CLS-Chapter 405

Chapter 405:

It was a somewhat strange sight.

Greetings aren’t just done with words alone. There should be at least some bodily gesture. But the people here greeted without even turning their eyes.

And the old man seemed to consider this natural as well.

“Continue.”

“Yes!”

Even while answering, they didn’t turn their eyes away. As Wei Yan-ho watched this scene with apparent wonder, the old man glanced at Wei Yan-ho and opened his mouth.

“Metal can be ruined if you take your eyes off it even for a moment.”

“Ah…”

“If you can’t do your work properly because of appearances and formalities, there’s nothing more foolish than that. It’s right not to even greet while working. Even though I say this, these fellows won’t budge on that one thing. Frustrating bunch.”

He could feel the unwavering conviction in his work.

“What kind of place is this?”

“Just as you see. It’s a place where weapons are made.”

“Are the Tang Family’s hidden weapons made here?”

“That’s right.”

Wei Yan-ho looked around with somewhat intimidated eyes.

“I don’t know much about this in detail, but I heard the Tang Family’s armory is extremely classified. Won’t there be problems with me coming in here?”

Looking at how he pieced together the problem from overheard words and the surrounding situation, one could say Wei Yan-ho had developed quite a bit. The problem was that this kind of intuition only activated when it was useless.

“When I’m the one bringing you, who’s going to say what?”

His words were full of pride.

“If you can steal our techniques just by looking with your eyes, I’d rather praise you.”

“Nah, I don’t have that kind of ability.”

“So it seems.”

This sounds like an insult, doesn’t it?

Just as Wei Yan-ho was about to protest, the old man opened his mouth.

“Jong-gan, where is Jong-gan?”

“Yes! Elder!”

The man called Jong-gan hurriedly ran over to the old man.

Tension filled Jong-gan’s face. Since the old man who said he was going to his quarters had unexpectedly returned to the armory, he wondered if some problem had occurred.

“Open the White Furnace.”

“Th-the White Furnace, you say?”

“That’s right.”

Tang Jong-gan’s face hardened stiffly.

“Wh-what’s the matter?”

“I have use for it.”

“But Elder, to open the White Furnace, we need the family head’s permission.”

“Stop talking nonsense and open it.”

“I cannot.”

Anger began to rise in the eyes of the one called Elder.

Seeing this, Jong-gan flinched and bowed his head, but he didn’t back down.

“Y-you know this. The White Furnace is only used when making golden dragon hidden weapons. To open the White Furnace, we must have the family head’s permission.”

“When a craftsman wants to use a furnace, how can you say the craftsman needs permission from someone who isn’t a craftsman!”

“But that is the Tang Family’s law, Elder…”

Just as the old man was about to lose his temper, Wei Yan-ho calmly opened his mouth.

“Can’t you just get the family head’s permission?”

“Huh?”

Tang Jong-gan’s gaze turned toward Wei Yan-ho.

‘What’s with this guy?’

There was someone he’d never seen before in this place.

He hadn’t paid attention because he was focused on the old man returning, but come to think of it, why was this guy here?

“Did you bring an outsider?”

Tang Jong-gan’s face began to turn pale.

The old man was originally like that.

His identity as a craftsman was so strong that his awareness of being a Tang Family member was weak. If you were a Tang Family person, you could never be free from the Tang Family’s laws. But the old man had the mindset that for the craftsman’s path, even the Tang Family’s laws could be ignored.

This fact had caused problems several times before, but he thought, what big trouble could there be? Who knew he’d cause such a major incident.

“El-Elder! What on earth have you done? Bringing an outsider to the armory!”

“We’re not making anything sensitive, so it doesn’t matter.”

“That’s not what’s important. What’s important is that an outsider has entered a place where outsiders shouldn’t enter.”

“So what are you going to do about it?”

“I must report this to the family head.”

The gazes of Tang Jong-gan and the old man clashed in mid-air.

“No matter how much you are an Elder, the crime of breaking family law is not light. I will report this to the family head and hold you accountable for your crime.”

“Do as you wish.”

The old man spoke with an expressionless face as if he didn’t care.

“However, I don’t want to waste time, so open the White Furnace before you go.”

“I told you that won’t do.”

The tense standoff between the two continued.

“Haaaaam.”

At that moment, Wei Yan-ho yawned so wide his mouth nearly split.

“Are you done?”

The gazes of Tang Jong-gan and the old man turned toward Wei Yan-ho.

“So basically, if we have the family head’s permission, everything’s fine, right?”

Tang Jong-gan ended up nodding without thinking.

Of course, family law came first, but the family head’s authority could make exceptions to it. Even if Wei Yan-ho danced naked in here, if the family head permitted it, they’d have to understand.

“Go and deliver a message for me. Tell them I’m here and asked to open the White Furnace or whatever.”

“…Who are you?”

“Me? I’m Wei Yan-ho.”

“Wei Yan… Wei Yan-ho?”

Tang Jong-gan’s eyes trembled as if they’d encountered an earthquake.

“What did you say?”

“…”

Tang Jong-gan walked into the main hall with drooping shoulders.

“Well…”

Tang Jong-gan, who had been moving his lips, couldn’t bring himself to speak and let out a deep sigh.

Of course, as soon as Wei Yan-ho finished speaking, Tang Jong-gan immediately rushed to the family head’s quarters. He realized the situation had far exceeded the level he could handle.

When Tang Jong-gan arrived at the family head’s hall and explained the situation, the Dark King opened his mouth with a sour expression.

