Chapter 45 - Volume 3 (1/2)
On the same day Isaac had his meeting with Mazelan when both cities were still engrossed in the excitement from the Grand Ca.n.a.l Race, Isaac met up with a secretive group Soland had gathered. Isaac’s plan was simply to rob Port City Casino’s safe. Port City was doing exactly what Isaac originally planned to do with his own casino – using it as a front for money laundering. The fastest way to both hinder the casino and destroy its credibility was to rob the place clean.
To do this, Isaac used Soland to a.s.semble the greatest and largest heist crew, along with the legendary heister nicknamed ‘The Master Key’ to get the job done.
Isaac provided them with all the equipment and funds they demanded, and if necessary, he didn’t hesitate to recruit inside men through blackmail and bribery.
The original aim for the Grand Ca.n.a.l Race was to act as a distraction to cover up the heist. However, after hearing of the unprecedented intrigue that ran deep below the city, Isaac thought of another way to destroy the casino completely , and it succeeded. On a side note, Isaac also got a list of people who were quick to abandon s.h.i.+p and tried to move elsewhere the moment things turned shaky.
“Why’s everyone so mute? Shouldn’t you guys at least say a word of congratulations to me, who managed to win against impossible odds using my own life?”
Atop the rooftop of New Port City’s City Hall, all of the merchant employees and Isaac’s hubaes stood still with their heads down, unable to utter a single word.
Cordnell was the exception; he still couldn’t process what had happened. The expression on his face was an infinite cycle of a dumbfounded look, a broad smile, and a frown.
Isaac lit a new cigarette as he savoured to gla.s.s of fruit wine Rizzly had poured for him.
“Hm, maybe it’s because I haven’t had it in a while, but the wine seems to have gotten even better.”
“Hahaha. Thank you for your compliment.”
Lanburton nodded wholeheartedly as he laughed. Both Rizzly and Lanburton may feel great right now since they were free of any crimes, but for the merchant employees and hubaes, this was the last place they wanted to be in.
“How… how could a triple pair come out at that moment?”
Cordnell asked the question blankly, still unable to determine whether this was a dream or reality.
“Obviously because I was lucky.”
“But it’s not something that could happen by just being lucky!”
“Well, you have a point.”
“I knew it! You rigged it somehow, didn’t you?”
Cordnell shouted out when Isaac avoided the question by muttering to himself. Isaac quickly put on an innocent act when he was accused by Cordnell.
“Hey! Watch what you’re saying! Rigged the game you say? It was an honest battle, fair and square.”
‘Impossible.’
n.o.body on the roof believed a shred of what Isaac had said. But despite being sure of it, they didn’t have the evidence to prove it. On the outside, it really looked like Isaac had won the battle through sheer luck.
It was the casino that demanded Isaac check the dice at the start, and just before the final game, they asked him to check again. It was Isaac who pleaded that they cancel the bet, and the casino refused. Now that Isaac had won the game, the casino must take the responsibility and pay up the exorbitant winnings.
Already, news of this legendary battle had spread throughout the Empire through the Communicators. Most people would simply be awed and excited by what had happened, but there were groups of people who couldn’t be as happy about the outcome. And the employees and hubaes were one of them.
Isaac began to speak, and every time he uttered a word, a cloud of smoke puffed out from his mouth. Cordnell, who was still looking at Isaac with suspicion, and the hubaes, who wouldn’t dare look into Isaac’s eyes, listened.
“You see, humans tend to lose their senses when a large sum of money is being waved right in front of them, even though it becomes super obvious if they just think for a moment. They can’t even step back and observe the bigger picture. Cordnell.”
“Yes?”
Isaac snickered when Cordnell answered politely.
“Why don’t you call me a b.a.s.t.a.r.d like before?”
Baffled, Cordnell quickly tried to make an excuse.
“I, I must have lost my senses back then.”
“Hm, I understand. It’s difficult to keep a straight head when so much money is involved.”
“I don’t think that’s the right context…”
“I told you that it’ll only take one game right?”
“Hehehe….”
Isaac arrogantly boasted about what had happened, and Cordnell could only suppress the anger rising inside him and laugh awkwardly. At the end of the day, Isaac did do as he said.
Cordnell suddenly came to a realisation and asked Isaac a question with worry on his face.
“But… will Port City really pay up the money?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, the amount they must pay isn’t something even remotely possible, right?”
