Gongsun Dankyung erased the doubt that arose in her mind and threw out words of praise with a smile full of warmth.
"If you had stayed in the merchant guild, you would have stirred up the merchant world of the Central Plains."
People in the martial world generally tended to look down on those in the merchant world. It was because they could hardly maintain their foundations without the protection of martial forces, and there was an ingrained perception that they were a group sensitive to monetary gains.
But seeing Bu Eunseol, who excelled in both martial arts and intellect, made that prejudice gradually fade away.
"You're too kind."
"Thanks to you, I've received a lot of help. Based on what you said, I'll further improve the Myriad Goods Store." Having obtained various unexpected pieces of advice, she wore a satisfied expression.
But the truly important part was just beginning.
"Then, we should head to the warehouse in Soho now."
One of the merchants' constant worries was the thieves that kept coming at them relentlessly. Thus, they installed strict mechanisms in the warehouses or even set up the warehouses themselves in completely secret locations.
But the Myriad Goods Store was different.
They created a massive communal warehouse constantly guarded by warriors from the Martial Alliance, ensuring safe storage of goods. Of course, they charged storage fees, but it was much cheaper than setting up mechanisms or guards to fend off thieves.
From the merchants' perspective, it was a decent policy, and for the Martial Alliance, it became a lucrative source of income. And now, the two had to scour the communal warehouse in Soho and find any problematic items.
"It's huge." Upon arriving in the Soho area, Bu Eunseol nodded as he looked around the vast warehouse grounds.
The communal warehouse built by the Martial Alliance was like seeing another Myriad Goods Store.
Entering the massive rectangular building, it was filled with goods entrusted from each shop. From now on, Bu Eunseol had to find all the potentially problematic forgeries.
Looking at the goods piled up like mountains inside the warehouse, Bu Eunseol tilted his head.
"But I don't see any artworks."
At that, Gongsun Dankyung wore a faint smile.
"The artworks are stored separately in the underground warehouse, which has strict mechanisms installed." She moved to the end of the warehouse and activated the mechanism leading to the underground facility. "There aren't that many artworks, so it won't take long to check."
Grrrr.
As the mechanism activated, a sturdy iron door opened, revealing stairs leading downward.
Opening the warehouse door, under a high ceiling densely embedded with night pearls, an astonishing array of artworks revealed themselves.
Their value easily amounted to millions of taels.
Normally, the shop owners wouldn't entrust these genuine pieces all in one warehouse like this.
But because it was the Myriad Goods Store operated by the Martial Alliance, the merchants could leave their goods with peace of mind.
"...You said there aren't many?"
When Bu Eunseol blinked and asked, Gongsun Dankyung stammered awkwardly. "More than I thought... I suppose."
"But even if the Martial Alliance guards are strictly watching, I'm not sure if it's okay to store such expensive artworks all in one place." Bu Eunseol said as he looked around the warehouse. "Moreover, the warehouse is in a remote area far from the capital."
"Guards aren’t the only protection against intruders." Gongsun Dankyung explained with a smile. "First, inside this Soho warehouse, there are overlapping mechanisms installed that even thieves called Divine can't easily tamper with. Above all, when the Alliance built this warehouse, they made this promise."
Her eyes sparkled under the pouring light of the night pearls.
"If anyone steals the goods here, the Alliance will stake its honor and pursue them until they're caught."
This communal warehouse had forces equivalent to three second-grade sword corps from the Martial Alliance stationed there. And mechanisms that were subtle and unique, undetectable even by experts in mechanisms and formations.
But the strongest security measure was the Martial Alliance's promise that they would never overlook theft. The moment one laid hands on the warehouse, they would be hunted by the Martial Alliance for life.
No matter how bold a great thief, they wouldn't dare attempt it.
"Shall we begin?" At Gongsun Dankyung's words, Bu Eunseol nodded.
There was no time.
He had to quickly search all the items here and check for forgeries.
***
How much time had passed?
Bu Eunseol blinked his weary eyes.
Even though the night pearls illuminated brightly, continuously drawing upon Void Heart Command while examining the artworks made his eyes gradually dry and fatigue wash over him. An ordinary person would have collapsed from hunger and exhaustion, but both Bu Eunseol and Gongsun Dankyung were masters who had cultivated martial arts.
They could endure without eating for not just half a day, but even two days.
"It seems we're done now."
