WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ The Little Prince in the Ossuary

Chapter 54

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#Making One's Mark (3), Camp Roberts

The Triad head spoke.

"We owe you a debt from Atascadero. If not for you, recovering our fallen brothers might have taken days longer. That would have been no way to honor those who died righteously."

Days longer. Even after those losses, there were still people left to send. Gyeoul played along with Li Qinzhen's bluster without letting on that he saw through it.

"It was only natural. Nationality and affiliation aside, it was simply a tragedy, as one human being to another."

"As one human being... that is precisely chivalry. The very spirit of the 「Triad」. You may not be one of our brothers, teacher, but you carry yourself with more honor than any brother I have known."

"You flatter me. It was nothing more than basic decency."

"Teacher, that is something to be proud of. Are there not far too many who fail to understand even that much? Petty men who see another's hardship as their own opportunity. Cunning, underhanded types."

And this was coming from a criminal. Chinese criminal organizations, the 「Triad」 among them, were notorious for preying on their own countrymen even abroad. Now it was simply the 「Triad」's turn to be preyed upon.

'Funny how it's always different when it's happening to you.'

Gyeoul kept his expression pleasant.

"I despise people like that too. But there's only so much I can do, and I've had no choice but to watch certain atrocities unfold. It's already a struggle just to protect the people closest to me."

When the boy kept deflecting with humility, the old man dropped the metaphors and got more direct.

"How refreshing to hear. I hold a deep sense of outrage against them as well. Since your feelings and mine are one and the same, the closer we become, the greater the benefit to us both."

Having declared it settled, he turned, not to Gyeoul, but to his own daughter.

"Ailing, what do you think?"

She had been standing a few steps away. When her turn came, a flicker of surprise crossed her face, but she composed herself quickly.

"Father is right. There may not even be a need to do anything at all. They say a person of true virtue governs others simply by being present."

What she meant was that the Gyeoul Alliance's name alone was sufficient protection. Even Gyeoul coming and going without particular purpose would put rival organizations on edge. It also reflected the 「Triad」's own priorities, their desire to preserve themselves above all else.

'He didn't bring his daughter into this conversation for no reason.'

Wary of the old man's intentions, Gyeoul offered a counterpoint.

"My view is a little different. To make a relationship visible to others, there needs to be a defining moment. We have to actually demonstrate, in practice, that the 「Triad」 and the 「Gyeoul Alliance」 can pool their strength for a common goal. Think about how many alliances in the world exist in name only."

A breath. Then:

"One more thing. A shared undertaking is also necessary for the people of both organizations. There's a Korean saying: a children's quarrel becomes a parents' quarrel. I'm hardly a parent figure to the alliance members, but personal conflicts between individuals can absolutely escalate into disputes between organizations."

This was a problem he had already raised when Li Ailing first came to him.

Gyeoul gathered his thoughts.

"In short, for the 「Triad」 and the 「Gyeoul Alliance」 to feel a genuine bond, wouldn't we each need to offer something real?"

Stop protecting yourselves and actually bring something to the table. That was what he meant.

The 「Triad」 was a necessary partner, that much was certain. They needed to serve as a channel for extending influence over the Chinese community. But if this was how things were going to start, the whole arrangement needed to be reconsidered.

"Every word of that is right."

Li Qinzhen agreed without resistance, which was unexpected. But he didn't stop there.

"There is, however, another way."

"Another way?"

"The surest way to forge a bond is to become one family, is it not?"

So it finally came out.

The situation was different from before. When Ailing had first proposed it, the 「Gyeoul Alliance」's subordination had been a condition. Now they stood as equals, and the 「Triad」 was the more desperate party.

Honestly, it wasn't a bad idea. Few bonds were as airtight as marriage. As a member of the family rather than an outsider, influencing the 「Triad」 from within would come far more naturally.

But he didn't want it.

'Why don't I want it?'

He wasn't entirely sure himself. A vague sense of the reason hovered at the edges, but there was no time to sit with it.

"No."

Reflexive. Gyeoul moved quickly to soften it.

"Many people died just days ago. That's the real reason you asked to see me today, isn't it? The 「Triad」's members are brothers in blood. Can a household hold a funeral and a wedding at the same time? This is a time for mourning, not for much else."

Brothers in blood wasn't just a figure of speech. At initiation ceremonies, the cup was passed filled with blood instead of wine.

