Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 452

Episode 452: Prophecy. (3)

In response to Giovanni’s question, Angelo closed his mouth and was lost in thought. Angelo, who had been pondering the rumors he had heard and the things he had personally seen, soon came to a conclusion and answered Giovanni.

“At least from what I’ve seen, Joseon has neither the will nor the ability.”

“You have neither the will nor the ability?”

“In order to advance west, we would have to seek out Kitai, a country several times larger than Joseon, but this is impossible. Therefore, Joseon only thinks about trade with Europe and does not even think about advancing into Europe. And as far as I know, Joseon has now acquired new unexplored land in the northeast, but it is also difficult to pioneer it.”

Referring to the northeastern region beyond the Duman River, Angelo explained why Joseon had neither the will nor the ability to do so.

“I see… Then is it Kitai?”

After hearing Angelo’s answer, Giovanni muttered to himself, and this time Angelo asked a question.

“Why did you suddenly ask such an unexpected question?”

Giovanni answered Angelo’s question with a small sigh.

“Whoa~. “It’s embarrassing to say it, but there are prophecies circulating in the Vatican and many European countries right now.”

“prophecy? And in the Vatican? Is there such a tragedy? “How can people who believe in God act like that?”

When Angelo got angry, Giovanni responded with an embarrassed face.

“It’s a prophecy you know.”

“I know the prophecy?”

“Isn’t there a prophecy from long ago? ‘A small spark that blooms in the East will set the entire West on fire.’”

“Wasn’t that talking about Mongolia?”

Giovanni sighed again at Angelo’s bewildered reaction.

“Whoa~. There were many people who once thought that way. But these days, that prophecy is making the rounds again. Of course, there is a lot of talk about where the ‘East’ is. Some say Mamluk, others say Ottoman, but these days, Joseon is mentioned the most.”

At Giovanni’s words, the thick Korean language he had learned in Joseon came straight out of Angelo’s mouth.

“These damn bastards have nothing to do with that expensive meal!”

“huh? “What does that mean?”

Giovanni asked the meaning of the Korean language out of nowhere, but Angelo nervously made the sign of the cross and answered.

“That’s it! “That doesn’t sound good!”

“I see…”

“It’s not important what I said, but isn’t it embarrassing that someone who serves God is a ganja!”

Giovanni responded to Angelo’s reprimand with an earnest expression.

“How could I abandon my responsibility as a believer? But the current situation in the Vatican and Europe….”

“What is the situation! From the Vatican to here, it’s thousands of leagues (League 1 is about 3.8km) away! The land route is blocked by Muslims, and if you want to go by sea, you have to bypass the African continent! But what is Joseon? Embers? “What on earth is everyone talking about while sitting in the Vatican!”

Giovanni let out a long sigh at Angelo’s reprimand.

“Whoa~. If you think about it with common sense, yes. If you think about it with common sense. But this country called Joseon itself does not make common sense.”

“Isn’t this country called Joseon itself common sense?”

Giovanni immediately answered Angelo’s question, which was still full of anger.

“Isn’t that so? This country called Joseon is truly an unknown entity not only in the Vatican but also in many European countries. So, I sent people to all the places I could find, including merchants from Eastern Rome and even Arab countries. So I looked into it and found out that before this country called Joseon existed, there was a country called Goryeo. However, the only things that were mainly produced in the country called Goryeo were spices or ceramics. However, in just a few decades after the country changed, all kinds of strange things that had never existed before appeared in the world. Can’t we say that it is a country with common sense?”

“joy!”

Angelo snorted at Giovanni’s explanation.

“Do you know what I desperately felt when I came to Joseon and saw the Korean people? It means that we Europeans are lazy. We, the Korean people, are the ones who delve into the buried knowledge of the past, review it, look for errors, and desperately try to know the more accurate truth with that knowledge of right and wrong. It’s not just intellectuals who do this. Artisans and merchants also do their best to make better products using better technology. During my time living in Joseon, I have never seen the lights on all the buildings in this city called Hanseong turned off. What does that mean? But what? Isn’t it common sense? “The common sense of the Vatican and European nobles is not common sense, but ignorance!”

“It’s not common sense, it’s ignorance…”

“Hmph!”

Angelo was still unable to hold back his anger and steam was pouring out of his nose, and Giovanni was mulling over Angelo’s words.

Later, all the Koreans who heard Angelo’s words muttered in tired voices.

“That light is the light of overtime…”

* * *

Angelo, who had cooled off somewhat after all that outburst, asked Giovanni in a calm voice.

“The only time European powers or the Vatican are interested in foreign countries is when there is conflict. “What’s the problem again this time?”

Giovanni sighed softly in response to Angelo’s question.

“Whoa~. Joseon is the problem.”

“So why Joseon?”

“The problem is the products that Joseon sells to Islam and Europe. Everyone is crazy about monopolizing those items. “It is not uncommon for small merchants, who were worried about their future until recently, to grow into big merchants at some point.”

“I’m sure people were saying, ‘I sold my soul to the devil.’”

Giovanni nodded silently at Angelo’s words.

“It started to spin little by little. However, because the benefits that can be gained by using Joseon’s goods are enormous, competition to secure trade rights and trade routes is fierce. In addition, the church is in a state of turmoil due to the topic raised by the prince of this country, making it difficult for the Holy Father to step forward and mediate. That is why the Holy Father sent me. “The purpose is to contact you to find out the situation in Joseon and to determine whether or not you can become a threat.”

“Whoa~.”

Angelo let out a long sigh at Giovanni’s explanation.

“I’ll say it again, Joseon has no intention of promoting Europe like Mongolia or Islam. For the current monarch of Joseon and the prince who will succeed him, Europe has only one value. ‘A grateful customer who buys good things for me.’ Unless Europe takes the initiative and does something foolish, there will be no conflict with Joseon.”

