A Modern Man Who Got Transmigrated Into the Murim World

The chief of the An Hwi Iron Fortress, Lee Yeosong, was reminiscing about his first meeting with Cho Hwi, feeling a mix of emotions.

Cho Hwi, at a young age, had boldly approached him with an offer to recruit him, proposing a high salary. His demeanor was confident, and at the same time, somewhat endearing. Lee Yeosong had initially thought that perhaps the heart was not always moved by silver alone, so he tried to gently dissuade him.

But the answer Cho Hwi gave him was a masterpiece.

– “Of course, you cannot buy all of the elder’s heart with just a salary. But the value of Lee Yeosong from the Pungryeong Trade Guild and Lee Yeosong from the Jo Ga Iron Fortress… that value will surely be different. I will make your heart beat again.”

– “What do you mean by that?”

– “How far can the Pungryeong Trade Guild grow? Do you think it can surpass the walls of the Five Great Guilds, which have already firmly established themselves in An Hwi with powerful officials at their side? In my opinion, it’s impossible.”

– “Hmm…”

– “First, there’s a problem with the leadership of Guild Master Seol Baek of the Pungryeong Trade Guild. His personality is authoritarian, and he prefers to keep people who obey him rather than those who are truly capable. In fact, aside from you, Elder, there is no one worth mentioning in the entire guild.”

– “Second, the connection with Yeon Dae-in is too unstable. He got his position through bribery, and such people usually fall alongside their patron. The person who recommended Yeon Dae-in, Elder Dae-in, is currently being hunted by Grand Judge Ha Hu-seong for illegally running a relay station. If Yeon Dae-in is dragged off to the capital, the Pungryeong Trade Guild, which has been relying on him, will collapse.”

– “Third, and this is even more critical than the first two problems—it’s the Pungryeong Trade Guild’s handling of its goods. You only deal in rice and spices, right? What if there’s a poor harvest in An Hwi soon? Can the guild survive? So far, it’s been running by selling off relief grain illegally hoarded by Yeon Dae-in, but will luck continue to be on their side in the long term?”

– “Ha…!”

This was clearly beyond the level of insight a young boy could possess.

He was critically analyzing the issues of the Pungryeong Trade Guild more coldly and thoroughly than someone like himself, who had spent his whole life as the guild’s chief.

But what was even more surprising were his next words.

– “I am different. Our Jo Ga Iron Fortress is already…”

What followed was a lengthy discussion of Cho Hwi’s plans, strategies, preparations, and contingencies that lasted an entire hour.

He had considered all major issues in depth, with a level of detail that sent chills down Lee Yeosong’s spine.

The plans that came from the head of a young boy, or rather from one human being, seemed too vast to believe.

That day would probably remain one of the most impressive in his life.

At that moment, the door to the office opened.

“Chief, how have you been?”

It was Cho Hwi, who had returned to the Iron Fortress.

“…Lord.”

Lee Yeosong rose from his seat and respectfully saluted.

To this chief, the age difference no longer mattered. He had developed deep admiration for his leader.

Now, Cho Hwi, with a faint smile, waved a plaque shaped like a sword in his hand.

On the plaque, the words “Changcheon” (Azure Sky) were clearly embossed.

“By heavens! The Changcheon Sword Plaque!”

The chief of the An Hwi Iron Fortress, Lee Yeosong, was filled with chills at the sight of the Changcheon Sword Plaque.

The significance of the Changcheon Sword Plaque in his master’s plans was extraordinary. From this point onward, everything would be restructured.

“We need to establish a new smelting workshop!”

With the existence of the Changcheon Sword Plaque, there was no longer a need to purchase raw ingots.

The owner of the iron mines, Bang Bulyeo, who was the most favorable figure toward the Namgung family, now opened up the path to buy iron ore!

An Hwi Iron Fortress had been making a monthly profit of sixty gold nyang from working with steel ingots as raw material. What would happen if they could now use iron ore as their primary material?

The chief couldn’t even begin to imagine how much the profits would rise.

“That’s not all.”

Cho Hwi was smiling enigmatically, and Lee Yeosong’s expression brightened as though he had come up with something.

“Ah! The Weapon Plaque! Finally, we can start producing weapons!”

The issuance of the Weapon Plaque was within the authority of the West Provincial Administrator. There was no way he would refuse to issue the Weapon Plaque in the presence of the Changcheon Sword Plaque.

Now, the long-awaited production of weapons at the Iron Fortress could begin.

Weapons were incredibly high-value items. The sales up to this point would seem like child’s play in comparison.

Cho Hwi smiled as he took something from his pocket. It was the Weapon Plaque.

“I’ve already met with Elder Bang.”

