“You have come?”
“Yes.”
Song Gukhyeon’s eyes widened.
An axe?
A slender young man with the air of a scholar, who would not have suited that terrifying axe at all if not for his tall stature, had a tremendously massive axe slung over one shoulder.
What is this?
Je Gal Munho was the strategist of the Martial Alliance.
Depending on the situation, the position of strategist was a highest-ranking post capable of exercising even more authority than the Service Lords. In wartime, it was sometimes considered more important than the head of the organization itself.
Moreover, this was the Martial Alliance. It might be a rash thing to say, but it would not be an exaggeration to call Je Gal Munho the Martial Alliance’s true highest-ranking working official.
Yet someone had openly walked into such a person’s quarters carrying that ominous axe?
Yeon Hojeong glanced at Song Gukhyeon.
“......!!”
In that instant, Song Gukhyeon almost turned his head without realizing it.
Yeon Hojeong had not put any particular force into his eyes, nor had he emitted Killing Intent like Je Gal Munho had a moment ago, but his gaze was so intense that it was difficult to meet.
That gaze seemed to pierce straight into a person’s heart and analyze every last thing inside. In Song Gukhyeon’s fifty-five years of life, it was only the second time he had seen eyes so mysterious and oppressive.
Yeon Hojeong smiled.
It was a smile whose meaning was difficult to grasp. Even so, Song Gukhyeon did not turn his head to the end. Before he was a giant of the merchant world, this was a matter of pride for Song Gukhyeon as a human being.
“You had a guest.”
Tremble, tremble.
The air in the room seemed to vibrate powerfully.
His voice was not particularly low, yet it felt as though the atmosphere itself were shaking. Merely hearing that voice made the muscles throughout the body seem to lose their strength.
What kind of young man is this......?!
An extraordinary presence. Sweat began to gather in Song Gukhyeon’s palms, hidden beneath his sleeves.
“Introduce yourself. This is Bank Lord Song Gukhyeon, the head of Central Plains Money Bank. He is a giant of this generation who supports one axis of the Central Plains economy.”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes flashed.
“Well now. An incredible person has come.”
THUMP!
Yeon Hojeong leaned Mad Dragon against the wall and briefly cupped his fist.
“I am Yeon Hojeong, eldest son of the Yeon Clan of Gangdong and commander of the Martial Alliance’s Evil-Smiting Corps. It is an honor to meet you, Bank Lord.”
It was a rather formal greeting. Before the other man’s status mattered, Song Gukhyeon was Je Gal Munho’s guest, so Yeon Hojeong was showing even greater courtesy.
Song Gukhyeon opened his mouth.
His lips were trembling strangely.
“I am Song, who leads Central Plains Money Bank. The honor is mine, to meet the famed Tiger Commander.”
“You overpraise me.”
The greeting ended there.
Yeon Hojeong said to Je Gal Munho, “I did not know you had an important guest. I will come back another time.”
“No, it is fine. My official conversation with the Bank Lord has ended, which is why I let you in.”
“Is that so?”
“That aside, what brings you here?”
A faint trace of doubt appeared on Yeon Hojeong’s face.
Je Gal Munho would know that he, too, had come because of official business. Yet asking in front of an outsider meant that it was fine to discuss the Alliance’s public affairs in this place.
“I am on my way here after hearing news from the intelligence advisor. I heard he reported to you first.”
Je Gal Munho’s eyes shone.
“The Assistant Commissioner of the Provincial Defense Command?”
“......!”
Surprise appeared on Yeon Hojeong’s face.
“Is that all right?”
He meant, Is it all right to speak about the Divine Flame Cult here?
As quick-witted as he was, Yeon Hojeong would not have asked such a question under ordinary circumstances. The matter was so serious that he likely wanted to confirm it one more time.
Je Gal Munho smiled bitterly.
“The Bank Lord will be staying in the Alliance for a few days.”
“Yes?”
“It seems he and I will have to share many conversations.”
Yeon Hojeong turned his gaze to Song Gukhyeon.
Song Gukhyeon’s eyes deepened.
Truly......
The gaze of the young master looking down at him had changed.
From a mysterious and oppressive gaze to a viciously indifferent one, so cold it did not even feel cold.
He could kill a person with his eyes alone.
Song Gukhyeon inwardly clicked his tongue.
He, too, had cultivated himself as deeply as anyone, but meeting Yeon Hojeong’s eyes was unbearably burdensome. If not for the Inner Qi he had trained through health-preserving arts and decades of experience, he would have long since shrunk back and been drenched in cold sweat.
“I see.”
“Since you have come as well, I will tell you why the Bank Lord came here.”
Je Gal Munho explained in detail the conversation he had just had with Song Gukhyeon.
The corners of Yeon Hojeong’s mouth rose.
“The Left Administrative Commissioner, is it...... That was worth the decisive move, Strategist.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
Song Gukhyeon silently listened to their conversation.
He did not feel slighted or wounded in his pride. Seeing the vicious atmosphere in the conversation between these two, he could tell how serious the matter was.
Only, he was worried.
No matter how much I may be the head of Central Plains Money Bank, they are discussing the Alliance’s top-secret information in front of me, when I have no direct connection to this matter.
The Left Administrative Commissioner? An unknown organization?
Those issues were beside the point. What mattered now was how they saw him.
Do they want money? Do they want to detain me completely? Or......
Do they want my life?
Even Song Gukhyeon, quick as he was at calculations, found it difficult to analyze the present situation. That was why, despite holding a position where he bowed to no one, he quietly listened to the conversation between the two men.
