Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 306

Episode 306: The road to the land of flowers. (3)

While merchants in Alexandria were preparing for the ‘War of Money’, Hanseong – to be exact, Area 51 – was still busy.

Artisans and researchers in all areas, from the area where weapons were made to the royal workshop that sold them to the royal family and the private sector, were working frantically.

Pietro, who was taking a break in a corner, spoke to Raphael.

“I think the Crown Prince of Joseon would have made a fortune if he had done business. “If you were the crown prince, you would eat all those Jews and Arabs, right?”

“Why are you talking about the Crown Prince out of nowhere?”

Pietro answered Raphael’s question by scratching his head.

“Ah… I got that feeling when I thought about crystal glass…”

Raphael nodded in response to Pietro.

“I agree with you this time.”

* * *

Since the summer of 1430 (1430), a year ago, Pietro and Raphael have been able to feel a strange atmosphere.

The glass workshop was running without any problems, but the atmosphere was a little strange.

“It looks like there are a lot of people out there…”

Raphael, who was looking around at the sharp-eyed Pietro’s point, nodded.

“I see.”

Raphael also nodded and Pietro rolled up his sleeves and walked out.

“I can’t help but wonder more. hey! Mr. Kim!”

“Why are you calling me Mr. Pi?”

“Isn’t it crowded? “Are you sick of something?”

“What is the illness?… It’s just that I fell ill because I had something to do with something the Crown Prince ordered me to do.”

“What did you ask me to do?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Ah! “Don’t do that!”

Pietro bit down persistently, but Mr. Kim’s mouth would no longer open.

“What! “It comes out like this, right?”

Pietro, who was annoyed by Mr. Kim’s reaction, grabbed the other craftsmen and continued asking them questions. However, other craftsmen only gave similar answers to Mr. Kim.

“shit! In times like this, we have no choice but to ask the person involved!”

Raphael was startled by Pietro’s words and grabbed Pietro.

“Hey you bastard! It seems like it’s been quiet these days, but it’s happening again! “How many lives do you have left?”

“You should know what you need to know!”

“hey! 이 개새끼야! “Stay quiet!”

“It’s just one shot of your life!”

“Why did that word come out there?”

Pietro and Raphael, who were arguing like that, ended up in a fist fight, and the craftsmen nearby rushed in and started to stop them.

“We fight again!”

“Stop it! “Stop it!”

In the end, it wasn’t until Hyang-hyang heard the news that the situation was sorted out.

‘Is this guy living a healthy life these days and feeling energetic?’

Hyang opened his mouth as he looked at Pietro, who was bowing his head to one side.

“Pietro, you seem to be a little calmer these days. Are you feeling sick?”

“That’s not it.”

As an Italian, Pietro caused all kinds of incidents and accidents involving women.

Thanks to this, I went to prison for a few days and had to take sick leave a few times because I was beaten by neighborhood men. However, after getting beaten up a few times, I was living a quiet life.

“Then why did you fight with your comrade?”

When asked about the scent, Pietro took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“I would like to ask you.”

“Shut up this dog!”

Raphael rushed to stop him, but it was too late.

“So, what are you curious about?”

“What do Park Gongdu (head craftsman) and some craftsmen do separately?”

When Pietro asked directly, Raphael turned pale and began to search for the Virgin Mary.

However, contrary to Raphael’s concerns, he responded with an expression that the scent was not a big deal.

“Oh, is that why you fought? It’s no big deal. “We’re just researching ways to improve the quality of glass.”

“no! “What if you leave me out of such fun activities?”

When Pietro questioned, the scent gave a simple answer.

“Because you are outsiders.”

“yes?”

“What do you mean by that?”

Since not only Pietro but also Raphael did not understand properly, the scent was explained in more detail.

“It’s been over 5 years since you came to Joseon, and soon it will be 6 years. That means you’ll have to go back soon. “How can we give confidential information to such people?”

Pietro immediately asked a question after hearing the description of the scent.

