Chapter 100

Jang Jian completely pulled back the blanket and examined the bedding. Annon, who had approached from the side, asked, "What is this?"

"It looks like someone was beaten to death under the blanket."

Mandeok, the shop assistant who had been watching from a distance, had a shocked expression. "The bloodstains are so dark. If it wasn't a stab wound, it would have taken a lot to beat someone to death like this..."

Jang Jian, raising his head, looked around the room, which seemed unremarkable. "Right. Even if the person was alive when they were beaten, they likely died soon after."

Realizing something was off, he noticed that the slightly disordered state of the room wasn't just due to a lack of tidiness but rather the result of rough handling. Jang Jian guessed that someone had ransacked the place looking for gold or jewels, though it didn't seem like they were searching for something specific.

"Was this Rock a sociable person?"

"…What kind of nonsense is that?"

Jang Jian, continuing to scan the room with his eyes, said, "At least three people entered this house."

"Three? What, Rock's friends? That guy came here with me on the same ship; he wouldn't have any friends here. It doesn't seem like Rock did this."

"Not necessarily friends. People can act together for other reasons."

Annon tilted his head. "Then what?"

"Currently, in Gamsan, there are plenty of scoundrels who, at any opportunity, break into people's homes, beat the owners, and ransack for valuables."

Annon, not understanding what he meant, had a blank look, but Mandeok, who was standing beside him, knew who these scoundrels were. They were members of the underworld organizations.

"The back-alley thugs have been getting picked off by the Martial Alliance these past few days. Yesterday alone, eight were caught, and three are scheduled for execution."

"They keep getting caught. And that means they haven't been completely eradicated yet."

"Well, that's true, but..."

Interrupting their conversation, Annon quickly chimed in. "What are you saying? What did Rock do?"

"Even if you don't know the full situation, if this friend Jiang Shi really intended to recover stolen goods from Rock, Rock wouldn't have handed them over willingly. I think Rock was involved with the back-alley thugs in Gamsan."

Annon frowned at Jang Jian's words. "With the thugs? No, this guy, what are you planning? Did you come here to become a back-alley boss? After crossing the vast sea?"

"Nothing is certain yet, so let's find this friend Jiang Shi first."

"Where?"

Jang Jian turned toward the door. "There doesn't seem to be any more clues here. It would be faster to find witnesses in the neighborhood."

The small shacks in the deep alleys are always wary of outsiders. As soon as Jang Jian and the others entered the alley, they received such wary glances. If someone had broken into this shack and taken Jiang Shi away, or even killed him and taken the body, there would be witnesses. The tightly packed buildings made it difficult to keep such disturbances secret.

Stepping out of the door, Jang Jian looked around. People were visible here and there. Loafers squatting by a wall, a middle-aged man smoking a pipe on the balcony across the street, an old woman carrying a bundle and glancing at him—everyone in the alley and the shantytown was watching Jang Jian with wary eyes.

Annon, who had followed him out, said, "…It seems we're the suspicious ones."

Before entering the shack, they hadn't attracted such attention. It seemed they were being watched because they had entered a neighbor's house. After scanning the area, Jang Jian walked toward a group of loafers gathered on one side.

The loafers, dressed in tattered clothes and looking unwashed, all frowned and glared at Jang Jian as he approached. Some had short pipes in their mouths, and others spat yellow phlegm, but they looked more pitiful than threatening.

"What? What do you want?"

They seemed to think Jang Jian was ignoring them and stood up in unison, puffing up like animals about to fight.

"What, this guy? What are you staring at?"

"Looking for a fight? Where did you come from..."

But as they approached Jang Jian, spitting curses, their faces turned pale, and they stopped. They saw the six-pointed badge of the Martial Alliance that Jang Jian had extended.

"…You're a Martial Alliance warrior. We didn't recognize you, sir..."

"Haha… What do you want to know, sir?"

As they bowed, Jang Jian put the badge back in his pocket. The ignorant ruffians couldn't distinguish between a badge and a symbol. While those who received the badge could seek help from the Martial Alliance, they weren't official members. Impersonating a Martial Alliance member could cause problems.