What Bu Eunseol discovered were twelve forgeries.
In terms of value, it amounted to a loss of tens of thousands of taels.
But monetary loss was temporary.
If these had circulated, the Myriad Goods Store's credibility would have plummeted, and Gongsun Dankyung would have faced great trouble.
"By tracing the routes these forgeries came through, we can figure out who orchestrated this."
"Thank you. Thanks to you, it ended faster than expected." Gongsun Dankyung wore a tired but bright smile.
Even with the veil on, her broad smile made the dark warehouse interior feel brighter.
'She resembles her.'
Though Gongsun Dana was counted among the Three Beauties of the World, Gongsun Dankyung was undoubtedly a great beauty as well.
Moreover, she appeared remarkably young.
She didn't look at all like a woman in her thirties, ten years older than Gongsun Dana.
"Shall we head back now?" At Gongsun Dankyung's words, Bu Eunseol nodded with a smile.
He had secretly carried out a mission with a Martial Alliance Commander and clearly demonstrated his competence to her. In the future, whenever Gongsun Dankyung faced difficult or tough situations, she would surely think of Bu Eunseol at least once.
"Seeing Captain Seon makes me think I did well in accepting Lord Yuk's proposal."
Gongsun Dankyung murmured as she fiddled with the mechanism to exit.
"I, as Commander, haven't exactly been blessed with good people luck until now."
'So that's it.'
She had ascended to the Commander position at an extraordinarily young age. Of course, it was because she had the skills and achievements, and the recognition from the higher-ups.
Unfortunately, the Martial Alliance wasn't a place where one could survive on skill alone.
Especially the position of Commander, which could be demoted at any time based on merits and faults, inevitably required building supporting factions. She probably extended her hand to Yuk Jangcheon, and Yuk Jangcheon eagerly grasped it.
Because it aligned with their mutual interests.
If either of them didn't gather even one more force or person, to achieve merits, they might end up wandering around begging and miserably stepping down.
Rumble.
Opening the thick door revealed the passage leading back upstairs.
Finally emerging from underground, Bu Eunseol suddenly sensed a subtle silence.
'...!'
The presence of the Martial Alliance forces guarding the building perimeter had all vanished. Feeling something amiss, he expanded the range of his super senses, and his eyes widened.
Not only had the Martial Alliance guards disappeared, but an unidentified large force had surrounded the warehouse in a circle.
'The Three Realms?'
The ones bold enough to target one of the Martial Alliance's top executives, the Commander. It had to be only the Three Realms, right?
'Similar to the situation with Lady Dan.'
Suddenly, he recalled the first time he met Dan So-ok. Back then, unidentified people had surrounded the entire village to kill her.
'That means their target isn't the warehouse, but the Commander.'
She, who was always escorted by the Star Guard Division, had ventured out alone into the martial world. The Three Realms probably didn't want to miss this golden opportunity.
'But this... is a detection ability beyond Seon Woojin's capabilities.'
Bu Eunseol pondered for a moment.
Gongsun Dankyung was a key figure in the Martial Alliance with whom he needed to maintain close ties going forward. If he set Seon Woojin's abilities too high? She might become suspicious.
But if he pretended to detect this situation late... it might lead to a scenario where he had to use all his abilities.
'Let's set Seon Woojin's abilities a bit higher.'
"Commander." Having finished his thoughts, Bu Eunseol looked around with a very serious expression. "I think it’s better to return to the underground warehouse."
"What do you mean?"
"All the forces around us have disappeared."
"That can't be. I didn't sense any signs."
"I'm certain. The presence of the Alliance's sword corps members have all vanished. They might have been killed or fallen for a diversion tactic like luring the tiger from the mountain."
Gongsun Dankyung blinked.
If he could sense the external forces from inside the warehouse, his sensory range was at least over forty zhang.
Was Seon Woojin such an exceptional martial artist?
"If they subdued over a hundred elite Martial Alliance members in one go... that means at least ten times that number of forces have come."
Rumble.
At that moment, sounds like the surrounding forces gradually approaching the warehouse were heard.
"Commander, it seems the forces that surrounded us are approaching this place."
"I sense it too." Gongsun Dankyung's martial prowess also seemed to far exceed the peak level.
But that alone wasn't enough.
If the Three Realms had deliberately sent assassins, unless one reached the Supreme Heavenly Realm like Bu Eunseol, it would be impossible to handle such forces.
