YSEM Chapter 19
Recruit the Master Craftsman (2)
by BlossomTLThe Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant GroupSoon, Palgap returned with a bowl of cold water. I took it and drank.
“Young Master, are you truly alright?” Palgap asked.
I nodded. “I’m perfectly fine. So don’t worry.”
“It must be because you trained too hard last night.”
At his words, I chuckled a laugh.
Come to think of it, I had trained intensely last night and had barely managed to wash up before collapsing onto the bed and falling asleep.
“Even if it’s tough, I can’t skip training.”
“I distinctly remember you complaining to me about not wanting to train last night.”
“…Forget about that.”
After breakfast, I set out for Geumseon Market, accompanied by Palgap and two bodyguards.
I had told Father that I wanted to see the markets in Jiangxi Province.
It was obvious that he would ask the bodyguards about where I had gone and what had piqued my interest.
That’s why I deliberately headed to the crowded Geumseon Market.
Of course, I had visited it many times in my memories of the future, but it felt quite thrilling to be here again after a long time.
‘Is it because I’m starting a new life, or because my perspective has changed?’
Well, it doesn’t matter either way.
Now is now.
‘Let’s see…’
I spotted items that weren’t popular now but would gain tremendous popularity in a few years.
I should secure those in advance.
As I excitedly explored the market, I soon felt hunger creeping in.
“Shall we try the local specialty, White Freshwater Fish , for lunch?”
One of the bodyguards replied, “We will follow your wishes, Young Master.”
“By the way, where would be a good place to eat?”
“The restaurant called Jade River Restaurant[1] over there is quite decent. I had the opportunity to visit it when I accompanied a previous convoy as a guard.”
“Then let’s go there.”
We entered the restaurant recommended by the bodyguard.
Jade River Restaurant.
In fact, I was familiar with this restaurant as well. I had also stopped by during my convoys.
The restaurant’s specialty, White Freshwater Fish, perfectly matched the village’s nickname, “The Home of Fish Delicacies.”
It was a dish made by mixing white rice with freshwater fish without any special seasonings, boasting a mild and savory taste without any fishiness.
Highlighting the natural flavors of the ingredients was a characteristic of Jiangxi cuisine.
“Your order is here.”
Soon, each of us was served a portion of Baegeojinmi, and we all devoured the food without a word.
“It’s delicious as always.”
Eating it again after a long time made it even more delicious.
Having explored Geumseon Market all morning, the plan was to leave the restaurant and begin searching for the master craftsman in earnest.
I knew that the craftsman lived in Geumseon Village, where Geumseon Market was located, but I didn’t know the exact location.
The only clue I had was that there were a few paulownia trees next to his house.
This was information I had obtained when I requested the help of the Hao Sect back then, with the intention of giving the craftsman and his deceased family a proper burial in their hometown.
However, I was unable to fulfill this wish as the Hazelnut Oak Merchant Group[2] had cremated all the corpses.
The more I thought about it, the more those bastards infuriated me…
The Hao Sect didn’t have any further information beyond that.
It meant that the Hazelnut Oak Merchant Group had thoroughly erased their traces.
If I were to request the Hao Sect to find a skilled resident of Geumseon Village, they would easily locate him, but I couldn’t make such a request now.
Although I was only fifteen years old, my every move as the son of the Eunhae Merchant Group’s leader was being closely watched by rival merchant groups.
The men sitting beside me and behind me were all tails attached to me.
The bodyguards also seemed to have noticed this and signaled to me.
With these tails following me, should I make a request to the Hao Sect?
It would be like serving them the information on a silver platter.
It could even bring more suffering to the craftsman.
‘Requesting the Hao Sect is problematic in this case.’
The Hao Sect had branches nationwide, making them useful for obtaining information that the Chamber of Commerce Circulation couldn’t acquire.
However, the problem was that there was also a risk of information leakage.
