Geom Mugeuk looked at Geum Ah-rin and smiled.
"My apologies for smiling again."
Though he apologized, it was clearly a smile meant to provoke her.
She didn't know.
That in every casual word, in every single smile, lay Geom Mugeuk's calculations.
"I'm not joking."
Only when she became serious did Geom Mugeuk wipe the smile from his face.
"Are you asking in earnest?"
"Yes, I'm serious."
From Geom Mugeuk's lips, as he stared at her, came an unexpected sum.
"Thirty thousand Nyang."
Geum Ah-rin asked back with a puzzled expression.
"Thirty thousand Nyang?"
They sold themselves for a mere thirty thousand Nyang?
Geum Ah-rin thought that these martial artists, strong in martial arts but ignorant of the ways of the world, had been deceived by the Silver River Merchant Group.
Learning this fact in advance was a heaven-sent opportunity.
"Did they tell you that you're only worth a mere thirty thousand Nyang? You've been deceived by them!"
Geom Mugeuk was completely unfazed, and instead, a strange smile graced his lips.
From that expression, Geum Ah-rin realized she had misunderstood something.
"So you didn't make a contract with them for thirty thousand Nyang."
"Of course not."
"Then what's the thirty thousand Nyang for?"
"It means you have to pay thirty thousand Nyang if you want to hear how much the other side offered."
Geum Ah-rin's face hardened in an instant.
On the other hand, Geom Mugeuk calmly explained the reason for the thirty thousand Nyang.
"You spoke as if you could offer more money than the Silver River Merchant Group. Shouldn't you show me you're willing to pay about thirty thousand Nyang for a question, so that I can trust you?"
Geum Ah-rin was at a loss for words.
She could have argued that thirty thousand Nyang was too much for a single question, or she could have gotten angry, saying, 'If you don't want to answer, just say so.'
But that would have been a very petty reaction.
In the first place, trying to hear such important information without any price was her mistake.
This man before her seemed so easygoing, yet he was anything but.
The way he calmly cornered people proved it.
Watching Geom Mugeuk say, "Come now, let's just drink," and empty his cup, Geum Ah-rin sent a telepathic message to Im Hyeok.
—Go to the Treasury and get thirty thousand Nyang.
-Miss, since we're investigating the Continental Treasury anyway, we'll find out the amount.
—I know.
This isn't the price for a question, it's the price of our standing.
Get it.
-Understood.
A short while later, Im Hyeok came and gave her a Promissory Note.
He had withdrawn thirty thousand Nyang from the Treasury.
The money to run their secret organization was supported by the Golden Dragon Clan.
Since that money could not be used without permission, this money was entirely her personal funds.
"Here it is. Thirty thousand Nyang."
Geom Mugeuk apologized with a sorry expression.
"It seems I've hurt your pride. My apologies."
"It's not because of pride."
"Then what is it for?"
"It's to show my sincere desire to bring you to my side."
Her instincts were whispering to her to make this man an ally.
It was because of a sense of crisis that if this unfathomable man became an enemy, no master from her clan would be able to handle them.
This was the kind of person who could be laughing comfortably one moment, then stab her to death while saying, "Can't be helped, can it?"
"Now, please tell me."
Geom Mugeuk, who had been quietly gazing at her, revealed the amount.
"Two million Nyang."
A truly enormous sum came out.
"If you want to hire us, you must pay two million Nyang."
It was a startling amount, but as if she had expected it to some degree, Geum Ah-rin was not surprised.
"You're not surprised."
"Because I think you are worth that much."
She tried her best to please Geom Mugeuk.
"Did the Silver River Merchant Group offer two million Nyang? Or is that what you asked for?"
"No. The money we received from the Silver River Merchant Group was one million Nyang."
"But why two million Nyang?"
"We're breaking a deal with them to make a new one with you. We need to receive double to have a proper justification, wouldn't you agree?"
Geom Mugeuk stared at her and added a question.
"Two million Nyang, can you pay it?"
Geum Ah-rin couldn't answer.
If it were something she could decide,
—I'll give it to you.
From now on, you are mine.
She really might have said that.
Even if they didn't live up to the price, she definitely would have said it.
Because her instincts wanted it.
However, the decision-maker in this matter would consider it an absurdly large sum.
No matter how much she emphasized their importance, it was an amount that would never be approved.
With an expression that said, 'I knew it,' Geom Mugeuk returned the thirty thousand Nyang.
"Why are you giving it back?"
"I wanted to see your resolve, money wasn't the goal."
After returning the money, Geom Mugeuk stood up from his seat first.
"Well then, let's meet again next time."
Geom Mugeuk even paid for the drinks before leaving.
Left alone, Geum Ah-rin drank the wine in front of her.
The instinct to seize him and the reality that she couldn't still complicated her heart.
Sensing her dampened spirits, Im Hyeok sat in the seat Geom Mugeuk had occupied.
