A Treacherous Courtier Manages the Empire Well

52 – Crak D. Roger

There were many empty lots in the Crescent Moon Triangle.

It was inevitable.

Although there were mountains, they were not abundant, and since most of the land was flat, there had to be wide open spaces.

Moreover, due to the intense heat from the sun, just a little away from the city, life became incredibly tough. Thus, while the places where people gathered were very crowded, the outskirts were so deserted to the point of being frightening.

The Toi and Myo Tribes, well-versed in covert activities such as theft, terrorism, and assassination, knew very well where the discreet open lots were in the outskirts of the Crescent Moon Triangle, ideal for clandestine dealings or transactions.

“Alright. Are you ready?”

One of those open lots.

Under the brilliant moonlight and the Milky Way strewn across the sky, hundreds of Myo Tribe members were gathered.

“We’re all set.”

There was nothing to pack. They were living day by day, struggling to survive. So, as long as they had their bodies and families, that was all they needed. Among the hundreds of Myo Tribe members gathered, the one holding the scroll prepared to tear it with hands trembling.

“Let’s see you on the other side. Comrades. May there be blessings.”

As the scroll tore, a blue light gushed out, and a huge teleportation magic circle appeared beneath the feet of the hundreds of Myo Tribe members.

“Wow!”

And in an instant. The teleportation magic circle swallowed up all the hundreds of Myo Tribe members standing on it. They disappeared, leaving only a desolate wasteland and the stars and moons above.

In this way, as the first team moved and some time later, another open lot, the second team tore the scroll, and they flashed and disappeared once again. Such events were happening under the command of the Toi Tribes in various parts of the Karamba Empire.

“What now?”

The Sultan doubted his ears. So, he asked to hear the story properly once again. However, the response to his request was enough to send shivers down his spine.

“The Woong Tribe members I invested heavily in have all suddenly disappeared overnight. All of them!! Whether they turned into smoke and vanished or disappeared like magic, they’re all gone!”

“My Hoing Tribe members are the same! Those damn foxes! I never trusted those beastly scoundrels!!”

As the two tribal chiefs, known for fertilizing the fertile eastern grasslands within the empire, spoke, Sultan gripped the armrest of his chair as if about to break it.

“Randor… Randor, you scoundrel!!!!”

The sultan couldn’t contain his anger and slammed down on the armrest of the chair, shattering it to pieces. The two tribal chiefs flinched. There was no Karamba who wouldn’t flinch at the rage of the Conqueror King.

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“Obviously predictable. It’s clear that Randor stole it.”

“But…but how is that possible, Sultan?”

“I have no idea!”

The sultan roared in anger.

It was unlikely that the dragons were used to transport the goods, as there were too many items moved at once, and simultaneous events were unfolding in various regions of the empire.

The sultan clenched his lips. Ironically, the reason the Water People were persecuted was due to their formidable combat power. If not suppressed from the start, they would dominate humans.

But if that combat power were to completely fall into enemy hands, it would make it incredibly difficult for the sultan to wage war.

“Leave.”

In response to his command, the two tribal chiefs exchanged glances, bowed their heads, and retreated. Although they had taken a long shot in hopes of finding a way to retrieve the vanished Wung and Ho tribes if they approached the sultan, all they could confirm was that the sultan had no sharp solution to the current situation.

The sultan paced back and forth for a while before suddenly shouting like thunder.

“Amir! Bring Amir to me!”

“Yes!”

An official rushed out of the room and soon summoned Amir, the sultan’s second son and general.

“Sultan. You called…”

“How much has disappeared today?”

In response, Amir narrowed his eyes and soon revealed the truth.

“One Toin village has completely vanished. The Myo village is nearly empty.”

“Damn it! This damn mess!”

The sultan grabbed everything within reach and threw it. Even then, his anger did not subside as he glared at his son.

“Any progress in the investigation?”

Amir could not answer his question. Progress in the investigation? Amir had released the army to thoroughly inspect the Water People villages, but the elusive Myo and Toin tribes, adept at thievery and living off the grid, had cleverly eluded the sultan’s army.

The sultan and Amir were still clueless as to how the Water People were disappearing.

“I apologize, Sultan.”

“It’s definitely Randor. It’s clear he took something. But how? How in the world…”

While the sultan nervously trembled.

“Prince Rashid has arrived!”

As the official announced, Prince Rashid entered the room. The sultan looked at his sturdy eldest son, about to ask if he had found anything, when suddenly…

“Teleportation. Sultan! The Water People are disappearing through teleportation!”

Rashid provided the sultan with a reassuring answer right away.

“Teleportation? Isn’t that the spatial transportation method used by the Eastern Continent’s mages?”

“Yes, exactly. It’s information we received from traders trading with Elond. Randor erected a massive, tall structure a few months ago, and recently, Water People have been pouring out from there. It’s clear they are disappearing through spatial teleportation!”

The sultan froze at Rashid’s words.

“Spatial teleportation?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“Then…then the rumor about hundreds crossing the Laco Mountains in groups, it’s true?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

The sultan’s twisted expression suddenly brightened.

“Amir.”

“Yes, Sultan.”

“You’re out of this now. I’ll take charge and start the search myself. We must capture those Suin people by any means necessary!! You’re too incompetent to be trusted with any more tasks!”

