A Golden Opportunity [2]

Ei Sei looked at the contents of the dragon scroll that Jun had mentioned to him. Staring sternly at Shou Bu Kun, he asked, "Is this true?"

"I can neither deny nor confirm anything, but what I am certain of is that this Asura knows more than he lets on and is aware of everything happening across all the warring states. I believe his intelligence network is something we can't even imagine." This was the only explanation Shou Bu Kun could offer at the moment.

"If that's the case, we have time. We must cautiously mobilize our citizens and slowly prepare our armies. We can't raise suspicion that we know about this information; only then can we protect ourselves in the best way possible." Ei Sei knew that Jun had no reason to deceive him. Jun could even take the throne if he wanted to, but he had never done so.

That was why Jun was trustworthy, at least someone upright who had never lied to his face like his enemies in court.

…

"Please, don't kill us!" A man's desperate cries echoed through dark corridors. Around him, besides blood, there were dismembered bodies scattered everywhere, their faces frozen in expressions of pure horror.

The smell of dampness and metal lingered in every corner of the place, but now the stench of blood was the only odor left after the attack by men dressed in black wielding enormous swords.

"You were warned to sell all your slaves to the Asura organization. If you can't meet those terms, you must pay for it!" One of the men pointed his sword at the terrified man, who continued to beg for his life.

"I'm sorry! You know, those damned nobles threatened me, and all I could do was plead... I only sold one girl—it's not a big deal! I promise from now on, all the slaves that come here will be handed over to you as we agreed."

The man behind the mask slaughtering the slavers was Trevor. He had received a report that the pigeons had seen the sale of a slave to a young noble family member. According to Jun's established orders, these slavers had to pay with their lives.

They had been unifying the slavers outside the capital and implementing new reforms in some of the larger cities.

These reforms included creating schools and towers in strategic areas where everyone could be taught self-defense.

Nowadays, who teaches you to defend yourself?

A drunk man could abuse a defenseless woman, and she wouldn't be able to do anything about it. But with these teachings, at least she would know that by biting the neck, she could kill her abuser.

During the buying and selling of slaves, no one knew the talents or qualities of those being sold, which was why few realized that there were geniuses among the slaves. Some were military strategy geniuses who, without Jun's faction expanding across Qin, would never have been found. Others were excellent doctors, and some were destined to be chefs.

That was why, in a short time, Jun had invested all his profits into buying as many slaves as possible throughout Qin.

"Please... don't kill me," the slaver begged, snot running from his nose.

Trevor smiled coldly, raised his sword, and said, "I don't have orders to kill you. This is just a warning due to your disrespect. You should have thought we wouldn't notice you sold a slave beneath our agreement, but nothing escapes our orders. I guess we weren't clear enough about the consequences of offending the three-eyed crow, so as punishment, you'll pay with one hand."

"No, no, you were very clear in taking control of the criminals. Please, don't take my hand—I need it," the man said, bowing over and over, trying to lick Trevor's boots.

Seeing this disgusting display, Trevor's expression hardened, and he said, "We'll continue the good work. I'll take all the slaves from this place, and we expect you to continue selling every one that comes here to us. Of course, I'll take your left hand."

"No, wait!" Hearing these words, the slaver panicked, unsure of what to do to avoid what was about to happen. All he could do was beg in a pitiful manner, but it seemed that wouldn't be enough.

Clang!

But Trevor didn't hesitate as he removed the slaver's left hand—a man full of filth who had to be punished for spitting on his master. This was just a small warning. They hadn't killed all the slavers because it would severely disrupt the distribution of slaves in this area, making it difficult to maintain control.

"Sir, we've taken care of everything!" said one of the men dressed in black, wearing a crow mask.

Trevor nodded and walked toward the exit through the dark hallway. Just as he was about to leave, he turned and said, "The young Asura is watching. If you sell any slave to someone other than us again, you will die! Remember, if you try to bite the hand that feeds you again, next time, I'll take your entire arm."

"Send a message to our Lord Asura. I understand—it won't happen again." The slaver said, gritting his teeth in pain.

By then, Trevor had already left, and outside, numerous figures cloaked in black awaited his departure. When they saw him, they respectfully bowed and said, "Greetings, Sir!"

"Take the rescued to the shelter. Those who are free, come with me to rescue the slave that was sold today!" Trevor shouted as he climbed into a carriage.

"Yes, sir!"

Inside the carriage, Trevor sat silently, closing his eyes. Several months had passed since the creation of the Asura organization, with the sole purpose of controlling the slave trade and illegal products.

Jun knew one thing, and Trevor remembered his words perfectly: "Crime is something that can't be controlled. If we prevent it from happening, they'll find another way! If we understand this, what we must do is control crime and direct it."

The answer was simple, crime was mostly driven by money.

As long as Jun respected the price of the slaves, if he bought every slave that entered the city, he would achieve a complete monopoly that would only bother the nobles. But the slavers wouldn't care.

A rumor had spread among the slavers since Jun had taken control of the sales: Don't sell slaves to anyone other than the Asura organization, or they'll take your hand. And if you don't obey, next will be your neck!

The punishments and rumors were true. Nothing was done without shedding blood, so Jun knew how to control a pack of furious lions that sought only gold.

After gaining control of the capital's slums, several groups began expanding towards areas where towers had been built outside the capital, controlled by auction houses now serving Jun. Thus, a strong channel was established for everything Jun sought.

The pigeons or shadows, on the other hand, were merely simple workers in businesses created by Jun, serving as workplaces, training centers, and operational bases for the men under his command. As long as he provided them work, these jobs translated into missions, and those missions brought benefits. Money would flow like water in a river.

The new army Jun had created would sweep the battlefield. Many would, for the first time, witness what a man with knowledge of countless war eras could achieve in just four years.

The weapons Jun would reveal to his army were so sophisticated that he was confident of conquering a state in less than a month.

This was his current power, something no one knew, and he had kept secret for a long time.

…

A few days later, Jun wasted no time, immediately leading a small group to the mountains where the free men, once betrayed by Qin, lived.

He brought them a deal they likely wouldn't refuse, one in which everyone would carry the banners of Jun's army for their own interests and not those of a weakened king who only dreams of something that doesn't depend on him to achieve.

Does Ei Sei want to unify all of China while sitting on a throne in a safe place? Please. If he achieves that, it won't be because of him, but because of those who are his subordinates and follow his dreams like Shin, an idiot who's nothing more than an excellent warrior with a dangerous dream.

At least now Jun would give him a gift, one that would slightly relieve his foolish council that keeps him so imprisoned.