Chapter 307

Tap, tap!

Jang Hamun, the Boss of the Sea Dragon Clan, tapped his fingers incessantly on the table.

It was a habit of his that emerged when he was troubled.

His worries had deepened after meeting Lee Seong-hak, who had returned from a long journey a day ago.

The item and information Lee Seong-hak had shown him had plunged him into anguish.

No matter how much he thought, an easy answer wouldn’t come.

“Hoo!”

Just as he let out a sigh.

“May I come in for a moment?”

The voice of his Steward, Woo Gunchang, was heard.

“Come in.”

As Jang Hamun’s permission was granted, Woo Gunchang entered.

Woo Gunchang was a Martial Artist now in his early fifties, responsible for the major and minor affairs of the Sea Dragon Clan.

Woo Gunchang’s role had been immense in the Sea Dragon Clan achieving its current prestige. For that reason, Jang Hamun also respected Woo Gunchang.

Jang Hamun said to Woo Gunchang.

“Have a seat.”

“How could I possibly sit in the same place as my Liege…”

“There’s no one else here, is there? It’s fine, so take a seat.”

“In that case…”

Woo Gunchang no longer refused and sat opposite Jang Hamun.

“So, what is it?”

“A strange rumor is circulating on the streets right now.”

“What kind of rumor is it?”

“There’s information that the Crimson Sword Society was shattered by some old man.”

“What kind of nonsense rumor is that…”

“I don’t think it’s something to be dismissed as a simple rumor. There are quite a few witnesses. They say that even the Crimson Sword Society Leader, Yu Daehyeop, couldn’t last a few seconds against the old man and was brought to his knees.”

“Then you’re saying it’s true?”

Jang Hamun wore an expression of disbelief.

The one who had grasped the Crimson Sword Society’s full strength in more detail than anyone was none other than the Sea Dragon Clan. While they were no match for the Sea Dragon Clan, the Crimson Sword Society still possessed enough power to cause a major upset if one was careless.

In particular, the Crimson Sword Society Leader, Yu Il-seok, was strong enough that even Jang Hamun dared not take him lightly. But if Yu Il-seok hadn’t lasted even a few seconds, the man had to be a tremendous Expert.

“Why would such an Expert?”

Jang Hamun furrowed his brow.

It was because an unpleasant thought had come to mind.

He tried to erase the thought and asked Woo Gunchang.

“The old man’s identity?”

“We are in the process of identifying him. However, his yellow hair and beard suggest he may have come from the Outer Regions.”

“From the Outer Regions?”

“Yes! For now, it seems he was aboard one of the ships that came in yesterday. We are calling in the captains to investigate, so we should be able to find out exactly where he came from.”

“Tell them to find out quickly.”

“Yes!”

Woo Gunchang replied, bowing his head deeply.

If the old man possessed enough martial prowess to single-handedly shatter the Crimson Sword Society, he was clearly a Martial Artist that even Jang Hamun could not dare to take lightly.

He had to find out the purpose of such a Martial Artist entering Haemun.

There were more than one or two factions aiming for Haemun.

With a tremendous amount of wealth passing through this place daily, many Sects coveted it.

Because of this, the Sea Dragon Clan had no choice but to always react sensitively to external threats.

If, by any chance, the old man coveted Haemun and intended to challenge the Sea Dragon Clan’s supremacy, they had to start preparing countermeasures now.

“The situation doesn’t feel right, so put everyone on alert for now. So that we can move at any time.”

“I understand.”

“And just in case, be prepared to invite an external Expert at any moment.”

“That could turn into a case of inviting a tiger to chase away a wolf.”

“I know! That’s why I’m just telling you to prepare. We don’t know what might happen, so we must be ready.”

“Understood. I will start looking into it.”

“Mm!”

Jang Hamun approached the window and threw it wide open. The entire view of the port came into sight at once.

Even now, a trade ship was entering the port.

Every time a trade ship came in, the Sea Dragon Clan earned a vast fortune. Jang Hamun had no intention of ever giving up such enormous profits.

