WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Episode 11: Semi-Transaction, Normal Business Operations (3)

──────

“Just like Seolryeong said.”

Park Gangseo shrugged.

“He’s under pressure to advance his realm. A tremendous amount of pressure.”

“Who’s pressuring him?”

“No one.”

“...Is his advancement slow?”

“No, it’s the opposite.”

Park Gangseo tipped back his cup and added,

“Aside from you, Senior, there’s no cultivator in the Great Exorcist Order who advances as quickly as Hae Unchan. Among Qi Condensation Realm cultivators, he’s far ahead of everyone else.”

Ise could not immediately understand the answer. It made no sense for someone to feel pressured when they advanced so quickly.

“If he’s already fast enough, why does he feel pressured?”

“Someone who has never fallen behind anyone can’t stand the feeling of chasing after someone else.”

“...”

“Hae Unchan isn’t just a one-spiritual-root cultivator. He has the Heavenly Root Physique. From the moment his spiritual root manifested until now, how much do you think his clan has expected of him? How carefully do you think they raised him? Yet someone like that lost first place in the Great Exorcist Order entrance exam.”

It was something Ise had never considered.

He did not believe his own rapid advancement was solely the result of his personal ability, either.

Heavenly fortune had granted him a special constitution. Then he had worked tirelessly to support that fortune.

Even after growing accustomed to the culture of the cultivation world, he had always guarded most carefully against arrogance.

Even if Hae Unchan caught up to him, Ise would have blamed only his own lack of diligence.

“Since then, he hasn’t surpassed you even once. For the first time in his life, he’s had to keep looking at someone’s back as he chases after them.”

“...”

“I’m sure his blood relatives who are seniors at headquarters say the same thing whenever they see him. ‘Could it be that you’ve neglected your cultivation?’”

Hae Unchan was one of the friends Ise could treat most comfortably among his peers. They both had special constitutions, advanced through their realms at similar speeds, and shared the same desire to improve.

It sat badly with him to learn that Hae Unchan had begun seeing him as a rival without Ise noticing, suffering under pressure and burden because of it.

“So it’s because of me.”

“It’s not because of you, Senior.”

Park Gangseo answered firmly.

“It’s just Hae Unchan’s own inferiority complex. There’s nothing wrong with the way you’ve cultivated until now. Even if you slow down or change your path, Hae Unchan won’t become any faster. It’s simply a heart demon he must overcome himself.”

When impatience devoured the heart, a heart demon tribulation came. If a cultivator failed to overcome it, they could fall into corruption and become a demonic cultivator.

Hae Unchan surely knew that himself, yet an ominous feeling still pressed down on Ise.

Ise silently set down his cup, ending the conversation.

He had a feeling that the next time he met Hae Unchan, things would feel strangely uncomfortable.

That did not mean he had the slightest intention of slowing his cultivation.

He would simply walk his own path in silence.

Ise remained quiet for a long time, as though lost in thought.

The other two waited quietly until he had sorted through his feelings.

At last, Ise seemed to cast aside his concerns. His face returned to normal as he slowly spoke.

“Let’s open it first.”

“Open what?”

“The immortal-cuisine restaurant.”

Park Gangseo and Buchun brightened at once.

“If we can’t find another cook, I’ll have to do it myself. There’s only one of me, so I won’t have nearly enough time, but I’ll make it work somehow.”

Demon beast hunting and husbandry, missions and cultivation. He had to handle it all, but in the end, he had no choice but to manage.

Even if he had to divide every moment of his time into tiny pieces.

“I have a good idea, Senior.”

“Hm?”

“We should use a scarcity strategy.”

A scarcity strategy. Ise rolled the words around in his mind, then gave Buchun a look that asked for a more detailed explanation.

“Instead of opening every day, we open only once every seven days, or perhaps once every half month, and do brisk business then. We only sell immortal cuisine with high cultivation-boosting effects, and we charge a premium for it.”

Ise asked as though he found that difficult.

“But we still pay rent on days the shop is closed. Isn’t that a waste?”

