Immortals vs. Grim Reapers - chapter 52
Chapter 52. The Merchant Who Sells Countries (1)
The book, recorded over a long span of time, had faded to yellow. It contained sections written with brushes, fountain pens, ballpoint pens, and pencils.
Joo Gangrim examined it carefully, wondering if it harbored any lingering resentment from Prince Gangryeong, but found it clean.
Without time for a thorough inspection, he decided to keep it. If it was a diary, especially one belonging to an immortal, it could be a treasure trove of information.
“Wolryeong: Joo Gangrim, messenger.”
“Wolryeong: I’ve secured a fishing boat and we’re on the move. Get ready to disembark.”
“Gangrim: Understood.”
Joo Gangrim gathered the bag Prince Gangryeong had been trying to carry and prepared to move.
He wondered where all these containers were headed.
If this was a ship transporting illegal immigrants, it would likely have connections to the Vito Family. If that were the case, he thought there might be some suspicious cargo among the shipment.
Joo Gangrim examined a nearby container. It had been damaged, sliced open by the whip of an enhanced ghoul.
Inside were ordinary teddy bears.
They too had been cut, caught in the ghoul’s attack. As Joo Gangrim inspected the bears, he noticed white powder scattered on the floor.
He recognized a familiar scent.
Joo Gangrim immediately frowned.
“…Shine Sand?”
He quickly picked up one of the teddy bears. As its neck tore open, Shine Sand poured out.
The bears were stuffed full of Shine Sand, the drug that turns humans into obedient ghouls.
Joo Gangrim looked around the container. It was packed with crudely wrapped teddy bears.
‘Are they reclaiming what they gave to Prince Gangryeong? Or was this a stopover? Or is there a Shine Sand production site in Korea?’
All sorts of thoughts raced through Joo Gangrim’s mind.
Then he remembered that Yoo Wolryeong’s informant had been trying to buy Shine Sand at an exorbitant price.
Joo Gangrim sent a text message to Yoo Wolryeong.
“Gangrim: Ms. Yoo Wolryeong, I think it’s about time we meet that informant of yours.”
***
“Joo Gangrim, messenger.”
Somehow, Yoo Wolryeong had acquired a fishing boat and was approaching. Judging by the absence of a captain, it seemed she had driven it herself.
Yoo Wolryeong quickly climbed up the cargo ship’s ladder. Joo Gangrim helped her onto the deck by taking her hand.
“So, have you contacted the informant?”
“When I told them we have a cargo ship, they agreed to meet tonight.”
“What? Where?”
“Here.”
Yoo Wolryeong pointed at the cargo ship as she spoke.
Joo Gangrim couldn’t help but be surprised.
He had expected a text message at best, or if lucky, a phone call. Initially, they had been reluctant even to reveal their name.
Although there was no way to return to Korea with this massive cargo ship, he hadn’t expected them to come so promptly upon being called.
“As it happens, they were docked somewhere in China. They mentioned it was about time to meet you, Joo Gangrim. However…”
Yoo Wolryeong looked around at the containers as she spoke.
“I hope this isn’t all Shine Sand.”
“I haven’t searched everything, but it was hidden among other goods. The quantity is substantial though. About ten times what we saw at Sebit Floating Island?”
If the price from back then still applied, it would be worth about 20 billion won.
“Back then, you burned it all. Why do you want to meet the informant with Shine Sand now?”
The Shine Sand was merely bait.
The real target was the informant.
Joo Gangrim didn’t know the informant’s identity. That fact didn’t sit well with him.
To uncover the informant’s identity, they needed to meet first.
What was their name, what did they look like, why did they want to buy Shine Sand at such an exorbitant price, and was it possible they were the ones who had sold this drug in the first place?
There was much to discover.
Ultimately, Joo Gangrim had one thing to say:
“I think that amount should be enough to get the message across.”
“Message?”
“The message that if they use this for nefarious purposes, I’ll crack their skull on the spot. And if I can’t do that, I’ll burn it all rather than let it fall into the wrong hands.”
“I see. So if the conversation goes south, this cargo ship will become a sea of flames.”
“That’s right.”
“Still, it’s good that you’re willing to talk first. We’ll continue to exchange information with this informant in the future.”
