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Chapter 24
“Is the cooking finished now?”
“No. While letting this dough rest, we need to make more. In the meantime, there are a few other things that need doing.”
“Go ahead, tell me.”
In Lee Jeong-ah’s eyes, there was trust in Seorin.
“I think it would be good to pre-warm the dining area for the guests.”
At that, Lee Jeong-ah smiled with satisfaction.
“Don’t worry about that.”
She had already arranged for stoves to be brought into the dining room for the guests’ use. She found Seorin’s thoughtfulness for the guests very admirable.
‘Such consideration for the guests. If we bring her into our department later, she’ll certainly be a great asset.’
“And there’s one more thing I’d like to ask…”
“Yes? What is it?”
Lee Jeong-ah’s gaze toward Seorin now seemed almost dripping with admiration.
“Do you have a tool for finding directions?”
“A tool for finding directions… Are you referring to a la-kyung (羅經)?”
I’m not too familiar with the old name, but that’s probably it.
“Yes, that… I think that’s the one.”
“And why is that?”
“I was thinking of preparing a prayer room.”
“A prayer room?”
Seorin briefly explained to Lee Jeong-ah about the Muslim laws and the basics of prayer.
“…Impressive. How do you know so much?”
“When learning a language, one naturally learns about the culture of that country as well.”
“I see. Is the cooking almost done?”
“Yes, once we bake this dough, it’ll be finished.”
“Alright then. I’ll make sure there’s a suitable place ready.”
After receiving Seorin’s request, Lee Jeong-ah left, reaffirming her decision once more:
‘Indeed, this principle must be brought into our department!’
“Se-Seorin, what can I help you with?”
Gapi, who had been waiting behind for the conversation between the deputy commissioner and Seorin to finish, approached her.
“Yeah! Could you fetch some cold water?”
“Uh, okay!”
Gapi quickly drew water from the well.
‘Now that the dough has rested, let’s shape it.’
Seorin sprinkled barley flour on the cutting board, placed the dough on it, rolled it out into shape, and then brought it to the stove.
At the stove, Dasim was cleaning the inside of the pot and adding firewood to keep the fire going. Judging by the temperature, even if it wasn’t a full tandoor, it would bake the dough nicely.
Once Dasim stepped aside, Seorin carefully attached the dough to the inner wall of the heated pot so it wouldn’t fall.
“Huh? Why stick the dough there?!”
Dasim asked in shock, and Seorin smiled and replied:
“In Daesikguk, this is how they bake dough. It gives it a nice smoky flavor, making it delicious.”
After a while, when the surface had browned, Seorin used a metal skewer to take out the lavash and placed them into baskets.
“Phew…”
She wiped the sweat from her brow with her sleeve, her eyes sparkling.
“Alright, everything is ready now!”
“…I hope the route isn’t wrong?”
Lee Eun-cheon and Jeong Jun-gyeong were waiting on the ridge of Hye-eum Pass for the first guests of Hye-eumwon—the merchants from Daesikguk.
But even after the scheduled time had passed, there was no sign of the merchants along the road.
Jun-gyeong spoke with an irritated voice.
“Why do we have to escort them when they’ve thrown the schedule around and thrown Hye-eumwon into chaos?”
Upon hearing that the schedule had been moved forward, Hye-eumwon quickly dispatched a messenger to set a new meeting place and time, and decided to personally meet them for safety.
Since these were large merchants coming for trade, the risk of encountering bandits or thieves targeting their wealth could not be ignored.
“I hear they’re a rather famous trading guild. Then their guards must be skilled too, right? They should manage themselves. That I, Jeong Jun-gyeong, must go meet mere merchants…”
“I never asked you to provide the escort. If you’re dissatisfied, you may return.”
The merchant group that Hye-eumwon had sent to meet personally was far from being an ordinary trading party.
The royal family was pushing for trade with the powerful Al-Fayruz Guild, and this visit was a strategic step in that plan.
Hye-eumwon was seen as more than just lodging; it was viewed as a future hub for trade and diplomacy.
That was why, unusually, officials and the Dabi were dispatched for the selection of the guild leader, and Eun-cheon, in his capacity as Eosa Jungseung, was entrusted with overall responsibility.
Understanding the royal family’s stance, Eun-cheon had gone personally to demonstrate sincerity.
“I-I’m just worried! Where on earth are these people?!”
As Jun-gyeong diverted the topic, Eun-cheon calmly replied:
“The messenger was sent ahead, so they shouldn’t have lost their way.”
At that, Jun-gyeong muttered something unlucky.
“Hope they weren’t eaten by tigers?”
“If that were the case, the path wouldn’t be so clean. There’d be some trace left.”
Hearing Jun-gyeong, the guards at Hye-eumwon murmured amongst themselves.
“Could it be that they were really taken by tigers?”
“Or maybe by bandits.”
Hye-eum Pass, though frequently traveled, was a deep valley with thick forests, and tigers or bandits often harmed travelers, resulting in hundreds of casualties each year.
The emperor’s directive to build Hye-eumwon was partly to protect and provide convenience for the people traveling between Gaegyeong and Namgyeong.
“So you gentlemen came all the way here to escort them personally. If what they say is true, what happens now?”
If the first guests, and foreign merchants at that, had been attacked by thieves or tigers, Hye-eumwon would clearly face a disaster.
At that moment:
Clang! Clang—!
Jun-gyeong and Eun-cheon simultaneously looked in the same direction.
It was the sound of metal clashing.
“Eun-cheon! Did you hear that?!”
Eun-cheon was already spurring his horse toward the sound.
“Tch! I’m coming too!”
Jun-gyeong quickly kicked his horse and followed. The guards, gripping their weapons, closely followed the pair.
The sound came from not far down the pass.
Arriving first, they saw about ten individuals with weapons surrounding foreigners dressed in exotic attire.
On the carriage they were guarding, a flag with a teal jewel emblem representing the Al-Fayruz Guild was displayed.
“Are they the ones?”
Jun-gyeong asked, and Eun-cheon nodded.
“Do not kill them. We need to check if there’s someone behind this.”
“Understood!”
Jun-gyeong, leaping from his horse like an acrobat, struck the bandits on the back of the neck with the back of his hand.
“Argh!”
With each strike, the hollow, straw-like bandits fell helplessly.
While Jun-gyeong fought, Eun-cheon approached the merchants. Fortunately, there appeared to be no casualties.
[I am Eun-cheon, the Chief Officer from Hye-eumwon. Who is responsible for your guild?]
Eun-cheon asked fluently in Daesikguk’s language, and an older-looking merchant stepped forward.
[Ah, Chief Officer, you’ve arrived just in time. I am Rashid Ahmed, Vice Leader of the Al-Fayruz Guild.]
[What happened here?]
[We were ambushed on the way up the pass.]
At that, a younger merchant behind Rashid muttered loudly as if for everyone to hear:
[If you built a lodging in the bandits’ territory, you should’ve given us a heads-up.]
[Quiet!]
Even as Rashid warned him, the young merchant muttered on.
[Well, I’m not wrong.]
[Nasim!]
[Yes, yes~]
Rashid let out a small sigh and apologized to Eun-cheon.
[…I apologize. This is my nephew, the guild heir. Since this is his first trip to Goryeo, he is unfamiliar with many things. I will give him a stern warning.]
[It’s alright. But what about the current situation?]
