7. Human or Good Man (1)
The plan of ‘Siwoo Sangdan Liwol Branch’ was going smoothly. The most problematic building issue was resolved under appropriate conditions through mediation by each office, and the fact that interest in Mond increased as word of the ‘Gourmet Festival’ spread was also effective. Some business partners who had previously received supplies on an irregular basis requested regular delivery contracts, and many signed new contracts.
Since its founding, the main trade route of my merchant group has been Liyue. The reputation of my business has been well known in Liyue commercial circles for a long time, and with the establishment of a branch, it was not difficult to expand its influence in Liyue. Moreover, I did not conduct business by engaging in competitive marketing or suppressing small and medium-sized businesses with the power of capital.
I behaved at an appropriate level, just to the point where it didn’t attract attention. Of course, for the sake of the overriding task of expanding influence, we could not give up the food material distribution and liquor business, which were the main sources of income for the Liwol branch. However, other businesses were only considered a risk. The existing Liwal top companies were still in a strong position to advance into the remaining fields.
Everything required waiting. The Cheongsin Ceremony was gradually approaching, but now was the time to be patient and gradually expand our horizons. No matter how much of a merchant I was in Mond, I was still a novice in Liyue’s commercial world. In other words, he was a wanderer with a lot of money, so he could only be the object of caution at the moment.
Thanks to the full cooperation of Yoo Ri-jeong, Shin Wol-heon, and the Manmin Party, the project was able to slowly get back on track. The managers who run Liyue’s representative restaurants have extraordinary pride and temperament. However, even they could not help but acknowledge my skills and reputation. Rather, they placed full trust in me, and I was able to successfully conclude a delivery contract. Of course, a heavy burden was placed on me to repay that trust, but considering the value of the names of those three restaurants, this was relatively cheap.
Another gain was that I was able to go to Manmindang and meet Hyang-reung. The sight of Hyang-reung blushing and frowning was quite cute, and I was able to clear up the misunderstanding by talking to her that day.
After hearing my explanation, Hyangneung smiled awkwardly.
“Ehehehe, that’s right! “For some reason, I thought it was too sudden.”
“I’m sorry, Hyangneung. By making you misunderstand… “I don’t know if I embarrassed you for no reason.”
I apologized to Hyangneung with a sorry heart. In fact, I thought everyone knew what it meant to give a bouquet to Xiangling, but someone as pure as Xiangling might not be able to notice the intention flowing in that context. If you think about it, Hyangneung suddenly made a public confession in front of hundreds of people. I could say it was a terrible experience. I couldn’t even imagine how surprised and ashamed I must have been.
However, Xiangling was also kind. She shook her head as if nothing had happened.
“Ugh, there’s nothing to be sorry about. Actually, I was a little surprised… “Siwoo didn’t have bad intentions.”
Hangling then smiled awkwardly. She put her hand on the back of her head as if she was embarrassed.
“And I thought it was strange. I thought there was no way Siwoo could like a girl like me… “I guess I was right, hehehe.”
I was silent for a moment at those words. ‘A girl like me’, my gaze swept over Hyangneung. She was a cute and pretty girl. Although she did not have mature beauty, her innocence and good intentions radiating from her actions could not be hidden. He looks impeccable and is good at cooking. If I were to be specific, he was that type. She is a female friend who plays around without thinking and ends up falling in love with her unrequitedly without realizing it.
At least she wasn’t a woman who would be called ‘a girl like me’. I said to Hyangneung.
“You might like it.”
“…… Huh?”
Hearing my words, Hyangneung’s eyes turned towards me with a question in mind. She tilted her head. I continued speaking without hesitation.
“It’s pretty and cute. He has a kind heart and is good at cooking. “There’s a lot of room to like it, right?”
At my words, Hyangneung remained silent with her eyes wide open. Wait a minute, as if her brain was starting to process what I said, her face lit up. Her eyes turned to the floor. Hyangneung stammered and opened her mouth.
