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| Reaper of the Drifting Moon mtl, Chapter 306 |
Type- Light Novel, Web Novel
Manhwa- N/A
Translation-MTL
On one side, cargo was being unloaded from trading ships, while on the other side, small fishing boats were pouring out their catch.
The goods unloaded from the trading ships all went into nearby warehouses in the upper part of the city or the Sea Dragon Hall, and the fish were sold on the spot.
Sea Gate was the most active place for financial transactions in the world.
It was not uncommon for tens of thousands of gold coins to change hands in a single day. Because of this, many people followed the money to come to Sea Gate.
The workers at the Red Guild Association were a typical example.
It was convenient to be a member of the Red Guild Association and find work at the port, so many people joined the guild.
However, there were also those who worked outside the guild.
These were people who brought the fish caught on their boats to the port on carts.
Because of the fish's strong odor, it was a job that the Red Guild Association didn't even pay attention to.
Most of these jobs were done by people who were new to the Sea Gate. Once they had some experience, they would join the Red Guild Association and work in the harbor.
Though they worked at the bottom of the ladder, they still had basic needs. And so the prostitutes came in to pick their pockets.
They were considered even lower than the courtesans who worked in the brothels in the prosperous downtown area.
Prostitutes don't sell laughter, music, alcohol, and bodies like the courtesans. They only sell their bodies to a variety of people
One of the unexpected results of selling their body is having a baby. The child, who might be someone's seed, was a burden to the prostitutes.
They would work tirelessly to get rid of the child, even resorting to taking poisonous medicine or hitting their stomachs.
Most of the children would die from this treatment, but some would survive and see the light of day.
These children were not welcome by their mothers either.
They were destined to live in poverty and struggle.
Once they reached a certain age, they had to find a way to survive on their own.
They would do odd jobs or steal or do other nefarious things in the back alleys. That's how the children of the red-light district lived, by melting into the lowest levels of society.
Pyo Wol's host, the innkeeper, was one of those children. But he was one of the lucky ones. He received a small stipend and is paid by the guests for the occasional errand.
For the children of the backstreets, being an innkeeper was a favorite occupation. Those who didn't become an innkeeper were forced to travel from place to place.
Unwelcome by anyone, the children banded together.
Though their activities differed, they stayed in touch and looked out for each other, which made them more aware of what was happening beneath the sea gate city than anyone else.
"My name is Geom Yeong."
"Geom Yeong?" When Pyo Wol looked at Geom Yeong, he made an embarrassed face.
"It's a name I made up. My nickname was 'sparrow', a sword wielding sparrow."
Geom Yeong was also a child born to a prostitute.
The aged prostitute had no mental or physical leeway to take care of a suddenly appearing child.
She thought Geom Yeong was an obstacle to her future. She couldn't properly receive guests because of Geom Yeong crying beside her.
So when Geom Yeong was able to walk to some extent, she chased him out of her dwelling.
Geom Yeong grew up watching his mother selling her body outside the inn.
As he was very agile and quick-witted, people called him a sparrow. Geom Yeong added a sword to the word sparrow.
That's how he became Geom Yeong(a sword wielding sparrow).
Although things went well and he became an innkeeper, Geom Yeong still maintained close relationships with his friends in the back alleys.
When he received his paycheck, his only pleasure was to visit his friends and eat delicious food with them.
He took Pyo Wol to the back alley of the port where his friends usually gathered.
The back alleys were not much different from the slums Pyo Wol had experienced so far.
It was dirty, smelly, and full of shabby huts.
The floor was so full of unidentified filth that it was even scary to step on it.
But Pyo Wol followed behind Geom Yeong without showing any facial expression.
Glancing at Pyo Wol, Geom Yeong pondered.
"He's definitely not an ordinary person."
He had vividly witnessed how Tarha had dealt with the Red Guild Association’s warriors yesterday, so he knew how terrifying Tarha was.
Pyo Wol was the one sitting at the same table as him.
The image of him casually talking like he wasn't afraid of Tarha had left a lasting impression in Geom Yeong's mind.
The place where Geom Yeong had taken Pyo Wol was the shadiest corner of the back alley.
It was a small space surrounded by huts, with various items piled up like mountains, forming a small garden.
Children were sitting all over the place.
Their ages ranged from little six-year-olds to mid-teens like the innkeeper, and some of them even looked like mixed-race children.
This was their territory.
Their eyes were full of venom as if they were living in the back alleys.
The one who seemed to be the leader stood up and approached.
"What do you want?"
Interestingly, his hair was mixed with yellow, and he had white skin. However, his body was covered in scars, indicating just how rough his life had been, and even his eyes were cold.
Geom Yeong stepped forward and explained.
"He's a guest, brother!"
"Guest?"
"Yeah!"
At the mention of guests, the lead boy glared at Pyo Wol and asked.
"What do you want from us?"
"Information!"
"What kind of information?"
"All information."
"Damn it! What does that mean? All information?"
The corner of the lead boy’s eyes twitched upward. He disliked such vague words. He preferred to speak precisely about everything. He never trusted those who spoke ambiguously.
The survival instincts of those who live at the bottom of society were deeply ingrained in their bodies.
There were more than twenty children in this area. Including those who lived in their own areas, there were more than a hundred children in total.
The leader boy had a responsibility to protect them.
One of his subordinates restrained him.
"Big brother, calm down for a moment, he’s not the kind of person you should be messing with."
"What nonsense is that?"
"I mean….."
"Don't talk nonsense and move aside. I'm the one who negotiates."
"I... see"
As the leader boy made an impression, Geom Yeong quietly stepped back. His name was Taemu Sang.
