Black Corporation: Joseon

“What is this?”

Sejong, holding the pencil Hyang had presented through a court lady, asked with a face full of curiosity.

“It’s a writing tool made using ink stone.”

“Ink stone? Wasn’t that only used as a lubricant after being ground into powder?”

At Sejong’s question, Hyang answered with a smile.

“It’s a material with many uses.”

***

When graphite was first discovered, the first thing Hyang had to do was name it.

“The ‘yeon’ in graphite is the ‘yeon’ (鉛) for lead, but if we include lead in the name now, no one will understand, right?”

Graphite was the name given by directly translating ‘Black Lead’ into Chinese characters, a name given in Europe where lead was used as a writing tool, meaning ‘black lead’.

After pondering for a moment, Hyang immediately decided on a name.

“Considering where it will be used most, let’s call it mukseok (墨石, ink stone).”

After naming it thus, Hyang put the graphite into the specimen room as it was.

“Mukseok? Hmm…”

Of course, the managers and craftsmen of the research institute and Area 51 tilted their heads, but soon agreed and moved on.

“It’s a fitting name since it’s pitch black and easily stains hands.”

Although the name mukseok was decided, where it was first used didn’t match its name.

Where graphite was first and most usefully used was as a lubricant for various machines.

Because the supply of lubricating oil or cooling oil was not smooth, finely ground graphite was used in large quantities in the engine parts of machines that needed lubricants.

As a result, even the idiomatic expressions Hyang was familiar with changed.

The phrase “eating oil rice” commonly used by factory workers changed to “eating stone powder rice.”

Graphite was a versatile entity. Apart from being used as a lubricant, it was also heavily coated on granular gunpowder to make it safe for storage.

Thus, graphite, which had been usefully used in places far from the name given in anticipation of its original use, was finally made into pencils.

***

“So how do you use this? Surely you’re not saying to dip this blunt end in ink and write?”

To Sejong’s question, which was mixed with a strong feeling of disappointment, Hyang explained how to use it.

“You can sharpen it by putting it in the sharpener placed next to it.”

“Sharpener?”

Sejong picked up the small cylinder placed next to the pencil. At the front of the frame, which had been polished with resin, there was a hole large enough for a pencil to enter, and below it was a small drawer.

“Let’s see…”

Scratch, scratch.

After inserting the pencil into the hole and turning it a few times, Sejong pulled out the pencil. Seeing the front part gradually sharpened to a point, Sejong put the pencil back into the hole and turned it again.

“It’s done when the ink stone is sharpened to a point.”

“You’re telling me early.”

Chiding Hyang’s additional explanation, Sejong finished sharpening the pencil and looked at Hyang with the sharply pointed pencil.

“It looks more like a weapon than a writing tool.”

“It’s a writing tool.”

“Hmm…”

Tilting his head slightly, Sejong still moved the pencil on a blank paper.

“Oh!”

Lightly exclaiming at the writing sensation of the pencil, completely different from brushes or metal pens, Sejong instantly filled a whole sheet of paper.

Looking at the characters written on the paper, Sejong nodded.

“It’s good! It’s truly a good writing tool. Especially…”

Pausing briefly, Sejong continued looking at Kim Jeom.

“As it wears down with use and eventually disappears, needing to be newly acquired, it will be a money-maker.”

At Sejong’s evaluation, Kim Jeom’s eyes sparkled, but he didn’t forget to point out the problem.

“But brushes and metal pens are already widely used. Wouldn’t it be too much to become a competitor?”

Before Hyang could answer Kim Jeom’s point, Sejong spoke first.

“However, this writing tool doesn’t need to grind ink, and there’s no need to carry an ink bottle, so it’s much more convenient.”

“Ah! My thinking was short-sighted.”

Explaining the strengths of the pencil to Kim Jeom, Sejong turned to Jo Mal-saeng.

“It seems it would be quite useful in the military as well.”

At Sejong’s words, Jo Mal-saeng immediately nodded.

“I was thinking the same thing. It would be especially useful for commanders operating in the northern regions.”

Ink was very inconvenient when riding horses or urgently writing and delivering orders on the front lines. Before departing, they always had to grind ink and fill the bottles, and had to replenish the water before the ink dried up completely. Not only that, even after urgently writing an order, they couldn’t send it right away but had to wait for it to dry to some extent.

In such situations, this writing tool would certainly become the best writing tool for the military, especially for commanders.

“Hmm… Well, have you named this?”

“Please name it, Father.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

‘I can’t just call it a pencil!’

Having already named graphite as mukseok instead of graphite, he couldn’t name it pencil.

“A name… What would be good?”

Looking at the pencil in his hand and pondering for a moment, Sejong said to Hyang.

“Cheompil (尖筆) would be good. Using ‘cheom’ for pointed and ‘pil’ for brush. It’s Cheompil. The reason is this. When a scholar writes, grinding ink is not just for writing, but for composing one’s mind while grinding. It’s the same with Cheompil. Indeed, those who write to discuss something must have a sharp mind, so it would be right to sharpen one’s mind while sharpening this Cheompil.”

At Sejong’s words, Hyang immediately bowed his head and replied.

“Father’s intention is truly beautiful! I will print Father’s golden words and spread them widely along with this Cheompil!”

