Chapter 29: Fourth Episode: Chapter 2 (2/2)

Roment wanted to continue arguing, but another minister waiting in the Emperor's study had decided to stand up and say something at the same time.

”Your Majesty, I have mobilized a capable team from the Secret Service Department to deal with the incident of leaked documents. Please believe that I have sent our best spies, and I believe they will soon return to Titan with some useful information.”

If it had been someone else that said so, Alfa III would have casted his scornful eyes on him, but the person who spoke was Rudolf Hoss. The leader of the Secret Service Department was well-known throughout the entire Westland for being truthful and reliable. As an intelligence analyst and a real espionage activist, what Rudolf Hoss said often became reality in the near future.

The Emperor believed Rudolf's words, but he still shook his head helplessly. In a way, Alfa III's thoughts contradicted with his words. Emotionally, he believed his Secretary of State was not at fault, at least in the aspect of his loyalty, but rationally, Alfa III had always wondered whether his own reasoning had led him to make the right judgments.

The change of candidate for the position of Secretary of State appeared to be a foregone conclusion. According to logical convention, the beneficiary of this incident would most likely be accused as the suspect who had framed Duke Robert Carter Brickfield. However, Alfa III knew there were no signs that showed that old Kachev was involved in this matter. When the Financial Council of the Secretary of State was ‘becoming buddies' with the empire's Ministry of Finance, this shrewd old man had only begun his secret journey to Dulin.

Alfa III never stopped keeping an eye on Duke Kachev Drakas. The emperor was extremely fearful of this old monster that had manipulated the whole Westland before. Over the years, the Secret Service Department had been keeping surveillance over the retired minister on a highly confidential level.

The emperor thought that the old monster could be excluded from this incident.

”Oscar?” Alfa III almost ruled out in an instant this young fellow that suddenly appeared in his mind. This young fellow did not yet have the ability to weave such a flawless plan to frame the Secretary of State. Moreover, he had no reason to do so. The Knighting Ceremony was a blanket of security to keep him well-protected, hence Brickfield could never have the chance to harm him in any way.

So, it seemed that Robs had only himself to blame for his current situation. At the thought of this poor man, the emperor could not help but felt a little somber. No matter what, Robs had been his loyal Secretary of State for more than a decade.

The emperor finally figured out what was the problem. As far as the entire process was concerned, from the arrest of Robert Carter Brickfield to his final trial, all these happened under the emperor's command. He had already completed the first step, and now only left the final step. Although that last step would have Alfa III branded as ‘ungrateful', and even if the emperor really did not want that to happen, there seemed to be no reason not to do so. The emperor's worried expression had changed. Out of consideration for the country, this matter should be settled as quickly as possible.

”Hoss, your efforts are undoubtedly right. Even if we cannot retrieve those documents, we can still create some trouble for the enemy.”

”And Roment, it definitely would be best for Robs to plead guilty and confess himself, but…well, towards the outside world, just tell them the former Secretary of State Duke Robert Carter Brickfield and his family members have committed serious economic crimes. What's your thought on this?”

Roment let out a sigh of relief, ”Yes, Your Majesty. Absolutely.”

Alfa III seemed relieved, too, ”Alright, it can only be so.”

***************

”That's it?”

”That's it. At the moment this is the most I can do.” Baron Thomas Aulet answered Doramy Basinger's question. He had heard of the legacy of the King of Sins from his father, and now meeting the legacy face to face the baron felt even more genuine respect towards the man.

”Oscar, I want to hear your explanation.” Doramy Basinger turned towards the young prince.

The young man put out the cigar. He still kept the same crazed smile as before, it seemed like he was still not quite right in the head. ”Oh, dear Doramy, can you satisfy my curiosity before I answer your question?”

The King of Sins shrugged nonchalantly.

”Did you not go south with that fellow Wystan to smuggle some weapons? Why are you now back at my side all of a sudden?”

That question piqued everyone's interest. The King of Sins was the kind of person who would find a way out no matter where they went or what they did, but the man now looked as wan and sallow as a refugee.

Doramy was extremely annoyed at the mentioning of that Wystan fellow. He had had enough grievances along the way. ”Don't mention that stupid fellow! I went with him all the way down south only to find out that it was not a smuggling business that he wanted to do. That stupid fellow was planning to rob the arms depot of Kremberg with only the few weapons that he managed to gather. Even though I'm the King of Sins, but I'm not crazy! There is a whole military blockade over there! I believe that fella must have by now been chased by the Imperial Cavalry.”

”Hahahahahaha! Wystan is still as creative as before! But why are you the one that's running helter-skelter?” Oscar said before putting another glass of whiskey into his mouth.

”Hah, have you forgotten that the real King of Sins is still in Damorga? I'm just an imposter, but I have already made too many enemies.”

In fact, Oscar was well aware of the situation of the King of Sins. It seemed that now he was the only person in the world that could take in poor Doramy.

