The Role-play Experience was an idea Isaac had put out as he proceeded with the Escort Service, and even Isaac himself was surprised by how successful it became. This world allowed women the freedom to pursuit their own careers with little to no discrimination, but the range of entertainment available for women were very limited. Poetry, literary clubs, embroidery clubs and such were what they had. In a good light, they were the hobbies of elegance, but you could also describe them as very passive and stagnant.

There's a saying that no matter their age, their hearts remain maiden. It meant that all women have their romantic fantasy of their own which they dream of, and Isaac's Role-play Experience allowed these women to bring these fantasies into real life, albeit for a brief moment. This naturally led to some of the women taking the initiative and creating a script of their own to play in on top of the rough drafts Isaac had come up with. The rumours of the service spread like wildfire in parties and such, gaining popularity within not just the noble circles but among the middle class as well.

And as they say, practice makes perfect.

The once-nervous and awkward actors began to grow more natural as they performed in many more scenes. Soon, they performed flawlessly despite the large crowd, and even the audience willingly joined in on the play if they were given the opportunity.

The Role-play Experience naturally became a tourist attraction, and New Port City quickly advertised the service as one of the many attractions all guests could partake in by performing as extras for free if they wished to. The number of guests entering New Port City rose dramatically thanks to this effect.

Port City hastily tried to create a similar attraction multiple times, but they only came back empty-handed, realising that a play performed by the whole city was impossible unless it was New Port City.

And with the addition of famous authors and scriptwriters who called the service as new branch of art and culture joining the crew itself, the scenarios grew more cunning and meticulous, adding to the popularity of New Port City.

"Dear me, it looks to me like a group of NPCs in an RPG are role-playing."

Isaac muttered to himself when he received a report from Cordnell saying that the service was booked full. Isaac started to worry when he saw the women participating in these plays with more enthusiasm than the actors. He was worried that they were mistaking this fiction to be reality, but it seemed the guests were wise enough to realise that it was all fiction for now.

"Eh… The Role-play Service is fully booked up for the next six months."

It had already been six months since New Port City opened. The people who were present at the City Hall's roof for this meeting were those in charge of administration. They applauded and cheered when they heard those words from Cordnell's mouth. Their morale had been at an all-time low when Port City opened its casino at the same time as they did and news spread of Port City's casino having its golden age while the casinos in New Port City remained empty.

Many were skeptical about the possibility of success in Isaac's brilliant idea. But it did succeed, and it drew a large crowd into the city. Lanburton, perhaps the largest contributor to this success, smiled with satisfaction. Acting was a common experience in elven society, but this was their first time acting in such a large and open stage.

"I've told this before, but the Role-play Experience is just a special event. Don't focus on it too much."

Cordnell silently accepted those words from Isaac. Usually, Cordnell would have spoken back against anything Isaac would say. But the success of Isaac's idea had solidified Goldman's once-precarious situation and rewarded the Rivolden Merchant Guild with significantly increased influence among the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds thanks to the investments they'd made.

But what Isaac said was true. The success of Role-play Experience was very temporary, and future profit from this event seemed minimal. Instead, it was the other service run by the elves that was even more adored by their customers.

"The Escort Service is going very smoothly. The lack of elves that we've been worried about has been solved with more volunteers from the Reservation."

Lanburton laughed when he heard Cordnell's words.

"I am glad that they have been of help."

All the male humans in the room including Cordnell were both happy at their success and sad that when it came down to it, women preferred handsome men.

"Make sure the elves don't get too into the Escort Service. It'll be a headache when things get complicated."

What Isaac was worried about was the possibility of some women who had been seduced so heavily that they would give up their lives for it instead of enjoying it as just a 'service.'

The elves were in a league of their own when it came to beauty. And Isaac taught these elves all the skills used by gigolos and playboys to seduce the target women and sent them into the scene.

No woman failed to be conquered by the elves when they used their faces as their main weapon and sending the right elf to match the preference of each woman. But if the situation devolved into a woman crying and begging at the elves to stay with him, the escort service as a whole could be thrown into jeopardy.

Port City has been constantly looking for an opportunity to tarnish New Port City's successful reputation, and jealousy from human men was bound to create ill rumours. Any incident that were to happen was most definitely going to blow out of scale quickly and all precautions must be taken to avoid it.

Thankfully, knowledge that most elves didn't consider humans as opposite sex was widely known, and such incident had yet to happen. But you never know when and where someone with the mindset of 'love conquers all boundaries' would arise.

Business using affection was a high-risk, high-return gambit.

Isaac once again emphasized these warnings to Lanburton and Cordnell. Once his warnings finished, Kalden raised his hand to speak.

"I will give you a report on the City's current financial status. Just by calculating the profit made from the entrance ticket alone has shown that the total number of guests that have visited New Port City in the past 6 months has risen past a hundred thousand."

Everyone applauded and let out a cheer. It was well above the previous expectation that they'd get a hundred guests a month at best.

"Of course, this isn't accurate since we did the calculation through how much Megas we have received. But the number of guests that will come to New Port City will increase over time."

Once again, the hands of the employees applauded their success. Kalden waited for the applause to end, and then spoke on a different subject.

"I agree that we should be happy about the increasing number of guests that are coming to New Port City, but if we were to maintain the current situation of our financial state, we will go bankrupt."

"Huh? Why would we go bankrupt?"

As the number of guests increased, it naturally meant the number of men who came to the city increased, which also meant more girls were sought by these men. Milena, who was in charge of the women working in the brothels, never had a better time for her business than now.

Brothels were the only choice women of New Port City could work in other than working as servants. Before Isaac took over the city, the women had to risk their lives working in the brothels. Many times the customers failed to pay for their service, and even if they did pay, most of the profit was given to the pimps as commission fees. And if through bad luck they happened to contract STDs or become pregnant, they were kicked out of the brothels immediately. The shoddy medical facilities meant that they would receive poor treatment for these STDs.

But the situation has changed now. Pimps as a whole had disappeared, and everything they earned was theirs alone. This was enough for them to feed their families and have hope for their future. Milena's school was the gateway all women must go through before working in the Ceta District, so Milena was enjoying her time ruling over all women as the godmother.

This was why she reacted first before anyone else when Kalden spoke of bankruptcy. The women were the first to lose everything if the city returned to its previous state.

"First of all, the tax we are collecting from the city is minimal."

"Impossible! We have been paying our taxes diligently!"

Milena shouted out against Kalden, but Cordnell nodded in agreement with Kalden as he took over.

"What Kalden said is true. We may have reached the peak in terms of profit with our Role-play Experience and Escort Service, but there are just too many expenses."

The employees from the merchant guilds were the first to nod. As merchants, they were very sensitive when it came to money.

"The profits we are making from those two services are minimal once we consider the expenses of running it. And most of the activities female guests participate in are shopping and restaurants. The merchants are satisfied that their business is booming, but the taxes we are collecting from these merchants are too little."

But the problem was that they couldn't even increase the tax even if they wanted to, since most of these shops were related to the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds. Lower the tax and the more profit these guilds will have. As the employees sent from these guilds, increasing the city's tax on their shops was unacceptable.

But they couldn't just watch the city to fall in on itself since doing so would bring ruin to them as well. So they had to limit expenditures in other areas. It seemed the employees and Isaac's hubaes had already come to an agreement, and they began to state their arguments in unison.

"First. We must lower the expenditures on the City's welfare costs. There are too many citizens abusing not just our free meals, but free medical care from hospitals as well."

"Our employment rate and their pay is also a problem. There are too many employees that are currently idling about. Unless we reduced their pay or reduce the number of employees, we will continue to be in the red."

"We can't settle with just collecting taxes in Ceta District. We must consider collecting taxes from other districts since they are part of New Port City."

The faces of Soland, Axlon, Milena and Dinozo turned redder each time the employees gave a new argument. They glared at the employees and the hubaes, and there was even slight discomfort on Isaac's face.

The syndicate bosses wanted to scream and threaten them to silence. That was the personality that won them their seats after all. But in this room, they had minimal influence. Isaac's policy to abandon all districts other than Ceta was one of them. But the bigger part was that they were vastly inferior to the employees of Seven Grand Merchant Guilds and the graduates of Campus in terms of strength, economic power, and capabilities as individuals.

Lanburton and Rizzly remained quiet. In their eyes, they were outsiders. They were 'non-humans' and had little input in developing the city at the start.

"The free meals and medical care are the sole hope of the citizens of New Port City. Are you talking about extinguishing that hope completely?"

Cordnell shook his head to Milena's words.

"We aren't talking of abolishing it completely. Since the current financial state of our city is in jeopardy, we can reduce the total expenditures by reducing the number of employees and policies until our businesses flourish. We can always increase our funding in those departments in the long run once our financial status goes back into the green."

"How much are you even going to save by firing the idling employees? They are only receiving slightly more than minimum wage for most cases."

Kalden flatly rebutted Soland's question.

"Most of those employees aren't doing anything. Even if they are being paid minimum wage, paying for unnecessary employees is still unnecessary spending."

"Do you know what that means?! That's most of our employees if you exclude those who are working in the Escort Service and Role-playing Experience!"

"Not all of them. There are those that work in maintenance and run the infrastructure of the city."

"That's still just a fraction of them!"

"I don't understand why you're arguing against this decision. We've told you before that we will increase our expenditures back to what it is now once we start making money. I would have thought that you lot wouldn't even care."

Kalden spoke to the syndicate bosses with a hint of disgust in his eyes. He found the once-criminals who leeched of the innocents in this city acting like defenders of the people to be very hypocritical.

"… Their livelihoods are at stake."

The employees and the hubaes snorted. Just who do they think they are to think of someone else?

"And it's my life that's also at stake."

Just one sentence from Isaac forced the syndicate bosses to drop their heads in silence. These syndicate bosses may have much control over the cities, but their words held very little weight because of their not-so-secretive position of being moles for both Port and New Port City. Everyone was already aware of their actions during the construction of the casinos.

Not to mention that Isaac had demonstrated many times in his actions that he was using them out of necessity, not because he wanted to. They had no right to meddle in any business within Ceta District, making them prone to being sidelined in meetings like this.

Isaac, who had been quietly watching the clash between these two factions, thought that this was very similar to a fight in the old world between major corporations and unions and smirked.

Now that he mentioned it, he noticed that there was a fine boundary in their seating arrangements. The syndicate bosses, merchant employees, Isaac's hubaes and the non-humans stayed neutral in it all. Isaac could only click his tongue considering that factional infighting for the sake of profit was already happening.

"Kukuku. What a bad joke this is. I guess you lot have mistaken your position after we've been treating you like actual bosses. What? Their livelihoods are at stake? Since when could you make arrogant claims like that?"

The four looked to the floor at Isaac's cold words.

"The only reason you're saying it isn't because of the impact it will have on their lives but the loss of profit through tax. Don't use the innocent citizens as your excuse. I hate people who try to seek profit by using others as their excuse the most."

The merchant employees and hubaes snickered and laughed at the four, triumphant as their heads seemed to shrivel into their bodies.

Isaac lit his cigarette and looked to the hubaes instead.

"Don't start laughing, you retards."

The meeting hall came to a halt at Isaac's words. Isaac looked to them for a moment, then spoke to the hubaes.

"I am disappointed, my hubaes."

"…"

"I guess you guys are born lucky, considering that you happened to be born with immense talent that allowed you to enroll into Campus and secure yourself a great future. But let me ask this. Didn't you guys apply to work under me despite the crippling damage it had on your pride, purely because I offered to pay you guys double anyone else?"

"…"

"You speak of reducing the funds for free meals when you've suffered through starvation yourself? You've suffered the impoverished living standards, and yet you speak of reducing the employment of the citizens in the slums? Are you trying to deny your birth as people of the slums because of what the Campus has provided until now? Or are you trying to forget it? You guys should have been the last ones arguing for the reduction of funds for meals and medical treatments, even if it was me who suggested it."

"…"

"No! I thought wrong. As expected of talents from the Campus. How very efficient. I'm impressed. You have the talent to find opportunities for promotions even in dire times like this. Of course! This is what you must do for promotions. I'm sure you'll all land nobility titles if you continue working like that. Seeing people as not people but a number on a document is mandatory to become a successful individual. What are you all doing? Let us applaud at my fine hubaes."

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Isaac's sarcastic claps echoed in the silent meeting room.

The hubaes turned silent, their faces blue.

All they've done was doing as they have been taught. But what Isaac said made them realise the reality that every document they processed has the potential to change the lives of other individuals, and that reality hit them hard on their backs. The memories of pain and starvation as part of their poverty provoked guilt in their minds, which stabbed deeply at their chests. Of course, there were a few hubaes who still looked to challenge Isaac's words, unable to accept his statements.

"Cordnell."

Cordnell shouted out nervously, knowing the harsh words that Isaac had been speaking are now aimed at him.

"Yes!"

"You say we're in the red?"

"T-that's right."

"The reason why we're in the red is because we are spending more than we are earning right?"

"That is correct…"

"And one of the expenditures is repaying the investment right?"

"That's obviously to reduce the liabilities it has on…"

"Stop. Don't try to play games with me."

It was now the merchant employees whose spines shrivelled.

"I understand that you are trying to get back the investments made by your guilds at the cost of my earnings, to the point of me going in the red. But I told you this before right? Do it at an acceptable rate. Trying to pay back our original investment using our financial downfall as an excuse is downright greed, especially when we've already paid back the second chunk of their investment."

It had been a long time since the second million-Giga investment acquired through blackmail had been paid off by giving tax exemptions and land to the guilds. There was a contract regarding the original million Giga investment, but there was no interest or a due date as to when the money needed to be repaid.

So trying to get back the investment at the cost of the city going in the red was purely greed on the employees' part in that they wanted to achieve as much success for their own guild as possible. But if Isaac cut down on these unnecessary expenditures, the employees could pay back the investment without having the city go into the red, amplifying their success. New Port City's financial administration was so full of holes that if any other administrator saw it, they would despair.

Isaac sat on his chair, locking his fingers together. In his eyes were the immature hubaes who still couldn't get out of shock and the merchant employees who were desperately trying to read the situation. The syndicate bosses had a sinister smile on them, feeling great after what the other two groups went through while Lanburton and Rizzly yawned out of boredom, just waiting for this meeting to finish.

Since Isaac didn't have anyone he could boldly claim is working for him alone, it's natural that the city management was getting well out of hand. It's what he expected, which is why he ignored all of it and only made orders regarding the general situation. Getting nit-picky and managing every little detail was also annoying. But he couldn't let his men's management get to a point where it would lay ruin to his plan.

"The employees are to drop their interest on our financial status and continue running our businesses. The hubaes are to only focus on administration of this city and ignore the circumstances regarding our funds. There will be no change in our policies."

The hubaes finally got out of the shock as if Isaac's words were like a shower of cold water. The employees held their heads in pain, aware of the ensuing headache that would result from the decisions he had made.

"Even if we were to delay on repayment of the investment, we will continue to be in the red despite the increase in number of the guests that come here if we continue the policies!"

Isaac smirked at Cordnell.

"I think you are mistaken. New Port City's main source of income is the casinos. The brothels, Escorts and Role-play Services are just bait to bring in more guests."

"Our casino built for commoners may be used widely, but we are only barely managing to stay out of red because of its lenient rules. And the profits of our casino for nobles pale in comparison to what Port City is making! One of our greatest expenditures in the last six months was the casinos!"

"Tsk. Why are you so pessimistic? You'll find it hard to live in this world if you continue to be so negative."

Cordnell grabbed the back of his own neck as his blood pressure began to rise while the hubaes looked dumbfounded at Isaac. Isaac had been famous for his extreme pessimistic view of the world. He had no right to call anyone else pessimistic.

"Don't try to meddle with everything like a nosy person and just focus on what you are told. The same goes for you, my hubaes. Just focus on administration since everything regarding finance is up to me to solve."

"But it's not like we have that much work to deal with regarding administration."

The administrative work for them only concerned the Ceta District, not the entirety of New Port City. So no matter how big the work got, the capable graduates from Campus couldn't help but have plenty of time in their hands.

"If you're bored, then enjoy the Role-play Experience again."

Everyone's eyes fell on Selia when Isaac spoke those words. Isaac forced her into the Role-play Experience, telling her to fix that introverted personality of hers. Selia had become famous within New Port City since then, earning the title of the 'Red Rose of New Port City.'

Selia's face went rose red with embarrassment when everyone began staring at her, and she profusely refused to oblige them. For someone so introverted like Selia, who found it difficult to even talk in front of many people, the Role-play Experience was like torture.

"I've already thought of a method to revitalise the casinos. Smartass, how did the project go?"

Soland stood up at Isaac's question.

"I've already found a suitable candidate."

"Bring that person here."

"Yes."

Soland walked down the stairs at Isaac's order. Everyone waited with curiosity as to who Soland was bringing.

Soon after, Soland brought a young man with him to the roof of the City Hall. He was a handsome blond man who immediately complained to Isaac the moment he came up.

"What do you think you're doing?! Even if my family has come to ruin, I, Bluff, am still successor to Baron Dairen, whose title is still recorded in the Empire's list of nobles!"

Everyone's eyes turned wide and looked to the young man. Even Isaac was at a loss for words, but he quickly regained composure and smirked.

"Do you know where this is?"

"Ha! How arrogant! For New Port City to kidnap someone. Do you have any idea how much of a problem this will be to you? Some of my father's acquaintances works in the police department. You better release me at this moment before you regret it."

Isaac looked at Soland.

"You didn't just bring him, but you kidnapped him?"

"Things ended up that way."

"He's still a noble. If he were to report to the police, it'll make things complicated. Did you think Port City or I will take care of the problem if things got out of hand?"

"Well… my men were a bit overzealous when he tried to run the moment we saw him."

"How many witnesses are there?"

"Eh… there shouldn't be many."

"Really? Then just bury him under if things go awry. It'll get annoying if he reports us to the police."

"Yes."

Bluff's face began to pale when the two men in front of him casually spoke of killing him, stumbling backwards.

"H-how dare you! M-murdering a noble will get you at least a life sentence!"

"Damn you talk so much. You think that nobility status of yours is going to stop a knife from going up your ass?!"

Isaac's snarky comment brought the employees and hubaes' eyes to the ground, while the syndicate bosses shook their heads as if they'd lost. Those were the words of a criminal and definitely not how someone given a title from the Empire should speak.

"There is no need to even go that far."

"Why?"

"We've bought out most of his loans."

"Really? I guess you know how to get the work done. If things go bad, just shove him in the mines and have him pay it back."

As a noble, Bluff did receive some education and manners, and analysing the situation quickly is the lifeline of becoming a hustler. He quickly butt into the conversation between Isaac and Soland.

"I will do whatever you tell me to do."

"Ho? I like how sharp he is. I think he'll be quite useful if we teach him well."

Satisfied with Bluff's submissive attitude, Isaac pointed to one of the chairs with his finger.

"Sit."

"Yes."

Bluff quickly scrambled to the chair, his body tense and legs ready to leap at Isaac's feet respond to his beck and call.

"Give me some background."

Soland opened his mouth instead of the young man.

"Bluff Dairen is a fallen noble whose name is well known in the noble community. He isn't someone aiming to rebuild his fallen house by looking to wed an innocent noble woman; instead, he prefers to use his wit and handsome face to liven up the mood in parties. He uses that to move from one noble's house to another as their guest, but this is just a façade. In truth, he is a hustler who lives off the many scams he had come with."

"Against nobles? I'm surprised he hasn't been found out."

"His main targets are the young sons of nobles who have yet to learn about the world, and his scams are so meticulous that even the scammed victims would try to defend him. He is very well-known in the world of hustlers. He knows his situation well, and rather than trying to aim for profit that is beyond him, he would only take what is necessary. Those that have found out about his true identity sometimes ask him to hustle their own children to teach them a lesson about the real world

"So they just pretend not to know."

"Yes. But there is a breaking point, even for hustling industry. Even though there haven't been many invitations for Bluff, he has tried to maintain his elegance and accumulated many debts. But now he's reached his limit and is in a precarious situation. I have deemed him to be the perfect candidate for the man the Lord's Representative asked of."

"It's exactly what I wanted."

Isaac nodded with satisfaction while everyone became curious as to for what purpose did Isaac brought over a hustler.

"You know many rich unemployed people who are bored out of their minds, right?"

Already, Bluff came up with a list of people in his head. In fact, the reason Bluff lived a life of hustling moving from party to party was so that he could trick and harass these lucky individuals who were born into rich families.

These people who kicked away the opportunity to study in the greatest educational facility which was their birthright had no place to stand in the meritocratic society of the nobles. So they naturally ended up with one another using social events and parties as excuses.

"Bring them here and make them gamble in our casinos. 30% of the money they spend in the casino will be yours."

Bluff's head quickly began to think of a plan. These rich men hate boredom. But they also hate to lose, and their sense of pride makes them easy to taunt into recklessness. Baiting them into the casinos wasn't even a problem at this point.

"It sounds like a tempting offer, but most of the people I can bring over already enjoy playing in the casinos of both Port and New Port City."

Bluff had also participated in these gambling tours as he followed around some of these rich men before. It wasn't an illegal gambling den, but there was a secret hideout where the group gathered to play some card games. They took pride in these activities, calling it an activity befitting the noble status of theirs, but in Bluff's eyes, it was a mess of booze, women, and money being thrown around everywhere. Just bringing in those men would be enough to make a profit for Bluff.

The problem was that these men who were always in search of entertainment hadn't been idle the last 6 months since Port and New Port City opened their casinos.

Bluff had already met some of them as he prowled for new victims in Port City. This would have been an excellent offer 6 months ago, but it was too late at this point.

"Tsk tsk. You call yourself a hustler with a brain like that?"

"What?"

"What do you think will happen if you tell them that they can get back some of their spending in the casinos back if they were listed as one of your guests?"

Bluff wasn't a fool. He quickly figured out Isaac's words.

"Since I'm already taking 30% of their spending, all I'd have to do is give a portion of my profit back to them. Then those men would flock to me since they can get at least some money back."

"That's right. And you get to make money without doing anything."

"But there is one problem."

"Problem?"

"Yes. I can see that you want to make people spend as much money as possible, but in truth, I might only be able to manage ten people at most."

Isaac made an interested expression.

"I see you're quite sharp."

There is a significant difference in pressure one feels between someone who would lose everything, and someone who has some form of insurance even if they lose. By providing them with a small safety net, these men who would become desperate after their losses would begin ease up and end up losing more money than they would have. Even if the money was given back, nine out of ten people would go back to the casinos to spend it again.

Basically, this refund system wasn't to help the men who lost their money, but to entrance them deeper into gambling.

"I'm sure you'll start getting competition once the word spreads that you can make money without doing anything. I like competition. Because without competition, there is no progress."

"…"

Bluff quickly shut his mouth, hopeful that Isaac would finish speaking and let him go.

Lanburton, who had been quietly drinking tea as he was overhearing the conversation, muttered to himself.

"Is the meaning of competition different to humans?"

The employees and hubaes remained quiet, making a bitter smile.

"Well, being first is always important, so I'll give you some help to make you succeed. Give them membership."

"A membership?"

"That's right. Let's say you can only manage ten people. Then those ten men can also have ten members below them. The condition is the same. 30% of their member's spending is theirs. But there's a rank. You will be Rank 1 since you're first. A Rank 1 can have ten Rank 2s. A Rank 2 can have ten Rank 3s and so on. Let's say that the ranks reach 5 levels at this point. Then 30% of the spending by members managed by Rank 5s will be solely their profit right?"

"Yes…"

"And the 30% of the profit Rank 5 members make will be the Rank 4s' profit. The same applies to the level above, and Rank 4 must give 30% of the total profit from Rank 4s and Rank 5s. You keep on climbing that way and you, the Rank 1, get to take all of it."

Bluff's jaws dropped at Isaac's explanation. All he could think of was success.

"I would love to do it! Just give me the word and I'll do everything I can! No, I'll make sure to bring in guests for you."

Isaac spectated Bluff's spineless attitude at its finest: grovelling at his feet for the job. Isaac put out his cigarette on an ashtray as he spoke.

"Go speak with Cordnell over there and sort out the money problem with him. Make sure it doesn't cause trouble later."

Bluff's eyes turned to Cordnell, and Cordnell sighed, knowing that his workload just got bigger. Cordnell fired off a barrage of words, intending to include as much people in this scheme as possible.

Isaac, however, kicked them all out from the meeting room with a wave of his hand, telling them to sort out the problem elsewhere.

With the roof finally silent after the mass exit of the employees, Soland quietly entered the roof again.

"That's a rather special form of management."

There was a degree of admiration in his words. It was a business that could be started with no fund – just connections. Since what their guests spend would become their profit, they would do whatever it takes to keep the guests under them, which would mean an improvement in the quality of their service.

New Port City now had the benefit of gaining more guests and increase their spending without any expenses. It was like catching two birds with one stone.

Isaac watched the smoke from his cigarette disappear into the air. Soland may have thought of this as some revolutionary method, but in truth, this was just the infamous pyramid scheme.

He was well aware of the damages the pyramid scheme could cause, but he wasn't one to care about what methods he took. He would do whatever is necessary, and if the damages begin to cause a problem, Isaac was sure that the Empire will place some sanctions against it. Isaac was going to make sure he made the best of it until such sanctions were in place.

Isaac smirked at Soland, who was making a disappointed face.

"What, do you want to do it too?"

Soland quickly fixed his posture and expression and crossed his head.

"No. I personally know very few people so I wouldn't be able to even if I wanted to."

"But would you like to if you did have connections?"

"Hehe, if I can get the opportunity…"

Isaac smiled at Soland, whose voice faltered as he tried to laugh it off.

"You can forget about that nonsense and gather some funds right now. I'm not planning on giving out loans since I have reputations to maintain and such."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"How gambling addiction ends is always the same. All that's different is when. They aren't people who would stop gambling just because they've run out of money. They'll try to borrow it from somewhere. Join forces with the other syndicate bosses and scrounge up some funds. Make sure you document the paperwork regarding the amount they owe and proper terms and conditions with a third-party witness so we have solid evidence."

"I'm happy if you're willing to leave the financing to us, but it'll be difficult since we're targeting nobles…"

This was a business with such potential profit that it would make loan shark business in the slums of New Port City pale in comparison. But the problem was that they couldn't just visit the noble's house to threaten them to pay back their money unlike how they'd been treating the people of New Port City.

They weren't a proper financing business. No sane noble would simply pay back the money when it's in the name of some criminal syndicate in New Port City. In fact, they'd be glad if they simply got out of the visit unscathed.