“Well, well, that’s right…” Thank you for seeing me that way…….”
However, Hyangneung’s words did not last until the end. It was because I blurted out something again.
“I’m not saying this to comfort you. I really think so. So don’t say things like that, Hyangneung. ‘A girl like me’. “It doesn’t suit you.”
Xiangling fell silent again at my words. She picked up a creature that looked like a raccoon doll from where it was sitting on her floor and she hugged it tightly. Her name was ‘Nurungji’, and she was a strange creature that looked like a combination of a raccoon and a panda. She always used to go around with Hyang-leung, but she was always silent and had no presence. She heard from Hyang-reung that she likes pickled peppers.
Hyangneung’s power was quite strong, and Nurungji’s face was distorted as she was held tightly in her arms. It felt like there was something that didn’t fit its cute appearance, like a ‘keu-e-ek’ sound. However, I soon lost interest in the scorched rice.
Because Hyangneung’s blushing face was beautiful. No matter how you looked at her, she was a woman who had no flaws. She hugged the raccoon tightly, burying her face in shame, hiding her flushed cheeks.
“…… “Yes, thank you.”
After finishing my errand, I left the Manmin Party. On the way out, Master Myo, Xiangling’s father, placed his hand on my shoulder. When I turned around, Master Myo said something to me with a serious look on his face.
“You… “Do you have any intention of continuing the Manmin Party?”
What are you talking about, this guy? In the end, I had to exchange a few jokes with Master Myo before leaving the People’s Party. Still, I was able to build many relationships with the restaurant industry in Liyue thanks to Master Myo and Hyang Lung arranging the place for me, so I was very grateful to them. For a businessman, personal connections were an asset more important than gold.
There were many other people to meet in Liyue. Representative examples were Tartaglia and Palm seeds, who came as if it were natural as soon as they heard the news of my arrival. Now, these two would come visit me before I knew it, even without making a separate appointment.
I had arranged the last few meetings, and Tartaglia had arranged the previous drinking party, so today it was Mr. Palm’s turn to entertain us. The restaurant that Mr. Jongryeo selected was ‘Yurijeong’, a restaurant that required reservations half a year in advance to even taste the food, but Tartaglia was able to secure a table through his efforts.
This was also the place where I met each office last time. However, at that time, I couldn’t eat properly because I was nervous about meeting each office, but today I finally felt like I could enjoy Yuri-jeong’s food, which can be said to be the essence of ‘Ri cuisine’.
Colorful dishes, including ‘seondojang’, filled the table. The taste was truly excellent. It was oily yet intensely flavored, a dish that could easily be perceived as provocative, but the depth of flavor was different. One of the waiters who saw my face must have told the kitchen, and a bottle of alcohol was served. It seemed like a pretty expensive drink, but the people of Liyue were big drinkers.
We had a few drinks and talked about it together. These were trivial stories. These days, people are talking about Mond and Liyue. And naturally, there was a story about the gourmet festival in Saemmul Village. The rumor seemed to have spread enough to even reach the ears of Tartaglia and Palm Seed.
The place where the story that flowed like that reached, as always, was my love story. Tartaglia asked me as if something had suddenly occurred to him.
“Oh, by the way, I heard that Nauri, Mond’s famous ‘honorary knight’, has come.”
Hearing those words, I looked at Tartaglia with eyes that said, ‘It’s started again.’ Tartaglia caught my gaze and laughed. Mr. Palm helped Tartaglia speak.
“I have heard of him. Recently, a traveler is said to be solving many of Liyue’s troubles… hahahahaha, you, me, her, me, her are such a big pair of teeth.”
From Noble mtl dot com
I asked Lumine what she was doing since she was often away from her lodgings these days, and it seemed like she was traveling around and helping people like she did in Mond. Li Yue was a little worried because there were many rugged mountains, but she believed that Lumine would do well.