Cho Hwi handed the Weapon Plaque to Lee Yeosong.

“Please hang it up.”

The Weapon Plaque, hanging beneath the plaque, was now a symbol of the prosperous Iron Fortress.

Lee Yeosong, with a nostalgic expression, accepted the Weapon Plaque, and Cho Hwi’s voice followed.

“In about a month, several carts carrying iron ore will arrive. Elder Bang himself is personally sending them.”

Lee Yeosong was momentarily taken aback, but a question soon arose.

“The funds were not enough to purchase iron ore, were they?”

When Cho Hwi left for He Fei, he had only taken about thirty nyang in travel money. But now, several carts of iron ore?

Cho Hwi smiled brightly.

“Elder Bang says we can take our time with the calculations.”

“Heh…!”

The first transaction, with deferred payment!

Lee Yeosong was once again impressed by the name of Namgung.

– “Anhui First Iron Fortress! We will establish a kingdom of steel here in Anhui.”

Cho Hwi’s declaration, once seen as a mere bold claim, was now becoming reality.

“…You really did it.”

What had once seemed like a far-fetched dream was now actually being realized.

Cho Hwi, however, responded with a counter-question.

“What have I done? This is just the beginning. The establishment of the smelting workshop can be entrusted to my father. He and the senior members of the Iron Fortress will handle it well. As for the production of weapons… well, we’ll call it the provisional name ‘Byeongsanggak’ (Weapon Mountain Hall) for now. We’ll have the experienced Iron Fortress veterans who’ve produced weapons before lead it, and you can handle the distribution of the personnel, Chief. These people have spent their lives dreaming of producing weapons. It will probably be the most energetic place.”

Lee Yeosong only chuckled silently, but then raised another question.

“…With our current production capacity, it wouldn’t be difficult to produce several hundred swords in a month, but where will we find buyers for them?”

Cho Hwi once again took something from his pocket. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a letter.

“This is a letter written by Elder Bang to the General’s Department. I plan to provide weapons, enough to equip a battalion, free of charge.”

“A battalion? Free of charge?”

If it’s a battalion, it would require at least five hundred soldiers.

To provide swords and spears to arm such a force, free of charge?

It would undoubtedly be a massive financial sacrifice.

“A prototype alone won’t be enough to sway General Hafu Ming’s heart. Weapons that are acceptable to all the Iron Fortress leaders need to be produced. Until then, no deliveries should be made.”

The transaction with the General’s Department…

That department controlled a military force of 30,000 soldiers.

The generosity to provide weapons to arm a single battalion, free of charge, was truly astonishing.

However, it was clear that the interests involved were already so tangled, it would be impossible to untangle them easily.

And yet, Cho Hwi spoke of such a monumental endeavor with ease…

Despite having the Changcheon Sword Plaque, many challenges would certainly await.

The Changcheon Sword Plaque was not owned by Anhui Iron Fortress alone.

But what Cho Hwi said next was even more surprising.

“We need an independent faction that will exclusively supply the products produced by our Iron Fortress.”

The Chief of the Fortress raised an eyebrow.

“Isn’t the task already being handled by the third son of the Hwa Ryong Faction, Sang Gwangbi?”

“An independent faction.”

“Pardon?”

“I mean, our own faction.”

Lee Yeosong’s eyes widened, as if he had just realized something.

“You mean you want to create a new faction?”

“Exactly. With the Changcheon Sword Plaque, there’s no reason to hesitate.”

Lee Yeosong knew that the current prosperity of Anhui Iron Fortress was thanks to the favor of Sang Gwangbi. Cho Hwi’s words now meant that he intended to sever ties with them.

“Elder, I think that might be…”

Cho Hwi interrupted the Chief.

“How much do you think the Hwa Ryong Faction has profited from our Iron Fortress’s exclusive dealings?”

“Well, I suppose it’s similar to the profits we’ve made…”

“It’s about double.”

“Double?”

Double the profits of Anhui Iron Fortress would mean about 120 gold nyang per month.

It was an enormous amount!

“The Hwa Ryong Faction invested 60 gold nyang and made about 1,000 gold nyang in profit over eight months. That’s excessive profit for the investment. The goodwill is enough. I’ve done my part.”

“But the third son is now your sworn brother…”

At that, Cho Hwi let out a small laugh.

“Business transactions are based on equal exchange. One-sided losses cannot sustain a deal in the long run. I’m sure my elder brother understands this better than anyone. I’ve always warned him about it. But there were no appealing proposals. So, the transaction ends. Moreover…”

Cho Hwi’s eyes grew cold.

“Up until now, I’ve tolerated one-sided losses due to the raw ingots. But with iron ore now secured, there’s no need to bear such losses anymore.”