"Don't worry and approve as many loans as you can. I'll buy out all of their loans. It's better to have as much documentation as possible."

A noble house falling from grace because of their foolish son is a very cliché story. These noble families will have no choice but to take side with Isaac if they were to try save their stupid sons out of their problem. Just one or two credits will have little impact, but gathered enough it will become an excellent card to use against Count Milros when things came to shove.

"And how goes the preparation?"

"I've already made up a team of the greatest professionals in their field."

Isaac spoke words of warning when he saw Soland smirk as if he'd figured out what was happening.

"It's nice that you're sharp, but you must also be tight-lipped if you want to live a long life."

"I'm not a fool who would be tempted by pitiful pay at the cost of kicking away the chance to earn a fortune."

"Good. I was planning to kill you first if this got leaked."

Soland tried to act as calm as possible, suppressing the chill crawling up his spine.

"I am glad you trusted me with this project."

Emergency Order

Sender: The Grand Council

Recipient: All agents

Level: Code Red

Order: 'Demonic' turncoat escaped after stealing the 'Queen's' artifact.

The 'Queen' refuses to reveal information regarding the artifact because of the turncoat.

Unable to confirm artifact's purpose.

Unable to confirm artifact's shape.

All agents are to terminate their current mission. Find the turncoat.

Isaac sat upon the roof of the City Hall, admiring the sky while he laid on his back. The noise of a crowd echoed in his ears. This had always been his usual activity, but there was one difference. Recently, Isaac has been obsessed over fruit wines made by the elves. He would take it with him everywhere he went. He would take a sip and savour its scent and flavour in his mouth, then wash it off with a puff from his cigarette. Whenever he did this, the mana that he had gained from choyu leaves felt like it flowed more rapidly. Instead of getting drunk, it instead felt like all the filth and grime were being washed away. Before he knew it, Isaac found himself watching the day's end with an empty bottle. This day was no different, and he was now admiring the setting sun as he stretched his arm to refill his cup.

"Hm? Is it empty already?"

Isaac shook the bottle and muttered in disappointment. Rizzly, who was by his side quickly stepped in.

"Shall I bring you some more?"

"No, it's fine. The wine is nice and all, but it really makes me listless. You don't have to bring me any more for some time."

Puzzled by those words, Rizzly tilted his head.

"I think it's about time I made another move."

"What?"

Rizzly seemed to be in disbelief at those words. Isaac, the embodiment of laziness, was speaking of doing work himself. Rather than surprise, Rizzly's first reaction was fear.

"What, is it that much of a surprise?"

"That's obvious."

Rizzly responded immediately, and Isaac laughed at his honest answer.

"I should try to gather more people while we're still riding the wave of recent success."

"On top of what we have now?"

Thanks to Bluff's efforts, the number of guests who played in New Port City's casinos increased. Port City quickly made a similar refund system following Isaac's innovative scheme, but their greed refused to match Isaac's high rate of refund.

"Bring Lanburton here. I'd like to have some tea with him."

"I'm very disappointed."

"Huh?"

"You give work only to the elves, while we North Bears are on guard duty all day."

The disappointment was etched deeply in Rizzly's words. Isaac snickered.

"Then why don't you join in on the Escort Service."

"The Escort Service?"

The Escort Service was currently overrun with elves. Rizzly was frustrated, but the North Bears were no match against the elves in terms of beauty.

"I'm sure your popularity would explode if you walk around in bear form. Don't you know girls love to bury their faces in soft, fluffy fur?"

"Oooh!"

Rizzly let out a cry of happiness, and quickly ran down the stairs to call over Lanburton.

"Does it make you that happy?"

Isaac snorted as he mumbled to himself. By the time he finished through a cigarette, Lanburton could be heard coming up the stairs laughing.

"May I ask why I've been brought here so suddenly?"

"It's nothing. I just want to have some tea with you."

"Haha, I really doubt that, but it does peak my interest. That is why I have brought some excellent tea with me."

Lanburton swiftly pulled out his tea set and started the brewing process. Moments after the leaves were placed in, a refreshing fragrance wafted into the air.

"Hm, it's got a nice scent."

"The leaves are from the World Tree. Its health benefits are so exceptional that once upon a time, there was a rumour that the reason elves lived a long life is because we frequently drink this tea."

Lanburton handed the teacup to Isaac. Isaac took one sip and feel its invigorating effect wash over him, similar to smoking choyu leaves.

For some time, the two simply sipped away at the tea in silence. Once the cups were half empty, Lanburton broke the silence.

"So what was the real reason you brought me here?"

"Do you have any more idling elves?"

"There are too many volunteers for the Escort Service and casinos to handle. The elves are currently working in rotations. Did you happen to come up with another interesting offer?"

"I was thinking of making a new business."

"Hahaha. I'm sure my bored young ones would be glad to hear it. So what is this business of yours that requires our aid?"

"Casinos may be a good way to make some money, but horse racing is also a good way to cash in too."

"Horse racing? But New Port City doesn't have any suitable places to create a horse racing circuit."

"Have you heard of the Grand Canal Race?"

"…"

On the now-thriving streets of New Port City, strange, ambiguous flyers could be seen. These flyers listed tens of elves and their details, posted on every corner of New Port City.

At first, most people guessed they were new employees in the Escort Service. But when they asked the question in the City Hall, the only answer they received was that they weren't participating in the Escort Service. People began to realise Isaac had come up with another attraction, and many began to discuss excitedly what this new entertainment would entail.

After a month had passed, New Port City finally made an announcement.

It was the Grand Canal Race, with the prize money of a hundred thousand Giga. It was a simple race which started from Lake Levonen and went upstream through the Grand Canal to the flag atop the tunnel, which contestants would have to retrieve before returning back to the Lake along the Canal.

Because of the gambling system's similarity to horse racing, gamblers were excited for this new game, while those not interested in gambling were curious as to how this race would turn out.

The race proceeded as followed. Each day, ten new elves would compete in nine separate races, where they would be given points according to their placing in each race, and the points would be tallied for each elf. This process would repeat for ten days, and on the eleventh day, the winners of previous days' races would gather to decide who the ultimate winner is.

It was the 1st Reishave Grand Canal Race and on the first day, most of the audience attended not for the bets but out of curiosity. But as the race went on, more and more people began betting on elves they supported or became fans of. When a rumour of someone winning 300 times their bet spread, it acted as the catalyst to tempt more people into the gambling spree.

TL and PR Note: The Reishave Grand Canal Race is named in honor of Reisha, but the full name will not be very common later in the story.

"It's a success."

"I swear, whenever I see methods like this succeed, I begin to question my own rationality."

In the VIP seats placed on the Sky Bridge was Cordnell, who spectated the games as he complained to himself. When Isaac first told them of this plan in the meeting, Cordnell fervently resisted with all his might. But it wasn't enough to change Isaac's mind, and Cordnell was forced to make the preparations. He expected catastrophic failure, but what came instead was a grand success. Cordnell began to doubt his own capabilities, seeing his predictions were completely wrong.

"How could it not gather attention when beautiful elves are competing in skimpy outfits?"

The rules were simple. The elves must swim up the canal and bring the flag with them. They must stay within the boundaries of the water. This was why no races other than elves could compete in this race; their agile bodies and control over the elemental spirits were unique to them.

This was an idea Isaac thought of after reminiscing about how Reisha travelled across the Empire surfing on a raft. The race was a sight for sore eyes, especially for the male audience. Since the race was happening on water, the contestants' clothes would get wet and stick on to their bodies, arousing the audience.

Plus, the race didn't stop the ships traveling through the canal; they instead became natural obstacles in the race. Some would jump on its masts while others would dive below the ships. The ships weren't the only thing which acted as obstacles, as the contestants themselves would harass and hinder each other as they raced across the canals. All sorts of fancy techniques and tricks during the race thrilled the audience.

"But isn't this just helping Port City instead?"

Cordnell spoke with disappointment as he looked at the audience lined on the Port City side of the Canal.

"Go, number 1! I bet my money on you!"

"Don't you lose number 3!"

"Kyaa! You can do it!"

The audience cheered for their respective racers, but since New Port City was restricted to Ceta District only, there was a limit to how many people could watch from New Port City. Meanwhile, Port City had built parks along the canal, so naturally, most of the audience were watching from Port City.

"Shows feel best when you can watch it for free. The profits we make from these bets aren't worth much anyway."

"How could you say that… Expected earnings have gone past 300 thousand Giga already. Our profit will be at least a hundred thousand even after considering the expenses, and you call it nothing?"

"Tsk tsk. How can you call yourself a merchant when you don't even know how to make more money than me?"

Cordnell tried to fight back in anger, but when he noticed Goldman approaching them, he quickly shut his mouth and politely greeted him.

"Hahaha! Isaac, it's a success. A grand success!"

"Of course."

Isaac responded casually to Goldman. In the VIP area, not only Goldman but all of the Guild Masters from the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds were watching, and they were the real reason Isaac started this race.

The Grand Canal Race finished, leaving the energetic the audience to talk about the events in the race. People headed home, ready to boast about what they saw in the races, while the men lit fires in their eyes, determined to visit New Port City after seeing those beautiful elves' bare skin as their bodies became wet with water and sweat. It was just as Isaac intended, attracting people by using sexual provocation.

Once the final race finished, Isaac went down to congratulate the winner and gave the elf the prize money. He then made a separate meeting with the Guild Masters. The real business was starting now.

Isaac watched the Guild Masters closely as they had their meals. They were the CEOs of this world's multibillion dollar corporations. There isn't a single business they haven't meddled with, and through competition and cooperation, they have made their own net of connections.

Once they finished their meal, they each conversed with one another while drinking some wine, lightening the mood. This is when Isaac made his move.

"Now, Shall we talk about business?"

"Business?"

All of the Guild Masters seemed displeased at those words. Isaac has already taken so much money from them, and just thinking about it makes their head ache. It's true that the finance of New Port City has seen a boom, but it was still too early for their investment to profitable.

"I'm planning on opening these races once a month. I'll add a portion of the profit into the race as an investment, so the prize money should increase gradually. But don't you think it'd be boring if these races remained the same every time? Especially when it receives so much attention?"

"So you're asking us to invest in you again?"

Svellon, the Guild Master of Waivo Merchant Guild, shouted with displeasure while Isaac spoke back with composure.

"Investment? No. I'm just planning on selling advertisements."

"Advertisements?"

All of the Guild Masters began to ponder what that meant. Isaac smirked as he continued.

"I've heard the Rivolden Merchant Guild has made some profit with their mascot business?"

Goldman made some dry coughs as he flexed out his chest, while the other Guild Masters frowned.

The Rivolden Merchant Guild saw exceptional rise in profit after using Kunette as their mascot, and the other guilds tried to follow suit and make their own mascots. However, the Rivolden Merchant Guild has already taken root in this aspect, making it difficult for other guilds to see the same effect.

"You've already seen how people gather at racers when they make fancy plays right? What if those racers only used your products?"

A light lit in all of the Guild Master's eyes. As expected of CEOs of global corporations, their noses were very keen when it came to profit.

Isaac added fuel to their flaming eyes by adding these words.

"This race was just individuals, but I'm planning on adding team games in the next races. And anyone can create their own teams to compete in these races."

"Does that mean we can invest to create a team of our own to compete?"

Isaac nodded at Goldman.

"That's right. Rivolden Race Team. Hm, it sounds rather bland. I guess you can just add some fancy word in there to make it more interesting. That team can compete in our race, and if they happen to win, it'll send their fans into a frenzy. You all know how effective advertisement is right?"

"…"

There wasn't a single person who didn't know the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds. But the only problem was that there wasn't any difference between them. If the quality of goods was the same, all that's left is the reputation. So, one of the best ways for a guild to sell their product was to have a better reputation than a competing guild. Isaac's offer definitely had merit in making investment.

The Guild Masters looked to each other as they pondered. They gathered in a circle and had a short discussion until Goldman came out as their representative.

"I'm sorry, but we will decline your offer."

"What?"

Isaac looked at the Guild Masters in confusion. On their faces, it looked as if they had no choice but to give up on the offer.

"What's the reason?"

"First thing is that Port City holds the right over the Canal. Port City may have watched the first race out of curiosity, but now that they know it can be profitable, they will use their right as an excuse to bar you out of the races. You won't be able to do anything against that."

"I can always pay them a fee for using the Canal."

"Will Port City give you a reasonable offer? I know it was your idea that came up with this amazing race, but Port City can always copy it for their own."

"Only elves can compete in this race with their power over elemental spirits."

"That's another problem. If only certain races can compete, then it thins out possible players too much. And there are other races that can use elemental spirits other than the elves. Plus, nothing is going to stop the elves from joining Port City to compete in the races, especially when they seek entertainment over everything. I'm sure there will be elves who will cancel their contract with you to compete in the race. Cancellation fees you say? I'm sure Port City will be more than happy to pay for the elves, if it means recruiting more elves for the race."

"Hm. Those are problems I never thought about."

Isaac admitted wholeheartedly. Just as Goldman said, there were too many holes Port City could use to step foot in this.

"It's a shame. I guess we'll talk about it again once I gain the rights over all of the waterways."

All of the Guild Masters let out laughter, taking Isaac's words as a joke.

"Haha. Port City handing over their rights. It sounds like a dream come true. Then all of our problems would be solved so easily."

'Hm?'

Isaac knew something was off when he saw all of the Guild Masters nod in agreement with a bitter smile at Goldman's words. It almost looked as if even if Isaac won the rights over the waterways, there was something that still prevented them from joining in.

'So there is something going on.'

Isaac's eyes were on the Guild Masters. Isaac finally found a lead. A lead to answer the question he'd been asking ever since he started working as the Lord's representative.

With the party finishing with an awkward mood, the Guild Masters quickly shifted to their busy schedules as an excuse for leaving the premises. Isaac sat alone in the room as he pondered when Rizzly came to visit.

"Huh? It's already over?"

Many North Bears were sent to the races which ended up as festivals, and they received much love from the women as they walked around in their bear form. Rizzly was one of those bears, and he seemed to be in a good mood from receiving so much honey as gifts from these women.

"Has something happened?"

Rizzly carefully asked the question when Isaac didn't even reply to his words, his face serious as stone.

"Screwed."

"What?"

"We are going to be screwed."

"Huh! Why!"

"Ah! No. It's just me who's screwed."

"That's fine then."

"Hm?"

Rizzly, who let out a sigh of relief, received an ill look from Isaac. Rizzly tried his best to avoid eye contact.

"So that's what you really think in your mind right? What happens to me is none of your concern."

"O-of course not."

"Sigh. I'll just tell Kunette."

"N, No!"

Rizzly's face turned pale blue. It seemed he was truly terrified at Isaac's words, his body shaking.

"Are you really that scared of Kunette?"

"Sir Isaac, you don't know because you've never experienced it!"

"I was just kidding. It was a joke. Do you really think I'd tell on Kunette?"

"Eheheh."

Finally, Rizzly seemed like he was relieved and let out a small laugh. Isaac got out of his seat, and Rizzly quickly followed behind him.

"Are you planning to go back to City Hall? The festival's still at large…"

Rizzly said those words, feeling like Isaac missing out at the festival. Isaac shook his face.

"I'm going to Port City. Oh yeah. I should consider placing these Communicators in my city too. It's so annoying to travel to Port City just for that."

Despite Isaac visiting at a late hour, the overseer of the Communicator Room scrambled to receive him when he entered the room. With a polite greeting, the overseer led Isaac to one of the personal Communicators with an attitude completely different from the last time Isaac came.

The private room had a sofa and some complimentary snacks and drinks on the tabletop. When Isaac asked to connect to the Capital's Department of Supplies, they were insightful enough to connect him directly to Mazelan.

-Hey! I've heard the rumours. You really have talent on surprising everyone with your ingenious ideas. The Grand Canal Race! Even Gabelin is talking about it.

Mazelan greeted Isaac with a faint smile the instant his call connected.

"It's just my sideline jobs pulling through."

-I've heard that your main business, the casinos, isn't doing too well?"

"It'll make a comeback soon enough."

-Huhu. I'll look forward to it. I'll do everything I can to help you.

"Now that you mention it, I actually have something I need your help with. And something I'd like to confirm with you."

-Help?

"Yes. Can you install some Communicators in New Port City too? It's so bothersome to travel between Port and New Port City all the time."

-Hm… I'm sorry to say this, but the installation of Communicators follows a 5-year plan where the largest cities take priority. There is no room for me to put in any changes. Not to mention that New Port City isn't even included in the list since there's already Port City next to you.

"What if New Port City pays for the installation?"

-Hm, if it's like that, then I may be able to do something. But do you really need to install it in New Port City? It's not like the installation comes at a reasonable price. I think you'll do fine just using Port City's.

"No. I need it."

-Well, fine. If New Port City will pay for all the expenses, it doesn't matter to us. I'll connect you with one of the companies doing the installations. They can just extend Port City's connections to New Port City.

"Thank you."

-Then is that all you need?

"Yes. For now."

-That 'for now' part seems rather intimidating.

"You're just overthinking it."

-Hng. So what was it that you wanted to confirm?

"It's a simple question."

-What is it?

"Port City is running a smuggling business, right?"

There was a silence. Mazelan looked as if his soul was being drained from his body. He quickly tried to regain composure, but he only managed to awkwardly avoid eye contact with Isaac.

-W-what could you mean? I have no idea what you're talking about.

Watching Mazelan's reaction, Isaac pulled out a cigarette and took a deep breath.

"You'd be surprised at how many things you notice when you just sit down and watch how the world runs."

-…

"The first thing that made me curious was the reaction from the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds."

-The Seven Grand Merchant Guilds? But you've never even met any of its Guild Masters other than Mr. Goldman?

"I've had my doubts even before today, but seeing them today confirmed it."

-How!

Isaac responded nonchalantly at Mazelan, who still seemed like he was unable to understand.

"The last time I contacted you, I also had a chat with Mr. Goldman and asked him to invest in me. In truth, didn't expect very much. I was just making a jab in hopes of getting some useful personnel to borrow, but the Seven Grand Merchant Guild agreed to invest in me. Was it really insurance? Was it really to stop Port City? Would a merchant really invest in someone whom they only saw once in their life? An investment with no information or had any promise of making a return? Not only was it just Mr. Goldman, but all seven guilds agreed to make the investment. Could they have prepared 1 million Giga so quickly, even if there wasn't any dissent? Do you really think all of that is possible?"

-…

"That is when the thought of 'Ah! I'm on to something' came to mind."

-Who knows? Merchants tend to have an excellent sense when it comes to investment.

Isaac smirked at Mazelan's feeble attempt to defend the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds.

"That's what I also thought at first – that the merchant guilds which represent the Empire could take a risky gamble like that. But merchants are extremely sensitive creatures who seek profit and tremble when they see a loss. So I used up all of the first loan and asked for more as a test. Yes, I did use the tariffs as an excuse, but they sent me the money again, though begrudgingly. What was most surprising was that there were no conditions for this loan."

-Conditions?

"Yes. Even if the first investment was a form of insurance to hinder Port City, there must have been someone in the guilds who would have disagreed with further investment when the original loan was wasted. Or they would have demanded conditions such as shares or some form of commanding authority, but the only thing they demanded was to keep the tariffs as they were. That is when I was sure. That New Port City is much more valuable than what everyone else thinks."

-How did you come up with that train of thought when you've locked yourself on that rooftop?

Isaac shrugged with an expression suggesting that Mazelan's words were unjustified.

"I was busy too, you know. With only 3 years ahead of me, I had to come up with a plan to save the city, direct the procedure, and figure out the reason for all this at the same time."

-And you came up with it all while living on a rooftop?

"Like I've said before, you can see many things when you just sit down and watch. Maybe you should try it out someday."

Mazelan dropped his head, moaning.

"The final clue came today. The Grand Canal Race. I offered each of the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds an opportunity to join in, but all of them refused. Their answer was that the next race would never happen so long as the rights of Grand Canal remained in Port City."

-Ah! That's right. Port City has all the rights over the waterways. Hm, sounds like you only did Port City a favour?

"Yes. So I asked them again if they would join in if I managed to take the rights on the waterways from Port City, but they seemed certain that it would never happen. One of the sayings I like is that there can't be a result if there isn't a cause. So I looked for many possible reasons,dismissing the implausible as I went, and I ended up with just one answer."

-What is that?

"Why is Port City so important?"

-Do you really not understand the value of Port City? Port City is…

"The centre of trade? The Empire isn't small enough to be swayed by a single city, even if it's Port City. There are many more trade cities other than Port City in the Empire. I'm sure the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds have more than enough power to find alternate trade routes if Port City were to create their own merchant guild. Am I wrong?"

Mazelan hesitated to speak, but Isaac's eyes pressured him. Mazelan responded with a deep sigh.

-You're right.

"So that naturally led to another question. Why are the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds so desperate to stop Port City from forming their own merchant guild when they have more than enough power to out-compete and isolate Port City?"

-And you're saying that the answer is smuggling?

"Yes. Human greed is endless, and the money they made over the rights of the waterways was sure to be insufficient. They would have looked for alternative ways to make more money, and the best way to do so using their advantage in transportation would be smuggling. When that thought crossed my mind, it reminded me of one of the businesses I was planning."

-A new business? Other than the Grand Canal Race?

"Yes. I came up with many other ways to make money, and smuggling was one of them."

-Y, you dumbass! You were planning to smuggle when you're an official of the Empire!

"Its high risk is justified by the high return. Smuggling is so good because you don't have to pay the tax for it. Then I started to think, would those smartasses in Port City really fail to come up with this when even I managed to think up the idea?"

-… Shit! Did you really just play around during Campus?

Mazelan grumbled on, but Isaac was too preoccupied with pulling out another cigarette to replace his spent one.

"Well, with that conclusion, I could understand why the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds were trying to stop Port City from trying to establish their own merchant guild. Since Port City only has rights over the waterways, the production facilities for smuggling must be placed elsewhere. Producing and distributing these sensitive goods for smuggling could only be possible in the hands of someone as powerful as the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds. I assumed Port City no longer wanted to share the profits. So they wanted to step in to the business officially by establishing their own merchant guild as a front. Their authority over the waterways would make it easy for them to find success, making them a formidable competitor on top of the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds losing one of their businesses, which was tax-free and contributed to slush funds. This must have been the reason why they couldn't join in on my business, since their smuggling activities were in the line."

PR Note: Slush funds are reserves of money usually used for illegal purposes, in particular political bribery.

-…

"Well, this is all just a theory on my part, and I could be wrong. But if what I came up with was indeed true, then there is one fundamental thing I really don't understand."

-What is that?

"Was the Department of Supplies truly oblivious of the smuggling business that was taking place? It makes no sense that the Department of Supplies, which controls the flow of goods throughout the Empire, didn't know about this happening in Port City. And if the Department of Supplies was aware of this, then it would naturally mean that Port City, New Port City, the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds and the Department of Supplies are all connected. Am I wrong?"

Mazelan seemed to be in a serious thought when he spoke back to Isaac.

-Wait here. I'll contact you again once I switch to a secure line.

"Take your time."

After enough time had passed for Isaac to finish his second cigarette, Mazelan reappeared on the screen. He hesitated again and again, but Isaac's silent, unmoving response forced him to speak first.

-Everything I about to say to you is classified and should never be leaked to the public. If this information were to leak, even I won't be able to protect you. Do you still want to hear it?

"What am I supposed to be afraid of when I'm going to die in 3, no 2 and half years anyway?"

-Because you could end up dying much sooner!

"Well, I know it won't be me speaking first."

Mazelan shook his head after hearing Isaac's casual remark. It took a few deep breaths for Mazelan to regain enough composure to speak again.

-First thing to know is that this problem, which is an embarrassment to the Empire, was neglected out of necessity.

"Now you're getting me even more curious."

-Port City wasn't always absent of their own merchant guild. It's impossible that such a thing would happen in a thriving trade city. Back then, Port City truly was the centre of transportation and culture matching its fame, fit for its unofficial title as the 'Second Capital.' But the problem was that they got too greedy.

"… How can that become a problem?"

-They sought to profit by changing the map.

"The map? I see. It's the Grand Canal."

Long term projects are a monster of its own when it comes to devouring up its funds. Digging a tunnel through a mountain is hard enough, but digging a tunnel and a canal large enough for ships to travel through would have cost a significant amount of funds even with the technologies of the previous world.

Isaac wasn't sure about the technological level of this world in terms of construction techniques, but even with the aid of magic, digging a canal starting from Port City and ending near Gabelin would have been impossible for a single city to fund, no matter how much profit they were making through trade.

-Unlike the initial estimates, the cost for canal's construction increased dramatically as it went through many delays. One by one, those who invested in it began to drop out.

"Sounds like the situation got to a point where they would ask for government intervention."

-That's right. They requested for aid from the government, but the officials from the Department of Finance realised that setting foot in the situation was like stepping into an endless swamp. Between a rock and a hard place, the Department of Finance made the worst possible decision. They delayed intervention on the grounds of further negotiations that were in truth, meaningless. And in the meantime, the construction went on.

"I can imagine it right now. Since there was a rumour of government intervention, those already invested couldn't pull out even if they wanted to."

-Yeah. The situation was just in perpetual decline as the cycle of negotiations went on. They would get collateral to receive a loan for further investment, and use that loan as another piece of collateral to receive more loans. The rumours of negotiations with the government spread, and it acted as a catalyst for other prominent nobles and merchants to invest in the scene, who believed the rumour to be trustworthy and that the government would act as insurance. As time went on, it became obvious that the situation was like pouring water into a broken pot, but leaving the scene at this point would lead to millions of unemployed labourers. This led to more government departments getting involved in this scene. Naturally, more opinions arose in the negotiations as different outlooks clashed and caused even more delays. And this cycle kept on going.

"Since the canal was constructed purely through civilian funding, I assume the government gave up eventually. I'm amazed the canal actually finished completion."

-The government did intervene. While all of the departments were in a frenzy looking for a solution, Central made a suggestion. They wanted to use Port City's geographical position and status as a thriving trade city to run a smuggling business to provide the funds for the construction.

"Wait. So it was the Central that suggested smuggling?"

Isaac responded with great surprise. He never thought that Central would be involved in this. The situation was even more complicated than he first perceived.

-Yeah. Back then, Central's suggestion sounded like an excellent solution to solve all of this complicated mess. So the Departments of Finance, Administration, Supplies, the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds, Port City, and Central became interconnected in this smuggling business.

