Chapter 229 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

Dasogak is a place where it's especially hard for a grand thief to break into. A thief needs to slip in lightly and slip out lightly, but books are bulky and heavy. Of course, in the martial arts world, incidents can arise from a single rare book or a mysterious martial arts manual, but if such books were in Dasogak, they would have already been used as collateral to solve long-term debts. To make any profit from stealing books from Dasogak, one would have to move them in boxes, which is no easy task. Anyone who has amassed a lot of books would know. When moving houses, one box, two boxes, three boxes, endlessly moving book boxes, there comes a day you realize the value of owning less. It's time for me to let you all go. The weight I carry is not knowledge or entertainment, but greed. Let's discard this useless greed. Unintentionally, one becomes enlightened in the ways of Buddhism. “A thief has broken in. Please inform the merchants' association.” Because it's a bookstore, I didn't worry much about big thieves, but a thief really did break in. I hurriedly informed the neighboring merchant. I could have gone straight to the authorities, but since I needed to stay here, notifying through the merchants' association was better. “A thief in Dasogak? Understood!” I returned to Dasogak and muttered, looking at the box with the broken lock in the middle of the printing room. “They really took it.” The book that should have been inside the box was missing. This is absurd. I was only worried about sneak previews of “Silent Shroud”, never imagined a thief would actually break in. I looked at the thief tied up and unconscious next to the box. Struck by Im Ha-yeon's martial arts, the thief hadn't woken up despite some probing. Should I wake up the bound thief and interrogate him? If I can't catch the runaway thieves, this might become troublesome. Bang! As I was mulling over it, the door of Dasogak swung open energetically. The person who entered, pulling in two people by their necks, was a woman. “I caught them all!” It was Im Ha-yeon, a reader consumed with rage. --- “Where are you people from? I haven't seen faces like yours around Dasogak or this area.” I lowered my voice menacingly to intimidate the three captured thieves. “……” “Do you think they’ll open their mouths just like that? Step aside.” Im Ha-yeon, with an extremely angry look on her face, stepped forward. “Do you know how to interrogate people?” “There’s a method in martial arts I’ve learned that can extract information.” “Go ahead.” A method to extract information even in thievery. I'll get to witness the rare sight of one thief interrogating another. Nodding, I stepped aside. “You thieves! How did you find out that the third volume was being printed? Speak up quickly!” “Aaaah!” Oh, she stimulates their acupuncture points to induce pain. It truly is a martial arts-style interrogation. One famous interrogation method is "Jeom Cheollie Gong" which involves breaking bones and dislocating joints akin to torturous techniques. Im Ha-yeon’s method seems quite gentle by comparison. “Ha-yeon, it’s easier to start with easy questions that have yes or no answers.” Since her technique seems excellent, I suggested a more modern and refined interrogation tactic. “That’s a good idea.” Agreeing with me, Im Ha-yeon nodded and looked at the thieves. “Ugh…” Starting with simple yes or no questions, and moving on to questions about their hometown or names, is a sophisticated way to break down mental barriers and extract information. I wondered what questions Im Ha-yeon would ask. “Tell me! Does Du Eung Hyang appear in the third volume of Tang Clan Rising?” What? “Don’t tell me, does the story cruelly move on to the next volume without even mentioning Du Eung Hyang once?” Belligerently, she probed their acupuncture points while asking with a desperate tone. “Uh…” “Is it true that only Gu Suk-jung gets mentioned? I can’t accept that! If a concubine like Gu Suk-jung is mentioned, Du Eung Hyang should get even more mentions!” “Ugh!” “Yes or no! Can’t you answer? I’m disappointed. So, you alone wish to monopolize the contents of the third volume? Such a lack of solidarity among thieves deserves punishment! Manager! Could you fetch us a club?” “Miss Ha-yeon.” “Or are you one of those people who believe thieves shouldn’t be beaten, Manager?” “No, it’s not that.” “Then what?” “The gag needs to be removed if you want them to talk.” “Oh…” Im Ha-yeon, embarrassed and flustered, awkwardly removed the gags from the thieves’ mouths. “Sniff! We haven't read the book. We’re sorry. We stole it. We’re sorry.” “We just did as we were told. Please spare us!” The thieves began to confess as though their minds, previously clouded, had shattered. “Who instructed you?” “Well…” “Hey! Shut up!” The oldest-looking thief shouted, intimidating the other two younger thieves. So, you’re the leader. “Speak the truth. Otherwise, you might be dragged to the authorities and subjected to brutal tortures. It might even leave you unable to walk.” I kept intimidating the thieves with a threatening voice. “Brother!” “Stay quiet. Once we bribe them a bit, we’ll be released!” Talking about bribes, it seems there really is someone who ordered them to do this. “You bastards! Manager, give it a try.” Still furious, Im