Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 96
Episode 96: Terrorist Certification (2)
The glass artisans brought by the Odaibi family were heading to Area 51 under the watchful eye of soldiers.
“What on earth happened… Why am I with you…”
The taller of the two craftsmen glared at his colleague with an expression of grievance in the world.
However, the short craftsman who was the subject of the complaint answered with a relaxed expression.
“Well, it was a bit difficult physically, but you came to a country you’ve never seen before, right? “Maybe you can get out of the cramped life of a typical craftsman in Murano and have a brighter life, right?”
“bastard! Is this a good thing? Is this a good thing? “There is a higher chance that your life will be completely ruined, rather than your life flourishing!”
“Wow, Raphael of the world is swearing? Hey! “That alone makes coming here worthwhile!”
“You call that bastard your friend… Lord… How did he do that…”
Raphael the Long Legs grumbled while looking at the sky. Then his colleague tapped him on the shoulder and said,
“Don’t be like that. “But we’ve known each other since we were 8 years old.”
“Damn it!”
* * *
Raphael and his colleague Pietro became friends on the island of Murano.
The two met while working as apprentices at a famous glass artisan guild on Murano Island and soon became best friends.
After going through a difficult period of apprenticeship, the two, now in their early 20s, were recognized as journeymen (Jornaman).
“Pietro is 23 and Raphael is 22, right?”
“yes. master.”
“Becoming a journeyman at that age is not easy. That means you guys are talented and worked hard. Congratulations.”
“thank you. master.”
The two bowed their heads in response to the guild master’s praise.
“You both know how to read, right?”
“Yes Master.”
In response to the two people’s response, the guild master held out a letter sealed with wax.
“Breaking the taboo, our guild has decided to revive the tradition of travel by journeymen. This is a letter of introduction to the Yuri Guild Master in Florence. “Go to Florence and gain experience.”
“All right.”
“thank you!”
Raphael responded to the guild master’s command with a calm face, while Pietro was furious and answered loudly.
The guild master, who was looking at Pietro like that, turned to Raphael.
“Raphael. The reason we sent the two together this time was because of that guy. Pietro, that guy has good skills, but he’s too light. I’m worried that something might happen, and I’m worried that I might get into an accident. “I hope you lead that guy well.”
Raphael became slightly tearful at the guild master’s words and asked.
“Does it have to be me?”
“At least that idiot listens to you, right?”
“… All right.”
That’s how the journey of a journeyman began. When looking at the map and deciding the route, Raphael simply took the land route, but Pietro insisted on the sea route.
“Why do you have to work so hard to climb the mountain? Go to Genoa and take a boat! “It may spin a bit, but you can go faster!”
“What are you going to do if you get caught by pirates?”
“Is it safe to go by land? What are the bandits going to do? The odds are half and half anyway. I’d rather take a boat in Genoa and use the time I have left to do some sightseeing! “They said there’s a lot to see in Genoa, Pisa, and Florence!”
“Is that so?”
Raphael was also shocked by Pietro’s last words. It was the same for Raphael, who felt stuffy after being confined to the island of Murano for over 15 years.
Eventually, the two boarded a ship in Genoa. And unfortunately, he was caught by pirates and sold as a slave in Alexandria.
* * *
“Pietro, aren’t you worried about Alexandria or here?”
“worry? “What’s the benefit of doing it in advance?”
“Whoa~.”
Raphael let out a long sigh at Pietro’s optimistic answer.
“men and horses! Even those nasty pirates treated you well because you were a glassmaker, right? Look how the handcuffs and shackles were taken off as soon as we got there! “Are you really going to treat me like a slave?”
“That’s true, but…”
“I told you to cheer up! You’ve come to the ‘East’ you’ve only heard about! “It’s the East!”
“Damn my travels to the East….”
When Pietro mentioned ‘the East’, Raphael swore. One of the things that helped me endure the hard labor while I was an apprentice was ‘The Record of My Experiences in the East’. The two forgot about their fatigue while imagining the distant foreign country mentioned in the book.
Raphael, who was grumbling at the word ‘East’, suddenly glared at Pietro.
“you! Could it be on purpose?”
“no! No matter how much I am, I would never take a gamble like that!”
Pietro, who strongly denied Raphael’s words, looked around and started talking.
“hey! There are beauties here too! That’s a lot! hey! hey! Raphael! Look at this road! “The road was paved with cementum!”
“huh?”
Raphael looked down at Pietro’s words.
“This is…”
Raphael looked at the road in surprise. There was a smooth road with an enormous width that was not paved with stones.
It was a road that had never been seen in Italy, where he lived. It was clear that the Appian Way, which I had only heard about, was not this wide and flat.
“Have we really arrived in the East? “Is this really Jipanggu?”
Raphael raised his eyes and looked around Hanseong.
* * *
The two arrived at Area 51 and waited for Incense in a small room.
“I’m hungry…”
When Pietro felt hungry, he opened the door, and the soldier guarding the door glared at them with fierce eyes.
“Hey! I’m hungry!”
Pietro pointed his finger to his mouth, rubbed his stomach, and spoke with gestures.
The soldier who saw Pietro’s gesture said something to the soldier standing next to him and left.
After a while, the soldier returned with a large tray covered with a cloth.
“Gratias. (Thank you.)”
Pietro took the tray held out by the soldier, expressed his gratitude lightly, and then brought the tray in.
“Does this smell good?”
Pietro sniffed and removed the cloth covering the tray.
“Is it fried food? “Is it a fish based on its size and shape?”
Pietro was in tears as Raphael approached him after smelling the food and evaluated him.
“Oh no… I don’t like fish… It reminds me of painful memories of Murano…”
When he was an apprentice, when he was hungry, he would go to the nearby coast, fish, and eat fish until he got tired of it.