I sighed, “Whoa.” It was because there was something that bothered me a little. Even without that, Tartaglia stabbed me where it hurt.
“…… So? When will we be able to see Jesu’s face?”
Hearing those words, I drank my drink in silence. The alcohol poured down into my mouth. A hot feeling went down my esophagus. I was glad that the snacks today were greasy. Otherwise, tomorrow would have been quite difficult.
I put down my drink with a thud. Tartaglia and Palm Seed looked at me with slightly puzzled eyes. He seemed to have sensed that something was wrong.
“Later…” It’s been a little awkward these days. And call me ‘Sister-in-law’ instead of ‘Jesussi.'”
Tartalia and Palm Seed looked surprised. Well, it was worth it. Because they have heard from me how much I care for Lumine. And I also knew that Lumine was very obsessed with me.
“That’s surprising… “I can’t picture you and that traveler fighting.”
“That’s right… “What did Siwoo do to cause a fight with Jesu?”
Tartalia completely ignored my remark as if it was obvious and insisted on calling Lumine ‘Mr. Jesu’. Since I had no expectations in the first place, I poured a drink into an empty glass. Thinking about it again, I felt confused.
I drank my glass in silence. Tartaglia and Palmseed also raised their glasses, and just like that, a glass of alcohol disappeared. I said in a sighing voice.
“It wasn’t a fight…” It’s a little complicated. Talk to you later. Rather, it is the ‘cheongsin rite.'”
The two still looked like their doubts had not been resolved, but it seemed like they had decided to move on to the new topic I had brought up for now. In particular, Mr. Palm’s eyes became deeper. Indeed, the ‘Cheongshin Rite’ must have had an important meaning for him as a citizen of Liyue.
Tartaglia tipped her drink and gave a wink as if telling her to speak quickly. As I was still organizing my thoughts, I immediately asked a question.
“That day, the King of Darkness will come down and deliver the teachings, right?”
It was the palm seed, not the tartaglia, that answered my question. Since Mr. Jongryeo was born and raised in Liyue, it was a natural story.
“That’s generally true. During the Cheongsin Ceremony, the Queen of Darkness comes down and conveys the will of the god. And the Seven Saints of Liyue will lead Liyue based on this until the next Cheongsin Ceremony. Of course, on that day, any citizen of Liyue can see the King of Darkness.”
I nodded. Can we really ask the King of Darkness a question? The only god of the Tivat continent I had met so far was Venti, or ‘Barvatos’, so I couldn’t be sure. In fact, Venti was a very exceptional case. A god who gave up his rule for freedom, losing most of his power in return. That was Venti. Although he is said to have been given strength directly by a god, he is a god who has become weak enough to be defeated by Signora, who is only mortal.
However, Morax, the rock god called ‘Dark King’, was different. He was a true god who protected and ruled Liyue for over 3,000 years. His power was also fearsome, and during the God Demon War, the number of demons he defeated with his own hands was many. The rugged mountain divided like an island called ‘Goungak’ located to the east of Liyue was the trace of the rock god Morax submerging one of the demon gods. The true identity of that tall mountain was the spear that Morax thrust into the demon god.
For this reason, Morax, the rock god, is also called the ‘God of War.’ According to rumors, he is a master of all diseases, and sometimes travels around the human world in human form to solve problems. Moreover, what kind of beings are the ‘good people’ who follow him? They were people who lived for thousands of years, exploring and accumulating mysteries that mortals could not even imagine.
Even if only one of the good people intervened in the human world, it would have been a disaster, but the king of the good people who even those good people could not help but respect was the King of Darkness. It was questionable whether such a terrifying being would actually listen to Lumine, who was just an individual.
I nodded and massaged my temples. My head hurt. If possible, it would be nice to be able to draw a picture of Lumine naturally asking questions to the King of Darkness by some means by then.
