episode_0192

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“Are you seeing the line today?”

“What?”

“No, isn’t it? I even shaved off that bushy beard. Even that mop-like hair was oiled and glued together… It looks like it was peeled off even when it was tied up…”

“Don’t say nonsense!”

Jaesang-hae flinches at Gwang Jae-ryeon’s shouting. Rather than saying that I was particularly scared, I could say that my eardrums were hit by a huge sound wave attack. While Jaesanghae was clutching his ears and groaning, Gwangjaeryeon quickly pulled out.

“Oh my, you ignorant bastard.”

Jaesanghae sighed as he looked at the back of Gwangjaeryeon who was running away. Yes, it was a place on a different level from seeing the line. What a shame, that guy even removed the grime and polished it.

“Do well. No matter what you do wrong, the result will be the same.”

Jaesanghae muttered like that.

Gwang Jae-ryeon hurriedly headed to the Geumcheol Workshop. When I arrived at Mak-Yul’s workshop in Geumcheol Workshop, Mak-Yul and an old man were waiting.

“Oh, I’m here.”

“Nice to meet you. My name is Soiji, the head of this gold iron workshop.”

“See you, senior. It is called Gwangjaeryeon.”

Gwang Jae-ryeon gave a flat greeting to Soji. Not only was he a benefactor who gave him opportunities, but even just by looking at his appearance, it was clear that he was a person who had lived his entire life with fire and metal.

“Hehe, I only saw it once while passing by from afar, but he truly has the body of a blacksmith.”

“Thank you. Elderly.”

“The investor will be arriving soon, so let’s go to the reception room.”

The two sat across from each other in the reception room.

“Okay, there is some time left until the investor comes, so let’s talk about the investor.”

“Yes!”

“Okay…Do you know that Sanggye fortress is a mess these days?”

“I’m not sure. If you teach me, I will listen.”

“Then, have you heard the rumors about the Jeomchang faction’s Hongjuk military alliance?”

“Yes. The revenge story of Yeo-il-ye Daehyup is famous.”

The revenge story of Yeo Il-ye of the Hongjuk Military Association is now one of the most famous stories in the world. A charlatan who raised his sword against famous people and those in power who secretly committed evil deeds and rose to success.

How could people not be enthusiastic about something that seemed like something out of a fairy tale but has become a reality?

“Golden Street was one of the great men who controlled the economy of Sichuan. Not only was such a great man uprooted, but even the merchants of the Sichuan Merchants’ Federation suffered big and small blows… The explosion of Sichuan spread to the entire central region of Wulin, and the central region’s The commercial world is facing quite a bit of confusion. As the upper end suffers back pain, those who invested money in the upper end are also bound to become sensitive.”

“Indeed….”

“Thanks to this, there has been a steady stream of investors who want to invest in the Geumcheol Workshop. Since this is a gold and iron workshop connected to the country, these are the people who calculated that they would not be swayed by such factions.”

Hearing Soiji’s words, Gwangjae-ryeon swallowed dry saliva. With the waves crashing, is this a chance to go out to sea? But negative thoughts also filled my head. In the end, isn’t it true that investors who have withdrawn money from the general top tend to value stability?

Investing in new technology is the gamble of gambles. Will such a stable investor really pay attention to Gwangcheol Workshop?

“But that’s it. What should I say to the investor I met today? He seemed to be a very firm person who wanted to invest in a workshop.”

“Hmm…”

“I have been banging metal all my life, so I have my own sense of it. It’s the right time for the steel industry to enter the market, but you seem to have a different feel from the investors who came in on the same wave. That’s why I tried to hint to Mak-yul.”

“In the end, you were given a chance. I am truly grateful.”

“No. This is all thanks to your skills. I heard that Makyul was sharing my workshop with someone else, so I watched him from afar. Seeing you pounding metal, I didn’t think it would tarnish my name if you introduced me to an investor, so I just pushed ahead.”

“Elderly…”

rattle. rattle.

Then the bell rang. A signal that guests will soon arrive. When Soiji heard the bell, he remembered something he had not said and spoke hurriedly.

“Oh, and there is one thing to be careful about. Be good at handling eye contact.”

“…Are you talking about gaze?”

“That’s right. Next to the client, there will be a woman wearing a cotton gown who boasts incredible beauty, so be careful not to watch too openly!”

Something occurred to Gwang Jae-ryeon’s mind.

Didn’t you say that the investor was a member of the Korea Gold Commission?

And a woman from Myeonsa who boasts incredible beauty? That’s the dragon’s cup…

no way?

