“Thanks for yesterday.”
“Don’t mention it. It was only right to do so.”
I nodded as if it was no big deal. Hyeok Gi-rin looked at me with a peculiar gaze.
“Uh-huh. And if you have any plans for the next time, do give me a hint or something.”
Now that I looked closely, Hyeok Gi-rin’s earlobes were flushed. It seemed that the reactions of the inn’s patrons yesterday burdened him a bit.
“But yesterday was a good thing, was it not? Everyone knew what Great Hero Hyeok had done and celebrated it, lifting their spirits…”
“I’ll correct that! Before doing anything, you must absolutely let me know!”
At Hyeok Gi-rin’s sharp shout, Black Cat burst out laughing. Faced with Hyeok Gi-rin’s red face and fierce glare, I had no choice but to swallow my words and nod.
In fact, the service I provided to Hyeok Gi-rin yesterday was a special course that would rank as a top-tier service in Ho Cheon-an’s performance evaluation. If any other martial artists had received that service, they would have adored it and given it a 5-star rating.
Our naive hero seems rather awkward with all the admiration and praises from people.
After Hyeok Gi-rin made his plea, we arrived in Sacheon.
“I am Hwangbo Gyeong-chan. I was waiting to meet Young Hero Hyeok Gi-rin from Okryong Sinhyeop.”
Someone from the Hwangbo Clan was waiting.
*
Hwangbo Gyeong-chan informed Hyeok Gi-rin about a meeting of the major factions, and Hyeok Gi-rin moved to attend it.
Regrettably, it wasn’t a place for us to join, so we decided to visit Hyeok Gi-rin’s lodging again in the evening.
“Not that there’s much good to hear at a meeting of the major factions in Sacheon.”
Black Cat murmured, perhaps worried about Hyeok Gi-rin. Well… having made contact with the bandits alone, other factions probably wouldn’t look too kindly upon him.
“He just showed everyone a naive face. Young Hero Hyeok Gi-rin is actually the grand disciple of the Jeomchang Faction. He won’t be that easy-going.”
“Maybe that’s true.”
Titles like the head of the Ten Prodigies or the grand disciple of the Nine Great Sects don’t just get handed out to anyone. While he bowed his head in silence to the inn’s patrons, he delivered the coldest warning to the bandits.
He might face some containment, but just as Black Cat worries, Hyeok Gi-rin isn’t the type to be easily victimized.
“Let’s rest at the Outcast Inn for a bit and then join in the evening.”
“Yeah. I suppose dealing with the ladies would be quite a chore for Hyeok Gi-rin.”
As we chatted about various matters on our way back, I learned why Hyeok Gi-rin had hired us. Honestly, he could have found much more convenient guides than us.
In Sacheon City, there were countless small and medium factions working with Jeomchang. If he visited one of those factions and asked for a suitable guide, the Sect Leader would likely come out, bow deeply, and send disciples along with him.
Well…
Given Hyeok Gi-rin’s nature, that would definitely be something he’d dislike.
Anyway, the reason Hyeok Gi-rin hired us was that the ladies would swarm him like crazy. Honestly, that was pretty enviable. Not only were there body assaults, but there were also some ladies who would just hurl themselves without thinking.
But it would probably be burdensome for Hyeok Gi-rin, who, even disguised as a guy, would inevitably end up in all sorts of awkward situations if anyone made contact.
Thus, he had employed the Sacheon Outcasts, who were treated on par with a plague in Sacheon.
A bandit crisis meeting hosted by the Hwangbo Clan was reportedly happening at the So Hyang Inn, so we decided to head there around the time it ended.
“Let’s rest at the Outcast Inn for now.”
Black Cat nodded in agreement.
I needed to exchange information with Yu Sa-yeon. We needed to share the information we gained, and Yu Sa-yeon would also have insights from while we were relaxing and enjoying Hwari Tang.
“You’ve been struggling lately, huh? You look half the person you used to be.”
“Yeah…”
Yu Sa-yeon let out a sigh. Honestly, her sighs weren’t particularly different from usual. As her name suggested, she always seemed to be carrying the weight of the world’s worries.