Jongryeo saw my expression and asked me. It was a slightly worried voice.
“Is there anything you’re worried about?”
“No, that’s… Lumine is planning to attend the Cheongshin Ceremony this time. “I have something I want to ask the rock god.”
Hmm, said Palm Seed and swallowed his sleep. Tartaglia had interesting eyes. While I was leaving, I decided to share my concerns.
“But I wonder if the Dark King will accept the questions of Lumine, who is just an individual… That’s what I’m worried about. “Aren’t you going to punish me for being arrogant?”
Then I smiled slightly as if it was a joke. Then Mr. Jongryeo also burst into laughter. It was a funny laugh. I thought it might seem a bit rude to Liyue people, but I was glad.
“hahahahaha… It was a fun imagination. But rest assured, the Dark Lord is not that kind of god.”
An unknown confidence was evident in Mr. Palm’s words. For some reason, those words were trustworthy, so I waited for Mr. Palm to continue.
“He does not discriminate between noble and lowly people, nor does he distinguish between rich and poor. So he told me not to worry and just ask. I’m just a little curious…….”
Then Mr. Palm closed his eyes and stroked his chin. He was always a serious and cool man. Mr. Palm soon asked me if he could not contain his curiosity.
“This is a question a traveler from another world wants to ask God. Can you possibly know the content?”
I fell into trouble. Actually, since it was Lumine’s personal story, I wasn’t sure if I could answer it. Tartaglia must have read my troubled expression and immediately helped me with the palm seeds. He seemed to be curious as well.
“Aren’t you hesitating too much, Siwoo? “Anyway, if you ask about it during the Cheongsin Ceremony, it will all be known.”
Mr. Palm’s expression changed slightly at those words, but Tartaglia and I didn’t pay much attention. After hearing it, I thought it was true, so I decided to tell him the content of the question. After hesitating, my mouth opened cautiously.
“Lumine lost her brother when he fell on the continent of Tivat. But since the reason they fell apart was because of the ‘goddess with silver hair,’ she must have been trying to ask about him. Since he is a god, there is a high probability that he knows about him.”
At my answer, Mr. Palm fell into silence. With his eyes closed, Mr. Palm seemed to be thinking about something, and then he burst into laughter. It was a low, yet joyful laugh.
“…… hehehe, that’s right. Surely it would be right to ask God such a question, but she probably won’t get the answer she wants.”
Once again, it was a voice full of strange confidence. I looked at the palm seeds with puzzled eyes. On what basis are they saying that? However, Mr. Palm still continued his words with an unwavering voice.
“And even if you go to the Cheongsin Ceremony, you won’t necessarily be able to meet the King of Darkness. But tell him that someday, when we meet, he will know the answer.”
“No, if I don’t meet King Amwang at the Cheongshin ceremony, where can I meet him?”
In response to my retort, which seemed absurd, Mr. Jongryeo just smiled meaningfully.
“Well… “But no one knows what will happen at the Cheongsin Ceremony.”
I looked at Mr. Palm with a little dissatisfaction, but Mr. Palm did not bring up the topic again. I also hid what happened with Lumine, so I guess I can just move on from today. After drinking and talking so many times, it was already late at night.
Normally, we would have been drinking all night in the same place, but this was a restaurant. It was polite to get up when business hours were coming to an end. Tartaglia, who happened to be looking at the time, spoke up.
“Okay then, let’s get up. It looks like business hours are coming to an end… “Next time, why don’t we just go somewhere and drink?”
I woke up with a satisfied face. The food was great and the drinks were good too. It was true to Liyue’s reputation. I expressed my gratitude to today’s water host, Mr. Palm.
“It was good, Mr. Jongryeo. “I know the food won’t be that expensive, but is that okay?”
Jongryeo, who was smiling confidently at those words, looked around for a moment and then looked puzzled. I sighed when I saw that familiar pattern, and Tartaglia shook her head as if she had given up.
