Isaac

it a very popular occupation for those wishing for an easy retirement.

Mayor Marco, who originally spent his time fishing and stamping his name on readily-prepared documents as he eagerly waited for his retirement, was now going through a state of turmoil.

With the four rulers of Port City having lost their power, the citizens of Port City demanded that Mayor Marco come up with a solution.
The citizens were very much aware that he was a puppet, but they still made such demands because Marco held the title of mayor.
This was why Marco enthusiastically accepted Isaac’s invitation in an attempt to escape from the mess.

“Greetings.
I am Marco, Mayor of Port City.”

Marco was a man who had graduated from a run-of-the-mill administration school and climbed to where he is now through sheer flattery and tact, and he kneeled to Isaac the moment they met. 

“Nice to meet you.
Why don’t we have our meal first?”

Even Isaac was surprised at Marco’s action of kneeling and was baffled for a moment.
He then pulled him off his knees personally and led him to the table.

Isaac had his meal rather emotionlessly, but Marco was so tense that he couldn’t even remember what or how to eat his meal.
It seemed the word had spread of the mayor accepting Isaac’s invitation, and the plaza in New Port City was starting to fill with citizens from Port City.

After finishing the meal that was sure to end with indigestion, Marco’s head was busy trying to figure out Isaac’s intentions in inviting him.
It was at this moment that Isaac extinguished his cigarette, pulled out a new one, and asked a question.

“How was the meal?”

“Huh? Yes! It was very good.”

“That’s a relief.”

Isaac paused and took a sip from the fruit wine that Rizzly poured for him.
Marco could only sit and watch helplessly while looking at Isaac’s face for what was to come.

“The reason why I invited you here is because I have yet to receive full payment for the money I won from the casino.”

Marco got off his seat and immediately dropped to his knees, his head touching the floor as he realised that this was the reason he was invited here.

“Please show mercy! If you take all of your winnings, everyone in Port City will end up bankrupt.”

Since Isaac’s demands were backed by law, if Isaac requested for aid from Port City’s mayor, then Marco would have no choice but to obey.
But if that were to happen, not only was his retirement fund going to evaporate, but it could even lead to the first riot in Port City since its founding.

“Ah, I think you are mistaken.”

“What?”

Marco immediately raised his head when he heard those words.

“I have been deep in thought regarding that problem.
Harming innocent citizens isn’t the result I wanted.”

“T, then!”

Marco’s eyes were starting to flicker with a sliver of hope.

“I will guarantee the safety of the citizens.
That also includes the 3 who hold the most wealth in Port City.
Wait! I already seized all of Harold’s wealth, haven’t I.
Hm… That’s a problem.
Is it true that he committed suicide?”

“Yes…”

“Tsk tsk.
That’s a shame.”

Marco could feel goosebumps rising on his back.

“I will return his wealth back to his family.
But there is one thing I want, and that is the rights over the waterways.
Just that and I will act as if all of the payments have been made.”

“What?”

Marco couldn’t stop his eyes from bulging out.
The rights over the waterways were the foundation of Port City’s wealth.
With the rights gone, it would be only a matter of time before Port City was relegated to just another city in the Empire.

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“T, the rights over the waterways aren’t owned under Port City’s name!”

“That is why you must speak with those who own the waterways.
Nothing will change even if I were to take over the waterways.
It’s not like I have the talent or power to do anything with it anyway.”

“B, but…”

“You do know that Count Milros has effectively taken over the seat that Zeroman left behind right?”

“… Yes.”

“Then you should know how much of a concession I’ve just made.”

“…”

Marco finally looked as if he understood everything and looked at Isaac with a sense of respect.

“I have decided to make a significant concession at the cost of my personal revenge for the citizens’ well-being.
I’m not even asking for the entire sum but rather a small concession from 3 specific individuals.
Well, if the citizens were to refuse, I will have no choice but to act in accordance to the law.”

Marco quickly shouted out in response.

“O, of course not! I will make sure to persuade them with whatever means I can!”

Even Marco had invested all of his wealth in the casino.
No matter how this ended, his retirement fund was definitely not happening, so he had to at least secure the wealth he currently held.

“I will wait until tomorrow morning.”

“T, that’s! That’s too short!”

Isaac shook his head coldly at Marco’s desperate plea.

“I would like to give you more time, but I’ve used quite a lot of my own money too.
If you can’t show me a result I can be satisfied with by tomorrow morning, I will have no choice but to take what is rightfully mine.
An incident like this should be settled as soon as possible, since no good will come from letting it drag on unnecessarily.
Ah! I will also say this out of needless worry, but I will retract everything I’ve said if there were to be any deaths over the negotiations during the confusion the city is going through.
What I want is a peaceful transfer of the rights.
Understand?”

