Reivan sat while surrounded by about a dozen old men — an assortment of scholars, ministers, merchants-turned-ministers, and some old knights who were apparently commanders. He listened to their suggestions with rapt attention, nodding along and rubbing his chin in thought, all while a pen controlled by his willpower wrote everything down.

"With regards to low-life organizations, I believe it would be wise to establish a clear hierarchy from the very start."

"I agree. Of course, Your Highness should be at the top, along with your most trusted confidants. Ah, and you would do well to place a few particularly crooked individuals in middle-management positions. Their abuse of power will garner the hatred of those below them, I'm sure."

"A brilliant idea, Elder. This approach would direct their enmity inward, while ensuring their personal interests align with the organization's stability. Truly ingenious."

"I also have some input, Your Highness. Perhaps it would be a good idea to have them perform small acts of charity in the areas they are based in. This way, they can gain some support from the community, while also alleviating a portion of the resentment that's built up because of their activities. Simple and low-cost acts like cleaning up the streets or opening a free soup kitchen can go a long way."

"A worthwhile endeavor, indeed. Ah! And we must not neglect training and discipline either, especially for a group heavily reliant on violence."

"You, sir, speak the gospel. If I may add to that, collective punishment and collective benefit must also be established. It will help foster a sense of belonging and camaraderie with their group members. In addition to pitting them against each other in the competition for rewards."

"Speaking of fostering belonging and camaraderie, one can achieve it with something like a uniform. A tattoo would be ideal since it can never be removed, making them think twice about leaving or betraying the group since a mark will remain for the rest of their days."

"While that would be nice, it would also provide law enforcement a clear way to distinguish members. Perhaps something more replaceable will do? Like a band or a ring. Maybe an earring?"

'This is great stuff...'

Reivan gladly took note of all their suggestions. He had to admit, he'd been a bit uneasy about running a criminal organization, but with the help of a room full of experienced and intelligent men, he began to think that it wouldn't be that hard.

Of course, Reivan didn't think of running such an organization because he suddenly developed an evil streak. Nor did he get possessed by some sort of demon.

It was all just a part of his plan to clean up the Worgon Outpost a little. That way, he could prevent weird things from festering in its dark alleys — like that big-dicked bird-headed statue that was given to his little sister as a prize.

He'd initially planned to just round up the small gangs to form a big one, then polish them up to compete against the big gangs. But the information he received from interrogating a prisoner at Grimharbor Penitentiary exposed some alarming information.

The results of his interrogation revealed that large organizations from the underside of Arkhan's society were beginning to take an interest in the notion of expanding to Aizen. Which was why they had sent a few "feelers" to probe the place out.

These organizations were nothing like the petty gangs that infested the night market area, which could all be wiped out by a single knight given enough time.

Rogue battle mages that were expelled from the military due to various reasons; large-scale human traffickers with well-trained combat slaves; and even spies from Argonia disguised as mercenaries were abundant in the dark side of Akhan.

The amount of force needed to fight an organization like that would be significantly different that the paltry force of ten knights that Reivan had used to round up all the petty gangs.

'It's a good thing one of Father's spies somehow made it to such a high position in the organization. And it was coincidentally the one I'm targetting!'

It was a lucky break that would make things much easier for Reivan. He would have had to cull a significant portion of the organization, but with the help of someone on the inside, he could probably integrate most of it and act as a sort of hidden boss instead.

'The thing that pisses me off though, is that Father's somehow aware of everything I'm doing...'

It had been a normal day when Rodin suddenly sent him a few papers with a few names, each of which contained the details of Aizenian spies. Communication channels with spies were normally cut off for years at a time, so the information may not have been updated, but they were still very useful.

He appreciated the help, but he hadn't told anyone about the full plan other than Valter — who confirmed under [Essense of Falsehood] that he didn't tell anyone else either!

'It must've been Sir Rolf...'

Still, since he'd received the tacit approval of the king, Reivan took that as a sign that he could do things more openly. Hence, the meeting taking place at the moment.

Why would he waste time struggling with how to lead a gang when he could just consult a room full of people in leadership roles?

