WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Little Prince in the Ossuary

Chapter 106

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Influence (5)

On the promised evening, Li Qinzhen greeted an unwelcome guest with suppressed anger. His stare was hard, his lips tightly pressed. He was in too precarious a position, internally and externally, to look weak, and he had no room left to force a smile. He looked noticeably thinner than before. Leaning crookedly in the host’s seat, he watched his guest. Gyeoul remained standing until he was told to sit.

“In the end, you make this old man commit rudeness. Please, sit, sir.”

Li Qinzhen opened his hand and pointed to a chair set diagonally across from him.

“Thank you, sir.”

As always, Gyeoul greeted him politely and sat at an angle facing the old power broker. The old man, seasoned by crime, voiced his displeasure in language that did not sound like a criminal at all.

“Do not fault us for being unprepared. We are not what we once were.”

“I am not so sure. Depends on how you look at it, doesn’t it?”

At Gyeoul’s reply, Li Qinzhen cast a sidelong glance at his daughter.

“I heard what you told that child. You made a fair point. But I cannot deny your sincerity was lacking. We clearly promised to help each other, and you did not keep that promise in good faith. That is not something that changes with perspective.”

Li Qinzhen let his anger show more openly now.

“Still, when I saw you come alone, I allowed myself some hope. But if your plan was to dodge responsibility with a few clever words, then you have made a grave mistake. I am not like my daughter. Do not take me for some soft woman. A man’s face is sometimes worth more than his life. I, and the brothers bound to me by blood, are prepared to hold you accountable.”

“Were you planning to kill me?”

“If you keep looking down on us to the very end, something worse than that may happen.”

Killing intent thickened through the room. To Gyeoul, it came as a sharp warning through every 「sense」. They said not to blame them for being unprepared, but they had clearly prepared well in another direction.

As far as Gyeoul knew, Li Qinzhen was not the type to lose his reason like this. Which meant his position was truly that bad.

‘So bad that either way makes no difference...?’

In Li Ailing, silently watching, he saw bleak resignation. Like it or not, she was still an executive of a criminal organization. Bound to that absurd code of loyalty. She did not look like she had the courage to defy her boss and father. A life carried forward by inertia. Gyeoul felt a faint sense of deja vu from her.

‘No, she is not who I was back then.’

When Gyeoul accepted a cruel deal in the past, it was because he had someone to protect.

“This is strange. I thought I was the one being ignored.”

“What sophistry is this now?”

Wary of Gyeoul’s calm tone, Li Qinzhen searched his memory. Suspicion stayed on his face. Nothing seemed to come to mind. Gyeoul gave him the answer.

“That day, I said this to you. If you wanted long-term cooperation with the Gyeoul Alliance, you needed to stop pursuing unfair gains. You probably remember. I said it in an uncomfortable atmosphere back then too. It was about the Triad’s selection of reinforcements.”

“Mm...!”

Li Qinzhen let out a strained groan. Pretending he did not remember here would be no different from choosing mutual destruction. Even if he had steeled himself, he would still rather avoid that ending.

The moment he hesitated out of lingering attachment, he had already conceded. Gyeoul gave him no time to think.

“It sounds like you were upset that I did not share crackdown information in advance. But if you had not ignored my request from the start, the Triad would not have taken damage at all. Honestly, I am disappointed. I was not joking when I said it, yet you ignored it the whole time.”

Both of them knew he was not truly disappointed. But Li Qinzhen had been the one to bring up face first. There were many ears in the room. Those men did not want to die either. Gyeoul was used to Chinese conversational style, and he expected the gang boss would have little to say.

As expected, Li Qinzhen’s answer was strained.

“I did not ignore it. Your request was too vague. We did not set it as a concrete rule, so you have no reason to feel slighted.”

“Then let me ask. Among the specific terms we agreed on then, was there anything I neglected?”

“...”

“The sincerity you asked of me and the sincerity I asked of you are not different things. At least that is how I see it. I am curious what you think.”

The logic was airtight. Li Qinzhen was speechless. He was angry, but had no grounds to show anger. He was not dealing with someone he could bully into submission. As the criminal’s face reddened from suppressing his temper, Gyeoul continued his prepared persuasion.

“There were other circumstances too. They say if you want to deceive the enemy, deceive your allies first. If I had informed you in advance, can you guarantee the secret would have been perfectly kept?”

“Watch your mouth! Are you doubting the brotherhood and unity of my men?”

“Regretfully, yes. At minimum, I heard rumors that members from Wo Shing Wo and Shui Fong hold different intentions. That they do not want to follow you because you are from Sun Yee On. Hearing that worried me. I thought information might leak.”