“I think you’re mistaken.”
“Sorry?”
“It’s not Port City that needs to pay up but the owners and shareholders of the casino.”
“Isn’t that the same? It’s the four who really rule Port City.”
“Ha, really? Isn’t it the mayor who reigns supreme in the city?”
“Huh?”
Isaac snickered with a face of a child trying to keep a secret. And it was at this moment that Soland and the other syndicate bosses entered the rooftop.
“How did it go?”
Soland replied with a snicker.
“They applied for an extension on the payment’s date using the robbery as an excuse, but they fainted the moment I showed them the verdict declared by the Department of Law.”
“Wait, a verdict?”
Cordnell asked the question that everyone was itching to know the answer to.
“Huh? It’s nothing. I just wanted to know what would happen if I can’t pay for someone when they’ve won a large sum. As you know, the laws aren’t exactly prepared for this kind of thing yet. So I used my rights as a Lord’s Representative and sent an official doc.u.ment to the Department of Law to receive an answer. What will happen if the casino says ‘tough, you get nothing.’”
“A, and?”
Soland replied instead of Isaac.
“The Department of Law declared that the casino must immediately pay for all of the winnings the moment it incurs the debt. No exceptions. If the casino cannot pay for all of the winnings, then the responsibility falls to the owners and shareholders of the casino. The amount they must pay is proportional to how the size of their share in the casino. If some of these owners and shareholders go bankrupt, the responsibility falls to the others and their underlings to pay off the winnings.”
Everyone was at a loss for words after Soland finished. If an official doc.u.ment had been sent to the Department of Law, it would mean that the Commissioner and all of the high court officials had gathered in a meeting to discuss this matter.
With a verdict favourable to Isaac, Port City had no choice but to pay up.
“Wait! When did you send this doc.u.ment?”
Cordnell quickly realised that the time it took to process didn’t make sense and shouted out. When an official doc.u.ment is sent to the Department of Law, it must be thoroughly dissected and a.n.a.lysed before a verdict comes out. On average, it takes half a year to one year before the results are out.
“Huh? I sent that when we first opened up our casino. It’s a good thing the verdict came out right on time. We got lucky.”
“Don’t tell me that you’ve been planning for the whole thing the moment Port City opened their casino.”
Isaac quickly waved his hand as an act of innocence.
“Hey! Watch what you say! You’re making it sound as if I planned all of this.”
So he did plan it!
Everyone shouted out in their mind. Everyone’s suspicions were now confirmed despite Isaac’s pleas of innocence and the lack of evidence.
“W, what insane plot is this! What would you have done if this plan were to fail?”
Isaac replied nonchalantly to Cordnell.
“I’d just die if I failed.”
“How could you say that so casually?”
Cordnell shouted in frustration.
“Because I wouldn’t die alone.”
“What?”
“You see those syndicate bosses? We made a promise that although we were born on different days, we would at least die together. Ah! This only counts if I die. Aren’t they so loyal? I didn’t ask them to, but they insisted on dying with me. Hahaha.”
Everyone looked to the syndicate bosses when Isaac finished speaking and had an epiphany when they saw the expressions the syndicate bosses were making.
During the time when everyone thought Isaac was done for and desperately tried to save their own skins by embezzling, the syndicate bosses, who should have been the most proactive to do so, were eerily pa.s.sive. On top of that, there were always a number of North Bears who followed each syndicate boss wherever they travelled. Everyone mocked the syndicate bosses for those acts, thinking that they were simply boasting about their strength. But in truth, they were being watched the whole time.
“Um… there is one problem.”
“Problem?”
Soland, who had been looking for an opportunity to speak, hesitantly spoke out his words.
“While we were going through the list of shareholders for the casino, we found out that one person had pulled out from the entire ordeal.”
“Hm?”
Isaac pressured Soland to continue with silence, his eyes coldly narrowing.
“Z, Zeroman sold all of his shares related to the casino a few days ago and pulled out of the business.”
“Zeroman is…”
“He’s the man who holds the rights to the southern waterways.”
“He pulled out of the whole thing, you said?”
“Yes. He sold all of his shares to the remaining three.”
“So that means I have no way to drag him into the mess?”
Tension built up in Soland’s mind as Isaac visibly became increasingly irritated.
“Did someone have an ulterior motive? No, if that’s the case, then Zeroman would have been more active than just pulling out… Is he just sharp? Lucky man.”