"But it's been so long since the Grand Canal finished construction. I don't see the reason why you are still ignoring this smuggling activity."

Mazelan made a deep sigh.

-This is the reason why this information is classified. Even through smuggling, it wasn't enough to supply all the funds required for construction.

"So what did you guys do on top of smuggling?"

Mazelan hung his head in embarrassment as he asked Isaac a question.

-What do you think is the best product to smuggle in terms of profit?

"That's obviously…"

Lists of goods went through Isaac's mind. Then Isaac looked to Mazelan in disbelief.

"… Weapons?"

-Strangely, there was an increased number of wars between noble families during the construction of the Grand Canal.

"Ha! So you guys instigated more wars?"

-It's possible with the power Central has. Plus, they also extracted very useful intel out of the whole situation.

"Useful information? Ah!"

-Did you find out?

"If you control the flow of weapons, it means you control the flow of war."

-That's right. Central was pleased with the fact they could choose the winner of the war while profiting from the weapons smuggling.

"Plus, by following the tracks of the smuggling route, you can easily find out and suppress anyone with ulterior motives. So that's why they allowed the weapons smuggling to go on? I can see why you would treat it as classified information. If this truth was leaked, even Central would be in peril."

-Correct.

"I don't understand though. Central must have been managing the whole smuggling scene until now, so why are they leaving Port City alone despite how much trouble it's causing?"

-Central cannot intervene directly in any of the Empire's inner workings. They always send out a representative or a puppet. The current four who hold the rights to the waterways are the sons of those that bought over all the bonds and pieces of collateral through smuggling. Those idiots are completely oblivious that their fathers were puppets of Central. They think they were born with power over the waterways. That's why they are trying so hard to create their own merchant guild.

"I would have thought Central would have more than enough power to suppress and control their representative's descendants."

Mazelan grit his teeth when Isaac made his remark. You could clearly see the anger building in Mazelan, but he quickly fixed his posture and spoke in a serious tone.

-When our current Emperor ascended to the throne, he sought the attendant who was tasked with teaching him when he was young.

Isaac listened keenly while Mazelan seemed to speak some completely unrelated thing.

"Who was that attendant?"

-He briefly taught our Emperor about manners, but despite being just a low noble, he had the audacity to use physical punishment in his teachings. He was that old-fashioned of a man.

"Wow. He hit the Emperor when he was young? I think it deserves respect in some sense."

-He was too old to work anymore, so he retired and went back to his homeland. But his homeland happened to be Port City.

"I'm guessing his family screwed themselves over?"

-The noble's son delved into the Canal construction only to throw away all of the family's fortune and commit suicide. The man, now penniless and homeless all of a sudden, met a death that matched his noble status.

"A death that matched his noble status?"

-Yeah. He neither begged nor asked for help, saying it would tarnish his honour. He simply starved to death next to his wife's grave.

Isaac was at a loss for words.

-Do you understand now? That an attendant who served the Emperor in his youth died of starvation? Can you imagine how furious the Emperor was when he heard of this news? The Emperor ordered Central to investigate further, and Central confessed to everything.

"I imagine that the palace was turned upside down."

-Not just the palace, but all of the Departments too. Here they were, thanking the Central for solving the situation, but it turns out it was Central who started the fiasco in the first place.

"Wait. It was Central who started the Canal construction?"

-They initiated the plot to hinder Port City since it was growing too powerful, but the situation grew out of their control. They acted innocent at first, and then acted as if they were trying to help out those in need. All of this happened in the previous generation, so there was no one they could place the blame on to, but it naturally led to all of the Departments being uncooperative with Central regarding this situation. Central also needed to show some form of penance and took their hands off the smuggling business.

"The government has to do something since they can't let this smuggling scandal be exposed, but with Central out of the scene, there is nothing stopping Port City. For the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds, their reputation would plummet if the information that they profited from Port City's dire situation was released, so they are desperately lobbying."

-Do you understand the situation now? The reason why Port City can't lay a hand on you isn't just because the College badge is acting as your shield but also because Port City can't give Central an excuse to intervene."

"Smuggling huh…."

Isaac fell to a deep thought as he folded his arms. He couldn't understand why they were solving this issue in such a complicated way when they could just assassinate the troublemakers and replace them with another candidate.

His head began to process the details. Use everything he can. That's why it may be more beneficial to go through the situation the hard way this time.

"If…"

-Hm?

"If I can get my hands on the rights over the waterways, what will you do?"

-Is it really possible? It's true that there are constantly calls for Central to clean up their own mess, but Central is also aware of this and is just lying low throughout it all. There is serious political infighting, since both sides want the other to yield and lower their heads first. So if it becomes possible that you can take the rights, all of the Departments will cooperate with their full support.

"Does that mean you won't care if some of the people were to die?"

Isaac stared at Isaac with his mouth shut.

-What are you thinking?

"I'm just trying to struggle for my dear life."

-No matter how problematic this is and how desperate we are for a solution, no Department would fail to uphold their original duty.

"So you will turn a blind eye as long as nobody dies?"

-Huh? Is that how it goes?

"There's just one thing I want. I will give you guys the rights over the waterways. In return, I want you guys to ignore anything that happens in this place for some time

-… I'll send the message at least. So what's the plan?

Isaac smiled as he spoke.

"Do you know why people fall for gambling?"

-…

"Because they believe they can change their lives through just one game."

Port City sued New Port City days after the Grand Canal Race finished, just as Goldman predicted. The rationale was simply the "unauthorised use of the Grand Canal." Isaac hired professional lawyers of his own to fight back, but Port City held all rights over the Grand Canal.

The Department of Law declared that New Port City must pay reparations for their crimes. This news brought a sudden end to Cordnell's smiling, replaced with a withering whimpering. Port City continued to do as Goldman predicted, and they quickly prepared an event of their own using the Grand Canal. Some of the people did pity to Isaac for having his idea stolen from right under him, but most of the public believed that it was justified. There were a few people in Port City who complained about this purely out of lust to see the elves in skimpy outfits, but those voices were quickly silenced soon after.

Isaac seemed to have lost all faith and ambition. Every day, he was seen being carried back to City Hall on Rizzly's back after drenching himself in booze. Word of Isaac's recent behaviour quickly spread, plummeting New Port City's morale while those in Port City made a toast for their bright future.

"Huhuhu. It's over, all over."

"Sir Isaac, you shouldn't act like this here."

"Shut up! Bring me more booze!"

Isaac was going through another drunken rampage in one of New Port City's restaurants. All of the restaurant employees looked at Isaac from a distance, unable to do anything.

"Che! That man's done now."

"Who cares. Let's just make the most of it while we can. Who knows when we will we be able to do work like this again."

The citizens of New Port City whispered to each other after watching Isaac's broken state. Isaac didn't seem to care about the gossiping crowd, fixated on continuing his rampage. The crowd frowned, but could do nothing with Rizzly standing at Isaac's side with both eyes wide open.

"Uhuhuh. Screw this stupid world. Fine! It only takes one shot to turn your life around! Let's have a big match! Let's go!"

"Huh? Go where?"

"Where else? To the casino!"

"But… You made it illegal for citizens of New Port City to play in the casinos."

"Huhu, who says I'm going to my own casino? It's my money whether I win or lose there. We will go to Port City and take all of their money!"

"Eeh! Sir Isaac! Please not that!"

"Shut up! Follow me!"

Rizzly tried to stop Isaac as best as he could, but his attempts were futile in stopping Isaac's relentless march.

"Tsk tsk, I guess it really is over."

"Looks like he's trying to settle this somehow with a gamble."

"Ha! If that was possible, there wouldn't be a single casino left standing."

After observing Isaac's life spiral down to a new low, people let go of what little pity they originally had for him.

"Ha! It's no different from mine."

Isaac stood at the front gate of Port City's casino, his eyes burning as if he was looking at his lifelong enemy.

"Sir Isaac, we can still go back right now."

Isaac shouted in response to Rizzly's plea.

"What are you on about? Just wait here. I'll close down this casino myself!"

Isaac confidently marched over to the casino, only to be stopped by the security guards.

"I'm sorry but you may not enter."

"What! Don't you know who I am?!"

"I do, but only those of elegance and culture may enter this place."

"Bullshit! You think I came here without money! I'm rich! Why?! Or are you scared of losing all your money to me!"

The guards looked at each other anxiously, unwilling to put themselves on the spot. They stood there, unable to do anything as Isaac continued his ruckus. Rizzly's deathly stare stopped them from throwing Isaac away physically, but letting him in could get them to lose their jobs.

"Look who it is. What is the Lord's Representative of New Port City doing in this humble abode?"

It seemed the noise from the ruckus travelled in to the casino, and a plump middle aged man came out to greet Isaac with sarcasm dripping from mouth. Isaac looked to the middle aged man with dazed eyes, still influenced by alcohol.

"What the? You know me?"

"Hahaha. I see you're quite drunk. I guess this is the first time we've met. My name is Harold. I operate this casino."

"Huh? Harold? The name sounds familiar."

"I am the man that holds the rights over that Grand Canal which you're so desperate for."

"Ah! Harold! You son of a bitch. I'm going to lose everything because of you!"

Finally remembering who Harold was, Isaac quickly tried to charge right at him but Rizzly stepped in and lifted Isaac up by his armpits.

"Let me go!"

Harold laughed, watching Isaac pitifully struggle midair.

"This is why you can't do anything with low-borns such as yourself. It's common sense to be punished for using someone else's property without permission. Make sure you use the canal next time after paying your fees. And don't come back here to cause a scene either. I will show some courtesy and not call the police only out of respect for your title as the Lord's Representative. So shove off quietly while you can."

Harold seemed unbothered by Isaac's behaviour. It was no different to all the other people Harold had sent in to the abyss through his plots, those who cried and wailed at which seemed like injustice in their eyes. He soon lost interest and tried to walk back in to the casino when one of the guards quickly told him of what happened before Harold came.

"Hm? He came to play in the casino?"

Harold's eyes shined with cunning. If he played his cards well, it would be an opportunity to get his hands on the casinos of New Port City.

"Huhuhu. Anyone who's willing to give me money is my guest."

"Ha! Don't make me laugh! I'll make sure to clean this casino until not a single coin is left!"

"I'd love to see you try. Let him in."

Harold snorted and ordered the guards before quickly disappearing into the casino. Isaac seemed to regain some sense after Harold disappeared, then quickly stepped into the casino as the guards received him with pitying eyes.

"What the. This is identical to mine! I swear, these lots have not a single shred of creativity!"

Isaac shouted the moment he entered and looked around the casino. The casino echoed with a sweet melody while the guests inside were busy with their social activities. The games of the casinos were aimed to entertain guests as they chatted amongst each other. And Isaac's shout disturbed their entertainment. The guests quickly looked to where the shout came from.

"What are you looking at! Why would you even come to casino if you're not going to gamble! What's so good about standing around and talking! Move it!"

Isaac shoved the people aside as he forced himself in. The women squealed and scattered while the men attempted to stand their ground, only to be repelled by Rizzly's frightening look.

Isaac looked at the tables in the casinos. Unlike his casino, which was jam packed with tables for games, this casino was sparsely filled with tables. Isaac found his target and sat on one of the tables.

"It seems he's at least playing the easiest one for now."

"No. Dice may seem easy, but it has the highest return in the casino. He's clearly looking to win big in a single game."

Everyone muttered to each other as they glimpsed at Isaac. The game Isaac was playing was Dice, and it's a game where the player tries to guess the total sum of the three dice that are thrown. There were countless ways to bet in the game: betting on whether the total sum will be the greater half or lesser half of possible sums, betting on the exact total sum of the three dice, or betting on what faces would come up on the dice, with each style of betting having a different return rate.

These simple rules made it easy for novices to approach the game without too much trouble, but this game also boasted the largest return in the casino with a possible 150x return when the three dice come out with identical faces. This made it popular for those who wanted to test their luck.

"Hahaha, don't you think you're pushing yourself too soon?"

"Ha! A man only needs one chance! You just watch! I'll rob this place clean!"

"Let's see you try. On a side note, our casino's minimum bet is 100 Giga."

"Ha! Just a hundred Giga? I'll bet a thousand Giga every game! Get me some booze!"

Harold disappeared, laughing at Isaac's feeble attempt.

Isaac continued to shout out his demands for alcohol as he started playing the game.

Each game Isaac bet 3000 Giga. Since the game played fast, Isaac fell into a cycle of winning and losing, slowly sinking into the gambling trap. Some watched out of curiosity, then mocked him for his brutish, unintelligent way of playing.

"Um, Sir Isaac. I think you should stop…"

Rizzly carefully made his suggestion after watching Isaac lose 60 thousand Giga in a span of just 1 hour.

"What? What do you mean? I'm just starting to get the feel of it! Bring me more chips!"

The dealer of Isaac's table spoke with troubled look.

"I apologize. But we cannot give you more chips with your credit."

"What! Don't you know who I am!"

"I do, but this is the rule of the casino. Unless you pay for all of your losses, we won't be able to give you more chips."

"Are you joking me! Do you have any idea how much I've lost! Stop with the bullshit and bring me more!"

Isaac slammed the table with his hands, and the dealer looked to the manager for help. The managers seemed to have received orders already on what to do and politely told Isaac.

"We will give you more chips as long as you sign on the paper to guarantee you will pay."

"I'll do it as much as you need!"

Isaac quickly signed the paper the manager of the casino handed to him and then threw it on the ground.

Many onlookers frowned at his horrible manners, but Isaac didn't seem bothered and shouted when a mountain of chips were placed in front of him.

"Hurry up and play! I'll get it right this time!"

Isaac continued to gamble. But once he lost over 300 thousand Giga, Rizzly seemed to think this was enough and hit the back of Isaac's neck. Isaac became unconscious, and Rizzly picked up his body.

"Send the invoice to New Port City."

"Thank you for your patronage."

Behind Rizzly's back echoed mocking laughter.

"What… What is this! What in the world is this!"

"Ah, shut it. My head is ringing. Drop your noise."

"H-how can I possibly stay quiet after this!"

Isaac sipped at the honey tea Rizzly handed out to him, still suffering from a massive hangover.

Cordnell seemed to be infuriated even more at Isaac's indifference, and began to scream as he stomped the ground.

"What happened yesterday? We just received an invoice from Port City! An invoice of 350 thousand Giga! What in the world did you do to spend that much money in a single day?"

"Don't worry. I can get it all back if I get a good game."

"Waaaaah!"

Cordnell almost seemed as if he was having a stroke.

350 Thousand Giga was no joke. It's an amount no commoner could earn even after spending his entire life working. And Isaac seemed so nonchalant after losing it all, making Cordnell truly fear for what was to come.

The city was just starting to start making profit, but now they had to pay reparations for the Grand Canal Race case. With the addition of this incident caused by Isaac, What little profit they had went up in smoke.

"Y, you're not thinking of going there again are you?"

"Of course I am if I want to get my money back!"

"Haha… it's over."

Cordnell disappeared as he despairingly muttered into the air.

Humans are very sensitive to rumours.

The word of Isaac's recent behaviour, of how he continued to gamble even after losing 350 thousand Giga, made what few people who still saw hope in Isaac abandon him and look to guarantee their own survival.

"We need to embezzle as much as wealth we can."

"Impossible. All of the wealth is under Isaac's name in the documents. There's no room for us to butt in."

"That's why we have to fabricate the accounts. Otherwise, all of the wealth will be transferred to Port City."

"What are our guilds saying?"

"They told us to be ready to set foot off this place at any time. It seems our guilds have given up on New Port City too."

"Shit! How could he crumble so easily after a single failure? He'd been doing so well until now."

"It was never possible to begin with. Let's just save our own skin for now."

The employees from the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds predicted the fall of New Port City along with Isaac. So they began fabricating the account books and embezzling whatever funds they could get their hands on.

"It seems the merchant employees are embezzling funds."

"No shit. Who in the right mind would like to die with Isaac-sunbae?"

"We should get ready too. At this rate, we won't last till next year, let alone 3 years."

'We should at least get the 3 years' worth of pay that we were promised."

"What do the elves and North Bears look like?"

"The elves don't seem too bothered since Port City is trying to employ them as well. The North Bears do seem disappointed, complaining that their good days are over. But they are still demonstrating some loyalty and refusing all offers from Port City."

"Ha! Loyalty my ass. What do they possibly expect to gain by staying loyal to that guy?"

"They are in a different situation to us."

Isaac's hubaes had noticed that the merchant employees made a second account book to embezzle the funds. In fact, the merchant employees advised them to save their own skin and taught the hubaes how to embezzle the funds.

The hubaes applied to work for Isaac purely for the high paycheck only Isaac was willing to offer, so they didn't have any reason to die with Isaac.

They never considered Isaac to be their real sunbae, so they didn't feel a shred of remorse, guilt, or hesitation. As they began to follow the merchant employees one by one, the administration of the city which was going well began to crumble. The biggest impact it had was on the free meals and hospital policy Isaac placed, but there wasn't a single person who could fight it or anyone who would listen to their complaints.

With Isaac, their last hope, succumbing to alcohol and gambling, even the citizens of New Port City began to follow suit. The citizens became brave and entered the Ceta District without approval and started mugging and pickpocketing the guests. The North Bears tried their best to stop them, but it still worsened the reputation that just began to heal, decreasing the number of guests by the day.

"Hahaha, I never thought it would end this way."

"How much money did he lose in the casino already?"

"It's gone above 800 thousand Giga."

"It really is over."

The four rulers of Port City gathered for a meeting. Harold, the greatest contributor to the current situation, looked to the other three with arrogance.

"The pieces of trash from New Port City are asking to come under us again."

"Ha, those rats will never cease to act like rats."

"We can always replace them at any time once we gain our hands on New Port City."

"Is the information they brought trustworthy?"

"It seems all of his employees and hubaes are in a frenzy to fill their own pockets."

"The merchant guilds and newest graduates of Campus are having a party of corruption… I think we've got ourselves a great card to use once we get ahold of New Port City."

"Isaac's already given us all of the city's funds, and all that's left is his real estate and his authority."

"Do you really think he will use that to gamble? He must have some brain in his head."

"Hahaha. Isn't that the reason gambling is so dangerous?"

Harold came up with a plan when he heard that Isaac had come to play.

To destroy Isaac with gambling.

It was easy enough to trap him in a gambling addiction through a cycle of wins and losses. The players quickly lose interest when they keep on losing, but they never lose their obsession when they always gain back some of their money. They fall into the trap of false hope that they can gain back their money when they hit it big just once, so they continue to play, further fuelling the addiction.

"That is why I've personally brought the Empire's greatest dealer to help him fall into the trap even quicker."

An experienced dealer could easily adjust the wins and losses to further help the players fall into addiction. That is why Harold personally met and hired the most expensive dealer in the gambling world.

"That brat's completely fallen for my dealer because he lets him win more than all the others. Thanks to that, he's been even more obsessed over my dealer, thanking him for letting him win back half of what he lost."

"But isn't there a chance he would dust his hands and leave once he got his money back?"

Harold laughed when Rodney made such a suggestion.

"That will never happen. Everyone who is addicted to gambling say they will stop once they get their money back. But I've never seen a single person who truly let go of gambling once they did get their money. No, they fall even deeper into gambling thinking they could earn even more money, since they managed to win back their money."

"So all we need to do is make him bet in a once-in-a-lifetime game with all of his wealth on the line."

"Haha, the plan is already in motion. All I need to do is taunt him a little and he'll fall for it on his own."

"Once we gain the authority of the Lord's representative, not even the government can stop us."

"Don't let your guard down."

Zeroman, the eldest of the four, spoke with worry in his voice. The rest laughed fanatically, but Zeroman knew from his experience that the more a plan goes on without a hitch, the worse an unexpected disaster hits from just around the corner.

"Huhu. You are worrying too much."

"A merchant should be on his guard even more when a job goes too well."

"Well, I wouldn't know. I've yet to become a merchant. Hahaha."

"Tsk."

Zeroman clicked his tongue when Harold laughed out of arrogance. The four who held the rights over the waterways seemed like they were cooperating, but as the possibility of establishing their own merchant guild became more likely, they began to compete with one another for its shares.

Harold didn't listen to Zeroman's words because of the fact that he would gain more shares for this project, but Zeroman was the only person out of the four who were suspicious about Port City, New Port City, the government, and Central's influence over the situation.

This is why Zeroman didn't make a move, even at the cost of hearing that he is being too passive. He doubted and doubted again whether all of this was a plan made by Central.

This incident happened too quickly. After seeing everything that Isaac fellow pulled through, Zeroman knew he wasn't the type of person who would break over a single failure.

"I'm pulling out of this project."

"That will mean your portion of shares will decrease."

Not only Harold, but even the other two's eyes flickered.

Zeroman nodded at the three, whose eyes were consumed by greed.

"Make sure you do it properly. I will give up over all of the profit that will come through this project, but it also means I have no reason to pay for damages when the project fails."

"Ha. Mr. Zeroman, your problem is that you're too cautious. Isn't there a quote the merchants always love to say? Where there is no risk, there is no profit. Seeing how you love to avoid danger, I think you have very little talent in becoming a merchant yourself. Hahaha!"

"Perhaps. Maybe the reason why I'd like to follow my instinct over logic is because I've grown too old. This project is too dangerous."

"Haha. You're worrying when the project is going well and fearing what will happen if it fails? How do you expect to run the merchant guild with an attitude like that?"

"I guess I'll just have to live off the shares once the Merchant Guild becomes established."

"Ha. I can print a document if that is what you wish."

"Thanks. I'll be heading off first."

Zeroman seemed like he didn't want to be in the room anymore and left his seat. Once Zeroman was gone, the three's demeanour sharpened coldly, and they began to whisper to one another.

"I guess he really is old. It's really difficult to work with him."

"It's fine. He doesn't have a successor, so all of his shares will become ours once he dies."

"So when are you planning to make the final move?"

"Huhu, I just need to taunt him a little longer, and that brat will volunteer to give all of his wealth to us. Just wait a little longer."

"Huhuhu. I look forward to that day."

"Ah! Shit! I should have bet on 5!"

Isaac slammed the table in a fit of rage as the number he originally switched from came out. As Isaac fell deeper into gambling addiction, so too did his appearances deteriorate. Many sleepless nights had turned his eyes red with blood, flickering at every movement. His face now sported a beard and a foul odour seeped through his clothes, forcing everyone to stay away from him.

"Make your bets."

The dealer on the table behaved like a well-oiled machine, unphased by Isaac's insults and fits, only going through the required words and actions. He was an experienced dealer who has been through all kinds of customers before.

"Hmmm…."

Isaac, whose initial confidence made him bet a thousand, even ten thousand Giga each game, was now forced to play with the minimum bet of 100 Giga. Realising that he was out of money, even this minimum bet was made after much contemplation.

Everyone who watched from the side could easily tell that Isaac was going bankrupt and looked at Isaac with ridicule. It was the typical end of a gambling addict.

"Tsk tsk, what happened to that confidence of yours at the start?"

Harold approached Isaac and slowly taunted him.

"What! You think I'll be defeated this easily! Hmph!"

Falling for Harold's provocation, Isaac bet all of his chips on three 6s coming out. It had the highest winning multiplier of 150x, but its probability was just as scarce. Isaac's bet was one without a hint of intelligence but full of primal rage.

Already, Isaac's face was filled with regret, and before he made up his mind, the dealer rang the bell to stop all bets and placed the dice. The dice were placed at the top of a clear cylinder to prevent any tampering of dice. When the dealer pressed a button, the lid opened and the dice danced in the air as a gust of wind filled the cylinder.

"Uuuh… Please, give this one to me, please…"

Harold made a mocking smile as he watched Isaac, who was too focused on the dice to notice. Harold made eye contact with the dealer. The dice were rigged so that the dealer could determine which faces would come up. Isaac wasn't fighting against probability. Any wins he would make were made possible because Harold determined it to be.

The dice were eventually pulled down by gravity and bounced on the table for some time. Once they stopped, all three dice came out with number 6 faced up.

"Kuahaha! Did you see that! I'm not dead yet!"

Isaac jumped into the air with a triumphant roar. It was a 150x winning. Isaac continued to boast about the win while the dealer gave him his winnings with near-mechanical movement.

"Huhuhu. How much is this? Its more than 250 thousand Giga. Did you see that? If I win three more times like this, I'll be able to get my money back!"

Isaac couldn't hide his emotions as he looked at the mountain of chips. Harold approached the excited Isaac with applause.

"Oh, amazing! I didn't think you'd get a huge winning in that moment. Wow, it's too bad. If you bet everything, you would have gotten all of your money back."

"Hmph! You just wait! The game's just begun!"

"Make your bets."

Isaac confidently reacted to the dealer's words.

"4,5,5."

The dealer coldly read out the faces of each die, and Isaac stood up from his chair with a fist.

"Yes!"

Isaac, who bet on two 5s coming out, boasted to Harold as he received his 50x winning.

"Kuahaha! See that? You see that? Finally my luck is starting to look up. You just wait! It'll be just a moment before I bankrupt this casino!"

Harold made an appearance of a bitter smile, but deep in his heart, his smile was growing ever more sinister. Emboldened by his recent wins, Isaac started to make larger bets in each game, and the 250 thousand Giga he earned earlier quickly disappeared.

The reason why gambling is so dangerous is because it digs into the human's psychology. Human's greed is endless, and when they make a winning with 100 Giga, they begin to fantasise. What if I bet a thousand Giga? Or, at least 200, no 500 Giga? When regret such as this begins to dig away at their heart, they begin to think they lost in their head, when in truth the money never existed. They begin to compensate by making larger bets, and their logic becomes clouded as they convince themselves that they can make up for many losses by making a big win.

Isaac didn't miss a single step in a worsening gambling addiction, and his confident demeanour quickly disappeared. All he could do now was repeat the process of betting and watching the dice.

As expected of the dealer Harold went to great depths to find, his experienced dealing sapped the soul out of Isaac. He would make the dice be very close to Isaac's bet when he makes a large bet, teasing him, while letting him win small bets to encourage and tantalize him deeper into gambling.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!"

Isaac lost all of his money again, and started swearing as he beat down the table. Harold quickly stepped in to the scene like a predator jumping at his prey.

"It seems you weren't lucky today again."

"Che! I was only unlucky because I didn't have enough chips! Bring me more!"

"I'm sorry but your debt has gone past a million Giga. You can't get any more chips, even with my authority."

"You really think I can't pay back a measly million Giga?"

"Then why don't you pay now and play again?"

