Master and Squad Leader Jeong offered a martial salute in gratitude, and I too stepped down from the carriage to greet them.
"Thank you for seeing us off this far."
"It's nothing."
"Please send my regards to Hideout Leader Jang as well."
"Of course. Hahaha. Then, travel safely."
"Yes."
The Green Forest Bandits members of Odong Mountain began gathering their tools and preparing to return.
"Let's stuff ourselves with meat and booze today!"
"I'm going to eat so much I might die!"
"Suit yourself!"
"Drink! Booze! The liquor's waiting for usss!"
Watching them chatter excitedly, Master spoke.
"It was a wise choice to pay the toll."
"Yes, we've now bought ourselves a debt."
At my words, Squad Leader Jeong Chung asked,
"A debt? But Hideout Leader Jang has pledged to serve you with grace…"
"Even so, unless his subordinates receive their share, they won't follow his orders wholeheartedly, right?"
"That makes sense."
Master laughed and added,
"I thought we wouldn't be able to cross Odong Mountain until tomorrow, but we passed faster than expected."
"At this rate, we'll reach Golden Boat Village by evening."
We had crossed the mountain a day early, and that was a good thing for me.
Because it meant I could accomplish my objective that much sooner.
.
.
.
Drdrk, drdrk.
Clatter, clatter.
On the quiet road, the sound of wheels turning and horse hooves echoed.
How long had we been walking?
In the distance, a village began to appear.
"Thank goodness we'll reach the village before sunset. No need to sleep under the open sky."
At Palgap's remark, Pavilion Member Lim Kyeongbin, who was seated in front, responded.
"Even if we're staying at an inn, we mustn't let our guard down. In a way, an inn can be more dangerous than sleeping outdoors."
"Huh? Why's that?"
At Palgap's question, I found myself replying instinctively.
"You have to suspect everything — whether the food has poison or sleeping drugs, whether someone's hiding in your room to steal your belongings…"
"Then I'd rather sleep outside for peace of mind."
"Honestly, that's more comfortable in some ways, but we still need to stop by inns affiliated with our Eunhae Merchant Group or the Prosperous Escort Agency. News and information tend to flow through these places."
I smiled as I answered.
"If my hunch is right, the inn we're heading to now is one that deals with the Prosperous Escort Agency, so we shouldn't have much to worry about."
"This is your first escort trip, yet you seem quite knowledgeable."
At Pavilion Member Lim's comment, I momentarily panicked.
Of course I knew these things — I had experienced them in past escort missions.
But at present, I was supposed to be someone unfamiliar with them.
"Ah, I, I learned from the older brothers."
"I see."
"I also learned from Chief of Internal Affairs Yoo. He trained me quite harshly."
"Ugh…"
Lim's face stiffened at my hasty addition, and he replied with a sympathetic look.
"You've had it tough."
"Hahaha…"
The speed of our escort slowed — a sign that we were entering the village.
I looked out the carriage window at the village.
A village located beside the pass from Hubei to Gangseo.
Because it's about 1 km away from the Gan River, it's spared from floods and is a lively hub for merchants.
It's troublesome if goods get wet from floods.
And the geography makes it easy to fend off occasional bandits.
A marketplace opened daily here, not only trading Gangseo Province's specialties like dried freshwater fish, but also goods from southern regions like sugar and tea brought up the Gan River.
This market was called the Golden Boat Market—meaning a place where ships carrying valuable goods trade.
And so, the village was also called Golden Boat Village.
This is the village where the craftsman who created the Self-Dancing Doll resides.
.
.
.
"Whoa, whoa!"
As the merchant group's procession halted, I stepped down from the carriage.
[Yeo Family Inn]
This inn, run by a family with the surname Yeo, was a place I had relied on quite often.
Here, I could trust the people.
"Welcome. We've been expecting you."
At that moment, a middle-aged man quickly ran out.
His name was Yeo Chu.
The owner of this inn.
They say he was named Yeo Chu because he was born in the fall?
"It's been a while. Nearly a month, hasn't it?"
At the Master's greeting, the innkeeper responded warmly.
"Yes, it's been one month and two days. Ah! You must be Squad Leader Jeong Chung?"
Jeong's eyes widened in surprise at his words.
"You still remember my name? It's been nearly three years, I think?"
"You're an important guest, of course I remember. Hahaha."
That's Yeo Chu's specialty.
Even if he met someone just once ten years ago, he could recall their name and traits with chilling accuracy.
He even greeted visitors from Breeze Pavilion and Sunset Pavilion by name.
"And Pavilion Member Lim Kyeongbin…"
His eyes moved slightly, and with a smile, he offered a martial salute.
"This must be your first time staying at our inn."
"That's right."
I returned the salute and said,
"I'm Eun Seoho from the Finance Pavilion. This here is my servant, Palgap."
"I see. Pleased to meet you. I'm Yeo Chu, the innkeeper here."
"Thank you for your warm welcome."
"Please, come inside. I'll prepare water for washing and food to fill your bellies."
In fact, during escort missions, we refrained from washing our faces too often — to protect the skin from rough winds and dust.
But regular cleaning was still necessary to remove dirt.
We entered the inn and received our room assignments.
Each room housed three people, including the guards.
I heard that other escort agencies sometimes cram ten guards into one room, but the Prosperous Escort Agency was generous in this respect.
In the future I experienced, after succeeding my second brother as a Vice-Leader of the Merchant Group, I got the chance to meet the agency's master.
From that conversation, I learned a lot about managing people — and I was genuinely impressed.
Treating guards decently was part of efficiently grinding… no, utilizing them.
