Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 310
Episode 310: The road to the land of flowers. (7)
After hearing Mansour’s answer, the manager searched the box in question, took out the wooden boxes containing Cha Il-kyung, and moved them to the store.
“Please wait a moment!”
The manager called out to the merchants and together with the employees began displaying various types of awnings.
The manager, who displayed a total of four grades of chailgyeong, from three silver flowers to one gold flower, informed the merchants of their prices.
“Three to five silver flowers are worth 6,7,8 silver coins, and one gold flower is worth 1 gold coin.”
“It’s a bit pricey….”
“These are items from the land of flowers.”
At the higher-than-expected price, the merchants grumbled softly and looked at the children.
But merchants soon lost interest.
“No matter how you look at it, the price is a bit high.”
Merchants who were interested in Cha Il-kyung soon turned their attention elsewhere.
What attracted the attention of merchants were crystal products.
The crystal products, which started with four gold flowers, boasted exorbitant prices, but merchants immediately latched onto them.
“Give me this bundle of wine glasses!”
“I have two!”
“I have two plates in a bundle.”
“yes! yes! “Just wait a moment!”
“Can you deliver?”
“It’s possible!”
Although the basic items were expensive, starting from 50 ducats in gold, merchants purchased items as much as their financial circumstances allowed.
Cha Il-gyeong, who could barely cover his eyes, felt that it was expensive no matter how much he thought about it, but the sparkling crystal tableware felt cheap.
‘Even if you can’t get this level of quality, you can get three times as much!’
Merchants emptied their pockets, thinking about the profits they could make by selling crystal products.
Merchants continued to come and go, but Cha Il-gyeong was hardly sold.
In this situation, the manager started to get a little impatient.
“This rarely happens… Isn’t the price set too high by the merchant?”
So far, more than 30 merchants have come in and purchased goods, but Cha Il-gyeong has only sold 3 of the cheapest products.
“Cha Il-kyung is not the only problem…”
The manager sighed softly.
There was another item that was expected to remain as bad inventory.
It was a fan to hold.
The jule fan, which had caught Mansour’s attention in Joseon, was being neglected in one corner.
“Why on earth did you buy something like that…”
The manager let out a small sigh.
* * *
While the merchants were buzzing, Cosimo appeared with his companions.
“There are a lot of merchants.”
A merchant who was dispatched to Alexandria to work in response to Cosimo’s words responded:
“These are small and medium-sized merchants. “These are people who carry around one or two camels and do business.”
“Hoo? “Isn’t it dangerous?”
“Usually, we pay a fee and move with the target person’s caravan.”
“Right.”
When Cosimo tried to enter the store with a short answer, the Joseon sailors guarding the store blocked their path.
“What are you doing! “I know who this person is!”
The merchant shouted to stop the Joseon sailors, but the Joseon sailors did not move. It was natural. Because the Joseon sailors could not understand what was being said here. Therefore, the sailors only did as ordered.
“No, these bastards!”
As the merchant’s voice grew louder, the guards guarding Cosimo quietly placed their hands on their swords. Seeing this, the Joseon sailors also placed their hands on the horseback rifles they were wearing on their waists.
‘Shall we wait a little longer?’
In an imminent situation, Cosimo chose to sit on the sidelines. I was curious about the level of soldiers in that foreign country, and my pride did not allow me to retreat first.
‘I am Cosimo de’ Medici!’
When the situation was getting worse, Mansour and Oh Ha-seok, who had received the report, appeared.
“stop! “Take one step back!”
At Oh Ha-seok’s order, the sailors who had been blocking Cosimo’s group in front all took a step back.
Cosimo’s guards felt eerie at the sight of him in perfect order. Although I couldn’t see their eyes because they were covered by that strange object, I could clearly see that they were constantly glaring at my hands and eyes.
“Their movements are great.”
The guard captain standing next to Cosimo’s evaluation responded softly.
“It’s elite. And I wonder what weapon they laid their hands on. No matter how I look at it, it looks like a hand cannon, but I can’t see any fire fighters.”
“is it?”
After hearing the guard captain’s words, Cosimo began to take interest in the horse-drawn rifles made by Joseon sailors.
At that time, Mansour and Oh Ha-seok appeared in front of the sailors.
“Where are you from?”
In response to Mansur’s question, the Medici merchant raised his voice.
“From the Medici family! And the person here is the head of the Medici family!”
Mansour politely bowed to the merchant’s words.
“By Allah, it is an honor to meet the head of the great Medici family. “My name is Mansour Mohammed Kamal al-Ottaibi, the head of the Ottaibi family.”
“Nice to meet you. “But why did they stop me?”
In response to Cosimo’s question, Mansour calmly explained the reason.
“There were a lot of people and it was crowded even before the store opened, so I ordered them to maintain order.”
“is it? I’m sorry, but can I come in right away? “I’m not a person with a lot of time.”
Hearing Cosimo’s words, Mansour walked towards the merchants who were waiting in line.
“Could you make a little concession?”
“Don’t be like that!”
The merchant who was waiting for Mansour’s request immediately nodded. Although he was a damn Catholic, Cosimo de’ Medici was a huge merchant. At this time, making concessions was helpful in ensuring a long and healthy life.
* * *
“Hoo!”
Cosimo, who received concessions from the waiting merchants and entered inside, let out an exclamation.
