Reaper of the Drifting Moon 306 (MTL)

CHAPTER 306

The largest city in the world was certainly not Haemun, but it was undoubtedly the busiest city in the world. On one side, cargo was being unloaded from trading ships, while on the other side, small fishing boats were pouring out the fish they had caught.

The cargo that was unloaded from the trading ships was all taken to nearby warehouses in the Upper Market or the Dragonhead District, and the fish were sold on the spot.

Hamun was the most active center of financial transactions in the world. It was not uncommon for tens of thousands of gold coins to flow in and out of the city every day. Because of this, many people came to Hamun in pursuit of wealth.

Workers who worked at the Red Group were a typical example. It was convenient to be affiliated with the Red Guild to get work at the port. That's why many people joined the Red Guild. However, there were also people who worked without joining the Red Group.

These were the people who carried the fish they caught on their boats on carts. Because the smell was so strong, the Red Group did not even pay attention to them.

Most of these jobs were done by people who had just arrived in Haemun. As their experience grew, they joined the Red Group and worked at the port.

Although they worked at the bottom of Haemun, they also had basic desires. Some people targeted their pockets, and some beggars came in as well.

The lower-class were the ones who sold their bodies, unlike the geishas who worked in the bustling district.

They didn't sell themselves through laughter, music, alcohol, or by any other means than their bodies.

Their clients came from all walks of life, including fishermen, men from the slums, and sailors from foreign lands.

Sometimes unexpected pregnancies occurred from their work. The child, whose father was unknown, was a burden for the prostitutes.

They tried their best to get rid of the baby, often resorting to poisonous drugs or hitting their stomachs to cause a miscarriage. Most babies didn't survive, but occasionally, some would survive the dangerous process and be born into the world.

These children were not welcomed by their mothers, and they were born into a life of poverty and struggle.

As they grew older, they had to find ways to survive on their own, such as doing odd jobs, stealing, or engaging in other shady activities. These children, known as "haemon," had to learn to survive in the harsh world on their own.

Pyowol, who worked in a brothel, was one of these children. However, he was fortunate enough to have a relatively stable job, even if it wasn't well-paying. Occasionally, he would also receive tips from customers for running errands.

Being a brothel worker was the most desirable job for haemon. Those who couldn't become prostitutes had to struggle to survive in poverty.

These unwanted children banded together and supported each other. They had their own areas of expertise and kept in touch with each other, making them more aware of what was happening in the underworld.

"My name is Geomyeon."

"Geomnyeon?"

When Pyowol looked at him, Geomnyeon made an awkward expression.

"It's the name I made up. I'm a sparrow that uses a sword, and my nickname was Sparrow."

Geomnyeon was also born in Changgi.

Old Changgi had no mental or physical capacity to take care of the suddenly born child.

She thought Geomnyeon was an obstacle to her future because of his crying, which prevented her from properly receiving guests. So as soon as Geomnyeon could walk a little bit, she chased him out of the house.

Geomnyeon grew up watching his mother sell her body outside the tent.

Being fast and alert, people called him "Sparrow." Geomnyeon added "sword" to the word "sparrow."

That's how he became Geomnyeon.

Although things went well and he became a fortuneteller, Geomnyeon still maintained a close relationship with his friends in the back alleys.

When he received his pay, his only pleasure was to find his friends and eat delicious food together.

Geomnyeon took Pyowol and headed to the back alleys where his friends usually gathered.

The back alleys were no different from the slums Pyowol had experienced before.

They were dirty, smelly, and full of shabby tents.

On the ground, there were unidentified sludge that filled the area to the point where one would hesitate to even step on it. However, Pyo-wol followed behind Geom-yeon without any hesitation or flinching.

Geom-yeon glanced at Pyo-wol and thought to himself, "He's definitely not an ordinary person."

He had witnessed firsthand how Tarha dealt with the thugs yesterday. Thus, he knew just how terrifying Tarha was.

Pyo-wol was one of the people sitting at the table with Tarha, calmly conversing without any fear. This image left a strong impression in Geom-yeon's mind.

The place where Geom-yeon brought Pyo-wol was the dingiest alleyway.

It was a small vacant lot surrounded by makeshift tents, with various objects piled up like a mountain, forming a small hill.

Children were sitting all over the place.

The age range varied from toddlers of five or six years old to teenagers in their mid-teens, and among them, there were several children who appeared to be of mixed race.

This was the children's territory.

As expected of children living in the back alley, their eyes were filled with venom.

One of the kids who seemed to be the leader stood up and approached them.

"What do you want?"

Surprisingly, he had yellow mixed into his hair and was a fair-skinned child. However, his body was full of scars, showing how rough his life had been, and his eyes were even lacking vitality.

Geomyeon began to explain.

"Sir, it's him!"

"Sir?"

"Yeah!"

The leader of the gang stared at the stranger.

"What do you want from us?"

"Information!"

"What information?"

"All information."

"What the hell? What kind of talk is that? All information?"

The gang leader's eyes squinted upwards.

He hated such broad words.

He liked to speak precisely and accurately about everything. He never trusted anyone who spoke in general terms.

The survival instinct of someone who came from the bottom was deeply ingrained in him.

There were more than twenty children in this square alone. Adding the children who lived in their own areas, there were over a hundred.

The gang leader had a responsibility to protect them.

Geomyeon stopped the gang leader.

"Brother, calm down for a moment. He's not someone you can just treat recklessly."

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"So... "

"Don't talk nonsense and step aside. I'm the one doing the negotiations, not you."