"The Silver River Merchant Group invested a whopping one million Nyang."
Compared to the surprised Im Hyeok, Geum Ah-rin was calculating differently.
"No, those people were taken advantage of by the Silver River Merchant Group."
"Taken advantage of?"
"If it were just one person for a single mission, it would be a huge amount of money, worthy of being called historic. But they are a group of three."
The other two were no ordinary men.
There was his father, who was hard to describe in words, and his Uncle, a master of stealth.
"I don't know if there are others, but let's assume it's just the three of them. That's roughly three hundred thirty thousand Nyang per person, right?"
"That's right."
"And you heard what that man said earlier. He thinks they'll eliminate a secret organization and take its place. In other words, those people are thinking about the future as well. That means they're thinking in terms of years. If we assume it takes at least three or four years, they didn't even get one hundred thousand Nyang per person. They get to use masters of that caliber as they please, and on top of that, they'll be earning the money we used to make. When you look at it that way, you could say they were hired very cheaply."
Im Hyeok nodded.
Hearing her explanation, he realized it wasn't such an expensive price after all.
Im Hyeok asked cautiously.
"The secret organization the Silver River Merchant Group hired them for... is it us?"
It was a question asking if it meant their organization.
Geum Ah-rin nodded.
"Yes, it's definitely us."
Although he had expected it, the thought that they were the targets made Im Hyeok serious as well.
He remembered Hwi's stealth.
If he were to approach silently and kill Geum Ah-rin, could he really protect her?
"We have a fire at our feet."
Im Hyeok felt like drinking for the first time in a long while.
"What do you plan to do now?"
Her deliberation was not long.
"I have to bring them to our side. If we just leave them be, it's only a matter of time before we're done for."
Im Hyeok couldn't bring himself to say not to worry, that he would protect her.
"It's two million Nyang. The Clan Leader will never approve."
"I'll have to bargain it down as much as possible. After all, I am of a merchant family's blood."
At those words, Im Hyeok knew she was serious.
She was really going to try to bring them over.
"There is one more problem. Even if the Clan Leader approves and we succeed in bringing them to our side, what about the Silver River Merchant Group? Will they stand by and let us snatch them away?"
"If they don't stand by? Will they try to kill them?"
"The Silver River Merchant Group is a group that values pride."
But she was confident that the Silver River Merchant Group could do nothing.
"They value money more than that. How much would it cost to eliminate those three? Since they valued them at one million Nyang, it would cost at least that much to eliminate them, right? And what if they fail in the attempt? What if masters of that caliber decide to seek revenge? How much more would it cost to stop them?"
She shook her head firmly.
"The greatest Merchant Group Leader under heaven wouldn't make a losing deal. In the end, it means that even if we take them, nothing will happen."
This was why Im Hyeok trusted her.
Because she judged things so intelligently and well.
His final worry was this.
"Doesn't the Silver River Merchant Group know that the Golden Dragon Clan is behind us?"
That was something even she couldn't help.
"Do we have the luxury to worry about the clan right now? Let's save our own necks first."
Geum Ah-rin poured Im Hyeok a drink.
"Just one glass. We should still have a celebratory drink. We even got treated to drinks while extracting all the information we wanted."
They got their money back, got the information, and even cheerfully clinked their glasses.
But for Im Hyeok, the wine he drank after a long time was bitterly sour.
'But why does it feel like we're the ones who lost?'
Yong Ja-myeong strolled through the courtyard.
He would walk a few steps and look at the building, then walk a few more steps and look again.
The place he was looking at was the room where the Demon Cult Master was staying.
He wanted to see Geom Woojin.
He wanted to meet and talk with him, but he didn't dare find the courage to go see him.
'There are only three days left.'
As he was pacing back and forth in the courtyard.
Geom Woojin came out of the building.
"Cult Master!"
"Division Lord Yong."
Seeing Geom Woojin's face, Yong Ja-myeong's heart was stirred once again.
Who would have thought that at his age, he would feel this way looking at someone?
"Are you going out somewhere?"
"I was thinking of getting some fresh air. Would you like to join me?"
"I wouldn't want to be a bother."
"Not at all. Let's go."
Yong Ja-myeong happily followed Geom Woojin.
He had the three masters of the merchant group stay behind at their lodgings.
Normally, this would be unacceptable, but since it was revealed that Yong Ja-myeong's long-sought Benefactor was the Heavenly Demon, the martial artists obediently followed his command.
The two walked slowly toward the market.
It was a situation that could have been endlessly awkward, but surprisingly, the two of them chatted about this and that quite well.
"How are your children?"
"I have three sons."
"That must not be easy."
Yong Ja-myeong guessed what Geom Woojin meant by those words.
He meant that the fight for succession would be fierce.
"I don't plan on passing the family business down to my children."
Geom Woojin looked at him with a somewhat surprised expression.
