BOPE 106

Chapter 106 …

Taechang looked at Donghee, who was spouting nonsense with a straight face, and sighed deeply.

“Do you think I don’t know what Jagalchi is?”

“You… you do?”

Donghee flinched, but tried to sound calm as she asked.

“It’s the name of a traditional market located in the southern region of the world you lived in — Busan’s representative marketplace. The name originated from the word ‘Jagalcheo’, referring to a pebble field that stretched all the way to the Chungmu-dong rotary. They sell mackerel, herring, clams, seaweed, and… hairtail!”

With a serious expression, Taechang recited what he knew like a local festival reporter, his face the perfect mix of arrogance and solemnity. Donghee had no idea what kind of expression she was supposed to make at that point.

“In the end, it’s about hairtail again, isn’t it? I told you not to compare me to a fish.”

What was she supposed to do with this oddly intelligent man who always went in the strangest direction?

Donghee looked at him for a moment, then spoke with a determinedly serious face.

“Taechang, of course Jagalchi has a great meaning behind it. But the Jagalchi necklace I gave you has a different meaning.”

She looked at him with drooping brows and soulful eyes, as if trying to convey her deepest sincerity.

“What meaning?”

Taechang felt something was off, but her words piqued his curiosity.

“Want to spell it out with me?”

Donghee’s tone turned strangely solemn.

“What?”

“Say one syllable at a time. Start with ‘Ja.’”

Thinking this was ridiculous but humoring her anyway, Taechang said,

“Ja.”

“‘Ja!’ It means, this is a gift from my heart!”

Donghee spread her arms wide, smiling brightly, but Taechang’s eyes only narrowed further.

“Gal.”

“It means, my gratitude toward you keeps growing.”

Now Taechang looked completely done with her, but the way he kept obediently saying each syllable made Donghee struggle to keep a straight face.

“Chi?”

“‘Chiin’— as in, let’s stay close friends forever, Taechang!”

With an awkward grin, Donghee extended her hand for a handshake. Taechang, however, just stared at it for a moment before abruptly turning his head and disappearing into his system window.

“Is he sulking?”

Donghee wondered if she’d teased him a little too much. Just then, a blue status window popped up before her eyes.

— Congratulations! You have successfully made Taechang laugh. You receive 200 hidden points.
(Captured scene: Taechang grinning after entering his system window. Expression classified as ‘disturbingly sinister.’ Looked like a psychopath.)

“What the heck? He was happy?”

Donghee couldn’t help but laugh at the contrast — he’d looked annoyed as he stormed off, but apparently, he’d actually been in a good mood.

“How cute.”

She could still picture the silver-haired Taechang disappearing into his system window, his long hair flowing softly behind him. Even though he’d suspected the necklace was a joke calling him a “silver hairtail,” he’d never taken it off. Maybe it was because of a rule tied to the item’s use time, but still, it was kind of endearing.

“Goodness, my lady! Did you organize all of this by yourself?”

As she hummed to herself, Scrooge entered and looked around the vault in astonishment.

“I just took my time.”

“It doesn’t look like the result of taking your time, though.”

Scrooge might forget some things, but never anything related to money — especially not when it came to the vault.

He knew exactly where everything used to be placed, and now almost everything had been rearranged. Yet the new setup was more efficient and much easier to manage.

He was genuinely impressed by his lord’s hidden talents and wandered around the vault, admiring the changes.

“When is Gold Rich supposed to arrive? Did you get a message?”

Before Scrooge could start asking too many questions, Donghee quickly changed the subject.

“He said something came up on the way and that he’ll arrive in about a week. He sent multiple letters begging you not to make deals with anyone else until then.”

Scrooge smiled as he handed over a thick bundle of letters — all from Gold Rich. Judging by the dates, he’d sent one almost every day. In his haste, he’d even sent duplicate messages by both carrier pigeon and courier.