"If they've dealt with all the sword corps' here, their strength is beyond several corps' combined. It would be better to go into the underground warehouse and hold out." Gongsun Dankyung pondered for a moment and shook her head. "With that large a force, they could easily break the mechanisms in the underground warehouse by force. Instead, let's deploy a formation across this entire warehouse."
She was a talented woman, and her formation skills were renowned in the martial world. The warehouse interior was enormously spacious, with countless goods piled complexly, so she could easily deploy any formation.
Rumble.
At that time, a sound like a herd of cattle running spread closer.
The large forces seemed about to enter the warehouse any moment.
Dash.
Gongsun Dankyung quickly moved through the vast warehouse and began deploying the formation using the piled goods inside.
"Captain Seon, do you know the Reverse Cloud Chaos Formation?"
"I don't."
"Then follow what I do and set it up identically on the opposite side."
Bu Eunseol furrowed his brow. If he set up the formation identically on the opposite side, it wouldn't be a single formation anymore, right?
"Do you mean to overlap the formations?"
"Yes. It's impossible for ordinary formations, but it's possible with the Reverse Cloud Chaos Formation."
"Understood."
Bu Eunseol didn't ask twice.
Though his knowledge of formations wasn't deep, he had a memory that never forgot anything once seen. As Gongsun Dankyung created the base using surrounding objects, Bu Eunseol immediately followed her and deployed the formation identically.
Boom.
At that moment, the building entrance opened, and tremendous killing intent began pouring in.
"A bit faster!"
At Gongsun Dankyung's shout, Bu Eunseol started quickly completing the formation.
Finally, when they were close enough that their noses almost touched,
Snap!
Gongsun Dankyung inserted a wooden doll she held into the Heavenly Origin position.
Then, the surroundings darkened, and the Reverse Cloud Chaos Formation activated across the entire warehouse.
"Hoo." Thick beads of sweat dripped from Gongsun Dankyung's forehead. "It was by a hair's breadth."
If Bu Eunseol didn't have exceptional memory and hadn't set up the formation on the opposite side?
She wouldn't have been able to overlap the Reverse Cloud Chaos Formation, and in such a limited space, she couldn't have blocked the assassins.
Whish! Slash!
Even with the formation activated, blade-like whooshing sounds echoed from all directions.
"It really seems like a thousand have stormed in."
"A thousand?"
"Yes. The Reverse Cloud Chaos Formation has the ability to completely block ordinary sounds. Yet, hearing this much noise means... at least a thousand forces have rushed in and are destroying the formation."
Her eyes grew serious.
If they could swing swords after entering the Reverse Cloud Chaos Formation, it meant highly skilled martial artists had gathered.
If a thousand such individuals had swarmed in, they weren't just assassins but practically equivalent to sect-level forces.
"I can't understand it. My movements should have been completely concealed."
She wore a very serious expression.
To handle the Myriad Goods Store matter secretly, she came here alone with Bu Eunseol.
But she was the Commander, essentially the brain of the Martial Alliance. In preparation for any unexpected situations, she had stationed skilled warriors along the travel routes.
Yet, how could a large force move to the warehouse vicinity?
Could they have dealt with all of them?
"They knew in advance." Bu Eunseol said firmly. "They knew that the Commander's final task for the Myriad Goods Store issue was this Soho warehouse, and they've been waiting in this area for a long time."
"Then..."
"There's a traitor in the Commander's office."
Gongsun Dankyung bit her lip.
Finding the traitor was for later. Now, they had to survive against those assassins.
"Can this formation hold against such forces?"
At Bu Eunseol's words, Gongsun Dankyung shook her head. "Impossible. No matter how much it's the Reverse Cloud Chaos Formation, it can't contain a thousand forces. Eventually, they'll break the formation."
"Then, how about going down to the underground warehouse and deploying another formation there? With various mechanisms there, we can hold out longer."
"That's also impossible."
At Bu Eunseol's suggestion, Gongsun Dankyung pointed to the hazy formation ahead.
"Right now, we're at the Heavenly Origin, the center like in a Go* board. And inside the Reverse Cloud Chaos Formation, gray mist obscures vision, and above all, sense of direction is lost."
*Chinese strategy game
"Since you deployed the formation, don't you know how to dispel it?"
