Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1758 Business
Wait, is his reaction that fast?!

[Because he's also online, and it's normal for North Koreans to react quickly. That's why the King of Joseon stays in the capital.]

This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. As Shangluo knew, the Japanese army during the Imjin War planned to station troops in Korea. The Korean envoy stationed in Beijing immediately ran to the gate of the Ministry of Rites, wailing and lamenting. This matter originally required negotiation, but the Koreans' crying made negotiation impossible.

However, it wasn't a big problem if the North Koreans didn't lend the land, because Mao Wenlong came uninvited and occupied Pi Island, so the North Koreans had no choice but to lend it.

This time, the well-informed North Koreans called again.

"Okay, I'll take it."

The King of Joseon is indeed very useful and loyal, and Shangluo intends to give him face—but only for making that phone call. He can't guarantee anything else.

After he accepted the invitation, King Yi Mo of Joseon immediately called, as if he had been waiting by the phone the whole time:

"Your Majesty, it has been a long time since I last sent my greetings."

"It has indeed been a long time."

These two were not acquainted at all; they had only met a few times in the past. He was indeed Zhu Xianxi's friend, but he really had no connection with Shangluo.

"So, what brings Your Highness to me?"

"fine."

"Then I'm hanging up?"

"No, no, no, something's wrong."

"Then please speak."

"Mr. Shang, can we talk about business?"

"Business?" Shang Luo thought he was going to ask about the lower realm, but he didn't expect him to talk about this. "What business could we possibly have to discuss?"

He thought the King of Joseon wanted to consult about the soldiers in the lower realm, but he didn't expect him to come to discuss business.

But Shangluo is not open for business right now.

"Actually, we wanted to rent a film studio to shoot a movie."

"what?"

"Yes, we want to rent a photography studio."

Ah, I get it, he just wants to show some appreciation.

What do you mean?

Do I really need to teach you this? Isn't this the usual scenario? Are you trying to teach foreigners what "showing a little something" means?

"Ah, I see."

Thanks to the profoundness of Mandarin, although there are many meanings here, he can now understand the meanings he came up with earlier.

So the King of Joseon felt he wasn't very familiar with you in the past, and he wanted to get to know you better.

“I don’t want to get too close to him. He comes running at the slightest thing. He’s quite clingy now.”

Do you hate him?

"It's not that I hate him. It's just that I'm afraid if I ignore him, he might get a fever and cause me trouble, which would be difficult to handle."

"Mr. Shang, we plan to invest 2 million yuan in the filming of this movie."

"Oh! Sure, sure, how long do you want to rent it for?"

Your expression changed so quickly!

"His desire to get something for nothing is one thing, but actually paying him is another. Now I understand why he's so clingy and has a good reputation." It turns out he really is useful. He does whatever Zhu Xianxi asks, and he immediately secures a large order to curry favor with Shangluo. Although he's a bit clingy, this way of being clingy seems to work...
[You're quite loyal, aren't you?]

"Cough, indeed."

He thought for a moment, then spoke up: "Let's be frank. What exactly do you mean, brother?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to have a little something."

"What's the point of you trying to win me over? I don't lack anything from the mortal world."

"Ah?" The King of Joseon paused for a moment. "Oh dear, I forgot about that. So, Your Majesty, what do you want? Do you want sea dog kidney?"

"No."

"What about Korean ginseng?" the King of Joseon asked again.

"Don't either."

The King of Joseon thought for a long time but couldn't think of anything to offer: "Then we just made some agar-agar dishes, a special kind of agar-agar dish from Joseon."

[Note: "沈菜" is the original word for a type of pickled food called "辛奇". The pronunciation of "沈菜" in Korean is "辛奇". It's similar to how "Cholsan County, Pyonganbuk-do" is pronounced "Even if we're poor, we can't be poor in Shandong".]

"What use would I have for your vegetables?" Shang Luo said in a deep voice. "I've already said, let's be frank, you don't need to send anything."

"I," the King of Joseon was momentarily speechless, "I just wanted to say something to you."

"So what I mean is: you don't need to understand my meaning to talk to me. Do you understand?"

"The work of the scattered soldiers is ours." The King of Joseon seemed a little too direct. "Sang Cheon-gun, you cannot take away our work."

"Is this important to you?"

"It is extremely important. North Korea's current status is entirely due to the bloodshed it shed for the royal army. If you do not allow North Koreans to shed blood, you will be jeopardizing our future."

"Well then, why don't you tell me your needs?"

"Demands? No, no, no, I dare not."

Shangluo shook his head: "The demands I'm referring to are what you want. I don't like beating around the bush, so you can tell me directly if you have any ideas. Do you think we should give the North Koreans more screen time, or do you plan to reduce the screen time for the soldiers from the lower realm?"

"Let us have more playing time."

“Hey, that’s right,” Shangluo replied. “Why didn’t you say so earlier? Sure, I can find you more roles—oh right, there’s one right now.”

"Now?"

Shangluo nodded: "Actually, the prisons in the lower realm are short of some jailers. I think it would be better to have your people do the work than to let them guard themselves."

This is a tough job, extremely tough. The rotation is measured in years, meaning you have to stay in the lower realm year-round. Because of the different flow of time, communication between the lower and upper realms is virtually impossible.

This means that the prison guards who were sent down were no different from those who were exiled.

However, North Koreans have always been adept at this kind of arduous work. Rather than drawing personnel from the Imperial Guard to perform such menial tasks, it's better to outsource it directly to the hardworking North Koreans. North Koreans are known for their ability to endure hardship, so they have endless hardships to endure.

"Give me a list," Shang Luo said. "I'll arrange jobs for your people."

"Thank you! Thank you! Oh, by the way, Mr. Shang, it's true that I wanted to rent a photography studio. I've wanted to for a long time, but I just haven't had the opportunity. Now that we're meeting, I want to finalize this."

"I thought you were just trying to make a token gesture. The usage fee doesn't need to be as much as 200 million. 180 million would be more like it."

"Very well!" The King of Joseon did not hesitate for a moment.

"So what exactly do you want to film?"

"It's nothing, just a period comedy."

(End of this chapter)