When I arrived in the town, I did my best to look relaxed and casual. I wanted to talk with Zolast, and I was even ready to reveal some of my secrets if that was required to get his buy-in. I was a rather selfish man, but I had my own red lines … kidnapping people and turning them into monsters were well-past that limit.

It was not just self-preservation anymore.

However, I didn't want to rush to him the moment I arrived at the town, which might imply that there was a problem with the hunting outpost to the people that was spying on me, which in turn would trigger them to make a move.

Luckily, the casino was working perfectly under the watchful eyes of Karak and Mahruss, both working with great care while following my detailed orders.

Mahruss was on one of the concealed balconies, watching the customers from high up carefully. Feeling like testing my stealth, I carefully moved among people, making sure I was never noticed by my employees.

Naturally, I refrained from using Concealment. I didn't alert people that I possessed it … and I also didn't want to rely on it too much, afraid of letting a lifetime of habit fade. Soon, I was behind Mahruss, with no one the wiser.

"Busy day," I spoke, and Mahruss flinched, turning toward me, a dagger half-drawn before he registered the owner of the voice.

"Are you trying to kill me, boss?" he said, letting out a sigh.

"You're tense," I said with a chuckle, though. I took note of his reaction, hiding my frown. The last thing I needed was someone trying to deal with my only reliable source of cash flow. "Don't tell me there was a problem when I was away."

"Not exactly, boss, but..." he said, looking hesitant. "Nothing urgent. The guild leader sent a messenger asking for you. We can talk about it later."

"Follow me to my office," I said. "Zolast can wait."

To his credit, Mahruss didn't argue after I gave that order. Zolast wasn't an enemy, but that didn't mean I would appreciate my handpicked employees prioritizing his requests over mine.

I arrived at my office and sat on my chair, enjoying the soft leather and the sense of control granted by the bulky desk, both designed according to my direct requests. "Now, explain," I said.

"Based on your orders, we are paying attention to the immediate area surrounding our businesses," Mahruss started, pausing for a moment. I didn't say anything. "Since last night, three gangs appeared just at the border of our area," he added.

"Did they try to have a fight with us, or among themselves," I said.

"No, they avoided fighting, just taking control of the several buildings and started harassing the business owners near us."

"Good, let me guess. You spoke with the guards about it, but you found out that the ones we have managed to bribe to look favorably to us already changed, and the new ones didn't accept any gifts."

"Right in one, boss," he said.

"It seems that Night Blades decided to see if the old knight is still holding a grudge," I explained.

"Really, how come?" Mahruss said, surprised.

"Simple," I started as I decided to give him a little breakdown of gang activities. Normally, I would have deliberately kept my mouth shut and treated this as a test for him, to see if he could manage the operation without my direct input.

Unfortunately, the little forest encounter suggested that the cultists weren't just behind the defensive line like I had assumed, but long infiltrated the area. I had no idea when it would erupt, but until then, I wanted to make as much silver as I could and convert it to resources.

I wanted to be prepared if it turned into a siege.

"They are trying to test us to reveal vulnerability. They are allowing three gangs to exist right at our borders, hoping that we'll move against them and operate outside our borders, and they'll have an excuse to strike back."

"Doesn't that mean we can just avoid making a scene outside our borders and they will fail?" he asked, confirming that, while he was able to make sure he could manage the casino well, he wasn't ready for a more strategic role.

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It was to be expected. Ordinarily, it took years to develop a leader … and while the constant danger allowed them to be more mature, there were limits to it.

"No, if we do that, they'll just harass our customers. That's why it's a smart move. We can't afford people gossiping that their winnings are not safe. I would rather challenge the Night Blades directly."

Mahruss frowned. "Can't we just make the nobles get rid of them?"

"No, you don't bother nobles with that kind of fight," I said. "They will come down like a hammer, targeting not just them but us as well. What we need is to make one of those gangs to attack us, and beat them badly when they do it."

"How?" Mahruss asked. "Won't they have orders to do so?"

