Self-Dancing Doll (3)
Hwang Yeong let out a sigh and drew his sword. It was like riding a tiger — he couldn't stop now.
They quietly made their way to Master Potter Gong's house.
And at Hwang Yeong's hand signal, the warriors they had brought with them immediately rushed into Gong's residence.
But then—
Fwoosh!
Whoooosh!
Torches flared brightly from within Master Gong's house, and armed warriors emerged.
The warriors from the Jingyeon Merchant Group were startled.
The same was true for the Merchant Group Leader and Hwang Yeong — both were caught off guard.
Step, step, step.
Someone walked out from the house.
It was Eun Seoho.
***
I stood with my hands clasped behind my back, calmly staring at the Leader of the Jingyeon Merchant Group.
He looked panicked for a moment, then erupted in rage.
"What, what is this…? Damn it! It was a trap!"
At his words, I shook my head.
"A trap? Not at all. It was merely a precaution. I had a chill run down the back of my neck earlier, you see. So just in case, I called in some warriors and had them wait nearby — and just as I suspected, here you are."
I gestured toward the warriors of the Jingyeon Merchant Group.
"But look at that — clothes made from fish skin, and those water blades… So, Merchant Group Leader, you were the ringleader of the water bandits?"
"T-This is…"
The warriors from the Jingyeon Merchant Group tried to hide their water blades and gear, flustered by my words, but it was already too late.
"This can't be! Merchant Group Leader Jingyeon, you—you were a bandit?!"
The constables who had been hiding behind Master Gong's house revealed themselves.
Among them was even the harbor head.
Due to the recent incident where a constable had accepted a bribe and tried to kill a thief, the harbor head had been forced to heed my request.
So I had sent Palgap to fetch dinner and sent letters to Squad Leader Jeong Chung and the harbor head, asking them to come here.
"W-What are you saying?! A bandit? No! This is all just—"
The Merchant Group Leader tried to explain in desperation, but the harbor head didn't buy a word of it.
"Silence! You were about to ambush someone dressed like that in the dead of night — you think that makes any sense?!"
The harbor head shouted, looking around.
"Arrest them all!"
A fierce battle broke out, but it didn't last long.
The warriors of the Jingyeon Merchant Group weren't particularly strong, and we had more people anyway.
'This is the end of the Jingyeon Merchant Group.'
But I didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt.
They had brought this upon themselves.
And remembering the terrible things the Merchant Group Leader had done in my past life, it was better that he disappeared quickly.
I approached the harbor head, offered a polite salute, and said,
"I ask that you conduct a thorough investigation."
"Rest assured."
And with that, the harbor head led the arrested Merchant Group Leader of Jingyeon, Hwang Yeong, and their warriors back to the district office.
"Well then, shall we head back too?"
.
.
.
We led Master Potter Gong and his family to the Yeo Family Inn.
Master and Squad Leader Jeong Chung were waiting for me in the first-floor dining hall.
As soon as I walked in, they hurriedly rushed over and asked,
"What happened? You even asked for the harbor head to come!"
To Jeong Chung's question, I politely bowed and said,
"Apologies for causing concern."
"No, it's fine. We're just glad you returned safely. But still… what happened exactly?"
Just then—
Neigh—!
With the sound of a horse, a woman urgently entered the inn.
"So everyone's here! You found an craftsman who can make the doll?"
Despite having ridden a horse in haste, her neatly pinned-up hair remained flawless.
It was none other than the heroic woman of the Eunhae Merchant Group, Pavilion Master Yeon Dami. I was taken aback.
I had sent my father a letter about the craftsman, but I never imagined she would come herself.
Everyone was equally stunned by her arrival.
"G-Greetings, Pavilion Master!"
"Greetings, Pavilion Master!"
She strode confidently up to me, and I greeted her as well.
"Greetings, Pavilion Master. But… did you come running the moment you saw my letter?"
She nodded.
