Chapter 154. The Master of Platinum Pavilion

Namgung Jin stood on the first floor of Platinum Pavilion, surveying his surroundings.

When he had first stepped into Platinum Pavilion, everything had been half-destroyed and drenched in blood.

Now, however, not only had it been completely cleaned up, but new display shelves filled with treasures and fine ornaments had been brought in.

Ordinarily, one would fear thieves breaking in again and would hide such valuables away, but Platinum Pavilion displayed them openly, as though nothing had ever happened.

Namgung Jin gave a dry laugh.

He could not tell if it was the foolishness unique to merchants, who cast aside safety before wealth, or the confidence that no one would dare intrude again.

Tap, tap, tap.

At the sound of footsteps descending the wooden stairs, Namgung Jin lifted his gaze.

The steward of Platinum Pavilion appeared, wearing an awkward smile as he spoke.

"I heard you went straight to the headquarters. I suppose that was just a rumor. I never expected you would visit Platinum Pavilion so soon."

"No, it was true. Thanks to the directions you gave me, I was able to meet the Alliance Leader and enter the headquarters."

Namgung Jin added with a bitter smile.

"Unfortunately, an unpleasant matter arose, and I was expelled."

"Expelled?"

The steward's narrow eyes widened in surprise. He seemed intrigued.

But Namgung Jin showed no intention of satisfying that curiosity.

Instead, he lowered his gaze and drew something from within his robes.

"I believe the steward's name is Min Doyu. Is that correct?"

Namgung Jin asked casually, as though it were nothing of importance.

"Min Doyu? Who is that supposed to be?"

The steward tilted his head, feigning ignorance.

Namgung Jin lowered the envelope pinched between his fingers to his side. The steward's eyes reflexively followed the movement downward before darting back up.

Bang!

Min Doyu blocked the dagger aimed at piercing his throat.

The Young Lord of the Namgung Clan showed no hint of surprise, as though he had anticipated the reaction.

Min Doyu had already investigated him after his previous visit. He had probed into the Young Lord's martial skills and weaknesses, and among the information he uncovered was that Namgung Jin was a right-handed swordsman.

Because Namgung Jin held the envelope in his right hand, Min Doyu had let his guard down.

The Young Lord, being right-handed, wielded the dagger in his left hand, and its tip was aimed straight at the center of Min Doyu's throat. If Min Doyu had failed to catch his wrist in time, the blade would have pierced through.

The Young Lord was already certain that the steward was indeed Min Doyu, and seemed to have guessed that Min Doyu had investigated him in turn.

Min Doyu swallowed a curse.

‘Tang So-hwa must have sent him.’

The Hall Lord had shared many things with that woman, but never their true names. Even so, she had revealed their identities to the Namgung Clan's Young Lord.

Murderous intent began to thicken around Min Doyu.

He could not simply let the Young Lord walk away.

Even if he did not kill him, he had to determine exactly how much the Young Lord knew and ensure his silence.

The problem was that the Young Lord's martial ability was not low.

If Min Doyu failed to restrain him and he escaped, it would be a disaster.

Just as his gaze shifted instinctively toward the door, something caught his eye.

"I have not come to harm you. I came to ask a favor."

Namgung Jin extended the envelope in his other hand, blocking Min Doyu's gaze.

"I plan to head for the North Sea, and I need your help."

"The North Sea?"

The sudden words startled Min Doyu, and he repeated them in disbelief.

Namgung Jin curled his lips into a faint smile and loosened his fingers. When the envelope fell, Min Doyu caught it.

He opened the letter immediately, but his expression twisted into a grimace. He had thought it would be a request to procure some trinkets—but this was far beyond that.

"Do you plan to settle down in the North Sea or something?"

"Well... no, I don't think so."

"Don't think so?"

"I honestly don't even know what I'm supposed to do there. I was expelled from the headquarters before I had the chance to ask."

"......"

"So then, what will you do?"

Namgung Jin asked as though Min Doyu had a choice—but the words that followed made it clear he had none.

Namgung Jin's gaze slid toward the stairs.

"Shall I go up myself to meet the Master of Platinum Pavilion? Or will you deliver this for me and protect your master's identity?"

Min Doyu did not hesitate.

"Wait here."

It was not out of concern that his Hall Lord might be harmed.

He himself took care to act without revealing his identity, but his mad Hall Lord would likely show his face outright and kill this arrogant Young Lord on the spot.

If that happened, the burden of cleaning up such a catastrophe would fall squarely on Min Doyu.

As he climbed the stairs, one of the pavilion's attendants—who had been keeping his distance—emerged, clearly to keep watch over the Young Lord.

Doyu ascended swiftly. Once he reached the shadowed top floor, all sound vanished.

He dropped to his knees before a closed door and bowed deeply.

"Hall Lord."

But no reply came from beyond the door.

His lord waited in silence for his report. Knowing his temper, Doyu did not waste words and immediately conveyed what had transpired below.

"Tang So-hwa is heading to the North Sea and has requested a few things from Platinum Pavilion."

He unfolded the letter and read aloud the shameless demands written by that orthodox woman.

"...... It's not only goods. She wants an iron chest, a medicine kit, and even North Sea clothing."

When his eyes reached the final lines, Doyu fell silent.

Reluctantly, he spoke the words he had meant to swallow.

"And... she asks whether the Hall Lord has returned safely."

"......"

"If you have returned safely, she says once she returns from the North Sea, she will seek you out at the Solar Palace. She tells you not to die, but to remain alive until then."

A faint laugh drifted from beyond the door.

Creak.

The door opened, revealing his lord seated on the windowsill.

At Haerak's gesture, Doyu hurried inside and handed him the letter.

Haerak propped his chin on his hand as he read the contents.