Ailing's expression darkened slightly, then eased as Gyeoul explained himself.

"He has a point. Father, I think it would be better to put this conversation off for now."

But Li Qinzhen still had another argument ready.

"Zhu Xi said that rites of remembrance are for the living. Mourning the dead is, in truth, a ceremony to lift the spirits of those who remain. Death cannot overcome life. Teacher. We are guiding people through a time when nothing is as it once was, when every day brings uncertainty. Don't be bound by formality. Think about what people truly need."

An unexpectedly sound argument. The Triad head pressed on.

"The brothers who died were righteous men. Worrying about the living, they would not be able to close their eyes in peace. For their sake as well, there must be a joyful occasion. A true celebration, for the living and the dead alike. If a man of your caliber were welcomed as a brother, they could finally depart in peace."

Even the head of a criminal organization hadn't wasted his years. Gyeoul revised his assessment, not with warmth, but as a reminder not to underestimate him.

Gyeoul had time now, though. Enough time to grasp what had only been hovering at the edges. He understood now the source of the immediate revulsion he'd felt.

"People are not commodities."

"Hmm?"

Gyeoul kept his voice calm, his eyes steady on Li Qinzhen.

"Don't sell your daughter. Children are not a parent's right. They are not disposable assets, and they are certainly not expendable resources for running an organization. Marriage is a matter of lifelong happiness. Entering into one for the satisfaction of others, that makes no sense whatsoever."

"Teacher. You are making a very complicated argument for what is simply a distaste for loveless marriage."

"No, it's different. You see it as a personal matter. I'm speaking about something more... more universal. The universal rights of people."

"I understand what you mean."

Li Qinzhen laughed softly.

"I'm struck again by your youth, teacher. You're absolutely right. But life doesn't go as we think it should. Compromising with reality is not a choice, it's a necessity. Marriage is simply one such compromise."

Being treated like a child. Gyeoul pushed back.

"No. Even for the children who will be born of that marriage, it can't be that way. A home without love is hell for the children who grow up in it."

"That sounds like personal experience speaking."

An old man who hadn't wasted his years carried a kind of 「Insight」 born from life itself.

"I apologize. I was careless just now. And... I find myself trusting you a little more, on a personal level."

"Thank you for understanding."

Gyeoul kept his guard up. Those words could just as easily mean: this one is easy to use. Among people who couldn't be trusted, praise deserved more suspicion than criticism. He couldn't afford to forget that this seemingly decent old man was the Dragon Head of the Triad.

"If that's how it is, then there's nothing to be done. Let's discuss other options."

From that point on, the conversation changed completely from what it had been, thick with metaphor and implication at the start, now as plain and direct as decorum would allow.

"Missions led by Teacher Han are well regarded for their high success rate and safety. When 「Grumble」 appeared, you risked yourself to save the American soldiers. And in the encounter with 「Trickster」, weren't you the first to see through the trap?"

The request was clear. Protect the 「Triad」's volunteer fighters serving with the American forces, and help some of them rise to NCO or officer rank.

"You know that isn't entirely up to me. I don't have authority over operation assignments. I can make recommendations, but that's the extent of it."

"Good, good. That's more than enough. Leave the rest to the 「Triad」. We have our own ways. I'll see to it that you come to understand, in many ways, what cooperation with us truly means."

Fair enough. Gyeoul saw the logic. If they'd been able to send nearly a hundred people to Atascadero on their own, they had connections at the camp leadership level.

'Probably Bravo Company...'

Any unit taking over ten percent casualties would normally be pulled back for rear reorganization. Bravo had trouble running external operations for the time being. Still, on the administrative side, they could exert some influence. The 「Triad」 might even have reach further up the chain. Having once led the 「Black Society」, that was hardly surprising.

"Above all, submitting a training plan is well within our reach. I know the 「Gyeoul Alliance」 combat groups travel as far as San Miguel. No other organization manages that. I believe camp command only permits it because they trust Teacher Han. With a little flexibility, our brothers could benefit from your training as well."

"Understood. The 「Gyeoul Alliance」 comes first, all the same. We're still in an early expansion phase, so I can't offer many slots. The forces I can directly oversee are limited. I ask for your understanding."

"Of course. Regrettably, Teacher Han only has one body."

