Zanthera’s structure was built on a fragile tripod of power, and Darian was currently sawing through the leg labeled "Local Ordeer"
The City Watch had not been paid in full for three months. The Governor claimed the "Vault Heist" had drained the city’s liquid reserves—a lie Darian had helped craft by moving the stolen funds into the untraceable Hollow Exchange.
Darian sat in the Vanguard’s logistics office, his quill scratching rhythmically. To the passing knights, he was merely calculating grain taxes. In reality, he was managing a systemic collapse.
[System Command: The Hollow Exchange] [Target: Patrolmen of the Southern Precinct] [Action: Deposit 5 'Ghost Marks' into the lockers of the 40 lowest-ranking guards.] [Note Attached: 'The Order pays for the peace you keep. The Captain keeps what is yours.']
Darian didn't need to incite a riot; he just needed to highlight the inequality. By mid-day, the atmosphere in the Southern Precinct was toxic. Captain Harek—a man whose neck was wider than his head and whose armor was polished by the bribes of local brothels—stood on a crate in the barracks.
"I don't care about your 'Ghost Marks'!" Harek roared, spit flying. "Any man found with that black metal will be flogged for sedition! We serve the Entities of the High Throne, not some gutter-ghost!"
He didn't realize that three of his personal bodyguards already had the coins tucked into their boots, the cold metal humming against their skin.
Darian’s goal for this phase was the systemic removal of Harek. The Captain was the primary link between the corrupt Silver-blood nobles and the street-level thugs. He was also a secret informant for The Silent Hand, an assassin guild from the Kingdom of Valois that worshipped the fallen goddess known as The Weeping Mother.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"Darian," a voice interrupted. It was High Strategist Valerius, looking more haggard than usual. "The City Watch is reporting mass desertions. Harek is demanding the Vanguard step in to 'discipline' his men. What do your records say about Harek’s recent requisitions?"
Darian paused, looking up with a feigned expression of deep thought, his glasses sliding down his nose. "The ledgers are... inconsistent, sir. According to the internal Watch audits, Harek has been 'confiscating' relic-oil from the Merchant Council, but only half of it reaches the city lamps. The rest disappears near the Southern Canal."
Valerius's eyes sharpened. "He’s skimming. During a crisis? That's not just corruption; it's a death sentence if the Governor finds out."
"It’s possible he’s selling it to an external party," Darian lied smoothly, planting the seed of foreign interference. "Perhaps the Iron Crown or a rival kingdom's guild?"
That evening, Darian activated Cell Alpha. Silas Vane and Vaxen didn't attack the Watch barracks; they attacked Harek's secret stash.
Vaxen moved through the rooftops, his Void Phantom ability allowing him to bypass the rooftop sentries like a gust of cold wind. Below, Silas Vane stood at the warehouse doors, his heavy mace glowing with a dull, rhythmic purple light.
"The Voice says leave a trail," Silas grunted, shattering the reinforced lock with a single, gravity-weighted blow.
"The Voice says make it look like a betrayal," Vaxen replied from the shadows.
They didn't burn the warehouse. They opened it to the starving public. Thousands of liters of "confiscated" relic-oil and tons of grain were suddenly exposed. But among the stolen goods, Silas planted a set of Tiger Battalion encryption keys—the very ones stolen during the vault hiest.
By midnight, the Southern Precinct was in a frenzy. The citizens were looting Harek's private stash, but more importantly, a Vanguard "Inquisition" squad—tipped off by an anonymous report from Darian—arrived to find the Battalion’s stolen keys in Harek’s possession.
In the eyes of the Vanguard, Captain Harek was no longer just a corrupt cop. He was a traitor who had helped rob the Battalion and was now hoarding the city's survival.
[Authority Synchronization: 56%] [Zanthera City Watch: Status - Fractured] [HC Balance: 68,000]
Darian watched the chaos from his window in the manor. He saw the torches in the distance, heard the distant screams of "Traitor!" directed at the Watch barracks. The local force had been broken. Now, the nobles would start to wonder who among them was next.
But as the fires burned, Darian felt a chill. The Simple System flickered.
[Warning: Foreign Signature Detected] [Identity: Agent of 'The Silent Hand'] [Status: Entering the Middle District to 'Silence' the Asset.]
The mystery was no longer local. The Kingdom of Valois had sent its hounds.