The miner Mr. Chu wiped the sweat off his hands as he collected his daily wages.
“Should I quit this job now…?”
This thought, which had occupied a corner of Mr. Chu’s mind in recent years, reared its head again.
When the mine was first opened, the environment at the Moyong Clan’s mine was much worse than it is now. There was no mining town, no proper system, and the people who flocked there were more like casual visitors lured by the high wages than actual miners.
Though experts were leading the charge, all the workers were newbies, leading to chaos day in and day out.
Mr. Chu shook his head at the memory of those days.
How on earth did he plan to endure such a mess?
“Huh.”
Maybe it wasn’t such a bad time after all.
With a gloomy gaze, Mr. Chu looked at his wages. Over the past few years, his pay had diminished for various reasons, and expenses like equipment rental had increased significantly.
As his kids grew up, the places his money had to go also multiplied, yet his income dwindled little by little…
Every time he saw the guild leader or office head dressed in rigid silks, or the merchants parading around, Mr. Chu felt his affection for the mine wane.
The fact that long-time miners began to leave the mine was another reason fueling Mr. Chu’s thoughts.
“Should I also leave for another region…?”
Mr. Chu remembered what the recently departed Mr. Mak had said about starting with this mine. With his experience, he could earn half, or maybe even double, if he went elsewhere.
However, wasn’t moving away from one’s home easier said than done?
In life, what one needs isn’t just wealth. There’s an intangible asset built over the years in one’s living space.
Deciding to leave for another region would mean abandoning all of that and starting anew, so it wasn’t an easy decision to make.
To flip things around.
Mr. Chu was living a hard life if he was considering leaving everything behind to relocate.
He paused in front of a shabby tavern and swallowed hard.
He desperately needed a bottle of alcohol to forget the harshness of life, but the sparkling eyes of his second son, who wanted to be a martial artist, kept him from entering.
Was the registration fee for a martial artist cheap?
He would have to tighten his belt just to send his kid to martial artist school.
As Mr. Chu turned and left the tavern behind, he noticed a crowd gathering in the center of the town.
“Huh?”
He saw people clustered in the town center.
Ooh!
The miners, gathered in groups, were exclaiming in awe. Curiosity piqued, Mr. Chu tried to peek through the miners.
Cha-ra-la-rak!
A skilled card player was dazzling them with tricks. A man paused, showed them the cards stuck between his fingers, and when he opened his palm…
Ooh!
“Wow!”
Mr. Chu gasped in amazement.
One of the four cards stuck between his fingers had vanished.
The man revealed to the crowd that a card had disappeared and clenched his fist again. Another card vanished! Each time he opened his fist, another card disappeared, and Mr. Chu swallowed hard, watching the amazing sight.
Soon, all the cards vanished cleanly, and the man raised his palm again.
Waaaaah!!
There were four cards stuck between his fingers.
What a brilliant skill!
The man didn’t wait long before showcasing the next trick, unlike many performers who expect to gather enough money first.
From Mr. Chu’s view, it was fantastic.
While he was absorbed in the man’s performance, more miners kept joining in.
He glanced back for a moment and saw even those with flushed faces and loud voices had turned up, indicating that even drinkers were drawn in.
Around that time, the man’s performance stopped.
“Ah, is it over?”
“Well, it’s time to gather money anyway.”
As grumbling spread among the miners, Mr. Chu noticed another man stepping forward.
“Hello, everyone!”
With a booming voice, everyone’s attention was locked in.
“I am Moyong Mo.”
The miners were buzzing again.
“Moyong Mo from the Moyong Clan…?”
“The one who inspected the mine?”
Mr. Chu looked at Moyong Mo with a puzzled expression. A miner seasoned in this Moyong Clan mine had at least seen Moyong Mo from afar once.
But Mr. Chu wasn’t sure if this man claiming to be Moyong Mo was truly him.
“What nonsense! He looks just like a miner!”
As someone remarked, Moyong Mo standing on a makeshift platform made of logs looked just like a miner.
Who could judge that the person standing on the platform was the descendant of the Moyong Clan?
Moyong Mo neatly tidied his sweat-drenched hair and wiped his face clean with a prepared towel.
Only then did his face and skin appear, causing a stir among the miners.
“I think he looks familiar…?”
“Hmm… I think I remember him…”
Among the confused miners, Moyong Mo began to speak. Mr. Chu felt Moyong Mo’s voice piercing through the chatter, like a voice in the middle of a crowded market.