‘This is my land. No one can take this land from me.’

＊＊＊

Pyo Wol walked the streets of Haemun.

Haemun was an incredibly large city. The streets were also very complex, so it was common to get lost without a guide. Because of this, many first-time visitors would lose their way and wander into the back alleys.

Of course, it was extremely rare for anyone to emerge from the back alleys unscathed. They had to experience firsthand how harsh the world’s sentiment was, and how ferocious the people at the bottom were. They were lucky if they could get out with their lives.

Pyo Wol roamed such dangerous streets without hesitation.

Many had approached Pyo Wol, seeing him walking alone.

Some were bewitched by Pyo Wol’s beautiful face, while others approached to rob him of his wealth. But not a single one of them managed to lay a hand on Pyo Wol’s body.

“Ugh!”

Even now, a man who had recklessly approached him was sprawled at Pyo Wol’s feet, letting out a groan.

On the outside, there were no wounds. Yet the man’s face was deathly pale as he coughed up white foam.

He was the twenty-third man to have lunged at Pyo Wol.

He had appeared out of nowhere and his first words were, ‘Hand over everything you have!’

Pyo Wol had used a technique he had recently mastered on the man.

This was the result.

The man was experiencing a hellish pain.

It would have been better if he could have at least lost consciousness, but the more intense the pain became, the clearer his mind grew.

Pyo Wol passed him by without a second glance.

With time, the technique he had cast would naturally wear off. Of course, until then, he would have to continue to suffer hellish pain.

Pyo Wol committed all the surrounding terrain and features to his memory.

Whenever he went to a new place, Pyo Wol had a habit of first grasping the topography.

By understanding the terrain, he would distinguish advantageous and disadvantageous locations for himself and prepare for the worst-case scenario.

Although his mind had become more relaxed than before, that habit had not changed at all.

Only after committing all of Haemun’s terrain to memory did Pyo Wol return to the Inn.

“You’re back?”

As soon as he entered the Inn, Tarha was the first to greet him. Yul Ayeon, who was beside him, also smiled and greeted him.

“You’ve returned. I didn’t see you all day, so I thought you had left.”

“I just wandered around here and there.”

“Sightseeing?”

“You could see it that way.”

“Oh my! I’m so jealous.”

Yul Ayeon smiled with her eyes.

Her already captivating blue eyes stood out even more.

Pyo Wol sat in the seat in front of them and said.

“You two weren’t around since morning either. You must have been busy?”

“Since it’s a town we’ve never been to before, there was a lot to find out. Thanks to that, my granddaughter and I were busy running around.”

Tarha replied with a smile.

Yul Ayeon rested her chin on her hand and said.

“The Central Plains has so many fascinating things. There are many beautiful people too, so it was a feast for the eyes.”

“That’s right! The Central Plains is definitely different from the Western Regions.”

“What are the Western Regions like?”

At Pyo Wol’s question, Tarha scratched his head with his finger for a moment.

“Hmm! It’s definitely different. Much more well-adorned. Everything.”

“Is that so?”

“The people, the buildings, the environment… should I say it feels more abundant?”

“It seems it’s not like that in the Western Regions?”

“We’ve been through a long civil war.”

“A civil war? You mean it was divided?”

“Something like that. Originally, the war should have ended a little sooner, but it was prolonged for certain reasons. Because of that, many things were devastated.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“It’s a tragic affair. Many people in the Western Regions are suffering because of it, but this place is so peaceful.”

“This place isn’t particularly different either.”

“Is that so?”

As if Pyo Wol’s answer was unexpected, Tarha stared at him intently.

“It only looks peaceful on the surface.”

“Even a feigned peace is fine. If the Western Regions were at least this peaceful, I would never have come all the way here.”

Tarha gave a bitter smile.

Pyo Wol thought for a moment before asking.

“When did the civil war in the Western Regions start?”

“It’s been over several decades. Actually, civil wars are very common in the Western Regions. Since it’s divided into so many tribes and kingdoms, conflicts break out almost daily. Territorial disputes also happen frequently. But I swear, this is the first time a civil war has gone on for this long. It’s just not getting resolved.”