“Are you confident?”

“I can swear on God’s name.”

“I understand.”

Giovanni nodded at Angelo’s words and his expression brightened.

“I guess I can send a reply to the Vatican like that!”

“Reply? “Are you going to stay here too?”

Giovanni nodded to Angelo’s question.

“of course! Why would I volunteer to play Ganja! I also want to do research with peace of mind. In that sense…”

Giovanni looked at Angelo with a very expectant face.

“Brother, are you close to that prince?”

“huh?”

After hearing what had happened between Giovanni and Incense, Angelo patted Giovanni on the shoulder with a face full of pity.

“Oh brother….”

“How can there be no answer?”

Angelo’s face became full of embarrassment at Giovanni’s question.

“We are friends, but we cannot be called close friends. And if you think about the current academic level of Joseon, the prince’s words are absolutely wrong. “It’s not a level to teach, but rather a level to learn.”

“Is it that much?”

“Otherwise, how would something like an iron horse have been born? Do you think that this is something that can only be created if the craftsmen are talented?”

“Huh…”

Angelo continued, looking at Giovanni’s surprised face.

“I came to Joseon and taught for a while, but that didn’t last more than half a year. “Monsters live in this Joseon laboratory.”

“Monsters?”

“Representative characters include Lee Soon-ji, Kim Dam, and Princess Justice. In particular, Sunji Lee’s tongue is as lethal as her head.”

“is it?”

Giovanni, who had been nodding at Angelo’s explanation, suddenly looked surprised.

“princess? The princess studies academics? “Is that possible?”

“It’s possible in this country. “It’s not just princesses, there are quite a few female officials.”

“Is that possible? “Can women properly handle public affairs?”

“Did you see well? “They are not just selected; they are people who took and passed the same exam as the men.”

“Huh~. “There was nothing like that in the letter you sent, right?”

“There’s no need to write about that, right? “If you do it wrong…”

As Angelo slowly blurted out his words, Giovanni muttered with a gloomy face.

“I will become ‘Puella Aurelianensium’ (Puella Aurelianensium).”

These two people reminded me of Joan of Arc, who was revered as a saint but was accused of being a witch and met a miserable end.

“So, if you really want to stay in Joseon, it would be best to say that you want to learn and research, not teach.”

“I want to learn and research….”

“The basic virtue that the nobles and intellectuals of this country should have is ‘constantly learning and devising.’ “The current monarch would be willing to allow it.”

At Angelo’s recommendation, Giovanni immediately made up his mind.

“I understand! Let’s do it! “Thank you so much, brother!”

* * *

The next day, Giovanni visited the laboratory and looked for incense.

“okay. Have you made a decision?”

“Yes, we will not proselytize until an official document comes from the Vatican. Also, like the prince said, your skills may decline. However, I am also someone who enjoys learning and training. “If you give me the chance, I will do my best to learn and work hard.”

“Hmm…”

Hearing Giovanni’s words, Scent, who had been pondering while stroking her chin, came to a conclusion.

“I will hand it over to Abama.” “Once Abamama’s decision is made, I will give you an answer right away.”

“Thank you.”

“Then let’s go out and see.”

“Yes, prince.”

After sending Giovanni away, Incense stroked his chin again and muttered.

“’I will learn and practice.’ La…. You come in with your head lowered? Well, the more people there are, the better, but….”

‘There are still too many tasks to push and grind.’

“Lowering. Grand Prince Jinpyeong has arrived.”

Hyang corrected his expression and responded to the notice from the eunuch.

“Please stop by.”

“Yes sir.”

“Why is this bastard…”

He seemed to be secretly nervous.

Jinpyeong became terminally ill after suffering a Deoktong accident, and evolved from there to become a fan of steam engines. But Hyang couldn’t let go of the tension.

Thanks to this, when King Sejong tried to change Grand Prince Jinpyeong’s military name from Jinpyeong to Suyang, Hyang did his best to prevent it.

“They said they follow people’s names. “You never know!”

Jinpyeong, who came into the office a little while later, saw the incense and bowed to the porridge.

“How are you?”

“okay. “What happened today?”

In response to Hyang’s question, Jinpyeong took out a piece of paper from his sleeve.

“Yes, I am here because I have a stylus sharpener that I came up with.”

“Stylus sharpener?”

“yes.”

Jinpyeong answered right away and spread the paper on the desk.

“This?”

Hyang’s eyes lit up when she saw the picture drawn on the paper.

On the paper was drawn something similar to the pencil sharpener that 21st Century Hyang used well when he was an elementary school student.

Jinpyeong, who saw that the scent’s reaction was not bad, got excited and started explaining.

“If you look at the stylus sharpener frame used today, don’t you hold the frame and turn the stylus to sharpen it? Wouldn’t it be possible to do the opposite, holding a pencil and turning the blade of the frame? So, if you attach a handle to a frame with a fixed blade and turn it…”

“It’s a good idea, but why is the shell of an iron horse?”

“One of the places that uses pencils the most is the Railroad Administration and Area 51’s research center…”

“Is it because you like iron horses more than that?”

In response to Hyang’s question, Jinpyeong nodded with a humble smile.

“That’s right.”

“Hmm… let’s see…”

Speechless, Hyang began to look through the paper, and Jinpyeong only looked at Hyang’s mouth with a tense face.

‘I was just thinking about solving it later, but this guy is sticking out?’

It was a scent that made me think about something completely unexpected.

But soon after, Hyang burst into laughter.

“Heh! “Is that really what people are thinking?”

“Lowering?”

“Jinpyeong!”

Jinpyeong responded to Hyang’s name with a very tense face.

“Yes yep!”

“Let’s write a contract!”

“yes?”