All kinds of strange objects from Joseon in the far East were showing off. Cosimo, who had been examining the items with a series of exclamations of exclamation, stopped at the place where the sunglasses were displayed.
“This is something that the Joseon soldiers outside are using, right?”
“That’s right.”
After hearing the merchant’s answer, Cosimo asked Mansur.
“What is this item for?”
“It is used to protect the eyes from strong sunlight.”
“Hoo?”
Cosimo, curious, lifted the mirror and held it up to the light. Cosimo looked at the scenery beyond the sunshade and nodded.
“Right.”
Cosimo put down the mirror he was holding and looked at the mirror with one gold flower and asked Mansour.
“How much does Cha Il-kyung cost for this grade?”
“It’s one ducat of gold.”
“How many do you have in stock?”
“There are now 40.”
“Give me everything.”
“All right.”
After that, Cosimo continued to purchase crystal tableware and other items in large quantities.
Cosimo, who was shopping like that, stopped in front of a fan.
“What is this?”
“It’s a debt.”
“For a fan…”
Fans were not unfamiliar items to Europeans like Cosimo. It all started with soldiers participating in the Crusades in the 13th century.
“Hmm…”
Cosimo took out a folded fan that was in the box and unfolded it.
“Hoo!”
The wide open fan had wonderful oriental pictures and letters.
Cosimo looked at the other fans. Instead of Korean paper, some were made of silk with beautiful embroidery, and some were made of fragrant wood and had a delicate scent.
“I will purchase these as soon as they are in stock!”
“thank you!”
As large purchases continued, the relationship between Mansour and Cosimo became warmer.
“I’m personally very interested in ‘Land of Flowers,’ so could you spare some time later?”
Mansur immediately agreed to Cosimo’s words.
“I’ll be happy to wait!”
Cosimo smiled and accepted Mansour’s answer.
“Let’s take some time before we go back to Italy. As well as the gentleman from the East.”
“yes!”
After making that appointment, Cosimo left the store.
“Package and deliver the items he ordered as quickly as possible!”
“yes!”
The manager, whose worries disappeared at once, answered excitedly.
Mansour and Oh Ha-seok went back inside, and with Joseon sailors guarding them, the merchants began to enter again.
However, something changed: the merchants who were watching the situation outside began to sweep away Cha Il-gyeong.
‘There are many people who open their wallets just because Cosimo de’ Medici made a large purchase!’
‘This is something that Cosimo de Medici of the world bought in large quantities! ‘It’s definitely not a waste of money!’
The value of the name ‘Cosimo de’ Medici’ to merchants in Europe and the Mediterranean region was enormous.
* * *
Cosimo, smiling happily at Mansur’s manager, sat on his horse’s saddle and fanned himself with a relaxed expression. Cosimo, wearing a sunglasses and leisurely fanning himself, let out an exclamation.
“under! “This Cha Il-kyung thing is really good!”
“Hey, Cosimo.”
“why?”
When Cosimo turned around, the merchant asked cautiously:
“I wonder if Cha Il-kyung and I bought the fan for no reason…”
“It seems like we paid too much for something we don’t need?”
“yes. Although awnings are said to have the advantage of blocking sunlight, they can also be used instead. “Isn’t that fan also not a useful item?”
The merchant pointed out very carefully. Cosimo de’ Medici did not become a wealthy man simply through banking. He was a man of great learning and also skilled in commerce. It was Cosimo de’ Medici who further expanded the wealth he gained through commerce through banking.
However, the merchant was also well aware of Cosimo de’ Medici’s shortcomings. It was Cosimo de’ Medici who learned a taste for luxury and ostentation through frequent contact with the aristocratic French royal family located in the north. Thanks to this, it was common to pay a large amount of money to buy a painting by a painter as famous as Botticelli.
Cosimo was a man who enjoyed extravagance and pretense in one way or another, although he could not openly indulge himself because of the bourgeois atmosphere in Florence.
Cosimo asked with a smile at the merchant’s point.
“Which do you think would be more comfortable, a car that can be put in a small box and put in your pocket, or a car that can be rolled up and carried around or mounted on a horse?”
“In that respect, Cha Il-kyung is definitely advantageous, but the price is too expensive.”
“How did you feel when you saw the Joseon military earlier?”
“It’s rude. And… it was an inexplicable feeling of intimidation.”
“Why did I feel intimidated? That’s because you couldn’t see their eyes. That’s what happens when you have a conversation. Just by looking into the other person’s eyes, you can tell to some extent how they are feeling, such as whether they are afraid of you, trying to scam you, or looking down on you. But what if you can’t see the eyes?”
“I guess I don’t know.”
“yes. So who are the people who need to hide their emotions the most?”
“They are nobles.”
When the merchant answered immediately, Cosimo nodded and continued speaking.
“The same goes for debt. Noble women like to stand out more than others. “You can stand out extravagantly with jewelry, but women who stand out subtly are more attractive.”
“understand.”
The merchant was truly amazed. Cosimo de’ Medici recognized the value of items in that short period of time.
Cosimo, looking at the merchant like that, muttered to himself.
‘Those Joseon sailors didn’t just use it to block out the sun. Someone knows it well. Who is it?’
As Cosimo was thinking about the mysterious person, the scent excitedly tickled his ears.
“Why do my ears itch so much? Who curses at me? “Who could it be?”
* * *