Jongryeo confessed in a calm voice as always.
“…… Unfortunately, I think he forgot his wallet.”
In the end, I paid for the drinks that day with my own money. The condition was to hang a meal table at Wangsaengdang someday.
As we continued to meet like that, time passed quickly. In the meantime, when he was bored, he hung out with Mr. Palm and Tartaglia and drank alcohol, and in order to expand his business, he interacted with people from all walks of life in Liyue.
Of course, there were government offices among them. Although each office was busy with Ok Seong-seong’s work, they often made time to come see me. Even though it was only a short meeting.
“I heard you’re still hanging out with that bailiff these days?”
That day too, each office came by unexpectedly and asked questions that were just as sudden as the visit. It seemed like he was referring to the ‘executive officer’, Tartaglia. I was sitting in my office on the top floor of the upper building purchased through the mediation of each office, drinking tea.
I sipped my tea. By now, we had become somewhat accustomed to unexpected visits from each office. And after talking to each office a few times, I got to know each person to some extent, so I wasn’t as nervous as I used to be in front of each office.
In fact, it felt a little friendly. A lonely and noble iron-blooded woman, but she was strong enough to want to be imitated for her warm goodwill and firm beliefs. I had her favor towards me as her public figure, and as her human being.
“…… “Why are you asking such a question out of the blue?”
In response to my absurd tone, each office responded with a calm voice, as always. Before I knew it, I was standing with my arms crossed and my back against my bookshelf.
“There are rumors going around these days. Did you say ‘Three Princes of Liyue’?”
After hearing that, I slammed down the teacup I was holding. My expression immediately darkened.
“What is that terrible nickname? Isn’t that a nickname that only appears in pure love novels floating around somewhere? “It’s cringy.”
When I was disgusted, Gakcheong instead snorted as if it was a little amused. She spoke as if she was teasing me.
“With three tall, handsome men hanging out together, how could girls in their prime not like them as if they were the main characters in a romance novel? That would be nice, Mr. ‘Golden Prince’?”
“…… Nonsense.”
As soon as I heard that, my hands shook. Just in case, I asked each office with earnest heart.
“Surely that ridiculous nickname doesn’t refer to me?”
“Unfortunately, it’s true.”
In the end, I couldn’t bear it anymore and screamed. Seeing that scene, each office burst into bright laughter. It seemed clear that he had come to harass me after hearing that ridiculous nickname.
Each office laughed and made fun of me.
“He likes money and looks as ferocious as a wolf, so he is a golden prince. What do you think? Do you like it? hehehe, that would be nice, right? “For becoming one of the three princes of Liyue that the street girls like so much.”
I was shaking. But there was still hope. I asked each office with burning eyes.
“Then what about Tartaglia?”
“A noble person.”
“What about palm seeds?”
“A learned man.”
With my last hope dashed, I slammed the desk in anger. At best, it only hurt my palm. Unable to hold back my resentment, I cried out.
“…… “Those two are fine, but why me?”
Each office eventually burst into laughter around this time. Her clear laughter echoed through the office. Gakcheong wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled mischievously.
“I don’t know why I feel so happy when I meet you… Give up, Liyue is a city full of luxury people. “If you live here, you will hear all sorts of things.”
I looked at each office with a shocked face. However, there was nothing I could do about the rumors going around, so in the end, I leaned back with a sigh. It was a loss to pay attention. Still, I decided to consider it a relief to be associated with good-looking people like Tartaglia and Palm Seed. To be honest, out of the three, I have the coolest face.
But just because I gave up didn’t mean I felt better. I asked in a grumpy voice.
“So, the reason you came here is to make fun of me?”
“No, it’s to warn you.”
The voices of each office that said that were calm. It sounded as if he was joking just like before.
“It would be better for you to cut off relations with that bailiff. The Wooindan’s movements are suspicious these days. They’re planning something. So be careful, no matter how close you are, don’t trust the Gang of Friends.”