Then, she said with a despairing expression. "I had to overlap the formation, right? Even if I can calculate the changes in the formation I deployed, the changes in the one Captain Seon deployed... I couldn't calculate them."
Gongsun Dankyung had overlapped the Reverse Cloud Chaos Formation to block numerous enemies. That meant the formation's changes had doubled, so even for someone as clever as her, calculating all the directional changes was impossible.
"We can go." At that moment, Bu Eunseol said with sparkling eyes. “Let's head underground now."
"How?"
Bu Eunseol said calmly. "I've roughly memorized the formation directions."
"You memorized all those complex directional changes?" Gongsun Dankyung's eyes widened.
The Reverse Cloud Chaos Formation has five by five, twenty-five changes. And she, with her genius mind, had overlapped it.
Theoretically, it contained six hundred and twenty-five changes.
Yet, Bu Eunseol had calculated all six hundred changes in that short time? That was impossible even for a genius.
"Didn't I follow the Commander's formation symmetrically?" Bu Eunseol, perceiving her thoughts, said calmly. "That is, I set it up while observing the formation broadly from outside. Thus, I could calculate the directional changes you taught me."
"Then-"
"If the Commander remembers the first three hundred changes, I think I can solve the remaining three hundred."
Gongsun Dankyung couldn't hide her astonishment. "Your memory is remarkable."
In that brief moment, while following and deploying the formation, he remembered all their directional changes? That meant he had a memory comparable to hers.
"Honestly, I thought no one had better memory than me."
"For a merchant, memory is money."
Gongsun Dankyung nodded as if she now understood. "So that's how Captain Seon could quickly learn martial arts even while immersed in the merchant world?"
Heirs to merchant groups always wrestle with numbers.
Moreover, to manage a merchant group, they must learn organizational management along with various knowledge and trivia. After studying all that, there's scarcely any time left to cultivate martial arts... which is why outstanding martial artists rarely emerge from the merchant world.
But since Bu Eunseol was so intelligent, he probably had ample time to cultivate martial arts.
'To think Captain Seon was such a genius.'
Gongsun Dankyung could now understand why Star Guard Division Commander Baekri Mujo called Seon Woojin the 'dragon of the merchant world.'
"But even so, it's still difficult." Gongsun Dankyung faintly shook her head. "Their number is a thousand. Even with six hundred changes created, we'll encounter enemies at least every other time."
Gongsun Dankyung said with a despairing expression.
"Even if we enter the underground warehouse, with them controlling this area, we'll eventually meet our end there."
"Not exactly." Bu Eunseol said firmly. "The Star Guard Division will come."
"The Star Guard Division?"
"Yes. Don't all key figures of the Alliance receive escorts from the Star Guard Division? The Commander is naturally a protection target."
"If my movements were so easily exposed, I wouldn't have come here alone with Captain Seon." Gongsun Dankyung said weakly. "I guarantee the Star Guard Division doesn't know my whereabouts. I made sure of that."
"Since the Commander guarantees she took measures, the Star Guard Division might truly not know."
Bu Eunseol said confidently. "But Commander Baekri will know."
"Commander Baekri?"
"Yes. And since this incident occurred... before dawn. At the latest, within two shichen, he'll come."
Bu Eunseol had only met Star Guard Division Commander Baekri Mujo once in private. But from that one meeting, he could grasp what kind of person he was.
He was a perfectionist who neither committed nor tolerated mistakes. Thus, he wouldn't neglect tracking the Commander's movements, one of the Star Guard Division's core duties.
And since she was in crisis... he was certain to sense it and lead a large army here.
"Do you know Commander Baekri well?"
"We only met once in private."
"Just one private meeting?"
"Yes. But you can trust me." Bu Eunseol stared straight at Gongsun Dankyung and said, "The Commander will definitely come."
Gongsun Dankyung could feel it. What Bu Eunseol believed in wasn't his own exceptional mind that could foresee future events.
It was solely the ability of Star Guard Division Commander Baekri Mujo.
"Alright. I'll trust you, Captain." Gongsun Dankyung took a deep breath.
Shing.
And she drew the short treasured sword hidden at her waist.
"It looks like it'll be a long night."
She let out a deep sigh.
To buy time against such forces, they had to enter the Reverse Cloud Chaos Formation, defeat the assassins one by one...
And descend back to the underground warehouse where the artworks were stored.
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