[Side story] Both arm scales (14)
“When do you think you will retire as a merchant?”
I asked Bell the same question.
The reason we are suddenly talking about retirement and all that is because there was an opportunity to do so. Let’s say it was the opportunity that led me to have such a meaningful thought… It is decided.
“… yes? “Suddenly?”
“You’ve lived your whole life as a merchant, right? “When do you think you want to quit the job you’ve devoted your whole life to?”
“… I’m not sure what the question was intended to be, but… I’ve never thought about retirement or anything like that. It’s still too early… ”
The sea breeze blew gently. Is it a little after 4 o’clock?
Somewhere between late night and early morning.
Morning soon came to be called late night, and at the borderline where it was still too dark to be called dawn, we passed by the dock while listening to the sound of the waves.
There are a lot of large sailing ships parked there. Soon, diligent workers will appear and begin loading today’s luggage.
There are many ships that depart early in the morning. Therefore, there were quite a few ships preparing in advance from dawn.
“And usually… “The words of the magnates are not good.”
The sight seems familiar to Lortel, as he quietly looks at the dockside and talks.
“You always get stabbed and betrayed and die, or you do something you can’t handle and fall into the gutter because you can’t handle it, or you get slandered by hostile forces and get kicked out… Most of them… “I end my life in the mud.”
“… ”
“now… I want to live with a greater purpose, but… That’s right, if you keep rushing forward like this, there will definitely come a time when you fall over. People with the name “Colossus” have always been like that. “We fall into greed, try to chase after higher ideals, and end up falling.”
It is not easy to give up your ambition and finish your life’s journey within an appropriate range.
Most of the time, like a butterfly jumping into a fire, we live and die in pursuit of our desires. That is the life of the writers called Geosang.
Doesn’t Lortel himself think that he is an exception?
“well. “I always live dangerously, as if I’m walking on the edge of a sword, but I don’t think it’s time to retire yet.”
Lortel still has ambitions as a merchant. Above all, he is still too young.
Even if you decide to retire one day, you may be wondering how you will finish all the work you have done.
“I guess so… ”
“It is not easy for merchants to retire in the first place… ”
Lortel said, looking down at the floor.
“When I come to my senses, I am already entangled in so many interests that I cannot escape. “You end up learning too many important secrets, and if you retire carelessly, the situation in Old Deck will change a lot, so there are many cases where you can’t resign hastily.”
“okay. “That must be such a hardship.”
“Well, there are certainly cases where some big businessmen plan hard for several years and retire cleanly and soundly… These are people who successfully steal slush funds and erase their traces cleanly. “It really is something that happens like beans sprouting during a drought.”
“… ”
“But, as you would expect, most careers end with death.”
It’s sad, but death is the cleanest retirement.
Lortel spoke quietly like that.
We walked along the dock together, talking to each other.
The cool early morning air also became much colder. Summer is over. It’s fall now.
Lortel wrapped his arms around me, smiled softly, and raised his voice cheerfully.
People are asking what they can do by telling such a dark story.
“Well, it’s a special feeling to walk along Old Deck’s dockside with senior Ed. This place has always been at the forefront of the business front, but coming at a quiet time like this, the atmosphere is very different… ”
“It won’t be long before many diligent merchants will appear on the streets.”
“Iknow, right. It’s a city that you can’t really relate to even if you try. Anyway, you suggested I go for a walk to change my mood, right? There is no need to be so considerate. “I’m really fine.”
The corners of Lortel’s mouth turned up. Then, for no reason, he put his head on my shoulder and spoke words of happiness.
“Well, there’s a reason for that, but… “There was something I really needed to check.”
“Is there something I need to check?”
“… Well, it’s not that big of a deal… “Someone helped me a little bit.”
“… yes?”
The moment Lortel asked back, someone appeared from far away on the dockside road.
He has a large body and is wearing a shabby robe, so his face cannot be seen.
The gait is extremely slow. The figure walking along the dockside of this late Old Deck, shaking off the hem of his frayed robe here and there, looks like a ghost.
… Just a passerby.
All we have to do is me and Lortel walk like this and go to the commercial building where Secretary Lienna is waiting.