When Gwang Jae-ryeon was stiffened by a certain intuition penetrating his mind.

Grumble.

The door to the reception room opened.

“Welcome. External advisor Ho Cheon-an.”

“Nice to meet you. Cow’s head.”

“Please sit here.”

Gwangjae-ryeon looked blankly at the two people who exchanged fists with each other. At this moment, Gwang Jae-ryeon couldn’t even see the figure of the Sinbi-myeon woman, Black Cat.

Gwang Jae-ryeon and Ho Cheon-an’s eyes met.

“….What about you?”

“Oh, you two know each other?”

“Well, you could say we are acquaintances.”

Hearing Ho Cheon-an’s meaningful words, Soiji must have sensed something, so he hurriedly offered a seat. As the four people faced each other and tea and refreshments were laid out for the guests, only heavy silence remained.

“Gwangjae training trainee.”

“Evil!”

“ As the representative of the Gwangcheol workshop, is the Gwangcheol workshop here to attract investment?”

Gwang Jae-ryeon broke into a cold sweat at Ho Cheon-an’s question. What should I do about this situation? I wanted to receive investment, but that doesn’t mean I had a specific plan after receiving the investment.

Because realistically, the probability was too small to raise expectations.

To Gwang Jae-ryeon, Ho Cheon-an’s question was like a judgment seat.

A judgment seat that judges one’s own actions.

“That is…”

Gwang Jae-ryeon lowered his head, shedding a cold sweat. Gwangjaeryun thought that it would pound iron if it could receive investment, but at the same time, it also had the idea that if it did not work out, it would become a gold commission and pay off the workshop’s debt step by step.

He decided to persuade investors based on the potential of Gwangcheol Workshop, but when the target was Hocheonan, Gwangjae Ryeon could not raise his head.

If you fail to persuade investors, you can become a member of the Gold Commission.

Because Ho Cheon-an was the person who knew better than anyone else that he had such shallow thoughts.

“ Gwangjae Refinement trainees, the headquarters are instructors and trainees are trainees, but regardless of that relationship, aren’t Gwangjae Refugee trainees and the headquarters now investors and Gwangjae Refugee trainees as attractors of investment? The person who needs to persuade the main office now is the Gwangjae-ryeon trainee. How long do you plan to keep your mouth shut?”

Gwang Jae-ryeon clenched his fists.

“I didn’t expect to meet a Gwangjae training trainee here… but the head office already told me. You have to find your own path. I’ll ask again. Gwangjae-ryeon trainee. Is Gwang Jae-ryeon here a trainee of Geumyi? Are you a blacksmith representing the workshop?”

It was only then that Gwang Jae-ryeon realized this.

‘You fool!’

In the end, he realized that he was just a coward. Less likely to receive investment? It wasn’t even possible.

I was just scared.

I was afraid of making the choice to abandon the stable and glorious path of the Geumwiwi, become the successor to a workshop with a lot of debt, and continue the challenge of a new smelting method with no promise.

iron? I wanted to knock. New smelting method? I wanted to develop it.

But I didn’t have the courage.

Jo Ga-ju gave up his position as Geumuiwi and left to become a barbarian and practice spearmanship. Unlike Kangchumoru, who returned to the imperial army saying he would become a commander, he was just scared and didn’t give up.

I was so scared that I couldn’t do anything, so I just kept making excuses to console myself, saying that investing would be difficult anyway and that those grapes were sour.

“…Father discovered the clue to a new method of smelting steel.”

It was a story that started suddenly, but the three people waited for Gwang Jae-ryeon’s words.

“However, as the research continued, the limitations of the equipment became apparent. To make new steel, a very high-temperature furnace was needed, and to make such a furnace, a huge amount of money had to be spent on new equipment. However, as we had to create something that had never existed in the world, unexpected problems naturally arose.”

“Experience and technology to build large-scale facilities have been accumulated, but the problem was capital. At that point, not only the workshop’s funds but also funds had been pulled from various sources. Therefore, Gwangcheol Workshop is already in huge debt.”

“Is that so.”

“I’ll be honest. Gwangcheol Workshop has a long history and has already been completed as an ordinary workshop. It can be said that profitability has already been optimized. Expanding the workshop is also limited at this level.”

“Does this mean that there is no value in investing a small amount of money?”

“Despite the shame, it is true. It would be better to invest in other investment sources. In order for the gold and iron workshop to have value as an investment destination, the only way is to resume research on new smelting methods.”

“So how much is needed to resume research on that new smelting method?”