“Today, I disguised myself as a miner to conduct an undercover inspection of this mine.”
At Moyong Mo’s shocking statement, the chatter died down instantly.
“I felt something was off every time I came here to inspect. The lively mining town was slowly losing its vitality, and the worry on the faces of the miners was growing heavier.”
Everyone held their breath at Moyong Mo’s words.
“I was ripped off for 40% of my pay as a newcomer. They charged me for equipment rental, I didn’t even get lunch, and when I broke a pickaxe, they demanded three silver coins. I didn’t even get my guaranteed break.”
As the miners listened to Moyong Mo’s rookie miner experience, they understood.
Moyong Mo hadn’t just looked like a miner; for at least today, he had lived as one.
“I was given no protective masks or respirators.”
Problems within the mine were raised through Moyong Mo’s words, and the miners nodded incessantly, agitated.
“Not just respirators! They should at least provide lanterns so we can see the ore properly!”
“Exactly! Right!”
“When I come to work early in the morning and stay late, by the time I come down from the mine, the sun has usually set. After a full day of hunger, my stomach feels twisted!”
Frustrations that each had kept bottled up burst out, triggered by Moyong Mo’s words.
“What have you all been doing for it to come to this!”
“This is the Moyong Clan’s mine! It’s the merchants’ corrupted business!”
The outpouring of emotions contained sharp criticism toward both the Moyong Clan and Moyong Mo.
Moyong Mo listened quietly, chewing on all the accusations that erupted.
For how long did such criticism and recrimination continue?
“I apologize. Everyone.”
Moyong Mo gestured with authority towards the angry miners.
Seeing that, the force of the miners lessened.
“I know you might think that I’m here now talking nonsense after contributing to worsening the conditions of this mine, but I truly want to improve the situation.”
“That’s what someone would say!”
“What nonsense!”
Some shouted fierce criticisms at Moyong Mo, but most of the miners looked on quietly.
Even if the results of the inspections were a mess, it was a fact that Moyong Mo had diligently come to inspect, and it was also true that he dressed as a miner today to understand the situation.
“I wish I could scrub out the dishonest merchants, heads of the mine, and guild leaders who have been abusing their power for their own gain and ensure you receive the rights you deserve… but I, Moyong Mo, am not the owner of the mine; I am merely a member of the Moyong Clan’s Shengsu Faction.”
Even though his words sounded like excuses, the noise was comparatively muted.
“The only way to bring change across the entire mine is for everyone in the Moyong Clan’s Shengsu Faction to direct their efforts together.”
“So what do you mean to do!”
“Isn’t that just saying Moyong Clan is in cahoots with the merchants to bring about this state of affairs?”
“Wake us up!”
“Wake us up?”
Mr. Chu found himself puzzled by Moyong Mo’s words. How could a mere miner sway a renowned clan within the entire Central Plains?
“Everyone! Do you remember the past? Do you remember when the Moyong Clan was in full force running this mine? To be honest, it was during my childhood, and I wasn’t allowed access to the mine back then. But I remember the elders’ faces beaming with pride as they returned each day covered in stone dust and black powder.”
Mr. Chu recalled as he listened to Moyong Mo’s words.
How did they plan to endure in such chaos back then?
It was because the Moyong Clan’s martial artists were present.
“Please wake up the Moyong Clan’s Shengsu Faction! While those individuals turned their heads momentarily, see what this mine has become and how it is currently being run!”
Despite having no proper system and operating in a hodgepodge manner, the reason they could continue in the dangerous work of miners was that those individuals had dug alongside them and monitored their well-being.
Mr. Chu recalled the faces of the Moyong Clan’s martial artists he saw during that time.
Then he looked at Moyong Mo.
‘Very similar.’
“The elders of the Moyong Clan will never turn a blind eye to your voices!”
As Moyong Mo’s words concluded, the miners began to stir.
They looked lost, unsure of what to do next.
“Listen! My name is Yeo Gwang-soo! I’ve been digging here since I first entered the vein! Let’s take this opportunity to rise up and make our voices heard!”
“Um… Certainly…”
“But this is just…”
The miners were somewhat intrigued but also reluctant. Wouldn’t rising up based on a rookie’s mere words lead to a backlash from the tightly controlled merchants?
Moreover, even if Moyong Mo was there, would they create chaos in a prestigious clan like the Moyong Clan?
