Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 326

Episode 326: Those who wait, those who move. (3)

The year changed and it was February, the 14th year of King Sejong’s reign (1432, the year of Imja).

The Challenger headed to Alexandria has returned. On the deck of the Challenger, which, like its sister ships that arrived earlier, was quarantined in an isolation facility set up in Dali Island, old people and young people from foreign countries, dressed thickly, were looking out at the sea outside the port.

“Disciple, do you really not regret it?”

“I have no regrets.”

“It’s life in a place where everything is unfamiliar. “It won’t be easy.”

The disciple smiled and answered the old man’s words.

“ha ha ha! You’re already used to wandering around! “Don’t worry about me!”

In response to the disciple’s answer, the old man looked at the young man with a face full of regret.

“I’m sorry and thank you.”

“What. “By the way, there are quite a few people other than us who are interested in Joseon.”

The old man nodded slightly at his disciple’s words.

On the deck of the Challenger where they were sitting, there were Westerners with similar appearances standing. They too were looking at the scenery of Joseon with a mixture of anticipation and worry.

* * *

In Alexandria, Mansour and Oh Ha-seok did not just sell goods.

Oh Ha-seok and Mansour visited the nobles and merchants of Alexandria to obtain stallions and mares that could be used as stallions.

The upper class of Alexandria showed sincerity in dealing with Oh Ha-seok and Mansur in order to benefit from trade with Joseon, which was certain to continue in the future.

As the transaction went smoothly thanks to the goodwill shown by the upper class of Alexandria, Mansour and Oh Ha-seok set out to carry out the orders given by the incense.

“Please save someone? “Do you mean slaves?”

“no. Please save the alchemist.”

“alchemist?”

“yes.”

“Hmm… let’s find out.”

“Since you already know, there are also some mathematicians…”

“Ugh…”

So, he started looking for alchemists and mathematicians through the connections of the upper class of Alexandria, but the results were not good.

“You want to go to Joseon? “Are you crazy?”

“I don’t want to abandon the place I lived and go to a foreign land where I don’t even know where it is.”

“We are receiving sufficient support here as well.”

The alchemists and scholars who were advised to go to Joseon all shook their heads.

When the situation became like this, Oh Ha-seok and Mansour looked embarrassed.

“This is what I want… It shouldn’t be like this…”

“Your Majesty added, ‘If possible,’ but even so, you will be very disappointed if there is no result. “There are quite a few conditions as to why I won’t go…”

In response to Oh Ha-seok’s complaints, Mansour shared his thoughts.

“I think it’s because we already have enough support from the nobles and merchants here. “I guess there is no reason to move based on the conditions the Crown Prince has set forth.”

“Why do the nobles support them? “Is it because of that pension?”

Oh Ha-seok, who heard the story about the alchemist from Mansur on the way to Alexandria, asked with a face still full of disbelief.

‘I thought about it hundreds of times, but how can people make gold with their hands? This is truly a strange sound!’

Mansour responded to Oh Ha-seok’s question by lightly shaking his head.

“Gold is gold, but it is probably because of the ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ or ‘Elixir,’ which are the most important catalysts for making gold.”

“Philosopher’s Stone? Elixir? “You never explained that. What is it?”

“If someone who has learned alchemy reaches the highest level, he or she can make it. “When used in alchemy, it is a catalyst that can turn lead into gold, but when a person gets drunk, it is said to give them immortality.”

In response to Mansour’s explanation, Oh Ha-seok asked back in a sarcastic tone.

“May you live forever…. There are a lot of people like Qin Shi Huang here too. So are there people who made it?”

“There are only a lot of rumors.”

Oh Ha-seok chuckled and muttered in response to Mansour’s answer.

“If you only hear the rumors, gold is rolling around like stones on the streets of our Joseon Dynasty…”

Oh Ha-seok muttered, recalling the rumors circulating on the streets of Alexandria, and Mansour pricked up his ears.

“yes?”

“Oh no. “Anyway, we need to save at least one person, so there’s no answer, right?”

“Hmm…”

Mansour, who had been thinking for a while, looked at Oh Ha-seok with an unwilling expression.

“Maybe I should meet some Italian merchants.”

“Italy? “Are you talking about the merchant who is run by someone called Medici?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm… Medici…”

Oh Ha-seok thought about Mansour’s proposal.

“Wouldn’t he also want to live forever?”

“That’s true, but the Pope in the Vatican doesn’t like alchemy. “It deceives people.”

“okay?”

Oh Ha-seok, whose face brightened at Mansour’s words, immediately came to a conclusion.

“Then let’s meet the Italian merchants!”

* * *

“I will ask Mr. Cosimo.”

After hearing Mansour and Oh Ha-seok’s request, the Medici merchant immediately responded and added:

“We will try to achieve the best results possible.”

“Please.”

“I do my best.”

The merchant responded to Oh Ha-seok’s request by saying that he would do his best.

As a merchant, I had no choice but to do my best. This was because of an order given by Cosimo before returning to Florence.

“Do your best to strengthen the relationship with Joseon!”

The relationship was forged through a personal meeting at Mansour’s house, but it was still a relationship that could be broken at any time.

That is why Cosimo gave the above order to the merchant.

For the merchant who was looking for any opportunity to carry out the orders he received, Mansour and Oh Ha-seok’s request was a gift from God.

