7,000,000 Hwan... It was an amount unimaginable for Cheongyeon, whose heart raced even with 20,000 Hwan.
“Alright, from now on, we will begin the auction for the sperm whale carcass! Starting at 200,000 Hwan! Yes, 200,000 Hwan right away!”
300,000 Hwan, 400,000 Hwan, 500,000 Hwan—the price of the carcass was also soaring to the sky.
“7,000,000 Hwan, fucking hell, where do they get off trying to get it for free?” Mu-won’s eyes glinted menacingly.
Cheongyeon looked at him, astonished. Even amidst the chaotic noise, when he raised his hand, all eyes on the wharf focused on him.
Although he was perched on a small bicycle completely unsuited to his build, he didn't look ridiculous. Instead, he looked like a villain who had stolen the meager possessions of the herbalist standing next to him.
He immediately raised his voice with a clear projection.
“10,000,000 Hwan, bid by Tae Mu-won!”
Tae Mu-won offered a smile so charming it concealed all his evil deeds.
“Not the whale carcass, the ambergris.”
The captain, who had been nervous since Tae Mu-won first attracted attention, instantly turned pale.
“Not the whale carcass, but the ambergris?”
“No, I thought he said he’d buy the whale carcass for 10,000,000 Hwan?”
The murmuring of the spectators was distinctly audible.
“A-Are you, perhaps, referring to the whale carcass, Mu-won-nim?”
The captain was terrified but bravely asked. But where on earth was there a bastard who would buy a whale carcass for more than ambergris?
“Everyone’s so desperate to scam someone, aren’t they?”
Mu-won sought agreement, but Cheongyeon kept his head bowed, overwhelmed by the eyes fixed upon them.
“The auction for the ambergris is already over! No matter if it’s Tae Mu-won-nim, one doesn’t interfere with a closed auction!” Only Hwangran, who had perfectly grasped Tae Mu-won’s intention, shouted resonantly. Cheongyeon could spot Hwangran at a glance. It was because people's gazes left them and focused on Hwangran.
His servant was in the process of loading the ambergris onto a cart, clearly intending to ship it immediately to the First Continent. The ambergris was stained with blood from being extracted from the entrails, but the core visible beneath the blood was a rough, grayish color, like stone.
“I said the bid is 10,000,000 Hwan. Didn't you hear me?”
Mu-won’s harsh tone left the captain paralyzed with indecision. If he restarted the auction, he would have problems with the First Continent merchant and his credibility, but ignoring Tae Mu-won meant fearing the consequences. However, life was more important than credibility.
“Th-There has been a higher bidder for the ambergris, so we will resume the auction!” The captain cupped his hands like a megaphone and shouted loudly.
“Mu-won-nim! What kind of situation is this!? This is nothing short of thuggery!”
Hwangran cut himself off mid-venting. It was because the Peira members who had been stationed on the wharf now encircled Hwangran and his entourage. Hwangran had hired mercenaries to enter the volatile Cheonghwajin, but they were useless now.
The members of Peira were all unusually well-built, as if they ate well. The bulky men, all sporting vibrant red aster tattoos on their necks, looked like a threatening flower garden.
The whalers meekly placed the ambergris from the cart back onto the auction block. Hwangran couldn't stop the situation, even though he was being blatantly robbed right before his eyes.
“Is there anyone else who would like to bid?!”
The captain raised his voice again. Cheongyeon looked at Mu-won with some doubt. He might need the sperm whale carcass to refine oil, but he probably had no use for ambergris.
Mu-won himself simply sat relaxed, using the bicycle as a chair.
“If there are no further bids, I will count down the closing numbers. Ten, nine, eight...”
At this rate, Tae Mu-won really might win the bid. Did he genuinely need the ambergris? Or was he perhaps trying to buy a useless item just for the fun of it? Or did he simply want to see the merchants begging like this?
“Do you need to piss?”
Cheongyeon flinched at the abrupt, jarring question. Mu-won’t eyes were still fixed on the captain, who was continuing the countdown.
“...No.”
“Then why are you so fidgety?”
He hadn't been fidgety, but his guts were definitely shrinking. He felt pressured by the sheer force of the 10,000,000 Hwan, even though it wasn't his money.
The number one finally came out of the captain’s mouth.
“T-Ten million, one Hwan!”