Gyeoul had recast Baek Jiseon’s letter as a rumor he had heard. Li Qinzhen made an unpleasant face. It was clearly not malice directed at Gyeoul.

“...Groundless rumors.”

“There is a Korean proverb: no smoke without fire. Is there not a similar saying in China? Risky possibilities should be avoided. And as I explained earlier, I expected you had honored my request properly.”

Then Gyeoul approached from another angle.

“One more thing. I do not know how much the Triad lost in that crackdown. But was that truly pure loss? The Triad’s competitors took much greater damage. I personally had Zhili Hall’s Hall Master arrested. And when Triad executives kept suffering accidents one after another, I heard An Liang Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Zhili Hall were suspected to be behind them... am I mistaken?”

Ailing visibly wavered. She was the one who had told Gyeoul this. Li Qinzhen noticed her reaction and realized denial was pointless. He pressed his brow and said,

“So you want me to treat this as losing flesh to take bone?”

From everything Li Qinzhen had shown so far, Gyeoul had already 「Perception」-ed that this was difficult for him. Pretending not to notice, Gyeoul answered positively.

“If you can. I am willing to help.”

Only then did he bring out his real business. Li Qinzhen scanned the Distribution Bureau recommendation letter laid on the table with suspicious eyes. Moments later, his dark red complexion changed in a way anyone could see. The Dragon Head’s sudden shift drew the attention of Ailing and the other executives.

“This is a recommendation letter for a civil affairs committee seat in the Central California Refugee Military Government Office that will be formed soon.”

The old criminal stirred at those words.

“I have heard nothing about any Military Government Office being established.”

“It is probably classified for now. Probably.”

“Classified...”

“If I fill in a name and submit that letter, they said the appointment goes through as is. No separate screening. You understand what that means, right? Since you made your point earlier, I am thinking of trusting the brotherhood and unity of your Triad men this time. It would not be good if word got out that I gave this kind of special treatment.”

Of course, his true thoughts were different. He would not care even if it became an open secret. The moment recommendation letters were used as bargaining tools to secure influence, the story was bound to leak eventually.

But Li Qinzhen had no way of knowing Gyeoul’s real intent. To keep the negotiation moving smoothly, Gyeoul fed the gangster’s own swagger back to him.

In the end, Li Qinzhen failed to restrain his impatient impulse. He swept a sharp gaze across the lined-up executives. Seeing that, Gyeoul felt a small sense of satisfaction.

‘If he was cornered enough to threaten me, his judgment cannot be normal.’

There was no guarantee he was not using drugs either. If someone dulled that quickly, drugs were the first suspicion.

Just as Min Wan-ki expected, the gap between father and daughter might widen.

Having lost his composure, Li Qinzhen pressed Gyeoul for details.

“Mr. Han, what exactly is this? How did you get authority like this? Can I really trust it?”

“There is no need to doubt. Colonel Laughlin, the regimental commander, delegated it to me.”

“Hah, so from the beginning you were playing me. Troubling, very troubling.”

He said that, but excitement was already showing on the Triad leader’s face. Before his expectations swelled too far, Gyeoul added a timely line.

“I am sorry to disappoint you, but it will be difficult for the Dragon Head himself to take the seat.”

“Why would it be difficult?”

“Because you are the Triad’s Dragon Head. The U.S. military does not want a civil affairs committee member with a criminal background.”

Now that things had gone this far, Li Qinzhen asked for an alternative rather than showing disappointment.

“Right. Americans are selfish, lazy, stupid pigs, but they are not ignorant of my face and name. I understand. But what will you do? If they reject people with criminal backgrounds, who among my brothers can enter? Americans treat every act of Koreans helping each other as criminal when it suits them. You must already have something in mind, Mr. Han.”

Gyeoul delivered the excuse he had prepared in advance with natural ease.

“Almost no one in the refugee zone is clean anyway. Even I have dirtied my hands. Old Master, you are only in a difficult position because you are too well known. Your daughter, Xiangzhu Li Ailing, should be fine. The same goes for supporting personnel.”

“Will you guarantee that?”

“I will. Think of it as my sincerity in keeping our promise.”

Gyeoul’s words brought the opening of the conversation back to mind. At last, the old gangster let out a dry laugh.

“When I first met Mr. Han, we argued over that child’s marriage. Back then, I believe I said your youth felt refreshing... I feel the same today. Perhaps this is what it means for the waters of the Yangtze to change. Good, good. Let us do that.”

