âThe most dangerous part is over. You did well.âÂ
Doyo turned her head slowly and looked at her uncle, smiling.
âWe've truly survived.â
âDo you resent me, Doyo?â
âTo be honestâŠI did. However, I'm rather grateful now. I'll never forget this experience. I don't think I'll be taken by surprise by anything that happens in the future.â
âThe same goes for me.  It was an amazing adventure beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I've gained a lot of valuable lessons and experiences as a result.âÂ
âI feel the same. I got to know some great people too.âÂ
âHave you figured out my intentions?âÂ
âI think I understand where you came from. Itâs important for merchants to foster a good relationship with people like themâŠâ
âExactly. Investing in interpersonal relationships is the best investment you can ever make, especially when itâs hard to mingle with people like them as merchants. If not for this opportunity, you wouldn't have gotten the chance to know them. Who do you think that noble lady is?âÂ
Dobel shifted his gaze towards Rain.Â
âShe looks like a lady from a dukeâs family at the very least.âÂ
âWhy do you think so?âÂ
âShe exudes an extraordinary air of dignity and elegance. At first glance, the eye-catching accessories that sheâs wearing are very expensive.Â
âWhat about the man over there then?âÂ
Dobel shifted his gaze towards Gun, who was staring at the watchtower with an excited look on his face.Â
âHe looks like heâs of a similar social status too.âÂ
âYouâre better than I expected...âÂ
âWas I wrong?âÂ
âNo, considering the fact that youâre inexperienced, Iâd say that youâre already doing very well. Do you want me to tell you what I think?âÂ
âYes.â
âThey are nobles who are of very high status. The lady named Rain is probably part of the royal family. The same goes for the man named Gun.âÂ
âIâm sorry?â
Doyo wanted to scream but she managed to keep her mouth shut.
âIâm certain of it. They deliberately dressed modestly, but I noticed their shoes. They may have changed their clothes and everything else, but itâs harder for them to change their shoes. Those shoes were manufactured by âAnseong Workshopâ, which boasts of making the best custom-made products in the empire, using the expensive âAlchinâ leather. Also, in order to distinguish the shoes, the familyâs crest is  engraved inside the heel of their shoesâŠâ
âThe crest of the royal family?âÂ
âYesâŠthatâs right.â
âThat must have been the reason why you decided to come on this journey.âÂ
âNo, if the royal figures were carrying out a secret mission, it would be wise to stay away. Getting close to their secret mission is akin to getting closer to death. Instead, those two people over there were the reason why I made that decision.âÂ
Dobelâs gaze shifted towards San and Biyeon.Â
âFor some reason, those two people did not want company, whereas the other people wanted to tag along. Even though the two of them are incredibly strong, their attitude when it comes to saving us regardless of the situation we were in without asking for anything in return is very impressive. People like that are hard to come by, donât you think?âÂ
â...â Doyo nodded in silence.Â
âFurthermore, the Dong-Myung Clan and Ki-Jang Clan nobles, who were usually given the royal treatment, were not angered by their insulting comments. On the contrary, it seemed as though they begged them to allow them to tag along, even the experts from the Han-Sung Clan were the same⊠It was such an uncommon occurrence. In fact, it was almost impossible for something like that to happen. Frankly speaking, we were in quite a crisis back in the âForgotten Countryâ and the âForest of Sacred Machinesâ. It certainly seemed as though we were knocking on deathâs door. However, back then, I saw the steadfast attitude of the crew members. I had a strange conviction that there was something more to it. If they were willing to risk their lives, I thought it was worth putting my life at stake too. It was a gamble, but I guess it worked out in the end.â
âWe got a lot of things from this trip.âÂ
âYes, it was extremely fruitful.â
Exploration â Chapter 4
âThe dangerous part of the journey seems to be over. We can live like human beings now. Ah! We went through quite a hardshipâŠâ said Gibin as he plopped himself down next to San.Â
The three or four large fish that he had just caught were flopping in his hand.Â
âYeah, why do you put yourself through all the hardship? Give me the fish!â
He handed the fish to San with a slight smile on his face. San skillfully filleted the fish with the sword in his hand. It was a pretty good ingredient for spicy fish stew. San smacked his lips. Having spicy fish stew with soju on a gloomy day was the best⊠However, there was no minari (water dropwort)âŠÂ
âBecause itâs fun. If I didnât tag along, I probably would have regretted it. I canât have that happen.â
âDo we have any alcohol left?â
âThere is still some liquor left. Do you want me to get it?â
âYes, please. It would be a shame to eat spicy fish stew without alcohol.â
Gibin got up abruptly and trudged towards the wagon.
âThank you. I owe you big time over the course of this trip. I will not forget it,â said San casually, as he trimmed the fish.
âYou took the words right out of my mouth. Letâs be good friends from now on!âÂ
Gibin waved without looking back.
