Volcanic Age - Chapter 30

“Ju, Ju Seo Cheon?”

 

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Lee Ui Che got so surprised he mumbled the name unconsciously. And then realized that he had made a mistake.

 

“I’m sorry young master Ju. I was so surprised I made a mistake.”

 

The title of young master came out naturally and no awkwardness could be felt in it.

 

“I’m sorry but what business did you have with me? Did the 

Fourteenth Gallant Sword…?”

 

Expectations arose in Lee Ui Chae’s eyes.

Lee Ui Che blurted the name out of the blue because he was so startled. and then understood his mistake.

 

“I apologize, young master Ju. I erred because I was so shocked.”

 

Young master came out naturally and there was no hint of awkwardness.

 

“I apologize, but what relationship did you have with me? The Fourteenth Gallant Sword did what?”

 

Lee Ui Chae developed expectations in his eyes.

 

“That’s not the case.”

Ju Seo Cheon shook his head without hesitating.

 

“Is that so…”

 

Lee Ui Chae showed a disappointed look blatantly. His eyes were now showing despair instead of expectation.

 

“But I do have some business with you.”

 

Ju Seo Cheon rubbed his thumb, index, and middle finger and smirked.

 

“Just what…?”

 

Lee Ui Chae put on a confused face and tilted his head.

 

“Why don’t we change places first?”

 

“Ah, I understand.”

 

‘There’s something!’

 

Lee Ui Chae realized instinctively that the business Ju Seo Cheon had with him wasn’t normal. A smell pierced his nose.

 

‘The smell of money!’

 

His sense of smell and all the other senses of his body were telling him that. It made him think that the opportunity he had been waiting for had finally come.

 

In his eyes, no, objectively speaking Ju Seo Cheon wasn’t a normal kid at all.

 

Being a member of the Lotus Peak was already outside the range of being normal but he thought that Ju Seo Cheon was even more special than that.

 

Based on his information, Ju Seo Cheon was merely twelve…

 

Looking like a fifteen-year-old kid was a different thing but the mature aura that was released from his mind and body and even his qi weren’t normal.

 

His qi didn’t match a twelve-year-old kid at all. it was closer to that of a middle-aged man or an old man.

 

You could see dignity even from his steps and the gaze and confidence he gave out when walking wasn’t normal at all.

 

‘He wasn’t like this when I last saw him. It’s not that I missed it. 

He was hiding it.’

 

The future merchant king indeed. 

 

He was really fast on catching on to things.

 

Lee Ui Chae realized that something was out of place and prepared a separate place for them.

 

“Let’s leave behind useless introductions and head straight to the main point. That’s why you should also stop speaking obvious words.”

 

Ju Seo Cheon spoke as soon as he sat down.

 

“Ah, ahem. You can speak comfortably.”

 

It seemed like Lee Ui Chae liked Ju Seo Cheon’s polite attitude and that he was looking at him with goodwill.

 

Most martial artists were arrogant even though they were young and that was because of their high pride. Disciples of great sects were especially prone to this.

 

Lee Ui Chae had been ignored by various martial artists so Ju Seo Cheon’s actions were quite touching in his position.

 

“It’s fine. Isn’t business something about trust and manners? That much should be obvious.”

 

Ju Seo Cheon smiled inwardly. The situation was flowing as he expected.

 

Lee Ui Chae, who would be called the merchant king one day, wasn’t his underling at all. That was the same for his second life.

 

The merchant king was someone that had done business with the Righteous Faction, Death Faction, and even the Second Generation of The Demonic Path.

 

His talent was the real deal. It would be better to keep an equal relationship rather than have a superior and inferior relationship to receive his help in the future.

 

A superior and an inferior relationship could damage their relationship so the risks it bore were great.

 

“But, when you say the main point…”

 

“The business you proposed to my senior uncle. I’m interested in that.”

 

Lee Ui Chae’s eyes widened at Ju Seo Cheon’s words. It seemed like he wasn’t expecting that at all.

 

“Is that true?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Hm…”

 

Lee Ui Chae touched his beard that he had just started to trim. It seemed like he was pondering.

Ju Seo Cheon got satisfied with Lee Ui Chae’s reaction inwardly.

 

‘Good. I realized that he isn’t a simple fool with this. I was a bit uneasy…but I’m glad.’

 

Not doubting this situation would be weirder.

 

“Honestly speaking, even though I know that I’m no one great so I can’t understand on what basis you decided to talk to me. It also seems like you came here in secret from the Fourteenth Gallant Sword and the other members of the Lotus Peak…”

 

Lee Ui Chae thought that Ju Seo Cheon wanted to make fun of him or use him in some kind of conspiracy.

 

But of course, one would wonder what a twelve-year-old kid could do. Perhaps the Zhuge Sega may be behind him as they liked to plan schemes behind the back of others.

 

But of course, a small merchant such as himself had to think about what benefits it would bring the Zhuge Sega for them to choose to work with a nobody like himself.

 

“It’s because I also have something to propose to you.”

 

“Propose?”

 

“Yes. But before that, I want to hear about your business. Is that okay?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Although it was dubious, it didn’t mean that he suspected him.

 

“I just said that it was a business to attract attention but it isn’t anything great.”

 

Ju Seo Cheon waited for Lee Ui Chae‘s next words.

 

Lee Ui Chae looked into Ju Seo Cheon’s eyes and let out a sigh of relief after seeing that his face hadn’t stiffened.

 

“Our Golden Merchant 

The organization handles mostly rice. It’s a product you can see anywhere but I am planning on selling this rice as provisions to armies.”

 

‘Certainly.’

