“No. I just got it by taking down a smuggler. It probably came from China.”
It’s a complete lie but a somewhat plausible explanation. China with its vast territory hasn’t fully resolved its issues yet. In fact, during gameplay, there are opportunities to visit several places in China. However, following such quests, catastrophic events like the collapse of Beijing or the descent of a calamity tend to occur… It’s generally better to avoid going there if possible.
“Speaking of which.”
I quickly continued the conversation to divert attention before anything more troublesome could be said.
“How much for these?”
Jeong Eun-taek looked skeptical but soon dismissed it with an indifferent remark.
“It doesn’t really matter. 10 each, so 40 in total.”
“What?”
These items could easily fetch 120 million if priced generously. Even with a discount, slashing the price to 40 million is outrageous.
“I’d give more if I had the money. But business isn’t easy these days, with the peace and all.”
It was common for players to engage in wordplay like this in the game and nonchalantly throw around figures in the hundreds of millions, so it wasn’t really surprising.
“I’m making a considerable concession here. Just give me 100 million flat.”
“I told you, I don’t have the money.”
“Do you really not have any money?”
“Yes, really.”
He was getting more and more shameless.
“Well, then it shouldn’t matter. I was planning to buy some things anyway, so you’ll have money soon enough.”
“Huh, really? What are you buying?”
I pulled out a piece of paper from my pocket and handed it to Jeong Eun-taek. I had already listed the items I needed.
When Jeong Eun-taek read the list, his already wrinkled face crumpled even more.
“What’s this? Planning to perform a ritual or something?”
“Well, something of the sort. I’ll buy all of this, so just deduct it from the value of the magic stones and give me 100 million in cash.”
“What are you saying? That sounds like highway robbery!”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Jeong Eun-taek had every right to be outraged.
The items I just requested amounted to roughly 50 million won in value.
150 million for four magic stones was on the expensive side even if their purity was high. However, considering the cost of the items, it seemed Jeong Eun-taek would still make a decent profit.
When he realized this belatedly, Jeong Eun-taek’s expression softened.
“You know, this is the same pattern as last time…”
Indeed, the last time I had disposed of other items here, the bargaining followed the same pattern. He seemed to have realized that he had fallen into the same trap again.
“It was you who started this pattern in the first place, wasn’t it?”
“Hmm… Ah, really… planning to clean me out, huh? Just wait.”
Jeong Eun-taek carefully collected the magic stones and went into the inner room where the safe was located while grumbling something along the lines of “I’ve been played!”
And as if she had been waiting for her grandfather to leave, Jeong Ye-eun approached me closely and started a conversation.
“Ahjussi, Ahjussi.”
“Yes?”
“Do you also catch ghosts? Are you a shaman?”
“No.”
“But why do you perform rituals?”
“I don’t do rituals.”
“You said earlier you were going to perform one, didn’t you?”
“I mentioned doing something similar, but when did I say I’d perform a ritual?”
“Hmm… Really?”
Jeong Ye-eun’s expression quickly shifted to one of boredom.
“There’s a ghost coming out of my house every night these days. I’m trying to catch it.”
“Ah, really?”
Ye-eun’s eyes sparkled when I said that. She seemed unexpectedly interested in this topic, which wasn’t evident from our usual interactions in the game.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})“Mhmm.”
“But if you’re not a shaman, how do you catch ghosts?”
“It’s similar to catching bugs. You lay down some bait and sticky traps, and the ones meant to die will die, and the ones meant to leave will go… For the tougher ones, just wrap them up in the sticky trap and throw them outside.”
“Hmm… Really?”
This time, she looked skeptical. It looked quite similar to the suspicious expression that Jeong Eun-taek often made which was perhaps because they were related by blood.
When I shared this observation with Ye-eun, she erupted into a furious shout and started thrashing about wildly.
“Hey… if you keep that up…”
Crash! Bang…
The items behind Jeong Ye-eun tumbled down.