The more the cooperation took concrete shape, the warmer the mood grew. Li Qinzhen's good, good came more and more frequently.

At that point, Gyeoul requested introductions to the men he would be training. Given the 「Triad」's circumstances, there was a real chance they'd be operating alongside each other in the field. He needed to size people up before anything began.

"Take off your shirts."

The men who had been called in looked uncomfortable. But when Li Qinzhen gave the signal, they obeyed one by one, reluctantly baring their chests and backs. Gyeoul examined the criminal records written into their skin.

"What does this symbol mean?"

Their answers were, for the most part, less than honest.

Using 「Insight」 and 「Perception」, both at the edge of what an ordinary human could achieve, he sifted truth from lies.

The agreement nearly fell apart right there. Gyeoul kept turning men away, one after another, and Li Qinzhen finally lost his composure.

"The men you've rejected are the 「Triad」's finest warriors. If you throw them all out, what kind of fighting force do you think you're building? This cannot be called cooperative good faith!"

"Sir. I think it's time to speak plainly."

Gyeoul's voice dropped, just low enough for Li Qinzhen alone.

"If you want a long and lasting cooperation with the 「Gyeoul Alliance」, stop chasing unjust gains. Right now, your circumstances may be forcing your hand. But going forward, I don't want it to be a matter of cannot. It should be a matter of will not. You said it yourself, didn't you, sir? That chivalry is the spirit of the 「Triad」."

"Hmm..."

Li Qinzhen swallowed his anger. Both of them knew invoking chivalry was hollow. Still, it landed. Face was everything to a Chinese man.

Some resentment would remain regardless. To soften it, Gyeoul bowed.

"I'm not trying to humiliate you. In the 「Gyeoul Alliance」, I selected the very first combat group the same way. People who might lack physically but whose character was sound. You already know that, sir, don't you?"

"...I do."

"This is my way. The best I can offer."

He bowed again when he finished. The Triad head said nothing more. With his subordinates watching, this was as far as things could go.

An organization was a tool, a means for people to survive. When the people Gyeoul had chosen and trained rose to positions of influence, the atmosphere would shift considerably.

One person put him in an awkward position during the examination.

"Should I take mine off too?"

"No..."

Li Ailing.

Gyeoul asked the Triad head.

"Are you genuinely prepared to send your daughter out?"

Not out of concern for family bonds. To his eye, Li Ailing looked like a typical administrative officer, and a capable administrator was a valuable resource, the same way Gyeoul valued his two Vice-Captains.

"She needs to set an example."

From Li Qinzhen's composed answer, something barely perceptible. Reluctance. The Dragon Head was operating in an atmosphere where even his own family had to lead by example.

He added one more thing.

"Train her well. She's put in considerable study in Taijiquan, so she won't be purely in the way. And if she ends up to your liking, feel free to take her."

"I'll see to it."

Gyeoul gave a noncommittal answer and accepted Ailing's enrollment.

The last order of business was a request for information.

"You were the head of the 「Black Society」, sir. I believe you know things I'd find useful."

"Some of it would be a shame to simply hand over..."

"Either way, the 「Gyeoul Alliance」 can't afford any setbacks for the time being."

"Then let's say you owe me one."

No need to spell out the question. The Dragon Head already knew what Gyeoul wanted to ask. While Ailing compiled the relevant information into a booklet, Li Qinzhen spoke.

"Be wary of the 「Full Gospel Saints」. Their internal affairs were entirely opaque to me. I didn't give them much thought since they were a Korean community matter, but now that we're in the same boat as the 「Gyeoul Alliance」, it sits uneasily in hindsight."

"I've been keeping an eye on them already."

"Good."

A short while later, the completed booklet was handed to Gyeoul. He opened it. One of the 「Damul Promotion Association」's drug supply routes connected to a Chinese organization: the 「An Liang Chamber of Commerce and Industry」 (安良工商會). One of the factions arrayed against the 「Triad」.

The boy recalled the intelligence he'd received from the 「Sumiyoshi-kai」. Several of the Korean contact names matched.

'Taking out the producers would be the most decisive move.'

It would send a powerful warning to the forces aligned against the 「Triad」 as well.

With Captain Markert's protection behind that group, hitting them properly would bring more gain than loss.

'How to go about it...'

Gyeoul turned it over.

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