Chapter 241 : Crossing the River
Namgung Hui and the Hyeongmun Escort Agency group stared at the collapsed bridge with dumbfounded expressions.
Someone had smashed the bridge over the river, to the point that the carriage could not pass.
Due to the nature of the pepper fruits, they absolutely could not touch water.
Well, as with all escorted goods, if they touched water, it was as good as their commercial value disappearing.
"Oh! Escort Leader Bang. A large ship is coming over there!"
This time, fortunately, perhaps because there was another merchant guild's journey, a group passing by on a considerably large ship was visible.
The personnel on the merchant ship looked at the Hyeongmun Escort Agency's flag, then slowly stopped the ship and initiated an acknowledgment.
"Oh. Isn't this the Hyeongmun Escort Agency?"
Escort Leader Bang looked at the merchant guild group and let out an awkward laugh.
Inwardly, he was filled with pride.
"A pleasure to meet you. I am Bang Yusu of the Hyeongmun Escort Agency. Excuse me, but which merchant guild are you?"
"We are the Yiyang Merchant Guild, and we are on our way back after finishing our trade. Were you perhaps in a difficult situation because the bridge was broken?"
"As you can see, that's what happened. Since you've finished your trade, the ship seems to be empty. Would you mind helping us just cross the river? We will pay you a generous fee."
A glint of greed flickered in the eyes of the Yiyang merchant.
Perhaps thinking this was his chance, he called out a rather high fee.
"I'll have to receive 10 nyang of silver per head."
At the merchant's words, Escort Oh flared up.
"What! Why are you charging 10 nyang per head? Usually, even 1 nyang of silver is a large amount. Is it even reasonable to charge 20 times that? You have no business ethics. Ptooey!"
Even though Escort Oh spat, the merchant did not quell his greed.
"Then you can go around to Mount Heng. We'll be on our way then..."
"Wait! Excuse me. Still, 10 nyang of silver per head is too much. How about we cut it in half to 5 nyang?"
"Escort Leader! 5 nyang is also too much."
The merchant glanced at the escorted goods and flicked his tongue like a snake.
"I'll consider it for 7 nyang per head."
"6 nyang. This is the limit of my discretion. If you ask for more, I'll just make a raft and cross, so let's stop here."
Since 6 nyang of silver was also a sufficiently large amount, the merchant readily nodded his head and opened his mouth.
"Hey! Bring the ship to the riverbank! And load the guests' luggage into the cargo hold!"
As the ship docked, the Hyeongmun Escort Agency group let out a sigh of relief.
Although it was undeniably expensive, it was the Hyeongmun Escort Agency that was in a bind.
Still, since he had haggled it down from 10 nyang to 6 nyang, Escort Leader Bang didn't seem to have any major complaints.
But Escort Oh still pouted his lips, as if he were dissatisfied.
"Hah... 6 nyang of silver is too much. How many times our daily wage is that? The numbers just don't add up."
"How much is Escort Oh's daily wage?"
"You startled me! Ah. I wondered who it was, but it was Young Lady Namgung. The daily wage is not that much. This escort mission is just paying a lot. Usually, I get about 2 nyang of silver per case. Well, being able to make a haul in one go can be seen as a lot, but personally, I think it's cheap for the price of one's life."
Namgung Hui nodded his head, as if agreeing with his words.
In fact, if Namgung Hui set his mind to it, hadn't he easily earned 100 nyang of silver?
Of course, this was possible because Namgung Hui was a rare, peerless master.
Even for a first-rate master like this, 2 nyang of silver was a pretty good daily wage.
'Since 6 nyang means he has to do 3 escort missions, it might seem like the merchant is getting a free ride. This is why it's a world where it's easy to make money if you have your own building or your own ship.'
Even the waiter at an inn didn't have a high wage.
Would he receive 1 nyang of silver for working all month?
The majority of the silver would flow to the inn owner.
The merchant ship in front of him was the same.
Just by helping them cross the river like this, they could pocket a huge amount of silver.
Was that all? They could also make a huge profit from the price difference through trade.