“This matter cannot be considered the same as the Twelfth Warrior-General’s Pacification Officer case. He is acting alone, but with his position being what it is, we cannot easily touch him.”
“The real problem is if he charges into the Martial Alliance. In the first place, there is no physical evidence that he is a Divine Flame Cult figure, so if he comes in determined to pick a fight, we have no way to respond.”
“If we capture him, how much damage do you expect?”
“He is an Assistant Commissioner of the Provincial Defense Command, senior third rank. At that level, his movements are actually more restricted than lower-ranking officials. He must certainly have reported to his superiors, so even the Provincial Defense Commissioner will step forward.”
“If the Provincial Defense Commissioner steps forward......”
“The Five Armies Command will be put on emergency alert.”
“Which means the imperial palace will get involved.”
“I believe there is more than a ninety percent chance of that.”
Song Gukhyeon’s face hardened.
Capture an Assistant Commissioner of the Provincial Defense Command? Such dangerously reckless talk was being spoken here? And in front of him, an outsider?
He sensed that the situation was far more dangerous than he had imagined.
“We still cannot be certain that he is a Divine Flame Cult figure. We will have to watch a bit longer.”
“But we must move while assuming the worst-case scenario.”
“That is also correct.”
“I have nothing to say about that point. I should have anticipated the range to some extent, but I never imagined they would have swallowed even an Assistant Commissioner of the Provincial Defense Command.”
“How could that be your fault? No matter how exceptional your abilities are, you cannot know what you have neither seen nor heard.”
“Whatever the reason, it would no longer be strange for them to be sitting in any government post.”
“I think so as well.”
“Let me organize the current situation. The most urgent issue is not killing the Assistant Commissioner of the Provincial Defense Command, but preventing him from entering the Martial Alliance, correct?”
“Exactly. We must put out the immediate fire first.”
“I do not want to approach this one-dimensionally. First, we have to discover his identity. We must prepare for him separately, and one step further, we need to devise a plan that lets us reach their roots.”
“Do you have a plan in mind?”
“Not yet. But before creating that plan, there is something that must be handled.”
“Handled?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me.”
“......”
“Why? Is it difficult to discuss?”
“It is. The thought only came to me after arriving here, so I need to organize it.”
“Your creativity and unconventional methods have always astonished me. I will decide whether to agree or refuse after hearing it, so speak freely.”
After murmuring in thought for a moment, Yeon Hojeong explained what he had in mind.
“......!!”
Je Gal Munho’s eyes shook as if an earthquake had struck them.
Yeon Hojeong sighed.
“To face them properly, we cannot have our attention scattered elsewhere. No, I actually think it is a miracle that we have managed to drag this fight this far until now.”
“......”
“That is...... what I think.”
Je Gal Munho’s eyes deepened.
“Commander Yeon.”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you truly think that is possible?”
“I will have to go and meet him in person.”
“He is by no means easy to deal with. And we must consider the one-in-ten-thousand chance. Do you think we avoided bringing up the Three Creeds at the Service Council meeting for no reason?”
“I know.”
“......”
“If you agree, I will go personally and find out.”
“It is not that I doubt your ability. But...... if he is connected to the Divine Flame Cult as well, what do you intend to do then?”
“If I see even the slightest sign of that connection......”
“......”
“I intend to kill him by any means necessary.”
“He is strong.”
“I said by any means necessary. I trust you understand what that means.”
Je Gal Munho let out a sigh.
“Are they that terrible? The Three Creeds?”
“Yes.”
“You cannot imagine how shocked I was when I learned those villains of the Divine Flame Cult had infiltrated the government. But we have not even properly grasped the enemy’s strength yet. No matter how much we assume the worst, we need to be able to infer at least some degree of......”
“Please trust me. If they rise up all at once even now, the Central Plains will become hell in that instant.”
“......”
Je Gal Munho looked at Yeon Hojeong with confused eyes, then suddenly turned his gaze to Song Gukhyeon.
At that instant, Je Gal Munho’s eyes flashed.
“Commander Yeon.”
“Go ahead.”
“When you say you thought of that scheme after coming here, could it mean......?”
“That is correct.”
Yeon Hojeong also turned his gaze to Song Gukhyeon.
The hidden powers behind the Martial Alliance were watching him. Honest tension appeared on Song Gukhyeon’s face.
A moment later, Je Gal Munho nodded.
“If the Bank Lord permits it...... yes. Let us take one gamble.”
“Do not worry.”
Yeon Hojeong looked at Song Gukhyeon and smiled.
“Am I not a master of negotiation?”
Cold sweat beaded on Song Gukhyeon’s forehead.
At that moment, he simultaneously felt the anxiety that he had come somewhere he should never have come, and the certainty that the greatest adventure of his life was about to begin.
*****
That night.
“Mm?”
Mo Yonggun, who had been drinking tea, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
Mo Yong Yeonhwa asked with a puzzled expression, “What is it, Father?”
“......”
“Father?”
“Yeonhwa.”
“Ah, yes.”
“This conversation will have to wait until later.”
“Yes?”
“A rather troublesome guest has arrived.”
A troublesome guest? Who in the world?
Mo Yonggun rose from his seat with a frown.
“What is he doing here at this hour? I thought there would be no reason to meet him for a while.”
He looked out the window.
Hup!
Even in the dark of night, they were two people who could recognize each other accurately from a distance of dozens of zhang.
Mo Yonggun’s lightning-like gaze and Yeon Hojeong’s steel-hard eyes collided in the air, sending sparks flying.
After quietly staring at Yeon Hojeong, Mo Yonggun reached toward the wall.
HOOOOOOONG. CLANK!
Gripping his treasured sword, he left the room.