"I couldn't possibly sit still after hearing that someone capable of creating that doll was found. So, where is this craftsman?"
At her question, I gestured beside me. She brightened and walked over to Master Potter Gong.
"Ah! So this is the craftsman!"
"Eh? I, I'm…"
Master Gong looked flustered, and I chuckled and shook my head.
"It's not him, Pavilion Master Yeon."
"...?"
I placed my hand on Gong Mil's shoulder and said,
"It's this one."
"What?"
Her expression turned to one of disbelief.
Understandable. I would've felt the same if someone introduced a ten-year-old as a master craftsman capable of creating such an extraordinary contraption.
But, it was indeed Pavilion Master Yeon — she quickly regained her composure and calmly replied,
"I'd like to see it for myself."
"Certainly, but it's late. We've had quite the night — may we wait until tomorrow?"
"A serious incident, you say?"
To her question, I explained everything that had happened.
"Ah! So that's what occurred. I'm relieved everyone is safe. Then let's rest for now."
It was around 1:00am after all.
So everyone went off to their rooms to sleep.
But I still spent time training with my master that night.
.
.
.
The Next Day
After breakfast, Pavilion Master Yeon said,
"Now, I'd like to see the craftsman's skills."
"Understood."
I turned to Gong Mil and said,
"It's time to show your skills. Can you make the doll I mentioned now?"
"Yes."
"What materials do you need? I'll get you anything you want."
Gong Mil thought for a moment before asking,
"Really, anything?"
"Of course."
"Then…"
He listed the materials he needed — and among them was something unexpected.
"Silk scraps?"
"Yes," Gong Mil nodded.
"The reason I made this doll was because my little sister said she wanted one, so… I wanted it to look pretty."
"I see."
I was about to send Palgap to fetch the materials Gong Mil listed — but Pavilion Master Yeon beat me to it.
She immediately had two Sunset Pavilion members bring the materials.
Soon, everything was prepared.
Gong Mil sat down on the floor.
He said sitting at the table made it harder to work due to his short height.
As soon as the work began, Gong Mil's expression turned serious, and he showed incredible focus.
For someone his age, it's hard to maintain concentration for even a quarter of an hour. But he had been immersed in his work for a full two hours without budging.
At the same time, it was clear that Gong Mil was truly enjoying himself.
I turned my head to glance at Pavilion Master Yeon.
She couldn't hide her astonishment.
When I first said Gong Mil was a craftsman, she must have doubted my words.
But now, seeing him actually crafting the doll, it was only natural for her to be surprised.
A ten-year-old craftsman?
It was unprecedented.
About an hour and a half passed, and though Gong Mil looked a bit tired, he beamed brightly and said,
"It's finished."
The doll he presented was clearly different from the one he had made before.
While it was still made of wood, this time he had used far better material, giving it a more natural look. And with silk clothes and decorations, it looked like a high-end product.
"This doll… it really dances on its own at a specific time?"
"Yes."
Gong Mil nodded.
"When this wheel's axle rotates and this protrusion hits the other axle, it moves this wheel and…"
He explained for quite a while.
"This doll is small, so the axle inside is small too. That's why I had to make it move only once at a specific time."
"So, it dances once at a specific time?"
"Yes."
Gong Mil wound the gear on the back of the doll.
And when this specific time came,
The doll truly began to dance on its own. Alternating its arms as it moved, its performance astonished everyone watching.
Well, not everyone.
Everyone except me, Gong Mil, and Gong Rae.
In my previous life, I had seen that doll so many times I'd grown tired of it.
I was so curious about its mechanism that I bought one and disassembled it for study.
I wanted to know how such a thing could be made.
But I couldn't fully figure it out.
The elasticity of the fish bladder used to transmit force to the gears couldn't be replicated.
If I failed, there was no way anyone else could succeed.
Despite a flood of fakes, no one could replicate the dolls made by the Jingyeon Merchant Group.
Now, I felt like I understood why.
