Chapter 55 - Volume 4 (1/2)

The news of the Arc Royale’s intervention spread like wildfire. The presence of the Arc Royale in an area absent of the Emperor was something that had never happened in the past, and witnessing the Emperor through the Communicator made everyone realize how convenient their lives had become.

Isaac was now going to be recorded in history as the first to receive the Emperor with a Communicator alongside his conversation with the Emperor. Isaac’s madness was revealed to the world with his reckless behavior and witty sarcasm in the presence of the Emperor. People wondered who in the world would be able to put a leash on that mad dog.

Meanwhile, Isaac was also having a tough time. He could not figure out the intentions behind the Emperor’s actions. Did this incident require the Emperor’s intervention? No. The death of the two thousand people? Provincial wars happened all the time. At its largest, hundreds of thousands of men clashed against each other, and the deaths of two thousand were too weak of a reason for an Emperor to question Isaac personally.

It must have meant that there was another reason, but it was a mystery. The Emperor sat above all law. So with the Emperor’s verdict, all of the problems entailed in this situation were buried six feet under.

Well, it wasn’t impossible for Isaac to find out what was happening, but it was just too much of a bother. Everything that Isaac had done so far was in retaliation, and there wasn’t enough motivation this time.

“Tsk. I am curious, but it’s annoying to act. It feels like everything’s getting busy as I stand on the sidelines, but I feel like I’ll regret it if I do find out…”

Although that’s what Isaac said, he was well aware that the peace he had before was beyond his reach now. This was the Emperor’s decree. The Emperor didn’t mention anything like easing the conditions or nullifying the mission that was given to Isaac. He only guaranteed the wealth which Isaac had collected up until now. All of the other conditions were still at hand.

Well, the only difference now was that if he were to fail, the Arc Royale would be more than happy to pay Isaac a visit and behead him. Isaac’s enemies were surely aware of this fact and would do whatever they could to disrupt Isaac’s mission.

“I don’t like having unfinished business like this…”

In this world without religion, the Emperor was the G.o.d. The battle in New Port City, which was just a proxy war resulting from factional infighting, cascaded into the global spotlight with just one word from the Emperor.

Isaac lit a cigarette. This choyu leaf was really a strange thing. How should one put it, it made Isaac feel smarter. It was almost as if smoking it was like drinking a potion of intelligence, accelerating his brain and deepening his wisdom.

“I guess I need to figure out who my friends and foes are.”

Although the situation was resolved thanks to the Emperor, it was still wise to identify allies and enemies in order to prepare for the future.

The breakout of provincial war, the Empire playing favorites with the Marquis, and even the Emperor joining in on the issue must have happened because of some form of an agreement made within a complicated political situation.

Leaving the Emperor aside, Isaac considered himself a rank 1 knight who was rich and had a single city under him, while the Marquis possessed one of the most powerful factions in the Empire’s government. Isaac could understand the Marquis’ motives. Just possessing treasure is a crime when you are weak. What Isaac couldn’t understand was Mazelan. Was the Marquis strong enough to exile him?

Impossible!

Then what if the Marquis and Count Milros joined forces? And if they brought the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds and Port City into the fold too?

Even after all that, it’d still have been impossible.

Mazelan’s family was connected to the royal family and Duke Pendleton. Although it is almost impossible to ascend, he is still technically a legitimate candidate as a successor to the throne. He was royalty. n.o.body held enough of a grudge to send Mazelan into exile. The risk of being ruined by the hands of the royal family was too great. All Mazelan did was simply be on Isaac’s side.

Then was there another faction who was strong enough to exile Mazelan? There was.

“Central?”

When Isaac’s thoughts reached that conclusion, his face darkened and Rizzly flinched. So much of Central’s power was beyond comprehension that even Rizzly would flinch at its name. If the Empire’s government held authority over only the humans, Central controlled the entire continent, no matter which race one was.

If Central did intervene, it explained why Mazelan was exiled and why the Empire’s government aided the Marquis.

But what was the reason Central intervened?

“… It must be money.”

Isaac instantly understood. It was the most basic yet most crucial resource for an organisation, especially one as complex and large as Central. It was a mystery as to how they manage to acquire the funds, but their extreme secrecy also meant that they required a ma.s.sive slush fund.

As Isaac was more and more convinced that money was the reason, he began to understand why Central wanted New Port City. Central was an organisation beyond the bounds of law, tampering in both legal and illegal activities alike. They needed the funds, but it needed to be an unofficial one in order to avoid requesting the Department of Finance for funds. Then where could they gain the funds?

The simplest solution is to acquire it themselves secretly.

New Port City was the perfect place to do so. It was already a city of crime, so no matter what activities they performed, they simply needed to set up a puppet and Central would never be found out.

And with the smuggling trade already firmly in place and Isaac developing the market even further, it was prey too enticing to pa.s.s on.

“Tsk, they should have just asked me to give it to them. I’d have happily obliged.”

If it was all started because of money, then it was easy for Isaac to react. He could have made a deal where the Central would protect him from the shadows, and in return, Isaac would become their subordinate.

It even explained why the Emperor was involved in this incident. The incident Isaac had caused proved beyond the expectations of Central, and one of the largest fires in history was bound to get the Empire’s attention. This unwanted attention wasn’t what Central wanted, and in the worst case scenario, Central’s name might have been revealed. The moment it did, Central would be cornered in the political world. The Emperor, who held absolute authority through Central, would also be in a tough situation because of this. Factions of n.o.bles within the court would capitalise on this incident to pressure the Emperor into ceding rights to them. So the reason the Emperor reacted so fast was to finish this incident before it became complicated.

