Ark - Volume 16 Chapter 8

ACT 8 Pirate Clean-up!

“Did you wait long?”

“No, I just came.”

“Really? I’ll get you something.”

Lee Myung-ryong called a shop assistant over with a gesture and took a seat.

“What will you eat?”

“For the moment, 2 servings of the parfait special set! And I……”

Lee Myung-ryong ordered without looking at the menu. Hyun-woo asked doubtfully.

“Are there more people coming?”

“No. I promised you before. If you help me retrieve the video file then I’ll buy you 3 servings of the parfait special set.”

“……I didn’t mean to buy it all at once.”

“Really? Then 2 servings of the parfait special set.”

After the sales assistant grabbed the menu and returned to the counter, he started whispering about those two. It was reasonable. It was currently 10.30 in the morning. Those two were the only people in the cafe so the atmosphere was uncomfortable. Since they ordered parfaits as soon as they sat down, it was impossible for eyes not to be drawn to them. Furthermore, Hyun-woo was over 180 cm tall. Although his build didn’t look that extraordinary, exercise had hardened his body. In addition, Lee Myung-ryong’s sharp gaze was enough to make gangsters cry. The first time Hyun-woo saw Lee Myung-ryong, he thought he was more like a gangster than a policeman. Yet the two men just sat down and ordered parfait? What business did they have? However, Hyun-woo wasn’t concerned with the eyes of other people.

‘The parfait still isn’t done…..’

Hyun-woo looked at people drinking coffee and thought they had it good. At a cheap cafe, coffee costs 8,000~9,000 won. Vending machine coffee only cost 1000 won and he could drink eight times more coffee. It was so absurd that he could only laugh. So every time Hyun-woo came to the cafe, he would order the parfait.  He didn’t even like the parfait. But it wasn’t possible to buy parfait from the vending machine so at least he could think it was a fair price. In other words, he felt less ripped off. No matter the game or reality, Hyun-woo related everything to money.

“But does Teacher also like parfait? Why are you eating a child’s food?”

“I haven’t slept for two days. My body now wants a lot of sugar.”

Lee Myung-ryong muttered as he stroked his scraggly beard. It wasn’t just his beard. Lee Myung-ryong normally didn’t wear neat attire but it was particularly serious today. His eyes were also really haggard which thick dark circles beneath it. It was a face which was the symbol of fatigue.

“This is all thanks to you.”

“Me?”

“The video file you sent me.”

“Oh, that’s right! Then you couldn’t sleep because of the video means….?”

“It is safe.”

Lee Myung-ryong laughed and replied.

“If I delayed for even a few hours then the video file would be worthless.”

“What are you saying?”

Hyun-woo asked as the shop assistant lowered a parfait. A sigh automatically emerged as he saw the parfait decorated with juice and ice cream.

‘This is a parfait worth 542 gold and 50 silver…..’

When he considered the money that went into this parfait, it was enough to cause tears. Lee Myung-ryong crunched the ornamental umbrella that was plugged into the parfait and began to talk again.

“Originally I’m not supposed to tell information to people unrelated to the investigation but I figured I can tell you. However, you wouldn’t understand if I tell you all the details. So I’ll just summarize the situation.”

The contents were related to the criminal organization. In dramas or movies, people normally talked about it in a serious voice. However, Lee Myung-ryong just seemed like a next door ajusshi talking as he ate the ice cream while playing with the umbrella. Although the case was related to a criminal organization, Lee Myung-ryong seemed completely different from the captain of the SWAT team who incited fear in criminals. Although it was an investigation, he didn’t feel the need to be serious.

“You said you saw the video?”

“Yes. But wasn’t the information just insubstantial?”

“It’s natural that you would think the contents were insignificant. Because those guys only used code words during their dialogue in the movie. No, it was closer to a password than a code word.”

“Password?”

“If a criminal organization isn’t clever these days than they wouldn’t be able to survive for long. These days they often used indirect words when referring to specific things. Furthermore, the meaning often changed so the police often don’t know that it means. But they made a mistake once. There was the word H-56 in the video.”