The merchant ship was used for various other purposes as well.
Especially if it was used for bad purposes, its usefulness was immeasurable.
'Slaves, drugs, smuggled salt, etc. Secret transactions are mostly carried out on ships.'
That way, it was also easy to destroy the evidence.
And it was easy to shake off the government soldiers.
Secrecy, mobility, and the geographical advantage of the river.
Anyway. Looking at such a merchant ship, Namgung Hui also felt a desire to operate a merchant ship later.
Although the merchant ship was this attractive, it was not without its dangers.
As it happened, hadn't it been said that water bandits were appearing nearby?
Where there was money to be made, jackals were bound to flock.
And even if it wasn't for such water bandits, there were quite a few cases where ships encountered natural disasters and sank.
That was also why they operated them at the risk of their lives, and why such a huge profit was left.
Especially for merchant ships leaving for distant foreign countries, the survival rate was said to be extremely low.
Still, since the distance they were crossing the river now was not that far, it seemed that not only the group but also the escorted goods would not be harmed.
The sky was clear and the river was calm.
It was quiet to an excessive degree.
But that quietness was broken as soon as the escort agency group that had boarded the merchant ship opened their mouths.
"Wow! I think this is the first time in my life I've seen such a sturdy merchant ship. Escort Jang, this is your first time on a merchant ship like this too, right?"
"Who do you think is a country bumpkin like you? I've been on a merchant ship like this dozens of times."
"Come on. You should at least wet your lips before you lie. If it were a warship, maybe. Where else is there a merchant ship of this scale? But if they own a merchant ship like this, shouldn't the merchant guild be famous? I've never heard of the Yiyang Merchant Guild. Have you heard of it, Escort Jang?"
"No. I've never heard of the Yiyang Merchant Guild either, but it's not like we know all the merchant guilds, so it's perfectly possible that we don't know."
"For Escort Jang, who pretends to know everything, to say that, it feels a little strange."
"Is there a law that says I have to know everything? And Yiyang County is a pretty big village, so there's no law that says there can't be a name like the Yiyang Merchant Guild. It could have been established recently. Anyway. I'm going to catch up on some much-needed sleep, so wake me up if the Escort Leader is looking for me."
"Tsk, tsk. What a colt."
Although Escort Oh grumbled, he even made a pillow with his travel bag so that his colleague could sleep comfortably.
Because of the gentle current, the ship hardly shook.
Except for the collapsed bridge, it seemed they were crossing the river smoothly.
In that quietness, this time, Escort Leader Bang threw a question to the merchant.
"By the way, when did the bridge collapse? From what I heard, it was fine until a few days ago."
"Ah. It probably collapsed not long ago. At most, half a day?"
"Half a day means it collapsed last night. The unorthodox path people have been running rampant recently, so it seems they were the ones who did it."
"Probably so. Or maybe the water bandits destroyed the road."
"Indeed. If the bridge collapses, everyone will have to take a boat or go around, so it would be perfect for the water bandits."
Namgung Hui, who was eavesdropping on the conversation, quietly closed his eyes on the merchant ship and surveyed the surroundings with his Electric Net.
Ripples formed on the calm current.
A byproduct created as the merchant ship vigorously crossed the river.
But soon, the ripples spread as if they were contagious, and from not far away, successive surging currents came over.
'As expected. So that's what it was.'
Namgung Hui had felt a sense of incongruity as soon as he saw the merchant ship.
It was hard to pinpoint the identity of that incongruity, but from the conversation of the escorts and the merchant's words, he had suddenly found a pile of contradictions.
"Oh? Escort Leader Bang. A ship is approaching over there. And it's coming very fast."
A ship without a flag was rushing fiercely towards the merchant ship.
The identity of the ripples that Namgung Hui had detected with his Electric Net.
That ship was about the same size as the merchant ship Namgung Hui was currently on, and even its shape was similar.
Escort Leader Bang's eyes widened as he looked at the approaching ship from a distance.
"Water bandits! Everyone, prepare for battle!"