"Um… I don't have it right now, but the money will come in about a month. Let's settle the debt then."

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow that."

Isaac shouted out in a fit when Harold coldly refused his offer.

"You can't even do that for me when I've lost so much money in this damn casino?"

"That's because I know exactly how well your finances are. You just barely had 800 thousand monthly net profit back when you were at your prime. I heard that the number of guests have been dropping. Are you making 300 thousand Giga at this point? And this is your total revenue we're talking about, not your profit."

"Kuk! If, if I sell all of my real estate, I can easily make a million Giga!"

"Then bring me its proof. I'll accept it as a warrant."

"T, that's…"

Even Isaac hesitated, since he knew it was his last trump card.

"Well, a million Giga is big money, so I'll wait until next month just as you promised. But you can't play in my casino anymore until you pay back the million Giga dept."

"Kuk!"

Isaac furiously glared at Harold's arrogant face, but the attempt was pitiful at best. Rizzly, who couldn't stand it anymore, pulled Isaac aside.

"Let's call it a day now."

"W, wait!"

Even as he was being pulled out of the casino by Rizzly, Isaac was still showing signs of regret, and just before he was about to be pulled out the door, Isaac got out of Rizzly's grip and approached Harold.

"How much chips can you give me if I give you the real estate?"

"Hm? I will need to see it first. There isn't much value in New Port City as a whole."

Seeing Isaac bite his bait, Harold's eyes shined.

"Sir Isaac! What are you thinking?"

Rizzly rushed back to Isaac and blocked his mouth, and Isaac struggled in vain. Watching Isaac's pathetic act, Harold shouted.

"You can come back whenever you have the money. I'll welcome you warmly!"

"How much did you say?"

"A million Giga."

"Sigh…"

"…"

"How much again?"

"A million Giga."

"Sigh…"

Like a mouse scampering in a running wheel, Cordnell kept asking the same question as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Sadly, the answer came out the same every time. Cordnell looked to Isaac as if he had given up on all hope. Watching Isaac mutter to himself about all of the losing bets really made Cordnell lose what little faith he had in him.

"Oi, Cordnell. Give me some money."

Crack! Those words were the final push Cordnell needed to snap.

"You, son of a bitch! Money? How can we have any money! You spent all of it yourself! The debt we have to pay in a fortnight is 300 thousand Giga, you know! The rumours about you have spread so far that we can't even ask for any loans!"

"What are you complaining about? It's just 300 thousand. Just one big win and that's all water under the bridge."

Cordnell finally lost all sanity when Isaac acted like it was no big deal. Cordnell started throwing objects at Isaac as he swore at him.

"Are you kidding me?! We'll be bankrupt if we can't pay back that 300 thousand Giga, bankrupt! Do you even know what that means? We'll be screwed! Screwed!"

Finally Isaac seemed to grasp the situation. His expression began to get serious.

"Are we really that low on money?"

"Are you honestly saying that after you poured all that money into Port City's casino?"

Cordnell's rampage was stopped when all of the other merchant employees held him back. Isaac nodded to enraged Corndell as if he'd made a big decision.

"I guess there's no choice. I'll need to use my real estate as a warrant."

Cordnell finally calmed down after hearing that with a sigh.

"Good thinking. If it's the Seven Grand Merchant Guild, they'll buy the real estate above the market price. Let's settle all the urgent… Hm? A warrant?"

Cordnell was expecting the real estate to come up since it was the last thing Isaac had at this point. He quickly nodded in agreement, but realised Isaac said 'warrant' and not 'for sale.'

"I'll use the real estate to aim for a big winning! One good game and our entire money problem will be over! Don't worry. Now, where were my deeds for real estate?"

"How can I not worry now? What are you guys doing? Stop him!"

Cordnell quickly tried to grab Isaac as he proceeded to walk down the stairs, but Cordnell's friends and colleagues stopped not Isaac, but Cordnell instead.

"Just give it up. It's all over now."

"What do you mean by that!"

"We need to look to our own lives now. Don't worry, we've saved your portion too."

"Uaaah! Don't stop me! Stop Isaac!"

Cordnell's scream pierced through the air.

"Please! Sir Isaac, rethink this. Please!"

"Ah, damn you're persistent. I told you not to worry. Just one game and I'll get all my money back. In fact, I'll come back with a profit."

"Noo!"

Cordnell hung onto Isaac's leg, pleading to change his mind. But Isaac coldly jerked him away and continued to move on to Port City without hesitation.

"Tsk tsk. What a horrible way to go."

"It's a shame he's fighting the lonely fight when everyone else have already given up."

All of the other merchant employees and Isaac's hubaes looked as if they weren't involved in any of this. They didn't even try to make an attempt to stop him. They've already stolen their share of money, and they have no regrets anymore.

"Stop him! Don't let that bastard go!"

Cordnell wept, hurt by all of his colleagues who were content with just following behind Isaac while ignoring him. They may have given up on New Port City, but they wanted to watch. This was going to be one of the biggest gambles they've seen, with lives on the line.

"Huhuhu. You're finally here."

"I'll fight you like it's the last day of my life."

With Cordnell making so much noise, the rumours have travelled already to Port City. Port City's casino was booming with a sea of people, ready to watch a man's life-or-death gamble.

"Now, let us head in. It's too crowded here."

Port City's casino always screened who entered. All of the common folk could only pace around the door and make bets on when the money will dry out, in how many days Isaac will commit suicide, and with which method he will commit the suicide.

The nobles on the other hand, looked to the common folk with disdain, and they were led into the elegant casino with utmost care.

All of the tables were moved from the table, except one.

"Which game?"

"Dice!"

Isaac replied as if the answer was never in question. Harold snorted.

"Then let's see how much you brought."

Isaac called over Rizzly, who held a bag of documents with him.

"It's the deeds to all real estate in New Port City."

"Uaaah! You dumbass!"

Cordnell struggled to get to the bag before Rizzly could hand it over, but was stopped by security.

"Please, regain your senses Sir Isaac! That is your life you're trading away!"

"Shut up! I've already bet my life! Take him away! He's annoying me!"

Isaac's words were all Harold needed to send a sinister smile to the security guards, and Cordnell was dragged out of the casino in the hands of the brutes.

"Sir Isaac, please! Sir Isaac! Oi! Oi! Isaac you bastard!"

With Cordnell's haunting cries disappearing into the distance, Harold finally finished going through all of the documents.

"Hm, I'll give you 800 thousand Giga for this."

"What! The real estate alone has a value of at least 1.5 million Giga!"

"That's when New Port City was going strong. Didn't you know that Ceta District's real estate has been dropping every day?"

"B, but…"

"Even if you try to sell the real estate instead, you won't get a better price than what I'm offering you now."

"Kuuk! F, fine. We'll do as you say…"

Harold pushed on, using his advantage to abuse Isaac into a corner.

"Then I guess you need to pay back the remaining 200 thousand."

"Huh? What the hell do you mean by that?"

Isaac who was just about to ask for some chips looked to Harold with his eyes popping wide.

"You do remember that you owe us a million Giga right?"

"T, that's…"

Isaac stood there helplessly, worried that his entire wealth was about to be taken from him without being able to do anything. Harold watched Isaac, and then added in a condition that he wanted.

"But I guess I can't let all these guests leave empty handed. If you write me a power of attorney, I'll take that as a warrant."

"The power of attorney?"

"The power of attorney to relegate your remaining office as Lord's Representative to me."

"B, but…"

Isaac seemed to be shaken by an offer he never thought of before.

"I understand your hesitation. But this isn't the first time we've loaned money over the rights as mayor or the Lord's Representative. We've done it many times, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"But… if I give up on that too…"

Harold began provoking Isaac when it seemed he was still hesitating.

"What seems to be the problem? Isn't everything solved if you win? Or are you scared that you're going to lose?"

"W, who says I'm going to lose!"

"Huhu, then write that power of attorney for me. I'll loan you a million Giga without any conditions. Otherwise, we will have to end it here."

Isaac seemed to hesitate because of such a low offer, and Harold stood up seemingly without any regret.

"I guess we'll have to call it quits then. I've got nothing to lose."

"N, no! I'll do it!"

When the word of Isaac selling his title for a million Giga spread, a strange, haunting but familiar voice could be heard from outside.

The merchant employees and Isaac's hubaes looked to Isaac like he was trash for giving up not just his real estate, but all of his rights as the Lord's Representative. They also felt relieved for getting out of the situation before things turned to worse.

Isaac signed away the power of attorney in a document which was already prepared beforehand. When he sat on the table, the dealer pushed a mountain of chips to him.

"Huh? This isn't the million Giga I was promised!"

"You need to pay back the remaining debt."

"B, but…"

"Well, we can always stop now if you don't want to play."

Harold acted like he was about to leave, and Isaac quickly stopped him.

"N, no! This is more than enough."

"Hmph. But you seem rather impolite. Shouldn't you show some manners when it's clear that I'm much older than you?"

"…Ha! Don't make me laugh! Do the customers in this casino have to grovel in order to play?"

"Huhuhu. I see you still have your pride, even in the face of death. Well, let's just enjoy the game for now."

Harold left his seat with a snort when he saw Isaac fall for his provocation. Immediately after he left, the dealer handed the dice to Isaac.

"Hm?"

Isaac blankly looked at the dice, and Harold explained with earnest.

"We always operate cleanly, but this is a game at a scale never seen before right? Since people may later call that this game is rigged, I'm just making sure we confirm together that it isn't. Don't come crying to me later that we cheated after you lose all your money."

"Ha. Do you really think I'm so pathetic that I'd cry after losing?"

"Haha. That's even more so the reason to make sure. Even the greatest man becomes pathetic when they lose a great deal of money."

After the dealer's constant nagging, Isaac carefully checked the dice. He threw the dice a few times, checked their sizes and weight, going through all of the checks.

"Are you done now?"

"I guess there isn't any tampering."

"A casino can't operate if it has no trust."

"Does that mean I can trust you?"

"I swear upon all the wealth I have."

"Alright! Let's start then!"

Isaac slammed the table as he made a bet, and the game finally started.

Each time the dice showed their faces, a moan could be heard in the casino.

"No hits."

The dealer emotionlessly gathered all of the chips on the table. Isaac's 800 thousand Giga have shrunk considerably, and a tremor could be seen in Isaac's hands.

"Huhu, it's going to end soon."

As the chips shrunk, Harold started to become impatient. He had been letting Isaac win a few times so there wouldn't be any suspicion, so Isaac still had 500 thousand with him; but knowing the end already, the game started to bore Harold.

Despite Harold's silent pressure with his eyes, the dealer kept up the act by slowly chipping away at Isaac's wealth through many wins and even more losses.

Isaac also seemed to be pressured in the game, and each bet was made after considerable pondering, boring even the onlookers. Harold finally decided to act when he thought that enough was enough.

"Wait. The game's getting too boring. Why don't we rest a little and play later?"

"How can you say that! I'm just starting to get a feel of it!"

"You say that when you're making the minimum bets?"

"T, that's… Anyway I can't rest. I'll lose the feel of it."

"Fine. Then we'll raise the minimum for each game."

"H, how can you do that!"

Isaac complained to Harold, but Harold replied with a frown on his face.

"Hey, there's a limit to how convenient we can make it for you. How much are you going to play now? My casino isn't made just for you to play in. We need to run our business too."

"Uuk…"

Harold's words were both right and wrong. It's true that Isaac shouldn't take over the entire casino to play alone, but the amount of money he was playing with was much larger than what the casino earned in a day, making it a net profit at the end of the day.

"Well, since I'm increasing the minimum, I'll also remove the limit for the maximum bet you can make."

Harold offered to Isaac as if he was doing him a favour

"You're going to remove the maximum bet?"

"That's right. How much do you have now? 500 thousand? You can bet all of it if you want."

"R, really?"

The crowd rustled at Harold's offer. It meant that Harold was willing to have a sudden death match with 500 thousand.

"Ha! You think I'll fall for your trap? I can clearly see that you're trying to ruin my run by disrupting my focus. I'm not so foolish to fall for such obvious trap!"

Isaac ridiculed Harold as he ignored the offer and started playing with 10 thousand Giga per game. A few games later, another hundred thousand Giga were lost. With only 400 thousand left under his name, Isaac asked Harold with much deliberation.

"You said there isn't a maximum bet right?"

'He fell for it!'

Harold started to sing in his mind. He knew Isaac would fall for the sudden death match, considering that personality of his.

Harold nodded to Isaac like a benevolent spirit.

"Of course. I don't care if you bet all of the chips you have."

Knowing that Isaac can't possibly win, Harold tried his utmost to suppress his cheeks and lips from making a smile.

After much consideration, Isaac closed his eyes, and pushed all of his chips on having 3 identical numbers coming out.

"Fine! It only takes one game to win it all! I've fallen this far, I may as well go for broke! I'm betting it all on my favourite number, 3!"

Isaac decision put the crowd into frenzy.

A 400 thousand Giga bet. This was going to go down in gambling history, and the people went into a frenzy for witnessing this history in the making.

The dealer flinched at the huge scale of the bet and looked to Harold. Harold laughed and accepted Isaac's bet.

"Fine! I'll take it! It's a sudden death match!"

With Harold's approval, the dealer placed the dice in the middle of the table.

"According to the casino's rules, when such a large sum of money is bet, both the player and the representative of the casino must check the dice to ensure there isn't any tampering."

"I'm fine. I checked it before."

Since Isaac refused to check, Harold threw the dice a few times since it was the rules.

"There is nothing wrong. Hurry and start."

"Then do you both agree there isn't any tampering?"

"I got it, so just start already!"

Isaac shouted impatiently, while Harold nodded with all the time in his hand.

"I agree."

"Then lastly, you must decide on the airtime."

"Airtime?"

"Yes. You must decide on how long the dice will stay in the air."

Isaac complained to himself on how he needed to pick on every little detail, and then began to hesitate when it came down to choosing the time.

"Huhu. Shall I give you some help?"

"S, shut up!"

"I just find it so pitiful to see you hesitate so much."

Isaac finally burst out in anger as Harold kept scratching at his nerve with his constant provocations.

"Fine! Choose it you bastard! I'm going to win anyway!"

"Ha. Fine, let's make it 30 seconds. I will at least let your hope to last that much longer."

The dealer nodded and turned the timer next to the cylinder to 30 seconds.

"Then we shall begin."

The dealer placed the dice onto the lid of the cylinder. Just when he was about to press the button, Isaac quickly shouted out in regret.

"W, wait!"

But Isaac was too late and the dice fell into the cylinder and began to dance.

"Wait! This doesn't count! I take back my bet!"

"Impossible! Once the dice are in the cylinder, you cannot change your bets!"

Isaac desperately called out to Harold, but Harold coldly refused, not hesitating for a single moment.

"P, please! Let me, let me bet again!"

"Huhuhu. What a disgrace. You can't stop the dice once they've been thrown."

"Please, Mr. Harold. Give me another chance. Please! Let me, allow me to bet again!"

Isaac fell off his chair and bowed to Harold, clinging on to his leg as he made his plea. Harold finally shouted out with utmost happiness, thinking that he finally had the arrogant nuisance yield to him.

"You cannot cancel the bet! Accept your loss!"

"Nooo! It's over… It's all over…"

The entire crowd frowned as Isaac wept and cried. Watching a man fall into the abyss is never a pleasant sight. Harold watched the dice fall onto the table, and shouted out, unable to hold in his laughter.

"Kuahaha! It's over! New Port City is now mine!"

Harold laughed and basked in his victory, when he realised something was amiss. He stopped his laughter and looked around him. In his eyes, he saw the crowd react with astonishment and disbelief. Harold turned around also with disbelief and fear to look at the table.

3, 3, 3. The dice were neatly arranged in a line. Harold looked to the dice again and again, rubbing his eyes between each attempt, but the faces of the dice never changed.

"H, how… How could this… This can't be…"

Harold slowly walked to the table closer, trembling in each step.

"No. This can't be. There must be something wrong."

Harold tried to grab at the dice with his shaking hand, when suddenly someone pulled the back of his shirt and threw him onto the floor.

"Kuuk!"

Even after the fall, Harold still seemed dumbfounded by everything.

"Tsk tsk. You shouldn't try to touch the dice once they've been played."

"Huh?"

Isaac, who pulled Harold onto the floor, sat back on his chair. Rizzly handed Isaac a warm towel as if he had been waiting for this moment, and Isaac quickly cleaned his face.

"Phew… Finally I feel like I'm alive. See, all it takes is just a single game."

It was a completely different attitude to when he was crying before.

Harold watched Isaac wipe his face and start lighting a choyu cigarette at first, but Harold's face quickly twisted like that of a ghost.

"Y, you!"

After a brief stare, Harold charged at Isaac like a mad hound, but he was stopped by Rizzly.

"What are you mad about?"

Isaac tilted his head and asked Harold a question, and Harold shouted out as if asking for help from the crowd.

"T-this is a scam! This can't possibly happen!"

"Possibly happen you say… How can you be so sure? It sounds almost as if the results were predetermined?"

"T-that's…"

Harold was at a loss for words, and his head quickly spun to think up an answer.

"N, no! This is a scam made by both you and the dealer! You two must have planned this together! Otherwise, there's no possible way for all three to come out as 3!"

Isaac laughed at Harold's pathetic excuse.

"Ha! A scam you say? Look here, Mr Harold. Was it me who asked for limitless maximum? It was you right? It was you who also last checked the dice . You said there was nothing wrong. It was you who chose the time. And I asked you to cancel the bet right? I begged and pleaded for it right? And you said no. You said you can't stop the dice once they're in play. And all of a sudden, you say it's all a scam because you lost? That's no way to run a casino. It's fine when you win, but it's cheating when you lose? One hell of a business scheme you got there. No way would that happen in my casino."

Harold collapsed onto the floor as if he'd lost his mind. Isaac snickered at the sight, and looked to the table as he made a scene.

"Wow, 150x 400 thousand Giga is it? How much is that? I'm too scared to count. I'm no good at maths you see. I guess I should give you a tip for giving me a once in a lifetime winning. Here's a tip. Take a million Giga for yourself."

Isaac threw a million Giga's worth of chips to the dealer, and the dealer bowed in return.

"Thank you."

The crowd still looked at the scene in disbelief as if they were still dreaming.

Harold regained his senses and tried to think up a way to turn the situation around, but his confused head couldn't come up with any plan. Meanwhile, the crowd was too busy to calculate the winning.

"How much did he win now?"

"It's 150x 400 thousand, so it comes down to 60 million Giga!"

"What!"

It was an astronomical amount. No one could stop their jaws from dropping after hearing that. The Empire's budget last year was 130 million Giga. And Isaac just won almost half of the Empire's budget.

No matter how much money one had, there isn't a single group that could pay back so much money in a single sitting unless they were a nation themselves.

Suddenly, one of the security guards rushed to the scene screaming.

"Mr. Harold! Urgent news!"

The security guard pushed through the crowd and drove the nail into his already-confused head.

"The safe! The safe has been emptied!"

"…What?"

"Someone stole everything in the safe!"

"The safe… There's at least 10 million Giga in there. And you're saying someone stole it?"

"Yes! They took everything! There isn't even a single coin left!"

"Ha ha ha…"

Harold looked like he aged at least 10 years.

"Tsk tsk. What kind of security do you have to have your safe robbed? That would never happen in my casino. This is why all kinds of accidents happen when newcomers try to run a casino. Tsk tsk. It's a shame, Mr Harold."

Isaac's sarcastic tone caused Harold to react, his eyes staring directly at Isaac.

"You… it was you. You…!"

"Hm? Me? I did what? It's a shame your safe was robbed, but you're still going to have to pay me right? Since it's no good for the Lord's Representative to count money like a pawn, I'll send over one of my men instead."

Snap!

With the flick of Isaac's fingers, Soland slowly came out of the crowd.

"This fella here is a professional when it comes to collecting loans. He'll make sure that you pay it all, even if you have to give up everything."

"Y-you are!"

Harold shouted out in disbelief when he saw Soland smiling next to Isaac. Finally, everything came to him. It was a trap from the start. A trap set to send him to the abyss. It was Soland who brought him the information about Isaac's gambling. It was Soland who introduced the dealer to him.

"Y-you dare… gasp!"

"Mr. Harold!"

Harold, unable to withstand the shock, fainted with bubbles foaming at his mouth.

"How did such a coward like you run a casino? Phew, it's tiring to gamble with your life on the line. I think I'll take a break."

Isaac got out of the chair and patted Soland's shoulder before walking out of the casino. The crowd, who were watching the whole thing, made a path for Isaac.

Just as he was about to walk through, Isaac stopped and looked around.

Flinch!

The people who met Isaac's eyes quickly turned away, and those guilty couldn't even dare raise their heads to look at him.

"My fellow employees and lovely hubaes who have been working tirelessly in recent days."

Isaac smiled to the group, who couldn't even react after having been called out.

"I think we need to talk."

On the same day Isaac had his meeting with Mazelan when both cities were still engrossed in the excitement from the Grand Canal 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 assemble 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 Canal 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 ship 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 glass 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.'

Nobody 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 bastard 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 document 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 document 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 document?"

Cordnell quickly realised that the time it took to process didn't make sense and shouted out. When an official document is sent to the Department of Law, it must be thoroughly dissected and analysed 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 passive. 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."

After a moment of pondering, Isaac returned to a normal expression with a snort, unfazed by what had happened.

"Well, we'll take care of that problem one step at a time. We can always pull him in using a convenient excuse later. Make sure you do a thorough investigation on Zeroman."

"Yes sir."

The syndicate bosses made a sigh of relief when Isaac went over the issue without throwing a tantrum.

"Cordnell."

"Yes?"

"Get ready because we'll be busy now. Zeroman may have escaped, but the rest of the waterways are under my authority now."

Those words shook everyone's mind like a crack of thunder. Those rights were the geese that laid golden eggs, the true goldmine that brought Port City the riches they hold now.

The Port City may have been able to pay Isaac all of his winnings by stripping down everything to bare necessities and paying in installments if they had the time, but with the declaration from the Department of Law, that option wasn't possible. The only way they could pay back was by handing over those rights.

Those rights, which were like an impenetrable fortress in the business world, have been taken by a method that nobody has ever thought of before. With those under New Port City authority, money was never going to become an issue .

"Now, now. We'll call it a day. Everyone go back and have some rest."

The merchant employees and Isaac's hubaes looked at each other in confusion. They were expecting some kind of punishment for their crimes.

"I want to ask you something."

Trentor, one of the hubaes, asked the question with a serious face. The question he was going to ask was obvious to everyone, so they looked at Trentor with frustration and condemnation for asking such an unnecessary question. But Trentor wasn't fazed by this and continued.

"Truth be told, we believed that there was no more hope for New Port City because you'd fallen to gambling addiction."

"And?"

"As you know, we have applied to work here for the high pay which we were desperate for one reason or another. But losing out on that promised pay of 3 years seemed unfair for us, which is why we got our hands on the city funds."

"So?"

"Huh?"

Trentor was prepared to be charged for embezzlement and spoke out to beg for mercy, but Isaac's reaction of apathy brought confusion not just to Trentor but everyone else around him.

"I think I told you before. Do it at an acceptable level. Sounds to me like you guys have been going overboard lately, but I'll consider that your bonus considering how well you guys have been working for me. You honestly think I'm going to care about that tiny sum of money now?"

"…"

"Do it at an acceptable level from now on. Leave."

The group left in confusion, puzzled by Isaac's unbelievable reaction.

Silence finally set in when everyone had left the roof.

"But it was still very dangerous."

Rizzly spoke as he refilled Isaac's glass. Rizzly, who had been serving Isaac as both a personal guard and secretary, knew of the entire plan since he had made all of the orders to force the plan through. Because of the situation he was in, Rizzly had no way to change the plan. But in his eyes, Isaac's plan was so full of holes that just one kink in the plan would have derailed the entire project.

Isaac was also aware of this problem. But the reason he had to force it through anyway was because he had the government's support, so flaws that seemed obvious at the time would be solved thanks to the support.

"Why, did it seem too haphazard for your taste?"

"Zeroman did leave the plan unscathed."

"He's just a sharp fella."

"I know my men have been watching them the whole time, but Sir Isaac would have been completely destroyed if any one of the syndicate bosses betrayed you."

Isaac burst out in laughter as if Rizzly made a great joke.

"What the, that's what you were worried about?"

"It's good that the plan went through without a hitch but…"

Rizzly continued complain. The plan was a complete success if you only looked at the results, but Rizzly found it very frustrating that it seemed like he was the only person whose heart and mind were under constant stress over how this project was going to turn out. Isaac took a sip of the wine and spoke.

"Hey, Rizzly."

"Yes."

"What do you think would have happened if the syndicate bosses betrayed me and joined Port City instead? I would fall and they would gain Port City's trust. They'd get a few words of gratitude and a small sum they would call a reward. Then the situation would turn back to how it used to be, where Port City has the power to replace them at a whim. I gave them the opportunity to undo the shackles that were placed on their heads by Port City. And a reward of one million Giga for each one of them. For those who seemed worried that they would be cast out after the plan was over, I gave them complete authority over their designated task so that they could embezzle some of the funds during the whole thing."

"…"

"You see, betrayal only happens when there's more to gain from it."

"Port City could have offered a greater reward."

Isaac snickered when Rizzly gave his opinion. Isaac's laughter was drenched deep in pessimism, a laughter only made possible by someone who could never trust the human nature.

"That would never happen. The relationship between Port and New Port City is that of a master and its dog. Would the master accept it when the dog suddenly demands for equal rights? Both the syndicate bosses and I know that will never happen."

"… So it was going to succeed no matter what."

"We just got lucky. If I didn't know what was really happening in this place, I would have been satisfied with only robbing their safe and disrupting their business since I didn't have enough cards to play with. Without cooperation from the Department of Law, I would have had to go through the tiring court battles, and time isn't exactly on my side."

"Even so, please refrain from doing something like this again. I was so worried that I couldn't even eat honey."

Isaac snickered. Rizzly's complaint of being a North Bear unable to eat honey was perhaps the most authentic way to express their stress. Isaac didn't hesitate to reward Rizzly, who had followed the plan with utmost loyalty.

"Well done. If you go see Lanburton, there should be a pot of elven honey for you. Take it and have a nice break. I'll keep that a secret from Kunette."

Rizzly disappeared even before Isaac finished speaking.

Now alone on the roof, Isaac lit a new cigarette as he muttered to himself.

"I guess money isn't an issue now."

