Chapter 158 : Jaseung and Seolyoung, Opens It

Chapter 158: Jaseung and Seolyoung, Opens It

The moment she saw the iron key, Nam Seohyang was startled.

“This is?”

Nam Seohyang knew exactly what the key was.

“This key is the iron key of Go Nodae.”

“The iron key of Go Nodae?”

“If you don't know that, then you also must not know Go's Vault either.”

Lee Jaseung nodded. He had never heard the term.

“Go's Vault, often shortened to Go’s Vault. It appeared a little over ten years ago, a place that takes charge of precious items and keeps them safe. A man called Go Nodae runs it. He stores things for a set fee.”

Now that he thought about it, Lee Jaseung remembered hearing that such a place had appeared. They said it never lost anything and kept items perfectly safe. He remembered letting it pass without much thought.

Nam Seohyang lifted the iron key and turned it to show the side.

“You see the letters and numbers here? Hwang four seven five three. That is the vault’s number.”

Lee Jaseung’s eyes sharpened.

So Jang Wonso hid something there.

It must be something important that he wanted to keep out of sight.

At the same time, Lee Jaseung felt puzzled. No matter how secure the storage, the suspicious Jang Wonso would never entrust a precious item to a warehouse, especially one run by someone else.

Either way, they would know what it contains once they check.

“Where is Go's Vault?”

“There are branches all across the Central Plains. The main office is near the Murim Alliance. I will confirm the exact location once I return and send word through my subordinates.”

“Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it.”

Nam Seohyang did not ask where the key came from or whose it was. As always, what Lee Jaseung liked about her was how cleanly she drew the line between public and private matters.

Since he had met her anyway, Lee Jaseung asked one more question.

“Who do you expect to become the next Alliance Leader?”

Lee Jaseung already knew she had finished all her analysis. Information was her livelihood. She more than anyone knew that this next Alliance Leader issue would bring a flood of requests and turn into big money.

“That’d be very expensive information.”

She covered her mouth and laughed. She acted as if joking, but at this moment the information was priceless.

To know who the next Alliance Leader would be?

You could build ties with him in advance. You could back him with money. The returns on that investment would differ as much as heaven and earth before and after he becomes Alliance Leader.

It was information that could not be priced.

Of course, Nam Seohyang did not dare ask Lee Jaseung for money.

Lee Jaseung had no hesitation about making use of her.

Nam Seohyang liked that about him as well. It was better to ask plainly for what you wanted and keep your promises.

The sort who said nice things to your face and acted otherwise in practice was truly exhausting.

She spoke calmly.

“There are many variables depending on which candidates come forward.”

“Assume you have opened all possibilities.”

“Does that set of possibilities include you, Alliance Leader?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Because by our analysis you are the largest variable.”

“And if I do come forward, what then?”

After a brief consideration, Nam Seohyang spoke carefully.

“I will put it in numbers to make it easy. The strongest candidate at present is Ban Yeo. His chances are forty percent. The Blade of Oneness, Gwak Jinpung, twenty percent. Anhui's Lone Hero, Sa Macheon, ten percent. You, my Lord, ten percent. Floating votes amount to twenty percent.”

With mild surprise, Lee Jaseung asked,

“My chances are as high as a tenth?”

“That is the minimum. If you lead it into a contest between old and new against Ban Yeo, you could raise it to as high as forty percent.”

The phrase contest between old and new came out of her mouth. She too had already accounted for the framework Lee Jaseung intended to build. A keen woman indeed.

Hiding the fact that he had that intent, Lee Jaseung said to her,

“Forty percent huh. Then the remaining sixty goes to Ban Yeo.”

“At present there is no proper rival to oppose him. Without variables, it will be difficult even for you to become Alliance Leader. No matter how much the Orthodox Faction of the martial world hates the corruption the Alliance has shown, they are very conservative by nature. They will feel uneasy about a relatively young Alliance Leader taking the seat. You are twenty nine. Since the year has not changed, you are still in your twenties.”

“You even know my exact age.”

“Call this part my personal interest in you, my Lord.”

Nam Seohyang smiled.

Lee Jaseung could feel that her favor carried a personal feeling. Yet she did not cross the line.

“May I presume to offer one word?”

“Go ahead.”

What came out of her mouth was astonishing.

“Take the Alliance Leader’s seat.”

Nam Seohyang’s eyes sparkled as she added,

“Now is the best chance to aim for it.”

* * *

The Elders’ Council and the various leaders of the Murim Alliance selected the candidates for the next Alliance Leader.

It went as expected.

Ban Yeo received the first recommendation, and Gwak Jinpung and Sa Macheon were also named.

Then came Lee Jaseung.

The one who strongly recommended him was the presiding Elder, Yeo Beom. He intended to make profit by placing Lee Jaseung as Alliance Leader.

Then a variable appeared.

Baek Seolyoung was nominated. In terms of qualifications alone she had more than enough. She was the Lord of the Northern Sky Clan, the guardian clan of the Murim Alliance.

Furthermore, the fact that husband and wife, Baek Seolyoung and Lee Jaseung, both became candidates together was more than enough to set the martial world abuzz.

When the news spread, the rivers and lakes heated up over it.

When Dan Woobin heard, his expression turned very serious.

“I did not expect the Lady to become a candidate.”

He quickly added,

“Please don't misunderstand. I don't mean you lack the qualifications.”

At that, Baek Seolyoung smiled faintly.

“I obviously know you don't mean it that way. And it is also true that I lack experience.”

In place of the flustered Dan Woobin, Lee Jaseung spoke.

“You have more than enough qualifications. You only lack experience.”

