He Opened a Matchmaking Agency in 18th Century London - Ch. 2
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- Ch. 2 - Off to London with a Letter of Recommendation!
Samuel Scott asked again.
“Theo? What do you mean? You say you know the cure for scurvy?”
Theo hesitated, unsure of how to respond. He couldn’t very well say that he knew the cure because he had come from the future.
“I heard it from a sailor who was certain of the cure. He said that eating sour fruits or vegetables, like lemons and oranges, or even seaweed, not only prevents it but can cure it quickly.”
“You mean to tell me that such a dreadful disease can be cured by something so simple?”
“Yes! It can absolutely be cured. The disease develops after about three months without eating fresh fruits or vegetables. That’s why it’s rare on land but common at sea. It’s not some curse of the sea. It’s reliable information.”
“…”
Of course, it was known at the time that eating fresh meat that dripped blood could help alleviate scurvy. But on long voyages that lasted months or even years, having fresh meat was nearly impossible, especially with no refrigeration.
Salted meat was the best they could manage, but scurvy required fresh vegetables, fruits, or meat to prevent it, so salted meat and fish weren’t effective cures.
“Think about it, sir. There’s hardly any scurvy on voyages that last a month or two, right? That sailor said he and his crew never got scurvy.”
“Hmm.”
“Sir, there’s a massive sugar shortage right now. If we go to the British colony of Jamaica and bring back some sugar, it’s the perfect opportunity to make a fortune. Can’t you trust me and invest just this once?”
“…”
After thinking for a long time, Samuel Scott asked.
“You really believe scurvy can be cured that way?”
Theo answered confidently.
“Yes! Before departure, we load up on fresh fruits and vegetables, and it will only take two months at most to reach Jamaica. Once we arrive, we can resupply with fresh produce, and we’ll be fine on the return trip. The ships that had scurvy problems were out at sea for over five months, remember?”
“Hmm, when you put it like that…”
Samuel, already facing serious financial troubles due to his inability to launch a trading ship, had been considering taking a risk.
Noticing the change in Samuel’s expression, Theo pressed on.
“Sir, there’s a frenzy right now because no one can get sugar. Meanwhile, in Jamaica, there’s probably a mountain of it just sitting at the port. We’ll load the ship with textiles, furniture, and various tools that only British factories can make, and sail to Jamaica. Since no ships have come in recently, those items will be in high demand there too. We can sell them at a huge profit, then buy sugar cheaply and bring it back to England. We’ll make a killing!”
Samuel raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Theo… since when did you get so clever? You sound like a seasoned merchant.”
The lower classes of the time were mostly uneducated, and many couldn’t even do simple arithmetic.
Theo Sanderson, born and raised in the slums, was just a simple dockworker.
So Samuel couldn’t help but be astonished that such talk about international trade was flowing smoothly from Theo’s mouth.
“Sir, my father used to tell me all the time before he passed. That if I ever needed help, I should go to you. He said you’d help me at least once.”
Samuel had nearly drowned at sea when he was younger, and it was Theo Sanderson’s father who had saved his life.
“Hmm… I see.”
“Can you use that one favor for this? I won’t ask for more, just this once.”
After deep contemplation, Samuel finally nodded with conviction.
“Alright. I’ll take the risk. I’ll give you a small trading ship. There are men willing to risk their lives for this voyage, so the crew is no problem. If you succeed, I’ll give you half of the profits. Do your best.”
“Thank you, sir! You won’t regret this.”
**
Thanks to Samuel Scott’s help, Theo’s sugar expedition to Jamaica went smoothly.
After preparing the ship and gathering a captain and crew, they set sail for Jamaica and successfully brought sugar back to England.
When word spread that they had returned with raw sugar from Jamaica, hundreds of traders lined up at the Bristol port.
With demand soaring and supply scarce, the price of the sugar skyrocketed.
One wealthy noble, whose daughter’s wedding was approaching, even purchased the last barrel of sugar for more than twenty times its usual price.
At the time, sugar dishes and decorations at wedding banquets were seen as symbols of wealth and status.
***
Theo received half of the profits from Samuel Scott and reinvested it all, buying large quantities of goods to sell to settlers in the Caribbean.
He returned to the British colony of Jamaica, where British textiles, furniture, and tools sold like hotcakes.
With the money he earned in Jamaica, he bought 30 barrels of raw sugar.
After two trips to Jamaica, Theo quickly became wealthy.
‘This is easier than I thought. With the infrastructure and information in this primitive society, making money is child’s play. Whoa… I spent my last life in poverty, not realizing how easy it could be to make a fortune! Ha! If I work hard for just one more year, I’ll be living in a fine mansion with servants. Then I can start thinking about how to get back to the future.’
Theo used part of his earnings to buy a house and farmland for his stepmother and step-siblings and purchased a respectable mansion for himself.
He also bought a small trading ship and set off on his third voyage.
Since this time he had made a larger investment, he aimed for even greater profits.
‘This time, I’ll bring back 50 barrels of sugar. There’s still a massive sugar shortage, and if I can get that much, I’ll become the richest man in Bristol. Hahaha!’
But his joy was short-lived.
The seemingly simple world of the 18th century was not as easy as it appeared.
On the way back from Jamaica, laden with sugar, Theo’s ship encountered a notorious pirate vessel.
The captain and many of the crew were brutally killed by the pirates, and Theo, along with a few laborers, was stranded on a deserted island.
Fortunately, they were rescued by a passing warship and returned to England, but they had lost all their money and sugar.
Back home, Theo was plagued by nightmares.
The pirates had strung up the captain and crew on the stern of the ship, carving their bodies and burning them alive.
The gruesome scenes of slaughter that Theo had witnessed haunted him, and he knew he could never go back to sea, no matter how much money was at stake.
‘This may be the Age of Exploration, but between the ruthless pirates and dangerous ocean voyages, I can’t handle it anymore. I need to figure out a new business with the little money I have left.’
However, no matter how hard he looked around, no suitable business caught his eye.
Theo, who knew better than anyone that the triangular trade between Africa, Europe, and the Americas, centered around black slaves, was a money-making venture, found himself hesitating.
But now, the mere thought of boarding a ship filled him with fear, making him reluctant to dive directly into trade.
On top of that, even the idea of buying a ship and operating indirectly as an owner was out of the question, as he didn’t have enough money left for that either.
‘Haa—what can I possibly do like this? Even with knowledge of the future, I can’t seem to make money.’
Theo sighed in frustration.
***
The confusion and amazement of coming to his past life had faded, and as daily life began to set in, the pressures of this world began to feel no different from those of the modern era.
He had thought it would be easy to make money by using just a little of his future knowledge, but living as a lower-class citizen in the 18th century felt like being lost in a vast and dense forest—he felt utterly helpless.
‘I only remember the major events significant enough to be recorded in history books, but the gaps between those events are enormous. Making money by taking advantage of those events isn’t as simple as it sounds.’
Moreover, in this pre-modern society, where transportation infrastructure, networks, and a free market system had yet to be established, everything felt stifled.
As his remaining funds dwindled rapidly, Theo grew increasingly anxious.
Every day, wandering the streets, he pondered how to survive in this reincarnated life that had now become his reality.
‘This society is far worse than what I’ve seen in movies or TV shows. There’s nothing here. It’s called business, but this environment is perfect for failure.’
The population itself was too small to sustain consumption, and the gap between the rich and the poor, determined by class, was glaringly stark.
In a society where the common folk had almost no purchasing power, the general form of business simply couldn’t generate substantial profits within such an economic structure.
In the end, there didn’t seem to be any viable way to make money aside from the life-threatening business of trade.
But then.
“Jane… what are you going to do now?”
Theo, lost in thought as he walked, overheard the conversation of a middle-aged woman and a young woman.
They appeared to be mother and daughter.
The middle-aged woman’s voice was calm, but there was a hint of agitation beneath the surface.
From the side, Theo could just make out the thin, tightened lips of the middle-aged woman, which caught his eye.
‘A sign of anger…?’
When a person felt anger, their lips were often the first to thin out. Recognizing this subtle change, Theo easily deduced that the middle-aged woman was in the early stages of anger.
Some psychologists argued that emotions couldn’t be accurately read through facial expressions alone.
They said that expressions were just one factor to consider and that they didn’t equate directly to emotions.
However, defying such criticisms, AI-based facial recognition programs for emotion detection had already achieved remarkable accuracy, learning from millions of human expressions to read emotions with precision.
Theo, however, had an uncanny ability to surpass such AI. Through his innate observational skills and study, he could accurately determine nearly 100% of someone’s emotions from changes in their expressions or gestures.
“… what are you saying?”