When Hyun-woo heard the word H-56 in the video, he also thought it was questionable.

“That word refers to one of the various trading methods that they used.”

According to Lee Myung-ryong’s words, the criminal organization had various illegal trading methods. They would change the route according to the situation. ‘H-56’ was one of the prepared methods which the police still hadn’t completely figured out.

“But by listening to the conversation around the password ‘H-56,’ I could figure out the general principles.”

That was why Lee Myung-ryong hadn’t slept for two days. By watching the video and determining the general principles of the transaction method, the police had figured out their last transaction place. To his surprise, the transaction place Lee Myung-ryong figured out was a coin locker at the train station.

“H-56 is the transaction method which takes advantage of the train station which people from all over the nation uses to communicate with other people in their organization or to deal business. Although sometimes it goes through a courier or post office, there was the chance it could fall into the hands of the general public and then there would be police supervision.”

It was also easy for the criminal organization to discover the police supervision. And if things went bad in the middle and the police had to pounce then they wouldn’t be able to capture the people affiliated with the organization.

“In addition, those ‘items’ go through New World so it won’t be easy to track the funds.  Even if we attack and seize the ‘thing,’ there is no evidence that it isn’t just a lost item.”

‘That’s amazing!’

Hyun-woo once again realized that Lee Myung-ryong was a police officer. It felt like a war between policemen and criminal organizations in Hong Kong movies. In fact, Lee Myung-ryong hadn’t even explained 1/10ths of the information. The criminal organization’s dealings were more calculated than it appeared and the method Korea’s police force used to combat it was unimaginable to the public. But don’t misunderstand. Despite the public not knowing, Korea’s crime rate was low. Korea’s low crime rate was thanks to the police fighting against the criminals in order to maintain the public’s lifestyle.

“But it is a little strange.”

Hyun-woo suddenly said.

“That video was taken a few days ago. If they knew that the video was taken than wouldn’t they move quickly to take back the dangerous contents?”

“They tried but it wasn’t possible.”

“They can’t?”

“Clearly they monitored the route of the thing clearly.  The items are worth a few billion won so it would be a fatal blow if they lost it. But there is a chance that a henchman could leak the information. So the only one who can accurately monitor the transaction route is the boss of the organization.  Garret and Jepeteu who appeared in the video are only middle ranked bosses.”

Although Garett and Jepeteu thought it was dangerous, they couldn’t interrupt the transaction. Since they weren’t supposed to talk about the transactions but it was caught on video in the game, they couldn’t bear to tell the boss. There was also no reason to think that Buksil would take the video to the police. Still, they couldn’t ignore the possibility which was why they tried to so desperately recover it. Lee Myung-ryong then laughed and said.

“Anyway, that stuff finally arrived at its final destination last night. In other words, if we were a few days late than the video would have no value. That’s why I told you it was safe.”

After Lee Myung-ryong grasped the situation, hurriedly rallied people from the Special Crime Countermeasures division and hid them near the coin locker. By midnight, they managed to arrest the person and collected the thing.

“If we tracked that fellow then we could discover the place the wanted criminals are hiding. But the henchman we caught is a subordinate of Jepeteu. Jepeteu probably wouldn’t show up until the end.  The subordinate would’ve probably disposed of the goods and then hand it to Jepeteu through New World. So we decided to catch him for the moment.”

Of course, it was still a secret that the police force was investigating in New World. Because of that, Lee Myung-ryong had to be careful that Jepeteu didn’t sense he was the one who arrested the henchman. If the police could figure out the henchman’s route and deploy traffic police to search similar vehicles then they could grab other henchmen.

“That’s actually why I wanted to talk to you today. When we captured him there was a murder nearby and we questioned the henchman after that. Jepeteu was still searching for the video.  I think he had no luck. And the risk from the video is gone after the thing was reclaimed so they shouldn’t chase you anymore.”