Hwangran, raising his index finger, bid the miserly price. 10,000,001 Hwan. It was a truly undignified amount. Snorts of laughter erupted here and there, but Hwangran shamelessly held his head high.
“That fucking cheapskate.”
It must be quite unfair to be called a cheapskate after spending over 10,000,000 Hwan. Cheongyeon inwardly estimated the magnitude of the final bid price.
It was definitely enough to buy five luxury homes in the higher elevations and still have money left over. It was also an amount most people in Cheonghwajin would never touch in their entire lives.
The captain’s face, which had been glum just moments ago, blossomed into a smile. Then, conscious of Hwangran glaring at him with blazing eyes, he quickly restarted the countdown.
Mu-won didn’t bid again and willingly let the ambergris go.
“Ah, if only I had one more Hwan, I would’ve bought it.”
He had called the 7,000,000 Hwan bid a freebie, but 10,000,000 Hwan seemed satisfactory. Mu-won had only raised the price and never seemed to have any real intention of buying the ambergris. Cheongyeon didn't want to take Hwangran's side, but he felt a little pity for the First Continent merchant.
“Should I have borrowed it from the herbalist?”
He spoke in a teasing tone, suggesting, ‘You have about 1 Hwan, right?’
“I don’t do lending transactions.”
“Then I’ll just have to say it’s a loss because you wouldn’t lend it to me.”
Mu-won chuckled with amusement.
Thus, the ambergris auction was concluded, and the sperm whale carcass auction began.
The sperm whale, which was bigger and longer than thirty men lying down end-to-end, saw its price increase more slowly compared to the ambergris, which was less than half the size of one of its flippers. Cheongyeon felt a subtle contradiction but shifted his thoughts to wishing Mu-won would return his bicycle.
“950,000 Hwan is offered! Any more bids?”
More than 50 merchants had come over from the First Continent. Dressed in expensive leather and cloth, their attire was markedly different from the people of Cheonghwajin. But their purpose seemed to be solely the ambergris, as they paid little attention to the sperm whale carcass. Mu-won raised the hand that was resting on the handlebars.
“Tae Mu-won-nim, are you placing a bid?”
The captain, who had been glancing at Mu-won the whole time, quickly pointed to him.
“1,300,000 Hwan.”
“1,300,000 Hwan! A jump from 930,000 to 1,300,000 Hwan! Any more bids? This sperm whale is 1.5 times bigger than the one caught six months ago! The sperm whale from six months ago was successfully bid for by Tae Mu-won-nim for 1,200,000 Hwan!”
The captain’s voice was sure to be hoarse after the auction today.
“Come on, come on! Are there no more bids from the merchants? This winner will also receive this giant squid as a bonus!”
A boisterous laugh erupted from the people of Cheonghwajin. The First Continent merchants were merely bewildered, not understanding the reason for their laughter.
The giant squid, which had died after being chewed by the sperm whale, was only large but otherwise useless. It wasn't fit for consumption and was essentially trash that would have to be thrown back into the sea. Yet, having fought desperately not to be eaten by the sperm whale, its suckered tentacles were still wrapped around the whale's body.
“It’s bad enough that the poor thing died, but they’re also mocking it while selling its corpse.”
The words that came from Tae Mu-won were unbelievably sentimental. Cheongyeon was inwardly surprised but didn't show it.
The captain soon started counting down, as there were no bidders above 1,300,000 Hwan. It wouldn't be a strange sight for Mu-won to win the bid, as the Peira would need a lot of fuel due to its size. After all, he was the one who had bought the sperm whale carcass six months ago.
“1,350,000 Hwan!” Hwangran, standing on the cart carrying the ambergris, spread his hand wide and shouted.
Phew. Cheongyeon heard a deflating laugh. It was Tae Mu-won.
“Herbalist.” He tilted his head toward Cheongyeon. Even though Mu-won was sitting with his legs spread wide because the seat height didn't fit him, their height difference was so great that their eyes didn’t meet. Cheongyeon lifted his eyes to meet his gaze.
“Yes?”
“Isn’t this fucking fun?”
Was he referring to the auction being fun? Cheongyeon just blinked a couple of times, feeling uncertain.
“Perhaps you don’t understand this kind of fun because you’re a monk.” Mu-won returned his head to its original position.