Therefore, when requesting information from the Hao Sect, I had to either conceal the true nature of the information I sought or keep my identity hidden.
‘At times like these, it would be great to have a personal information network.’
But that was a matter for the future. For now, I had to deal with the tails attached to me.
I deliberately spoke to Palgap in a slightly louder voice, “We should explore this village a bit.”
“Pardon? Are you done visiting the market?”
“I plan to return to the market in the evening. I heard that the night market is quite a sight to behold.”
At my words, one of the bodyguards nodded. I wasn’t sure of his intention, but he was astutely following my lead.
“That’s correct. The night market of Geumseon is also a famous attraction.”
“We have nothing to do until then, and it doesn’t feel right to return to the inn so early.”
“Understood.”
We finished our meal and rose from our seats. Simultaneously, the tails attached to us also stood up.
I roamed around Geumseon Village, accompanied by Palgap and the two bodyguards.
Although I appeared leisurely strolling on the outside, my eyes were constantly scanning the surroundings, searching for paulownia trees.
And whenever I spotted a house, I would spend a considerable amount of time observing its occupants.
After all, I remembered the craftsman’s face.
As I repeated this process for ten or twenty houses, the tails following us began to visibly tire.
They must have been frustrated, unable to comprehend my actions.
Gradually, the tails started to fall away. They seemed to have tentatively concluded that I had come here to broaden my knowledge.
Two two hours later…
“Phew… This is quite tiring.”
I sat on a nearby rock.
I had been scouring the village for two hours, and as a result, I had learned just how many paulownia trees there were in Geumseon Village.
Around a hundred trees.
Since paulownia trees were tall, it wasn’t too difficult to find houses with them nearby.
However, I still hadn’t found the craftsman.
At that moment, one of the bodyguards spoke, “The tails have all fallen away.”
“It seems they’ve finally given up.”
“Oh, so that’s why you suggested exploring the village, even taking a convoluted route.”
“Hahaha.”
I laughed awkwardly.
In truth, the route had become complicated because I was searching for houses with paulownia trees…
But I didn’t bother correcting their misunderstanding. It was better for the bodyguards to think that way.
The problem was that the sun was gradually setting.
This was troublesome…
I had spent more time than anticipated.
Tomorrow was the day of the merchant group’s trade, so I wouldn’t be able to roam around as freely.
In other words, today was my only chance to find the craftsman.
I thought it would be easy to find him…
It seemed I had oversimplified the task.
However, I couldn’t give up.
If I gave up, just like in the future I had experienced, the craftsman and his family would once again fall into the abyss of tragedy.
And I couldn’t allow the Hazelnut Oak Merchant Group to profit from their unjust deeds once more.
I rose from my seat. “Let’s get moving again.”
“Understood.”
At that moment, I heard a man shouting, “Thief! Oh no! Catch that thief! That’s my family’s living expenses! You son of a bitch!”
And I saw someone dashing towards us at lightning speed. I untied the water gourd I carried with me.
A water container was an essential item when traveling with a convoy.
I froze the water inside the gourd using my ice arts and timed it perfectly to throw it in front of the approaching thief.
“Oops!”
As if it had slipped by mistake.
The water gourd rolled along the ground, and the thief, who happened to be passing by, stepped on it.
Normally, it should have shattered into pieces.
However, the water gourd, which had been frozen solid, didn’t break.
Instead, the thief slipped on the gourd, lost his balance, and tumbled to the ground.
If asked how I had timed the throw of the water gourd so precisely, I simply knew.
Honestly, I was also curious about how I had known, but since it worked, it didn’t matter.
“You bastard!”
Seizing the opportunity, the bodyguards rushed in and completely subdued the thief.
“Ple-please spare my life, my lord!”
At the thief’s plea, I smiled and said, “What luck. To catch a thief because of a water gourd I accidentally dropped.”
“Indeed, it is.”
Just then, a man came running, panting heavily. Seeing the thief we had apprehended, he shouted, “Give me back my money pouch, you scoundrel!”