While there was no obvious connection with the video, his henchman was caught by the police. In this situation, Jepeteu and the organization members would have no choice but to be tense. It was like that in reality but in the game, they could take a break while watching the situation. Fortunately, Ark’s bad relationship with the thieves was ended.

“But you didn’t catch most of the organization.”

“Why do you think I stayed up all night?”

Lee Myung-ryong inserted the remaining parfait into his mouth and laughed.

“After we arrested him at midnight, we questioned that fellow for a long time. This is a fight against time. It would probably only be 12 hours until they discover that a follower was caught. But the police had already obtained the necessary information after 5 hours.”

“Was it Teacher? I don’t need to see to understand what happened to that person.”

Hyun-woo was familiar with Lee Myung-ryong’s violence after experiencing his version of sparring and muttered. Then Lee Myung-ryong jumped at the unexpected words and exclaimed.

“Hey, Hey! What are you thinking? Do you think I would break his two arms? I am a democratic policeman.”

“Does the democratic police beat people up?”

“Am I a bully? Anyone who listens will be scared. And recently his arms had been in pain so there was no need to beat him up. Have you heard of a plea bargain?”

“Plea bargain? The one that frequently appears in foreign movies?”

“Yes, that’s right. Our country also does it. While that guy is a criminal, we cut him a deal. He’s just a henchman so he did odd jobs and chores. In exchange for the plea bargain, he will tell us what he knows.”

“I’m glad, but I also think it is a bit pathetic.”

“I don’t know what you’ve imagined but this isn’t a movie. Will you die for you hyung-nim? Would he sacrifice himself for you? Don’t make me laugh. Gangsters in the past and present don’t have any guts.” The gangster became nervous as he heard Lee Myung-ryong’s voice.

“I’m only going to offer this just once. You’re different from your hyung-nim. While you could live a new life thanks to your hyung-nim, you don’t have that much moral obligation to him. Since you’re hyung-nim has surrounded himself with guys like you.”

After the henchman heard Lee Myung-ryong’s ‘threat,’ he confessed a great deal of information in exchange for the plea bargain. Of course, he was just a henchman so they were unable to obtain satisfactory confidential information. But they were somewhat lucky? The henchman was quite close to some people in the organization so he knew their hiding place.

“Before they heard the news that the henchman was caught, the detectives had surrounded it. Those fellows didn’t expect that we could move that fast.”

The purpose of the detectives surrounded the hideout wasn’t to catch the criminals. Lee Myung-ryong’s purpose was to arrest all of the criminal organization! In order to catch the big fish, he had to release the small ones. Once the organization members heard the news that a follower was caught, they would have to take action. The detectives kept an eye on their movements and collected information, while planning a way to arrest Jepeteu the interim boss.

“It’s just starting now.”

Despite not sleeping for two days, Lee Myung-ryong was full of energy. It reminded him of his youthful days fighting against gangs and criminal organizations. In fact, Lee Myung-ryong hadn’t expected that he could attain this result from the game when he first started New World. Finding one person in a city of hundreds of thousands wasn’t easy. It was a lot harder when considering that millions connected to New World! He couldn’t even understand the game system so how could Lee Myung-ryong find the wanted criminals? But Lee Myung-ryong’s efforts, Ark’s help and a little luck managed to bring him to these results. If he didn’t have a keen interest than he wouldn’t be a policeman in South Korea. Of course, there was a long way to go before he could sweep up all of the criminal organization. But Lee Myung-ryong was full of confidence from the excellent results so far.

“While those guys are hiding, they will concentrate on building a base in New World. And I’m already trusted immensely by those guys.”

Lee Myung-ryong laughed and spoke. However, he couldn’t be that smug about it. Lee Myung-ryong’s credit rating within the bandit group had only risen because he was killed by Baekgu in the horror castle. The thieves had misunderstood the reason why Lee Myung-ryong was there. Thanks to Garam’s claims, Lee Myung-ryong was now formally a member of the bandit group. Of course, he didn’t have enough influence yet but he could seize the opportunity. While the hidden detectives investigated in reality, Lee Myung-ryong would infiltrate the group in the game.