Reivan stood up from his chair and lowered his head a little. "Thank you for your input, gentlemen. I will be sure to take them into consideration. It would be great if you'd allow me to pick your brains on another occasion."

"We live to serve, Your Highness!" the old knights stood up and saluted.

A white-bearded scholar chuckled. "You have been a great help to our endeavors, so it's the least we could do. Kindly drop by the academy if you'd like my counsel. Sadly, these old bones of mine can't make the trip to the palace all the time..."

"Of course, of course!" A bald and fat-bellied merchant spread his arms out. "If Your Highness has need my expertise in finance and mercantilism, please do not be afraid to call for me again."

Reivan once again thanked everyone and allowed them all to leave. Once they were gone, he looked over the notes he'd jotted down while sipping on a cup of chocolate milk — chilled, of course.

"Your Highness."

"Gah!" Reivan almost jumped out of his seat in surprise. Realizing who it was, he looked behind him and glared at his guardian knight. "Do you enjoy that?"

"A bit."

"...I see. Anyway, is there a problem?"

Valter walked to the front of the desk before saluting. "All of them have arrived, Your Highness."

Reivan's eyes immediately brightened. "Let's get going, then!"

He'd been waiting for three weeks now.

'I'm coming for you, my little bags of money!'

"Babe, Remember to behave in front of the scary knights performing border checks." Ballor maintained a friendly smile as he whispered to her. "Remember that if I get caught because of you, all those little sluts get pumped with drugs and cum. Then get thrown to the nearest cesspool after their minds break. I kid you not, I will send their body parts to you piece by piece."

"You don't have to keep reminding me." Elsamina rolled her eyes before curiously inspecting their surroundings. It was her first time in a foreign land, and it was the Aizen kingdom she so admired as a little girl. She was so curious about everything that she didn't even mind the human filth she was forced to travel with.

"Sassy, aren't we? Don't think you can do whatever you want just because I took off your collar. I don't need it to force you to obey me."

"I know, I know." She ignored him and took a step forward in line as another traveler was cleared to cross Aizen's borders.

Despite his bravado a few weeks ago, Ballor was visibly anxious, constantly wiping off beads of sweat on his forehead. Being a pretty skilled sorcerer in his own right, there were few who could threaten him. As such, he probably wasn't used to being around so many Aizenian knights — all of whom could eradicate his very existence.

"Goddammit, there are even Ascendants..." Ballor cursed under his breath, eyeing an armored figure floating far into the distance. "Why the fuck are people like that on guard duty...? Shouldn't they be secluding themselves and acting all snooty? Fuck. Fuck."

Elsamina couldn't help but smirk, watching him fidget. It wouldn't make up for the years of abuse she suffered under his thumb, but it still felt refreshing nonetheless.

"Calm down, Ballor." A cold voice spoke out from behind them. "You'll only attract more attention if you keep squirming around like a worm."

"That's easy for you to say. I'm not an unfeeling ghost like you, Xanthus. I actually have feelings. I'm a delicate creature!"

'Like hell, you are. You sack of shit.'

Elsamina cursed the disgusting man while glancing at Xanthus behind her, who just silently stood there, as if he didn't care about anything at all.

'With him here, I definitely wouldn't be able to escape even if I wanted to.'

If it was just Ballor, she could have found a chance when the bastard inevitably fails to resist smoking some concentrated glimmerweed.

But with Xanthus, it was different. The man was a machine of efficiency. Be it drugs or gambling, none of them seemed to appeal to the strongest man in their organization — the silver cross. Even when Ballor had offered to let him use Elsamina for a while, Xanthus hadn't bitten.

The only thing that seemed to move the man was money.

'As broke as I am, I won't be able to buy him off. Not that I would want to escape in the first place. What with Bella and the others held as hostages by this bastard...'

The thought infuriated her yet again. She almost wanted to throw caution to the wind and yell for help from the knights. But her junior's pure smile, even after being defiled repeatedly in that horrid place, kept her from doing anything rash.

