Chapter 09: Unpacking the Bundle

Yunho immediately went to meet the guild master. Before that, Karen didn’t forget to warn him.

"Uno, stay sharp! This is William Golden, the guild master of Goldrian. He’s a slippery one. Do you think he built this huge guild through gambling? You might end up losing your guts if you’re not careful."

"Don’t worry. I’ll handle it."

"Is that so? Hmm, now that I think about it, Uno, you seem a bit different."

"Different? Nonsense!"

Uno knocked on the door of the guild master’s office.

Knock knock.

"Come in."

Here we go, negotiations start.

William, sitting leisurely in the guild master’s office, drinking tea. His expression seemed carefree, but he must be anxious inside.

As soon as he entered, Yunho decided to get straight to the point.

"Hello, I’m apprentice mercenary Uno."

"Welcome, Uno. I’ve seen your face a few times as I passed by. Do you remember that our guild saved you? It’s been three years already..."

The pressure was already on.

Saving him from the dungeon and providing a job... He was grateful, but William would likely use this as leverage, talking about favors and then making demands.

Yunho cut him off.

"I’ll show you."

"Huh? What’s the rush?"

"Time is money."

First, he took out ten ordinary bone china plates. They were of average size.

"Hmm."

A slight exclamation, but that was all. William remained calm.

But his calmness would soon crumble.

"These are the lower quality ones."

"Lower quality?"

Elaborate floral patterns, a flawless circular plate with a radiant surface, and yet he called it lower quality?

Come to think of it, that backpack wasn’t ordinary either. He had never seen a bag like that before.

William was slightly shaken, but in reality, his heart was pounding.

"Do you want to see the mid-quality items?"

"…Better than these?"

"Yes."

Yunho took out five pieces of high-quality bone china. This wasn’t just plates. It included a teapot, two antique cups, and two saucers.

Here we go, show your reaction.

"Ah!"

It came out. A single exclamation from William’s mouth.

"…Teacups, a teacup set."

British-style bone china. An incredibly luxurious item fit for nobility.

William lost his composure.

The teacup in his hand looked so shabby that he wanted to throw it away. Drinking tea from that set would make the tea taste different, and it would elevate the experience.

"Haha."

Speechless, William. But Yunho didn’t stop his attack.

The next item he took out was the highest quality bone china. Two large plates over 30 centimeters in diameter, densely adorned with brilliant gold patterns and colorful flowers. If bees were to fly by, they would surely land on them.

Of course. Each of these plates would cost over 300,000 won on Earth.

"…!"

William was shocked. He had never heard of such items. How could he describe them? Even royal gold tableware would look like a cheap dog bowl in comparison.

"Th-this… How? No, where…?"

With trembling hands, William ran his fingers over the large bone china plate Yunho handed him.

His eyes were wide open. Completely disarmed, any intention of leading the negotiations to his advantage was gone.

"Please, please tell me. I’ll give you whatever you want. Just tell me where you got this from…"

William clung to Yunho’s sleeve.

Then!

'Oh! Already?'

The points were quite substantial. Equivalent to 80 million won in Earth currency.

Yunho was satisfied. Should he push it further?

"Guild Master!"

"Y-yes? Ah, cough. Speak up."

"What if these items can be produced in a workshop?"

"Wh-what?!"

William’s mouth dropped open.

Production, not just supply! Production!

"P-p-production?"

"Of course, they won’t match the quality of what I brought, but can we start with something manageable? Given enough time, I’m confident we can produce even better items."

"Ah!"

Initially, he tried to gently coax out the source. But the quality far exceeded his expectations, and now the possibility of workshop production had completely floored him.

'If it’s true…'

William was a bold person when he saw an opportunity. If this really came to fruition, why hesitate?

He had to seize it. The future of the guild was right there. What was there to think about? William, the merchant, flashed a sharp look and said,

"What do you want? Let’s discuss the terms."

"I will provide the manufacturing method. The actual production and distribution will be handled by the guild."

"As long as it’s possible to produce…"

Suddenly!

Just a proposal, and it’s a sweet deal.

Explaining complex scientific technology might be difficult, but explaining how to make pottery should be manageable. It doesn’t require cutting-edge technology.

There are plenty of skilled craftsmen on the Aron continent. If they know the materials and methods, they can research and reproduce them on their own.

"It’s definitely possible."

William nodded and said,

"Then we need to share the profits, right?"

"70-30. Naturally, I get 30."

"Hmm, really? Even if it’s 70-30…"

"It’s fine."

In fact, he could have asked for a higher ratio. But Yunho decided not to be greedy. Money wasn’t that important at this stage.

The abilities and items of this world! And the customs to bring them back to Earth intact!

"However, time is an issue. It will take about 20 days to organize the manufacturing method. It could be faster or slower."

"That’s no problem. I’ll wait."

"There’s one more condition."

"Condition?"

Yunho took a deep breath and slowly spoke.

"I want to become stronger."

"Stronger?"

William Golden looked into Yunho’s eyes and thought.