However, today felt different; the depth of her sigh seemed heavier.
“Did something happen?”
“Yeah, something pretty big.”
With a calm self-restraint, Yu Sa-yeon sighed again.
“By the way, how’s Hyeok Gi-rin? I heard he took on a request.”
“There’s a meeting between the Nine Great Clans and the Five Great Clans. We’ll meet again in the evening.”
Upon hearing that, Yu Sa-yeon squeezed her eyes shut. The way her eyebrows trembled told me she was quite shocked. Only then did I straighten my chin, realizing something was going on.
“Ugh. Since Hyeok Gi-rin was called, it seems the rumors regarding the Sacheon Merchant Association we heard today are true.”
“Is that so? What were they discussing?”
The Sacheon Merchant Association was perhaps the most influential organization in Sacheon. From the wealthy merchants who controlled the vast riches of Sacheon to the middle and small traders, they were a conglomerate.
Now that the safety which was one of the main reasons this city had gathered so much wealth was gravely threatened, perhaps the Merchant Association wouldn’t stand idly by.
“They’re going to invest.”
“Where?”
“Into one of the major factions in Sacheon.”
I couldn’t grasp the meaning right away. Were they planning to pour massive amounts of funds into the major factions to quickly eradicate the bandits?
But why call it an investment?
“Huh? If they’re supporting the major factions with funds to swiftly deal with bandits, wouldn’t that be good news?”
“Well, if that were the case, it indeed would be good news.”
Yu Sa-yeon smirked as she continued.
“The Sacheon Merchant Association is supposedly inviting one of the major factions to set up a branch and with full support for land and funds necessary for that.”
That was truly astonishing news.
“You mean they want to host a branch of the Nine Great Clans?”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm.”
The reason major factions didn’t establish themselves in Sacheon was because of pride. Had it been a regular big faction, they might have thrown caution to the wind and pushed their way into Sacheon.
Yet, they had no reason to abandon their strongholds and take root in Sacheon. Hence, the Hwangbo Clan and their four partners were forced to exert their influence over the city indirectly, using minor factions.
But what if the merchants all spoke in unison and invited one of the major factions? That would create a reason for them to justify their arrival, allowing for the establishment of a branch that could effectively seize control over Sacheon.
It wouldn’t be just taking a small corner of Sacheon; they would be swallowing the whole city in one bite.
The major faction that solved the first crisis in this land would directly set up their base in Sacheon.
“This is really a big deal.”
This could genuinely spell the end for the Sacheon Outcasts in historical context.
While there was a real sense of crisis due to the bandit situation, I had never thought the job title of Sacheon Outcast would vanish. But if a branch of the Nine Great Clans were to be established, the role of Outcasts might well disappear.
Currently, the Outcasts held a monopoly on the role of the ‘Outcast Faction.’
Sacheon would keep developing, drawing in people and wealth, and the competition among clans would become intense. In that fierce competition, they would need to raise the prestige of their own faction to survive.
Thus, without real crises, they would have to create crises, and the only individuals capable of playing the role of Outcasts would be the Sacheon Outcasts.
Factions were silently clamoring to hire the Outcasts, while the Outcasts, in turn, relished the situation and were sweeping up numerous requests, making bank in the process.
Then, a real villain in the form of the Bandit Alliance showed up.
The dominating Outcasts would inevitably take a substantial hit by the mere emergence of the Bandit Alliance. Both I, who had confidently assumed we would enjoy our monopoly forever, and the Outcasts, as well as Yu Sa-yeon, were all taking action in a panic.
However, did any of us genuinely believe the real Sacheon Outcasts were going to vanish? No, that wasn’t the thought process.
After all, this Sacheon was backed by the five great powers known as the Hwangbo Clan and the four other factions. No matter how the bandit purge concluded, as long as the five factions existed in the background, efforts to balance power would undoubtedly persist.