”Well, now you no longer have to worry about these things. Don't you think that The Lair is an ideal place for you to call home? Besides, the rest of us are all here.”

”Haha little guy! You have finally brought it up. Do you not realize the problem of this situation? Yes, you have now controlled the entire Lair, which means that you have got all of Dulin's illegal business income, and also took control over the center of the financing network of Dulin's Underworld. However, those men working under you, I believe originally belonged to the mafias you acquainted in prison before? So how sure are you that your men now would stay loyal to you no matter what?”

Oscar put down the glass and listened attentively.

”Young man, remember that the Underworld functions by loyalty. Even though those men are under your control at the moment, but they have been branded by their previous families and organizations respectively with an indelible imprint. In other words, in the near future, the real bosses who will take over Dulin are those of their former mafia leaders.”

”Besides, my dear Oscar, you are undoubtedly excellent, but I want to tell you that the Underworld is much more than just the underground association in Damorga. The real Underworld, for example, is like a grand hotel. As the hotel owner you can, of course, keep changing your staff members, chefs, menus, but do you realize that they are actually the main ingredients to creating a delicious feast? So think about it, sacking your staff, troubling your chefs, or keep developing new menus, would doing these things actually help you in the long run?”

Oscar shook his head. Indeed, that made no sense at all, what was most important was the feast, the quality of the end product.

The King of Sins comfortably lay supine on the sofa. ”Taking hundreds of lives does not solve the problem, and your approach of gobbling up all the groups is doing nothing more than disgusting other hotels' owners. Although you possess the King's Heraldry of the Titan's Underworld, but don't you forget that it was the fair and just foundation that has gotten you this far. But now, your hotel has completely violated this one requirement, you even colluded with the Ministry of Justice to massacre your friends from the Underworld. In all honesty, if it was not for your high status, I am positive the big mafia leaders would have long ago united to form a team aiming to tear down your hotel.”

The hallucinogen drugs seemed to have finally been flushed out of Oscar's body and he felt a bit of heavy pressure on his neck. He had completely digested the words of the King of Sins, but he could actually sum up that whole speech with a word - rules.

The rules of the game in the Underworld was not as simple as the law of the jungle. It resembled a chess game, even if eradicating all your opponent's chess pieces would naturally lead to victory, but would it be necessary? Sometimes just by moving one step would have made you the winner already.

Oscar's mind suddenly broadened and he realized he had been looking at the matter from a wrong perspective. Men scattered, cooks died, the menu has changed, but the hotel still needs to open for business. He would still have to hire more men and new cooks! And the updated menu would not necessarily be more popular among the diners!

If one wished to calculate the turning points that occurred in O'Neil Andrew Morisette's lifetime, at least this conversation with the King of Sins in this small club could be counted as one. Oscar discovered a new strategy of playing the game, which was essential to set his own rules. For example, one would still lose the game even if they had all the opponent's chess pieces. It was simple, Oscar's rules. Only when one became above the game then they would not have to worry about the outcome, because they already had the most upper hand between heaven and earth - they made the rules. This way of thinking, to put himself above everyone else was deeply rooted in the young man's mind.

”Doramy, according to your logic, soon I would inevitably become the enemy of the entire Titan's gangs, and some guys with ulterior motives would certainly widely publicize this false idea. By then, Dulin, this piece of juicy fat meat would naturally ignite their greed, and I would have been pressured to death by the rules of the game. When that happens, a mere killer or assassination group could solve all problems. Then the mafia bosses could re-decorate the hotel and soon enough it would be open for business smoothly once again.”

The King of Sins did not need to further affirm the young man's thoughts. He believed that with the wisdom of O'Neil Andrew Morisette, this young guy would have no problem getting to the crux of the problem.

”What if I change the methods of operating the business?”

This time it became Doramy Basinger's turn to be confused. ”No! You won't be able to do that!”

”Why not? I have cleansed the territory, I am the King of Titan's Underworld. I have the absolute support of many influential big families such as the Sirsi Mafia, the Crelinis, and Wystan Thieves' Guild. Why can't I change the rules?”

Ricky the Liar also realized the seriousness of the matter, ”Tell us about your ideas. You must already have a way I assume?” Although he believed that the young fatty absolutely had the ability to change the rules, but he did not think that it was something that could be done with just a few words.

Oscar lit another cigar, he fully believed in his own judgment.

”My friends, it has come to my realization that all the resources in the Underworld are owned by different territory owners, and disputes occur mostly because of the division of interest. If I completely open the borders of my territory, can you imagine what kind of situation it would become?”

Doramy Basinger put his hands on the top of his head. He could not figure out what would happen if the young man actually proceeded with that idea. As far as he knew, no mafia leader could tolerate the presence of other forces in his own territory for business. When this kind of situation was encountered, no doubt it would ignite a huge battle between the opposing parties which could only be resolved with blood and dead bodies.