“Are you really going to let me go?”

“Wasn’t it written in the contract? If you want to return home after 10 years of service, I will send you back. “We, Joseon, are good at keeping our promises.”

Pietro and Raphael became speechless at the scent’s answer.

As Hyang said, Joseon definitely kept its promise.

There was no personal restraint and salaries were paid accurately every month.

But deep down, I was giving up on returning to my hometown.

Because they were precious glass craftsmen.

Even when he was in Venice, he was living as if he were imprisoned on the island of Murano.

Of course, when they escaped from apprenticeship and were recognized as full-fledged craftsmen, exchanges with guilds in other cities resumed under the name of journeys of journeymen, but mature craftsmen could not leave the island of Murano.

The reason the two were able to go on a journey as a craftsman was because they were both young craftsmen.

Although they were only young, they were craftsmen recognized by the guild, so they sent them out with the calculation that they could take care of the cause and benefit.

Of course, he was kidnapped by pirates and brought to Joseon.

When the scent mentioned the possibility of returning home, not only Raphael but even Pietro remained silent. This was because the nostalgia for my hometown, which I had been suppressing for a while, was revived.

As the silence between the two became longer, Hyang shook his head and stood up.

“Was this a sufficient explanation? Then go and see what happens.”

“Lowering! So what happens to our intellectual property rights when we return to our hometown?”

Pietro asked about the intellectual property fees they were receiving.

The new techniques created by Pietro and Raphael in the process of producing glass in the glass workshop were registered with the Intellectual Property Management Office. And since the amount that came out of it was quite high, Pietro asked.

The scent answered Pietro’s question right away.

“that? If you wish, I will send it to you regularly. However, I will take responsibility until Alexandria, but after that, well…”

Hyang, who had been speechless like that, continued with a grin.

“The same goes for your homecoming. I will take responsibility for sending you to Alexandria. But what happens next is not our business.”

“That’s a bit…”

When the two people looked embarrassed at Hyang’s words, Hyang added.

“ah! Now that I think about it, I remember what Mansour Sangdangju said. “There are many people there who are interested in Joseon.”

The two people’s faces turned white at Hyang’s words.

According to what Hyang said, their way home was extremely dangerous.

“You’ll probably have to decide quickly. “Just as it’s already been 6 years, it will soon be 10 years.”

“….”

After finishing speaking, Hyang went back to his office, and Pietro and Raphael stood there, frozen like polearms.

* * *

Even while Pietro and Raphael were thinking about the future, Gongdu Park and the craftsmen were sweating to develop new glass.

As always, it started with scent.

“Did you call me?”

“Take a seat.”

Hyang secretly called Gongdu Park and brought out the business.

“I’m talking about the glass we’re making now.”

“Yes sir.”

“It was made with Pietro and Raphael’s knowledge, right? Doesn’t that mean that there is a lot of glass in the western countries that is of similar quality to the glass we make in Joseon?”

Gongdu Park nodded at Hyang’s point.

“That’s right.”

“So I called you because I wanted to make better quality glass. “After reading Seoyi’s book, it seems that if you add additional minerals to the glass, you can make it of better quality.”

“Is that so?”

Park Gongdu’s eyes lit up at Hyang’s words. Because he was also a craftsman, he had a competitive spirit to create work that was ahead of others.

That’s what the crown prince said there.

From experience so far, almost none of the crown prince’s efforts have ended in failure.

Of course, the middle process was quite difficult.

This is how the development of crystal glass began.

As Park Gongdu and the craftsmen continued their trial and error, the scent slowly hit MSG. And little by little, the results began to reach the desired level.

Looking at the result, Hyang muttered softly.

“The fact that I broke my grandmother’s crystal cutlery set and got beaten up helped me so much… Ah! Now that I think about it… there is another thing that was broken and beaten like that. “It’s bone china…”

It was a scent that made my back hurt for no reason as I recalled the painful memories Deokjil had created in the 21st century.