Technically, the deadline Gold Rich had promised to return with the money had already long passed. Donghee could’ve easily found other trading partners, but she hadn’t wanted to.

She liked his straightforward obsession with jewels — and the fact that he never pried into where those jewels came from.

“Tell him to make it within a week. And make sure you add that I’m being very generous.”

She added the line deliberately, hoping to squeeze out a more favorable deal.

The team Red Bear assembled to explore the Cullen Cave numbered about a hundred people.

Half of them were laborers, and the rest were knights assigned to protect them.

Each laborer was paired with a personal guard, which left many of them bewildered. They’d gone into the Black Forest before, but never with this much protection. Even then, they’d thought it was excessive for mere commoners, but this time the safety measures were on another level.

“There won’t be any Cullens left where we’re going, right?”

For Ned, this was his first time entering the Black Forest. Henry was just as nervous, huddling close with his four friends from Grace as they walked cautiously.

“I heard before we left that there isn’t a single Cullen left in the cave.”

“You sure about that?”

“Yeah. The lord never lies.”

Since the order had come directly from the lord of Grace, they trusted it completely. Still, the fact that the number of knights exceeded the number of workers showed just how much the lord valued their safety.

Henry had done every kind of job imaginable to survive with his younger brother. He’d been to many places, but nowhere else had treated him this humanely.

The wages he was earning now were being carefully saved — his goal was to bring his brother here and buy a small house for them to live together.

So when he’d heard about the job at Cullen Cave, he’d rushed to apply even before safety was guaranteed. He’d figured the pay must be good if it involved entering a cave where monsters used to dwell.

But to have so many knights protecting them? It was almost too good to be true.

“Aren’t knights usually only for protecting nobles?” Ned asked in a hushed voice as he watched them forming a protective ring around the workers.

They were from the same village, but Henry was the smart one — self-taught, literate, and quick with numbers. For Ned, who couldn’t read or count, Henry had always been like a guidepost.

He followed wherever Henry went, and somehow that always led to another way to survive. Coming to Grace had been Henry’s idea too — and it had turned out to be the best decision of their lives.

“The lord of Grace values the lives of commoners like us,” Henry said, his tone filled with conviction. “I heard he personally visited the families of soldiers who died fighting the Cullens and gave them compensation. Isn’t that amazing? He’s the most noble noble I’ve ever met. I’m really grateful.”

For Henry, even being able to dream of bringing his brother here felt like a blessing granted by their lord. Ned and the others nodded, chiming in to agree on how lucky they were.

Chatting as they went, the group soon arrived at the Cullen Cave. Red Bear sent a scouting team inside first, just to be safe.

“No signs of danger!”

A few minutes later, the knights emerged and shouted the all-clear.

“Move out!”

At the foreman’s signal, the workers quickly entered the cave. Each held a special pickaxe forged by Smith — made from Cullen fangs.

These weren’t just for those digging for groundwater; even the miners were given one. The fang pickaxes had been made so the workers could dig with less effort — a gesture of care from their lord.

For the laborers, each tool was worth more than a year’s wages. Yet now they were wielding them as if it were nothing.

Clang! Clang!

The sound of pickaxes striking rock echoed through the cave like a rhythm. Outside, the knights stood guard, vigilant for any sign of danger.

“Wow! It breaks so easily!”

Those using the Cullen-fang pickaxes for the first time couldn’t stop marveling.

Rocks that wouldn’t even crack after dozens of swings with a steel pickaxe shattered like candy under the Cullen fangs, splintering cleanly to the root.

Within half a day, their carts were full.

Under the sunlight, the thermal mana stones glowed with a cool, deep blue hue.

“What are these stones even used for?” Ned wondered aloud as he loaded another cart.

“Whatever it is, I’m sure the lord will use it for the good of the territory,” Henry replied, his voice steady with faith.

Under the shining sun, the thermal stones gleamed like dark sapphires — beautiful and full of promise.