Black Corporation: Joseon

The next morning, the interpreter came to see Prince Henry.

“Did you rest well?”

“I rested well.”

After hearing Henry’s answer, the interpreter informed him of the schedule.

“First, breakfast has been prepared in the banquet hall. It may be a bit different from what you eat at home, but I hope you enjoy the foreign flavors.”

“Thank you. By the way, I’d like to have a meeting with the ruler of Joseon. Would that be possible?”

To Henry’s question, the interpreter nodded and replied.

“An official report was sent via the first Iron Horse today. A reply will come down by this evening at the earliest, or by the evening after tomorrow at the latest.”

“Iron Horse?”

At the unfamiliar yet familiar word ‘Iron Horse’, Henry searched his memory. As he did so, he turned to the interpreter with surprised eyes.

“I’ve heard about it through rumors from the Vatican. The rumor said it was only in the capital.”

“Recently, rails have been laid across the country.”

“Rails?”

“The paths that the iron horses travel on.”

“I see…”

Henry, who had been nodding lightly, moved on to the next topic.

“By the way, I saw the lamp last night, and it was fascinating. I clearly saw that only stones and water were put in, is that right?”

To Henry’s question, the interpreter immediately answered.

“Ah! You’re talking about the lighting stone! That stone is called a lighting stone. When it meets water, it emits gas, and when you light that gas, it becomes very bright. Thanks to that lighting stone, we’ve been relieved of the trouble of finding candles.”

“It’s a fascinating stone. I’ve never seen such a stone before.”

To Henry’s words, the interpreter replied with a proud expression.

“It’s not a stone mined from mines. It was created by His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“He is the first prince of our Joseon and the one who will succeed to the throne in the next generation.”

The interpreter’s tone and face were full of pride and self-esteem as he explained about Hyang.

“Is that so? I understand. Please guide me to the banquet hall.”

“Yes.”

Although Henry knew the location from visiting once yesterday, he asked for guidance. It seemed like empty formality, but it was a protocol that had to be followed once he bore the title of prince. This was true in both the East and the West, so the interpreter naturally guided Henry to the banquet hall.

After lightly finishing breakfast with a soup full of foreign flavors – which Joseon people called tang – Henry gathered his close aides and captains in his room.

“Although it’s only been a day since we arrived here, how do you all see it?”

“It’s beyond imagination.”

At the words of Pedro, Henry’s closest aide, all those gathered nodded.

They had expected it to be excellent from seeing the goods coming through Alexandria, but the reality exceeded that imagination.

Nodding at Pedro’s words, Henry asked another question.

“Did you see the lamps last night?”

“Yes!”

“It was truly amazing!”

At Henry’s mention, the voices of all participants rose. It was a wondrous thing to light a fire with only water and stone.

“At first, I thought it was oil. But when I tasted what was in the kettle, it was definitely water.”

As Cristiano, the most curious among the aides, shared his experience, several who had done similar things nodded.

Listening to his aides’ answers, Henry brought up the main point.

“When I asked the interpreter, he said it wasn’t a natural stone. He answered that the first prince of this country made it.”

“The first prince, you mean that rumor?”

At Pedro’s question, Henry nodded.

“That’s right, the prince from that rumor.”

At Henry’s answer, Pedro shook his head.

“So he wasn’t a philosopher, but an alchemist?”

“Not an alchemist, but a wizard perhaps?”

“If he made that stone, doesn’t this country have the philosopher’s stone that was only rumored?”

“Come on… Wasn’t the philosopher’s stone just a product of imagination?”

As his close aides and captains were debating, Henry raised his hand.

“Quiet.”

The close aides and captains immediately closed their mouths and looked at Henry. Gathering the attention of his subordinates, Henry shared his thoughts.

“Let’s put aside talk of catching clouds like the ‘philosopher’s stone’, and just think about that stone. If we could take that stone and sell it, wouldn’t we make a great profit?”

“Ah!”

“That’s right!”

Regardless of East or West, candles were expensive items. Even in Europe, where meat was a staple food, candles made from tallow (beef fat) were still expensive. Especially, candles made from beeswax obtained by harvesting honeycombs were ultra-high-priced items.

Henry continued speaking.

“According to the interpreter, that stone replaced candles. That means we can get them in large quantities at a cheap price. If we can properly distribute that stone, we can flatten the noses of the Spanish and French bastards.”

At Henry’s words, all his close aides nodded strongly. If things went as the prince said, Portugal could dominate the European nights. If that happened, they would escape from the difficult situation they had been in.

“For now, I’ve requested a meeting with the ruler of this place through the interpreter.”

“I’ll prepare the formal attire.”

“I’ll look for something suitable as a gift.”

At Henry’s words, his close aides found their own tasks to do. Watching this, Henry remembered those he had forgotten.

“Wait! Where are the monks?”

“They’re in their rooms.”

“Keep a close eye on them. Considering that the Vatican is still noisy because of the ‘First Prince’s Question’, those monks are the most dangerous ones.”

“Yes!”

The close aides who received Henry’s orders moved busily. As a result, the monks had to be confined to their rooms without even dreaming of the city outing they had originally planned.

The next evening, the interpreter brought good news to Henry.