I was silent for a moment at those words. The Wooindan’s movements were suspicious. In fact, this was nothing new. The Wooin Dan is always doing something suspicious. However, if Li Yue Chilsung was paying attention, it meant that something more suspicious was going on.
I tapped the desk with my finger. And then he answered in a sighing voice.
“…… “You sound the same as Kamwoo.”
The eyes of each office deepened at my words. It seemed like there was a thought coming to mind.
“…… Close.”
Gakcheong was a member of Liyue Chilseong. Naturally, he must have had a connection with Gam Woo, Li Yue Chilseong’s secretary. The last time I heard Kam-woo’s story, it seemed like they didn’t quite fit together, so I was curious about what each office thought of Kam-woo.
I carefully asked each office.
“Well, how do you feel at work…… ?”
“Competent.”
Each office surprisingly gave a gentle answer. It was an immediate answer. I paused for a moment, overwhelmed by that short and decisive answer.
“He gets things done quickly and is a trustworthy subordinate. The lack of subjectivity is not necessarily a bad thing. “No matter what your thoughts are, you follow what you are told.”
It was a compliment. However, anyone can tell that the tone is subtle, even if they do not have excellent linguistic sense. I was silent for a moment. The eyes of each office were not directed at me. Her eyes were so deep that she couldn’t read them as she looked straight ahead.
But I could tell. Because now I understand a little bit about the person called Gakcheong.
“…… “You don’t like it.”
At those words, the eyes of each office turned to me again. She asked me, as if to make me laugh.
“Why do you think that?”
“It’s like Li Yue.”
At my immediate answer, each office fell silent for a moment. Then he looked at my facial expressions, and soon a bitter smile appeared on his face.
It wasn’t just Gamwoo who followed orders without being subjective. The whole of Liyue was like that. Without any control, we only wait for the teachings of the King of Darkness. That was the reality of Liyue that each government wanted to criticize and overcome.
In the end, each office opened its mouth in a feeble voice, as if surrendering.
“I can’t fool you, you…” That’s right. Actually, I don’t like it a little bit. I can’t help but acknowledge that ability…….”
“Whoa,” Gakcheong sighed and straightened her leaning body. As always, she seemed to leave as suddenly as she came. Now that I was used to her every request, I prepared to catch a glimpse of her without her saying much.
Before leaving, each office left me with one question.
“What do you think? Is Liyue a country of humans or a country of good people?”
It was a question I had heard somewhere before. Definitely on that day, yes, the day I had my first drink with Sister Kamwoo.
I heard the story of Sister Gamwoo. Liyue is not just a country for humans. It is also a country of good people, Sister Kamu said.
How should I answer? I hesitated for a moment. The answer that each office would like was obvious. However, that was just a behavior tailored to the beliefs of each office, and it was not my opinion. Actually, it would be okay to give a rough answer like that, but I somehow felt that this question was important.
After thinking about it for a while, I finally came up with only one answer. The best answer for me right now.
“…… Well, how would I know, as I am only a stranger at best?”
It was an answer that could be said to be a bit cowardly, but each office laughed as if they knew it would happen. She took her steps again and walked away. Lastly, I leave one question behind.
“It’s a good idea for you to think about it too. “Someday, you might have to make a choice.”
Each office has left, but questions remain. Without saying a word, I got up and looked out the window behind the desk. It was Liyue Port. The largest trading port on the Tivat continent, bustling with people flowing like blood. Long ago, the King of Darkness and the ancestors stood up and fought to protect this place, and on that ground, humans developed the flower of a splendid civilization.
Are you a human being or a good person?
For some reason, that question stuck in my mind. Funny enough, when I thought of that question, two people came to mind together.
Each office and governor. Those two faces.
I had a feeling that something would happen. The protagonist arrived in Liyue, and the story was now beginning. It was the ‘cheongsin rite’.