Prince Rashid slightly furrowed his brows at the twisted ambition visible on the Sultan’s face. However, he didn’t show his emotions. After all, he knew that ambition was something he couldn’t stop.

“Yes, Sultan.”

In the end, Amir had no choice but to bite his lip and bow his head. The Sultan approached Rashid with a smile.

“Excellent! Rashid! My proud firstborn son! You never fail to meet my expectations! Now go and rest!”

“Yes, Sultan.”

“I will definitely capture those beasts. Release the execution squad and sorcerers to catch them!!!”

With a shout, the Sultan left the room, leaving only two sons behind.

Amir silently gazed at Rashid with a twisted expression.

Rashid looked back at Amir expressionlessly.

He knew.

No matter what he said now, it would hurt Amir.

“Excellent, brother. I, a flawed younger brother, shall take my leave.”

In a bitterly mocking tone, Amir shot a remark at Rashid before leaving the room.

After Amir disappeared, Rashid let out a long sigh.

The rift between the brothers was deepening, ironically, at the hands of their father.

“Crack. The Sultan has released the execution squad. You know they are the Emperor’s elite guard.”

“I know.”

“They have also released the sorcerers. They are lighting up their eyes and searching for us.”

Crack laughed at the leader of the Myo tribe’s words and took a bite of an apple.

“Have the Wung and Ho tribes crossed over as well?”

“Yes. They are smaller tribes compared to us.”

“I see. How many Myo are left?”

“If we teleport a couple more times, they will all disappear.”

“We are in trouble. You should all disappear.”

“But Crack, if that happens, you and the Toi tribe will…”

“We are the big players who steal and thrive in the Crescent Triangle. There is no need to worry.”

After a moment of silence, filled with respect, the Myo tribe leader bowed his head to Crack. Crack gestured for him to leave.

“Tonight. Teleport from the southern square. The location I’ve told you about is unknown to the Empire’s people. It’s hidden among the rocks, known only to the Toi tribe. No one will know.”

“Thank you, Crack.”

“Hurry.”

After the Myo tribe leader disappeared, Crack cautiously assessed the current situation.

“The Ho and Wung tribes have moved. The Myo tribe will move by the end of today. The Toi tribe’s children have all been relocated. Now, it’s just us left.”

About 20,000 adult Toi tribe members.

But as the largest group, their relocation posed the biggest challenge.

With the Sultan’s heightened surveillance now.

Moving in small groups, as they had done before, would take too long.

In the midst of moving in small groups, they risked being caught by the Sultan before everyone could relocate.

Given the inevitable tightening of the surveillance by the Sultan, it would be much better for all 20,000 to move together.

“Is it time to use that method?”

An unbelievable operation where 20,000 people were being relocated.

But Crack had one way to make this successful.

The day after the last Mysterious Clan members were relocated, Crack headed to the familiar merchant at the Implication Market.

“Well, well. Isn’t this Crack? Seems like you’ve been quite popular these days.”

The merchant showed Crack the bounty flyer handed out by the Sultan, and his eyes sparkled. It stated that whoever captured a Mysterious Clan member would be rewarded. However, no matter how many of those flyers were scattered in the slums, the people there had no intention of giving up the Mysterious Clan members.

The slums of Crescent Moon Triangle were a byproduct of Sultan’s conquest wars. The anger towards the Sultan was greater than towards the Mysterians, and the people there were anything but simple, despite their poverty.

The goods stolen by the Toi and Mysterious Clans were one of the mainstays supporting the underground economy of the slums. They knew that selling Mysterians for a few coins would be a loss in the long run.

Under the tacit support of the slum dwellers, Sultan’s legion could search the slums all they wanted but would never catch a glimpse of the Mysterians.

“Are you here for a trade or to bid farewell?”

The Implication Market merchant knew about the disappearance of the Mysterians. Without a word, Crack placed two large bags on the merchant’s table. The sound of clinking coins made the merchant’s eyes widen.

“Farewell. Reza. These are the imperial coins stolen during our thievery. Take them. More precisely, they will not go to Sultan but to the slum dwellers who sheltered us.”

“How much is all this…”

“It’s quite a lot as it comprises all the communal property accumulated by the Toi over decades. Just the contents of these two bags would amount to 1,000 gold coins.”

“Even though it’s a lot of money, is this all that the Toi’s communal property, accumulated over decades, is worth?”

Crack chuckled at the Implication Market merchant’s words.

“No way. There are many more gold coins hidden in our secret treasure trove than this.”

“Where is that?”

In response to that question, Crack leaped out of the building where he was conversing discreetly with the merchant and shouted loudly on the street so everyone could hear.

“My name is Crack! The greatest thief born in the slums! I’ve hidden all of our tribe’s gold coins beneath the moon-shaped rock at the eastern Implication Market exchange! Take it if you wish!”

All the merchants at the Implication Market and the slum dwellers, their main customers, could hear his voice.

“This is a reward for all of you who sheltered us! Find it!! We’ve hidden all our tribe’s gold coins there! The one who takes it is the owner!!!”

There was no immediate response to his words.

But Crack knew.

When night fell.

When the sun set and the moon rose, most of the poor people in the slums would head to the open field in the east, causing a commotion.

Sultan would have no choice but to focus on that place, while his troops were distracted in the eastern region.

“We will escape altogether from the west.”

The 20,000 Toi would be gone from Karamba the next day.