“If we work less, charge more, and earn more, what’s the problem? People always crave things that are hard to get. An immortal-cuisine restaurant on the expensive market street that only opens a few days a month. Cultivators won’t be able to resist being curious.”

Park Gangseo let out an impressed sound beside them. At least on paper, the strategy sounded convincing.

“If you go demon beast hunting between business days, you’ll surely be able to run the restaurant without any trouble.”

It certainly made sense.

Not small profits and large sales, but huge profits and limited sales. It was exactly the strategy he needed now.

“You really are capable. Good. Let’s do that.”

His deliberation was brief, and his decision quick.

Buchun had not been born with a talent for raising realms, but was certainly gifted at dealing with people and calculating profits.

His judgment had not been wrong.

Ise rose to his feet, bracing a hand on his knee.

“They say to strike while the iron is hot. Let’s go tell everyone that Dine and Go is back in business.”

* * *

The Grand Gate Pavilion of the administrative district.

It was the central building from which all Great Exorcist Order administration was managed beneath the Chief Master.

They found the department responsible for commercial-district shop permits and submitted an application to open a business.

“Senior, I’ve confirmed your identity. The shop name is Dine and Go. And the type of business is... a tavern?”

Had they read it wrong? The official muttered under their breath, rubbed their eyes, and checked again. It definitely said tavern.

“That’s right. I’ll mainly sell immortal cuisine and spirit wine.”

“...”

The official gave a few awkward laughs before speaking to Ise.

“Senior, I’m surprised and glad to see a type of business that has never existed in the commercial district before. But will it actually make money?”

“Have you ever tried immortal cuisine?”

“No. Fasting pills take care of food, and if I eat spirit rice once in a while for a change of pace, it’s a lucky day.”

“Come by sometime. I’ll give you a discount.”

“Ha ha... All right. The minimum operating period is one year. Even if you close early, your deposit won’t be returned.”

“I understand.”

The official had started discouraging him right away, but Ise answered without showing it.

There was no benefit in picking a pointless fight with an official.

“Do you have a location in mind?”

“Please give me somewhere cheap and good.”

“Senior, there’s no such thing as cheap and good. It’s either cheap or good.”

The Grand Gate Pavilion official unfolded a map summarizing the commercial district’s available shops.

“What is your budget?”

“I haven’t decided that yet. How much are the cheapest and most expensive places?”

“Senior, you look like the sort who’ll lose everything if you go into business. Should I even approve this? You’re so talented, why not just cultivate? This is a loss for the entire Great Exorcist Order.”

“Cultivation needs resources too.”

“...I see. Even a genius monster like you has such human concerns.”

The official wore an expression of deep sympathy, as if they understood that feeling all too well.

The Great Exorcist Order’s support really was too meager. Even for a genius who appeared only once in a century, if that.

“The cheapest locations cost thirty Spiritual Stones in monthly rent, while the most expensive cost a thousand. Location matters, but building size matters too. You must pay three months’ rent in advance as a deposit.”

Park Gangseo, who had been listening beside them, gaped.

“Damn it, who runs a business at those prices?”

“The Yeomhwa Hong Clan, the Clear Water Hae Clan, and the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Seol Clan. The Pearl River Gang Clan too. Should I keep going?”

“...As expected, famous noble clans have deep pockets.”

Once the names of the clans that dominated the Great Exorcist Order began pouring out, Park Gangseo immediately changed his tune.

“I’ll go look around the commercial district for a moment.”

At minimum, it would cost three hundred and sixty Spiritual Stones a year.

No matter how he thought about it, this was not something he could decide easily.

“Go ahead.”

The official immediately looked away from the three fools and returned to work.

Following the official’s list of locations, the three walked through the market streets.

The thirty-Stone location was far too secluded, and the space was cramped. It was only a street stall, so there was not even room for two customer chairs.

The fifty-Stone locations were passable, but they had no roofs. They were unsuitable for making and selling food.

To get a proper shop, he would need to pay at least a hundred Spiritual Stones a month in rent.

He had finally saved up a thousand Spiritual Stones and had been excited about acquiring new equipment.