A crowd gathered around the merchant employees and Isaac's hubaes the moment they left the City Hall. They wanted to hear a more detailed story from those close to Isaac, but there was nothing for New Port City's employees to say to the crowd.

They couldn't even say that Isaac had somehow rigged the entire game or the heist too. They all had their suspicions, but there was no evidence to prove it. Plus, they knew that staying silent was going to be more beneficial to them in the long run than speaking out right now.

And so, the city employees forced their way through the crowd and split off into two groups. Gathering in their own little factions seemed childish, but they couldn't help but stick around with those that they are more familiar with.

Isaac's hubaes arrived at the hotel that the Rivolden Merchant Guild constructed, which they used as their accommodations. The price for their stay was paid for by the city anyway, so they used the most luxurious rooms in the hotel. The hotel also provided them with a private meeting room.

One by one, the hubaes changed into more comfortable clothes and gathered in the meeting room. They didn't promise to meet up here, but it'd be hard to keep a sane mind on a day like this without having some alcohol. And so, even as the meeting room became more and more crowded, they all sipped at their own drinks in silence, thinking about everything that had happened. Kalden broke the silence, and spoke out against Trentor, unable to comprehend his actions from before.

"So why did you speak out to sunbae?"

There was a hint of blame in those words. The true meaning behind those words would be 'why you would unnecessarily complicate the problem by announcing our crimes to him when he was going to let it go without a word.' All of the other hubaes seemed to agree with Kalden, and looked to Trentor.

Trentor, who had been frowning throughout the whole thing, glimpsed at Kalden, and smirked.

"Fool."

"Although it angers me, I get the feeling that I won't be able to deny those words once I hear the reason."

Kalden, who was disturbed by Trentor's insult, demanded the reason, and Trentor sighed.

"Can't you see that Isaac sunbae has a hold over our weaknesses for the future?"

"Weakness?"

"Think about it. What we've done is embezzle government funds during our employment as government officials."

All of the hubaes were disturbed and began to mumble to each other, while Kalden countered the argument.

"But Isaac sunbae approved of our actions!"

"Yes, yes he did. He said that the moment we started working. But not many of us actually followed his advice. Why? Because it's illegal. But everyone joined in on the whole thing with the recent turn of events."

"You agreed to do so as well!"

"Because I thought he was done for sure. That's why I'm regretting my decision wholeheartedly."

"But Isaac sunbae didn't seem too bothered by what we've done."

Trentor shook his head when Selia made her comment.

"But it still doesn't change the fact that it's illegal. Don't you see what this means? Sunbae now has the power to cut out and fire any one of us if we were to act out against him in any way!"

The gravity of the situation finally sunk in for the hubaes. If this embezzlement incident were to be leaked to the public, their lives would be over. Even though they were graduates of the Campus and the fact that they would come out not guilty due to the fact that their superior allowed the ordeal to happen, the crimes they committed would stay with them forever.

No one would hire someone that had committed embezzlement. Just as Trentor said, they were now pawns who had to follow through everything Isaac said. Or so they thought. That conclusion was very logical, but sadly, they were mistaken.

"Shit! We've let our guard even after we've seen what he'd done in Campus first hand. It was obvious what we were going to do if he acted like he was destroying himself. He wanted to both destroy Port City and gain the tools to turn us into his pawns at the same time. Ha! I'm sure he was mocking us in his mind, watching us desperately trying to save our own lives when he had a trump card up his sleeve."

Trentor grit his teeth in anger as he muttered, but that wasn't what Isaac had intended from the start. Isaac never wanted to turn the hubaes into his pawns.

If the plan had failed, Isaac's hubaes would be the most impacted. They would be like driftwood lost at sea, losing everything they had in an instant with no certainty for their future.

Isaac was even planning to encourage them to embezzle as much as they can so if his plan had failed, at least the hubaes would be able to save their own lives.

Not to mention the mass embezzlement of the funds from the city officials was also part of Isaac's plan. Harold and the other three rulers of Port City weren't idiots, and they would have closely monitored what was going on in New Port City. Isaac had to engrave into their hearts the assurance that New Port City really was falling to pieces. Thankfully, Isaac's hubaes played their part and began to embezzle in plain sight, and Cordnell clung onto Isaac's legs even until the final moments. It gave them a false sense of security in the belief that Isaac truly had fallen to gambling.

PR Note: The author initially referred to "them" as the "four," but Zeroman had already pulled out.

"But will this really go through without a problem?"

Kalden was worried about what was to come. This incident was beyond just a giant winning from a gambling match. It was an incident that would directly plunder the rights over the waterways from Port City. No one would simply stay idle and watch as their belongings were being taken. They would do everything they can to find out the truth, and if they find even a single piece of evidence that the match was rigged, it would be Isaac who would be on the back foot instead.

"It would be difficult if it was our sunbae alone. But this is the waterways we are talking about. What's our sunbae going to use that for? The greatest benefactors would be the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds. I'm sure the guild masters of the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds are rushing over to New Port City as we speak."

Everyone nodded with Trentor's explanation. The Seven Grand Merchant Guild had been fighting Port City all this time over the establishment of their own merchant guild. The problem that had been plaguing their minds had been solved with a decisive blow. Isaac no longer needed to play a hand in any of the problems. It was now the Seven Grand Merchant Guild's turn to solve any future problems that arise, and they would be more than happy to do so.

Port City had been the center of trade and transportation for a long time and held untold riches which were recognised by all. They had the financial capabilities to pay off the 60 million if they had the time, although the city would enter a period of an economic depression while doing so.

Isaac, however, prevented them from escaping through such actions with a single verdict from the Department of Law. Anyone with even a small semblance of wealth had invested and held shares of the casino, including the four rulers of Port City. They began desperately looking for any measures to deal with the situation while Soland and a group of North Bears occupied Port City's casino in order to appraise its assets.

"Harold committed suicide."

"And?"

Isaac responded to the report without a shred of emotion, almost as if those words held the value of a dead rat. Cold sweat dripped from Soland's back, but the creeping iciness in Isaac's eyes forced Soland to regain his composure and continue his report.

"After appraising their real estate, securities, current assets and the all-important waterways, we have calculated that they hold a value of around 40 million Giga."

"We're 20 million short. Don't they have any slush funds somewhere?"

"We're currently inspecting for it too, but it seems that most of those funds were gathered in the casino to be laundered."

"I guess that explains the 10 million Giga. I was quite surprised when I heard that the safe held so much money."

The casino was perhaps the best place to launder illegal funds. All you had to do was argue that it was won through gambling.

"We've also found something very interesting while investigating the shareholders."

"What is it?"

"It seems Count Milros bought most of Zeroman's shares when he left."

"Milros?"

The tail of Isaac's lips flickered in happiness after hearing the unexpected news. Everyone in the know was well aware of the turbulent relationship between Count Milros and Isaac.

"Kukuku. It seems like things are becoming very entertaining."

With the 3 largest shareholders still short of paying back the winning, the remaining debt would now fall onto Count Milros and his family. The situation had been flipped on its head. No matter how great Count Milros' family was, they wouldn't have the financial strength to pay back all of the remaining debt.

It was now Isaac who held the sword to end this situation. He could choose to destroy Count Milros's family or negotiate for favourable terms. Isaac could imagine that Count Milros' manor was probably in a state of confusion thanks to such a sudden disaster.

"There's no need for me to go easy on them when they've been so eager to eat me alive. They'll most definitely retaliate, so cooperate with Department of Law and take what is rightfully mine. Man, that verdict from Department of Law is becoming more useful by the day. I better send them my utmost regards later."

Isaac snickered as he gave his order, but Soland seemed to hesitate and carefully spoke again with a troubled look.

"But there's a problem."

"A problem?"

"Most of the citizens assembled funds to invest in the casino during its construction. If you were to act against Count Milros, then the citizens' wealth will also need to be seized."

"And?"

Isaac responded as if he couldn't understand why that was a problem. Soland spoke again, the worry in his voice growing.

"At this rate, almost everyone in Port City will go bankrupt."

"What's that got to do with me?"

"What?"

"Have you ever showed pity to your clients when you told them to pay back their debts? Why are you so spineless for someone who runs a loan shark business? You've plundered the blood and soul out of the slums, but now you're getting cold feet when it's Port City?"

"T, that's not exactly it but…"

"Shut up and proceed. You said Milros is involved right? With them gone, there should be nothing left that ties me to this place. So what makes you think I should show mercy to some slobs in Port City?"

Soland hung his head at the harsh orders given to him from Isaac. It was at this moment that Selia entered the roof.

"U, um… there's a call waiting for you."

While Isaac was living the life of gambling addiction, Mazelan used his influence to establish a Communicator room in New Port City. Selia, the overly introverted and shy girl, was more than enthusiastic to volunteer for the operator role. Having a Campus graduate take the role of a mere operator seemed like a great waste of talent, but the girl seemed more than happy to do it anyway.

Isaac got off his seat in response and ordered Soland.

"Is it Mazelan sunbae? I'll talk to you later. Wait here."

It seemed Selia quickly returned to her station after delivering the message, and Trentor was left to stand by instead.

"So where's the Communicator?"

"…"

Trentor gave Isaac a complicated look. This man lived in the City Hall, yet he didn't even know the way around his own house. Trentor reluctantly led Isaac to one of the rooms on the 1st floor.

The room had everything that was required for a Communicator room, with soundproof walls and all. But other than that, the room consisted only of a stool and a screen for the communicator.

"… I ought to decorate this place better."

Isaac muttered to himself. It's true that almost no one used the Communicator in this place, but even he found this to be too desolate, when suddenly Mazelan's face appeared on the screen.

-Crazy bastard.

Mazelan's first word of greeting was an insult, but Isaac shrugged and responded with a nonchalant tone.

"It's been a while, sunbaenim. Have you been doing well?"

-Do you honestly think I am fine after what happened recently?

"Sounds to me like you've got some job to do because of me."

-Then why the hell did you even ask the question!

Isaac appeared to be hurt by Mazelan's harsh voice.

"That's harsh. I just solved your and the Empire's troublesome issue, and that's how you're going to treat me?"

Mazelan seemed as if he was suffering from a migraine.

-The problem is that you did it too well.

"So what's the problem? It doesn't seem like you're here to tell me that I've done a good job."

-You made the issue too big! 60 million? You've crossed the line, no matter how you look at it!

"I just hit it big for once."

-But you should still keep it within reason! It was you who robbed their safe too, right?

"I know I am the prime suspect due to circumstances, but it still hurts me that even you would accuse me first."

-…

Mazelan was at a loss for words with Isaac's obvious feign of innocence. Mazelan made a sigh of defeat and shook his head.

-This isn't something we can gloss over so easily. Do you really think Port City will just lie down and give up? They'll likely hire famous detective agents and mercenaries to get to the bottom of this. There isn't anything they can do about the gambling match, but finding evidence linking you and the robbery would be more than enough to make a comeback.

Isaac mockingly laughed as if their attempt was futile.

"Investigation? Where? In New Port City?"

In order to start an investigation, they must first find a suspect. Finding someone in New Port City was much harder than it first seems. Even if they were to locate the person, they must meet that person face to face before they can interrogate the person and proceed with their investigation.

With New Port City completely split between the outside and inside, there were only two kinds of outsiders who would enter any district other than Ceta District. They would either be just curious visitors or visitors with specific goals in mind.

If it's the former, they were politely returned back to Ceta District, but if it's the latter, then they would either be politely robbed of all their possessions and be returned or buried. Therefore, Port City had no chance to find any evidence with their investigation.

-This isn't a problem for just Port City. A crime of this level would definitely force the Empire's police force's hand.

"Didn't you promise to stop that kind of stuff from happening?"

-How am I supposed to stop the police from investigating a crime!

"That's no good. I started the whole incident believing in you."

Isaac made his complaint with a troubled look. New Port City had enough power to stop such investigations if it was led by civilian authority through means such as bribery or violence.

But things were different if the government's authority were put in the mix. Not only did Isaac not have a good reason to stop the investigation from happening, even making such an attempt would be evidence. Most importantly, if the investigation were to start, Isaac wouldn't be able to seize the financial assets until the result of the investigation were to come out.

With Isaac already being prime suspect due to circumstances, the police force could easily stop Isaac from seizing Port City's assets, and Port City also had enough power left that they could use in lobbying to buy more time.

-Then why did you rob their safe!

"I'm innocent."

-Ugh…

Isaac made the most innocent cry and Mazelan could only moan in frustration, his face buried in his hand.

"I'll hand over the rights of the waterways."

-Huh?

Mazelan raised his head with lightning reflex.

"You can prevent the police from acting if I give the government the rights to the waterways right?"

-W, well that's true but…

"But! Handing them over now would make it very dubious, what with so many people looking around. So let's settle it with me handing it over once I am relegated of my position."

The rights over the waterways held little value to Isaac, since he already had the power to ruin Count Milros. With Count Milros gone, Isaac would be able to gain the peaceful life that he wanted.

Mazelan hesitated at Isaac's offer and then spoke with a serious tone.

-Do not touch the law abiding citizens of Port City.

Isaac's eyebrow flinched at those words.

"People would misunderstand if you say it like that. I'm just performing what is rightfully within my authority."

-We don't care about the fight between you and Count Milros. But if the ordinary citizens were to be harmed in the process, the government will have no option other than to intervene. Then, even your offer to hand over the waterways will have no impact.

Isaac wiped the smile off his face after hearing those words from Mazelan.

"You do realise what you're saying right? You're telling me to kick away the opportunity that would solve all of my problems in a single blow?"

The citizens of Port City must be targeted in order to target Count Milros. Conversely, if Isaac could not act upon the citizens of Port City, he would have no way of acting upon Count Milros too.

-Those higher up would like to finish this incident as quietly as possible.

"Then I'll have no choice but to retract my offer of the waterways."

-That is of no use. It is a shame, but the question of who holds the rights over the waterways is of little concern to us.

"You're saying that it doesn't matter who owns the waterways, as long as they pay their taxes."

-Well, that's pretty much it.

Isaac clicked his tongue and watched helplessly as Mazelan shrugged his shoulders. Isaac was already prepared to give away the waterways, so losing that wasn't much of a loss. What really bothered him was the inability to solve the Count Milros issue.

The situation would become more unfavourable as time passes, so Isaac wanted to finish the problem while everyone was still amidst confusion; but now, a shackle had been placed upon him.

"Fine. I'll give up."

-Good choice.

"But, there is one condition."

-A condition?

"Yes. I want the Empire to publicly announce that I have decided to donate the waterways to the Empire when it happens.

Mazelan tilted his head when he heard those words.

-That's it?

"Yes."

-… Isn't it a bit too unfavourable for you?

"But I get to choose the date it becomes publicised. Let's make it happen on the day I am relegated of my position."

Mazelan finally understood the meaning behind Isaac's actions. If the document following Isaac's demand were to be released in public, the citizens of the Empire would immediately begin to suspect that the entire incident was plotted by the government in order to get their hands over the waterways. It may not have been as heavy as the secret behind Port City, but it would still greatly impact the reputation and credibility of the Empire.

-Must you go this far?

"I'm not a fan of being thrown away after serving my uses."

Mazelan was infuriated by Isaac's words and shouted out, his eyes bulging.

-What do you mean by that! Do you really not trust me?

"Isn't it all good in the end? If you can't even cooperate that much when I've decided to give up on solving all of my problems, then I'll have no choice but to suspect that there is a deeper reason behind your actions. Isn't it still an amazing deal for you? Since you're solving not just the problem that had been plaguing the Empire for generations but also gaining the waterways, which will boost your finances, and receiving the casinos, which will be a perfect front to launder your money, in exchange for a single piece of paper?"

Mazelan fell into a deep thought as he moaned, and then he stared directly at Isaac as he made his question.

-If I were to refuse?

Isaac shrugged, and spoke nonchalantly.

"I'll just go over to Port City and null the entire incident and give up. I'll return all of their assets too. I'm sure they'll understand if I tell them that I had no other options."

-…

After a moment of silence, Mazelan shouted out in frustration.

-Shit! Please, never set foot in the world of politics!

"Ha. Did you forget? It was you lot that placed me here in the first place."

"Welcome back."

"Huh? You're still here?"

Soland greeted Isaac with a hint of surprise. It seemed that Soland had gotten tired from all the waiting and was starting to doze off just as Isaac returned.

"You told me to wait so…"

Isaac passed Soland before he could finish and took a cigarette from Rizzly. Only after taking one breath from the smoke did Isaac reply to Soland.

"Ah, I did say that didn't I? Good. You can suspend the seizure of assets in Port City."

"What?"

"Why? Did you already start?"

"We've already finished seizing all of Harold's financial assets and wealth."

"Really? Hm, I guess it doesn't matter since he was directly involved in the whole thing. But it seems like it's nearing dinner time."

"Shall I order to prepare a meal?"

"Do that later. I want you to send an invitation first."

"An invitation? To whom…?"

"The mayor of Port City."

"Sorry?"

Rizzly looked at Isaac in confusion. Why would Isaac invite the mayor of Port City, who was notorious for being a puppet of the four rulers? Isaac continued to speak as he threw himself onto his favourite chair.

"Send him a message that I'd like to have a friendly conversation with a fellow official from the Empire to discuss and strengthen the relationship between our two cities and look to develop them together."

"…"

"What's with those eyes?"

Unsatisfied with the look Rizzly sent at him, Isaac asked the question. Rizzly replied with another question instead.

"Do you really need my answer for that?"

"Shut it."

No one in Port City knew nor cared about who the mayor of Port City was. All city affairs were decided upon by the four in the first place. He was the perfect puppet.

The seat of mayor was always reserved for those absent of ambition. The candidates were carefully chosen from a list of old officials nearing their retirement age.

It's an invitation only in name, and it would be more fitting to call it a job since they are given a very generous salary and a large sum of money as a farewell gift, making it a very popular occupation for those wishing for an easy retirement.

Mayor Marco, who originally spent his time fishing and stamping his name on readily-prepared documents as he eagerly waited for his retirement, was now going through a state of turmoil.

With the four rulers of Port City having lost their power, the citizens of Port City demanded that Mayor Marco come up with a solution. The citizens were very much aware that he was a puppet, but they still made such demands because Marco held the title of mayor. This was why Marco enthusiastically accepted Isaac's invitation in an attempt to escape from the mess.

"Greetings. I am Marco, Mayor of Port City."

Marco was a man who had graduated from a run-of-the-mill administration school and climbed to where he is now through sheer flattery and tact, and he kneeled to Isaac the moment they met.

"Nice to meet you. Why don't we have our meal first?"

Even Isaac was surprised at Marco's action of kneeling and was baffled for a moment. He then pulled him off his knees personally and led him to the table.

Isaac had his meal rather emotionlessly, but Marco was so tense that he couldn't even remember what or how to eat his meal. It seemed the word had spread of the mayor accepting Isaac's invitation, and the plaza in New Port City was starting to fill with citizens from Port City.

After finishing the meal that was sure to end with indigestion, Marco's head was busy trying to figure out Isaac's intentions in inviting him. It was at this moment that Isaac extinguished his cigarette, pulled out a new one, and asked a question.

"How was the meal?"

"Huh? Yes! It was very good."

"That's a relief."

Isaac paused and took a sip from the fruit wine that Rizzly poured for him. Marco could only sit and watch helplessly while looking at Isaac's face for what was to come.

"The reason why I invited you here is because I have yet to receive full payment for the money I won from the casino."

Marco got off his seat and immediately dropped to his knees, his head touching the floor as he realised that this was the reason he was invited here.

"Please show mercy! If you take all of your winnings, everyone in Port City will end up bankrupt."

Since Isaac's demands were backed by law, if Isaac requested for aid from Port City's mayor, then Marco would have no choice but to obey. But if that were to happen, not only was his retirement fund going to evaporate, but it could even lead to the first riot in Port City since its founding.

"Ah, I think you are mistaken."

"What?"

Marco immediately raised his head when he heard those words.

"I have been deep in thought regarding that problem. Harming innocent citizens isn't the result I wanted."

"T, then!"

Marco's eyes were starting to flicker with a sliver of hope.

"I will guarantee the safety of the citizens. That also includes the 3 who hold the most wealth in Port City. Wait! I already seized all of Harold's wealth, haven't I. Hm… That's a problem. Is it true that he committed suicide?"

"Yes…"

"Tsk tsk. That's a shame."

Marco could feel goosebumps rising on his back.

"I will return his wealth back to his family. But there is one thing I want, and that is the rights over the waterways. Just that and I will act as if all of the payments have been made."

"What?"

Marco couldn't stop his eyes from bulging out. The rights over the waterways were the foundation of Port City's wealth. With the rights gone, it would be only a matter of time before Port City was relegated to just another city in the Empire.

"T, the rights over the waterways aren't owned under Port City's name!"

"That is why you must speak with those who own the waterways. Nothing will change even if I were to take over the waterways. It's not like I have the talent or power to do anything with it anyway."

"B, but…"

"You do know that Count Milros has effectively taken over the seat that Zeroman left behind right?"

"… Yes."

"Then you should know how much of a concession I've just made."

"…"

Marco finally looked as if he understood everything and looked at Isaac with a sense of respect.

"I have decided to make a significant concession at the cost of my personal revenge for the citizens' well-being. I'm not even asking for the entire sum but rather a small concession from 3 specific individuals. Well, if the citizens were to refuse, I will have no choice but to act in accordance to the law."

Marco quickly shouted out in response.

"O, of course not! I will make sure to persuade them with whatever means I can!"

Even Marco had invested all of his wealth in the casino. No matter how this ended, his retirement fund was definitely not happening, so he had to at least secure the wealth he currently held.

"I will wait until tomorrow morning."

"T, that's! That's too short!"

Isaac shook his head coldly at Marco's desperate plea.

"I would like to give you more time, but I've used quite a lot of my own money too. If you can't show me a result I can be satisfied with by tomorrow morning, I will have no choice but to take what is rightfully mine. An incident like this should be settled as soon as possible, since no good will come from letting it drag on unnecessarily. Ah! I will also say this out of needless worry, but I will retract everything I've said if there were to be any deaths over the negotiations during the confusion the city is going through. What I want is a peaceful transfer of the rights. Understand?"

"B, but…"

"I heard you're going to retire soon? If you put in your share of work for things to get underway smoothly, I won't forget your patronage. I heard that they pay you through retirement funds? How about three times the amount they're giving you?"

Isaac's offer was quick to get a response from Marco, whose eyes quickly shone with greed.

"R, really?"

"It's not like I don't have money. I don't lie when it comes to money. You've heard how much of a tip the dealer received for handing me the win of a lifetime right?"

One million Giga. Money like that was enough to scorn the course of luck. Marco bowed his head once more to Isaac as he swore his allegiance.

"I will do my best."

"I expect good news."

"What a great bonfire."

Isaac muttered to himself as he stood at the edge of the City Hall's rooftop, admiring the fire that was engulfing Port City. The fire alarms could be heard even from New Port City, and the banks of the Grand Canal and the nearby plaza were occupied by a crowd watching the fire.

Immediately after the dinner with Isaac, Marco rushed over to Port City and delivered Isaac's offer to the citizens. Will they give up the waterways and keep their wealth, or fall together?

It was a rhetorical question. They didn't need to imagine how miserable their lives would be if they lost their wealth, for they had an excellent example next door. That was why poverty was the greatest fear for all citizens of Port City. What was important for the citizens was to keep the wealth they currently had, not the tool that brought them the wealth or the four rulers who provided them with the opportunity to make that wealth.

They were in a dire situation where they could lose everything they have, but an opportunity had arisen to regain it, though at the cost of a concession from a select few. The select few who led them to where they are now.

What would happen afterwards? The majority would begin to pressure the few with the justification that their sacrifice will save the majority. Why? Because they were not the few.

And so, the first riot in Port City's history occurred. All of the citizens rose up and marched over to the families that owned the waterways. There was a possibility of a clash between the citizens and the guards of the estates, but Isaac's warning had forced Marco to quickly intervene beforehand and hold back the guards with the city's police force, making the riot sail smoothly for the rioters.

The citizens searched the estates to find Rodney and Niske, who both went into hiding; but during that search, the citizens found evidence of Rodney and Niske trying to hide and save their wealth from being taken. The citizens were angered greatly by this fact, and what little pity and sympathy the rioters still held disappeared. All of their possessions were burnt down along with their estate. Harold, Rodney, and Niske's families were escorted by the police to find refuge in Zeroman's estate on Marco's orders, but Rodney and Niske themselves had to go through a harsh trial.

The rioters felt betrayed that those two tried to save themselves when even Isaac, the man everyone in Port City looked down upon, showed them mercy and threw away his chance at revenge. This feeling of betrayal was naturally vented out in the form of violence.

"You brat! You'll never get away with this!"

"Do you think you'll be safe after all this? There will be consequences, I assure you!"

Those vengeful words were directed at Isaac from behind, and Isaac turned around to greet the owners of those voices. Rodney and Niske, who owned the Eastern and Western waterways, were looking at Isaac vengefully, having gone through such misfortune the likes of which they had never experienced before.

"Man, is that all you have to say after I saved you two from being beaten to death?"

"You were the cause of this!"

"I don't understand why you two are so persistent when all I'm asking for are the waterways."

"Bullshit! The waterway is my entire fortune!"

"Geez, will you die after handing over the waterways? Will you? You will at least get to save the rest of your wealth. Ah! Maybe not all of it."

Isaac snickered as he looked at the fire in Port City. Infuriated by this, Rodney and Niske tried to rush Isaac, but they were quickly stopped by Rizzly and Soland.

"I will officially send a letter of persecution to the Department of Law!"

"I will make sure to kill you, even if it costs me all of my wealth!"

Isaac scratched his head as he heard those words from the two. With a troubled look, he began to speak.

"Well, I guess there's no choice if you guys won't yield. Rizzly."

"Yes."

"Send them back."

"Really?"

"There's no choice. Send them back since they don't want to sign the paper. Ah! Make sure to tell everyone in Port City that I will begin seizing all of their wealth when the sun comes up."

"But that'd mean these two will die."

"Is that my problem?"

"… No."

"Then take them away."

"Yes sir."

Soland and Rizzly looked to each other as if doubting their actions, but they made the decision to follow Isaac's orders and tried to lift Rodney and Niske back on their feet to be led out. The faces of Rodney and Niske began to pale.

"W, wait! We will die if we leave now!"

"So what? You'll only die if you don't sign the paper."