"Okay...," the leader boy replied as he gave a stern look. His name was Taemu-sang, a name he had chosen himself.

The surname "Tae" sounded cool to him, and he chose the name "Mu-sang" to imply that there was no opponent who could match him.

Taemu-sang glared fiercely at Pyowol.

The basis of negotiation was to have the upper hand over the other party. Even if he didn't know why the other side wanted such comprehensive information, the important thing was that they were in a weaker position than his side. His goal was to overwhelm them and get as much money as possible.

"If you want something, be specific. Don't speak in vague terms. And if you try to cheat us, we won't let you get away with it."

Taemu-sang began with a threat. He thought Pyowol would be intimidated by his threat, as it was a negotiation tactic he had learned from the bottom up.

Pyowol's lips curved upwards in a smile. It reminded Taemu-sang of the old days in the underground community, where children formed groups and leaders extended their influence by fighting against others.

Taemu-sang's behavior was similar. He deliberately spoke roughly to weaken the other party, while showing off to the followers that he was someone to be reckoned with. Of course, to Pyowol, it seemed cute.

Taemu-sang noticed Pyowol's smile and narrowed his eyes.

"You're laughing? Are you fucking laughing? This bastard is laughing? Spit!" Taemu-sang spat on the ground and approached Pyowol, showing the most threatening posture.

Pyowol opened his mouth and asked, "What's your name?"

"Doing whatever you want? You bastard!"

"Wishing the dead guy rest in peace soon."

"What? This son of a bitch..."

At that moment, Taemusang's eyes rolled back and he rushed towards Pyowol.

His movements were so lively that it was hard to believe he had not learned martial arts. Perhaps he was born with elasticity.

Taemusang's fist reached near Pyowol's jaw in an instant. However, he could not stretch his fist any further.

Suddenly, a dagger was touching the tip of his jaw. If he extended his fist any further towards Pyowol, the dagger would pierce his jaw.

The small dagger was like a ghost knife, the size of a child's palm.

"Kuk!"

Taemusang's face twisted unpleasantly.

Only then did he realize that Pyowol was a skilled warrior. He had not thought that Pyowol was a warrior because he looked too gentle and harmless.

"Hyung-ah!"

"Damn it!"

The children who saw Taemusang's danger rushed forward.

They held weapons like wooden sticks, sickles, and hammers that were commonly seen in their hands.

Although they were young, they had a lot of venom in them.

Without this venom, they could not survive here.

The adults here do not protect the children. Instead, they try to exploit and eat them. To protect themselves, they also have to be poisonous. But the opponent was too bad.

Zzzz!

The children stopped in unison.

It was not because they stopped on their own will.

A small dagger was floating in front of them, causing them to stop.

"What is it?"

"How did it happen?"

The children couldn't hide their astonishment.

It looked as if the daggers were floating alone in the air, and the children had no idea how it was being controlled.

One of the children started to move slowly, but froze in place when they saw the direction of the daggers changing.

One dagger was resting on Taemusang's chin while nine others were hovering in the air, restraining the children. It was a frightening sight.

Taemusang swallowed his dry saliva without realizing it.

His opponent was not someone who could be dealt with using ordinary methods. Taemusang had encountered many skilled martial artists in his life, but he had never seen someone like Pyowol.

"Damn it," he thought.

He regretted not listening to Geomyeon's warning. He had pretended to protect the children, but his actions had put them in even greater danger.

Pyowol was a master who could easily take the children's lives with a single move. It would have been wise not to engage with someone like him in the first place. But now it was too late. Taemusang had already attacked Pyowol. He couldn't turn back now.

"Wait a minute," Taemusang shouted.

"What is it?" Pyowol replied.

"I'll handle this alone."

"And Why?"

"Because I made a mistake on my own."

"When you run with a pack, you accept collective responsibility."

"Is that so..."

"Kangho is a place like that. If these children die, it's all your responsibility. You recklessly charged into danger without even considering your opponent's strength. And you even put the children you were supposed to protect in harm's way. As the leader, you're a failure."

"Lee Ik!" Taemusang gritted his teeth.

Pyowol's words felt like sharp daggers piercing his chest.

He couldn't believe that his own hasty judgment had put the children in danger, after all the effort he had put into protecting them.

Taemusang stared at Pyowol with bloodshot eyes.

As he met Pyowol's gaze, he felt a chill run down his spine.

He had met countless people in his life, but he had never seen someone with such an emotionless gaze like Pyowol's.

The longer he looked into those eyes, the more despair washed over him.

Pyo Wal's eyes were unreadable, and it made Taemu feel an extreme fear. He fell to the ground, defeated.

Thud!

"Taemusang suddenly kneeled down.

"Please save me."

"Why should I?"

"I said I want information, right? I'll become a hunting dog and ask whatever the old man wants. So please save me."

His attitude and tone completely changed. And he made a somewhat reasonable proposal.

Pyowol realized that Taemusang had completely surrendered.

It was difficult to make him surrender, but once he made up his mind, he wouldn't easily waver.

Pyowol took out a pocket from his bosom and threw it to Taemusang. It was a bag of silver.

"Track the movements of the person revealed by Gyeomyeong."

"Yes!"

Taemusang answered without asking who it was.

At that moment, Pyowol gathered all the ghost energy.

"Phew!"

"Huah!"

A relieved sigh burst out of the children's mouths.

Taemusang finally lifted his head again, but by then Pyowol had disappeared like magic.

Taemusang's gaze turned to Gyeomyeong.

"Who did you bring, exactly?"

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