Now, knowing his pouch of Spiritual Stones would grow light again made it feel as though the world were collapsing.

Should he just... give up on everything and go around robbing independent cultivators for Spiritual Stones?

His constitution was not even affected by heavenly tribulation.

The fact that he found himself having the kind of thoughts fit for a demonic sect showed that he might need to calm his heart.

For reasons different from Hae Unchan’s, he was in danger of falling prey to a heart demon.

At that moment, a Message Talisman flew toward him.

It was from Pi Garam, asking where he was.

After Ise wrote back with his location, a low, dry voice came from behind his shoulder.

“Ise. It’s been a while.”

A familiar face he had not seen in some time was walking toward them.

“Yeah, it has. But it looks like researching formations has been harder than you expected?”

The shadows beneath Pi Garam’s eyes had grown darker, and he was thinner than before.

Pi Garam gave his usual cynical smile, then came to the point.

“I heard from Seolryeong. You’re thinking of reopening Dine and Go.”

“Yeah, but we can’t find a cook, so I’m planning to do it myself.”

“I see. It’s nothing complicated. I want to invest.”

“Invest?”

“I’ll invest the Spiritual Stones I’ve saved. In return, make sure I get my share of immortal cuisine for five years. If that isn’t enough... you can have me serve as an assistant cook for about two hours a day.”

Ise’s face split into a broad smile at Pi Garam’s offer.

“I’d welcome that. But are you sure? I heard that art masters talented in one of the Four Arts do not even look at other crafts.”

“That’s the satisfied nonsense spouted by people like them, born into wealthy clans with plenty of support from their blood relatives.”

Pi Garam dusted off both sleeves.

“Those of us who struggle alone from nothing have to do whatever it takes to earn Spiritual Stones. Training in formations leaves me far too little time for missions or cultivation. Instead of spending all my Spiritual Stones on a few medicinal pellets, it’s better to invest them here.”

He handed over five hundred Spiritual Stones.

It was an amount that made Ise’s jaw drop.

“I’ve finally found someone who understands... I’ll make sure you never regret entrusting me with the Spiritual Stones earned through your blood and sweat.”

Park Gangseo and Buchun both turned to look at Pi Garam. It was an extraordinary sum for an early Qi Condensation Realm cultivator to produce at once.

After wearing complicated expressions for a moment, the two combined the Spiritual Stones they had and handed Ise three hundred as an investment.

“Now that I think about it, it feels too shameless to contribute only with labor.”

“I don’t have the talent to serve as a cook... This is all I have for now, but I’ll set aside a little of my official’s salary each month to help with the rent.”

Ise closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again.

For them, these resources were nearly their entire fortunes. Yet they had willingly offered them to lighten his burden.

In effect, they had linked arms and bet everything on this business.

“Fine. We have no backing, no clan, and no blood relatives to rely on. Let’s show them what it means to make something of ourselves.”

They signed the contract for a shop that cost one hundred Spiritual Stones a month that very day.

It was a three-room shop located in an unremarkable part of the market street.

Still, it was a proper space. It was on an entirely different level from the makeshift tent at the Training Compound butcher shop.

Ise wrote letters with spiritual energy on a piece of wood Park Gangseo had found somewhere.

His calligraphy was smooth and elegant.

Then he used the Telekinesis Art to lift the sign and hang it in place.

“We open on the next full-moon market day.”

“Then we have six days.”

“Park Gangseo, promote it until then. On the first day, the first customers can each have one bowl free for a tasting.”

“...Free? So you want people to spread the word?”

Park Gangseo grinned.

“Buchun, get the interior furnishings and tableware ready. Find only good materials with as little turbid qi as possible. Tell me in advance if you don’t have enough money.”

“Yes, Senior.”

“Go see Jangsaeng too. Get a jar of spirit wine. Tell him that if he tries to overcharge us, I’ll dunk him in the wine jar.”

“Yes!”

“I’ll go catch a demon beast. A large, healthy one.”

He would make an immortal-cuisine restaurant where people had to line up to eat. One where the food sold out faster than people could buy it.

He would sweep up every last Spiritual Stone at headquarters.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried