Chapter 28: Go Earn Money (4) |
Vol 2 Chapter 28. Go Earn Money (4)
3 years.
Already 3 years have passed since Patrick came to the Jianghu.
As soon as Patrick came to the Jianghu, he reclaimed the Twin Dragon Sect, smashed the disciple of the Heaven Breaking Martial Emperor, and beat up the Sect Leader of the Kongtong Sect.
Although he lived busily, the 3 years after that were spent surprisingly quietly.
At least by Patrick's standards.
Sometimes he went outside to obtain Causality as the Directive Window ordered.
But basically, his range of action did not leave Gansu Province.
Thanks to that, Patrick made his name known little by little within Gansu Province.
A person with colored eyes performing chivalrous deeds using twin swords and a peerless beauty of a female bladesman following him.
Rumors about these two spread little by little within Gansu Province.
But that was all.
Patrick still focused on solidifying the internal stability of the sect.
Training disciples and summoning companions from the Continent of Pangemonia as Causality accumulated.
Doing so for a whopping 3 years.
Patrick, having gathered the disciples at the training ground of the Twin Dragon Sect, spoke.
"You endured well. Still, now you've reached a level where you can be called a martial artist anywhere you go."
At Patrick's words, the disciples of the Twin Dragon Sect in front of his eyes straightened their shoulders with dignified faces.
Among them, the eldest disciple Mun Yul is 18 years old.
Most other children are around 15~17 years old.
Applying the standard of the ordinary Jianghu, these novices are still chirping chicks.
They should be fragile subjects of protection who wouldn't know where or how they might die if they left their mother's bosom. However....
"Wow. It's rewarding. Right, Big Brother."
"It's thanks to everyone working hard."
Looking at the disciples lined up emitting sharp momentum, Oliver and Sanson made proud expressions.
Oliver had taught the children from the beginning, and although Sanson joined later than him, the sincerity he poured in was also considerable.
At first, they were just skinny children, but seeing children who have grown into respectable swordsmen like this, their eyes turn red....
"Oh my. Now you'll finally act like humans. It took 3 years. A whopping 3 years. Oh my, I thought I'd die of frustration."
Right. What do you expect from a devil?
As always, that guy is an exception.
"Well, anyway, you guys are not novices anym.... No, still novices, but at least among novices, you've become teeeeny bit useful novices."
"......."
"......."
The disciples all thought the same thing.
'I wish the Worshipped Duke would die.' That is.
"I want to praise myself for raising answerless novices up to here. Well done. Patrick Schneider. Truly magnificent."
"......."
"......."
No, I will kill him.
That thought occurred simultaneously.
"Master. It is time to talk about the main point."
Eventually, Persona, unable to watch anymore, intervened. Then Patrick cleared his throat and continued.
"Well, right. The main point. Since you guys have come to act somewhat like humans now, and the sect has solidified internal stability for 3 years...."
Patrick continued seriously.
"The time has come for us to turn our eyes to the outside now."
Then the disciples' eyes shone.
'Finally....'
'Doing it at last.'
'Waited for this time.'
Enduring and surviving the training of the Worshipped Duke, who was like a devil of hell, no, worse than that, was ultimately because they had the goal of living as martial artists of the Jianghu.
And now, the opportunity to be compensated for the hell of the past 3 years has come.
The Jianghu full of romance and passion is waiting for them.
To such disciples, Patrick spoke with a solemn voice.
"As the Worshipped Duke of the Great Twin Dragon Sect, I will give you your first mission."
Then Mun Yul and all other disciples knelt in unison and brought their fists to their chests.
"The disciples receive the order of the sect."
"Receive."
"Receive."
Seeing the appearance of the disciples showing the resolve to slice off a head or two of Unorthodox villains for the sake of the order, Patrick nodded as if feeling proud for once.
And gave the first order to the disciples.
"Go earn money."
...I knew it.
***
The fighting spirit that filled their chests drained away with a pssh.