He understood. The young man in front of him was a mercenary, not a merchant. It was natural for a warrior to pursue martial arts.

"Do you want to become a mage? But as you know, that group is extremely closed. Even money can’t buy entry. I’ll do my best, but…"

"I don’t want to be a mage."

"Then what?"

The most powerful group on the Aron continent, the mages. But Yunho knew how difficult it was to become one.

It wasn’t a group that could be joined through talent, wealth, or power. First, you needed a connection to the mage tower.

And you had to meet their requirements. Money and power were secondary issues. No mage operated outside the mage tower. Their own league, their own monopoly.

"What I want is ‘Aura.’"

"Aura? You want to become a knight. That’s certainly possible."

"Advanced aura cultivation techniques, body techniques, martial skills, and a master would be even better…"

"No problem. That can be done with money. There’s not much in this world that money can’t buy."

An aura core can be created with cultivation techniques and spirit medicines. It’s easier with the help of an experienced knight.

"Please document the agreement. And the contract must be a magic contract!"

"Understood. A regular contract wouldn’t do for such an important agreement."

Becoming a mage would be nice, but it takes a long time and has low feasibility. Aura! Aura Master! That’s the fastest path. It would be sufficient on Earth.

"Shall we proceed with the contract and discuss the details?"

William was in a hurry. He could feel it intuitively.

He couldn’t miss this opportunity. It was a chance to become the best guild in Ant, or even the best in the Varian Kingdom and the Aron continent.

William took out a magic contract from his desk. A high-quality paper with both sides blank, made by the Sapphire Tower Ant branch, a ‘merchant magic artifact.’

Once signed, this contract must be honored. Anyone who breaks it will suffer a curse and die a slow, painful death.

"Sign it now!"

"Shall we?"

William immediately took out a quill pen and inkwell.

But Yunho had one more step.

Without looking at the quill, he took out a neatly packaged basic fountain pen from his backpack.

"What’s that?"

William stared blankly at Yunho’s actions. What was this? Was his backpack a dragon’s treasure pouch?

'An iron pen? No, it’s different. Ah, that shine…'

Yunho slowly showed him. He explained how to use it.

Click.

He opened the cap, dipped it slightly in the inkwell, and pressed it with his finger, drawing in the black liquid.

"Huh, wh-what?"

"It’s a fountain pen."

"A fountain pen?"

William, entranced, ran his fingers over the surface of the fountain pen Yunho gave him.

"Is it made for writing?"

"Yes, try it."

William took out another piece of paper from his desk. A paper he usually used for doodling when things didn’t go well.

Scribble, scribble, scribble.

"Wow!"

It was smooth. It wrote beautifully. The sensation of writing was incredibly smooth. Moreover, the ink didn’t run out even after writing for a long time. With a quill, he would have had to dip it in ink by now.

"So this is a fountain pen?"

The ink didn’t run out no matter how much he wrote. The body felt great in his hand! Good heavens! This was a treasure too.

"Is this a fountain pen, by any chance…?"

"More? Of course. In various qualities."

Yunho took out all the fountain pens in high-quality packaging and placed them on the desk. Four basic, two high-quality, and two premium.

"Fountain pens have a relatively simple structure. A skilled craftsman can make them. With several samples, it shouldn’t be difficult to study and reproduce them."

"Haha, hah!"

William Golden, half laughing, half crying, made a strange sound.

Another hit!

'What a jackpot.'

* * *

Myth Group is primarily specialized in distribution, finance, and dungeon business. It has hardly ventured into manufacturing. But recently, a golden goose has appeared.

The ‘Myth Mana Iron Mine,’ a joint venture between Myth Guild and Myth Mining.

A company that will steadily generate profits for at least 30 years. With a minimum reserve of 50 million tons, it’s an open-pit mine, so digging the ground yields ore.

Four years ago, they obtained information that iron ore was buried in a dungeon in Daejeon and moved secretly to claim it.

They had to act in secret. If the dungeon owner found out, everything would be ruined.

The owner of the dungeon, the guild master of Five Dragons Guild, Jeong Yunho. They offered a high price to buy the dungeon, but he refused. He was stubborn until the end.

What to do? Should they drastically raise the price? Or offer a joint venture by giving up some rights?

Suddenly, the deputy guild master of Five Dragons Guild made a counteroffer. He would get rid of the guild master and negotiate with them at a low price.

And it worked. The guild master of Five Dragons Guild was killed, and the ownership went to a vain widow.

The widow was in an affair with the deputy guild master, Kim Kyung-il… They gave her a decent amount of money and prestige and took over the dungeon. They never thought any trouble would arise.

Until today, when an unexpected problem erupted.

"Stop mining… provisional seizure?"

Rip!

The guild master of Myth Guild, Shin Hyungsub, tore the document on the spot.

"Hmm… Bring Kim Kyung-il and Choi Hyejeong to me. Right now!"

A rare crack appeared in the usually cold and composed face of Shin Hyungsub.