“Therefore I will be busy for a while.”

Just as he was standing up from his seat, Lee Myung-ryong suddenly remembered something and said.

“Ah, I spoke to the section chief of the Special Crimes Countermeasures division about you. While the incident isn’t over yet, the investigation has opened because of the video so the Police Commissioner might give you a commendation.”

“Please don’t worry about it.”

Hun-woo laughed unpleasantly and shook his head. Hyun-woo didn’t want to appear in front of other people. Then Lee Myung-ryong smiled and added.

“You don’t want the bonus reward for the crucial tip?”

“……Thank you.”

“Then wait for the good news.”

Lee Myung-ryong laughed and went back to the police agency. After separating from Lee Myung-ryong, Hyun-woo went home feeling refreshed. After starting New World, Hyun-woo escaped from the life where he had to worry about meals. After helping Lee Myung-ryong this time, he realized he had a sense of social justice. Hyun-woo was satisfied at the idea of helping. Yet Hyun-woo never guessed what would happen next. The effort to catch the wanted criminals had started to affect New World……

“Mother, I’m home!”

“Ah, you’ve come?”

After Hyun-woo entered, a booming voice could be heard from the living room. The man sitting down on the living room sofa was Gwon Hwa-rang. It wasn’t an abrupt visit. After his mother started the outpatient treatment, Gwon Hwa-rang could often been seen visiting the house. Why? Well, wasn’t the reason clear?

“Did you come to flirt with my mother?”

“He only came here to talk.”

Although his mother scowled, Gwon Hwa-rang just naturally laughed.

“Well, that’s right. I have to flirt before I lose her to other guys.”

After Gwon Hwa-rang started New World, this was the part that changed the most. While Hyun-woo first met Gwon Hwa-rang, he had seemed like a bear. At that time, Gwon Hwa-rang had been really blunt. After dozens of years as a special instructor, he wasn’t an ordinary policeman. After he got injured and retired, that tendency to be blunt got a lot worse. Thanks to his disappointment with the police agency and society, his mind had been damaged for a bit. It was only after starting New World that Gwon Hwa-rang began to change. After playing the game and interacting with NPCs, Gwon Hwa-rang had his passion in justice restored. If somebody didn’t bother working then they wouldn’t receive a reward. To the frustrated Gwon Hwa-rang, New World was like paradise compared to reality.

‘That is also one of the ways his character has changed.’

Hyun-woo thought this as he saw Gwon Hwa-rang walk to the kitchen. Gwon Hwa-rang had become more active in pursuing his mother. Before Gwon Hwa-rang had used his injury as an obstacle. Since Gwon Hwa-rang was so proud of his strength, it was an obstacle that was difficult to accept. So he had been passive when caring for Hyun-woo’s mother. Previously Gwon Hwa-rang had gotten drunk and started complaining to him.

“I really like your mother. Despite what other people said, it’s not just because of sympathy. I’m serious. I don’t care what other people say. Although I don’t care……I was scared that you or your mother would be uncomfortable by my attention. And taking care of your mother with an injury like this……”

His strong sense of responsibility was a burden to Gwon Hwa-rang. But while listening to Gwon Hwa-rang recently, it appeared like a lot of those worries had disappeared. In fact, Gwon Hwa-rang’s physical obstacle had disappeared a long time ago. However, sometimes the mental state was the biggest obstacle to somebody with disabilities. Despite his limp healing, his mind and body hadn’t accepted it so he still behaved like he was injured. But after spending most of his days in New World, that mental obstacle had relaxed a lot. Hyun-woo had heard that virtual reality games could also be used as a therapy for those sorts of mental obstacles. Now Gwon Hwa-rang was almost back to normal. The confident Gwon Hwa-rang didn’t hide his feelings about Hyun-woo’s mother anymore. It was unnecessary to say but Hyun-woo preferred this Gwon Hwa-rang.

‘I hope my mother improves quickly so those two can get married……’

Hyun-woo was hoping for that.