“Then why did you come all the way here? If the civil war is that serious, shouldn’t you be there trying to resolve it?”

“That’s because the root cause lies elsewhere.”

“Grandfather!”

At that moment, Yul Ayeon’s voice brought Tarha back to his senses. Only then did Tarha realize his mistake and wear an awkward expression.

“Please forget what I just said.”

“……”

“As I get older, I find myself getting sentimental for no reason. Maybe this is why they say the old should just die.”

Tarha brought the cup of alcohol to his lips.

Yul Ayeon naturally changed the subject.

“Are there any sights you would recommend?”

“Not particularly…”

“Is that so? What a shame.”

“I’m also disappointed that I have no place to recommend.”

“Well, it can’t be helped.”

Yul Ayeon’s expression was not at all disappointed.

She stared intently at Pyo Wol.

There were many handsome men in the Western Regions as well. But none of them exuded an aura as bewitching as Pyo Wol’s.

Originally, she disliked men with such feminine appearances. She believed that men should have broad shoulders and be dependable.

In fact, the men most commonly seen around her were of that type.

If nothing special happened, Yul Ayeon would marry one of them. This was because the laws of the Mara Dharma Hall were extremely strict and did not permit marriage with outsiders.

The only exception was her father.

Yul Ayeon’s mother had fallen in love with her father, who came from the Central Plains, and gave birth to her, but she had to pay a harsh price.

After that, marrying an outsider became something one couldn’t even dream of. This was especially true for Yul Ayeon. As she was of mixed blood from birth, it was absolutely impossible for her to marry someone outside the Mara Dharma Hall.

If Yul Ayeon were to marry someone outside the Mara Dharma Hall, not only she but also her grandfather, Tarha, would pay a great price.

Therefore, Yul Ayeon never even considered marrying someone outside the Mara Dharma Hall. But Pyo Wol’s bewitching appearance was so great that it could shake even her firm resolve.

Yul Ayeon was genuinely curious about Pyo Wol’s identity.

It was absurd to think that a person with such looks, aura, and gaze could be an ordinary person.

Having arrived in the Central Plains only a short while ago, she was ignorant of the situation here.

She had tried to find out the information she wanted by subjugating the Crimson Sword Society Leader, Yu Il-seok, but her general knowledge was still severely lacking.

Because of that, even seeing Pyo Wol’s face, she couldn’t easily deduce his identity.

Whether he knew her feelings or not, Pyo Wol just stared blankly out the window.

A silence fell over the table where they sat.

The strange situation of Tarha sipping his drink, Pyo Wol looking outside, and Yul Ayeon looking at Pyo Wol continued for a while.

The one who broke the silence was Pyo Wol.

“I’ll head in first.”

He got up from his seat and headed towards the annex.

He felt the gazes of Tarha and Yul Ayeon on his back, but he walked on without a care.

The moment they disappeared from his sight, the Waiter, Geom-yeon, quickly came to Pyo Wol’s side.

Geom-yeon bowed his waist as if he were Pyo Wol’s attendant and opened his mouth.

“I’ve received a message from Brother Musang.”

“Already?”

“You know that brother, when he says he’ll do something, he does it for sure. It seems he had the children take turns watching them.”

“And?”

“He says those two came here to find someone. The martial artists of the Crimson Sword Society are currently scattered, searching for clues about that person.”

“And they don’t know the identity?”

“It’s only been a day. If you give him a few more days, he’ll be able to find out soon.”

“Tell him to hurry.”

“Yes!”

At Pyo Wol’s words, Geom-yeon bowed his head and replied. Then, as if he remembered something, he spoke again.

“Oh, and this is a separate matter, but they say the Sea Dragon Clan is very busy right now.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know the detailed circumstances either. But they say security inside has become much tighter since the merchant ship came in.”

“Is that so?”

Pyo Wol’s gaze turned toward the place where the Sea Dragon Clan was located.