Baron Thomas Aulet trusted his young master with all his might to the point where he would just blindly obedient to all his orders. ”Your Highness, no matter what your decision is, I will do exactly what you order.”

Oscar shook his head lightly, for it was not something that could be simply completed overnight. ”Gentlemen, do you hear me? What I call for is an organized, purposeful opening of territories.”

”There can be many partners in a hotel. Weren't there a couple of very successful alliances in the Underworld? In my opinion, territories are still the root of all business activities, and the management of territories would still need to be by the sole big boss. Take me as an example, I would have the final say for every transaction and dispute that happens in The Lair, but the actual management of the businesses, for instance gambling houses, clubhouses, opium business, prostitution sites, all these could be handled by a certain family or a specific organization. In other words, in my territories under my care, one family or one organization can participate in only one business, but I would ensure they have maximum control over the said business.”

Ricky had finally grasped the whole concept and came to the realization that he really admired this young fatty sitting in front of him. The prince's idea seemed to be exactly the same as the emerging business organization called the ‘Company' in the Engels Kingdom. But being a member of the Underworld himself, Ricky knew no family or gang would stick to this seemingly profitable rule. Instead, they would be more likely to fight over what they think they deserved, in the most primitive way, that is to fight bloodily as soon as conflict arises around their interests.

Ricky could not hold it in anymore. ”This is undoubtedly a clever plan, but Oscar, you obviously ignored the motive of competition. No one cannot be tempted with interests and benefits. Let's say you hired a family to act as your chef, but how do you guarantee that the other families would not kill them in order to replace their position?”

Oscar laughed lightly. ”Ricky, of course I did not neglect the competition. There can be no development without competition, but in my rules, competition is approached from a different way. Just as our King of Sins had made it clear just now that killing is not a good way to solve the problem, I will not encourage competition by fight or murder, instead, it will even be an entirely reasonable and legitimate competition.”

The young fatty became excited. In fact, he felt that way all night, but now he had arrived at the peak of mental consciousness.

”My dear friends, think about it this way: Rules are not something abstract or invisible. Just like the Titan Codes, the rules that were scoffed by people from the Underworld, it is carved in tall stones tens of meters high. So why can not my rules be conveyed in this written form too?”

”Ricky, you are afraid that the mafia leaders would fight their way through, but I do not think so. See, you have overlooked the most crucial issue, that is me. What is my role in this whole situation? Why do I want to open up my territories for?”

”Interests! Money! I am in this whole plan for the benefits it would bring me. Wouldn't it be better for me to support the businesses within my own territory? Doramy had provided us with a detailed analysis a little while ago about the natural behavior of the people of the Underworld, they are filled with greed and desire, especially when it comes to things that they can't get a hold of, so why should I risk my own life to fight with them? They can come into my territory to manage my businesses and I will only be charging them a small fee. I believe many people will then compete to conduct business with me, then whom do I choose to be my partner? The logic is very simple, the control will fall into the hands of the highest bidder. As for me, I will guarantee that their franchise and rights would not be infringed upon, and my other operators would also have the obligation to protect my sites from infringement. Also, the benefits can be accumulated and appreciated, in other words, the franchise to my businesses would have its intended effectiveness. Once their operating rights expire, I would then withdraw the site in question and resell the franchise to another buyer in the same way, and it would fall to the next highest bidder!”

Doramy suddenly slapped his thigh hard, ”Boy! I finally figured out that awkward point in your whole plan. How do you ensure you still have total control over your sites? According to your approach, you're basically letting those franchise operators take over control of your territories. Do you actually think people in the Underworld care about your rules?”

Oscar's eyes gleamed. ”No! No! No! I do not let them control my site, only to manage my site. There is a huge difference between the two terms, control and manage. As for the guys who do not play along with my rules, haha! Doramy, have you forgotten who I am? You should take a trip back to Damorga to help refresh your memory. Me, I am the mighty O'Neil Andrew Morisette!”

No one voiced out their objections again. The teenager that was slightly high in his mind just a moment ago had now suddenly become a fierce tiger in the woods. The few gentlemen in the room seemed to have not yet accustomed to the sudden change of atmosphere.

The King of Sins - Domary Basinger had a lifeless look in his eyes, Ricky was mumbling softly to himself, Thomas was extremely excited and was on his toes waiting for the master's order. On the other hand, both the Poison Doctor Percy and the hedgehog Sakya had already been snoozing.

The only considerably sane person in the little parlor was the bear-looking strong man who was standing by the door. The younger brother of Domingo from the Prisoner Self-Management Committee was good with his two-handed axes. He was the little beast who had just been released from the den of monsters. In short, he was Godot.

Oscar looked him and asked for his opinion on the speech. ”Godot, you're already one of us, so act like one. Do you have anything, comments or criticism on what was said earlier?”

”Reputable Brother Balance, I totally agree with you. Uh…I have noticed that, the girl named Nuna does have perfect circular muscles.”

”Uh…thanks, Godot. I have to admit, you are the best among everyone else here…”