“Then you should flirt harder. I’ll go to the studio so I don’t interfere.”

“Oh, then I’m thankful. Aren’t your senses really quick now?”

Gwon Hwa-rang laughed and praised him. Hyun-woo was about to leave for his game studio when he suddenly asked.

“But ajusshi, how is that work you started?”

“Huh? Work I started? What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about the clean-up of the lawless port.”

“Ah, you mean that?”

Gwon Hwa-rang scratched his head with an irritated expression before sighing.

“It has become slightly troublesome.”

“Troublesome? Then you failed to track the pirate ships?”

“No. Tracking was a success. In the end…..”

Gwon Hwa-rang drank cold water and explained the situation. The day that Hyun-woo had been attacked by the pirates, Gwon Hwa-rang had followed them and determined the location of the lawless port. The lawless port was a small island near the east coast of Seutandal. Once JusticeMan figured out the location, the battle fleet was dispatched as planned and they tried to attack the lawless port.

“But I lost two combat ships and retreated.”

“Were the pirates at the lawless port that strong?”

“Well, it’s not that they’re strong. But the problem isn’t the pirates. With Isabel’s investment, the battle fleet consisted of 40 transport and battle ships. On the other hand, the pirate ships gathered at the lawless port only added up to 30 speedboats. After arriving, I could batter them in a matter of hours.”

“Then?”

“……I can’t enter the lawless port.”

Gwon Hwa-rang sighed and muttered. Neither Gwon Hwa-rang nor Hyun-woo thought that there would be an ambush near the lawless port. The ambush was the reef spread near the lawless port like a landmine. Yes, the Hermes alliance knew about the island when they entered Seutandal thanks to the Nakujuk and built the lawless port there. The only way to enter the lawless island was through the ocean. But the sea surrounding the island was dangerous. Under the ocean was a spread out reef waiting to sink its teeth into boats that enter the lawless port. Furthermore, the influence of the reef meant that there were sometimes whirlpools that would swallow ships. Although it seemed like an ordinary ocean, it was the same as a maze holding traps for unsuspecting ships. And naturally the lawless pirates knew the location of every reef and whirlpool perfectly. The battle fleet knew nothing about the reef and whirlpools as they chased the pirates. The results of the naval battle could be easily seen.

“We sent some divers underwater but it wasn’t easy to grasp the terrain. The underwater terrain is too complicated and we couldn’t watch the movements of the pirates either. So the battle fleet is just surrounding the lawless port for the moment. Fortunately the pirates can’t go around plundering either……”

But it wasn’t possible for the battle fleet to be stuck at the lawless port forever. Not all the pirates in New World were at the lawless port. There were also pirates aimed at the merchant fleets from the continent. Ever since Seutandal rose, the maritime activity had increased so the pirate strongholds had extended to the continent and Seutandal. If the entire battle fleet was tied to the lawless port than they had no way to stop those pirates. However, it wasn’t possible to turn the battle fleet around. The battle fleet consisted of 40 ships while the pirates had 30. They had the numerical advantage but it wasn’t an absolute.  If the combat ships near the lawless port were reduced than there was a chance the pirates would counterattack. In a geographically disadvantaged area, the battle fleet would have no chance if they were outnumbered.

“The problem is even more serious than that. Information that we blocked the lawless port went out to pirates near the continent. If the pirates from the continent and the lawless port join hands then we’ll be attacked from the front and behind. That is the most fearful thing. If the battle fleet is destroyed by the pirates……”

It wasn’t necessary to hear the rest. Currently Seutandal was under the authority of the Baran and the Eastern Nation which is how they managed to attack many users and trade business from the continent. If the pirates seized the sea than that advantage would disappear. Originally Seutandal was a land which lived separately from the continent with no trade between them. If they didn’t trade with the continent than they would have no problems surviving. But going back to the previous talk. While they didn’t exchange in trade at the beginning, once the exchange took place they had developed rapidly. As a simple example, what would happen if modern day Korea couldn’t trade with other countries anymore? Seutandal would rapidly lose its power and their forces would weaken. At that time, if the Hermes alliance invaded with the Nakujuk then there would be no way to defeat them. In the worst case scenario, Haman Fortress might fall under the influence of the Hermes and Nakujuk alliance.