"T, that's…"

"Ah, no. It's rather annoying to have men who have grudges against me staying alive. I think it'll be better off to let them go and have them negotiate with their families instead… Oi, Smartass. What happens when these two die?"

"Their wealth will be transferred to their families."

"Will the rights to the waterways be included?"

"Yes."

"Good. Let's throw these two away and negotiate with the families. I'm sure they'll sign it if I offer an extra million Giga. Make sure you find out who exactly gets to own the waterways. I don't need the rest."

"But what if that person were to refuse too?"

"I think I've been patient enough, considering that I went through this much trouble. If they can't give it up while they're alive, then they shouldn't be alive."

"Wait!'

"What?"

Rodney asked with a defeated look as if he had given up everything.

"… Are the waterways really all you ask for?"

"That's right."

"What are you saying! Rodney, come back to your senses!"

Niske made a ruckus, but Rodney shook his head in silence.

"… I'll sign it."

"Ha. Good thinking."

"Rodney!"

"Do you really want to be beaten to death?"

"Kuuk!"

Niske despaired and Rodney's face was grim as they looked at the documents Soland brought before them. Despite their quivering hands, they managed to sign the documents.

"Now! I guess everything is over. It was a nice trade."

With the transfer of the rights over, Isaac glimpsed at the documents with a satisfied look before handing them over to Soland, while Rodney looked at Isaac as he grit his teeth.

"Don't think this is over. You will regret that you only took the waterways from us. We will use everything we have to make sure you are destroyed."

Rodney's vengeful declaration brought a smile to Isaac's face. Isaac approached them slowly, and Rizzly quickly brought Isaac's chair from behind him. Isaac sat on the chair, crossed his legs, and began to gloat in front of the two.

"Do you really think this haphazard plan of mine succeeded only because I got lucky?"

"What?"

The two's eyes went wide with astonishment at Isaac's words, and even Rizzly and Soland, who stood behind Isaac, looked at him in confusion.

"I wanted to destroy the root of my misfortune, but it was refused, you see. What can I do? I have to follow my orders."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I wonder?"

The two fell deeper into bewilderment as Isaac coldly snickered with a mysterious look on his face. It seemed as if Isaac was tell them something, but they couldn't find the reason why Isaac said those words.

"Think a little. Who gained the most out of this incident? Kukuku."

"I guess the glory of Port City is over now."

Isaac muttered to himself as he watched Rodney and Niske walk through the plaza, surrounded by a crowd. The citizens constantly pestered the two, demanding answers. The two simply walked on like soulless husks, shocked by the violent treatment from the crowd before and the stressful interrogation occurring now.

"But there's still one left."

"Zeroman, that old man? Don't worry about him. He alone won't amount to anything."

"The three remaining families still have their wealth. With the wealth they have, they can attempt to retaliate."

Isaac snickered when Rizzly spoke out his opinion in worry.

"Do you know what the scariest thing in human's mind is?"

"What is it?"

Rizzly tilted his head when he heard the question. Isaac turned to look at Soland instead.

"Smartass, do you know?"

Soland spoke with a bitter smile on his face.

"… Is it doubt?"

"Oh! So you do know."

"I've used it a few times in the past to destroy some of my rivals."

"I knew there was a brain in that smartass of yours."

"You've destroyed the trust between the citizens of Port City and the four rulers and made it impossible for the four to become united. Port City will fall without us having to do anything."

The seed of doubt had already been planted. They may be at a loss and in confusion now, but in time, they would start to look for an excuse.

The prime suspect would be Zeroman, as he left just before everything happened.

It may seem like a lucky move, but was it really luck? Doubt creates discord and discord causes conflict. What if Zeroman was behind all this? What if he controlled all of this while acting like he was retiring? The seed of doubt would begin to sprout, and when it fully bloomed, they would start to believe that what they are imagining is true. Even if it didn't escalate to such a level, while the seed of doubt was still in their minds, they would never regain the firm unity they once held before.

"How scary can a human's deception be?"

Rizzly shook his body in terror while Isaac retorted with a playful look.

"Huh? What do you mean? I never lied?"

"What? But…"

"It's true though. I wanted to get rid of the trouble that is Count Milros, but I was stopped. The greatest benefactor of all this was the government. All I did was save myself from speaking the full details."

Soland stayed silent as if he was at a loss for words, while Rizzly's body shook in terror.

"How scary can a human's deception be?"

Port City has always been the biggest hurdle Isaac had to overcome no matter what his mission was. The close proximity of the two cities made it easy for information to be leaked. Also, New Port City was like a vassal of Port City until recently, and Isaac was vulnerable to betrayal from anyone who swore loyalty to Port City. Isaac was well aware that his plan was full of holes. Failure would have meant an end to his life, and even if it succeeded, Isaac needed to prepare himself for the life of never-ending pursuit until his death. But Isaac had to force the plan through because he didn't have the time to wait. In order to accomplish the mission of stabilising New Port City within 3 years, his only method was to stuff it with enough money until the problem went away. And it would require an insurmountable amount of money. No ordinary method would have been able to acquire such wealth. He had to bring in the money somehow, and in order to redirect the flow of money from Port City to New Port City, Port City had to be destroyed.

This was why Isaac remained stuck at the rooftop of the City Hall, planning and readjusting the plan while acting as if he had been playing around the whole time. His act reached its finale with the play of a typical overconfident brat who was crushed after a single failure.

So, with the final hurdle that was Port City removed and the Empire's government involvement to tie up loose ends left by the haphazard plan, Isaac determined that he had bought enough time and proceeded onto a new business plan.

"This is unacceptable!"

"This can never happen!"

"This subject is too sensitive to deal with. I implore you to reconsider again."

The employees of New Port City had arrived for a meeting which was called for by Isaac. The employees were itching with tension long before they had arrived, worried about what absurd plan Isaac was going to announce. And lo and behold, the ground-shaking order Isaac made was met with adamant refusal from all of his employees.

"Why?"

Isaac asked as he tilted his head, and Cordnell replied with such intensity that his throat was going to tear.

"How could you use war as a medium in gambling?! It cannot happen!"

"I don't understand. Isn't war a form of gambling too? Where the winner takes all? It's just like a horse race. A lot of people are interested in the victor. And they can bet their money by predicting who wins."

"This is war we are talking about, not some sport!"

"Is it any different? There's a winner and a loser. And there are people who like to bet on who would win. I didn't install the Communicators here at a price for no reason. Thanks to that, we can now know the results of the war immediately. That means we can make use of the wars happening throughout the Empire to expand our gambling industry."

"How will you manage the wrath from the families of those who have been killed in the war?"

"With money."

"What?"

"No matter how many soldiers die in war, it's the lords who profit or lose at the end of the day. I will donate half of our earnings from this gambling as charity to assist recover from the war. I haven't seen anyone who has refused free money. Ever. I'm sure the families of the deceased would be happy to hear the news that they'd get more money than they originally would have."

"…"

Despite the constant defiance from the employees, Isaac proceeded to run this new gambling method, and when it was announced to the public, the whole Empire writhed. They were angered that Isaac would even use the tragedy of war like a game, and many demanded that Isaac be removed from his office. Isaac, however, met against such criticisms with an arrogant attitude, stating that in the City of Gambling, everything was fair game.

Mazelan also demanded this form of gambling be retracted immediately with a series of scolding calls, and Isaac reluctantly changed some of the rules to appease him. The gambling would only go through if both sides listed the size of their army, its logistics and supplies, their training, the number of knights, and such in detail to the public so that they could be compared; and if the details that had been released were so different to the point that it would affect the tide of war, the gamble would be nulled. The donation proceeds were also increased from half to two-thirds of the profit, and at least half of the donations had to be used to pay the families of the deceased of both sides.

As expected by Isaac, most of the lords who were the greatest benefactors of this gamble secretly received the decision positively.

The army is an organisation which only takes up supplies. All of the Empire's citizens received basic military training; but since there is no conscription policy in the Empire, lords were required to pay the soldiers a considerable wage in order to compensate for the high risk.

The Empire's law stated that if a soldier was to die in battle, the soldier's families must receive 3 years of the soldier's pay as consolation. That meant that after each battle, Lords would be faced with a very high bill. Until now, the Lords who won the war would merge the territory with the defeated Lord's and use the defeated Lord's wealth to pay for the expenditures. But oftentimes, the defeated lord would also be nearly bankrupt since they too didn't wish to lose the war and devoted everything to it, so the winning Lord often received nothing in return.

There were cases where despite winning the war, the Lords had to sell off their territories or live in destitution for some time. This was why these Lords could not pass up on the opportunity to receive aid in paying the families of the deceased. The Lords began releasing information about their armies as they applied for declarations of war at the Department of Administration. The wise men around the Empire grieved at the Lords' behaviour and worried deeply for the Empire's future, but the statement that money ruled everything was the truth that would never disappear in the world of humans.

"Niske denounced Zeroman at the stone statue."

"Really? That's faster than I thought. I thought they'd at least get through this year."

Isaac's plan to destroy the relationship between the citizens and four rulers along with the unity of the four rulers succeeded magnificently. A united resistance was one to be feared. On the other hand, if they weren't united, they were no better than an unorganised mob.

The four rulers of Port City only lost the rights over the waterways. They still possessed the wealth they gained through trade and smuggling. If the four pooled their wealth to plot against Isaac, they would become a formidable opponent.

"I really don't understand a human's heart."

"That is why you should never trust them until you see them with your eyes. And even if you do see them, you should still reserve some skepticism."

"I heard that this era is the era of trust, but I guess this isn't much of a concern for you, Sir Isaac."

"Is that so?"

Isaac snickered and looked down at the plaza as he leaned over the balcony.

"But I sure am bored now."

The plaza was filled with a crowd even bigger than before the casino incident occurred. It was an obvious consequence since Port City lost its reputation with the riot; while Port City suffered, New Port City profited.

Plus, the war gambling had succeeded and every day in a corner of the plaza, a group of men could be seen analysing the information that had been released and deeply contemplating on who to bet on.

Unless the war was between equally strong opponents, the ratio between the return and losses had significant differences. There was one case where the victor seemed to be decided even before the war started, but when a single knight managed to turn the doomed war into a victory, the knight was received with a hero's welcome and gained a reputation. Those who bet on the winner managed to make legendary winnings too, although it still paled in comparison to Isaac's. Still, it helped to popularise the opportunity, and more and more people bet in hopes of such fortune.

Rizzly decided to talk to Isaac, who stared blankly at the crowd.

"Would you like some tea, perhaps?"

The rooftop had been transformed into an excellent residence if it ignored the fact that the place didn't have walls. The rooftop had a bookshelf, sofa, a display case, and a kitchen to cook basic meals. Isaac even placed a magical item enchanted with the strongest defensive magic available just to use its effect to imitate a roof when it started raining.

Cordnell complained that it was a pointless expenditure, but Isaac was rich now. Insurmountably so.

"I'd like the fruit wine instead of tea. Ah! While you're at it, bring me the violin too. I think I'll engage in one of my hobbies for once."

Rizzly flinched when Isaac uttered the word 'violin,' and after handing out a glass of wine and the box which held the violin, he quickly moved to the back.

Isaac didn't seem to care about what Rizzly was doing, and began playing the violin after taking it out from the box.

Screech!

"Aaah! He's at it again!"

"Just what is wrong with him!"

The people who were enjoying their time in the plaza screamed in pain at the ear-shattering screeches and began cursing Isaac. Isaac had been playing the violin as if to boast how free he was after destroying Port City. Isaac had been playing the violen ever since his life in Campus, but it was a musical performance only to Isaac; it was torture to everyone else around.

It would have been much easier for everyone to avoid it if Isaac consistently played at a specific time, but he played at random times of the day. He would play the violin whether it was day or night depending on his mood, so anyone was unlucky enough to be caught in the screeching simply had to run away.

Isaac should have also been feeling the pain from the racket he was making since he was the closest to the source, but Isaac himself wore magical items on his ears which blocked all noise from his eardrums.

Musicians varying from wandering bards to professional musicians had offered to teach Isaac free of charge since Isaac didn't seem to improve no matter how much he played. But Isaac refused all of their offers, stating that it's annoying.

There was no way to complain about the noise since Isaac was the ruler of New Port City, so all the citizens could do was either run or also buy the noise-cancelling artifact. In fact, there was a conspiracy theory that all of this was an act to help promote the sale of noise-cancelling items.

"I think this is enough for today."

Satisfied, Isaac put down the violin and took out the magic items from his ears when he noticed that Cordnell had entered the rooftop inconspicuously. Cordnell stood on the rooftop, seemingly in pain.

"What's up?"

"Uuh… Please, have you thought of getting a different hobby?"

"A different hobby? Well… what else could be fun to do?"

"It doesn't matter what it is. Please consider getting a different hobby before you murder someone with that performance."

"Kyaaaaa!"

Just as Cordnell finished his words, a deafening screech pierced through the walls from a building across the plaza.

"What the?"

"It's a murder!"

"Someone's dead!"

Isaac looked down at the plaza trying to figure out what was happening. Isaac looked at the violin that was still in his hand and then locked eyes with Cordnell.

"…"

"It can't be. No way."

"Ahaha. R, right? It can't possibly a suicide after finding the performance too painful or anything."

"…"

The criminal was revealed immediately, along with its reason. The man had enjoyed his time with a blue rose in one of the hotels and then assaulted the blue rose when she demanded her payment. One of the hotel employees heard the scream from the woman and tried to stop the man, but in the heat of the moment, the man stabbed the hotel employee, killing him.

It was a common scene in New Port city, but the one key difference was the status of the criminal. Dogman Duberon. He was the eldest son of Marquis Duberon, whose land was known as the breadbasket of the south. Dogman also held the nickname of the "south's son of a bitch." He committed all sorts of crimes, but his father used his power to cover up the incidents. Marquis Duberon truly was a powerful individual.

"A guest has arrived."

"A guest? Who?"

Despite the city being in a ruckus after the murder, Isaac was spending his time leisurely as he wasted his time smoking when he heard Rizzly speak. Isaac wasn't aware that he was expecting a guest, if any.

"He says he's the butler of Marquis Duberon."

"If it's another request to meet with me, make him talk to one of my subordinates. It's tiresome to deal with their kind."

Isaac sometimes received lunatics who proposed business ideas or requested investment from him, and he considered this to be similar. He flicked his wrist to Rizzly, telling him to go. Rizzly glimpsed over his back then talked again.

"But he's here already."

Isaac turned his face and there stood Cordnell alongside a sharp, middle-aged man he had never seen before.

"Did you bring him here?"

Isaac talked down to Cordnell with displeasure, and Cordnell looked to the man that stood beside him for a moment before talking.

"This is Viscount Anton, who is from the land of Marquis Duberon."

"And?"

"He's here regarding the great master."

PR Note: "Great master" is a literal translation from 대공자, but in this context, it may be similar to the concept of a "young master" commonly portrayed in web novels.

"Who is that?"

"…"

Cordnell dropped his jaw at Isaac's words, and then he regained his senses to speak again.

"Do you remember the culprit… I mean, the main suspect from the murder few days ago?"

"Ah! Him? What about it?"

"…"

Anton stepped forward instead of Cordnell, who seemed to be at a loss for words.

"I am Anton, butler to Marquis Duberon. I see you are as impolite as the rumours say, to receive a guest while sitting like that. I wonder how they taught you back in your mansion."

Cordnell's face went pale as Anton insulted Isaac without hesitation. Even Rizzly frowned and let out a growl, but Isaac himself remained composed.

"So what?"

Isaac still treated him with some respect and replied, since the man he was talking to was also a noble that held the title of Viscount.

"Marquis Duberon demands that you release Master Dogman, who is innocent."

"…"

Isaac was baffled by Anton's arrogant demands. He looked to Anton for a moment and then asked Rizzly beside him.

"He was caught at the scene right?"

"Yes."

"He also admitted to the crimes right?"

"Yes."

"The weapon that was used in the crime was his sword right?"

"Yes."

Isaac looked back to Anton with a shrug.

"That's how it is."

"We will take care of the incident back at our mansion. You would be wise to release Master Dogman and take your hands off this incident."

"Is that all?"

"I'm sorry?"

PR Note: The original translation was as follows: "What more could I add on?" However, I took the liberty to go with a phrase that was more indignant and disrespectful of Isaac.

"Like some sort of consolation for the release? How can you expect this trade to go through if you're not going to offer anything in return?"

"Trade happens only between two people of equal stature. I understand that you may think that you've won the world after gaining your hands on New Port City, but please keep that misunderstanding to yourself."

Anton scoffed as he replied. Isaac scratched his head and asked Cordnell a question.

"Who is this Marquis Duberon?"

"W, well… He's the Great Lord of the south."

"So he's nothing."

"You dare!'

Isaac's belittlement was met with a response from Anton, whose eyes and murderous intent flared.

Cordnell, who stood next to Anton, faced the killing intent head on and fainted; Rizzly immediately transformed into a bear, baring his fangs and preparing to charge at a moment's notice.

'Man, it's been a while since I've had this fucking kind of anger.'

Isaac continued to talk nonchalantly despite facing off against such intense murderous intent.

"We'll be managing the incident as the law states it. So you can just fuck off."

"… You will regret this."

"Sure thing. I'll sort out this incident by following the law and then regret it later. Happy?"

Anton stared silently for a moment at Isaac's sarcasm before he disappeared down the stairs. Rizzly made a sigh of relief and transformed back into his human form.

"Huh? Is he that strong for you to be so worried?"

"Don't you know? Anton from the Duberon is among the strongest swordsmen in the Empire if you exclude the sword masters."

"Is that why he's acting so arrogantly? Make sure you watch him, since he could try to break that fucking murderer out."

"I'm sure he won't resort to that."

"Why?"

"He has a reputation to uphold. According to Empire's law, only the Lord that rules the land where the crime happened has the authority to dictate the punishment."

"So that means he won't resort to a prison break, but he'll use whatever means necessary to secure the non-guilty verdict."

"The Marquis has enough power to do so."

Isaac sighed deeply after hearing Rizzly speak.

"Just when I was about to have a break after sorting out Port City, some mutts decided to show their faces."

On the rooftop of City Hall, a meeting table had been set up. Isaac sat at the head of the table, quickly glimpsing through a handful of documents. When he was done, he placed the documents on the table and asked a question.

"Why is Port City processing the documents for the lawsuit?"

Cordnell was unable to answer Isaac, as he was still suffering from the aftereffects of Anton's aura. So the task fell onto Kalden, and he began to explain to Isaac after a brief sigh.

Law is naturally an incredibly complex and difficult subject with a very few number of experts. On top of a limited number of experts, the Department of Law only accepted individuals whose records were spotless, leading to a persistent shortage of manpower within the department.

In order to deal with this, the Department of Law grouped cities and villages into sectors, and a designated judge would rotate between all the cities and villages within a sector to settle all incidents and lawsuits.

There is an exception, however. Lords have the authority to determine the final verdict for all crimes within their own territory, according to the laws of the Lordship. Only when the verdict is appealed would the Department of Law send their investigators, and the investigators would decide whether to close the case or transfer the incident over to the Department of Law.

As New Port City grew in population, so too did the number of crimes and small infractions, and all of these cases were sent over to Port City to process. New Port City didn't have the experts to process the documents in the first place, and these lawsuits had no impact on the relationship between the two cities, leading to minimal clashes regarding the subject.

This had been going on seamlessly until the recent fall of Port City. The administrative body that had been processing the documents was paralysed. It was overloaded with lawsuits and complaints due to the riot, so Port City stood its ground and refused to process documents for New Port City, which was the cause of it all.

The biggest problems were the casino guests that had been brought over through Bluff. They were indeed sons of incredibly rich families, but they were also great scoundrels to the point where even their own families had given up on them. Their personalities didn't change when they arrived at New Port City, and they made impossible demands and complaints, causing massive spectacles. However, they almost always escaped with minimal punishment, because the incredible power of their families held made it difficult for them to be punished them harshly. This murder case regarding Dogman Duberon was one such case.

"Where is that troublemaker now?"

"We've locked him in one of the hotels."

Isaac looked baffled when he heard Cordnell's answer.

"A hotel? You're letting a murderer stay in a hotel?"

"… Shall I move him to jail now?"

Kalden questioned Isaac, and Isaac shook his head after a moment.

"No. Good job. Lock him in the most expensive hotel room and give him everything he requests for. But does this mean I have to preside over and judge all the court sessions from now on?"

"It was your duty to perform that since the beginning."

"That's annoying… fine. I'll preside over the first court session. Make sure you watch and learn carefully, since this will be the standard for all court sessions to come. Also, choose someone to become the judge for future sessions."

"Are you really going to act as the judge?"

"How could I play around when there's work to be done?"

Everyone in the meeting looked at Isaac; he had no right to speak such words.

Kalden raised his hand carefully.

"So where do you plan to hold this court session?"

Isaac thought for a moment and then nodded as he made his decision.

"The court session would be an excellent way to advertise if it's open to the public. All court sessions will be open to the public from now on."

"What? Where? We don't even have a courthouse!"

'We'll just do it at the plaza."

"Are you planning to make the defendants a spectacle?"

"What do you mean 'a spectacle'? They are just having an audience. Hm, should I accept a fee to watch as an audience? I think that'd be a good idea."

All of the employees rallied against Isaac as he muttered those words to himself. It was clear as day that the Department of Law would erupt if they got word that Isaac was planning to not only make the sacred law into a spectacle but also earn money while doing so.

Anton warned Isaac that he would regret his decision, but Isaac considered it as an empty threat. There weren't many methods the so-called Great Lord of the South could use to pressure New Port City when he was so far away. Not to mention that it was Isaac, a man who cared not about his losses, who was running the city.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Hundreds of soldiers marched across the streets in sync. Wearing fully-plated armour, they held their two handed swords upright at their chest. Their disciplined movement and the menacing armaments were enough to instill fear into ordinary citizens. People quickly ran away from them in terror, and the street which was once filled with laughter was replaced with cold tension.

Isaac watched the scene from the roof and asked Kalden.

"What are those?"

"They are the famous Order of Heavy Combat Knights that Marquis Duberon is so famous for. Every member of their order is a combat knight."

"Wait, every single one of them is a combat knight?"

Isaac asked again with surprise when Kalden gave him the answer. Combat knights were treated as the tanks of this world, and their upkeep was also comparable to that of a tank. In fact, just having a third of a battalion composed of combat knights was enough for it to be called an order of knights.

These combat knights had the power to turn the tide of battle just by showing themselves on the battlefield, but at no point in history was there anyone dedicated enough to make up an entire order of knights out of combat knights only.

"Yes. They are a knightly order whose founding was recently approved. They number 700 men strong and were given the title of the strongest knightly order in the south the moment they were founded."

"Recently? Does that mean they've never fought on the battlefield?"

"Yes. They have been training under the Marquis ever since they were young, and they've just been released into the outside world."

"So they are just a group of confident brats with no experience."

Isaac never thought that the Marquis would mobilise his entire knightly order to save that troublesome son of his, but the armed demonstration made its effect. Already, the terrified people cancelled their bookings or requested for a refund.

"Is there no infringement of law when elite combat troops of a noble family crawls over to another person's territory?"

Kalden smiled bitterly as he shook his head.

"They've come here for vacation."

"A vacation?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

"The entire order."

"So the entirety of Marquis Duberon's elite fighting force came here for vacation?"

"That's what it says on paper."

"They must have come here with Anton. Are they resorting to armed demonstration because words weren't enough to convince me?"

Isaac couldn't help but laugh at the situation. He only made a single demand: to receive something in return for releasing Dogman, which they so dearly wanted. Isaac wasn't someone who would cry words of justice. All he wanted was some compensation for his troubles. But Marquis Duberon moved straight to threats and blackmail, perhaps believing that negotiating with Isaac's sort was below his attention and honour. Isaac watched for a moment as the army moved up and down the road.

"You said they've been training since childhood?"

"Yes. They were handpicked at a young age to be trained for the order."

"Doesn't that mean that they haven't seen much of the outside world because of the constant training within an isolated environment?"

"That is right."

Cordnell answered Isaac as a small suspicion arose in the corner of his mind, worried that Isaac was about to cause an incident again.

"Hm, maybe I should poke at them a bit. Crazy Bitch."

"Yes?"

Milena answered in confusion as she was suddenly called out by Isaac.

"Bring out your girls."

"Why would you need my girls…?"

"I'm just curious if they can maintain their discipline while beautiful women are seducing them from all sides."

Milena quickly understood Isaac's intentions and smiled.

"Hohoho. Don't you worry. I'll prepare my best girls for the job."

"I look forward to it."

"That sounds like it'll be quite a sight."

Isaac and the syndicate bosses laughed amongst each other while the employees and Isaac's hubaes desperately tried to dissuade Isaac from the idea. However, their attempts weren't enough to change Isaac's mind.

It was mandatory for the hundreds of men to move in unison when performing a ceremonial march, but they couldn't help but glimpse at the sides due to their instincts.

"Hohoho, look at him looking over here! Kyaa! So cute!"

"Hey there, cutie! Come over to my place! I'll treat you well!"

"Why would they even want to visit an old lady like you? You'd need to be at least my level!"

The woman raised her skirt slightly, exposing her smooth white thigh.

"What do you mean by that? I still won't lose to anyone no matter where I go! These breasts of mine are more than enough to bring in the boys!"

The woman grabbed at her breasts, shaking them up and down.

With words of obscenities flying everywhere and women judging the knights at every angle, the formation was starting to show some signs of dissonance.

The reason why these women were so proactive was because Isaac declared a reward of 10 thousand Giga to the first woman to destroy the formation.

But rumors of the knights' discipline held true as small ripples in the formation resolved as quickly as they had formed, and the knights marched on. Displeased, one of the women stepped out as she shouted.

"Let's see if you can stand this!"

The woman threw away her clothes, exposing her breasts in the open. All of the nearby knights gawked at her breasts, their male instincts overwhelming years of discipline. This caused some of the knights to march at the wrong pace, and the formation crumbled down like dominos within moments.

"Hey! W, watch out!"

Just like that, the knightly order that seemed so intimidating was quickly turned into a laughing stock. There were still many tourists left on the streets, and they'd all witnessed the shameful display of the knights.

"Kuhahaha! I guess they are men after all!"

"Ah! What a sight to see!'

The knights managed to get back on their feet, but unable to handle the embarrassment and mockery from bystanders, they quickly fled New Port City with faces red as apples.

Isaac laughed as he watched the knights run with their tails between their legs, but the employees and hubaes felt as if the sky was crumbling. For them, it felt like they'd disturbed what should have been left alone.

