Pay‑to‑Win King of Martial Arts (Novel) - Chapter 200 - The Calm Before the Storm (3)
Chapter 200 – The Calm Before the Storm (3)
There was a clear reason I narrowed my eyes. The grade-three talents and above were greedily coveting the treasures of the world. Which meant that Longyuan might be something my martial talent shop desired as well.
I looked through the martial talent shop carefully once more. The last time, all the demands had been so absurd that I had not even looked through everything. And as it turned out, my suspicion was exactly right.
[ Awakening – Grade Three ]
[ Price: Longyuan of the Eighteen Famous Swords ]
The name of the martial talent was Awakening. Lately, I had begun to notice that the higher the grade of the martial talent, the more metaphysical the names became.
At the lower grades, one could look at a name and immediately feel what sort of talent it would be, but these days the meanings were not so easy to grasp at a glance.
But I knew how extraordinary high-grade talents were. That Awakening, whatever it was, would surely be something that changed me at my core.
‘The Eighteen Famous Swords.’
A term referring to the eighteen famous swords of the Central Plains, though no one really knew who had first decided on the list.
Among them were swords like Azure Radiance of the Namgung Clan, whose owner was clearly known, and others like Longyuan, whose trace had long since vanished.
“I-is that really true?”
Someone stammered the question. Su Je-heon smiled faintly.
“We have examined it several times. There is no doubt that the treasure map leading to Longyuan is genuine.”
People began to murmur. A sword of the Eighteen Famous Swords was a priceless treasure whose worth could not be measured.
Had not even Namgung Hwi, who always carried himself with such cold wind about him, turned into a child the moment Azure Radiance was taken from him and flailed all his limbs?
So it was only natural that everyone would covet an item like that. Even I, who ordinarily would not have cared much, felt somewhat drawn to it because the martial talent shop wanted it. Still, there was one thing that bothered me most.
“Then why is the Martial Alliance revealing this fact?”
I asked abruptly. The murmuring of the crowd cut off all at once.
I did not trust the man called Su Je-heon.
And to begin with, among the people who suggested sharing treasure, I had never met one who was not a swindler. Usually, if people found something delicious, they simply ate it alone.
Which meant that Su Je-heon had some scheme here. That was my conclusion.
“Indeed. What is your angle here? Since when did the Martial Alliance ever share this kind of thing?”
The spark of suspicion I cast lightly ignited at once like a prairie fire. Su Je-heon shot me a slight glare, then turned back to the crowd with a smile.
“Naturally, the Martial Alliance did first attempt to resolve it on its own. But this was something the Martial Alliance alone simply could not solve, and so we are requesting aid.”
“If you say you could not solve it, could you explain that more concretely?”
“The location itself was somewhere we could not easily approach.”
“Where?”
“The Zhoushan Archipelago.”
The expressions of the people twisted. The Zhoushan Archipelago certainly was a place difficult for martial artists to approach.
What sort of place was the Zhoushan Archipelago? It was made up of more than a thousand islands and over three thousand reefs. It was dangerous enough that even seasoned sailors could easily sink if they made a mistake.
Martial artists who had spent their entire lives in the inland Central Plains tended to dislike and fear the sea itself, with its endless heaving. So for the location to be the Zhoushan Archipelago, a place notorious even among coastal regions for dangerous currents and terrain, it made sense that martial artists would frown.
“And that is not all.”
Su Je-heon added. Tension spread across the people’s faces.
“According to the treasure map, Longyuan is not on the land of the Zhoushan Archipelago, but in the sea.”
“…What?”
It was little wonder that people were startled. That one of the Eighteen Famous Swords slept beneath the sea was both astonishing and, at the same time, enough to make the Martial Alliance’s explanation for being unable to solve it alone understandable.
“N-no, wait a moment. If it is buried in the sea, what use is the treasure map?”
Even Thousand-Poison Scholar Dang Se-ui, who had until now kept a composed smile, sounded flustered.
“Which is precisely why I said the Martial Alliance could not solve it alone.”