“Then choose a department. I will give your daughter the seat you want. Audit Bureau excluded.”

Gyeoul thought the choice was obvious, but he offered the formal option anyway. If the choice proved wrong later, Li Qinzhen’s resentment would turn toward himself. It was also good for appearances.

‘Chinese groups are far too exclusive... if I do not want to watch them all die later, I have to build ties this way too.’

Securing influence inside an exclusive ethnic group was difficult in itself.

While he thought, the old gangster carefully reviewed the organization of the Military Government Office and made exactly the decision Gyeoul expected. Material greed. Gyeoul then called over the person concerned.

“Then, Li sojeo. Could you come here for a moment? Please tell me how your name is written.”

Ailing, somewhat unsteady, wrote elegant Chinese characters on a spare sheet with a pen. Underneath, she wrote the English spelling by sound. Gyeoul copied it into his own handwriting.

During the discussion of personnel at Grade 5 and below, Gyeoul brought up Shui Fong and Wo Shing Wo again.

Li Qinzhen frowned at the request.

“You want me to lend you those people? What do you plan to use them for? You should not be short on manpower.”

“A show of force. I want to show that not only Koreans stand with me.”

If he had demanded them outright, resistance was guaranteed. So earlier, Gyeoul had already planted the idea that Shui Fong and Wo Shing Wo were instability factors. This was set up for this moment.

It also mattered that their affiliation would not fully change. If they were only lent out, the Triad’s visible size would not shrink. Min Wan-ki’s concern was resolved right there.

‘If it turns out bad, I can return them.’

That was the safeguard Gyeoul had devised. In the end, Shui Fong and Wo Shing Wo were still criminals within the Triad. Even if family members outweighed direct action crews, no one could know their true tendencies.

After allowing enough time, it would not be too late to accept them depending on how things developed.

After some hesitation, Li Qinzhen accepted Gyeoul’s request.

============================ Author’s Note ============================

#Q&A

Q. Gomsiju: @On the other platforms where you serialize, can we not see extra comments or Q&A?

A. Most likely not.

Q. Habika: @Oh... so we will be able to access it through different routes. I heard Noblesse can be paid per episode too, not only through passes. It seems to be limited like a rental-ticket system... If per-episode payment opens on Naver N Store, are you thinking of opening other payment options there too? I read in an afterword that you said you would finish this on Noblesse, so I wanted to ask. Hehe.

A. On Joara, I will serialize through Noblesse only. This novel is already niche and updates slowly, so if I split its serialization pages too... it will literally get buried at the bottom.

Q. PersonTree: @Do you plan to upload your submitted work to Noblesse?

A. No. What would be the point of serializing only what was already written and then stopping? It was written long ago, so there are immature parts. The Ossuary is no different in that regard, though. :)

Q. BaramgwiPrince: @In this zombie-filled world where only I do not get attacked, in the game the protagonist is half infected so zombies do not bite him, and he enjoys a thrilling end-of-days life. I recommend checking it out for novel reference, or trying it as a visual novel. By the way, does your protagonist have sex? If so, with whom?

A. I already know that novel. It was posted on some translation blog... it was not my taste. And I would rather not take direct questions about adult-rated parts. Please understand. Haha.

Q. Spectator24: @"the changing ones ???" > "the mutant ones rushing in"

A. I will correct it. Thank you for pointing that out.

Q. Klurichir: @Are there no sites other than Naver? Like Ridibooks or KakaoPage and so on.

A. It will be released there too, but I hear it will be later than Naver.

Q. qoewh: @Author, the weather is getting colder recently and this is when condition drops easily. My family got red ginseng extract this Chuseok, and if you send me your address by message, I can send some. What do you think? These days there is convenience-store parcel service too, so you probably do not need to worry about identity exposure.

A. Red ginseng extract... one bottle costs over 100,000 won, so you should drink it, qoewh. Share it with your family.

The reason I do not open a Donation Account or accept gifts is because I worry you might stop enjoying my novel later. If it is a gift after completion, I would gladly accept it... haha.

Thank you always for caring for me more than I deserve. Have a happy day.

Q. Bug: If they go to special forces, lieutenant colonels and Majors usually lead teams though?

A. The line in that section saying, "It is not impossible," referred to transfer to special forces.

If that happens, Gyeoul would be separated from the refugees, which is difficult from his perspective.

The wording was too vague. I will revise it.

Q. UsinYechan: @Oh right... were there plans for a paper edition too? Publication? Collector’s edition?

A. Yes. I feel sorry to Namu, but I hear a paper edition is coming out.

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