Isaac spared no interest in what they thought however, and spoke as if he had just thought of a great idea.

"Alright! I will delay the court session indefinitely."

"Huh? Why?"

"To make money. Why else?"

"What?"

Nobody understood what Isaac meant right now, but as Isaac continued to explain, they couldn't help but drop their jaws in astonishment at what he was planning.

"The greatest knightly order in the south is parading in our streets for free. Spread the word. Tell them they can witness the prowess of the Order of Heavy Combat Knights firsthand if they visit New Port City."

"T, that's!"

"I can only give words of gratitude if they are willing to pay the entry fee every day and parade in our streets. I heard it's Zeroman who's letting those knights stay in the hotels for free. How much do you think it costs to feed and take care of hundreds of men? The longer this goes on, the better it is for us."

"B, but we will face losses too!"

"Doesn't matter. It won't go on longer than a month."

"Why's that?"

"What crazy fool would send away his greatest fighting force for vacation for more than a month?"

"…"

"And Smartass!"

"Yes!"

"Open up a new gambling option. I get the sense they will come here every day, so do whatever you can to destroy their formation."

"I see! People can bet if the formation holds or breaks."

"Plus, add things like how long it'll take for the formation to break, or which method will break the formation, and so on. Think of everything you can to make the bets."

"No! How could you use a Marquis' army as a tool for gambling! That cannot happen!"

Cordnell and Kalden profusely opposed Isaac's scheme.

"Why is that? New Port City is the city of gambling! Everything is a form of gambling as long as it is approved! It's all in the Lordship's law book."

"Uuugh…"

Isaac's prediction was only half correct. Marquis Duberon seemed baffled that Isaac used his armed demonstration to earn money at first, but his pride wouldn't allow him to end the marches. And with the announcement of the indefinite delay of the court session, Marquis Duberon used his wealth, trade goods, and connections to pressure Isaac from all sides.

Because of his title as the great lord, all of the cities and provinces in the south reacted accordingly. The number of travellers and tourists from the south diminished greatly, while some cities banned travel to New Port City outright.

The Seven Grand Merchant Guilds weren't an exception either. The Hexton Merchant Guild was based in the southern province, and with them at the head, the merchant guilds collectively requested that Master Dogman be released.

Isaac glossed over these facts with a snicker because he had anticipated all of them already, but what he didn't expect was government pressure.

"You're telling me stop delaying the court session?"

Within the private Communicator Room, Isaac's smile lay frozen as he met face to face with Mazelan. Mazelan replied with a bitter smile on his face.

-Marquis Duberon has influence within the Department of Law too.

There were many factions within the governing body of the Empire; each maintained their own strength through a cycle of unification and separation for political gains. Marquis Duberon was considered a high noble in the Empire, and he too sent his own family's, in-laws', and vassals' Campus graduates to form a faction of their own. Even Mazelan, Isaac's connection to the government, could do little in this situation. Isaac was already considered undeserving of the title of a graduate of the College, so few resisted the Marquis's actions.

"Man, there are always some idiots who tries to have a battle of pride when all they need to do is negotiate."

Isaac complained to himself, but Mazelan replied with a pained expression.

-Marquis Duberon has made an offer we could not refuse.

"What is that?"

Mazelan shook his head at Isaac's question.

-I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. It's considered to be highly classified.

Isaac burst out in laughter.

"So you're telling me, the person who has the authority to rule, to shove off and do as I'm told because the government has already made a deal with the Marquis?"

-Can you please just concede this once? Marquis Duberon is a great noble family who has incredible influence within the Empire. The Empire will pay the greatest compensation they can to the victims.

Mazelan tried to convince Isaac, but Isaac made a cold smile as he replied.

"I really like that method you're suggesting, to solve the problem with money. There's nothing you can't do when you have money. But you see, I prefer to be the one using others through money to solve problems, not the other way around."

-What do you mean by that?

"'Is there a reason for me to beg for mercy when there's nothing for me in return' is what I'm trying to say."

-…

"Anyhow, I'm refusing your offer sunbae."

-Isaac, this is an order!

Isaac snickered and retorted.

"According to the Empire's law, the Empire doesn't have the authority to order a Lord unless it is of great importance. And do you think I'm desperate to keep this title of mine? I'll say these words again, but I will do as the law says until there is something for me in return."

-Ugh. Then will you release Dogman as long as we give you something in return?

"Of course. I'll open the court session in 3 days. I hope to hear good news by then."

"I don't like this."

Isaac spoke with his arms crossed as he watched the tragedy before him.

"What are the damages like?"

"Two hotels have been damaged from the fire, while at least 3 have died and 6 are gravely wounded from the fight that broke out in the casino."

"Were any of the guests harmed too?"

"Um… it seems all of the dead and injured were employees of the casino."

"So they were aiming for us."

A fire and a fight suddenly broke out in the casino simultaneously.

But there were only victims at the scene, while those who caused it disappeared as if they were ghosts.

At that moment, Milena and six or so other women came up to the rooftop. The women were beaten black and blue, crying. Isaac asked Milena.

"What happened here?"

"I noticed that some of my girls disappeared while doing a personnel check, so I went around to look for them. These girls are of the luckier ones; the rest were sent to hospital the moment we found them."

"Who did this to them?"

"The girls are saying that they were doing the usual, finding customers and bringing them to the hotels, but they immediately started beating them the moment they got into a room."

"So they've been planning this since the start. Who are the suspects?"

Soland who just came up to the roof replied to Isaac.

"I've been trying to find them, but most of them used false aliases as they checked into the hotels, so we don't know their real names. But after remembering what they wore and acted, they are likely from Port City."

"Is it revenge from Port City?"

"Rather than Port City, I believe it's the knights."

"The knights?"

"Yes. Most of the women who were assaulted were… women who participated in disrupting the knights during their marches."

"But that's just our suspicion, not evidence."

"If we acted without evidence, it'll be us who would be beaten."

"We can't fight against the Marquis."

"It wasn't even a fight to begin with."

"All the Marquis wants is the release of Master Dogman. Wouldn't announcing probation be enough?"

"No one would blame you for kneeling against the Marquis' power. We should try to resolve this with minimal casualties."

All of the employees and hubaes suggested that Isaac release Dogman to appease the marquis. The syndicate bosses couldn't help but silently seethe with anger.

"This is the kind of work I hate to remember because it's so familiar to me."

Isaac muttered to himself quietly. Terrorising the buildings and the populace to instill fear and make the people submit under terror. That was a method Isaac used often in the past, but it was a method that couldn't be done by those with a sane mind, as the harm inflicted on civilians would attract the ire and wrath of powerful figures.

"Why in the world are they so desperate to poke at someone who's just idling by?"

Isaac's mood was tarnished. He didn't want to remember the past, but everything happening around him was a constant reminder. With one puff of the choyu leaf, the frenzy that filled his eyes quickly flickered and disappeared.

He wasn't a benevolent Lord or a just one either. All he wanted was compensation for their demands, but the Marquis cut Isaac out completely, made a deal with the government instead, and ordered Isaac to submit, all because his pride wouldn't allow for it. And this was the answer Isaac received when he spoke out against that decision.

"I'll do as you wish."

The employees and hubaes who heard Isaac's words celebrated with a smile.

"You've made the right decision."

"…"

Meanwhile, the syndicate bosses seemed disappointed in Isaac. They knew there wasn't any other choice, but in the corner of their minds, they had hoped that Isaac would be different.

"All of you can leave except the syndicate bosses."

With that order, everyone left and only Isaac and syndicate bosses were left on the rooftop. The syndicate bosses seemed a little tense, realising that even Rizzly, Isaac's bodyguard, left the rooftop.

"Can you find and fuck up the bastards that broke Crazy Bitch's girls?"

The syndicate bosses looked at each other in surprise when Isaac made his question.

"Finding them won't be much of a problem, but if they truly are knights, we don't have the strength to fight against them."

"Did the girls get paid?"

"Yes. They threw the money next to the girl's heads when they passed out."

"They're not giving me any excuses. Very thorough of them. I wonder who came up with this plan…"

Isaac began to think for a moment and then checked again with Soland.

"Can you make a sketch of the bastards?"

Milena stepped up instead of Soland and replied immediately.

"You don't need to worry about that. This place used to be quite notorious as you know, and we used to handle all sorts of weirdos. So all of our girls and their colleagues remember the faces of their guests in case they need some revenge."

"Good. Draw their faces and get ready to spread it."

"What shall we say?"

"A hundred thousand Giga for each head. If a hundred isn't enough, add fifty. I'm prepared to raise it up to a million. Let's see how long the Marquis will protect his knights."

"B, but they are knights!"

"Is there any proof of that? They committed this crime while hiding their identities. If this gets found out, it's not me who's screwed but the Marquis. But if the Marquis throws those knights away, the morale of his knights will plummet."

"…"

"The high nobles of the Marquis' family want to play dirty. Let's give them what they want."

"We shall prepare immediately."

Isaac made his decision, and the syndicate bosses smiled and bowed their heads with sincerity.

It was the day of the trial, and a crowd of people flocked to the plaza to witness the event. It was the first murder case in Ceta District. Although the culprit was caught red-handed at the scene, there was much debate as to what conclusion Isaac would make, especially when considering the identity of the criminal and the authority of the Marquis that stood behind him.

The Order of Heavy Combat Knights, which was the pride of the Marquis, assembled and surrounded the plaza, preventing anyone from entering too deep. Many thought that even Isaac had no choice but to yield to the might of the Marquis after seeing the knights restrict and control the area to their liking; it was almost as if it was their home territory. And as expected of the city of gambling, there was a secret wager on what judgement Isaac would hand out for Dogman.

Isaac scanned the populated plaza. It was an amalgamation of knights, tourists, and citizens who were all eagerly waiting for the trial to begin.

"Hm, let us begin. Rizzly."

Isaac called out for Rizzly atop City Hall's roof, and Rizzly responded by shouting down at the crowd below them.

"Silence! Sir Isaac, graduate of the College, Rank 1 knight and the Lord's Representative of New Port City shall make his appearance!"

Confused, the crowd looked to the roof where Rizzly's words originated from.

Rizzly stepped away from the edge of the roof and brought out a strange looking chair. Everyone wondered why the chair had extra legs behind the seat itself, and their question was quickly answered. Once Isaac sat on the chair, Rizzly lifted him up along with the chair and placed it at the edge of the roof. The extra legs fit perfectly with the small fence which lined the edge of the roof. The employees looked dumbfounded. The chair must have been made for the sole purpose of allowing Isaac to look down at the crowd without leaving the roof, most likely due to laziness and to have unobstructed view at the crowd beyond the fence.

The crowd reacted the same way below. They screamed when Isaac suddenly appeared at the edge of the rooftop, but once the chair was fit on the fence, it almost seemed as if Isaac was floating in midair with the chair.

Isaac didn't even seem bothered at the dangerous spectacle. In fact, he seemed at home as he looked down at the crowd with his legs crossed and his weight shifted on one of the armrests.

"I will now announce the verdicts."

"…!"

Trials followed a series of complicated procedures, and the final verdict was typically made only after the procedures were over. However, Isaac suddenly announced that he would skip all of the procedures and jump straight to conclusion, astounding all of the defendants and the crowd.

But what they thought about this was beyond Isaac's care, and he promptly ordered Kalden.

"Begin."

"Huh? Y, yes…"

Kalden wondered if it was alright to continue, but he had no choice except to proceed as Isaac ordered. Kalden called the defendant of the first case to stand at the front of the city hall below Isaac's feet.

"Eh… This is the first trial. Defendant Neidan is charged with theft. He was stealing from one of the grocery shops owned by Rivolden Merchant Guild while he was hired as an employee…"

"Wait. Are you a citizen of this city?"

Isaac cut off Kalden and spoke down at Neidan, who quickly fell on his knees with tears dripping from his face.

"I am sorry! I must have gone mad!"

"Yes. You really did go mad. Charge him with a fine ten times the value of the stolen goods. The city will reimburse the shop first, and the defendant will be subject to unpaid labour until his debt is repaid in full. Next."

"Huh? That's it?"

"What? Do you need more?"

"He must be punished for his crime."

"And I gave you his punishment. Unpaid labour."

"I've never heard of such light punishment."

"Light you say? Do you want to work this month without getting paid?"

"Huh? Why me?!"

"See. Do you think unpaid labour is light punishment when you're struggling to make enough money in the first place? Ah! Don't you think about slacking off just because you're not getting paid. If we catch you doing so, we'll send you straight to the mines. Hm… No, this isn't enough. Hire a supervisor who will watch over those carrying out the punishment. Now we have both unpaid labour and another job."

Behind him, Cordnell was whimpering, but the noise went into one of Isaac's ears and escaped through other as he continued.

"Next."

Kalden muttered to himself and hesitated for some time before bringing out the next defendant to the plaza with a sigh.

"This is the second trial. Defendant Korven was working as a waiter in a restaurant, but was caught in an argument with a difficult customer. The argument escalated and Korven ended up in a fist fight with the customer. He was arrested and charged with assault."

"What! You assaulted a customer? Why I ought to rip you to pieces with my own hands!"

Isaac burst out in anger when Kalden finished describing the defendant. He then shouted out at the crowd in the plaza.

"I, the Empire's official, a College graduate, a Rank 1 knight, and the Lord's Representative, will give you the absolute standard when administering my land."

Everyone listened keenly as they held their breath. Many people in the crowd were citizens of the city, but there were a number of outsiders mixed in the crowd. Knowing what the lord liked was crucial to determine what they found to be significant.

Once everyone's attention was at him, Isaac continued with a firm voice.

"Money is truth, justice, and power."

"…"

There was a brief silence. The people couldn't understand what Isaac meant and began to murmur to each other in confusion.

Isaac continued his speech as he looked down at them.

"Those who live in New Port City are trash and maggots that don't even deserve to live."

"…"

Another wave of silence befell in the plaza, but this time it was a cold one. The abusive words stupefied even those who were standing behind Isaac, whose mouths were left agape in astonishment.

"Why? Because you don't have money! When something unfair happens to you, when your belongings are taken from you, when you aren't given the right pay, and when you submit without resistance against violence. It's all happening because you don't have money."

Everyone tilted their head at Isaac's explanation, which sounded both plausible and wrong at the same time.

Isaac's emotionless voice continued.

"The reason why you can't leave this dumpster of a city is because you have no money. You can't even care for your sick family because you are poor. The reason why you sell your body to feed your family is because you are poor, the reason why you have a hierarchy which feeds on the weak is because you are poor, and the reason why you kill others to save yourself is because you are poor."

"…"

"All of this could have been avoided if you had money."

People were still split on what they thought about Isaac's words. There was no one in New Port City who never worried about money. They scavenged through the trash to quell their starving bodies and stole from others. All in the name of survival. It was their way of life, and it had always been so.

"Life without money is miserable. That is why you, who have no money, are trash and animals who only know how to speak. Those in Port City knew this, and that is why they threw away their pride and elegance in a fiery riot to save their own wealth."

Isaac's calm and quiet voice sunk deeply into everyone's ears, and their eyes turned more and more menacing toward Isaac. The employees and hubaes were aghast at Isaac's monologue. Even the wisest of men spoke back when they were insulted directly. And wrath from those who suffered through poverty was even more dangerous. If their emotions exploded into a frenzy, it would turn into a riot so large that even the North Bears and the elves wouldn't be able to stop it. The knights, on the other hand, would watch with a grin on their faces.

Even Rizzly and Lanburton began to tense up as the atmosphere worsened with every passing moment. Rizzly quickly sent out his signal to assemble his tribesmen.

"And I have given you an opportunity."

"…?"

There was a pause. People wondered at what Isaac meant by an opportunity. Isaac watched the attention focus onto him once more and began to talk to the waiter who fought with a customer.

"Put your life on the line for the single coin your customer throws at you. Even if they are the greatest assholes who slept with their mothers, if they came to New Port City with money, they are guests. Lick their asses if you must to open their wallets. That is your job. Honour? Pride? Self-esteem? That is a luxury only those who have money can own. None of it matters if you are poor. If you find the world unfair and disgusting, make money! If there is any trouble or complaints with the guests, then you will be sent to work in the mines, no questions asked. Unfair you say? It was the guest's fault? Doesn't matter. They are not guilty if they have money, and if you have none, then saving the world wouldn't keep you from receiving a guilty verdict."

"…"

"Therefore you are guilty! You are to be sent to work in the mines for one month! Make sure the guest is properly reimbursed."

The waiter was taken away in a state of confusion. Everyone fell into deep contemplation whether Isaac's verdict was lawful or not.

"Is this really okay?"

Cordnell asked Kalden with a serious face, and Kalden could only answer by resting his throbbing head on his hands.

"I don't know. I know that this is a verdict made by the Lord just as the laws say, but all of the verdicts follow the law too… A verdict like this has never happened in the past… There's nothing I can say since I'm no expert in law."

"Sounds to me like it will become a problem later on."

Cordnell and Kalden sighed unanimously as they looked to each other.

"Next!"

"Yes! The next trial is, um…"

Isaac urged Kalden to proceed with his shout. Kalden stuttered as he tried to proceed when he suddenly realised the reason behind Isaac's actions. They are not guilty if they have money. They are guilty if they don't. Therefore, the verdict of the murder case which Marquis Duberon's son was involved in was not guilty.

Isaac's cunning move avoided conflict against Marquis Duberon while at the same time making it seem as if he wasn't submitting to their power. Kalden was impressed by Isaac's political manoeuvring, but at the same time, he was disappointed. It felt as if his expectation of Isaac, that he would be different, was destroyed. While Kalden was busy being conflicted by his thoughts, a drunk man was led into the plaza while being supported by Anton.

"Is that him?"

"… Yes."

"Is he drunk?"

Cordnell spoke back with confusion at Isaac's question.

"Um, you told me to provide him with everything he wanted so…"

Isaac listened to Cordnell's excuses as he looked at Dogman, who was still out of his senses and demanding more booze while snickering away. Isaac looked at Anton, who had a difficult look on his face, and their eyes met. After the brief exchange of looks, Isaac looked to the sky as he complained to himself.

"I guess I did commit some serious atrocities in the past to deserve getting involved with retards like them regularly."

"Sorry?"

Kalden asked Isaac to repeat his words, but Isaac ignored him and whispered an order to Rizzly before looking down at Dogman.

"Master Dogman?"

"How dare you! You dare look down on the successor to Marquis Duberon!"

Isaac thought to himself that Dogman at least had some personality in that stupidity of his as he continued to make a ruckus without realising what was happening. Isaac sighed and continued.

"Now, now. This is an official matter so we'll deal with the formalities later. So I heard you killed someone?"

Anton quickly blocked Dogman's mouth before he could say something unnecessary and talked in his stead.

"It was an unfortunate accident; he didn't mean it. Marquis Duberon will take responsibility and pay for the damages incurred in the accident."

"So you're telling me that you'll pay me money for killing someone?"

"It was an accident that happened in drunken stupor. The Master regrets his actions greatly, and he will have some time to look back on his actions."

It seemed that events like this had happened many times before to them. Anton insisted that all of it was an accident, but it was clear as day that Anton didn't have any sense of remorse or was even apologetic in his actions, while Dogman had the audacity to appear in trial drunk. It was very difficult to take what Anton was saying at face value.

"Well, I guess it's too bad for the person who died. But the survivors have to live on. A hundred thousand Giga will be your fine."

"I believe that is quite large for a fine?"

"It needs to be at least that much for people to think 'Ah! I'll lose money if I kill that fucker,' before they stab someone in the heat of the moment. Plus, my citizens would need this much of an incentive to motivate them to become the most exceptional asswipes, in addition to feeding their families."

Many of the outsiders shouted out at Isaac's nonsensical argument, but the citizens of New Port City seemed rather convinced. A hundred thousand Giga was more than enough for their families to leave New Port City and have a fresh new start in their lives, one filled with happiness. It seemed both reasonable and doable to them. These were the slums where people killed for loose change, after all.

"Are you trying to toy with me?! A hundred thousand Giga you say!"

Dogman seemed agitated and tried to trample towards Isaac, but Anton stopped him forcefully. The worse of a scene they made here, the more it impacted the honour of Marquis Duberon and his family.

"We will pay for it immediately."

"Immediately? I guess you are quite rich?"

"I have been ordered to resolve this incident as quickly as possible, no matter the cost."

"Cordnell, get the money for me."

"Huh? Yes…"

Cordnell walked down to the plaza hesitantly and came back up with a check in his hand.

"It is a blank check signed by Marquis Duberon."

"I guess he really is the great noble of the south to have this much wealth."

"Then is it alright if we leave?"

"Huh? But it's not over yet."

"You've already received payment for our crimes."

"That's the verdict for the murder. We still have one more thing to discuss."

"…"

"Smartass. Bring me the account book."

Soland quickly handed out a piece of paper to Isaac as soon as he was ordered.

"Dear me, you've been eating a lot. Let's just make it 10 thousand Giga for staying here each night. If we sum up the costs for all the alcohol, food, services plus administration… I'll make it simple by making it a flat number. It totals to one hundred million Giga."

"…"

A cold silence fell on the plaza. Everyone lost their words when they heard such an unbelievable number come out from Isaac's mouth. Anton quickly regained his senses and shouted back.

"W-what do you mean by that!"

Anton's astonished voices were replied by Isaac's calm voice.

"What do you mean? It's the costs for all of the services Dogman used while we were waiting for the trial to start. I can't let him stay here for free now, can I?"

"B, but that's not the problem!"

"Then what is the problem?"

Isaac looked as if he truly didn't know the reason behind Anton's question.

"The hundred million Giga! That doesn't make sense at all!"

"Well, let's see. I've clearly stated in our laws that those who use New Port City's goods and services without a ticket are subject to their costs being adjusted by the Lord himself. What can you do when I decide to sell my goods and services at a high price? You shouldn't have bought it in the first place if it was too expensive!"

Everyone was at a loss for words. This was almost like the thief scolding his victims after getting caught stealing.

"You crazy bastard!"

"Why are you saying that to me? Dogman already signed the I.O.U because he ran out of money and wanted to buy with credit. Shall I show it to you?"

Isaac waved a stack of papers in his hand that was given to him by Soland. Anton looked at Isaac while gritting his teeth.

Tricking the great master was easier than taking candy from a baby, especially with his inferior mental state. He would have signed it without a care as long as those around him fueled his arrogance.

"I will say that the court session is over since you've paid your fine, but you still need to repay your credit. I'm not letting him leave until he repays it all. Huh? Wait a minute. What if he just gives up on everything in prison because he doesn't have the money? Hm, I can't possibly let him stay for free. What should I do…"

Everyone was sickened by Isaac, who seemed like he was thinking about the most pointless problem at this point. Isaac, on the other hand, seemed to come up with an excellent answer.

"Aha! It's fine as long as he doesn't sleep in my territory. Rizzly, make a giant steel cage and float it in the canal. Lock him in the cage until they pay up. That is beyond my district, so I wouldn't need to worry about lodging fees. Huh? He might drown you say? Just make a small breathing hole too. Wait, no! The cage will need my metal, so I need to be paid for the cage itself too. Ha! What a problem. Is there a better way to solve this problem?"

"Are you asking to fight the Marquis over the death of some peasant?"

"Who says I'm asking for a fight? I'm just telling you to repay your debt. Well, I'm always open to readjusting the debt if you were to negotiate with me. If you're open to negotiation, that is. Kukuku."

It was Isaac's revenge at the Marquis, who refused all negotiations because it would tarnish his pride.

"Isaac!"

All of the knights drew their swords at Anton's shout. A murderous atmosphere overwhelmed the incredulous mood.

"I guess Marquis Duberon really is great after all. Drawing swords in preparation to rampage through the middle of a plaza like that. I wonder what Central will think if an army were to rampage through another city when it's not for war?"

Isaac's sarcastic comment made Anton and his knights flinch. Central's biggest mission was to find and eliminate all possible rebellions. Killing Isaac wasn't a problem for Anton, but if they gave Central reason to intervene, the Marquis would have no choice but to abandon Anton and the knights regardless of how much power he had.

Anton hesitated for a moment, which was enough time for the North Bears and Rizzly to shapeshift into their bear forms and surround Anton, while elves lined up on the rooftop with their bows drawn at the knights.

"Kyaa! It's Mr. Frazer! You look amazing with that bow!"

"Look! It's Mr. Mirvaden, the winner of the race! Kyaa! Look over here please!"

"Ang! Mr. Rizzly, you look adorable!"

Was it a mistake to involve the elves who worked in the Escort service too? All of the women in the plaza screamed in excitement when they saw the elves. The elves reflexively waved at the women in response, and the screams grew louder.

Even Isaac was confused when the atmosphere of the situation unexpected flipped on its head. Meanwhile, Anton sheathed his sword, and the knights followed suit after a delay.

"You will regret this."

"Didn't you say that last time? Hurry up and bring me the money to repay your debt. The longer you delay, the larger it will become."

"Kihihi! Bring me more booze! I'll drink everything you throw at me!"

Dogman still didn't seem to understand the situation he was in as he continued to laugh and shout. Isaac asked a question as he watched Dogman's behaviour.

"Is he acting like that because he's drunk, or did he always have a screw loose in his head?"

"…"

There was no answer. All of the employees and hubaes had collapsed on the floor, too devastated to utter a single word.

"Huh? Why are you all like that?"

"Because now you've become an enemy of the Marquis."

Isaac frowned as Soland gave him the answer.

"Who says I'm fighting him? I'll make sure to release him as long as they pay up."

"That's how most fights break out."

"Really now?"

Isaac smirked as he watched Dogman scream his throat away. He then promptly ordered Rizzly.

"Take that noisy fool somewhere else."

With that, two North Bears grabbed each arm of Dogman and dragged him away. The knights flinched at the sight, but they held back from making any reckless actions and instead looked to Anton for orders.

Anton seemed like he was about to shatter his own teeth with the force he was gritting his teeth. He stared intensely at Isaac and then turned away.

"We will retreat for now."

"But…"

"Stop! Do as you are ordered."

Anton silenced the Knights with a single order. But just as he was about to lead the knights away from the plaza, he was called to by Isaac.

"Oi, wait."

"Do you still have something you need to say?"

"Hm. It's not much, but I think it'll be nice for your order of knights to know about this."

"…"

Anton folded his arms as if telling Isaac to try him. Isaac grinned and turned to Soland, who signalled his men that had been waiting at the edge of the plaza.

"Huh? What's this?"

"Portraits?"

"There's a number of them. Why is he handing these out?"