The man who appeared on the other side in the distance was slowly advancing towards the dock, as if he was trying to catch a boat at the crack of dawn.
– Jeopuk, Jeopuk.
Little by little we become closer, arm in arm.
“… ”
Me too, Lortel… Don’t say anything.
However, the unidentified man wearing a robe was trudging along like that… It stopped for a moment in front of me.
And then, just a little bit… He nodded and nodded, and then passed us by as if nothing had happened.
– plod, trudge.
– Sigh.
So, we just diverged and headed towards our respective destinations.
We go to our destination, and the company goes to the company’s destination.
As with most relationships in our lives.
Because of that passing relationship.
Lortel, who was wrapping his arms around me, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
Did you notice something?
Considering the random question I asked while walking along the dock, a girl as smart as Lortel would have figured it out to some extent.
There is no need to explain it further.
“hey.”
Therefore, Lortel quietly called the man to him.
The man had already passed us and was far away. It looked quite busy. It looks like the ship is leaving soon.
I don’t know why there was such a rush to board a ship that left early in the morning. A man has his own circumstances.
Without turning your body, just slightly turn your head… Lortel looks quietly at the man.
The man wearing a shabby robe also did not necessarily turn his body, but only slightly turned his head. Of course, the face is not visible. With the robe completely covering her body, even her physique is obscured.
Although it was a situation where he couldn’t fully know who the other person was, Lortel was filled with a strange sense of confidence.
Then, I burst out laughing.
“It’s the season change season, so the night air is very cold. “It will probably be colder if you go out to sea.”
Beneath the darkness of the hem of his robe, the man did not even move.
“Wear thicker clothes. “It’s very cold.”
When Lortel said that, there was silence for a while.
“… ”
A moment of emptiness in the quiet streets of Old Deck.
“… under.”
The man was silent for quite a long time, perhaps thinking about what to say.
The sound of seagulls. The sound of waves. The sound of workers going to work can be heard from far away on the dock.
The sounds of dawn come together and fill the empty silence for a moment.
After staying there for a while, he opens his mouth briefly.
“─Yes, I will refer to it.”
Just like that, the answer was just a quick response as if it wasn’t a big deal.
One can only infer from the gruff tone of voice that he is an elderly person.
“Thank you for the advice.”
After exchanging only a short conversation, we turn back and go our separate ways.
This is the law of parting among merchants.
We meet as if in passing, and part as if in passing. If there is a connection, we meet again and talk about a good deal, but if not, the relationship ends there.
Just like that, we are drifting apart again.
Lortel went on his way and wrapped his arms around me tightly. So I just laughed.
The gentle beach breeze was blowing my hair.
“… “They didn’t even provide me with severance pay.”
With that brief lament, Lortel buried his head on my shoulder and walked.
The crescent moon I looked up at was also smiling.
*The two arm scales of Elte Company are always horizontal.
Merchants belonging to the Elte Chamber of Commerce laughed at such proverbs, calling them deception. This is because mature merchants already knew well that there is no such thing as a perfectly horizontal two-arm scale in the world.
“Wow, you made a big fuss.”
Lortel was impressed as he entered the lobby of the Chamber of Commerce.
The exterior walls were broken here and there, and the interior was a mess. It was a situation where I had to be as flashy as possible, so there was nothing I could do.
Still, Secretary Rienna has completed some of the major organizing.
Secretary Rienna compiled a list of the merchants who were already attached to Slog. Now that Slog, the leader, has died, there will no longer be a place for him in the Elte Company.
“You did a really good job.”
“I’ve shown my unsightly side too many times, Rienna.”
“no. It was a situation that had no choice but to do so… ”
As expected, Lienna was very dependable.
Having worked as Lortel’s chief secretary for such a long time, it is time to have a lot of experience in your own right.
Rienna went through many hardships, including being kidnapped and imprisoned by Slog, but… Still, it looks like Slog released it with his own two hands in the end.
In the first place, Secretary Rienna was the card that would complete the plan made by the old merchant.
“You must be feeling complicated, but it’s okay to rest a little more. I think I can clean up the half-destroyed commercial building on my own to some extent. “There are a lot of workers, so we’ll be able to handle at least some urgent work by the time the sun rises.”