“If it has sunk to the bottom of the sea, then does that not mean it may as well not exist? What kind of treasure map is that? The sea is not some lake.”
“Rest easy. It has not sunk to the bottom of the deep sea at the edge of the world. To be exact, it is protected within an underwater formation.”
The murmuring in the hall calmed a little. That was certainly better than if it were simply lodged somewhere at a depth no one could ever reach. Still, the situation remained daunting.
“To be precise, the treasure map told us that Longyuan lies somewhere in the waters of the Zhoushan Archipelago. But we do not know near which island exactly it is located.”
Su Je-heon’s words made the matter go from bad to worse. It meant they would have to search the waters around more than a thousand islands and over three thousand reefs. There was no force in the current age besides the imperial court itself that could pour that much manpower into such a task.
“Can that even be found?”
“I cannot say for certain.”
People sighed. Su Je-heon went on.
“Naturally, no one has to participate by force. It would merely mean that they would have no right to claim ownership of Longyuan.”
“If all the people of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families are mobilized, does that not mean no one has even decided who gets Longyuan in the end?”
Again I was the one who spoke. The others, all too swept up by the Eighteen Famous Swords, had not thought that far yet, and now began exclaiming in realization.
“That is true. It is not as though Longyuan can be divided into several pieces. So what exactly are you proposing?”
Several people started protesting to Su Je-heon. But he already had his answer prepared.
“Naturally, Longyuan will go to a single force. Here, the Martial Alliance would like to make one proposal.”
Everyone’s gaze focused on Su Je-heon’s mouth.
“We wish to open a Grand Martial Assembly limited to the forces that participate in the operation to recover Longyuan.”
The Grand Martial Assembly. Even I knew that event.
Put simply, it was what happened when the Gathering of Dragons and Phoenixes, where the younger generation fought one another, was held among the adults instead. In other words, it was essentially a tournament to determine the greatest martial artist under heaven.
But to my knowledge, the Grand Martial Assembly had not been held in nearly a hundred years. That was because the participants were all representatives of their sects and families, and if they were injured, it would be a loss to the martial world as a whole.
To say that they would revive a Grand Martial Assembly that had been abolished a century ago. Naturally, the impact was enormous.
“Are you serious, Alliance Leader?”
“Have you forgotten that the previous Grand Martial Assembly ended with casualties?”
Some people could not believe Su Je-heon’s words, while others openly protested. But Su Je-heon swept them all aside with a single sentence.
“Does anyone here have a better idea?”
There was no one who could answer that question. In truth, the method Su Je-heon had proposed really was the cleanest.
If they instead divided up contributions and argued over who had done more and who had done less, it would only become much uglier.
“Ahem, even so, it would be dangerous.”
No matter how one looked at it, those would be clashes between masters whose passing blows could kill. It was only natural for people to worry.
But these were martial artists gathered here. Given how martial artists were a breed bound tightly by competitive spirit, there were overwhelmingly more people who could not turn away from the excitement created by the phrase Grand Martial Assembly, and from the anticipation of an official contest to decide the strongest person under heaven. After all, was it not the greatest and most official opportunity imaginable to prove just how strong one was?
On top of that, the justification was perfect. To claim one of the Eighteen Famous Swords representing the Central Plains would be an immense honor.
“Then let us do it.”
“Very well. In that case, we shall also combine next year’s scheduled Gathering of Dragons and Phoenixes with the Grand Martial Assembly. Would that not take less time away from the sects and great families?”
“I approve.”
At that, Su Je-heon bundled the Gathering of Dragons and Phoenixes into the matter as well. Since the Gathering of Dragons and Phoenixes, unlike the Grand Martial Assembly, had continued to be held steadily, no one particularly objected.
“Then shall we settle that matter there as well?”
Zhuge Gyeom called out. Everyone turned to look at him.
“That matter being what?”
Su Je-heon tilted his head. Smiling, Zhuge Gyeom answered.
“The matter of collecting money from the merchant companies. Opinion seems split half and half, so let the victorious sect or family decide the guidelines on that matter as well. The losing side will close its mouth, whatever complaints it may have.”
