Meat and I left the exhibition hall and looked at each other’s faces.
And without a word, we high-fived.
“If you were going to do things this way, you should have told me in advance. Hailey-nim is a benefactor to me… It’s a relief he saw us in a good light. Otherwise, he might have thought I was introducing him to a scammer…”
Meat probably hadn’t expected this outcome either when I first asked him to introduce me to a coachman expert.
Honestly, before I met Hailey-nim, I also only had vague ideas.
In this world, it was serendipity born out of coincidence.
But did these things really happen by chance alone?
Maybe I’m lucky, but I think this result was also made possible by the trust Meat has built up until now.
If we bought 50 coaches outright, it would cost 1.2 billion won. But now, we’ll be able to operate 50 coaches for just 50 million won per month.
As we left the office and came out to the coach exhibition, the long line of coachmen waiting for employment caught my eye again.
Meat naturally tried to stand in line.
“Hey, Meat, what are you doing?”
“What else? Today’s a bit late, so it’s hard to get a good spot. I’d better line up now.”
I put my hand on his forehead.
“Meat, let’s stop lining up now. We’ve got plenty of things to do.”
“Uh… Should we?”
“Of course. From now on, you’ll have a whole lot of work to handle.”
At that moment, a man in the long line recognized us and spoke up.
“Excuse me. Hello there.”
“Do you know Meat?”
“Huh? It’s the first time I’ve seen him.”
“How can you not recognize me? We met just yesterday.”
He approached us quietly and whispered.
“I’m the coachman who came yesterday escorting the young lady.”
“Ah…”
“But why are you here now?”
He was the coachman who had brought the noble young lady Meat was getting involved with yesterday.
“I was dismissed as of yesterday, so I’m here to look for another job…”
“Wait… Was it because Miss Serin came to see me yesterday?”
Meat looked worried that he’d caused the coachman trouble.
“No, no, it’s got nothing to do with that. I was told rather abruptly. When I signed the contract, there was a ten-day test period. They said my cornering wasn’t good enough, and that was their excuse for firing me…”
Thankfully, it wasn’t because of Meat.
“Ten days again. Lately, I heard coachman shopping is catching on among the nobles—seems a lot of people are returning after just ten days.”
“Yeah, that’s what I mean. I just can’t understand what the higher-ups are thinking. Is it because of this line?”
He gazed at the long row of coachmen standing in a row.
“You think it’s because of the line? What’s coachman shopping?”
“Actually, this long line forming like this only started recently. It used to be that you got recommended by someone who completed coachman training. But at some point, it changed to this setup, where everyone lines up and the employer picks the coachman they like from the line.”
“But why do you want to be a coachman even in such unfair circumstances? Aren’t there other jobs?”
“That’s because Grunvalt is a major commercial city… Coachmen are in high demand here. And coachmen are paid quite well. Even a novice coachman can earn over 1 gold per month. A coachman has to know both how to handle horses and coaches, so it’s classified as a specialized profession. I earn more than five times what I got working in a restaurant for years.”
In this world, being a coachman is a specialized job.
“And it’s just a rumor, but apparently, coachman shopping is becoming a trend among the nobles. I heard it from another coachman: among the nobles, they use the term ‘coachman shopping.’ It means they swap out coachmen as casually as shopping.”
“So what’s the benefit for the nobles?”
“Well… I really don’t know. How can we guess what’s on their minds?”
Coachman shopping… Even among the nobles, strange customs seem to be catching on.
“So, don’t you think things would improve if we got rid of this line and went back to the old recommendation method?”
The coachman seemed to miss the old ways.
Someone’s shout made me turn around. Two coachmen’s expressions had darkened.
“Who… who’s there?”
The two bowed politely.
“Greetings, sir.”
“It has been a while, sir.”
The one they greeted was Serin’s father, who had previously employed both coachmen.
Serin’s father was a minor noble with no particular title.
That guy. The one who beat up Meat…
“So, those I once employed are now looking for new work. I’m here looking for a new coachman myself. Ah, it’s a shame about you. Next time, improve where you’re lacking, and perhaps we’ll work together again. Especially, you should practice the magic of turning more…”
The noble spoke as if he were an examiner judging coachmen.
“Yes, sir. Thank you for the advice.”
“And you…”
The noble turned to Meat.
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ve watched you for years, and your magic of turning was most impressive.
After you left, I realized just how comfortably you handled the coach. That’s why I never joined in the nobles’ games.
But I never thought you would make such a grave mistake. The reason I disciplined you was because I cared that much about you.”
The noble sounded sincerely regretful about Meat’s situation.
What a load of nonsense… You beat him up just for being a little late, and that was for his own good?
What a farce… He’s no elder; just an old goat.
“Yes… thank you for the advice, sir.”
Why are you acting so grateful? What’s there to thank him for…? I should step in.
“Excuse me for interrupting, Merchant-nim. Could you introduce this elder to me as well?”
Meat looked at me, startled. I subtly winked at him, making sure nobody else noticed. Thankfully, Meat caught on.
“This is the Merchant of the Unicorn Company, William Steven-nim.”
“Merchant?”
I gave a light nod.
As soon as the old goat heard the word ‘Merchant,’ his attitude shifted slightly.
“You look quite young to be a Merchant. Which house are you from?”