In a humble setting, a boy had poured his heart into crafting something for his little sister. How could people driven only by profit hope to imitate that?
While everyone discussed what they had just seen, the dancing doll came to a stop.
"Will this doll dance again?"
"Yes."
Gong Mil nodded and pointed at the wheel.
"If you wind this wheel once, it can keep dancing on its own at a specific interval for about half a day."
Pavilion Master Yeon's eyes sparkled with madness.
Yikes!
The moment I saw those eyes, her nickname came to mind:
Silver Fox.
It meant the fox of the Eunhae Merchant Group.
Her special talent was being able to estimate how much profit a product could generate just by looking at it.
The fact that her eyes lit up like that meant she had realized Gong Mil's value.
"You! Let's sign a contract with our merchant group!"
At her sudden proposal, Gong Mil smiled shyly and replied,
"I, I already signed a contract."
At his answer, her expression turned to one of dismay.
"What? With, with who? When? No! Who dared to snatch him first?!"
"That would be me."
I raised my hand slightly and answered.
"…What?"
I pulled the contract from my robes and showed it to her.
"He already signed a contract with me."
The craftsman whom Master Potter Gong signed off on yesterday was not employed by the Eunhae Merchant Group.
It was with me, Eun Seoho.
That was a result of my deliberation.
Starting life over, I realized that the future wouldn't necessarily unfold the same way I had experienced.
So, I needed to prepare for the possibility that things might not go according to my plans.
Rather than affiliating Gong Mil with the Eunhae Merchant Group, I affiliated him with myself personally.
That way, the profits wouldn't go to the group — they'd go to me. Of course, I'd still sell through the group, so they wouldn't be left out.
In effect, it meant my personal funds would increase.
Only then could I more easily carry out all the various plans I had in mind.
I couldn't spend the group's money freely. Besides, their finances were far too exposed.
"So, Pavilion Master Yeon, you'll be negotiating with me."
At my words, Pavilion Master Yeon smiled.
"Negotiating with me — can you handle that, young master?"
"I'll approach it with the mindset of a learner."
And so, the negotiations began.
It was a fierce back-and-forth.
Though I had led many successful negotiations for the merchant group in my previous life, Pavilion Master Yeon was no easy opponent.
In fact, she was the one who had taught me how to negotiate.
After two long hours of haggling, I managed to secure 70% of what I wanted.
It would be a sort of dispatch contract, but there was one thing I absolutely refused to compromise on.
Guaranteed work hours, guaranteed meal breaks, and guaranteed study time.
He's still only ten.
He needed to eat well, sleep well, study, and grow.
After finalizing the negotiations, we exchanged signed contracts.
"You're quite capable, young master,"
Pavilion Master Yeon said with a satisfied smile.
"It's been a while since I've lost like this."
"I struggled quite a bit too."
"You say that, but you look rather triumphant. Fufu."
"Hahaha."
"It's rewarding to teach someone like you. I look forward to the day you join Sunset Pavilion for real operations."
And then, the look she gave me grew even sharper.
Why was that gaze making me break into a cold sweat?
Pavilion Master Yeon rose from her seat and said,
"Let's get ready to depart."
"Yes!"
At her words, everyone moved into action.
***
Eunhae Merchant Group Main Office, Sungyang District, Hubei Province
After completing her business in Golden Boat Village, Pavilion Master Yeon Dami headed straight for Merchant Lord Eun Gil-Sang.
"Ah! Pavilion Master Yeon, how did it go?"
Without hesitation, she stepped into the Merchant Lord's office and placed a box on the desk.
Then, she sat down and said,
"He's ten years old."
"Huh? What are you talking about out of nowhere? Ten?"
"The craftsman who made the Self-Dancing Doll. He was a ten-year-old kid."
"What?"
"I'm not crazy, and I'm not joking. I saw it with my own eyes."
She opened the box she had brought with her.
"Here, a doll made by a ten-year-old craftsman. A doll that dances on its own… a Self-Dancing Doll."