Chapter 1470
Let’s seize this opportunity to make history. (5)
“W-Watch out, over there!”
“You’ll cause an accident if you’re not careful!”
The men, who were carrying and moving a boulder the size of a house, were grumbling and groaning non-stop.
“This, this is way too big…”
“They said they can’t cut it any smaller.”
“Then why don’t they just carry it themselves… urgh.”
“Oh no! It’s falling over!”
The boulder, being carried by several men, started to tip over to one side. The men, their faces pale, flung themselves in all directions and tightly shut their eyes.
“…”
“…Huh?”
But no matter how long they waited, they didn’t hear the expected sound. When they cautiously opened their eyes, they saw a hand as large as a pot lid supporting the boulder.
“P-Palace Lord?”
“Tsk tsk.”
Maeng So, the Beast Palace Lord, who had caught the falling boulder with one hand, shouted angrily.
“Are the warriors of the Beast Palace really struggling to move just a single boulder like this? Have you no shame?”
The men, having heard those words, hung their heads low. But some of them seemed to be quietly brimming with discontent.
“Isn’t it just too big for us to handle? Couldn’t you at least give us more people to help…”
“What did you say!”
At that moment, a thunderous roar erupted from Maeng So’s mouth.
“Need more people? You just need to get stronger! Are you saying you’d rather rely on numbers than become stronger yourselves?”
“N-no, that’s not what I meant…”
“You pathetic fools! Move aside!”
Maeng So stretched out both hands and firmly grasped the boulder.
“Urachaa!”
With that, he lifted the boulder, which looked at least ten times bigger than himself, and hoisted it onto his shoulders in one swift motion.
“Eek!”
“My goodness…”
Not only were the people from other sects who were busy with their own tasks astonished, but even the beast warriors who were familiar with Maeng So were wide-eyed with surprise. It was a truly astounding sight.
Maeng So, however, acted as if this was perfectly normal, carrying the boulder effortlessly as he strode forward.
“Where should I move this to?”
“O-over here, Lord!”
“Lead the way.”
“Yes!”
As they watched Maeng So walk with the boulder, everyone was left speechless. This was not something that could be achieved simply with a lot of inner strength. It required an extraordinary innate divine power to even attempt such a feat.
“What are you doing! Quickly, bring the rest of the boulders!”
“Yes! Yes, Palace Lord!”
The beast warriors snapped back to their senses and energetically rushed forward. Someone watching let out a dry laugh.
“Unbelievable.”
“I thought it was impossible, but somehow, they managed.”
“Exactly.”
People shook their heads in disbelief.
Even with martial artists mobilized, such speed was beyond common sense. One of the secrets behind this superhuman speed was undoubtedly the sect leaders and elders.
“Isn’t it an incredible sight? Who would’ve thought we’d see a sect leader carrying boulders?”
“It’s not just Beast Palace Lord. Lord Tang is hammering nails in the pavilion.”
“With a hammer?”
“What nonsense is that? He was hurling nails with such precision that he could drive dozens at a time. What would take an average carpenter half a day, he finishes in a single breath.”
“Haha… amazing.”
Everyone knew that when sect leaders, who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, got involved, they could accomplish the work of hundreds or even thousands.
However, no one would dare to ask a sect leader to do such menial tasks. A sect leader, especially one from the Five Great Families or the Five Outer Palaces, was far above such trivial work.
The head of the Tang clan doing the work of a carpenter and the lord of the Beast Palace carrying boulders? Most people in the world would scoff and dismiss such talk as nonsense. Yet here, such absurdities were actually happening.
“Lumberrrrrr!”
Namgung Dowi, the Young Lord of Namgung clan, was racing down the newly constructed road of Hwaeum.
“Lumber! We’re short on lumber! Why is everything moving so slowly?”
“Well, Hwasan’s people said they were short on stone, so they told us to prioritize moving the boulders…”
“Lumber is needed to build houses immediately! There’s an order to things! Stop talking nonsense and move the lumber first.”
“Y-Young Lord, but…”
“Give that to me!”
Namgung Dowi, impatient and unwilling to waste more time, half-forcibly seized the cart that the beast warrior was pulling.
“No, but this is ours…”
“Damn it, if we don’t finish the work by sunset, the General will kill me! Are you going to take the beating in my place?”
With his eyes bloodshot and his tone fiercely urgent, Namgung Dowi’s demeanor made the beast warriors slump their shoulders.
“We’re in a hurry! Move it quickly. Next cart!”
Just as Namgung Dowi had previously arrived, he sped down the road again, kicking up clouds of dust.
“Ahh!”
“Slow down! You’ll cause an accident!”
People traveling on the road had to leap out of the way to avoid the rampaging cart.
Those watching in a daze let out bewildered laughs.
“Am I dreaming?”
“Indeed.”
“Well… it seems like we’re seeing members of Namgung clan, Beast Palace Lord, and Lord Tang, but where are the other sect leaders?”
The person who spoke had a curious smile, with a slightly smug expression.
“Wouldn’t you say that Hwasan’s Sect Leader is probably the strongest among them? At least he doesn’t seem to be carrying rocks.”
Of course, the people of Hwaeum had great affection for Cheonumaeng. Still, it paled compared to their loyalty to Hwasan. Seeing other sect leaders struggling while Hwasan’s Sect Leader remained unseen gave them a subtle sense of satisfaction.
However…
“…Hey, don’t you know?”
“Know what?”
“…Never mind. It’s better if you don’t know.”
“Huh? What do you mean? What’s Sect Leader doing?”
“Not the Sect Leader, the retired Sect Leader.”
“Huh?”