The fear of provoking the martial artists was another reason the miners hesitated.
“This is nonsense! The merchants were the ones who first took over the mine on behalf of the Moyong Clan! Do you truly think they would reverse their decision just because of one guy’s words?”
“This man! Is it true that the Moyong Clan doesn’t know about the current state of the mine?”
“You believe that? They’re likely acting ignorant while scheming in the background!”
As opinions flew around, the mining town quickly descended into chaos. Mr. Chu observed the scene before taking action. Wading through miners pointing fingers and spitting out words, he locked eyes with Moyong Mo, who stood on the log platform.
“Is it alright if I join you?”
“…Of course.”
As Mr. Chu took the spot next to Moyong Mo, some of those who had been arguing began to pay attention.
“If anyone who has been here from the beginning raises their hand.”
Mr. Chu raised his hand, and someone followed suit, but most of the miners were preoccupied with their own opinions.
“If anyone who has been here from the beginning raises their hand.”
Mr. Chu repeated, lifting his hand, and more miners followed suit.
As the process repeated, most of the miners began to focus on Mr. Chu’s words.
“Do you remember those days? We worried if the tunnels would collapse every single day and slept leaning against a shabby tent on the mountain. But that’s not all! We often dug and dug, only to find nothing!”
The miners who had raised their hands nodded.
“But why did you all continue to stay here? In a completely chaotic and dangerous environment without any proper structure? What pushed us to dig on? I realized that here today.”
Mr. Chu looked down at Moyong Mo.
“It was because the people of the Moyong Clan were there with us.”
“So! Those same Moyong Clan members sold the mine to the merchants!”
“Will you then continue to endure the merchants’ oppression indefinitely?”
No reply came back.
“I understand your words and worries. We are merely miners. When the merchants glare at us, we can only shrink back like weeds. But if we rise up and nothing changes, everyone who supports it will lose their livelihood, no?”
Again, no reply came.
“I ask those who raised their hands. Or those who have been here since before the merchants took over. Do you think the martial artists of the Moyong Clan would turn a blind eye to the current situation you face?”
No response.
“The feelings I had for the martial artists of the Moyong Clan back then, I will make my voice heard for that sentiment.”
Someone spoke up.
It was one of the miners who had raised their hand.
“The martial artists of the Moyong Clan were certainly trustworthy. They worked alongside us, covered in dust, and never hesitated to enter a collapsing tunnel, even in dangerous situations.”
The miner looked Mr. Chu directly in the eye and asked.
“But how can we be sure that the Moyong Clan of yore is the same as the Moyong Clan of today? A long time has passed since the initial days of the mine. As the village grew up, miners gathered in numbers, and the mine expanded day by day. The merchants have since taken over the management of this mine instead of the Moyong Clan. And what is the current state? The Moyong Clan, owners of this major mine with twenty-seven shafts, has delegated management to merchants without even showing their faces. Do you think those who have turned their backs will retain the same heart as before?”
“Yes.”
Mr. Chu replied.
“My evidence of faith stands next to me.”
His answer pointed to Moyong Mo.
“Here stands one who has inherited that spirit from back then and has spoken out for us.”
Mr. Chu looked around at the miners.
“Therefore, I will go to awaken the Moyong Clan.”
Slowly, Mr. Chu clenched his raised hand into a fist.
“What about you?”
The miner who had posed the question nodded and clenched his fist too. Seeing that, a few more miners raised their fists.
“Eh! I don’t know!”
“Right! This enduring is getting unbearable!”
“Since we have someone from the Moyong Clan, we should be able to manage somehow!”
Before long, all the gathered miners raised their fists.
Seeing that scene, Mr. Chu wordlessly stepped down from the log platform.
Only Moyong Mo remained on the platform.
Moyong Mo observed the shaking fists with trembling eyes.
“Thank you, everyone! Truly, I’m grateful!”
“Hey! Why does the leader of the group look so gloomy? Speak up more boldly!”
Someone’s remark led to a loud response from the miners. Watching the wildly waving fists, Moyong Mo steeled himself and opened his eyes wide.
It was as they had said.
Moyong Mo had now become a representative of countless miners and had to firm his resolve to act with determination.
Gathering his thoughts, Moyong Mo shouted.
“Let’s go! To the Moyong Clan!”
Waaaaah!!!
With their fists raised, numerous miners and Moyong Mo began their march towards the Moyong Clan’s Shengsu Faction.