But to Jang Jian, who didn't want to stroke the cheeks of these snot-nosed ruffians, it wasn't a significant issue.

"Do you know the guy who lived in the house I just came out of?"

The loafers, who had been bowing, exchanged glances. One of them stepped forward, seemingly chosen as the representative.

"Jiang Shi, right? Yes, I know him. He used to hang out with us before he started working at the blacksmith's."

"Who are you?"

"…Yes?"

Jang Jian stared intently at the man who had stepped forward.

"From the state of the house, it doesn't seem like he left on his own. Who took him away?"

"…I don't know what you mean…"

The representative smiled obsequiously and bowed. But Jang Jian didn't smile.

"Then have the one who knows step forward. If no one knows, you all go to jail."

"…What? Jail?"

The man thought Jang Jian was joking and chuckled, but his face hardened when he saw Jang Jian's unchanging expression. Recently, all the thugs who had been ruling the Gamsan night streets had been caught. The jail was so full that there wasn't even room to lie down, and there were rumors that they were just picking people at random for execution.

Ordinary citizens were happy that the bad guys were being caught, and they didn't feel the impact, but with a Martial Alliance warrior right in front of them, the threat felt real. His knees felt weak.

He quickly looked around his group, signaling if anyone knew anything. Everyone shook their heads, but a small man in the corner raised his hand.

"…I… I saw something…"

Jang Jian's eyes turned to him. The other loafers moved away from between him and the small man. The small man, feeling the attention, seemed a bit intimidated as he continued.

"…It… I didn't see it clearly… I was out for a drink one night and saw some big guys carrying a bundle out of Jiang Shi's house… I thought something was up, so I knocked on the door after they left, but it was locked. I thought I'd tell Jiang Shi when he came back…"

"Did you see their faces?"

"…What? No, I didn't see their faces clearly. It was too dark…"

The small man shrank back, thinking his information wasn't very helpful. But Jang Jian asked again in the same calm voice.

"Then, did you notice anything else?"

Thanks to that calm voice, the small man rolled his eyes, trying to recall more, and soon made an "ah" sound as if he remembered something.

"…One of the big guys was wearing an earring. A large silver earring. It was the only thing that sparkled in the dark…"

Annon, who had approached from behind Jang Jian, scratched his head.

"Earring? Can you find someone with that?"

"It's enough. It's not common for men in the Central Plains to wear earrings."

"Unless they're not from the Central Plains? But you didn't see their faces clearly."

"Then we'll look for a big guy from the Western Regions with a silver earring."

The loafers, listening to their conversation, were slightly surprised by Annon's dark skin and his fluent Central Plains language. The representative, who had stepped forward first, cautiously asked Jang Jian.

"…Hehe, sir? Is there anything else you need?"

Jang Jian nodded, indicating they could leave. They bowed deeply and quickly disappeared down the alley. Annon, watching them, said again.

"Where do we find a silver earring?"

"The port."

"…The port? Why?"

Jang Jian turned to Mandeok, who had been guiding them.

"Men wearing earrings isn't a Central Plains custom. At least not in the Han Empire. It suggests someone from the far north or another country. More likely, a sailor or a dock worker than a settler."

"Oh… Is that so?"

Annon was surprised, but Mandeok, who looked genuinely surprised, said, "Are you from Gamsan, sir?"

"Why?"

"Because there are people who wear earrings among the dock workers. I was just about to mention it."

Jang Jian shook his head. "I'm not from Gamsan."

"Then how did you…?"

"By thinking. Let's go to the port."

Mandeok shrugged. "The path to the warehouse where they work is a bit complicated."

Jang Jian looked at Annon, and Annon, without a word, took out a gold coin. Mandeok, taking the coin, immediately led the way.

Before leaving the alley, Jang Jian glanced back. The people in the shacks, who had been watching him with wary eyes, were now hiding behind windows and doors, peeking at him. This place and its people were the outskirts of Gamsan, hidden among the grand and bustling streets. It was a place you wouldn't know about unless you actively sought it out. A thin, hazy fog still hung over the alley like a low ceiling.

After a moment, Jang Jian turned and caught up with Mandeok and Annon, who were moving away.