“White Furnace?”

“Yes. The White Furnace, Family Head! Right now Wei Yan-ho has entered the main hall and is spouting the absurdity of asking to open the White Furnace.”

“Hmm.”

“This is absolutely unacceptable. Not only Wei Yan-ho, but Elder must also be punished. Not only did he bring an outsider into the forbidden area, but now he’s asking to open the White Furnace. Doesn’t this mean showing the White Furnace to an outsider too? There’s never been such a thing in Tang Family history. You must make an example of them to restore the family’s dignity…”

“Open it for him.”

“Yes, of course you should… What?”

“I said open it for him.”

“F-Family Head?”

“What?”

“Y-you can’t do that. An outsider entered the forbidden area, and without even questioning that crime, you’re telling us to open the White Furnace?”

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Are you the family head?”

“…”

“Just open it for him, damn it. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”

“…Yes.”

“And if you carelessly run your mouth and create a situation where Wei Yan-ho gets pissed off, I’ll throw you in the poison bath, so keep that in mind.”

“…”

Tang Jong-gan looked at Wei Yan-ho with a very dejected expression as he warmed himself by a cozy brazier in a corner of the main hall.

‘What’s so special about that guy?’

Of course, he knew that guy had defeated the family head and smashed the kids at the main gate. Anyone with eyes and ears couldn’t not know that fact within the Tang Family right now.

But even so, wasn’t this the Tang Family? It might be different elsewhere, but he couldn’t run wild like this in the Tang Family’s belly. How much would other families and sects mock the Tang Family if they knew about this?

Tang Jong-gan could never stand by and watch such a situation.

For the collapsed dignity of the Tang Family, he would sacrifice his one body…

“What are you saying?”

At Wei Yan-ho’s casually spat words, Tang Jong-gan flinched.

“…I’ll open it for you.”

“See? You just made yourself suffer when it was going to happen anyway.”

Wei Yan-ho clicked his tongue.

Tang Jong-gan’s chest was also being stabbed along with it.

And the one most flustered by this situation was the old man.

“The family head said to open it?”

“Yes.”

Seeing Tang Jong-gan’s rotten expression as he answered, it didn’t seem like he was teasing him…

‘Does this boy have that much influence?’

The old man looked at Wei Yan-ho with fresh eyes.

Of course, he couldn’t not know who Wei Yan-ho was. No matter how much he lived only in the armory without interest in the outside world, there was no way he couldn’t hear the name Wei Yan-ho that was shaking the family.

But who knew the family head would personally give orders allowing people into the forbidden area?

Though it started with a craftsman’s greed, he was aware it was unreasonable. But who knew that boy would smash through that unreasonable move?

“…This way.”

Tang Jong-gan trudged toward the inner area. The sight of the whispering craftsmen made him feel even more heartbroken.

“Tsk.”

When the Elder clicked his tongue as if displeased, the gazes of the craftsmen who had been glancing this way fixed on their furnaces.

The Elder’s craftsman spirit was unintentionally helping Tang Jong-gan.

Tang Jong-gan trudged powerlessly into the inner area, looked at the massive door leading underground, then powerlessly pulled out a key from his sleeve and inserted it into the keyhole.

Creak creak creak.

With an unpleasant noise, the key turned, mechanisms moved, and the door opened with a thud.

“Here it is.”

Wei Yan-ho’s eyes wavered.

“You want me to go in here?”

“Yes. This is the place leading to the White Furnace.”

Wei Yan-ho pointed at the stairs shrouded in darkness with a dumbfounded expression.

“Honestly, it’s a bit awkward for me to say this.”

“Yes?”

“This is the Tang Family, and that looks like a really dangerous basement to anyone, but asking me to follow you in there is a bit… I naturally think of a situation where I go inside and the door closes, you know?”

Tang Jong-gan was at a loss for words.

Fortunately, the old man spoke his heart.

“Common sense-wise, who would make a trap in a place like this? If enemies had invaded this far, it would already be a situation where the Tang Family was ruined. Rather than spending money making traps in a place like this, it would be right to make even one more mechanism outside.”

“Oh? Now that I hear it, that’s true?”

Wei Yan-ho was quick to understand.

“Follow me. I’ll go in first, that should be fine.”

The old man strode inside as if to dispel Wei Yan-ho’s suspicions.

Wei Yan-ho still had a somewhat uncomfortable expression, but when the old man was going in like that, he couldn’t back out. He was a lazy bum, but he wasn’t a coward.

“I’m going in, going in.”

Wei Yan-ho straightened his shoulders and strode toward the stairs. But perhaps his natural timidity couldn’t be helped – he stood in front of the stairs, extended his foot, then pulled it back and looked around.

“Why why? What what!”

Receiving the pathetic gazes of the craftsmen, Wei Yan-ho stuck out his belly.

“You’re supposed to live carefully in the first place. If you act tough for no reason, your life can fly away in an instant.”

“…Understood, so please go in.”

At Tang Jong-gan’s words, Wei Yan-ho shrugged his shoulders and went down the stairs.

When Wei Yan-ho’s figure disappeared, Tang Jong-gan let out a deep sigh.

“What was the family head thinking, letting such a troublemaker into the family?”

Tang Jong-gan’s sighs were endless.

‘And the White Furnace at that.’

Tang Jong-gan’s face took on a cold light different from before.

‘It seems I need to make a separate report about this. The family head has gone senile.’

Tang Jong-gan, picturing Tang Yong-min’s face in his mind, turned and left the main hall.