I was able to borrow a horse from the relay station for free using the seal of the Zhengtian Alliance. The gold seal he gave me was an item that only important officials of the Zhengtian Alliance could use, indicating that they would pay the money later. Moreover, using this seal, most officials would let me pass inspections or treat me favorably.
Thanks to this, I could cross into Shandong territory and pass through Jiegon without much difficulty. After passing through Jiegon, the terrain would become less rugged, so I would be able to reach the trading port in no time.
Upon arriving in front of the trading port, I could get help from the Kaifang members. They seemed to have been contacted by Tianlong Dog in advance, as they immediately offered me information when they saw me.
"There are ships to Goryeo every twenty days, and the next one will depart ten days from today. The merchant guilds leading the trade are Dalong Merchant Guild and Xigong Escort Agency, and the official in charge of trade is Zheng Jitai, a 6th-rank official. The main cargo being transported this time is jewelry, ironware, and silver. And this is a map of Qingdao."
I marveled at the detailed information and the map. If I had tried to gather this level of information by running around inns and various escort agencies, it would have taken more than ten days. Now, all I had to do was find the relevant people and figure out a way to board the ship.
"Thank you."
Additionally, the Kaifang member handed me a small, dark flute. It didn't look dirty by chance.
"And if you need our help, blow this Wudizi. This is a seal given by Tianlong Dog himself, so if you blow the Wudizi, all the Kaifang members in Qingdao will come to your aid."
"I understand."
It seemed that Tianlong Dog had prepared his help more meticulously than I expected. I learned that the Wudizi was a special flute that emitted a high-frequency sound that humans couldn't easily hear, and the Kaifang members were trained to detect the sound of the Wudizi. I examined the Wudizi with a curious eye as I entered Qingdao.
The bustling city of Qingdao. Because it was a trading port with active trade with Goryeo, I saw many people wearing Goryeo clothing. Since it was my first time seeing Goryeo people, I quietly passed by and listened to their conversation, which indeed sounded different from the language of the Central Plains. I suddenly realized a problem.
'Oh... I don't know Goryeo language well. What should I do?'
Even if I could communicate roughly using Chinese characters, it would be troublesome if I couldn't understand their spoken language. Moreover, to find the treasure called Haein, which was somewhere in Goryeo, communication was essential. I felt a bit confused as I encountered a problem I hadn't considered before.
However, I soon thought of a solution.
"Let's hire an interpreter."
Since this was a trading port, there must be someone who could fluently speak both Han language (漢語) and Goryeo language. And there would definitely be such a person at the escort agency. I thought that if I prepared some money and hired an interpreter, I could travel around Goryeo and look for clues.
So, I first visited the Dalong Merchant Guild and Xigong Escort Agency in sequence. They were surprised to see a young boy, but their attitude changed when I showed them the gold seal from the leader of the Zhengtian Alliance.
Not even an hour after my arrival, the head of the Dalong Merchant Guild, with his oily face, welcomed me into the reception room. As befitting the leader of a large merchant guild, he was dressed in luxurious attire and accessories. He smiled and said,
"Hehe... Seeing that you have the gold seal, you must be an outstanding young talent of the Zhengtian Alliance! What brings you to our Dalong Merchant Guild?"
"I want to travel to Goryeo and need an interpreter."
"That's not a problem. We can provide you with a VIP cabin. And for an interpreter, hmm..."
The head of the Dalong Merchant Guild wore a troubled smile.
"I'm sorry, but if you plan to travel in Goryeo, we don't have any spare interpreters. There's nothing I can do about it."
"What do you mean?"
"It's not about money. Recently, trade volume has increased sharply, and both our guild and the government are building several large ships. Interpreters who are fluent in Goryeo language are valuable talents, so we can't just lend them out."
In other words, because trade with Goryeo was booming, interpreters were treated as high-level personnel. They were suffering from a severe shortage of interpreters, to the point where they couldn't lend them out even for money. I nodded, accepting the situation, and asked,
"Is there no other way?"