The man who had spoken looked regretfully toward a distant pavilion.
Thunk!
As he faced the newly piled ledgers, Hyun Jong felt his spirit drain away in an instant.
“Do I have to do more of this?”
“No, retired Sect Leader.”
“R-really?”
“Not just this. You still have about three times as much work to finish by the end of the day.”
Hyun Jong’s beard trembled as he gritted his teeth.
“In addition, you need to review the list of items to be purchased from Xian, recompile the personnel records from the various sects arriving, and determine the allocation of the newly constructed pavilions in Hwaeum. Once you’ve done that…”
“S-stop… please, stop…”
Hyun Jong’s hands trembled.
“My eyes hurt too much. Can I take a short break…”
“Oh, come on, retired Sect Leader. The esteemed retired Sect Leader of Hwasan saying his eyes hurt from just looking at a few ledgers? The world would laugh. You have quite a sense of humor.”
But it’s true! My eyes feel like they’re going to fall out! Do you know how old I am?
Hyun Jong clenched his fists tightly. If no one had been watching, he might have torn his hair out several times already. Despite his suffering, he couldn’t bring himself to say he couldn’t do the work. No, he couldn’t bring himself to shout it out.
It was because of the hellscape unfolding around him.
“The numbers don’t match! The numbers!”
“I’ve checked ten times. There’s no way they’re wrong.”
“Can’t you see it right here? Are you blind?”
“Why is it wrong again?”
This time, Hyun Jong’s eyes turned in the opposite direction.
“The figures in the ledger don’t match the actual inventory in the warehouse! Who’s the idiot responsible for this?”
“What? Let me see. Ah, we lent this to the Baekryeong Escort Agency in Luoyang last month, remember?”
“Why didn’t you note that in the ledger, you bastard! Do you know how many times I’ve rechecked this?”
With dark shadows extending down to their chins, the men were frantically going through the ledgers. Hyun Jong, his voice slightly hoarse, spoke up.
“…By the way, chief administrator.”
“Yes?”
“Is managing a merchant guild always this much work?”
“Of course not.”
“Then…?”
“Think about it. We’re practically building a whole new city. The amount of supplies needed here is more than what a typical guild would transport in a year.”
“…”
“Fortunately, the people from Sichuan, uh… what’s their name again?”
“Four Seas merchant guild.”
“Yes, yes! It’s lucky they came to help. If they hadn’t, our guild leader might have had to escape Hwaeum in disguise.”
In that moment, Hyun Jong’s mind conjured up the image of Hwang Munyak.
“…I saw him earlier, just wandering around outside.”
“Oh, you didn’t know?”
“Know what?”
“The guild leader is heading to Luoyang with Elder Hyun Yeong shortly. They’re going to purchase supplies from the guilds there.”
“…”
“The purchase list alone fills almost an entire cart. One guild can’t handle it all. It’ll likely take all the guilds in Luoyang and Xian to fulfill the order.”
“Why is Hyun Yeong going?”
“The guild leader said he’s never seen anyone haggle prices as well as he does. Not even the late guild leader was that skilled.”
Hyun Jong was momentarily speechless. He could easily imagine Hyun Yeong berating the merchants.
But he quickly dismissed the thought. Pride be damned, survival was paramount. He gestured toward the ledgers in front of him.
“…So, when will this be finished?”
“I hear Four Seas merchant guild’s members who went on the trading mission are heading to Shaanxi. They should join us in about three days. Maybe things will ease up a bit then.”
Hyun Jong’s face flushed bright red.
Three days? Do this for three more days? Without any sleep?
“This, this is too much…”
At that very moment.
Crash!
The side door of the inner chamber where Hyun Jong was situated burst open, and ledgers came pouring out.
“Oh no, are you alright? It looks like he’s fainted.”
“Why is this man so weak?”
“Shh, be careful. This is the man from Nokrim.”
“What? I thought he was a scholar from the imperial palace.”
Hyun Jong stared blankly at the person who had tumbled out with the pile of ledgers. Im Sobyeong, who looked more like a corpse with his pallor, was trembling, clutching a ledger in his hands. Even at a glance, it was clear that he had five times more work than what Hyun Jong had to deal with.
“Isn’t this going to harm his health? Shouldn’t we move him…”
“Be quiet. These are all special instructions from Hwasan Geomhyeop. We can’t meddle with them.”
“…Then we have no choice.”
Tears began to well up in Hyun Jong’s eyes. He never imagined that there would come a day when he would sympathize with a bandit instead of one of Hwasan’s disciples.
Of course, the disciple of Hwasan on the other side wasn’t just any disciple but a particularly troublesome one… Hyun Jong asked with a clear conscience.
“Isn’t that a bit too much over there?”
“Well, it is a bit excessive.”
The chief administrator of Eunha merchant guild, who was carrying more ledgers, frowned.
“But I heard that those ledgers are related to personnel and weapons, so others shouldn’t see them… Ah! But as the head of Cheonumaeng, it’s natural for you to review them. Could you perhaps help a bit?”
Hyun Jong, who had been looking on with pity, stood up without hesitation and approached the fallen Im Sobyeong. The chief administrator nodded to himself. Indeed, Hwasan Sect was known for its righteousness and compassion…
Thunk! Thunk!
At that moment, Hyun Jong kicked the scattered ledgers and shoved them back into the opposite room. He then pushed Im Sobyeong, who was convulsing with exhaustion, his hands limp, inside as well, slammed the door shut, and locked it firmly.
“…”
“Let’s continue with what we were doing. Is that all that needs to be done?”
…Let’s pretend I didn’t see that. The chief administrator quietly erased the recent scene from his mind.
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