The merchant who sent Mansur and Oh Ha-seok quickly wrote a letter and sent it to Florence.

After receiving the merchant’s letter sent on the fastest ship belonging to the Medici family, Cosimo immediately came to a conclusion.

“Look for those who can go to Joseon!”

Those who had gone through that process were the ones now loitering on the deck of the Challenger.

* * *

Most of those who came to Joseon were from the territories of the Eastern Roman Empire that had been taken over by the Ottoman Turks.

Those who fled to Italy to escape the war were still having a difficult time.

A number of nobles and merchants supported him, but the church did not leave them alone.

They believe in Greek Orthodoxy rather than Catholicism, they study alchemy steeped in mysticism, they delve more into philosophy and mathematics than their belief in God, etc.

Seeing that they were full of things it did not like, the Vatican continued to judge them as heretics.

Although burning at the stake was rare, as was the case during the Black Death, alchemists and scholars had to listen to criticism from the Vatican.

Therefore, the moment they were encouraged to go to Joseon through Medici merchants, they left Italy without any regrets.

* * *

While they were living in quarantine in Dalido, Pabal, carrying the report written by Oh Ha-seok, ran to Hanseong.

King Sejong, who had read all the instructions sent by Oh Ha-seok, looked back and said.

“They say they rescued mathematicians and alchemists and brought them to you under your orders. “Read it.”

“yes. “Abama.”

As Hyang, who had received the Janggye report through a merchant ship, was reading the report, Kim Jeom asked Hyang.

“Is it really possible to make gold through refining?”

“As I explained last time, I’ve never heard of that being possible.”

“But are you still taking on the challenge?”

“They think that the challenge itself is training toward a higher level.”

“It’s a higher state…”

Kim Jeom muttered at Hyang’s words, and there was a hint of regret on his face.

The ministers who saw Kim Jeom’s face muttered to themselves.

‘That nobleman has only been dealing with money since the days of Hojo, and then he abandoned people.’

“The people who will cause trouble have arrived.”

Hyang, who was checking the report, reported to Sejong in a voice full of worry.

Sejong immediately asked back at Hyang’s words.

“Are you talking about the monks of the Western Region?”

“That’s right.”

Hyang responded right away.

There were people who were worried about the list written in Oh Ha-seok’s account.

-Five monks from the West Station.

Sejong nodded at Hyang’s point.

“Because they are monks… indeed… I must think about the possibility that they may cause the same harm as those who believe in Buddhas (a disparaging term for Buddhists).”

The faces of the ministers also became serious at King Sejong’s criticism.

The evils of Buddhism also played a role in the background of Joseon’s decision to adopt ‘Neo-Confucianism’ as a national poem.

Thanks to this, there are only two Buddhist sects under King Sejong’s rule. Only 36 temples remained.

In this situation, monks who believed in the gods of the people came in.

‘In the 21st century, there would be no problem with religious freedom, but this is the Joseon Dynasty. If we do something wrong, the persecution of Catholics that occurred in the 19th century may occur now. Why should I bring a bomb like this…’

Hyang, who was complaining to Oh Ha-seok in Dalido far away, said to King Sejong.

“We brought them here because we need them, but we must prevent them from causing problems. Therefore, if they come to Hanseong, they must receive a promise that they will not engage in missionary work. “If you can’t promise, you have to send it back right away.”

Sejong reacted negatively to Hyang’s words.

“Those who believe in God risk their lives for missionary work. Are you really going to make a promise? No, even if you make a promise in the future, you can always break it later.”

“To do so would be to tarnish the name of the God they believe in. If you do that, you must be punished for the crime of abusing the world and deceiving people. “Of course, you have to let me know in advance.”

“It’s okay…”

Sejong, who was nodding at Hyang’s suggestion, looked back at the ministers.

“What do you think?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to just send it back?”

“It would be nice to just send them back, but since the knowledge they have is also a waste, I think the plan you mentioned is appropriate.”

After a series of arguments over how to deal with the monks, the ministers concluded to choose the incense plan.

Once the plan to punish the monks was decided, the mayor brought out the next agenda item.

“We should take this opportunity to move the research center from the palace.”

“I see. If there are a lot of foreigners wandering around the palace, problems are sure to arise. So where are you going to move it? Are you going to move to Area 51? “Wouldn’t that be the best?”

When Sejong mentioned Area 51, Hyang shook her head.

“Not there. There are so many classified facilities. “If some of them return to their hometowns later, there could be a loss.”

“Aren’t there already two of Seoyi’s father-in-laws in Area 51?”

When Sejong countered by pointing to Raphael and Pietro, Hyang explained the reason.

“Those artisans don’t know anything else except glass. But those who come now are scholars. “With just a little thought, these people will become enlightened.”

After listening to Hyang’s explanation, Lee Jik stepped forward.

“But looking at the current situation, there is frequent traffic between the research center and Area 51. “If Seoyi’s scholars work at the research institute, they will come and go to Area 51, so wouldn’t they naturally learn about classified information?”

“If something like that happens, you just have to limit your traffic to the parts that are relevant to your work. But once you’re inside Area 51, you can naturally see everything.”

After an exchange of opinions, the location where the research center would be installed and the policy regarding access to Area 51 were decided.

In this way, the world’s first academic institution and the world’s first ‘graveyard of international conspirators’ were prepared to be revealed.