‘Now I understand. This is the scenario that the Hermes alliance was planning on!’

Even after Hyun-woo discovered that the lawless port was related to the Hermes alliance, he didn’t pay it that much thought. It was annoying but he hadn’t thought that the occupied Seutandal could be shaken by pirates. But it was different if they joined hands with pirates from the continent.

‘The pirates also need a safe place. But there is no room for the pirates to penetrate the three powers on the continent. Yet the situation is different in Seutandal. If the pirates really accomplish it then the scale will exceed imagination. That strength could make Seutandal into a pirate kingdom…..no doubt. The Hermes alliance had that in mind from the beginning when they constructed the lawless port.’

When he thought about it, Hyun-woo was suddenly afraid. If they got their hands on Seutandal as planned than the Hermes alliance would obtain tremendous power. The Ark’s dream of creating a triangular trade route between Lancel-Silvana-Seutandal would burst like a bubble. No, if the Hermes alliance gained that power than Ark wouldn’t even be able to live in New World.

‘But if the lawless port is their fortress…..’

A sigh emerged from Hyun-woo’s face. It wasn’t necessary to say again but Gwon Hwa-rang was a tactical strategist. When participating in the Seutandal war, all the general strategy tactics relating to warfare came from Gwon Hwa-rang. If it wasn’t for Gwon Hwa-rang at that time than Seutandal might’ve already fallen into the hands of the Nakujuk and the Hermes alliance. Yet even Gwon Hwa-rang couldn’t find a way to clean up the lawless port. Even if Hyun-woo ran to Seutandal immediately, he wouldn’t be able to change anything.

‘Is there a way to pass through the deadlock area to reach the lawless port?’

Then an abrupt idea came to Hyun-woo’s head. It was the conversation he just had with Lee Myung-ryong. Lee Myung-ryong had managed to capture one of the henchmen in the organization. And he didn’t know the hiding place of the other criminals except for his close friends. However, that henchman was in charge of disposing of the goods and then handing it to Jepeteu in New World. Well it was just one henchman and he wasn’t the one who moved the funds. Anyway, there was a high probability that he was beside Jepeteu in the game. And Jepeteu often stopped by the lawless port!

‘In other words, that henchman must go to the lawless port often with Jepeteu. Then he must know a way to pass through the deadlock area. That’s it. Because he had never met a pirate, there was no chance to get information about the lawless port. But now one of the pirates is caught by Teacher. And even with the plea bargain, the henchman will still go to jail for a little bit so there is no need for him to hide information about the lawless port.’

“I might have a method to find a way through the reef!”

“What? R-Really? How?”

“Please wait a moment.”

Hyun-woo ran to the living room and called Lee Myung-ryong.

“I understand. In fact, I’ve actually gone to the lawless port once as well. It was just before Jepeteu attacked you at sea. But I didn’t know that you were related to the lawless port and I also didn’t know that there were reefs in that zone. The henchman has been with Jepeteu longer so he will likely know the route. I’ll hang up for the moment. I’ll check and call you back later.”

Lee Myung-ryong was presently a part of the bandit group. If Hyun-woo mentioned the lawless port to Lee Myung-ryong then he could get information. However, Hyun-woo had been unaware that Lee Myung-ryong was playing New World. After waiting 10 minutes, Lee Myung-ryong called back.

“Hyun-woo, I found it!”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes, as expected he is one of the followers who accompanied Jepeteu. After hearing his words, I realized that I met him in New World.  He is the one called Sunfish who way always next to Jepeteu. I never imagined that he had used plastic surgery in New World.”

Lee Myung-ryong explained and laughed with amazement.

“Huhuhu, that guy has confessed information about the organization so there is no point hiding anything else. After I bought him a bowl of noodles, he immediately drew a map to cross through the reefs to get to the lawless port. It was sent to your house on a motorcycle courier. Then……”

Lee Myung-ryong hesitated and continued talking.