Zhuge Gyeom bundled even the conflict over the merchant companies into the Grand Martial Assembly. Even Su Je-heon seemed not to have expected that, because he could not answer immediately, but supporting voices fell like rain.
“Excellent. It is only fitting for martial artists to settle such disputes through martial contests.”
“The Mount Hua Sect supports Clan Head Zhuge’s words.”
Not even Su Je-heon’s slippery tongue could stop the flow once it had gone that far. Though his lips trembled faintly, he was left with no choice but to let that agenda pass as well.
An enormous amount now hung upon the Grand Martial Assembly to come.
“Wait. Are the views of the merchant companies to be ignored entirely? Is it not absurd to have martial artists alone decide whether we must simply hand over five pun of our profits?”
At that moment, one of the merchants shouted. He was absolutely right.
To extort money from merchants while ignoring the merchants’ own views. That truly deserved to be called overbearing.
“If there are merchant companies that refuse, then the orthodox martial world will no longer protect those merchant companies and will make that fact public.”
Su Je-heon said that firmly. The merchant lost the power of speech.
Merchant companies did possess security systems of their own, but that was not why black-path figures and bandits refrained from attacking them. Naturally, the greater factor was that they were wary of the orthodox martial world.
If the orthodox martial world openly turned its back on them and made that public, then it would amount to openly telling the black path to plunder those merchant companies at will.
“How vicious…”
“That is the Martial Alliance’s decision. Ah, though of course, even this will ultimately be decided at the Grand Martial Assembly, so nothing is fixed yet. If the side arguing against collecting money from merchant companies wins, then all such worries will be meaningless, will they not?”
Su Je-heon laughed heartily. To bind commerce and the martial world together in this way. Su Je-heon truly was an extraordinary man.
Just when it seemed as though every agenda had now been resolved.
I, however, had no intention of letting things end as the Martial Alliance desired.
“Wait. There is a tremendous flaw in that plan.”
“What flaw?”
Since I had thrown a stone back into an atmosphere that was settling down, people looked at me with distinctly displeased eyes.
But they had no choice except to agree with what I said next.
“All of this discussion assumes that Longyuan is found, does it not? What if Longyuan is not found?”
“With the Nine Great Sects, the Five Great Families, and the Martial Alliance all working together, it seems difficult to imagine it not being found.”
Su Je-heon sneered. I shook my head.
“No. People of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families will have difficulty even entering and leaving the Zhoushan Archipelago.”
“What?”
“Have you forgotten the sea-ban order? The Zhoushan Archipelago lies in the sea.”
People were left speechless. The sea-ban order. The only time it did not apply was when one was merely passing through for travel. In other words, only those who lived in Hainan Island or the Zhoushan Archipelago could move through the sea freely.
“And the imperial court is greedy. If the whole martial world moves to search for one of the Eighteen Famous Swords, do you really think the imperial court will refrain from sticking in its own spoon?”
At my words, everyone’s expressions changed. They too knew what kind of organization the imperial court was.
“What, then does that mean the whole plan collapses?”
People began whispering among themselves. Pleased with the disorder I had created, I smiled.
“But there is one and only one way to resolve the present situation.”
“…What?”
“All the people who go to search for the Eighteen Famous Swords must disguise themselves as members of the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company.”
I said that with a smile.
“As all of you know, the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company currently occupies a position of temporary monopoly over the southeastern maritime trade routes. Since the Zhoushan Archipelago also falls within the southeastern coast, only the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company can freely enter and leave it.”
I looked around at the crowd. Every last one of them was staring at me blankly with their mouths hanging open.
“To state the conclusion plainly, all of you need the cooperation of the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company before you can even begin the search for Longyuan.”
That was the final nail I drove in.
At once Su Je-heon’s urgent voice rang in my ear.
What are you thinking?
Apparently he had become uneasy because I had seized the initiative, which he believed had to remain in his hands at all times. Looking straight at him, I answered aloud instead of by voice transmission.
“However, since you will be making use of the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company, you will naturally have to pay an appropriate usage fee.” My smile only made Su Je-heon’s expression twist more deeply.