Even with the thought that Ballor could just do whatever he wanted to them after she was sold off to who-knew-who, she still couldn't do it. She couldn't risk the lives of such precious people.

And so, with dark emotions in her heart, Elsamina obediently waited in line.

"Papers, please." A knight with everything below his neck covered in silver armor towered over them as he held out a hand. "And state your business."

"Of course, of course..." Ballor put on a smile of gratification as he handed over the relevant papers for all three of them. "My name is Bollar. And this is my wife, Elsie. We've come to sightsee... and maybe stay even longer if fate permits. Behind us is our hired guard, Xander."

"A guard, huh..." A second knight standing right next to the one currently inspecting their papers eyed them suspiciously. "Quite a strong guard you have here."

"Ah, well. I've heard Worgon Outpost has its fair share of danger as well. You can never be too prepared, as they say. And I have an even bigger reason to be careful, what with having such a beautiful wife, no?"

Ballor gestured towards Elsamina, signaling for her to bow, and she obliged. As she gracefully lowered herself, her attire, accentuated by a somewhat revealing dress, showcased a prominent and alluring glimpse of her cleavage.

As she glanced up to meet their gazes, she was taken aback to find their expressions unchanged. The first knight attentively perused their papers, while the second knight regarded her with an air of serenity. It was a striking contrast from her past encounters. Despite the scrutiny of his eyes, she detected no hint of desire, as if he were merely inspecting a lifeless document, just like the first knight was doing.

'They're so similar to Xanthus...'

"Indeed. She is very beautiful." The knight nodded, speaking in a tone of calmness.

"I'm glad you agree!" Ballor, who seemed not to notice how unmoved the knights were, put on a sleazy grin. "To be honest with you, my wife and I have certain... hobbies. She enjoys the company of other men, and I don't mind. Perhaps, sir is—"

"No, thank you." The second knight cut him off. "I have no such interests. In any case, kindly listen, as I will not repeat myself."

The wind taken out of his sails, Ballor backed off. "Eh, ah... Yes, sir..."

"You now have the pleasure of stepping into our great nation's soil. And we welcome you. However, please note that your standard visa does not allow you to travel beyond the confines of Worgon Outpost. Any attempts to do so, even at the claim of ignorance, will be met with lethal force."

Elsamina couldn't help but gulp at the merciless announcement. It seemed that the tales were true; Aizen truly pulled no punches when it came to the safety of their citizens.

"Your visa can be upgraded to special grade through merits, or an endorsement from the republic or any of Aizen's trusted organizations. But I suggest that you don't count on it, since the chances of obtaining one are slim."

'Hah. So that's why this bastard was so upset a few days ago...'

Ballor had likely attempted to get a special grade visa for himself but failed to do so. Elsamina knew since he'd unfortunately vented his frustrations on her.

The knight cleared his throat before continuing. "Worgon Outpost is shared territory with the republic, so Aizen's laws aren't entirely enacted here. However, there are still some things that you must take note of."

"Please, do tell." Ballor smiled and nodded his head.

The first knight was the one who spoke up first. "Please be aware that Aizen has recently integrated a clan of warbeasts into its citizenry. As such, do not be surprised if you see people with animal ears and a tail."

"Animal ears and a tail..." Ballor repeated, as if almost in a trance.

Elsamina knew that the bastard was likely thinking about the possibility of abducting one and selling them to the highest bidder back in the republic. Or even better, abducting a few of them for breeding. That way, he'd have a constant supply of exotic slaves.

'I can't believe I know how this bastard thinks so well...'

"Be aware." The second knight cautioned. "The warbeasts are much more physically able than humans, and even have an innate resistance to sorcery and elementalism. A fight with them will likely not end well, even if you are some type of spellcaster."

"I-I see..." Ballor nodded, anxiously fidgeting with his spatial ring, where his wand was kept. "We'll definitely keep that in mind."

"With that out of the way..." The first knight looked at each of them in turn, before his previously serious face broke into a friendly smile.

Staring into the knight's cryptic gaze, Elsamina couldn't help but shudder.

"Welcome to Aizen."