Ha-yeon stepped forward again. I stepped back, thinking this was sufficient. “Are you not going to confess?” I asked the thief who seemed like the leader. “Did we steal gold and jewels? No! We just took a book! If it were a martial arts manual or a clan manifesto, it might be different, but surely we won’t get severely punished for just a book?” “Ha-ha. Do you really think so?” “Has the black-haired foreigner gone mad? He’s repeating our own questions back at us.” I laughed at the audacious thief as he arrogantly stared back. So, it seems there’s someone outside who can bribe their way out for them, confident they'll be treated as minor offenders and not punished for literature theft. And here I am, the “black-haired foreigner.” Back in the old days, when I went to the authorities to report a theft, they struck me, saying why would a barbarian dare come to the authorities, and sent me away. At another place, their statement might have held some truth. But you see, this is Dasogak in Ichang. “Is it true that Dasogak was broken into?!” As the doors to Dasogak opened, a throng of people surged in energetically. “Constable! I see the merchants’ association folks are here as well.” The people who entered were the constable in charge of public order, his subordinates, and people from the merchants’ association. “We rushed here together as soon as we spotted the constable on his way home.” “Why is the constable of Ichang here?” The thieves stared with wide eyes and open mouths at the constable. Why is the constable here, you ask? Why indeed. “I’ve been too busy with my duties to visit Dasogak lately. How have you been?” “I missed hearing your hearty laughter in the Dasogak gatherings while you were in Sichuan, but it’s regrettable to meet again under such embarrassing circumstances.” The constable of Ichang is a member of the Dasogak association. “You fool! Why is that embarrassing? It’s because of these damn scoundrels! Are these the thieves?” “The constable is acquainted with that barbarian?” “Because of these guys, we nearly lost the third volume of Tang Clan Rising forever.” I sighed deeply and complained to the constable as if I had nearly lost everything. “What did you say? Because of those fellows, Tang Clan Rising?” “They mentioned having an instigator, but they’re tight-lipped. I’m worried more thieves might come before the third volume gets published.” “Don’t worry! I’ll make sure these bastards never steal again and I’ll uncover every last relative of the instigator!” “Please, set an example with severe punishment.” “This is unbelievable.” “They said it would be fine since it’s a bookstore run by a black-haired barbarian!” The thieves, their last hope dashed, their faces contorted, started pleading for their lives. “Please have mercy! We just did what we were told! The instigator is that guy!” Who is he? Finally, the thieves began to confess about the instigator. --- “I immediately sent constables and patrolmen. Now, you can conduct your business with peace of mind!” The culprit turned out to be a merchant from another city. He happened to overhear my conversation about the printing issues while I was visiting the bookstores today and thought he could make some money from it. “You did well.” After seeing off the constable and the representatives from the merchants’ association, I spoke to Im Ha-yeon, who looked slightly drained. “You did well too, Manager Kang.” “I thought our security was thorough, but I didn’t expect someone to break in so boldly.” I muttered in disbelief as I looked at the side of the building where the window had been broken. “To an outsider, that window might have looked loose. It probably seemed easy to open as well. Of course, there were traps like alarms and hidden projectiles once you got inside.” Im Ha-yeon spoke as if she were the owner of a security company, gazing at the broken window. “The appearance of looseness was the problem.” After being away for several months, it seemed I hadn’t paid enough attention to certain details. “Yes. To novice thieves, appearances are crucial. Actually, Dasogak’s security isn’t that lax. One has to carefully open the third window on the second floor using a specific technique to avoid being detected.” “Miss Ha-yeon?” How do you know that so well? Noticing my puzzled tone, Im Ha-yeon realized her slip of the tongue and averted her eyes, looking embarrassed. “Ah… I, I just… when I came in for dinner, I had no intention of entering the printing room…” “Aren’t you hungry?” “What?” I smiled nonchalantly at the flustered and confused Im Ha-yeon. I knew all too well that if “Silent Shroud” really set its sights on breaking in, it couldn’t be stopped. In fact, I wanted to praise Im Ha-yeon for her ability to restrain herself, even though she had the skill and the desire to see the next volume. Moreover, thanks to her coming back for dinner, we caught all the thieves in one fell swoop. “Ah, well…” Now aware of her hunger, Im Ha-yeon clutched her stomach, avoiding eye contact in embarrassment. This was a perfect opportunity. ‘Let’s float the idea of her taking on an administrative role.’ Her catching the thieves, her passion for Tang Clan Rising, and her level of self-restraint suggested she was a good candidate. “Let’s go out together.” First, let’s start by treating her to a delicious dinner and subtly broach the subject.