“The one who needs this map is Hwa-rang hyung-nim?”

“Yes, but why?”

“Then could you tell Hwa-rang ajusshi something before you give him the map?”

“What?”

“No, I mean…..I was listening to Sunfish. He said that the lawless port contains several warehouses where the items they looted are stored. I’m not trying to be patronizing but isn’t it because of me that he will manage to occupy the lawless port? It’s been a little hard for me these days so could you ask Hwa-rang hyung-nim to split a bit with me? Of course don’t say that. If you mention that I’m involved then he won’t do it. Oh, of course you can have half of the share that I receive. How about it?”

“……!”

Hyun-woo listened to Lee Myung-ryong’s words and realized he missed something important. Yes, the lawless port was the stronghold of the pirates! Naturally it would be the place where the pirates disposed of their loot. If the lawless port was occupied, then the Seutandal battle fleet would collect all the items stored. Since it was the spoils of Seutandal, it was natural for it to go to Isabel. But the number 1 contributors of the lawless port invasion were Hyun-woo and Lee Myung-ryong. They had the right to claim a share of the spoils.

‘But for Teacher to be the first one to suggest it……’

It was proof that Lee Myung-ryong was becoming addicted to the game. However, Lee Myung-ryong didn’t want a share of the spoils for money. After Lee Myung-ryong had encountered Baekgu, he realized how important level was. Even though Lee Myung-ryong was a merchant, he had no chance against Baekgu because of his level. As expected, he needed to raise his level. This was the first time Lee Myung-ryong had been greedy in the game. And the fastest way to raise the level of a merchant was to trade! The more profit he obtained, the more experience he would receive.

The best thing for a merchant was the loot of thieves, aka stolen goods. It wasn’t the buying of stolen goods of course. When selling it, the purchase price would be ‘0’. In other words, the entire sales price was calculated as profit. If he received 10% profit after a business transaction of 1000 gold, he could make 100 gold from the stolen goods. After his troubles in Giran, Lee Myung-ryong came to know about this system. But a law existed in New World where experience was cut after trading with stolen goods. In some cases, they could even become chaotic. But what if the Seutandal battle fleet legitimately took it back from the pirates? As the representative of Seutandal, Isabel could make it as ‘safe stolen goods.’ And as it was the pirate’s home base, the number of stolen goods would be frightful. Just a bit of the stolen goods would be an extravagant quantity for a normal user! When handling the stolen goods, Lee Myung-ryong’s level would rise quickly! It was a dream for any merchant!

“I understand. I will tell him.”

Hyun-woo hung up and started to negotiate with Gwon Hwa-rang. However, it wasn’t a negotiation. Gwon Hwa-rang didn’t have a choice.

“Hrmm, I have to give a fee if I want the information. Because the lawless port is a threat to Seutandal’s survival if left untouched. Our primary purpose is to clean up the pirates. In addition, Isabel will definitely agree if you are the intermediary. Okay, I can persuade Isabelle to give you 20% of the stolen goods recovered. Once I occupy the lawless port, I will speak with Isabel and send the promised stolen goods to Ark’s store.”

“Thank you.”

Hyun-woo smiled and replied. 20% of the loot in the lawless port! As it was the base of the pirates, the stolen goods would go for a minimum of thousands of gold. If the goods was worth an estimated 30,000~40,000 gold than 20% would be 6,000~8,000 gold. When considering the deal with Lee Myung-ryong, he could receive 50% of that.  In other words, couldn’t he just sit back and receive 3,000~4,000 gold?

‘Hahaha, didn’t I suffer thinking about the price of the memory crystal when the video is actually getting me thousands of gold? If I can get the stolen goods then giving 500 gold to Buksil is nothing. Isn’t this like falling over and picking up money?’

Thus, the National Police Agency’s investigations accidentally led to the clean-up of the pirates.

…….Ark seemed to have gained a financial windfall.