‘Father aimed for this! With words like that, there won’t be a single noble who claims to write in this Joseon who won’t buy it!’

As soon as Hyang’s words ended, Kim Jeom continued:

“What the Crown Prince said is truly right! It’s only natural to widely spread that Your Majesty’s deep intention is contained in this name Cheompil!”

And the subsequent situation proceeded as Hyang had predicted. Large papers with Sejong’s words were attached to the Cheompil counters in the government monopoly stores, and seeing those sentences, the scholar-officials across Joseon had to buy at least one box of 10.

“‘One must sharpen one’s mind.’ That’s right, it’s only natural for a scholar-official to sharpen one’s mind before discussing. Indeed! Ahem!”

The sales of Cheompil, which started to gain traction with scholar-officials like this, soon spread throughout Joseon.

“This is unexpectedly convenient?”

The advantage of not having to grind ink every time was Cheompil’s greatest strength. Peddlers traveling long distances, those engaged in occupations that required a lot of writing, and carpenters at construction sites soon began to live with Cheompil in their hands.

***

When Henry’s party, who had boarded the Iron Horse early in the morning, arrived in Hanseong, it was around sunset.

“What kind of country is this…”

Looking at the Han River from the Iron Horse carriage crossing the iron bridge over it, Henry uttered what had now become a habit.

Even with two islands – Neobeol Island and Bam Island – in the middle, the remaining width of the Han River was enormously wide.

Nowhere in Europe had he seen or heard of a bridge crossing a river with such width.

Even more terrifying was…

“Prince! Look closely at this bridge! It’s made of iron!”

“I see that too…”

Henry replied in a gloomy voice to his aide’s excitement.

‘If we melted down the iron composing this bridge and made armor and weapons… We could easily arm over 100,000. Just how much iron can this country produce?’

Looking at the steel structures of the bridge with a gloomy face, Henry unconsciously muttered.

“Is it not the ‘Land of Flowers’ but the ‘Land of Steel’, the ‘Land of Cannons’?”

***

The Iron Horse that crossed the Han River stopped at Hanseong Right Station, the terminal station of the Honam Line.

As Henry’s party disembarked from the Iron Horse, a new interpreter who had been waiting in advance approached the group.

“Welcome to Hanseong.”

“Thank you.”

“A guest house has been prepared.”

“I understand.”

“And you will be able to have an audience with His Majesty in two days.”

“I understand.”

The interpreter, who had introduced the upcoming schedule, guided Henry’s party outside.

Following the interpreter, Henry’s party looked around. In the interior of the station building, which had a distinctly foreign flavor, over a hundred soldiers were lined up along the corridor.

Henry’s party swallowed dry saliva at the sight of soldiers holding guns similar to their arquebuses and soldiers wearing armor covering their entire bodies, standing in orderly fashion to welcome them.

“It’s intimidating…”

Henry muttered quietly as he looked at the soldiers.

Not only the number of soldiers, but whether they were gunners or spearmen, all the soldiers were wrapped in black from head to toe.

In this situation where the left and right were blocked by the wall of black thus created, Henry’s party became increasingly intimidated.

This black wall welcoming Prince Henry’s party was Hyang’s work.

“The sight of strutting around arrogantly when entering someone else’s country is now outdated.”

Although they had become docile nowadays, Hyang strongly remembered the arrogant behavior of Ming envoys when he was young, and persuaded Sejong to create an honor guard.

The honor guard, created by selecting particularly tall and strong soldiers from among the Inner Palace Guard and the Twelve Divisions, was intimidating from their size alone.

Moreover, the uniform unified in black from top to bottom further enhanced that sense of intimidation.

“This is truly magnificent!”

On the day he first received the honor guard’s salute, Sejong expressed great satisfaction and praised Hyang.

“You flatter me.”

While expressing humility at Sejong’s praise, Hyang was satisfied with his own work.

‘If only we could play the Imperial March here, it would be perfect!’

Hyang chuckled quietly as he imagined Darth Vader in his black studded armor walking between that honor guard with his characteristic breathing sound.

***

Receiving such a welcome – or was it intimidation? – Henry’s party, after leaving the station building, boarded the waiting rickshaws.

“Phew~”

Taking a deep breath as he was released from the stuffy atmosphere inside the station building, Henry examined the scenery of the foreign country’s capital.

“As expected, the road is paved with cement. Is this befitting a capital…”

Nodding slightly as he looked at the well-paved road, Henry turned his gaze to the surroundings.

“Huh? What’s that?”

A group of people were pulling small carts and lighting the street lamps installed along the street.

“Is it using that stone again?”

Nodding as he saw the characteristic flame color of the carbide lamp, Henry continued.

“Regardless of anything else, we must import that stone. The king would be pleased if we brighten the dark night streets of Lisbon.”

Wheee!

“Hm?”

As a sharp whistle sounded, the procession of rickshaws stopped. Henry, who straightened up in curiosity, saw a Iron Horse slowly moving along its route.

“A Iron Horse moving within the city? So that’s the rumored Iron Horse!”

As the Iron Horse passed, the stopped rickshaws began to move again. Henry, who sank deep into his chair again, began to think deeply.

‘Iron Horse… Iron Horse… If we traverse instead of circumventing?’

After thinking about various things, Henry muttered quietly.

“Do we have to join hands with those damn Muslims?”