Just when I thought today would be quiet…
Fortunately, things were more organized than last time which prevented a domino effect of disaster.
“Ugh!”
The situation would have remained under control had Jeong Ye-eun not panicked and jumped.
Crash, shatter, clatter!
I was wrong. Eventually, the commotion escalated to the level of things breaking and getting utterly destroyed.
“Hey, Jeong Ye-eun!”
Jeong Eun-taek burst out with a shout.
“No, Grandpa, this is…”
“Ah… What’s the problem with you… When are you going to get rid of that…”
Jeong Ye-eun tried to dodge Jeong Eun-taek’s wrath with a look of utter defeat, but it seemed an impossible task.
After that, Jeong Eun-taek’s nagging and Jeong Ye-eun’s excuses continued for a long time. When will you ever get your act together? I might as well run the shop by myself. You take your allowance diligently, but why do you always cause such chaos? Ah, Grandpa, give me a break. The real problem here is the mess; things are bound to fall when you pile them up like this!
Not wanting to interrupt their heated exchange, I waited a bit longer, but their argument seemed endless.
“Sir, I should be heading back now.”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})“Guh… Yes, go ahead. Off you go.”
Really, this old man… Where was I supposed to go?
“…You need to pay for the magic stones and the items first.”
“Ah, right. Ugh… Jeong Ye-eun! You clean all this up!”
“Ah, Grandpa! How can I clean this up all by myself!”
“I don’t care, girl! Our guest needs to leave!”
Jeong Eun-taek screamed a few more times and then quietly entered the room.
Jeong Ye-eun cast a pleading look my way, but all I could offer in response was a sympathetic gesture.
No matter how much I thought about it, it couldn’t have been my fault. Right?
“Cough!”
Jeong Eun-taek emerged sooner than expected.
Large silver trays piled high with bundles of cash. Why would anyone stash money like that?
Let’s see…
Despite claims of having only 40 million, there were exactly 100 million stacked up.
“You said you only had 40 million, how did you manage to find more?”
Of course, the claim of having only 40 million was nothing more than a shallow trick to lower the price.
In the dangerous back alleys of Paju, could a grandfather who relied solely on his stashed cash for business truly not have a mere 100 million in cash? Inside, there must be hundreds of billions, if not trillions, in cash.
“Hmph.”
Jeong Eun-taek merely snorted at my remark and fumbled with other items he had brought along.
Indeed, that’s the kind of wealth one needs to make money in business.
While Jeong Eun-taek was busy, I took a closer look at the bundles of cash.
“Here. These are the items you asked to be prepared.”
Large chunks of wood, a few boxes, water bottles, and items wrapped in black plastic bags.
“This is a wall-hanging tree… And this water bottle seems to contain purifying water, doesn’t it?”
It was just water in an unlabeled plastic bottle.
Purifying water and wall-hanging trees, as materials, don’t have any significant effects on their own, but when infused with magical power, they can offer great additional effects.
“Yes, that’s right. I received it from the shaman’s house the day before yesterday. It’s not something we always have in stock, so you’re in luck.”
“Good timing.”
“And that large box over there.”
Jeong Eun-taek casually pointed to one of the boxes I was holding.
“This one?”
“Yes, that one. Inside it is a Myeongdu.”
“Ah.”
Myeongdu is a mirror used by shamans during rituals and divinations.
Even though I lacked spiritual abilities and couldn’t use it for divination, imbuing it with certain magic could turn it into a protective amulet against possession.
Of course, this wouldn’t prevent the beings of the abyss from creeping into my mind…
Perhaps, if done correctly, it could prevent a nightmare or two.
“Thank you.”
“Hmph. Is that all you needed with this?”
“No, there’s one more thing.”
“What now?”
“I’d like to go to Thousand Gold Temple (Cheongeumdang).”
Jeong Eun-taek who had been displaying an annoyed expression on his face until now suddenly contorted his face. After maintaining an ambiguous expression in silence for a moment, he finally spoke up just as his granddaughter Ye-eun began to sense something was amiss.