Joo Gangrim nodded.
The sea gently undulated.
They would have to stay on this ship until Yoo Wolryeong’s informant arrived. Suddenly, Joo Gangrim recalled what had happened when they entered the port.
“By the way, what happened to that doctor you hit with the car?”
“The situation was urgent, so I bound their soul and left them in the car.”
“Bound their soul?”
“Yes. It’s a way to keep them from dying by forcing their soul to remain in a comatose body. It’s a bit extreme, but it doesn’t endanger their life or leave any aftereffects.”
“Hmm, I see.”
It seemed similar to stabbing someone with a spirit needle, perhaps even a milder method.
Joo Gangrim made a mental note to learn how to do it when he had the chance.
***
Night.
Joo Gangrim and Yoo Wolryeong gazed out over the dark sea. A black silhouette slowly approached from the distance.
Joo Gangrim fingered the detonator in his hand.
One press of a button, and a hole would appear in the ship’s hold. The Shine Sand, the 20 billion won, everything would sink to the bottom of the sea.
Thinking about the 20 billion again made his stomach churn for a moment.
It was undeniably a shame.
There was so much that could be done with that money before the world turned upside down.
While acknowledging that he hadn’t fully shed his materialistic nature, Joo Gangrim steeled his resolve to focus on the greater purpose.
To maintain control of the situation, one mustn’t follow the opponent’s expectations.
Especially when the other party isn’t a friend.
“Let me remind you once more.”
Yoo Wolryeong spoke, leaning against a container.
“You must not attack the informant recklessly.”
“Do I look like I’m going to lose my temper?”
“No. It’s just that their escorts tend to be unnecessarily sensitive.”
Escorts. As expected, they weren’t coming alone.
“Come to think of it, I still haven’t heard their name.”
“They seem to have arrived, so you can hear it directly.”
Joo Gangrim turned his head quizzically at her words. When he had looked earlier, they were still quite far away…
Whoosh.
A sea breeze swept in.
The November sea breeze was cold.
But the wind blowing now carried an old scent, as if it had traveled from somewhere very far away.
Joo Gangrim realized that the black ship, like a deeper darkness beyond the night, had somehow drawn close.
“That’s…”
It was a massive cruise ship, so large that he couldn’t understand how he hadn’t noticed it until now.
But seeing how it had approached, he could understand why he hadn’t noticed. The entire hull was painted pitch black, and all lights were extinguished.
It was like a ghost ship.
Without any guiding personnel, the cruise ship glided up and docked right next to the cargo ship.
Joo Gangrim lit some ghost fire to confirm the ship’s outline.
Red letters painted on the ship caught his eye. Joo Gangrim read them and muttered in disbelief.
“Wow, ‘A human life is cheaper than a tire’…?”
It was a phrase whose meaning he couldn’t fathom.
Was it contempt for human life, or a dark joke about the current state of affairs?
Whatever the intention, it was nothing but unpleasant.
Eventually, a gangplank lowered from the black cruise ship and touched the cargo ship. Even the sound of the gangplank touching the deck was quiet.
An unpleasantly eerie silence enveloped the entire ship.
People began descending the gangplank from the cruise ship. Three individuals started walking down.
First, a suited man who must have been at least 2.5 meters tall, and a slender woman caught the eye.
Up to that point, Yoo Wolryeong’s concerns seemed unwarranted.
But as soon as the man at the front came into view, Joo Gangrim’s face hardened.
A tall man, practically half-naked despite the cold November wind, adorned with a fur stole, various bizarre accessories, and heavy makeup.
“No way, don’t tell me the informant is…”
“Yes.”
Yoo Wolryeong nodded.
Joo Gangrim almost grabbed his hand axe, forgetting Yoo Wolryeong’s warning.
He knew this person.
Someone knowledgeable about immortal-related information, able to move large sums of money like 20 billion won in cash, and with connections broad enough to trade information even with grim reapers.
Thinking about it, such a person would be extremely rare.
But there was a reason Joo Gangrim hadn’t readily thought of him.
It was because this man’s name was at the top of Gerald’s VIP list.
“Hello, Yoo Wolryeong.”
The man casually raised his hand in greeting as soon as he saw Joo Gangrim.