“Wh-what are you talking about…”
I spoke to the thief, who was clearly playing dumb, “Hand it over.”
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
At his words, the bodyguard struck his thigh with the sheath of his sword.
“Argh! Ah, alright! Here, it’s here! Ow, I’m going to die!”
I took the pouch from him and asked the man, “Is this truly yours?”
“Ah! Yes! Yes! It’s mine! That’s right.”
“How much money was inside the pouch?”
“It contained my monthly salary that I received today. So…”
He described the amount of money inside the pouch, and I opened it to count the coins.
The exact amount he had mentioned was there.
“Here it is. Be more careful in the future.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
Just then, a group of constables on patrol appeared, and I revealed my identity and handed the thief over to them.
It turned out that he was a notorious criminal in this area.
The constables, delighted to have made an arrest, merrily returned to the government office.
With the matter resolved, I was about to resume my search for the craftsman.
No, that was my intention.
But the man whose belongings had been stolen earlier stopped us.
“I can’t let my benefactor leave like this. Please come to my house and have a drink.”
I declined his invitation. “No, it’s alright. I have already eaten, and I’m in a situation where I cannot touch alcohol.”
“Then at least have a cup of tea before you go. I can’t let you leave just like this.”
It felt awkward to keep rejecting his persistent invitation.
Doing so would be disregarding the man’s dignity.
“In that case, I’ll have a cup of tea.”
“Thank you.”
The man led us to his house.
“This is my home. It may be humble, but please come in.”
The moment I saw the house he pointed to as his own, I was slightly taken aback.
Next to the house stood four paulownia trees of modest size.
“Paulownia… trees.”
“Ah, yes.”
The man nodded.
“I planted them when my son and daughter were born. I thought I could give them each a tree as a dowry when they come of age and get married. Hahaha.”
“…”
Come to think of it, the information provided by the Hao Sect only mentioned that there were a few paulownia trees, but it didn’t specify their size.
Moreover, there was a time difference between then and now…
“It’s also a local custom in this area.”
I now understood why there were so many paulownia trees in Geumseon Village.
At the same time, I felt a sense of futility.
Hao Sect, those bastards.
No matter how little detailed information they had, they charged me three silver taels for this?
I swear I’ll create my own personal information unit!
Through this experience, I learned a valuable lesson.
The information I knew might not always be accurate, and I shouldn’t take things lightly based on that information alone.
Just then, I heard footsteps outside the door.
“Father! I’m back!”
At that youthful voice, I turned my head and was startled.
A boy who appeared to be around ten years old entered, carrying a bundle of books.
Upon seeing us, he quickly bowed his head.
“Hello.”
“…”
“This is my son.”
“…He seems exceptionally bright.”
The reason for my surprise…
It was because this boy was the one from my dream.
The one who had grabbed my wrist and pleaded with me to save him and his family this time.
This boy was none other than the master craftsman who had created the mechanical puppet.
For a moment, I had my doubts.
Was this young boy really the master craftsman who made the mechanical puppet?
He looked so different from the image in my memory.
I had briefly visited the Hazelnut Oak Merchant Group under a pretext and had managed to catch a glimpse of the craftsman when no one was around.
With bloodshot, sunken eyes and a skeletal frame, he had incessantly muttered, “Something new, a new device.”
In contrast, the boy before my eyes now had chubby cheeks and an adorable appearance.
Wait a minute, wasn’t that craftsman twenty years old back then?
And I had met him about ten years after the mechanical puppet had first appeared.
So…
Suddenly, the words of the merchant group leader came to mind.
“Ah, that young lad’s craftsmanship was extraordinary! He created wondrous devices in no time!”
Those damned bastards.
They had exploited such a young child.
They would discover the boy and forcibly take him away half a year from now.
In other words, this ten-year-old boy had willingly walked into a living hell for the sake of his family.