As Pietro paused, Raphael held the fried food in his hand and took a bite.
“It’s a chicken? “It’s delicious!”
“Chicken?”
The two quickly ate up the food on the tray. The moment they were eating the chicken, the two completely forgot where they were and what their situation was.
It was the moment when the two people became addicted to the plot.
* * *
“I beg your pardon?”
Hyang, who returned to Area 51 after completing the deal with the Odaibi family, received an absurd report and his eyes widened.
“Is that true?”
“Really. Together, the two of them ate eight chickens.”
“Huh… Did the Odaibi family bring these people because they were starving?”
The scent was ridiculous.
To be honest, even Koreans usually ate at least one chicken by themselves. People who eat well ate two, and sometimes people eat up to three. However, 4 animals was an unprecedented record.
Anyway, Hyang entered his office in Area 51 and called Raphael and Pietro. And I asked Hassan, who followed me, to translate.
“I know Latin, but I can’t speak it properly, so Hassan Hundo please act as an interpreter.”
“Yes sir.”
“okay. “Did you enjoy your meal?”
When asked about the scent through Hassan, the two nodded with satisfied expressions.
“It was very good food.”
“I’m glad you’re satisfied. “Then, let’s talk about your future in earnest.”
The two people who heard Hyang’s words through Hassan looked at Hyang with tense faces.
“First of all, let me tell you that these two people are not slaves.”
“thank you!”
The two people, especially Raphael, expressed their sincere gratitude to Hyang’s words.
“The job of these two people in Joseon is to teach and supervise how to make glass. First, the period of service is 10 years. We will negotiate again later. “Do you have any objections?”
“First of all, is it 10 years? “What about after that?”
“Either you renew your contract, or we’ll send you back to your hometown.”
“Are you really going to let me go back to my hometown?”
Hassan answered Raphael’s question right away.
“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince, is a man who always keeps his promises. And if I wasn’t going to keep my promise, I wouldn’t have let you go free.”
Raphael, who thought about Hassan’s explanation for a moment, answered first.
“great. Anyway, now I have no choice as I have to rely on the good will of the Prince of Joseon.”
“… I agree.”
When Raphael, who was always cautious, made the first decision, Pietro had no choice but to follow.
“I will sign a contract.”
With Hassan’s interpretation, the fragrance moved on.
“The next one is probably the most important thing. “How much were you paid?”
Pietro answered the question about the scent right away.
“It was eight ducats of silver!”
Raphael looked at Pietro in surprise at Pietro’s answer. In reality, the salary they received was 2 ducats of silver per month.
‘You crazy bastard!’
Raphael cursed Pietro in his heart. Raphael could understand why Pietro said that.
They had brought them to this eastern country because they needed glass artisans.
Pietro, who thought it was a golden opportunity because he was recognized as a free man and was certain to receive a salary, was exaggerating his words.
‘And what if it’s discovered that it’s a lie? Have you ever thought of inflating the situation in this situation? ‘You crazy bastard!’
Raphael continued to wink, but Pietro was smiling and showing that it was okay.
“How much is 8 ducats of silver?”
In response to Hyang’s question, Hassan searched his memory for a moment and then answered.
“It’s been a long time since I left my hometown, so it’s hard to compare, but according to my childhood memories, the salary a skilled craftsman received was 4 ducats of silver.”
“How long has it been since you left your hometown?”
“20 years.”
“Hmm….”
‘If you think about the price increase… but at the age of those people… is that nonsense? ‘You’re a fool.’
Convinced that it was a lie, Hyang silently looked at the two people. In contrast to the tall man who was restless and rolling his eyes back and forth, the short man was smiling and looking at the scent.
Hyang looked at the two people and made a decision.
“Four silver coins.”
Hassan immediately translated Hyang’s decision and told it to the two people.
“Four silver coins. “If you say ducats, it’s 4 ducats of silver.”
“8 silver coins…”
When Pietro continued to insist on 8 ducats of silver coins, Raphael interrupted him.
“Four ducats! great! I will do it for 4 ducats!”
“I will do it for 4 ducats.”
Hyang nodded at Hassan’s words.
“good. “Then let’s write a contract.”
When a contract written in both Chinese and Latin was written, Pietro and Raphael read the contract carefully.
“Are the contents of both sides really the same?”
“That’s right.”
Raphael, who thought for a moment about Hassan’s answer, held out his hand.
“Give me a pen.”
As Hassan took out his golden pen in response to Raphael’s words, incense came in.
“Oh, I have an additional condition to add. Learn the Korean language within 3 months. Until then, I will pay you 2 nyang of silver per month. Can’t learn it in 3 months? Then, I will only pay you 1 nyang per month until you learn it.”
“Isn’t that too much?”
When Raphael questioned him, Hyang answered right away without any interpretation.
“But do you think I or Hassan Hundo will follow me around and interpret for me?”
“….”
At Hyang’s words, Pietro stepped forward instead of Raphael.
“What will you do if you learn it sooner than 3 months?”
Hyang burst into laughter at Pietro’s words.
“Are you confident?”
“Isn’t it something you have to try to know?”
“If you learn Korean faster than 3 months, I will add 1 nyang of silver to your month.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Pietro handed out a piece of paper to Hassan.
“Please write down the conditions just now!”
After signing and sealing the revised contract, Pietro and Raphael returned to the room assigned to them.
“Hassan Hundo please take care of them for the time being.”
“I follow your orders, Your Majesty. “
What are you worried about?”
“I wonder if giving 4 nyang of silver a month is too much… That’s 9% of the official bonuses we are currently receiving.”
He responded to Hassan’s comment with a face that said the scent was nothing special.
“The technology they have must be worth that much. And wouldn’t it be okay to extract it for its worth?”
For a moment, Hassan felt sorry for the two Italians.