Soland's minions handed out the portraits they had been working overnight to the people.

Many of the people muttered to each other wondering about the portraits, but the knights turned stiff when they saw the portraits. Especially when some of the minions handed out the portraits to specific knights with a giant, sinister grin despite having their faces covered behind their helmets. Those specific knights could only shudder at the sight. It meant they'd already figured out who they were and what they'd done.

Isaac savoured the taste of his cigarette as he waited, and once enough of the portraits had been handed out, he began to speak.

"The portraits you see now have been released throughout the Empire. The crime they have committed is assaulting the Blue Roses of New Port City. Anyone who brings the head of any one of them will be given a hundred thousand Giga as a reward."

Everyone lost their minds when they heard Isaac's announcement.

"That's nuts! He's going to pay a hundred thousand Giga for some thugs that assaulted a prostitute or two?"

"Impossible! How much money does he have?"

While the crowd grew louder, the knights were growing more and more tense, and the direct culprits turned pale under their helmets.

"Blue Roses."

All of the women, dressed in fine clothes with a blue rose etched into the left chest of their clothes, looked to Isaac.

"Do they call you filthy whores who sell their body for cash?"

The women's faces sank at those words. Deep down, they knew it was a fact, but hearing those harsh words directly stabbed deeply at their hearts. They too had dreams, but the cruel reality simply grabbed at their feet and dragged them down instead.

"So what? Is there a problem? Raise your head. It's not like you've committed a crime."

Isaac's calm voice lifted the faces of the women.

"What's wrong with using your body to survive? I don't expect you to have pride in your work. It's not really honourable work in the first place. But don't feel inferior about it either. Raise your head. For your survival! For your families! To escape poverty! You've abandoned your future as women and sold your bodies, and there's nothing to be ashamed about it. Be confident. While I am here in New Port City! Anyone who treats you harshly just because you sell your bodies will be arrested and sent to the mines no matter their birth, and I'll pay whatever is necessary to catch them if they ever escape."

"…"

With Isaac's speech done, each woman placed their hands on the shoulder of the woman next to them and bowed as they bent their knees. It was the greatest honour they could offer Isaac.

"It's been a hundred years since I've last seen this."

Lanburton quietly muttered to himself as he watched from afar. It was a salute that was both forgotten and known to everyone at the same time. It was the greatest salute one could do to another, no matter what race they were. Even emperors found it hard to receive such a salute from someone.

And it was given to Isaac by some of the dreamless, vengeful people of the slums who were overflowing with discontent at their society. A strange silence and an emotional mood began to set over the plaza, and Isaac shattered the mood completely.

"What are you still doing here? The court session is over! Drop the useless act and get back to work! Bring in that money!"

'He's not saying it out of embarrassment. He truly feels nothing at what has happened.'

Lanburton used the elves' innate ability, the eyes of truth, to look into Isaac. It was a great honour for one to receive that salute from another. But Isaac truly felt as if all of it was pointless.

'This is why humans in this world and the other are so fun.'

Smirk!

Lanburton smiled as he moved his feet to volunteer for Escort service again, which became his hobby. Surprisingly, there were many women who found Lanburton to be their type, and he was quite popular among the ladies.

Urgent Report

We have confirmed that the great master Dogman, successor to Marquis Duberon is a type 4 invader.

Mental dysfunction observed due to incompatibility.

Requested to aid the Marquis in return for securing the type 4 invader.

Agreement made, armed intervention expected from the Marquis.

Altered project 401 abolished.

To continue following the original project 401.

Unable to protect Surveillance target 728.

To disregard target.

Addition. Prevent contact between type 4 invader and surveillance target 728. Prioritise the recovery of type 4 invader. If unable to stop them from meeting, permission to eliminate surveillance target 728 is granted.

In a dark meeting room where just enough light was let in to identify what was inside, there was a rectangular table with ten or so people seated at their place.

The person seated at the lowest seat looked to the person at the head of the table and complained.

"Why did you make this decision?! It is still possible to appease surveillance target 728."

"The recovery of type 4 invader is a cover-up."

"What?"

"We have confirmed that the 'demonic' turncoat has hidden itself in New Port City."

"That's…"

"Recovering the faith of the Queen is of higher priority than the life of a surveillance target. This was the only method we could use to not alert the turncoat. Arrest anyone who tries to leave New Port City in fear of war. Once the Marquis takes control of New Port City, send in the agents to search for the turncoat."

"…"

"The Queen is doubting our abilities over the fact that the turncoat managed to infiltrate her laboratory. The Queen or the surveillance target; you know which is of more value to us, right?"

"…"

"Don't bother yourself over this mission. In fact, why don't you take a vacation?"

"Do you not trust me?"

"It's to make sure our work is done thoroughly. This is an order."

"… Yes sir."

At the end of the day, the conflict between Marquis Duberon and Isaac was a battle of pride. From Marquis Duberon's point of view, Isaac was the talentless successor to an obscure baron family. As the Great Noble of the South with a time-honored ancestry, negotiating with a man such as Isaac on the back foot was considered 'lowering their standards.'

Isaac, on the other hand, didn't appreciate the fact that Marquis Duberon negotiated with the government directly to solve the issue while ignoring him, the one holding direct authority over the incident.

Being exiled to a rural province was perhaps the greatest punishment for any official of the empire, but to Isaac, it was the greatest reward possible. Therefore, there was no reason for Isaac to submit to pressure from above. In fact, Marquis Duberon's blatant act of ignoring Isaac had strengthened Isaac's resolve to see the Marquis Duberon's men submit before him no matter what. This was the reason Isaac placed that unbelievable debt on them while acting like he was releasing Dogman scot-free. It was a taunt, but Isaac's goal was never to receive all of the money. The reason why Isaac made such impossible demand was to bring the Marquis down from his high horse and onto the negotiation table to meet him face to face.

With Dogman's signature on the unbelievable I.O.U, the Marquis has no choice but to pay back the debt after negotiating or abandon Dogman.

However, to Isaac's surprise, the Marquis pulled out a completely different, unexpected card out of his sleeve.

"… What?"

Isaac asked Cordnell to repeat, his mind going blank from the news. Cordnell repeated the first thing he shouted after hurriedly rushing up the stairs with a pale face.

"Marquis Duberon has made a formal application for provincial conflict to the Capital's Department of Administration!"

"Provincial conflict? Do you mean war?"

"Yes!"

"… Is that even possible?"

Isaac may have the title of Lord's Representative to his name, but New Port City was not a fiefdom but a city. Cities could never be a target for war in the first place.

"Giving out the title of Lord's Representative was a move that was never seen before in the first place. That's why the Department of Law and all of the legal professions are debating whether to recognize the city as fiefdom with respect to the title, and if so, to accept the application for provincial conflict."

Isaac's stiff face relaxed with Cordnell's explanation and smirked.

"What the. I thought a war really did break out. There's nothing to worry about over something that hasn't even been approved yet. I'm sure it's just simple blackmail."

"But…"

Cordnell still looked worried, but Isaac didn't consider it as a significant threat.

Wars don't break out so easily. It takes money to move, feed, shelter, and arm troops. It takes money to start a battle, to heal the wounded and even to negotiate the peace terms, which determined the reward and payment after a war is resolved.

Considering that an army devours money from step one to the end, its greatest use is as a show of force when everything else fails. Sure, wars do happen when there more to gain from it than to lose, but it's much more profitable to simply negotiate with Isaac than starting a war to save the family's heir.

The greatest factor was that even if the war would break out, Isaac held the heir of the Marquis as a hostage. Therefore, Isaac determined that Marquis Duberon only sent the application to maintain an advantageous position for the negotiation that was to come.

"I'm sure Mazelan-sunbae will clue me in if things get serious. But just to make sure, send a message to the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds to watch out for me. I'd be even more grateful if they pulled in some favors too."

Cordnell still seemed to have doubts on his face after receiving Isaac's orders, but he reluctantly stepped back. Isaac's belief that it would never come to war would quickly bite him for letting his guard down.

"The Capital's Department of Law has announced that although it is just a city, if it is ruled by someone representing a Lord, it will be recognized as fiefdom. Therefore, it has the responsibility of engaging in provincial conflict if necessary. The Department of Administration has accepted Marquis Duberon's request and announced the official start of conflict to be one month from now!"

"…"

Cordnell visited Isaac first thing in the morning and screamed out the news as his face turned as white as paper. Isaac frowned and started lighting a cigarette, leaving the panicking Cordnell to his own. It seemed everyone had heard the news already, and more and more of the city's employees gathered on the roof as the cigarette burned away in Isaac's mouth.

While everyone was in a state of panic over the unexpected outcome, Isaac muttered to himself after extinguishing his cigarette in the ashtray.

"Our intel is too slow."

"What?"

"Was that the official announcement?"

"We have both the official announcement and the message from the Seven Grand Merchant Guild about the results too."

"So they contacted us after the decision was made."

The most important thing for a merchant guild was information. With the power of the Seven Grand Merchant Guild, it would have been simple for them to get a hold of the information before it was publicly announced. There could only have been two reasons for them to contact Isaac after the decision was made. It was either done so secretly that the Seven Grand Merchant Guild couldn't pry, or they remained silent even after learning of the information.

Isaac suspected the latter. From the Seven Grand Merchant Guild's point of view, Isaac no longer held any value. In fact, the disappearance of Isaac would allow the guilds to monopolize the market in both Port City and New Port City. The criteria for betrayal that Isaac had identified were already fulfilled in this case.

PR Note: The above sentence is a reference to Rizzly and Isaac's conversation in chapter 45, where Isaac explained why he knew that the syndicate bosses would not betray him in the grand scheme of bankrupting Port City. To quote Isaac from Chapter 45, "You see, betrayal only happens when there's more to gain from it."

"I've let my guard down."

Isaac admitted wholeheartedly. He himself boasted that money was truth and justice, but it was his mistake to overlook the fact that the merchants could betray him. After all, merchants were the creatures most sensitive to profit.

"I understand the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds, but why didn't Mazelan-sunbae say anything to me?"

As if answering Isaac's question, Kalden rushed to the roof as he shouted.

"Sunbaenim, I've received news from one of my colleagues who work in the Department of Administration!"

"What is it?"

"Mazelan-sunbae has been exiled!"

Tap!

The cigarette slipped out of Isaac's hand, and his head went blank.

PR Note: Earlier, it was described that the cigarette was extinguished in the ashtray, but he is currently smoking one. Perhaps it was the author's oversight, or we can assume that Isaac lit another cigarette.

Was the Marquis so great that they had the power to eliminate the Vice Commissioner of the Department of Administration? No, how did they manage such a feat against a royal such as Mazelan?

Isaac spoke back in frustration as his head began to ache.

"Why was he exiled?"

"… Nobody knows the reason."

"What bullshit is that! How can the Vice Commissioner of the Department of Administration be exiled without reason!"

"Well… according to what my colleague told me, even the Commissioner is in a panic and is looking everywhere to find where Mazelan-sunbae went."

Isaac clicked his tongue and furiously bit down on a new cigarette. With his only connection and support gone, Isaac no longer had a backdoor into the government.

"Sigh…. There's not enough information."

"W-what should we do?"

Cordnell asked in a state of panic, and Isaac replied aggressively.

"What else can we do? We should just bow down like dogs."

"What?"

"Send the message to the Marquis. We surrender, so they can take that asshole Dogman with them. No, that's not enough. Let them know that I am also willing to reimburse them."

"Surrendering without even fighting is a disgrace!"

The North Bears and Rizzly shouted out for war, as expected of a warrior tribe.

Isaac looked at them with a serious look and asked a question.

"If we were to fight a war, can you guarantee me that you can win the war without a single casualty among the North Bears?"

"That's difficult. Casualties are inevitable no matter how much preparation you make when it comes down to war…"

Rizzly spoke back with a troubled look, and Isaac cut off him immediately.

"Then don't bother. I've hired you lot to work for me, not to die for me. If we just surrender and reimburse them, it will all be over."

As soon as the announcement for war was made, Isaac released Dogman and sent a declaration of surrender to the Marquis. Isaac's offer to release Dogman and reimburse them for the losses the Marquis made was declined almost immediately, however, and they only received reply telling them to prepare for war.

And as if it was all coordinated, fingers began to point toward Isaac.

"The Department of Administration has approved the Marquis's request for a beachhead in preparation for a siege battle and ordered us evacuate the citizens from Meta District."

PR Note: As a refresher, the Meta District is the southernmost district in New Port City, not to be confused with the Ceta District, which sits at the center of New Port City. Prior to Isaac's radical changes in New Port City, Meta District was run solely by Soland.

Dumbfounded, Isaac replied to Cordnell.

"A siege battle? How can they possibly have a siege battle with a city that doesn't even have walls? Just what did they do to receive such favoritism?"

The scary thing about the power of authority is that it has the strength to change and reshape the rules of society as it wishes. The Meta District consisted of a port which connected to the lake. All ships which come from the east, west, and south must dock here to unload their goods and sailors. Therefore, it was the only place an army could pass through to reach New Port City with ease; a good defense could prevent the army from even setting foot on the city, but only if done exceptionally well.

The announcement to give up on the Meta District basically meant that they were going to minimize the number of civilian casualties in the war.

This wasn't the end of the despairing news. Soland came up with a pale face and began to speak with a slight quiver in his voice.

"The Marquis has listed himself in the war gambling and provided all information regarding his army."

"Sigh… they're really determined aren't they."

Isaac weakly waved his hand at Soland to continue, too exhausted to even react.

"The Marquis himself will only send his Order of Heavy Combat Knights to fight in the war."

"The Marquis himself? What do you mean by that? Isn't that alone enough to end the war?"

"They've also hired mercenaries, and rumor has it that the money came from Port City."

"Tsk! This is why you shouldn't leave loose ends."

Isaac clicked his tongue in regret.

'What's the name of the mercenaries?"

"It isn't known yet, but after using some of our connections, we have heard that the Full Hammer mercenary band that is situated in the east is currently moving toward here on ship."

"Those war hounds!"

Rizzly shouted out in surprise at Soland's answer.

"Do you know them?"

Isaac sent a look to Rizzly, whose face was crumpled with disgust.

"They are well-known filths in the mercenary world. Looting the dead bodies is their most basic atrocity. They are notorious for all sorts of things, from being suspected of betraying their employers to massacring prisoners and civilians and even raiding the countryside."

Isaac frowned after hearing Rizzly's words.

"Suspected? They are only suspected of doing such things?"

"Yes. They've been accused of such actions many times over, but they're always released because of a lack of evidence."

"Hm…"

Isaac lit the cigarette in his mouth. If a mere band of mercenaries escaped with a non-guilty verdict after so many suspicious incidents, it meant that they had a supporter behind them. Isaac could picture it now. War could make money, quite amazingly so. That would mean there would be a weapons merchant specializing in weapons of war, and mercenary groups such as the Full Hammer were excellent partners. Considering that Port City would be the supplier of those armaments due to their status as a trade city, it almost seemed natural that the Full Hammer mercenary band would be chosen for the job.

"And…"

"Is there more?"

Soland hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"The odds of victory in the war between the Marquis and New Port City are 1.001 to 372."

"It's sad but obvious. And?"

"Each of the remaining three in Port City has bet a million Giga on New Port City's victory."

"…"

All Isaac could think of when he heard Soland was, 'they got me!' Eye for an eye, blood for blood, and gamble for gamble. With a situation turning out like this, winning this war even at the odds of 10 million to 1 was going to become a problem for Isaac.

"Wait! That's a bet of 3 million Giga in total! That should even up the odds!"

Kalden pointed out that fact, but Soland shook his head with a bitter smile.

"They've each bet 2 million Giga on Marquis's victory."

"Did they bet their entire fortune for this?"

Before the rights of the waterways were transferred, the investigation in the wealth of each of the four rulers of Port City concluded that each had a net worth of more than 4 million Giga, astounding even the investigators. Not even the Guild Masters of the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds had such wealth, showing the prowess of the richest men in the Empire. And they used all of it on the bet.

"They did say that they'd use everything they have to get their revenge, and now they've backed up their words. This is what happens when you don't finish the job properly. I guess the squabbles they had in public was just a ruse to let my guard down."

While Isaac wondered how to solve the situation, Trentor came up the roof.

"And where have you been to come here now?"

"… There's been an important announcement in Gabelin."

"An important announcement?"

"Yes. 'I am unable to accept Isaac Rondart's graduation from the College when his actions and lack of talent have time and time again ruined the reputation and pride of the College. As an honorable graduate of the College, I formally petition the College Committee to deprive Isaac Rondart of his graduation.' Signed by Kainen Rondart."

"Basically, everyone who wants me dead has contributed."

Isaac sighed with his arms folded and tapped his fingers.

Marquis Duberon, Count Milros, Port City, and maybe Seven Grand Merchant Guilds, who were suspected of betrayal. Every one of them was aiming for New Port City and Isaac.

"War huh… war… I love making money from war but hate doing it myself…"

"…"

Isaac's mutter brought a sigh on everyone around him.

"I guess there's no choice if they want war."

"A, are you really going to fight the war?"

"Is there any other way when they won't accept my surrender?"

"How can we fight a war when we don't even have an army of our own?"

"I guess I can't hire any mercenaries?"

"There aren't any mercenaries crazy enough to join the losing side of a war."

"Right?"

"Yes!"

"Tsk. I guess there's no choice. I really didn't want to do this…"

"Is there a way perhaps?"

Trentor's eyes shone as he questioned Isaac, but Isaac simply shook his head as he replied.

"How can there be a way out when both winning and losing the war will end with practically identical outcomes."

"Then what are you going to do!"

"What else but to run?"

"What?"

Everyone lost their words at Isaac's reply.

"There's still some time left until the war starts, so maybe I could take all of my wealth and run before it starts."

"You'll have a bounty on your head across the whole Empire because of the war gambling."

"If I hide in the mountains…"

"You'll live the rest of your life being chased by bounty hunters."

"Right? War huh…"

Isaac sighed at each and every downcast reply. Isaac sat with his legs crossed, resting his chin on one arm propped up by the armrest while the other held a cigarette, while he was deep into thought.

There were many reasons for a war to happen, but Isaac boiled it down to two reasons.

Vengeance and profit.

Port City, Marquis Duberon, Count Milros, and the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds. Port City had more than enough reason to take part for vengeance, but what about the rest? How would they profit by starting this war? Well, considering that victory was guaranteed, there was bound to be profit somewhere.

Then what does the Empire seek from this war? Laws are the rules which set the foundations of society, and the Empire solely possesses the power to punish any who break them. That was why the laws have always been created in a way which seemed most fair to everyone within society.

But the Capital's Department of Law made a decision which was clearly biased toward Marquis Duberon. Even though a war between a city and a fiefdom was impossible, they sided with the Marquis and made the war easier for them.

This was when Isaac realized there was something he didn't know. The rights of the waterways would transfer to the Empire once his term was finished. Isaac thought the Empire would always be on his side so long as the Empire got the waterways, and the remaining years of his term would be a very short wait. Then what was the prize the Empire sought, which abandoned the just and fair decisions even at the cost of giving up the waterways?

Isaac sighed and shook his head. There wasn't enough information. These were problems which would need to be considered once the immediate problem was solved, but with the power of authority turning its back on Isaac, his options were limited.

This is why the power of authority is terrifying. This is why Isaac tried to twist and turn the law as best he could until he could use it or be backed up by it, and only then did he initiate his plans and try to involve them as much as possible in the process.

With the law only taking the other side, there was only one thing he could do. To destroy the game itself.

With his pondering finished, Isaac noticed the grim atmosphere which beset the administrative body of the city, as all of the employees fully realized the situation.

'Tsk! I can practically hear them scrambling for a way out already.'

No one liked to be on the side destined to lose. The merchant employees looked to each other once and then began to speak.

"Um… we have received an order from our guilds."

"Did they tell you to leave before the war starts?"

"… Yes."

"Fine. You've all done well until now. At least you guys are making a small fortune for yourselves right?"

"Hehe, thanks to you…"

"Well done. Leave."

"Huh? Now?"

"Don't you guys want to leave here as soon as possible? What more do you possibly expect to see by staying here any longer?"

The merchant employees were somewhat dumbfounded by how easily Isaac allowed them to leave. They had expected Isaac to burst out in anger declaring that what they were doing was betrayal most foul.

Isaac smirked at the merchant employees.

"Tell your Guild Masters this. It was you who broke the contract first."

None of the merchant employees could lift their heads at Isaac's vague comment. It was never a relationship built on trust in the first place. It was a relationship made for mutual benefit, so none of them felt a sense of guilt or betrayal for leaving the city.

In fact, it was stranger to see those who volunteered to stay.

On the roof, there was supposed to be just Rizzly, Lanburton and the syndicate bosses. However, Cordnell and Isaac's hubaes stayed firmly put, and Isaac wondered.

"Why are you lot staying here?"

"Sigh. What am I supposed to do even if I leave? I'll just be called back immediately anyway. Is there anyone who manages the finances of New Port City other than me? Don't worry. We saved up a slush fund of 10 million Giga, so I'll try to make something happen with that."

Isaac smirked as Cordnell made his complaint, and then he turned to look at the hubaes.

"Ahahah! You'd be surprised, but I'm the loyal sort!"

Kalden laughed heartily as he spoke.

"I'll do my share of the work as long as I'm paid."

Trentor spoke coldly.

"… I don't want to go anywhere else."

For the introverted and shy Selia, she didn't want to lose the perfect job in New Port City.

"I'd like to leave, but no one else would like to hire me."

"We wouldn't be able to find another job even if we leave now."

Isaac watched his hubaes state their reasons for staying and nodded as he smiled.

"I guess it doesn't matter for you guys since they'd never kill those from the Campus anyway. Cordnell also knows all of the details regarding our finances, so he's safe too. Since there won't be any guests visiting us for some time, go and start the evacuation process in the Meta District.

"Did you think of something?"

Isaac shrugged at Trentor's question.

"As if I'd come up with something now. I'm just doing as I'm told before I them give any more reasons for them to intervene by being lazy. Get it done and over with quickly."

"Yes sir."

With the order given, Isaac's hubaes walked down the stairs, discussing the amount of time, funds, and locations as to how they'd evacuate the citizens.

Once Isaac saw his hubaes disappear completely, Isaac ordered Rizzly to confirm that they left the plaza as he waited, smoking a cigarette. With one deep breath of the smoke, Isaac began to speak to the syndicate bosses.

"What do you guys want to do? If you want to leave, I can spare you guys some money and let you leave."

All four shook their head decisively with a bitter smile to Isaac's offer.

"We're all in the same boat. There's no way Port City will leave us be."

It was just as Dinozo said. With them switching sides to Isaac's, the four rulers of Port City were never going to let them be. Even if they ran, it was obvious they'd be hunted down by bounty hunters. So they had to stay with Isaac, whether they were alive or dead.

Dinozo continued his words.

"We may be joining in the war due to circumstances, but don't expect us to be of much use in the war."

The only beings New Port City could consider combatants were the syndicate members, elves, and the North Bears. The syndicate members were only useful in pub fights or tussles in the back alleys. It was obvious they'd run the moment they clashed against professional soldiers. The only trustworthy combatants Isaac had were the elves and North Bears.

Isaac nodded in agreement to Dinozo's words and looked to Rizzly and Lanburton.

"Now that I think about it, I think it'd be better for you two races to stay out of this fight between humans."

"Do you really not need our aid?"

Lanburton looked with surprise to Isaac. Isaac was in need of any help he could get. As long as the elves and North Bears stayed by Isaac's side, they could at least prevent Isaac from dying in the chaos of war.

Plus, if the elves and North Bears were to fight back against the unfair treatment Isaac received, the Marquis wouldn't be able to do as he pleased to Isaac even if he took control over New Port City.

Lanburton couldn't understand Isaac's act of kicking away his only saving grace while Rizzly fumed out in anger as he complained.

"North Bears do not run before battle!"

"Who says that I'll be fighting a war?"

"What?"

Rizzly could only blink after hearing Isaac's reply.

"Why would I fight the war when I'll be screwed whether I win or lose?"

"It doesn't matter if you don't fight the war! The North Bears volunteer to be of service to Sir Isaac!"

Isaac smirked as he witnessed the fierce loyalty Rizzly swore to him, and then he looked to Lanburton.

"I'll search for volunteers. There are many elves who wish to experience war too."

"I told you already, I'm not fighting a war. And it'd be rather inconvenient if you ruined my work because of some mercy or pity…"

Lanburton's laughter replied to Isaac's worry.

"Hahaha, our perspectives are different from that of humans. The cruel and vile actions of humans are just an entertaining experience for us. Not to mention there aren't many employers who provide us with as much entertainment as you do."

'So this is why. Is it because they are a different race?'

Isaac always felt something was off when the elves helped those in the slums out of pity. The look of pity they sent to those in the slums was more like a look they'd give to an abandoned puppy rather than another sentient being. Isaac wondered if the image elves had in his old world was a product of marketing. He felt like the cruel reality had shattered one of the romances he had held.

"All of you are to evacuate anyway. All you need to do is do one thing I'll ask later. I don't expect any more from you."

"Haha, then we shall wait for your order."

Lanburton laughed as he got off his chair.

"Aren't you leaving too?"

"My mission is to be your bodyguard, Sir Isaac."

"I told you I'm not fighting a war."

"It doesn't matter whether you fight the war or not. I'll be dead if Kunette ever hears that I was separated from you."

"Hm… Fine, I guess it doesn't matter. But can you swear to me that you'll keep your mouth shut, even if you're disappointed in me?"

"The work of humans is of no concern to me."

Isaac smiled brightly with that reply, and then he turned to look at the syndicate bosses.

"Just to make sure for some unexpected betrayal, I will place one condition. If I fail, I will die. Then as a final request, I will ask the elves and North Bears to bring me your heads. We're in the same boat, so we should die together too. You already know that it's much better for the Marquis or Port City to simply kill you rather than be in conflict with the elves and North Bears right? So I will give you a final opportunity. What I'm about to do will earn me the most vile of contempt whether it succeeds or fails. If you want to back out, speak up now. Because the only way to leave once you hear of the plan is through death."

The syndicate bosses gulped and nodded in silence at Isaac's murderous warning. Even if they wanted to leave, they were trapped in this situation anyway. They had no choice but to cooperate if they wanted to survive.

Once the syndicate bosses seemed like they'd made their decisions, Isaac began explaining them of his plan. When Isaac's words were finished, the syndicate bosses realized that they had joined hands with the devil.