"It's hardly a difficult request. Before coming to the Central Plains, didn't we secure a few pavilions along the coast to catch the North Sea fugitives? Give her one. Make sure it has separate quarters for men and women. The farther apart, the better."

The lord added pointless remarks, but for once, Doyu was able to ignore such nonsense.

His mind was preoccupied with something else.

"Since she mentioned the Solar Palace, I can't help but ask. What exactly is Tang So-hwa planning to do in the North Sea?"

Haerak replied with indifference.

"Seems she intends to hand the North Sea Ice Palace back to the fugitives who ran."

"... Is that even possible?"

"She appears to believe it is."

Haerak brushed back his long hair and let out a sigh.

"Doesn't it sound just like those Ice Palace folk? Reckless to the point of absurdity, and unable to abandon such folly, so they suffer for it."

Normally, Doyu would have agreed with Haerak's words, but this time, he could not echo the thought.

After a pause, he asked cautiously.

"But what does she mean by promising to restore the Great Desert Solar Palace to you, Hall Lord?"

"She means to keep repeating what she's doing now. Next, she intends to separate the Solar Palace bloodline from the Blood Sect."

Haerak chuckled faintly, as though the thought grew more absurd the more he considered it.

"Foolish beyond measure. And yet she actually thinks such a delusional plan could succeed."

"What if she does succeed?"

At Doyu's sharp tone, Haerak's eyes slid toward him.

"No one believed the North Sea fugitives could last three years on the run. Yet they did. Perhaps reclaiming the palace is not impossible either."

The corner of Haerak's mouth curled upward.

"No wonder Tang So-hwa dares overreach. She hasn't even succeeded yet, but already one fool wavers at her side."

He slipped the letter into a wooden box resting on the windowsill.

"In any case, prepare what she asked for. As quickly as possible. She must know the Blood Demon is searching for her, so she must have arranged to flee to the North Sea without delay."

"... You tell me to prepare, Hall Lord, but what am I to do if you take the letter with you?"

"Weren't there only a few items written? Can't you remember them?"

"Am I some sorcerer? I'm not clever like those people. There were even medicines listed that I've never seen before."

Clack.

Haerak opened the box again and drew out the note.

"I'll read it once, memorize it."

"No, I can't memorize it!"

Doyu's eyes widened in alarm, but Haerak began to read Tang So-hwa's requests aloud. Reluctantly, Doyu tried to store each item in his memory, muttering them to himself; unsurprisingly, he couldn't remember them all.

'Damn... I'll just have to put everything together as best I can.'

"And refurbish the pavilions on the island as well."

"... Why there?"

The North Sea was a lake so vast it was called a sea; when people spoke of the North Sea, they meant that huge lake and its shores. The North Sea Ice Palace sat on an island leaning toward the lake's southern edge — an island as large as many cities, home to the Ice Palace bloodline and the North Sea nobility who ruled the region like kings.

Where the noble gathered, commerce naturally flourished. Merchants were desperate to get onto that island, for only the North Sea could supply precious elixirs like ice crystals and millennial snowroot. The island's isolation meant desperate demand for goods, so traders could obtain rare medicines at relatively low prices and resell them for profit.

But when the Ice Palace fell, the island's glittering market came under the Blood Sect's control.

Here lay the problem. When Haerak crossed to the Central Plains, the island's commerce had been seized by the Red Blood Hall. Although the Red Blood Hall's Lord was absent for the moment, it was unlikely the island that had been occupied for three years would be empty. On the contrary — those Red Blood men would almost certainly remain.

Taverns, inns, and shops — every part of the economy had fallen into Red Blood Hall's hands. If they misstepped, they risked being trapped on the island and suffering disaster.

And yet it would be awkward for them to go there themselves to guard the prepared pavilions.

There was the Blood Demon's Gu poison to consider.

Every member of the Main Blood Hall was bound by the Blood Demon's will to obey Haerak. Spiriting Tang So-hwa away and aiding the North Sea rogues would clearly defy that will — but Haerak's orders took precedence, so for now it might pass. Still, if they confronted the Red Blood Hall directly — who had the Blood Demon's favor — how this damn Gu poison would react was anyone's guess.

While the Main Blood Hall Lord, who prioritized survival, might remain unharmed, their safety could not be guaranteed.

'... So he'll leave everything behind and go alone again.'

Unaware of Doyu's anxiety, Haerak replied casually.

"Is it because she's never been to the North Sea? It seems she doesn't know what she really needs, so I'll go and take care of it for her."

"So you intend to go yourself, Hall Lord. May I offer a word of advice?"

"No."

When Haerak refused in a single word, Doyu fell silent.

"I thought you wanted Tang So-hwa to succeed. Do you not want to help her after all?"

Haerak teased.

"If we simply meet her demands, it should be enough. Besides, she seems to have even pulled Namgung's Young Lord to her side. If that crafty woman tries something in the North Sea, let those two handle it themselves..."

A sudden wave of heat washed over Doyu, and he shut his mouth. The scalp stung as if a blaze had touched his head. Haerak always had a way of making people freeze, even when he could have simply told them to be quiet.

This was not the first time, so Doyu quickly understood the Hall Lords' meaning and quietly left the room. As Doyu disappeared, Haerak moved his hand; the door that had been left open closed.

The quarters, already hushed, grew even quieter.

In the silence, he opened the wooden box and read the letter again. He saw the line about obtaining an apothecary on the southern shore.

He thought he understood her intent, though his conclusion was wrong — the fallen North Sea was not what she imagined. Haerak studied the written characters and, frowning, propped his chin on his hand.

Finally, his eyes reached the last sentence.

"... Thought she was clever, but she's half a wit."

He sighed and murmured.

"If I'm to stay alive, you must live."

Haerak shook his head and returned the letter to the wooden box.