Gamsan was still shrouded in thick fog. It was still a long time before noon, but it was an unusually foggy day. Despite the fog, Mandeok, the blacksmith's assistant, walked through the streets and alleys without hesitation, as if he were heading home.

As they followed, Jang Jian began to notice the smell of the sea, which tickled his nose. Even though Gamsan was a port city, it was hard to feel the proximity of the sea when walking through the red-light district or the inn streets. But the scent of the sea suddenly brought it close to Jang Jian.

Mandeok soon arrived at the docks and began to check the warehouses lined up there.

"Somewhere around here…"

The port warehouses, where goods were constantly being stored, shipped, and organized, stretched along the Gamsan harbor. Despite the fog, people were slowly moving goods. It looked dangerous to Jang Jian, but they had their own reasons for doing so.

"This way."

After checking the warehouses, Mandeok led the way again. Jang Jian, following behind, noticed Mandeok suddenly stop and also halted.

"…That warehouse over there."

Mandeok pointed to a warehouse a bit away. It was similar in shape and size to the other warehouses around it. In front of it, a big guy with a hood and a shiny silver earring was sitting on a wooden barrel, smoking a pipe. His appearance matched the description of the suspect in Jiang Shi's kidnapping or murder.

Mandeok, pointing to the big guy and the warehouse, stepped back and said, "I've led you here, so that's it. Don't ask me to help with any fighting or chaos. I was once called the Gamsan Fangtooth, but I've been away from the world of fists for a long time."

"Even for money?"

Annon, taking out a gold coin, asked. Mandeok seemed to waver for a moment but then shook his head.

"I promised not to fight anymore. It's a precious promise. Not something that can be bought with money."

Annon chuckled at Mandeok's response and turned to Jang Jian.

"What do you want to do? Should we ask him?"

"First, we need to confirm if he's the one we're looking for."

Jang Jian said this and walked confidently toward the big guy.

The big guy, almost finished with his pipe, noticed Jang Jian and Annon approaching through the fog. He blew out a puff of smoke and flicked the butt away. Standing up with a grand gesture, he raised his palm in front of Jang Jian and Annon.

"Stop. I don't recognize you. What do you want?"

As Jang Jian approached, he realized the big guy wasn't from the Central Plains or the Western Regions. He was a mixed-race individual. With the New World open and global trade flourishing for over a century, it wasn't unusual in a port city.

Jang Jian stopped at a distance just out of reach and met his eyes.

"Is Jiang Shi here?"

"…Jiang Shi? Who's that?"

"Po, the blacksmith's assistant and fence."

The big guy's confused expression suddenly hardened as if he recognized the name.

"…I don't know who you're talking about."

However, his left hand was subtly moving toward his waist. Jang Jian noticed a large knife strapped to his arm. Jang Jian smiled slightly and met the big guy's eyes again. The big guy, realizing Jang Jian had seen his knife, lunged to draw it.

In the next moment, he was knocked backward with a loud "thud." He fell unconscious, a clear imprint of a fist on his face. Annon, watching this with a slightly surprised look, muttered.

"Wow, Jang Jian has a strong punch. The spicy fist of Gamsan?"

Jang Jian ignored Annon's silly comment and called out to Mandeok, who was standing far away. He handed him a silver coin and said, "Go to the Gamsan branch of the Martial Alliance and tell them there are plenty of thugs here. I'll take care of them, so just come and pick them up."

"…Is that all I need to say?"

"Then the branch leader or someone will take care of it. Take your time."

Mandeok, surprised by the instruction to take his time, hesitated for a moment before turning around.

Jang Jian, having assigned Mandeok to handle the aftermath, turned to Annon. Annon, picking up the fallen big guy's knife and twirling it, grinned at Jang Jian's gaze.

"I hope Jiang Shi is alive."

"Why?"

"Then I can make him pay for lying to me."

Jang Jian nodded slightly and approached a small warehouse door on the side. Whether Jiang Shi was alive or not would be confirmed on the other side of the door. He placed his palm on the door and, after confirming no one was inside, gently pulled the handle. At the same time, a chilling gust of wind and a foul smell rushed out from inside the warehouse.

Jang Jian's face contorted. The foul smell was the scent of burning flesh.