He had chosen his own name as well. The surname "Tae" was simply cool, and the name "Mu Sang" was chosen because it meant that there was no opponent who could match him.
Taemu Sang stared at Pyo Wol with fierce eyes.
The basis of negotiation was to stand in a better position than the other party.
He didn't know why Pyo Wol wanted such comprehensive information, but he needed the information, not Taemu Sang.
His goal was to get as much as he could out of the deal by playing fast and loose.
"If you want something, be specific about it. Don't talk in vague terms like that. And if you take our money, we won't let you go."
Taemu Sang started with a threat.
Since Pyo Wol's face looked pretty he thought that his threat would work. This was the negotiation method he had learn t from the bottom.
Pyo Wol's lips drew a smile.
Looking at Taemu Sang, he suddenly remembered the old days in the underground cave.
The children formed groups and the leader fought with others to expand their influence.
Taemu Sang's actions were the same.
He deliberately spoke roughly to make the other side feel weakened, and to show off to the children that he was a person of this level.
Of course, to Pyo Wol's eyes, it looked cute.
Taemu Sang noticed Pyo Wol's smile and glared at him.
"Are you laughing? Are you laughing now? This bastard is laughing? Kack! Ptooi!"
Taemu Sang approached Pyo Wol and spat on the ground, showing the most threatening expression.
Pyo Wol spoke up.
"What's your name?"
"Why do you need to know, you bastard?"
"I was just trying to offer my condolences to someone who's about to die soon."
"What? You son of a b*tch...."
In an instant, Taemu Sang’s eyes rolled back and he charged towards Pyo Wol.
His movements were so nimble and quick that it was hard to believe he hadn't learned martial arts. Perhaps he was naturally gifted with agility.
Taemu Sang's fist was about to reach Pyo Wol's chin, but he couldn't extend it any further.
Suddenly, a dagger was pressed against his chin. If he had extended his fist any further, the dagger would have pierced his chin.
It was a ghost blade, the size of a child's palm.
"Kuk!"
Taemu Sang's face twisted in disgust.
Only then did he realize that Pyo Wol was a skilled martial artist. He had underestimated him because he looked so unassuming.
"Big Brother!"
"Fuck!"
Seeing the imminent danger, the children rushed forward. In their hands were weapons like sticks, sickles, and hammers that were commonly seen.
Though they were young, it was a sight to see how full of venom they were.
Without such venom, they could never survive here. The adults here did not protect the children but instead tried to exploit and eat them.
To protect themselves, they too had to become poisonous. But their opponent was too strong.
Swoosh!
The children all stopped in unison. It wasn't because they wanted to stop on their own will. It was because a small blade was floating in front of their noses.
"What's this?"
"How did it happen?"
The children couldn't hide their astonishment.
To their eyes, the ghost blade looked like it was floating alone, but it was being controlled by the Soul Reaping thread's techniques that the children couldn't possibly understand.
One of the children moved slowly to the side, but froze when he saw the ghost blade change direction to follow him.
One blade was pointed at Taemu Sang's chin, while the other nine swords floated in the air, keeping the children at bay. It was a terrifying sight.
Taemu Sang involuntarily swallowed dryly. His opponent wasn't someone he could handle with poison he had accumulated at the bottom.
Although Taemu Sang had seen many experts in Sea Gate, he had never seen anyone like Pyo Wol, who was in a class of his own.
"Shit, this is bad," Taemu Sang thought to himself.
He regretted not listening to Geom Yeong's words. He had pretended to be strong to protect the children, but his choice had put them in even greater danger.
His opponent was an expert who could kill the children with a single move if he wanted. It was best to not get involved with such a person at all, but he had already attacked Pyo Wol. It was too late to go back now.
Taemu Sang shouted out.
"Hey, wait a minute!"
"What is it?"
"I'll finish it alone."
"Why you?"
"Because I'm the one who made the mistake."
"When you're part of a group, you have to take collective responsibility when things go wrong."
"Well..."
"This is Kangho we're talking about. It's all your responsibility if they die. You rushed in without considering their abilities and caused unnecessary danger. Not only that, but you put the children you were supposed to protect in danger as well. As a leader, you're unfit."
"I'm sorry!"
Taemu Sang clenched his teeth.
Pyo Wol's words were like a sharp dagger that stabbed his heart.
He couldn't believe that his hasty judgment had put the children in danger, when he had worked tirelessly to protect them.
Taemu Sang looked at Pyo Wol with bloodshot eyes.
As soon as their eyes met, he felt a chill run down his spine.
He had met countless people before, but he had never seen someone with such an unreadable gaze like Pyo Wol's.
The unfathomable expression in his eyes made Taemu Sang feel an extreme sense of fear.
Thump!
Taemu Sang suddenly fell to his knees.
"Please let me live."
"Why should I?"
"You said you wanted information. I'll become a hunting dog and bring you whatever you want, so please let me live."
His attitude and tone changed completely, and he made a somewhat reasonable suggestion.
Pyo Wol realized that Taemu Sang had completely surrendered.
It was difficult to break the will of these types of people, but once they made up their minds, they weren't easily swayed.
Pyo Wol took out a pocket from his pocket and threw it at Taemu Sang. It was a pouch containing silver.
"Track down the whereabouts of the person that Geom Yeong is informing you about."
"Yes!"
Taemu Sang answered without asking who it was.
At that moment, Pyo Wol collected all the ghost blades.
"Hoo!"
"Ha!"
A sigh of relief erupted from the children's mouths.
Taemu Sang finally looked up again. However, by then, Pyo Wol had already disappeared like the wind.
Taemu Sang's gaze turned towards Geom Yeong.
"Who did you bring with you?"
IMPORTANT UPDATES
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