"Oh, definitely. They are here to threaten and stifle us, not destroy. And, even though some of them are confident in their power, they will stay away from us for the moment, smart enough not to be the first one to try to attack a group that was backed by a guild. I'm sure that Night Blades were smart enough to relocate smarter gangs rather than ones that are stupid enough to strike the moment they felt a hint of weakness."

"Then…" Mahruss started, but paused after noticing my expectant gaze. "We do the same thing they are trying to us. We force them to act."

"Good start. Now, give me an idea how."

"Just like they are trying to do to us. We attack something important to them, something they can't just shrug." I nodded with a smile as he thought, then his face was alight with a smile. "Their reputation," he declared confidently.

"Exactly, their reputation. They are new gangs in an area that's going through an incredible change, and they can't miss the chance to recruit and grow," I explained. "Now, that's what are you going to do…"

With that, I pulled a paper and draw a quick map, and developed a long plan that required some ambushes, a few calls for duels, and a secret raid that would make them humiliated rather than damaged…

Altogether, they would either do the smart thing and retreat … or attack, and test the impact of my training regime on my employees.

"Good, now send Karak to me. He has his own mission."

"As you wish, boss," Mahruss said and left the room, excited and tense at the same time.

It was good to see that he was able to recognize the task for what it was. A test, and an opportunity.

After Mahruss left, Karak arrived with his usual serious expression, his depression about losing his arm finally dissipated with all the work he was doing. "I have a mission for you," I said, and his expression immediately shifted, turning serious.

I gestured a chair to him, and he followed, which didn't help his tenseness any.

"Before we start, let me make something very clear. You have the right to reject the mission, and it won't change my perception of you in any way. It's a dangerous mission, the kind that might end up with you disappearing without a trace. Understood."

Karak nodded, showing his courage and loyalty. And, he nodded only after thinking for a full minute, which showed his cautiousness.

Excellent, as it was a mission that relied on both. "It's about the red energy that cost you an arm," I said.

"Yes," Karak said, his attention immediately sharp.

"It's some kind of corrupted magic coming from one of the evil gods, and that evil god is trying to come into our world," I explained, giving him the bare-bones explanation, knowing that no one would really bother to explain that even after his injury. "Are you sure you still want to take the mission knowing the immensity of the stakes?"

"Yes," he answered, his tone this time much sharper this time.

"Good, then, on the surface, you're going to be tasked with scouting people with high potential that arrived to join the guilds.'

"So, they have already infiltrated the town," he said, quick to connect the dots.

"It's a possibility. I know they had already appeared around the town and attacked the smaller groups to kidnap people," I said, giving him an edited version of the action, including the fact some of the soldiers were actually working for them.

"That means they can slowly grow until they decide it's the time, and then take down the towns one after another," Karak declared, the danger of the situation enough to break his usual habitual one-word answers.

"Exactly. That's why I want you to walk around the city and act like you're scouting for people with impressive classes. However, in reality, you'll be doing two things. First, I want you to keep track of any suspicious disappearances in the town, particularly around the slums. That's where I would hit if I was the one leading, but don't blind yourself to other possibilities."

"And, the second?"

"Make sure to listen to the tales of suspicious caravan disappearances outside, especially if people mention any hint of red mana as a part of those stories, and identify those on a map. I'm sure they won't use the same locations too many times, but that doesn't mean we can't infer a pattern."

He nodded.

"And, one last thing. Never, in any circumstances, try to interfere with an active kidnapping if you notice it."

He nodded, but still looked questioning. I decided to give a better explanation just to prevent some pointless heroics.

"They are strong and durable enough to handle anything you can throw, and we can't trust anyone else to help. We don't know who exactly is working for them. Come and find me, and if I'm absent, Zolast."

"Understood, boss," he said. "Anything else."

"No, just stay far away, observe, and absolutely don't let others realize what are you looking for. We can't handle the failure."

He nodded one last time before leaving. I sighed, hoping that I didn't send him to his death. Unfortunately, he was the only one that was attentive enough to notice anything, and more importantly, unlike Jertann and the rest, he was calm enough not to throw himself to a pointless death.

Information gathering was not a task that allowed pointless heroics.

"Now, let's go and see what Zolast needs," I said to myself as I stood up for another trip to the inner city.