“But it would be better to be there. “We also need to check the damage.”
As the person who caused the damage, I couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed, but as I said repeatedly, it was force majeure.
If they didn’t cause such a fuss, there was no way the clever merchants of Elte Company would be fooled so easily.
“And, maybe it’s a bit of an early celebration, but… ”
Secretary Rienna lowered her head and spoke.
“You will be officially appointed to the position of leader. Congratulations.”
“Like you said, it’s too early.”
With a gentle smile, Lortel received Rienna’s thank you.
The attention of nearby workers who are cleaning up the broken commercial building is focused. Yes. Lortel Kecheln, who is here now, becomes the ruler of the Elte Company.
On the back are the Rosstaylor family, the ecliptic Cloeron, and the saint Carpea. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that we now have the trade routes of this continent in our hands.
“And now, the name Elte Company is slowly getting old… .”
When you take power, the first thing to do is decided.
The era of the Golden King is over. Now it is the era of Lortel Kecheln. It is time for the name Elte to disappear beyond history.
“Now, the scale has grown too large to be called a single company. If we combine the small merchant associations under our control, it would be much better to just call ourselves one giant commercial association.”
As Lortel said, it has been a long time since Elte Trading Company reached a size where it would no longer be able to exist as an independent trading company.
Therefore, it is not just a place to do business… It is time to take a step forward as a group that unites the merchants under its command and speaks out.
The union leader sitting at the top is Lortel Kecheln, who coordinates internal union regulations and has the authority to negotiate with external power groups as a representative.
It would be safe to say that she became a queen, ruling among merchants who risked their lives for gold coins.
“The amount of paperwork to be processed at the government office will likely increase.”
To those words, Secretary Rienna smiled softly and answered.
“I will gather the documents to be processed in advance. “Chairman of the union.”
Now that the name of Elte Trading Company has been abandoned, it is time to create a new name as a commercial association.
Although there were all kinds of different combination names, Lortel didn’t really worry about it.
The new name came out naturally, as if being drawn to something.
Rienna, who heard those words, smiled and nodded.
*The room that used to be the head office was also completely destroyed.
When Ed and Lortel entered together, there was barely a place to sit because of the dust coming in from the broken exterior wall.
Lortel looked around, swept the dust off the tea table, and sat down on it.
After gesturing to Ed and telling him to sit next to him, he buried his head on Ed’s shoulder and smiled with the happiest expression on his face.
On the dockside visible outside the broken exterior wall, a sailboat can be seen about to set sail. There may not be many of these people who were planning to leave the Old Deck early in the morning, but they were steadily preparing for departure.
The ship is scheduled to proceed towards the ocean beyond the horizon.
After the night of Old Deck is over and before dawn… The sailboat will leave Old Deck as if being chased.
The sun over the commercial city will rise again as if nothing had happened.
Still, it’s still night.
As if whispering like that, the warmly shining crescent moon rises above the horizon.
While the soft moonlight illuminates the world, the people of the world fall asleep for a while.
However, there are also diligent people who keep their eyes open even during these times.
In the carriage heading to Ross Taylor’s estate, Belle opens the window for a moment and looks up at the stars in the bluish night sky.
The same goes for Tanya Rosstaylor, who is sitting by candlelight in a corner of her office, checking the Jeon Seo-gu that came from Old Deck.
The same goes for Secretary Rienna, who is giving various instructions to employees while cleaning up the half-destroyed commercial building.
After spending a bright day with the sun shining brightly, now is the time for everyone to take a break.
Even in a sleeping world, the moon smiles at people who work hard.
“Well, that can’t be…” ! They say something different… ! They clearly said that the boarding fee was seven Telos silver coins… ! It’s like this… ?!”
The dockside in the late morning.
A boy was arguing with a sailor.
He is a young boy who is about to go peddling for the first time in his life. He tried to protest to the sailors with an expression of injustice, but the sailors did not even pretend to listen.
“Are you really like this?! Now, just look at it and you can see that the scales on both arms are tilted in this direction! “Seeing as the weight and the silver coin don’t match, do you think you brought counterfeit silver coins?”
“Well, what is that… ! This is nonsense! It’s a silver coin that was exchanged directly from Hallam Bank… !”