As long as external problems, like the current situation, didn’t pop up, there would always be a method to raise reputation in Sacheon through the Outcasts. Eventually, they would have no choice but to hire the Outcasts again. At this point, I thought a prolonged economic slump could pose a problem.
“Hmm.”
Yet, if one of the Hwangbo Clan or the four factions were to completely engulf Sacheon, the situation would entirely change.
They would coordinate their interests to reach conclusions but… competing silently as they are now is entirely different from formally negotiating to split their strengths.
Once they start making decisions based on shared interests, what would be their foremost action?
“If that happens…”
“Isn’t it likely they’d first try to eliminate the Outcast Inn?”
Sacheon Outcasts are the only means of earning prestige within this city. They are the only possible threat that might disrupt the grand plans conceived by the major factions.
They would stop at nothing to uproot them.
“Hmm.”
“Ho Cheon-an. Stick close to Hyeok Gi-rin from now on. If you get any bit of information, let me know right away.”
“Sure.”
“This information was quite significant. The urgency for the Nine Great Clans to hold a meeting is a sign they received some proposal. I’m heading out right now to prepare countermeasures with the factions in Sacheon.”
“Good luck.”
Watching Yu Sa-yeon’s hurried figure leave, I pondered.
In the end, the factions in Sacheon were getting dragged into this mess. Well, for the factions, the bandit issue was a minor inconvenience; they only needed to wait it out.
The bandits’ strength wasn’t something a few allied factions could handle, and reinforcement from a major faction was already a foregone conclusion.
For the factions in Sacheon, all they had to do was wait until the major factions sent their experts to support them.
However, ordinary merchants in Sacheon, who were the biggest victims of the bandit crisis, had no patience for the factions’ cold attitudes.
Given that the Sacheon Merchant Association took the drastic step of inviting a major faction branch, the factions were bound to be jolted into action to devise countermeasures.
It’s entirely possible that merchants angered by the factions’ indifference could draw another major faction into the fray. After all, merchants in Sacheon have suffered significantly at the hands of the bandits.
When big issues arise, they’ll have no choice but to lean on major factions, so why not host a major faction in our own backyard?
Sacheon will continue to develop, and it’s predictable that powers eager to conquer it will keep cropping up. Given that the power of the factions in Sacheon alone wouldn’t be able to combat growing troubles, the only logical solution would be to bring them into the city.
Such conclusions were certainly possible.
But I felt quite uneasy about this conclusion. It was entirely feasible for the bandit alliance to retaliate after being provoked by the Mo Yeobu, coming together as four separate bands to attack the lucrative land of Sacheon, yet this feeling of unease didn’t ebb.
“Merchants… Hwang Gold Clan?”
I recalled the incident with Miss Yeo Il-ye at the main gate of the Hwang Gold Clan. I thought Ms. Yeo Il-ye was running errands because the Hwang Gold Clan was a prestigious family, but looking back, that seemed unlikely.
At that time, Miss Yeo Il-ye was in a phase of seeking her sworn enemies, so would she really have the time to attend to faction errands?
With potential enemies within the Hwang Gold Clan, they must be using the pretense of scouting for information.
However… this hypothesis has too many holes.
There are so many gaps I don’t even know where to start pointing them out… For instance, let’s talk about the most important motive.
If someone within the Hwang Gold Clan was perhaps Miss Yeo Il-ye’s foe, then I can understand their motivation for orchestrating the current matter.
They must be attempting to gain an army that could shield them from Miss Yeo Il-ye’s blade. A shield against the current Miss Yeo Il-ye, since the power of the factions in Sacheon wouldn’t be sufficient to block her.
It was likely that the Hwang Gold Clan, while also suffering significant losses due to the bandits, prioritized their own survival over anything else.
“Well…”
However, one question lingers.
The Jeomchang Faction.
Among the great powers that could settle in Sacheon, the Jeomchang Faction is also included. If Jeomchang finds a reason to step directly into Sacheon, the connection Miss Yeo Il-ye might forge with the Hwang Gold Clan would tighten.
How is someone within the Hwang Gold Clan planning to exclude Jeomchang from their dealings?