“His Majesty’s order has come down. Two days later, a special train will be prepared for the prince and his party. You can take that to Hanseong. In Hanseong, His Majesty will have a conversation with the prince.”

“That’s truly something to be grateful for.”

***

The news that ‘A prince of Portugal has come to Joseon’ also turned Hanseong upside down.

“A prince of Portugal?”

“Yes. According to the information brought by Mansur, he is the uncle of the current King of Portugal.”

At Lee Maeng-gyun’s answer, Sejong stroked his beard and fell into thought. Hyang, seated under the royal canopy, had a troubled expression.

‘No! Why is this man coming! For what reason!’

Organizing his messy thoughts at this completely unexpected event, Hyang soon reproached himself.

‘Was I too excited? I was…’

“Crown Prince?”

At Sejong’s question, Hyang hurriedly organized his thoughts and bowed his head.

“Yes, Father.”

“What do you think is the reason a prince of a country, and not just any country but one from the far west, has come all the way to our Joseon?”

“It must be for trade. Doesn’t our Joseon directly trade a considerable volume through Alexandria?”

Following Hyang’s words, Kim Jeom immediately continued.

“Not just Alexandria, but the volume spread to India and around the Ottoman through Bengal is not small either.”

After hearing Kim Jeom’s additional explanation, Sejong looked at Hyang and the ministers and asked.

“Then, is it likely that this prince Henry wants a monopoly on trade?”

“That’s probably so, Your Majesty.”

While most of the ministers were nodding, Hyang raised an objection with a sly smile.

“If Prince Henry is in his right mind, he absolutely cannot have such thoughts.”

“Why?”

To Sejong’s question, Hyang answered concisely.

“Because he came with the Challenger-class warships.”

“Oh…”

At Hyang’s words, Sejong immediately nodded as if he understood, and Jo Mal-saeng had a proud expression.

The Challenger-class warships were the ones that renewed their undefeated record every time they traveled between Alexandria and Chittagong. In the official report that came up this time, a battle record was also attached, and of course, the sentence “Severe damage to pirates, no damage to our forces” was written.

“But Portugal is a country that also has an excellent navy capable of circumnavigating Africa. Aren’t we overestimating our navy too much?”

To Sejong’s question, Hyang answered confidently.

“It’s absolutely not overestimation. When I designed the Challenger-class warships, I thought of situations like this. The same goes for the cannons!”

“Your confidence is truly good to see.”

“You flatter me.”

Bowing his head at Sejong’s praise, Hyang inwardly muttered.

‘The steam engine and propulsion system for ships are almost at the completion stage! Come at us if you dare! If you make me angry, I’ll make a space battleship turtle ship and send it! In a situation where only palm-sized wooden ships are floating around, if a 100% iron ship goes out, it’s a space battleship!’

Hyang was having thoughts that would make Kim Jeom foam at the mouth and collapse if he heard them.

The atmosphere in the main hall became more relaxed at Hyang’s confident answer, who had always been shouting that they should be wary of the Westerners.

“Anyway, since a prince from another country has come, it is courteous to have a meeting. Prime Minister.”

At Sejong’s call, Hwang Hui immediately answered.

“Yes, I will adjust the schedule and send a special Iron Horse.”

“Treat him preciously as he has come from afar.”

At Sejong’s meaningful words, Hwang Hui immediately bowed his head.

“I will pay special attention.”

“I’m counting on you. Then let’s end the matter concerning the prince here. Let’s move on to the next agenda.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

At Sejong’s decision, the ministers busily prepared for the next agenda.

The court historians seated in one corner of the main hall diligently recorded these events and added:

-…Thus, when His Majesty ordered that there should be no mistakes in dealing with the prince of Portugal, the ministers received the order.

The historian says:

The Westerners, whom the Crown Prince had mentioned as the most wary targets from before, have finally arrived in Joseon. However, from His Majesty to the ministers, while they are cautious, they are not afraid, which shows how much our Joseon has grown stronger.

By the way, I feel this every time I write foreign place names and personal names, but Jeongeum is truly good. With Jeongeum alone, there’s no need to worry even if all the countries in the world flock to Joseon. Come at us all! I will record it!

“Historian! Are you playing with your brush at length again! Your irrelevant writings are too long! Focus on your main duty!”

“I apologize, Your Majesty!”

***

The new agenda brought up by the ministers was about the unclaimed land.

“Since there are limitations to the capabilities we can invest, the first thing we need to decide is ‘which direction should we focus on for exploration?'”

Jo Mal-saeng, the Minister of National Defense who could be considered the department in charge, started the meeting with this introduction.

Walking to the front of the map, Jo Mal-saeng pointed to the blank space on the map with his command baton and continued speaking.

“Should we make full use of the capabilities of the Challenger-class warships to be deployed for exploration and go south along the coastline, or should we secure a bridgehead and then dig into the eastern inland? We need to decide this right now.”

As soon as Jo Mal-saeng finished speaking, Hyang opened his mouth.

“We must move eastward.”

“Why?”

To Sejong’s question, Hyang immediately explained the reason.

“Just as we went east, there will be Westerners moving west. We need to secure as much as possible before that.”

‘We must at least get our hands on the resource area that was called the Rust Belt!’