“…And what makes you think you have the right?”
“I might not have the right, but you could grant it to me, couldn’t you?”
Jeong Eun-taek frowned deeply and then sighed before responding.
“You work under Tudor, don’t you? Did Tudor tell you about this?”
“No, I’m not even under Tudor to begin with.”
“Grandpa, what’s Thousand Gold Temple that you’re reacting like this?”
Jeong Ye-eun was unable to contain her curiosity and asked.
“Thousand Gold Temple is… well, it’s not something you need to be concerned about.”
“Oh, come on, what’s it about?”
“Tell that damned witch Tudor not to bother, as it won’t yield anything.”
“I told you; Tudor hasn’t told me anything.”
“Then who did? Kwang-lim?”
Why is Park Kwang-lim’s name coming up now? If left alone, it seemed like the names of all the brokers in Paju might come out of his mouth.
I tapped my mask idly with my finger before pulling out another item I had brought with the magic stones to show them.
“If you’re reluctant to introduce me, it’s fine. You could just dispose of this for me. If you do, there won’t be any need for me to go to Thousand Gold Temple.”
“What’s this? As if there’s anything in Paju I can’t dispose of…”
What I held in my hand was a very small metallic scale.
Although it has now faded to black, you can still guess its original color if you look closely. It was an object that originally glowed with a magical golden color. This was a scale taken from the body of a golden dancer.
After he examined the scale closely, Jeong Eun-taek recoiled in shock.
“Ah, damn it! You crazy bastard!”
With that, he began to make protective gestures, as if to ward off evil and pulled Ye-eun behind him.
“Ah! Grandpa, why are you doing this?”
“Tell me the truth. Have you crossed the Imjin River?”
“I told you, no.”
“Where else could such a cursed item come from, if not from beyond the Imjin River!”
It had actually come from Tanhyeon located just below the Imjin River. But there was neither the need nor the reason to divulge such information.
“Grandpa, what is that thing?”
“Ye-eun, just stay quiet for a bit!”
Following Jeong Eun-taek’s stern command, Ye-eun shrank back.
“It just so happened that, in my travels, I came across an opportunity to acquire it.”
“Well… it’s your life; ruin it if you want. Who am I to stop you?”
“So, what do you say? Can you write me a recommendation letter?”
“Recommendation letters aren’t just handed out randomly. Besides, there are no openings right now.”
“An opening will come up soon enough. Please put me on the waiting list.”
“Come back in about a week, or better yet, give it two or three weeks. I’ll ask around for you in the meantime.”
“Alright.”
“I can’t guarantee there will be an opening even then.”
“That’s fine. It seems like the best way I can help is by leaving, so I’ll be on my way now.”
“Come again!”
“What are you so excited about?”
“Shouldn’t I say goodbye to the guests when they leave?”
“Is this really the time for that? Oh, wait a minute? This is really broken. Oh dear… How much was this worth…”
Leaving behind the impending quarrel between the two, I hurried out of the pawnshop.
Now, my bag contained items purchased from the pawnshop and 100 million won.
As Jeong Eun-taek had said, there are things that couldn’t be achieved if it wasn’t the right time. Fortunately, I managed to get everything I needed in one go, eliminating the need for a second trip.
While the number and bulk of my possessions had increased, their weight was significantly lighter than that of the magic stones.
The term “magic stones” sounds grand, but in terms of weight, they were essentially no different from chunks of rock.
However, psychologically, the burden felt heavier now.
Including what was already in my bank account…
400 million won?
In truth, considering the value of the items I had stashed away in my room, this amount wasn’t significant.
If I were to sell all the items I had collected so far, including high-rank artifacts like the Butcher’s Hook, I might have to start counting my wealth in units of 1 billion or even 10 billion won.
If I were still the peaceful Kim Shin-hwa, living in the real world, this amount would have been enough for me to declare my financial independence.