* * *

After nearly four months of trial and error and improvement work through the addition of MSG, modified glass was born.

“Has the quality reached this level and what is left is for the health of the artisans?”

Traditional blow pipes were fatal to craftsmen because large amounts of lead were used as raw materials for crystal glass.

Therefore, Hyang created a blow system using a steam engine. It was a method in which a steam engine turned a blower and an exhalation pipe connected to the blower was used to make bottles or bowls.

Of course, it couldn’t be stronger than a person’s breath, so trial and error continued to adjust the appropriate amount of airflow.

Next, all artisans involved in making crystal glass were instructed to wear masks.

Since it was a strict order from the crown prince, no one broke it.

* * *

The crystal glass created through this process was the best material for glass craftsmen.

The gloss and transparency were far superior to existing glass, and what I liked most was that the surface was softer than existing glass, making processing – polishing, cutting, and engraving – easier.

This characteristic stimulated the creative drive of glass artisans, most of whom had a background as potters or potters, and soon excellent products began to emerge.

Pietro and Raphael, who checked the crystal glass next to them, began to worry more seriously about whether to stay or return home. It was certain that as long as the crown prince existed, more and more new glass would come out. If I stayed, I could have had another opportunity by playing a part in the process of developing such glass. However, I had to risk my life to return to my hometown, and I was worried about my life back home.

In the end, Pietro and Raphael were slowly leaning towards staying. Pietro, who simply did not like the situation of being dragged around like this, evaluated him as a great man who would be eaten by Jewish and Arab merchants.

Thus, under the guidance of Hyang, the chandelier was born.

* * *

After several failures, King Sejong and his ministers were amazed on the day that the chandelier, which had passed through the eyes of incense, was hung from the ceiling of Geunjeongjeon.

“This is truly amazing! The Crown Prince has created something great again! “Great!”

“Soja didn’t do much. “Everything is the work of craftsmen.”

In response to King Sejong’s praise, Hyang gave the credit to the craftsmen. Sejong looked pleased at the sight of that scent.

“Yes. Crown Prince. “You must not forget the merits of those who do their best for you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“by the way. “How long would it take to make something like this?”

“Once the craftsmen become skilled, they can produce about one to two items per month. Of course, we can make more if we add more people, but since there are many other things to make, it would be unreasonable to do more than that. Additionally, it must be produced in small quantities to maintain its value.”

No sooner had Hyang finished speaking than Minister of Finance and Economy Kim Jeom joined the conversation.

“How much does it cost to produce?”

“It costs 20% more than the existing glass production cost.”

“Then the selling price is…”

As soon as Kim started calculating, Hyang immediately answered.

“You have to get it as expensive as you can get it. For that purpose, the quantity is adjusted. So, I have a request from Abama.”

“Tell me.”

“I hope that we will sell a minimum amount of products to people in name and boycott them for a while to people in Japan.”

“What is the reason?”

“If we release a large amount of food to the Ming Dynasty, the emperor will step forward, and the Japanese government will have to fatten it up a little more and then eat it.”

“Then where are you going to make it and sell it?”

To Sejong’s question, Hyang immediately answered as if she had already thought about it.

“I’m going to sell it out west. They are already familiar with glass and like to show off, so they will gain great wealth. And since it is sold far away from the Ming, it will be difficult for the Ming to notice.”

King Sejong and the ministers nodded at Hyang’s words.

Sejong muttered, tapping the armrest.

“People always stop me.”

Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Maeng-gyun, who was listening to Hyang’s explanation, asked Hyang a question.

“You said you would sell at a minimum, how many do you expect?”

“I think about three a year. But before that…”

Hyang, who had gathered attention by pausing for a moment, continued.

“I ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Finance and Economy. “If I present this to the emperor, how many pillars of the Forbidden City can you take out?”

In response to Hyang’s question, Lee Maeng-gyun and Kim Jeom laughed and asked back.

“How many do you want?”