to go and come back within that time.
There was no excuse to go all the way to Sacheon.
Should I go on a trip?
‘Would Sega possibly allow it?’
He immediately said that there was a treasure hidden in Sacheon and that he had to go and get it, but there was no way that it would work.
The notes on Geumcheon Yeonga say that although there may not have been a huge amount of gold and silver treasures, there were many valuable spiritual treasures that were not easily found.
It is said that the reason why Gyecheonmunju reached the realm of Hwagyeong before becoming a mine was because of this virtue.
‘At least I want to stop Gyecheonmun from taking it.’
I didn’t want to hand it over to those who would become mine even though I couldn’t have it.
Of course it would be better if I had it.
But if that wasn’t possible, we had to find another way.
“Should I spread the information to the public?”
Few people would believe this, but I wonder if it was possible to bring forward the timing and change the flow. I doubt if rumors would spread even if I said it was open right away.
In fact, the reason I hesitated even though there were various easy methods was simply greed.
I thought I would just live a smooth life with the opportunity of returning, but when I heard that there was a treasure chest right in front of me, I tried to reach out.
“Here comes the crazy guy again. If you know it won’t work, you should know when to give up.”
Even though I learned so much through physical contact in my past life, my hopes are still so high.
Why did you suddenly think of that and say something that makes people sick… .
I felt a sense of emptiness for no reason. I looked around, wondering if I should buy something to eat.
I saw a steaming dumpling restaurant in the distance and headed there right away. I remembered the dumplings I had there last time because they were delicious.
“Master, would you like to buy some dumplings too?”
“The dumplings I ate last time were delicious.”
“But you said you spent all the money you brought when you bought the medicine earlier…?”
“Give it to me.”
“yes?”
“Give it to me.”
“yes….”
sorry.
Don’t make such a gloomy face. I told you to go and give it to me.
‘Come to think of it, I don’t think I even gave you the one I bought for you last time… .’
I turned my head to see Muyeon sadly taking out a coin from his bosom.
I felt a slight pang of conscience.
‘I really have to give it to you this time.’
Seriously, I really was going to give it to you this time.
Really… .
After buying dumplings, I returned to Sega. When I arrived, the sun was already setting.
As I entered the residence, Wi Seol-ah came running over to take my outerwear, so I gave her some yakgwa along with the outerwear.
As soon as he saw the medicine, he smiled brightly and ran to the other servants, and I felt proud that he had made a good purchase.
‘It’s a shame about Geumcheonyeon-ga, but it wasn’t mine in the first place.’
There is nothing more foolish than regretting something that never existed.
What can I do if they say there is no way?
… but.
“My name is Gujeolyeop. I would like to request a duel with my family members.”
I never thought that method would come to me directly.