"Try the Xigong Escort Agency or the government office. If they also say no, you'll have to find someone locally or learn Goryeo language yourself."
"Does the head of the guild speak Goryeo language well?"
"Hehe. I've had to learn it over several decades due to my position, so I can speak it. However, Goryeo language is quite different from the language of the Central Plains, so it would take at least a few years to become fluent."
"Hmm..."
I bowed to the head of the Dalong Merchant Guild and left. I had even reserved a VIP cabin for the ship departing in ten days. However, the interpreter issue was still a concern.
'Xigong Escort Agency probably won't have one either...'
As expected, the head of the Xigong Escort Agency was also easy to meet thanks to the gold seal, but he shook his head.
"I'm sorry. We have only three professional interpreters, and they will all be extremely busy with this trade. I also have to work with them non-stop."
"How can it not be possible?"
"Didn't you hear the same from the Dalong Merchant Guild? Their scale is several times larger than ours, and if they don't have spare interpreters, there's no way we can help. Going to the government office would be a waste of time. You might just get accused of a crime."
But I couldn't give up just because of his words. I decided to visit the government office to meet Zheng Jitai, regardless of the outcome. The government office, unlike the merchant guild or escort agency, didn't react immediately to the gold seal. After a while, a guard captain confirmed the gold seal and went to report to his superiors.
Zheng Jitai, a 6th-rank official, slowly walked out after about an hour. He glared at me with a nervous eye and said,
"Do you dare to use the authority of the Zhengtian Alliance to order people around in the government office? What do you think this place is?"
He seemed quite angry. He probably couldn't ignore the gold seal from the leader of the Zhengtian Alliance, but the relationship between the government and the martial world made him very uncomfortable. I bowed hastily to avoid making things worse.
"I apologize, Sir. Please forgive me. I didn't mean to use authority; I have an urgent matter and need your help to resolve it."
As I defused the situation, Zheng Jitai's expression softened a bit. He cleared his throat and said,
"Baixiong, right? What's your business? I'm busy."
"I need an interpreter. I can pay whatever it takes."
"Interpreter? There should be plenty in Qingdao..."
"I need someone who can travel with me in Goryeo."
Understanding my meaning, Zheng Jitai tilted his head.
"What are you talking about? Why are you looking for such a person at the government office?"
"The Dalong Merchant Guild and Xigong Escort Agency said they were short of people, so I had no choice but to come here."
"Hmph... That's true. Unfortunately, we can't lend you such a person either."
Zheng Jitai frowned.
"But before that, do you think you can travel to a foreign country so easily?"
"Huh?"
"Do you know what it takes to travel to Goryeo? You need to negotiate with their officials, get formal permission to travel, have the report approved by higher-ups, and coordinate with Goryeo nobles. It would take at least a month to complete all these steps. Are you planning to travel to Goryeo just like that? That's not travel; it's an invasion, and you could be beheaded on the spot without any complaint."
"......!!"
"Hehe. I bet you were planning to sneak onto one of the merchant ships and hide in a Goryeo village. That's what martial world people would do."
Muttering, Zheng Jitai suddenly said,
"Listen well. I'm not a stubborn person, so I won't say anything if you secretly travel around. But don't give me unnecessary trouble."
"Huh?"
Zheng Jitai's eyes suddenly flared.
"But if you get caught, I'll not only throw you in jail but also implicate the leader of the Zhengtian Alliance who gave you the gold seal. You won't be the only one to suffer!"
"......"
I regretted leaving the government office after hearing Zheng Jitai's threats.
'I should have listened to the head of the Xigong Escort Agency. Visiting the government office was a bad idea.'
I felt like I had created unnecessary trouble. If I hadn't gone, Zheng Jitai wouldn't have known about me, and I might have avoided future complications. I decided not to visit the government office rashly again and left.
What should I do now?