***
Gun sat on a rock and tried to catch his breath. Next to him, hand-gathered dry wood started to heap up. He watched the other crew members as they got busy with their task at hand. At this point, it was a common sight for him; it was neither unfamiliar nor awkward. At the bottom, the people, who did the washing and laundry, made a fire and were busy drying the clothes, fabric, and shoes. In the middle, the Essen crew used some rocks and wood to set up a couple of makeshift dining tables. It was fairly spacious, hence they made a few large circular ones. On the right, there was a group of people by the flowing water, who were trying to catch some fish with a net or a fishing rod. There were also other people who were busy helping out with the cleaning and preparation of the fish that they had caught. There were so many fish in this valley that it seemed as though half of the river was made up of water, and the other half was made up of fish. Nearly all of the fish were the size of an adultâs forearm.Â
Today was the last day of their extremely brutal and grueling journey. After getting past the ford that was right in front of them, as well as the iron gate that completely blocked off the cliff, they would be able to enter the Damun Empire. All of a sudden, Gunâs heart fluttered. He took a deep breath. He looked at his surroundings thoroughly once again, as if to engrave the vast scenery that unfolded before him in his mind. Nobody was taking a rest. Gun wiped the sweat off his forehead. Sweat dripped down the back of his hand that was no longer wearing a glove. He lifted his hand and looked at his sweat that was dripping between his fingers. He touched the few calluses on his fingers and palm. They had been chapped over and over again and there were traces of healing scars on his skin.Â
He could taste the saltiness around the corners of his mouth. Suddenly, he had a realization that working while sweating was not embarrassing at all. The people here were not ashamed to do hard labor. In fact, there were people who felt ashamed if they failed to do their part⊠He had always thought that sweat was dirty and disgraceful. Being raised in a royal family where elegance and strict decorum were maintained, it was no wonder he got that idea. Any sweat-inducing labor-intensive work was considered lowly.Â
However, Gunâs mindset changed drastically after spending some time with the strange idiots who enjoyed working. Even though he did not want to do manual labor, he had no choice but to do it. That was the type of work Gun ever knew. However, there was more to physical labor than it being âlowlyâ. It had a real value⊠Gun reflected on the journey that he had just experienced.Â
âTheyâre suchâŠawful people. I will definitely get my revenge and it will be ten times worse. Be preparedâŠâ
When Gun started this uncomfortable journey, he had no one by his side. The two Han-Sung Clan experts were of no help. They were not his servants, but paid escorts who were not of a lower social status. Gunâs problems were things that could not be solved by force. New circumstances that kept arising incessantly, terrifying crises day and night, as well as bizarre tricky situations that required them to constantly think out of the box to come up with solutions. It was far beyond the scope of what the experienced Hansun Clan warriors could do. The Dong-Myung Clan and Ki-Jang Clanâs noble warriors, merchants and escorts were not spared either. They were greatly flustered, and were at their witsâ every time a new situation arose. The problems they had to solve were on an entirely different level than the ones they dealt with on their carefree excursions. They came face to face with unprecedented mysterious things. None of them could predict the outcome. Since it was unpredictable, they were unable to come up with countermeasures.Â
Surprisingly, the only people who remained calm during the entire journey were the Essen crew. They carefully surveyed and held discussions before drawing conclusions on what they thought was optimal. Furthermore, their countermeasures were carried out immediately. They did not care about what others thought and just went with their conviction. Their leaders did not give them any instructions either. They just listened silently and did what they wanted them to do. Sometimes they would give them a few pointers? But that was about it.Â
There were occasional failures and fatal miscalculations, but they never once complained to the rest of the crew. Whenever somebody in the party complained about the crewâs arrogant behaviorâŠÂ
âIn that caseâŠwould you like to do it or go first?â
âI...â
âDo you think that those people failed intentionally to make our lives difficult?â
âThatâs not the caseâŠâ
âWere all the attempts youâve made in your entire life successful the first time around? Was that really the case?â
â.......â
âIf you are not going to help, then just let it go. For the most part, failure is like poison. However, it can be a very good tonic for someone with a strong will. If those people did their best, that would be the case. I want to see them succeed. Also, Iâm not in a rush at all. If I can trade ten failures for one success, thatâs a pretty good deal to me. Thereafter, Iâll be able to succeed after failing five times. If I succeed after three attempts, that is a 30% success rate. After that, I would be deemed as a âmasterâ. What do you think comes next?â
â.......â
âFinally, I would be able to enjoy the fruits of my labor. That is how our crew lives. We give our best effort and work hard till the very end so we can have a good life. Do you have any complaints?â
The other people observed the Essen crewâs actions in a very natural manner. The crew was never in a rush. Even when they met with difficulties, they were able to skillfully overcome them by working together. When the wagon was broken; when the horseâs leg was broken; when they needed to look for food; when they got poisoned; when they got lost in the heavy rain; when they fell into the swamp; when they had to allocate the work that had to be done; when they encountered dangerous things; the signals and response system they used in the face of danger, etcâŠÂ
Their actions hurt the pride of the Dong-Myung Clan and Ki-Jang Clanâs warriors. At the same time, it brought their noble selves to their senses, which should have been done a long time ago.Â
Gun had to make a decision too. He had three options to choose from. He could overcome difficulties and challenges all by himself using his own judgment and unwavering will, which unfortunately was not a virtue he possessed. Or he could also subdue his opponents with sheer force. Regrettably, he did not have the power to bring anybody to their knees either.Â
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