Go earn money?
This is the order received first after overcoming a time like hell for 3 years?
Some of the disciples expressed emotions of anger beyond disappointment.
Representing such disciples, Mun Yul spoke.
"Worshipped Duke. I have something to say."
"Try saying it."
I can roughly guess what you'll say and it'll be obvious nonsense, but I'll listen for now.
At Patrick's attitude like that, Mun Yul sighed and said, "Worshipped Duke, our Twin Dragon Sect is a sword sect, not a merchant guild."
"I know too."
"Confucius said, 'Let the ruler be a ruler, the subject a subject, the father a father, the son a son', meaning it is proper for people to do their best in their respective positions. However...."
"Yaaawn."
Listening to Mun Yul's words, Patrick yawned, revealing the feeling of 'Hmm, as expected, he is spouting obvious nonsense.'
'Wow,... If only that human wasn't better at sword fighting than me, truly.'
Patrick wiped a tear that formed in the corner of his eye and said,
"Mun Yul. Can you live keeping everything exactly as Confucius and Mencius said?"
"That is...."
"Can you do it?"
"I can't."
"Right. You can't. Not being able to is normal. Who would live keeping all that? Even direct disciples of Confucius and Mencius couldn't do that."
"......."
"But why do you always say Confucius says Mencius says picked up from somewhere, oh my.... That's why Unorthodox kids always call us hypocrites or whatever."
"Ughhh...."
Resentful.
What is resentful is that he is resentful for being broken by logic by that devil whose character is dog-mess.
Patrick sighed deeply and said,
"Leaving everything aside, let's look only at the realistic part. Do you guys even know how the sect's finances are running right now?"
"That is...."
Don't know. Can't know.
For the past 3 years, they only rolled viciously as Patrick ordered. They didn't have the leisure to care about other things.
But thinking about it quietly for a moment....
'Really, where did we get the money?'
Seventeen disciples including himself, the Master. Senior Sister, Worshipped Duke, and even the two instructors....
For this number of people to make a living, it costs quite a bit of money just to breathe and live.
But for the past 3 years, Mun Yul and the junior brothers never had a meal with poor nutritional status even once.
Even because the staff and servants hired by Patrick did chores like cooking, laundry, and cleaning, they could devote themselves solely to training.
Thinking about the money spent there....
"Do you get a sense now?"
"Worshipped Duke, surely...."
"In the meantime, our sect only spent money. Never earned any. Means it was deficit management for the whole 3 years."
"......."
"For reference, I filled that with my money. You guys really eat a lot."
"......."
"Orc-like bastards."
The faces of the disciples including Mun Yul turned red.
They don't know what an Orc is, but it doesn't seem to be a good meaning.
Patrick said to such guys.
"I'll tell you in advance, I'm not telling you to earn money because I find spending my money wasteful."
-Tsk tsk, lying without even applying saliva to your lips. Did I teach you so?
That gentleman....
Patrick glared at the sky slightly and spoke to the disciples again.
"For the sect to develop properly, its foundation must be strong. And finance is an area that must absolutely not be ignored for people to live."
The disciples nodded as if sympathizing.
In fact, although they spent days like hell for the past 3 years, their lives weren't comfortable before that either.
Because all of them, including Mun Yul, were children born and raised in the slums.
They weren't immature children who didn't know how harsh and difficult poverty is.
"Currently, our Twin Dragon Sect's only source of income is the medical house run directly by the Sect Leader. But honestly, the profit isn't on the good side."
Sect Leader Go Seok-hyeon's medical skills are at a considerable level.
But the problem was that he often received only the minimum necessary treatment fee from poor people or didn't even receive that.
Even for Patrick, it was a bit much to badger the Sect Leader to take some money.
-Haha, unlike you. Since when did you speak carefully to the Sect Leader. How much do I spend money recklessly....
Ah! Are you the same as Master?
Are you the same as Master?