 

It was like he had expected. At least, the trigger that had spread Lee Ui Chae’s name wasn’t a lie.

 

“To sum it up, you need an opportunity to become a war merchant.”

 

“Ho, that’s right.”

 

Lee Ui Chae nodded in admiration.

 

‘I wonder how that brain functions?’

 

He was a martial artist that was distant from the business world. Being a figure of an important post was a different matter but he was a kid that wasn’t even an adult yet.

 

So he couldn’t help but feel surprised as he guessed what he was thinking.

 

But of course, that was something Ju Seo Cheon already knew but there was no way Lee Ui Chae knew about that.

 

“So what you need is financial support.”

 

“I would be grateful if that was the case, I would excuse myself…”

 

Lee Ui Chae checked on Ju Seo Cheon.

 

“Yes, unfortunately, it will be difficult on the financial part. How much money would a kid even have?”

 

Ju Seo Cheon smiled bitterly.

 

“No, it’s fine.”

 

Lee Ui Chae gulped saliva and answered. There was a bit of regret lingering on his face but it also showed that it didn’t matter.

 

“There are also many other parts in which you can support me besides financial matters.”

 

“Tell me about them.”

 

“…This subject can be a bit… sensitive. So I hope the young master can listen until the end.”

 

Lee Ui Chae looked nervous. He drank some water from the cup that was on the table and opened his mouth.

 

“If I speak directly, I need connections. I don’t care where it is but I hope you can entrust me with the trading rights of provisions for an army. The amount I have isn’t huge but I can prepare provisions for a war middling in scale”

 

These were obvious words but there was no way that the Murim Association or the Righteous Faction would farm. Even if they did, it was only the amount for them to eat.

 

That’s why if they wanted to obtain provisions, they had to buy them from merchants. Most of them traded through outer disciples or people related by blood to formal disciples.

 

The amount and the money being traded weren’t low at all so it couldn’t be entrusted to just anyone. They needed an introduction.

 

“And…”

 

Lee Ui Chae showed to be cautious. He glanced at Ju Seo Cheon’s face several times.

 

It seemed like he wanted to say something but he kept opening and closing his mouth as if he couldn’t say it out loud.

 

Ju Seo Cheon knew fully well why he was acting like that but he pretended to not know anything and said.

 

“I won’t get angry so just tell me. I promise I will make a judgment after listening to everything.”

 

Lee Ui Chae also regained courage at those words.

 

“…Young master should have participated in the major meetings where the Fourteenth Gallant Sword and the branch manager of Kaiyang participated, am I right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Then, I believe you also know about the war regions of Guizhou. 

 

That’s why I was saying…can you tell me about isolated places or places that have difficulty in receiving provisions?”

 

Lee Ui Chae finished speaking and closed his eyes. It was because he was scared of how Ju Seo Cheon would act.

 

The problem this posed was something a twelve-year-old kid, no not even a 17-year-old kid, could know.

 

Lee Ui Chae was requesting information that was classified to be secret and his intentions were clear.

 

It was because finding places that have problems in receiving provisions and receiving rice from them would make him more money.

 

‘Ha, his greed is no joke just like what I heard about him. Moreover, the one that originally helped the merchant king wasn’t normal either.’

 

Based on the rumors, Lee Ui Chae found places that needed provisions like a ghost and earned money by selling them rice at an expensive price.

 

It could happen one or two times but that couldn’t happen every time. It meant that he had an informant behind him.

 

Meaning he had done so through illegitimate means.

 

‘No, in the first place, the merchant king isn’t someone that differentiated between good and evil. Why else would the name of his group have the name gold in it? The one thing they believe in is money. I already expected this much.’

 

Money and greed were his sole driving force. He didn’t have the beliefs of the Righteous or Death Factions and didn’t even have the madness of the Second Generation of The Demonic Path.

Did it make money or not?

 

He became certain of it with the conversation they just had.

 

“I can help you in the case of the former but even if I do make you a connection it is limited to Weng An.”

 

The Weng An branch had been indebted to Ju Seo Cheon and on top of that Ju Seo Cheon belonged to the Lotus Peak. He could take care of that much.

 

“It ‘s fine!”

 

Lee Ui Chae’s face got dyed with joy. He looked excited.

Weng An was the front line even in Guizhou and supply distribution was that frequent. It was the best region that could make him money. 

 

“But there is nothing to say about the latter. I will decline. I believe you already know about the reason for that.”

 

Even if he needed the being called the merchant king, there were still some limits. If it got known that he spread information he wouldn’t be safe even if he was a member of the Lotus Peak.

 

The risk factors were too great. He declined without even a hint of hesitation.

 

“I’m already grateful that you listened to what I had to say. 

 

Honestly speaking, it’s still marvelous that the head of this humble one is still in place.”

Lee Ui Chae’s face was filled with cold sweat.

 

“If you know that it will be better to take care of your future no matter how much of a hurry you are in. 

Honestly speaking I let this slide precisely because it was me. If it was any other person they may have swung their sword without hesitation.”

 

Ju Seo Cheon warned him. It was because the words Lee Ui Chae had said could have killed him as soon as he spoke.

 

“It was you who gave me the courage, too. Even though I may not look like it, I can see people. I reasoned that at least I wouldn’t pass away here since your heart is as big as the Yangtze river. the outstanding master as one would anticipate.”

 

He was complimented by Lee Ui Chae’s awkward smile. When he considered that his head might have flown off, he became more submissive.

 

“All right, I’ll tell you my story immediately.”

 

“Yes, may I speak?”

 

“Are you aware of the Three-Eyed Immoral God’s Treasury?”

 

* * *

Translated by novel multiverse

Edited by beetlesme