I had no choice but to seek help from the Kaifang. They might be able to help with this problem because of their quick information network. When I arrived at the Qingdao branch of the Kaifang, the member who had given me the map at the entrance was there.
"Little Hero, what's the matter?"
"I have a problem."
When I explained my current issue, he looked serious and said,
"Why did you do that, Little Hero? The non-aggression treaty between the government and the martial world is for mutual benefit. You've practically announced your illegal entry into Goryeo to the government."
"I have no excuse. I'm sorry."
"Anyway, about the interpreter... You'll have to find someone who speaks Goryeo fluently by yourself. There must be someone in Qingdao who speaks Goryeo well but isn't in a professional role."
"Can you give me a clue? I only have ten days left, and it's hard to find someone just like that."
"Hmm... I don't know much. You'll have to figure it out yourself."
They seemed to avoid further interference. While they would help me because of Tianlong Dog's orders, they wouldn't go out of their way to solve such detailed problems. I returned to the inn and lay in my room, deep in thought.
'What should I do?'
It's not necessary to find an interpreter within ten days. If I can't, it might be better to find a Goryeo person who speaks Central Plains language after landing in Goryeo. However, that would be risky, and I wasn't confident I could persuade such a person. It would be better to hire a Han person who speaks Goryeo and travel with them for a few months.
After much deliberation, I came to a conclusion.
"There's no choice... I'll just go and learn the language."
My decision was to go to Goryeo and settle there or even naturalize. By becoming a resident of Goryeo, I could learn the language more thoroughly. Unlike ancient scripts or oracle bone inscriptions, the language of a foreign country could be mastered with time and effort.
Most importantly, thanks to the blessing of Xi Wangmu, I had plenty of time. It might take a few years to learn the language, but once I mastered it, it would be beneficial in the future.
Ten days later, I boarded the ship bound for Goryeo.
Swish swish swish -
The sound of waves could be heard from outside.
Sitting in the VIP cabin, I spent some quiet time reflecting. I had been thinking a lot lately, trying to control my impulsive nature. I felt that if I could calmly think through a problem, a solution would appear. This made me feel the need to meditate even more.
'Even seasickness can be managed by adapting to the rhythm of the waves.'
I wasn't so weak in balance that I would get seasick. I enjoyed the sea journey, mingling with the merchant guild's convoy for a few days. Seeing the horizon of the blue sea for the first time was quite refreshing.
About six days into the voyage, a scream came from the deck.
"Aaaaah! Pirates!"
What?
I rushed to the deck and saw black ships approaching. There were five ships in our convoy, and three from the other side. Numerically, we had more ships, but if those were pirate ships, the story would be different. Pirates would be armed, and if a battle broke out, the merchant side would definitely suffer.
The head of the Dalong Merchant Guild, flustered, saw me and said,
"Ah, Little Hero! You came just in time!"
"What's the matter?"
"Those are the Blood Blade Gang, notorious pirates in the Yellow Sea. You seem to have considerable martial skills. Please, help us fight them!"
I understood why the head of the Dalong Merchant Guild had given me a free VIP cabin without charging me for the voyage. He had intended to use me in case of such an emergency. However, if the merchant ships were sunk or captured, it would be problematic, so I had no choice but to fight.
I watched the approaching Blood Blade Gang ships and said,
"Are they also martial artists?"
"Yes. I've heard that many of them have martial skills at the level of a bodyguard or higher. Please, I beg you."
"Alright."
Boom!
A pirate ship rammed into the starboard side of our ship. I was amazed that they allowed such a ramming without even firing a proper cannon, but then I realized that merchant ships couldn't carry many cannons. It would inevitably turn into a close-quarters battle.
I saw pirates climbing onto the deck one by one.
I sighed and drew my sword.
"Ha... I don't really want to fight."
For some reason, this fight didn't feel right. It might have been a bad omen. But the next moment, my body moved like lightning, beheading the pirates. A bright Heavenly Thunder Slash split the sky.