“How can we believe that..! Adjust the weight properly and then speak! “Raise one more coin!”
Anyone could see that it was unreasonable.
However, the scale that the sailor placed on the table was not even at first glance.
The boy looked aggrieved, but there was no way the tough-looking sailors would fall for it.
“If you can’t pay the boarding fee, you can’t get on the boat! You’re like that… ”
– Tuk.
Just before the argument became more heated, a gold coin was thrown onto the scale.
Perhaps because the gold coin was quite heavy, the scales were completely tilted. It was the boarding fee for about five or six people.
When the boy turned his head in surprise, he saw a man wearing a shabby robe who had grabbed his wallet and put it in his arms.
The sailors looked at each other in bewilderment and stammered as they gave guidance.
“Oh, you can board inside.”
“Thank you.”
After saying that, the man in the robe tapped the boy on the shoulder a few times and then disappeared into the boat.
– Kik Ruk, Kik Ruk.
Several industrious seagulls were sitting on a mat, looking at the distant horizon.
The man in the robe is also leaning on the ship’s railing, staring blankly at the distant sea.
“Ah, thank you for earlier. Boo, I definitely brought the silver coin at the right time… For some reason, the weight doesn’t match… ”
“I should have checked the scale properly. It’s a trick that’s often used against people who seem like just a bunch of idiots. Next time, you better be careful not to fall for such an obvious trick.”
The boy was more surprised than expected by the man’s gruff voice.
This sailing ship, which leaves Old Deck early in the morning, is full of people with all kinds of circumstances aboard.
Among those people, there is someone whose circumstances seem to be more special.
“Well, I didn’t think they would have written the numbers on the scale… “I couldn’t do it..”
“I should have known from the beginning that there is no such thing as a perfectly horizontal two-arm scale.”
He was a boy who dreamed of becoming a peddler traveling the world and having adventures.
I was embarrassed that I couldn’t figure out such a basic trick, so I couldn’t say anything more.
“that… “May I ask what you used to do?”
The man pondered what to answer, but then he smiled and let out a hollow laugh.
Looking at the boy, I am reminded of my own childhood, when I was stabbed in the back of the head because I did not know how to read a scale.
Everyone has had a time like this.
Eltedo, the Golden King, and Lorteldo, the leader of the union. They were all immature and anxious beginners at first.
The man pushed down the hat of his robe. There is a lot of gray hair between the gray-brown hair.
Old colossus. An old tiger living in Old Deck.
Living by being called that way should be a thing of the past now.
“I used to make a lot of money, but now I’m a retired old man.”
In the boy’s eyes, the old colossus, who seemed to be full of stories, looked up to him for no reason.
I could only stare blankly at the moon beyond the horizon.
As I board the ship leaving Old Deck, I feel the sea breeze and look up at the commercial city I have spent my entire life with.
In the distance, a half-ruined building comes into view.
After staring for a moment, the old merchant lowered his head and smiled faintly.
“Let me tell you something good, boy.”
An old man who survived despite being hit by all kinds of winds tells a beginner who doesn’t even know how to read a scale.
“A two-arm scale is never completely level. But actually, it doesn’t really matter.”
“… yes?”
“That’s the way it is with all human relationships.”
When you give and take, the scales tend to tip to one side. Some people may suffer losses.
We call people we don’t really care about our life partners.
If you think about it that way, it may be first to find a life partner before finding a partner as a merchant.
You have to know how to create your own people so that you can survive for a long time in this world.
The sea breeze tugged at the hem of his robe.
The man shook off the hem of his clothes a few times, leaned against the railing again, and surveyed the scenery.
There is still a long way for the ship to reach its destination.
There are at least some people to talk to, so it won’t be that boring.
I look at the half-destroyed building in the distance and think to myself.
The nights at Old Deck are long. Please get enough rest.
Because these people still have a long way to go.
Feeling the sea breeze, Lortel falls into a moment of rest.
The scales on both arms were tilting back and forth, but it didn’t matter.
Lortel Kecheln, head of Oldeck’s general commercial union ‘Three Gold Coins’.
Before she was a cold-blooded colossus, she was just a girl.