The personnel of the Yiyang Merchant Guild who were on the merchant ship also hurriedly drew their weapons and mingled with the escort agency group.
Namgung Hui narrowed his eyes and walked among the escort agency group.
Then, a booming voice was heard from the ship of the water bandits that had approached before he knew it.
"Uahahaha!! You dregs of the Hyeongmun Escort Agency! If you hand over the escorted goods and throw yourselves into the river, I will spare your lives! But if you resist, you will lose not only the escorted goods but also your lives!"
Escort Leader Bang was not flustered even when facing the water bandits.
Rather, he calmly stepped forward and opened his mouth.
As if he were speaking to a friend he had met after a long time.
"For the Vice-Chief of the Yuangang Fortress to demand the escorted goods out of the blue. The sincerity we have shown to the Janggang Waterway Fortress is not small. Brother of the Janggang. Do you really have to come out like this?"
"Brother... Indeed, given the sincerity the Hyeongmun Escort Agency has shown, you have the right to say that. But unfortunately, it's an order from above, so I don't think that will be possible. Don't resist for nothing. It won't end with just getting hurt. Escort Leader Bang. Just surrender. This is the last favor I can do for you."
Although the two people had a calm conversation as if they had met before, the atmosphere was by no means so.
Usually, bandits or water bandits would end the negotiation by receiving a toll fee without seizing the escorted goods, but this time, the water bandits' attitude was too stubborn.
Escort Leader Bang counted the number of water bandits and then nodded his head firmly.
"We cannot surrender. Your numbers are also not that many, so can you even subdue us?"
Water bandits boasted extremely powerful martial prowess in the water, but on land or on a ship like this, they did not show outstanding martial power.
If they sank the merchant ship, the value of the escorted goods would naturally plummet, so they wouldn't go so far as to sink the ship.
They only used such methods when they met a sworn enemy.
In other words, it meant that they would not attack an escort agency's event with such a method.
Because they wouldn't be able to get the escorted goods and would just be wasting manpower for nothing.
"Why do you think our numbers are similar to yours? We have our people there too."
-Chaeng!
As soon as the Vice-Chief's words ended, the employees of the Yiyang Merchant Guild suddenly pointed their swords at the Hyeongmun Escort Agency.
"Wh-What is this! Even if we're not the same escort agency, aren't you strictly a merchant guild of the orthodox path?"
"When did we say we were a merchant guild of the orthodox path? And the Yiyang Merchant Guild. Isn't it a place you've never heard of or seen? Of course, since I made it yesterday, you wouldn't have heard of it. Isn't that right? Vice-Chief."
"Hahaha! That's right. Fortress Chief. But you managed to fool them well with your acting. I was going to attack if you were found out, but it turned out well."
"Wh-What?! He wasn't a merchant, but the Fortress Chief?"
Murmur, murmur.
The Hyeongmun Escort Agency group was surprised that they were surrounded, but it seemed they hadn't expected the Fortress Chief himself to come and approach them, pretending to be a merchant.
This was unexpected for Namgung Hui as well.
For someone who was a Fortress Chief to disguise himself as a merchant and even act like a miser.
"I'm originally from a theater troupe, so I can act a little. Right. Escort Leader Bang. We're in a hurry too, so just hand over 6 nyang of silver per head and get lost. Then I'll spare your lives. Uahahaha!"
Escort Leader Bang was not frightened at all by the Yuangang Fortress Chief's booming laughter.
Perhaps because of that, the Yuangang Fortress Chief wiped the smile off his face and frowned.
"You. Don't you understand the situation yet? Our Yuangang Fortress destroyed the bridge, and you were fooled by my acting and loaded the escorted goods onto our ship. If you want to save your lives, at least hand over the silver! Tsk. Words won't do. I have no choice but to make an example. Boys! Cut off the head of one of those escorts over there!"
"Yes!"
At the Yuangang Fortress Chief's command, a water bandit swung his sword.
-Chaeng!
A pebble flew between them, and the broken sword blade was stuck on the deck.
(End of Chapter)