The stable supply of raw ingots had been directly tied to the survival of the Iron Fortress.

From Cho Hwi’s perspective, a powerful faction capable of shielding them from government interference was essential, and the Hwa Ryong Faction had that capability. But now that they had secured iron ore, the Hwa Ryong Faction’s advantages no longer mattered.

There was no reason to continue offering them the middleman profit.

“Chief, why don’t you become the faction leader for us?”

“Ha!”

Operating the Iron Fortress with iron ore as the primary material would significantly lower production costs.

Moreover, soon weapons, wagons, and other high-value products would begin pouring out.

Being the leader of such a faction, with all the vast sums of money flowing through it!

How much did Cho Hwi trust him to offer him the position of faction leader?

“How much profit do you think we could make each month if you ran a faction that exclusively distributed our Iron Fortress’s products?”

The Chief gulped.

His master was testing him. He couldn’t give a hasty answer.

Lee Yeosong began to think deeply, using all the experience and wisdom he had accumulated over his decades of service as an officer in the Iron Fortress.

About a moment later, the Chief responded confidently.

“1,000 gold nyang.”

It was a confident answer, but to his surprise, Cho Hwi looked disappointed.

“What’s the basis for that?”

“I calculated it by multiplying the current profits from the items we deal with by five. Since we’ll be using iron ore as the main material, and I added the expected profit from running the faction itself, which would be around 300 nyang. Additionally, once the items being developed in the Gisan Hall are completed, I estimated the expected sales to be about 700 nyang.”

“You excluded Byeongsanggak?”

“Because you requested that the weapon’s quality be top-notch. The Iron Fortress veterans who are proud of their work will likely need at least half a year just to focus on development, so I excluded that from the projections.”

“What if the development is completed and the transaction with the General’s Department is successful?”

Lee Yeosong’s face became more serious.

He then shocked Cho Hwi by coming up with an incredible figure.

“5,000 gold nyang. I estimate a profit of 5,000 gold nyang.”

Cho Hwi nodded.

“That matches my estimate. Very good.”

Despite hearing such an astonishing figure, there wasn’t the slightest hint of excitement in his expression.

A staggering 60,000 gold nyang per year.

With that amount of money, one could buy an entire county and still have plenty left over.

This was truly the moment a new tycoon was born in Anhui.

“Now, we can finally start a new business.”

“A new business? What do you mean?”

It was already incredibly surprising, but now, a new business?

Cho Hwi smiled meaningfully and took out a map from his robe, spreading it out on the table.

Swish—

“This is the map of Hefei, isn’t it?”

It was indeed a map, but something was strange about it.

There were hundreds of blue dots scattered at key intersections, and at regular intervals between those blue dots, there were red dots.

“Do you remember the small cart, or should I say a ‘human cart’ that I had Gi San Gak develop?”

“Ah… you mean the ‘bicycle’ you called it?”

Rubber did exist in Central Plains, sourced from rubber trees in the southern lands.

However, due to its rarity, the cost was high. This made it impossible to use rubber tires like modern bicycles.

Moreover, bicycle chains could not be manufactured with the current metalworking technology.

As a result, only a pedal-powered bicycle with small cart wheels, similar to a child’s bicycle, could be developed.

“Yes. Once Gi San Gak finishes developing the bicycle, produce 500 units and store them as inventory for now.”

The biggest fear for any manufacturing workshop is having excessive inventory.

So, the Chief immediately felt uneasy.

“500 units? How long will we store them? When will we start selling them?”

“Not until we’re ready. And we will never sell the bicycles.”

“What?”

The time and cost required to produce 500 bicycles with such a complex design were not small.

Yet, saying they wouldn’t sell any? What kind of absurd idea was this?

“Have you ever thought about it, Chief? How nice it would be if the delicious dishes from our guesthouse could be delivered?”

“Delivered? What do you mean?”

“Oh… I mean, someone bringing it to you.”

The Chief was taken aback and asked, “Could it be… that the guesthouse business you mentioned earlier…?”

Cho Hwi smiled slightly.

“Exactly. I plan to run a delivery service for our guesthouse meals anywhere in Hefei that has a street. Look at this map.”

Cho Hwi pointed to the blue dots.

“These hundreds of blue dots represent the delivery locations. Every morning at a set time, our staff will go out and take orders for lunch and dinner. The payment will be made here. As soon as the orders are taken, the staff will write the delivery locations and times on the board.”

“…”

“Afterward, our riders… or delivery personnel, will go out to check the board. Then, they’ll return to the guesthouse to deliver the orders. Once the food is ready, they will start delivering to their assigned areas.”