"None of them have the qualifications to lead the merchant group, and even if they did, I had no intention of passing it down."
Just because they lack qualifications doesn't mean they lack greed.
Is the fortune rather large? Knowing full well how much those around them, if not his own sons, would prod at their sides, he intended to publicly declare that he would not pass it down to anyone from the start.
"I plan to divide enough wealth for them to live comfortably for generations and forbid them from interfering in the merchant group's affairs. The group will be entrusted to someone who knows the business better than anyone and can be trusted. The livelihoods of the many people working for the group and their families are at stake."
Geom Woojin gazed at him and spoke calmly.
"That is admirable."
The praise was sincere.
How could he not know how difficult this decision was? Yong Ja-myeong was a man with admirable thoughts, just as his reputation suggested.
At that, Yong Ja-myeong revealed his honest feelings.
"If I had a son like the Young Cult Master, I would have passed down all my wealth to him. He would handle it well on his own. In that regard, I am very envious of you, Cult Master."
When was the last time he had revealed his inner thoughts so honestly? Especially his problems with his children, he couldn't easily speak of them to anyone.
"He is still a reckless child. So please, Division Lord Yong, look after him well in the future."
Though his words said that, Yong Ja-myeong felt that Geom Woojin was proud of his son.
As a fellow father, how could he not sense that emotion?
Just then, a cart was approaching from up ahead.
The gazes of the two men naturally turned toward the cart.
An old man held the reins of the donkey-drawn cart.
And in the cargo bed behind, an adult and a child were sitting.
The adult was Geom Mugeuk, and the child was the old man's granddaughter.
"There, it's all done."
What Geom Mugeuk handed over was a small doll carved from wood.
For something he had quickly made with a Dagger on the way from the market, it was quite well-made.
"I love it!"
The child happily took the wooden doll.
As the cart passed by Geom Woojin and Yong Ja-myeong, Geom Mugeuk got off.
"Goodbye!"
Geom Mugeuk bid the child farewell.
As she moved away with the cart, the child held up the doll and waved her hand.
After seeing the cart off, Geom Mugeuk explained to the two men.
"Ah, the cart fell into a ditch, so I helped pull it out."
Yong Ja-myeong looked at Geom Mugeuk with a new light.
One could help pull out a cart, but riding in that cart and making a doll for the child inside was not an easy thing to do.
Yong Ja-myeong glanced at Geom Woojin.
He was looking at his son with an expression that seemed to say, 'You're meddling in all sorts of things,' but he could feel it.
He was watching with pleasure.
That's why I said I was envious.
"Where are you two headed?"
"I'm going for a stroll with the Cult Master."
Geom Mugeuk could imagine how much Yong Ja-myeong wanted to create this opportunity.
And how difficult it must have been to arrange.
"How did the matter you went for turn out?"
He had handled it as if he had gone to the Continental Treasury with Yong Ja-myeong and received one million Nyang.
When that news was leaked, the woman had come to find him.
"I quoted two million Nyang. Of course, considering you, Father, I should have quoted about a billion."
Yong Ja-myeong was inwardly surprised.
Didn't those words mean that he already had his opponent wrapped around his finger?
"You're better at making money than I am."
"Unfortunately, this money must be shared."
Geom Mugeuk said to his father.
"The money earned this time will be divided into exactly three parts."
Hwi's reply came from thin air.
"I am fine."
Given his personality, he would never dare to accept the same amount of money as his father.
"You must accept it, as it's the money for selling the three of us as a package deal to them."
Hwi's firm refusal was heard again.
"I do not need it."
"I know. That you are the most expensive escort in the Martial World."
Hwi had probably never heard such words from anyone.
That's why he said it intentionally.
For him, who had the greatest skill but could never once boast proudly, for him, who never even had the chance.
To divide the money like this was a sign of gratitude for him.
It was the only opportunity to give material compensation to him who had dedicated his life to his father.
"In the field of escorts, Uncle, you are the Heavenly Demon, the Merchant Group Leader, aren't you?"
"Please do not say such things."
It had been a long time since he heard Hwi's flustered voice.
A faint smile played on the lips of Geom Woojin as he looked at Geom Mugeuk.
It was a smile that said, 'You rascal, stop teasing him.'
"I know very well that you've earned a lot of money and don't have time to spend it. So you must accept it. You don't have time to spend it, but you can live with the satisfaction of knowing you have this much money you could spend. Oh, and when Father steps down from his position as Cult Master, you should retire too and spend money like water."
After a brief pause, Hwi spoke.
"I will serve the Cult Master until my last moment."
It meant that even if his father stepped down as Cult Master, he would serve him until he died.
Hwi was truly a symbol of loyalty.
His father, who had only been listening, finally stepped in.
"Take it."
No persuasion was needed.
At that one word, he could no longer refuse.
"Understood."
After that, he gave his son a mission.
This, too, was his father's consideration for Hwi.
"So, get as much as you can."