“You’ve ruined your third social season. At this point, marriage is practically out of reach. If you remain unmarried and grow old as a spinster, it will affect your brother’s and sister’s marriages as well. You’ll be a disgrace to our family. Even Eliza, who’s less accomplished than you, got married on her first try—how could you end up like this? I’m just so upset…”
Being called a disgrace for failing to marry? Even considering the times, it was uncomfortable to listen to.
Curiosity piqued, Theo glanced at the young woman’s face.
Though her expression was clouded by deep concern, her well-balanced figure, smooth skin, and sharp features were striking.
‘Hmm… I don’t know about her circumstances or personality, but judging by her attire, she seems to be from a fairly well-off family. Based on looks alone, she’d be well-received if she registered with our matchmaking agency…’
Suddenly, Theo was reminded of a TV series that had sharply criticized the customs of a society that placed everything on marriage.
As a current matchmaking manager, he had found the show fascinating.
Seeing it play out in front of him now made the reality of being in 18th-century British society sink in even more.
Theo, lost in thought, shook his head.
‘What am I doing? This is no time to be getting distracted by trivial conversations. I need to focus on finding a business opportunity.’
◈ One month later, Hampstead, London.
Theo sold the property he had purchased in Bristol and moved to Hampstead, a quiet village near London’s Soho district.
He had realized there was no viable business he could do in Bristol.
So, he decided to move to the heart of England—London—and start planning from there.
Hampstead, where Theo had relocated, was a quiet village to the north of London, known for its beautiful scenery and clean air.
It was a wealthy area, often sought after by famous writers and artists looking for a peaceful place to work.
The house Theo rented was quite luxurious, costing him an annual rent of 1,000 pounds (about 200 million won).
He also spent around 500 pounds (about 100 million won) purchasing various items, including a carriage.
Though he felt a bit anxious about his dwindling funds, Theo considered it an unavoidable investment for his business.
‘In this era, where proper capitalist economic systems are not yet in place, I have no choice but to target the class of people who can afford to live well. That means I have to stay close to them.’
To do that, he had to at least adopt a similar level of housing and dress as the upper class.
In this era, where a person’s residence and attire were essentially indicators of their status, that was a necessity.
***
Clip-clop. Clip-clop.
Theo was seated in a carriage heading toward London’s Soho district.
In his hand, he held a letter of recommendation written by Admiral Matthew Bentham.
‘The Intelligence Club, huh…’
Admiral Matthew Bentham had been the captain of the warship that rescued Theo when he was stranded on a deserted island.
Theo and Admiral Bentham had shared many conversations over meals, during which the admiral had often been amazed by Theo’s vast knowledge.
It was no surprise, given that Theo’s insights into world events and political trends, informed by his knowledge of future history, must have seemed like extraordinary wisdom to the admiral.
On the day Theo disembarked at Bristol Harbor a month ago, Admiral Bentham had handed him a personally written letter of recommendation.
“Mr. Sanderson, if you ever find yourself in London, I suggest you visit a place called the Intelligence Club. I believe you’d be more than welcome there.”
At first, Theo hadn’t paid much attention to the mention of a club, but his ears perked up when Admiral Bentham mentioned the names of two individuals.
“The gentlemen who founded this club, I don’t know if you’ve heard of them, are the esteemed sociologist Mr. Adam Smith and the poet Mr. Samuel Johnson. They established the club about ten years ago, and thanks to their reputations, it has since become a gathering place for Britain’s most prominent intellectuals, regardless of class.”
Adam Smith, the father of classical economics who wrote <The Wealth of Nations>, and Samuel Johnson, who compiled England’s first comprehensive English dictionary.
These were the first historically significant names Theo had heard since arriving in this new life.
Clip-clop. Clip-clop.
Theo was now on his way to the Intelligence Club.
When he had received Admiral Bentham’s recommendation, the mention of these famous historical figures had merely piqued his interest, but now here he was, actually visiting the club.
After deciding to try making money in London, the first thing that had come to mind was Admiral Bentham’s letter of recommendation.
In any business targeting the upper class and the newly emerging capitalists, valuable connections were essential. But for a mere dockworker like Theo Sanderson, it was impossible to have any meaningful connections.
Theo planned to build strong relationships with London’s intellectuals through the club Admiral Bentham had recommended.
And through these connections, he would gradually expand his network to include the upper class.
‘Thank goodness I kept that recommendation letter safe. If I had thrown it away, I would’ve been in big trouble.’