Finally, it seemed like the Chief understood, and his expression brightened.

“So, the bicycles are for…”

“Fast delivery! A revolutionary invention designed to complete the delivery before the food gets cold!”

“Oooh!”

It was truly an unprecedented idea.

The thought of enjoying guesthouse food at home was something he never even imagined.

How could someone think of such a thing? Finally, the Chief understood the map and pointed to the red dots.

“So, these eight red dots scattered among the blue ones…”

“Yes. These are our guesthouses.”

The guesthouses were strategically located in perfect spots!

They were likely chosen after hundreds or even thousands of careful calculations regarding optimal routes and locations.

At that moment, the Chief finally understood Cho Hwi’s intention of not selling the bicycles.

If the delivery guesthouses became popular, there would inevitably be others trying to operate in a similar way. Selling bicycles would only give those competitors an advantage.

Suddenly, the Chief voiced a concern.

“But… the cost is too high. Wouldn’t we need to hire hundreds of delivery personnel for this?”

Cho Hwi casually responded.

“Even if it’s expensive, we need to make them eat.”

“Pardon?”

Then Cho Hwi sighed deeply.

“The food here is absolutely awful. It’s really disgustingly bad.”

For Cho Hwi, one of the hardest things to adapt to in the Central Plains, along with the foul smells, was the food.

Who ever said that Chinese cuisine was the best?

No, it wasn’t even about the cooking itself— it was about the difference in the level of civilization.

The seasoning here was drastically different from modern tastes.

Overall, the variety of spices and seasonings was very poor compared to modern standards, and their rarity was extremely high.

Even something as basic as salt was extraordinarily expensive here. One *dou* (斗) of salt would cost six *nyang*.

This was because most of the salt traded here was rock salt.

Rock salt is produced from salt mines, which is a difficult process, and the distribution is complicated.

The salt mine owners were mostly large powerful families, and the massive trading companies connected to these families held monopolistic control over the distribution of salt, making it hard for the price to go down.

The distribution structure was pyramid-shaped, with the highest-ranking families at the top, large trading companies working with them, and mid-sized traders underneath them—all built on bribery.

With such a system in place, how desperate must ordinary people be to get even a handful of salt?

Salt was more about survival than flavor. A person couldn’t live without it.

But even if one had silver, acquiring it was extremely difficult.

In such a world, complaining about food seasoning was a luxury.

If there was seasoning at all, one should simply be grateful.

What about sugar?

Sugar, called *stone honey* here, was imported exclusively from Tianzhu (India).

Only a few specialized technicians in Tianzhu knew the method for refining sugar from sugarcane.

This was a technique that had not yet spread to the Central Plains.

Naturally, it was much more expensive than regular honey.

One or two *dou* of sugar would cost as much as fourteen *nyang* of silver.

So, if Cho Hwi tried to cook with the sweet and salty balance he enjoyed in the modern world, the price would skyrocket.

Despite this, Cho Hwi couldn’t give up on the taste of the modern world.

If he could recreate the true balance of sweet and salty at a reasonable price, the people of this world would experience a taste like heaven.

The problem, however, was that the prices were too high. Salt was one thing, but sugar was simply not affordable.

“Is there a way to deal directly with the traders in Tianzhu?”

Upon hearing Cho Hwi’s question, the Chief made a puzzled expression but also showed curiosity.

“Directly with Tianzhu? What goods are we talking about?”

“I want to trade *stone honey* with Tianzhu.”

“…Pardon?”

Even the powerful Huolong Trading Company in Anhui, or the Yubae Trading Company, had never even dreamed of direct trade with Tianzhu.

Only ultra-large trading companies, like Tianhua Trading or Wanjin Trading, which brokered nation-to-nation trade, had the power to attempt such a deal.

And *stone honey*?

Even the Chief, who had spent his whole life in trading, had only heard of it in rumors and had never seen it in person.

Rumors said that nearly all of the *stone honey* was supplied to the imperial court.

It wasn’t really considered a food item but more of a luxury good for the nobility.

“Occasionally, Tianzhu goods do make their way into the market. But *stone honey*… I’ve never seen it in my life. I imagine most of those rare items are supplied directly to the imperial court.”

“Sigh…”

Cho Hwi sighed deeply.

Sugar, which was common in neighborhood markets back in his world, was now considered a luxury item for the royal family.

But a question lingered in his mind.

“I clearly saw *stone honey* in the trade ledgers from the Huolong Trading Company I obtained through Brother Fei. The fact that it was listed with a price means that a trade has happened, doesn’t it?”

Most trading companies record the price and details of every transaction in their ledgers.

The Chief shook his head with a serious expression.

“Did you also confirm the transaction date and the quantity?”