In the long run, that approach brought greater benefit.
Creak—
Palgap opened the door, and two bodyguards entered first, checking every corner of the room.
"No issues. We'll be in the adjacent room, so rest well."
Pavilion Member Lim and I entered the room.
Seeing the neatly maintained room brought a smile to my face.
Old memories of staying here resurfaced.
All the beds in this inn were not fixed — they installed them according to guests' needs.
Perhaps due to prior notice from the advance team, three beds were already set up in the room, with blankets laid out.
I asked Pavilion Member Lim,
"I noticed earlier that there's a communal bath here. Will you be using it?"
He nodded at my question.
"Yes, that's right."
"Then please go ahead. I'll wash separately."
At my words, Pavilion Member Lim's face brightened as he answered.
"Then I'll go now."
Seeing him off, memories of the past surfaced.
'That was my selfishness.'
Back then, wanting to grow closer to the merchant group's workers, I had bathed together with them in the communal bath.
But that was a mistake.
I had only made them uncomfortable.
I shouldn't make the same mistake again.
"Palgap, please ask them to prepare a private bath for me."
"Understood."
After washing up, I headed to the dining hall on the first floor, and those who had already bathed were seated at the tables.
"Pavilion Member Eun, please come this way."
Squad Leader Jeong Chung pointed to an empty seat, and I sat down.
"What would you like to eat?"
That expression clearly meant he wanted to recommend something delicious.
Well then, I should meet that expectation.
"What's good here?"
"This place is known for its meat dishes fried in canola oil and dumplings with yam."
"Then I'll have those."
Come to think of it, wasn't Gangseo Province known for its unique liquor?
Yet, despite being at this inn after so long, not a single bottle of alcohol was on the table.
That's because one of the unspoken rules of escort missions was to avoid even the scent of alcohol while staying at an inn.
Just then, the attendant came to take our orders, and after some small talk, the food was brought out.
Freshly fried meat in canola oil and steaming dumplings.
"Please, eat."
I picked up a dumpling and took a bite.
"Mmm…"
"Delicious, right?"
"Yes, it's really good."
It was a taste I had missed.
After Yeo Chu, the innkeeper, died and his son took over, for some reason, this flavor could never be replicated.
But now, tasting it again, I could truly feel that I had returned to being fifteen years old.
After filling up somewhat on dumplings, I asked,
"When do we depart from this place?"
"We plan to stay here for about four to five days."
The stalls at Golden Boat Market are run by small-scale merchants.
Merchant groups the size of the Eunhae Merchant Group don't deal in such petty exchanges due to the large volume of goods.
There are two main methods used by well-established merchant groups for trading.
The first method is where two merchant groups negotiate trading conditions in advance, then meet at a designated location to exchange goods or hand over goods and receive payment.
The second method is to hang a sign in front of the inn listing the merchant group's name and the items they wish to trade.
Other groups who see it and wish to trade will then initiate contact, and the two sides set a date for negotiations.
This time, we would be going with the first method.
If it had been the second method, someone from Sunset Pavilion of rank 2 or Byeong would've accompanied us to handle the transactions and negotiations.
After confirming the group's schedule, I asked Master and Squad Leader Jeong Chung,
"I'm sorry, but may I go off on my own for a bit tomorrow?"
I was planning to search for the craftsman who made the Self-Dancing Doll tomorrow.
Jeong Chung nodded calmly.
"Merchant Lord had already given prior instructions. You are to be given personal time, as you have private matters to attend to."
"I see."
As expected of Father.
Father really is the best.
Jeong Chung continued.
"However, he also insisted that you be accompanied by bodyguards at all times."
That was something I couldn't argue with, so I answered obediently.
"Understood."
After the meal, everyone began moving to take care of their assigned duties.
Some needed to stand night watch to protect the cargo, and others had to feed the horses.
Those not on watch duty returned to their rooms early.
My role was to record the details of the trade, and since I planned to move early in the morning, I intended to go to bed early as well.
— Young master.
Just then, I heard someone's voice calling out to me in my mind.
A familiar sound transmission.
It was my master's voice, using inner transmission.
— Tonight, I'll come fetch you.
I didn't understand what he meant, so I looked over at my master. He smiled gently and sent another transmission.
— You must, cultivate, right?
Damn, so much for going to bed early tonight.
.
.
.
Step, step, step,
My footsteps echoed loudly.
A dark hallway.
I walked through it, feeling the walls with my hand.
Thump,
Before I knew it, I reached a dead end.
No, it wasn't.
It was a door.
Creeeaak.
The hinged door under my hand opened, and under the faint lamplight, the room's interior came into view.
Three corpses lay scattered, clearly dead.
Judging by their positioning, they were family.
And in the middle of them, someone sat curled up, sobbing.
I approached the person.
Suddenly, that person grabbed my wrist, and startled, I screamed.
.
.
.
"Aaaagh!"
"Young master. Are you alright?"
"Huh?"
I turned my head. Palgap was looking at me with a worried expression.
"Did you have a nightmare?"
"...Seems like it."
"Shall I prepare a calming tonic for you?"
"No, just bring me a cup of cold water."
"Understood."
Palgap went downstairs, and I looked down at my wrist.
And I recalled the person who had grabbed it in the dream.
I hadn't seen the face, but I felt I knew who it was.
It was the craftsman who made the Self-Dancing Doll, the one I couldn't save in the future I had lived through.
I was sure that, while grabbing my wrist, that person had said—
'This time, you must…'
I could guess what the rest would've been.
'…save me and my family.'
Clenching my fist, I made a vow — this time, I would save that craftsman and their family.