“And this friend must be the Yeomra’s new toy?”
A merchant who would sell even his country if the price was right.
Known as the Country-Selling Merchant.
Shimra.
He was Yoo Wolryeong’s informant.
***
“Shimra?”
Joo Gangrim turned to Yoo Wolryeong.
Yoo Wolryeong nodded.
“That’s right, it’s Shimra.”
Joo Gangrim gritted his teeth and snapped at Yoo Wolryeong, almost lunging at her.
“Why is that person here?”
At that moment, the man standing behind Shimra spoke up.
“Show some respect, hu—”
“If you’re a dog, act like one and keep your muzzle shut. Don’t butt in unnecessarily.”
Joo Gangrim immediately gripped his hand axe and snapped back.
The man’s expression contorted. Joo Gangrim turned back to Yoo Wolryeong after speaking.
She had said not to fight, but that was about Shimra, not his escorts. So this situation shouldn’t be a problem, right? That’s what his look seemed to argue.
If she knew who Shimra was, she would have expected this kind of reaction.
Fortunately, Yoo Wolryeong only slightly furrowed her brow. The escort’s face was much more twisted.
“How dare you, do you know who I—”
“You followed him out like a dog, so you must be one of the guard dogs. I was feeling unsatisfied after leaving a dog half-killed yesterday. Do you want to be next?”
The eyes of the two people behind Shimra suddenly blazed.
It wasn’t a metaphor; they were actually emitting light.
Two pairs of fiery red eyes glared at Joo Gangrim from the darkness, as if ready to pounce.
Joo Gangrim felt his skin tingle. A low growl, so deep it was almost inaudible, vibrated through the air.
A suffocating killing intent also filled the deck.
The two effortlessly exuded an atmosphere of imminent mutual destruction without even drawing weapons.
Clang, clang.
As if responding to that strange low frequency, the nearby lights began to shatter one by one.
The surroundings quickly darkened. In the darkness, the sounds of bones and flesh being crushed began to echo.
Crunch, crunch.
The eye levels of the two standing in the darkness were slowly changing. Suddenly, they were both looking down at Joo Gangrim from a position about one torso higher than him.
Joo Gangrim quickly tried to attach ghost fire to confirm their appearance.
Whoosh.
At that moment, the woman silently drew a Japanese sword and swung it through the air.
The ghost fires Joo Gangrim had tried to attach were drawn to the sword as if magnetized.
Thanks to this, all Joo Gangrim could confirm with the ghost fire was the Japanese sword and the woman’s hand.
The woman’s hand was completely covered in gray fur, with claws as long as daggers.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Shimra.”
At that moment, Yoo Wolryeong greeted him. Nevertheless, the killing intent did not subside.
“And Joo Gangrim is now officially a member of the Underworld, so I’d appreciate it if you’d use the appropriate title and show proper respect.”
Shimra revealed his gleaming teeth in a smile, even in the darkness, and nodded in response.
“Of course. Messenger Yoo Wolryeong, Messenger Joo Gangrim.”
Only then did the killing intent that had filled the dock slowly begin to subside. The height of the two escorts also gradually returned to their original positions.
Their fiercely glowing eyes had now calmed down. Joo Gangrim smiled as he looked at Shimra.
“It’s really nice to finally meet you but would you mind if I talk with my colleague first? Thank you for your understanding.”
Joo Gangrim spat out the words without taking a breath, then grabbed Yoo Wolryeong’s arm and pulled her behind a container.
Shimra nodded with a smirk, his cloudy gray eyes crinkling in amusement.
As soon as Shimra was out of sight, Joo Gangrim confronted Yoo Wolryeong.
“Dealing with that guy, are you kidding me?!”
Although he was speaking to Yoo Wolryeong, it was essentially the same as confronting Yeomra.
This was because Joo Gangrim still didn’t have the guts to openly protest to his highest superior at work.
Shimra.
He was someone Joo Gangrim knew well.
He was one of the most troublesome among the immortal VIPs Joo Gangrim had served.
Shimra was also Gerald’s biggest sponsor, and the first person who needed to be taken care of in any emergency or safety incident.
“That person is an immortal!”
Of course, his name was on the VIP list of immortals that Joo Gangrim knew.
And now, he was selling out another immortal.