“Sorry, that’s a secret. Just think of me as someone with ties to the Ashford Baron Family.”
It’s not a lie. I am acting under the orders of the Ashford Baron Family’s young lady.
“A person connected to the lord of Ashford Territory… I’m even more curious about your background now. There must be quite a secret behind it.
But what’s this ‘Deputy Merchant’ title? You mentioned it regarding that child.”
He’s from the same communal living area as that child, you punk.
“This time, we’ve appointed him as the Deputy Merchant of the Unicorn Company.”
“What? What talent does that child have?”
“If things go as we planned, the Unicorn Company will transform much in Grunvalt. He is the right person for that core role.”
“I see… What’s your scale, then?”
He was clearly probing. If I say we’re a fifth-rate company, that’s when the disregard will start.
Just then, I spotted Hailey-nim approaching with the completed Letter of Intent.
“William-nim. The Letter of Intent for 50 coaches is ready.”
I respectfully received the letter and showed it to the old goat.
“Well, it looks like we’ll start with around 50 coaches here.”
Fifty coaches. The noble doesn’t know the exact price, but even if he estimates 20 gold per coach, that’s a total of 1,000 gold. Converted to won, that’s worth about 2 billion.
“F-Fifty coaches?!”
“Why so surprised? Fifty coaches is just the start. In a few years, we might be operating 500 or so.”
The old goat’s mouth dropped open.
“What kind of noble family runs a business where 1,000 gold is treated so lightly… Even operating a single coach isn’t easy. If I could supply furniture to a merchant managing fifty coaches, it would be a huge profit for me. Has he already made a deal?”
After seeing the Letter of Intent, I could feel his gaze on me change—he was regarding me as someone extraordinary.
“If I ever get the chance, I’d be grateful for a private meeting with you.”
No way, but I had to reply.
“If I have time, I’ll consider it… But I’m extremely busy. If you need anything, please pass it through the Deputy Merchant here. He and I have the same authority in these matters. Practically, he’ll be running business in Grunvalt in the future.”
I raised Meat up a bit. As expected, the old goat’s attitude toward Meat changed.
“Well then, Meat… or rather, Deputy Merchant, when are you free? I’d love to chat over tea.”
Meat was momentarily flustered.
“Uh, I’ll have to check my schedule… uh…”
“Thank you…”
“Oh, and one thing I forgot to mention. Our Unicorn Company prefers to do business only with those who know proper etiquette. Please make sure nothing unpleasant happens again, such as anyone striking our Deputy Merchant.”
“Of course. I will keep that in mind.”
He still seemed not to understand fully, so I added another word.
“When walking in the shadowed forest, tread carefully even under starlight.
It’s an ancient rune blessing, wishing you luck and peace. Now, we must take our leave as we’re quite busy.”
“Ah, yes… I’ll be sure to remember it next time.”
The old goat didn’t really understand, but thinking it must be a good saying, he thanked me politely.
I just made that up. Simply put, it means ‘be careful walking at night.’
After bidding farewell to Hailey-nim and collecting the Letter of Intent, we left the coach exhibition.
The old goat lingered a while, trying to hire a new coachman for his original purpose, before finally leaving the exhibition hall.
“….”
“Hey, William. Deputy Merchant, huh? Why’d you treat the old man that way?”
“Old man? That guy’s no elder—he beat you up and threw you out, and you still call him an elder? He’s just an old goat.”
“Still, I served him for a year. Even if he was sometimes violent, he wasn’t a fundamentally bad person.”
“You’re too soft. And by the way, I meant it about you being Deputy Merchant. You’re the core of the Maber Project… You’re Maber’s co-founder, in other words—a partner.”
“Hmm? Then what about Slot-nim? What’s his position?”
“Oh, that’s easy… He’ll be Deputy Commander of the Unicorn Mercenary Company, of course.”
I’ll be Merchant and run the Mercenary Company as well. Besides, right now, there’s only three of us.
Startups always have quick promotions. And Meat is Maber’s co-founder.
A co-founder is someone who contributed to founding a Startup company.
“Commander. You’re finally out.”
Slot, having finished his training, greeted us outside.
“Did something happen?”
It was good Slot wasn’t around earlier. If he’d seen that noble, his ‘justice breaker’ would have flared up again…
“Something good did happen. Thanks to an unexpected connection, things just got a lot bigger.”
Slot looked as if he couldn’t believe so much had happened in just a few hours.
“We just signed a contract for 50 coaches.”
Surprised, right? Slot’s eyes grew huge.
“From now on, it’s going to get busy. Take today off, and Slot, come with me to visit the ranch tomorrow.”
“Meat, gather the coachmen and explain Maber to them. With all the commotion earlier, some coachmen nearby probably overheard. Focus on that when you talk.”
“Got it. I’ll gather the coachmen and have a talk tomorrow.”
“Let’s take it easy for today.”
It’s important to rest after a big contract.
“Oh, William. When should I have that tea with the old man? He might be waiting…”
“Tea? That was just an empty promise… Let him wait a lifetime…”
Why is he so soft and naive… Unless it’s for smacking him on the back of the head, I have no business with that guy…
Wait…? Suddenly, another thought crossed my mind. Could it be… was there a hidden ‘artisan’ title in front of ‘old man’?