Are you the same as Master who offered the sect's public funds whole whenever there was a drought or flood or chaos?
-Tsk tsk, Cheon-ah, didn't I tell you? True chivalry is not minding one's own poverty and....
Ah, don't know. Don't know. You're noisy.
-Hey, you punk!
Chivalry also requires one to eat and live first.
I haven't heard of a story where a chivalrous person starved to death in the world.
No. If I wasn't there, Master might have become the first case.
'Anyway, that gentleman is....'
Thinking about it, a sigh comes out automatically.
I am Radiant Dragon Great Master Jin Cheon who managed the sect even serving that frustrating Master.
Compared to those days, Sect Leader Go Seok-hyeon's action of receiving somewhat cheap treatment fees was at a cute level.
"Anyway, it means it can't go on like this to make the sect's finances sound. Do you understand?"
The disciples nodded in unison.
It was a hundred times correct even when they thought about it.
So they understand they have to earn money. But....
"Worshipped Duke. Then, how should we earn money?"
"Before that, you tell me. How should we act to earn money and strengthen finances?"
Mun Yul thought.
How do ordinary Murim sects earn money? That is....
"Usually, don't they escort brothels or merchants and receive protection fees or something?"
"......."
Patrick put his hand on his forehead and shook his head side to side.
Right. Come to think of it, this Tianshui County was ruled by Unorthodox gangs before Patrick came.
Naturally, what Mun Yul saw and learned was also such things.
Prestigious Orthodox sects don't earn money by receiving protection fees from brothels or merchants.
At least outwardly.
That's how important face is to the Orthodox Faction.
"Excuse me, Worshipped Duke."
At that time, one of the disciples raised a hand carefully and spoke.
"Oh, isn't it Yun-a? Try speaking."
The child's name is Yun-a.
She was a female disciple and simultaneously the youngest disciple.
Although having little confidence in her personality is a problem, her talent for the sword was quite excellent.
That child spoke carefully.
"I know that ordinary sects escort escort agencies or merchant guilds and receive money, or receive new disciples and get tuition fees."
"Well, that is common."
The first normal and common-sense remark came out. But the problem is....
"It is difficult for us to do that."
"Why is that?"
When Mun Yul asked, Patrick shrugged his shoulders and answered.
"Merchant guilds that need such warrior escorts are merchant guilds of some scale, hiring escorts for long-distance trade."
"......."
"But there isn't a single such merchant guild in our Tianshui County. If we widen the range, we might find other places, but such places probably already have sects they are contracting with."
Then Mun Yul made a face full of dissatisfaction and said, "Why aren't there such merchant guilds in our Tianshui County? It doesn't seem like the population is lacking?"
"Why asks why? Because Unorthodox gangs ruled for a long time, the direction of development got twisted."
In fact, the scale of Tianshui County was much more bustling than in the days when Radiant Dragon Great Master Jin Cheon lived.
Just, perhaps because the Unorthodox ruled for a long time?
The developed form was a bit like that.
"Brothel across another brothel. Next is a gambling house. Whew.... How did it come to have such excellent.... Ahem.... biased development."
It was a reckless remark coming from the mouth of someone who had frequented all brothels and gambling houses in Tianshui County for the past 3 years.
Patrick, receiving the disciples' eyes saying 'Such a hypocrite' with his whole body, cleared his throat and said,
"Can't be helped. Ultimately, there is no choice but for me to step up again."
At the words that Patrick would step up, the disciples felt reliability and anxiety simultaneously.
Actually, they thought these weren't emotions that could usually coexist, but it worked.
Having suffered countless times over the past 3 years, they realized.
"What do you intend to do?"
When Mun Yul asked carefully, Patrick said,
"Making money with a merchant guild is the neatest, but the problem is there is no merchant guild, right?"
"That is right."
"Then what to do?"
"Contact other merchant guilds far away...."
"We have to make a merchant guild."
What is this human trying to do again....
Mun Yul became anxious already.