Lee Jaseung’s phrasing was exact. Compared to her lack of experience, she more than exceeded the mark in character and a kind heart for others.

Of course, one recommendation did not make someone a candidate. Those who nominated the candidates had to vote again to decide if the nominee was appropriate.

Baek Seolyoung passed that decision.

Dan Woobin felt a strange dissonance about her candidacy.

‘My Lord was nominated, but my Lady is also nominated? Of course, such a thing could happen, but still.’

Something strangely bothered him.

Mujin looked at Baek Seolyoung and grinned.

“I would personally like the Lady to become Alliance Leader.”

Ma Young-gi spoke quickly.

“I think so as well.”

As if they had planned it, Mujin and Ma Young-gi both turned their eyes to Dan Woobin. The look of hunters who had spotted prey. Their guess had been right.

“Oh, as for me…”

Caught off guard, Dan Woobin faltered.

Mujin shook his head.

“So stiff. Is it so hard to say, I think so too?”

Because it was closer to sincere advice than a joke, Dan Woobin let out a deeper sigh.

“You are right.”

This time, Mujin’s words hit home.

He did have a rigid side. And Mujin was not telling him to overhaul that. He was only telling him to be a little more flexible. Even that was not easy.

Lee Jaseung shifted the mood and asked,

“What happens if Lord Baek stands as a candidate?”

“To speak frankly, I had not considered the Lady entering, but even a simple look says it will split the support that favors a young Alliance Leader.”

Baek Seolyoung spoke quickly.

“I will withdraw.”

Dan Woobin replied at once.

“In emergencies, a candidate for Alliance Leader cannot withdraw.”

“What? Really?”

Startled by something she had not imagined, Baek Seolyoung widened her eyes.

“It is a rule created to empower the election council as far as I know. Of course, after one becomes Alliance Leader one can step down, but at this stage withdrawal is not permitted.”

As they finished the meeting and were about to leave, Dan Woobin spoke to Baek Seolyoung.

“Oh, and about what I said before... I hope you don't take it the wrong way.”

Baek Seolyoung gave him a bright smile.

“I know your heart, Strategist Dan.”

He looked at her. Even as he watched that wide smile, even as his mood lifted, a corner of his mind felt uneasy. Not because of her, but because she had become a candidate.

‘There is definitely something here.’

Dan Woobin decided he would investigate this matter thoroughly.

* * *

That evening, Lee Jaseung and Baek Seolyoung left the Murim Alliance on horseback and reached a town half a day away.

It was the next largest town after the one that housed the Alliance. Baek Seolyoung had only heard of it, and this was her first time visiting.

“Why are we here?”

“There is a place we must go to.”

Lee Jaseung brought her along.

From now on, he intended to handle matters together with her as much as possible.

What happened in the Seven-Color Hidden Land had affected him.

Unless it was a task he had no choice but to handle alone, he resolved to go together if they could.

The two rode into the town’s central street.

There was a tavern, a smithy, and stores selling various foods. It looked like a normal market street in an ordinary town.

But there was exactly one thing that differed from other towns.

Lee Jaseung stopped before one of the shops. The signboard read, “Go's Vault.”

This was the main office of Go's Vault that Nam Seohyang had mentioned.

For a place that had branches throughout the Central Plains, the shop was very small. The signboard was so old it looked ready to fall. Anyone who did not know it would pass by without a glance.

Lee Jaseung and Baek Seolyoung went inside.

Large and small safes were set into the surrounding walls, and various objects sat on the floor. At a glance, it looked like a place that took all sorts of miscellaneous things on consignment and handed out small change.

An old man sat guarding the center.

He looked like an ordinary old man, and he was blind.

There were no traces of martial training. He was, quite literally, a blind old man.

Yet Lee Jaseung could feel it. Not only around the old man, but beyond all the walls, masters of Transcendent Peak Realm lay in ambush. Contrary to its shabby appearance, this was a dragon’s pool and a tiger’s den.

Without a word, Lee Jaseung offered the iron key to the old man.

The old man felt along it with his hands and checked the iron key. Watching that, Lee Jaseung understood.

The old man was a specialist at determining whether the iron key was genuine or counterfeit. A genuine iron key bore some minute mark that only this old man could feel by touch.

If one did not know that mark, one could never forge this iron key.

“Follow me.”

Being blind, he did not know who the visitor was, and naturally did not ask.

He led the two into the rear yard.

He raised a hand and pointed toward the back door.

“Open that door with the key and go out. Then follow the path straight.”

Without waiting for a reply, he went back into the building.

Lee Jaseung walked to the back door and inserted the iron key into the hole there and turned it.

Creak.

When the key finished turning, the door opened.

Sss.

As the door opened, a very faint vibration ran through the air.

Lee Jaseung sensed it.

A Formation had just been activated.

It was a supreme formation so refined that even Baek Seolyoung, whose martial skill had risen considerably, could not sense it.

Together, Lee Jaseung and Baek Seolyoung followed the path the old man had indicated.

At the end of the path stood a large building.

Only then did Lee Jaseung understand. Go's Vault did not store items in a warehouse. It stored them inside a formation.

Each key bore a unique number.

Depending on that number, a different formation unfolded. If you opened the door with a different iron key, a different space would open.

If you had the key, anyone could open it, but without the key you could never enter. In other words, as long as you guarded the key, you could never be robbed.

It struck him as a brilliant idea. Of course, it was possible only thanks to this extraordinary formation. And almost no one would realize they were depositing their goods inside a formation.

The building’s door was not locked.

Lee Jaseung and Baek Seolyoung opened it and stepped in.

The instant they saw what was inside, both of them were shocked.