Truth be told, this was an oversight on Isaac’s part; his thought process was still rooted in the inner workings of the old world. No one in this world would ever pressure or demand something of the Emperor. If anyone even attempted it, they would be erased along with their family by the Arc Royale.

Although they exist, they do not rule.

The Emperor had almost no work. He would show his face in festivals, and only in the most sensitive and significant situations did he make the decisions. The rest of the administrative duties were done by the departments of the Empire.

What directed these departments was politics, and many political factions formed alliances for their own benefit. Yet the reason the Empire could rule with an iron fist was the secret intelligence and police force that was Central, the symbol of overbearing loyalty which was the Arc Royale, and the complete monopoly the royal family held over the process of printing money in the Empire. Isaac was impressed by how well the royal family controlled the situation by keeping the most important pieces themselves and leaving the rest for everyone else to fight over.

“Wait. Mazelan sunbae is also a royalty in line for succession. And Central exiled him? Wait a minute. Was it not Central, but someone even further up who intervened? Why?”

The only person above Central was the Emperor.

“Does that mean the Emperor was involved since the beginning? Wouldn’t that mess up the time frame of everything? No, if the royal family intervened, then I can understand the government forcing the provincial war through. But is there a reason that the Emperor would be so interested in this place?”

Without enough information and only more questions, Isaac shook his head and focused his mind elsewhere.

“Let’s just not think about that. I feel like it’ll just get messier the more I know.”

Although the war never officially started, there was still a lot of time required to repair the damages. Thankfully, the Emperor’s attention helped to make for an excellent advertis.e.m.e.nt.

“You do know I can’t give you the same conditions as the last time right?”

“Sigh… I accept. And I apologize.”

“What’s there to be sorry about? I mean I am disappointed that you turned your backs on me despite carrying out my end of the bargain with the investments, but I guess business is business.”

Everyone was in confusion at the baffling result of the provincial war, and the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds were no different. They cut Isaac off, a.s.sured that there was no way he was going to live another day. But it turned out to be their worst decision.

Thankfully, Isaac accepted the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds back, but they couldn’t expect the same hospitality from him. The Seven Grand Merchant Guilds were prepared to accept unfavorable conditions out of guilt, but thankfully, the only changes were that they would lose the benefits they had over the other merchant guilds. They were now on a level playing field with everyone else.

After the Communicator call ended, Isaac came back to the rooftop where he saw the merchant employees, his hubaes, the syndicate bosses, Lanburton, and Rizzly waiting for him.

“What did you tell them?”

“What else? I just took away their special privileges.”

“That’s a relief.”

Cordnell, who was silent as Isaac walked up, made a sigh of relief after hearing Isaac. Cordnell was no longer an employee of the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds, since he refused to follow their orders.

With Isaac’s wealth guaranteed under the Emperor’s decree, the merchant guilds hung onto Cordnell, who was perhaps their only remaining connection to Isaac, and begged for forgiveness.

Unable to ignore them, Cordnell mentioned the guilds’ pleas and Isaac surprisingly accepted.

“Before that, make another Communicator room on the roof.”

“Huh? Why? We already have one in city hall.”

“It’s annoying to walk down there.”

“Then, it’s going to cost us double for maintenance.”

“So?”

Isaac looked back, as if he were asking what the problem was. Cordnell sighed. It was the most pointless expenditure, but Isaac did have enough wealth to consider another installation a non-issue.

Isaac threw himself into his designated chair. In front of him sat everyone who left when the war was announced.

“So why are you guys still here?”

There was no reason for this lot, who were brought here forcefully by the Arc Royale, to stay. Everyone around him simply coughed dryly as they avoided Isaac’s eyes in awkward silence.

Isaac’s eyes narrowed. Their intentions were obvious. The mission to stabilize New Port City was now decreed by the Emperor himself. That meant that if they succeeded, the reward they’d receive would be a king’s bounty. It would secure the future of them and their families for generations to come. Isaac smirked at their plain motivations and spoke.

“Do I look like a nice enough person to take back those who betrayed me?”

Everyone who avoided eye contact with Isaac was in shock as they looked back at Isaac.

“But the Seven Grand Merchant…”

“If the merchant guilds come back, their profits lead straight into my pocket. But employing you guys means that money would be leaving my pocket. It is pure greed for you guys to come back here after taking your share of the money just because it has become safe again.”

“But…”

“Fine, you can come back if you really want to. But! I cannot give you the same conditions as last time, just like the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds. I have to discriminate to separate you lot from those who stayed with me till the end. Otherwise, it’s just not fair. Your pay will be what is considered normal for administering a city, and considering our friends.h.i.+p until now, I won’t demand that you give back all the money you guys embezzled from me. However, if I see any of you doing it again, I will sue you on the spot and file a lawsuit to repossess your wealth. If you still want to work knowing that, then you’re free to come back.”

Isaac coldly finished talking, but everyone else’s moods brightened and they nodded happily.

“And didn’t you guys say you’d all leave me?”

Isaac’s question was met with Cordnell and hubaes’ shameless smile.

“Where else could we possibly go to?”

“We’ll stay here even if you demanded that we leave.”

Now even those who left were coming back. The honor of acting out the Emperor’s will was greater than the notoriety they’d gained from setting the city on fire.