“…First of all, primary repayment must be made to surrounding merchants and investors. Otherwise, there’s no way they would leave the workshop spending money on new smelting methods. The amount is primarily 100 gold nyang. Also…we need money to build a new furnace.”

“What is that amount?”

“That amount too…I think I should invest about 100 gold taels.”

Gwang Jae-ryeon bowed her head. Even in his own opinion, it was an unrealistic amount. Who would burn 200 taels of gold to research such a ridiculous smelting method? Investors in Hebei had long since withdrawn from the iron ore workshop.

still.

Let’s do as much as we can. Gwang Jae-ryeon thought so and put down the bido in his arms.

“Please look at this video.”

“That’s unusual. Is this a path to be used by Gwangjae-ryeon trainees?”

“Yes. This is a monument that I worked hard to create for three days. I think it is my own work in its own way.”

Gwang Jae-ryeon desperately continued speaking as he watched Ho Cheon-an fiddling with and squeezing the rain sword.

“It may be a bit of work to paint my face, but I was once expected to become the best craftsman in Hebei. I don’t think my skills as a blacksmith are bad. In addition, Gwangcheol Workshop has been established in Hebei for a long time and has a wealth of experience and a good reputation! If we can get the investment, we have the ability to successfully research new smelting methods!”

Hocheonan put down the raincoat he was fiddling with. Gwang Jae-ryeon swallowed dry saliva again and again.

“Gwangjae training trainee.”

“Evil!”

“Isn’t there something you didn’t tell the main office?”

Gwang Jae-ryeon’s heart sank.

“Suppose the research on a new steel smelting method is successful. Then, shouldn’t you start making profits by casting new steel and selling it? No matter how innovative the new steel is, how many people would buy an untested new product?”

Gwang Jae-ryeon said nothing and lowered his head.

“Development, distribution, and production are completely different. If the product is good, it will not be difficult to dominate the market, but investment must continue until you can dominate the market. How are you going to raise the costs for that?”

“That…if you can just extract the ingots, you can convince investors.”

“Is that really true? Aren’t these investors who have already been greatly harmed by the iron ore workshop? It is questionable whether there will be investors who are making such aggressive investments in this situation where the entire commercial world is reeling.”

“….”

Gwang Jae-ryeon lowered his head helplessly. Ho Cheon-an’s words were completely correct. I could have thrown in an empty check or said as many sugar-coated words as I wanted, but I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.

“Hundred nyang of gold to settle the debt of the ore iron workshop. One hundred nyang of gold for manpower and equipment for the new smelting method. And the money to dominate distribution and the market… I guess I have to grab a hundred nyang no matter what.”

The unrealistic amount that Ho Cheon-an mentioned weighed on Gwangjae-ryeon.

It’s over.

Yes, the expectation that you could receive an investment of hundreds of nyang with just a few words was wrong. How could it be this easy to take someone else’s money? It was just a vain delusion.

When Gwang Jae-ryeon was comforting herself like that.

“Geumja three hundred nyang. We will invest.”

At Ho Cheon-an’s words, Gwangjae-ryeon’s head lifted up. Even Sooji’s mouth dropped open at the huge amount that Ho Cheon-an mentioned.

“…Why.”

“Because I saw the possibility. Since it was a business carried out by the workshop itself, we judged that it was not an absurd new technology, and the fact that it was holding on despite having a huge amount of debt could be considered a high level of potential for the workshop. Another evaluation factor is that the perfection of the video made by the light refining trainees was excellent…”

Gwang Jae-ryeon stared at Ho Cheon-an with trembling eyes. Ho Cheon-an laughed as he looked at Gwang Jae-ryeon.

“More than anything, we believe that Gwangjae-ryeon cadets will succeed. The Gwangjae-ryeon cadet that the headquarters saw was that kind of person.”

“Instructor….!”

Gwang Jae-ryeon’s eyes suddenly became blurred. Thick tears poured down Gwang Jae-ryeon’s cheeks.

“Really, thank you..! Thank you! really! Really…!”

Gwang Jae-ryeon kept saying thank you.

Thank you for investing hundreds of nyang. A sense of accomplishment from being recognized by the instructor. I also feel sorry for putting a burden on Ho Cheon-an by leaving the trainee. A sense of liberation that the debt of the workshop that had been weighing on my heart was resolved. The hope of being able to research new smelting methods. And even the anticipation of being able to handle iron again.

Those emotions mixed and swelled randomly in my mind and poured out as tears.

Ho Cheon-an placed his hand on the shoulder of Gwangjae-ryeon, who was quietly shedding tears.