“B, but…”

“I heard you’re going to retire soon? If you put in your share of work for things to get underway smoothly, I won’t forget your patronage.
I heard that they pay you through retirement funds? How about three times the amount they’re giving you?”

Isaac’s offer was quick to get a response from Marco, whose eyes quickly shone with greed.

“R, really?”

“It’s not like I don’t have money.
I don’t lie when it comes to money.
You’ve heard how much of a tip the dealer received for handing me the win of a lifetime right?”

One million Giga.
Money like that was enough to scorn the course of luck.
Marco bowed his head once more to Isaac as he swore his allegiance.

“I will do my best.”

“I expect good news.”

“What a great bonfire.”

Isaac muttered to himself as he stood at the edge of the City Hall’s rooftop, admiring the fire that was engulfing Port City.
The fire alarms could be heard even from New Port City, and the banks of the Grand Canal and the nearby plaza were occupied by a crowd watching the fire.

Immediately after the dinner with Isaac, Marco rushed over to Port City and delivered Isaac’s offer to the citizens.
Will they give up the waterways and keep their wealth, or fall together?

It was a rhetorical question.
They didn’t need to imagine how miserable their lives would be if they lost their wealth, for they had an excellent example next door.
That was why poverty was the greatest fear for all citizens of Port City.
What was important for the citizens was to keep the wealth they currently had, not the tool that brought them the wealth or the four rulers who provided them with the opportunity to make that wealth.

They were in a dire situation where they could lose everything they have, but an opportunity had arisen to regain it, though at the cost of a concession from a select few.
The select few who led them to where they are now.

What would happen afterwards? The majority would begin to pressure the few with the justification that their sacrifice will save the majority.
Why? Because they were not the few.

And so, the first riot in Port City’s history occurred.
All of the citizens rose up and marched over to the families that owned the waterways.
There was a possibility of a clash between the citizens and the guards of the estates, but Isaac’s warning had forced Marco to quickly intervene beforehand and hold back the guards with the city’s police force, making the riot sail smoothly for the rioters.

The citizens searched the estates to find Rodney and Niske, who both went into hiding; but during that search, the citizens found evidence of Rodney and Niske trying to hide and save their wealth from being taken.
The citizens were angered greatly by this fact, and what little pity and sympathy the rioters still held disappeared.
All of their possessions were burnt down along with their estate.
Harold, Rodney, and Niske’s families were escorted by the police to find refuge in Zeroman’s estate on Marco’s orders, but Rodney and Niske themselves had to go through a harsh trial.

The rioters felt betrayed that those two tried to save themselves when even Isaac, the man everyone in Port City looked down upon, showed them mercy and threw away his chance at revenge.
This feeling of betrayal was naturally vented out in the form of violence.

“You brat! You’ll never get away with this!”

“Do you think you’ll be safe after all this? There will be consequences, I assure you!”

Those vengeful words were directed at Isaac from behind, and Isaac turned around to greet the owners of those voices.
Rodney and Niske, who owned the Eastern and Western waterways, were looking at Isaac vengefully, having gone through such misfortune the likes of which they had never experienced before.

“Man, is that all you have to say after I saved you two from being beaten to death?”

“You were the cause of this!”

“I don’t understand why you two are so persistent when all I’m asking for are the waterways.”

“Bullshit! The waterway is my entire fortune!”

“Geez, will you die after handing over the waterways? Will you? You will at least get to save the rest of your wealth.
Ah! Maybe not all of it.”

Isaac snickered as he looked at the fire in Port City.
Infuriated by this, Rodney and Niske tried to rush Isaac, but they were quickly stopped by Rizzly and Soland.

“I will officially send a letter of persecution to the Department of Law!”

“I will make sure to kill you, even if it costs me all of my wealth!”

Isaac scratched his head as he heard those words from the two.
With a troubled look, he began to speak.

“Well, I guess there’s no choice if you guys won’t yield.
Rizzly.”

“Yes.”

“Send them back.”

“Really?”

“There’s no choice.
Send them back since they don’t want to sign the paper.
Ah! Make sure to tell everyone in Port City that I will begin seizing all of their wealth when the sun comes up.”

“But that’d mean these two will die.”

“Is that my problem?”

“… No.”

“Then take them away.”

“Yes sir.”

Soland and Rizzly looked to each other as if doubting their actions, but they made the decision to follow Isaac’s orders and tried to lift Rodney and Niske back on their feet to be led out.
The faces of Rodney and Niske began to pale.

“W, wait! We will die if we leave now!”

“So what? You’ll only die if you don’t sign the paper.”

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“T, that’s…”

“Ah, no.
It’s rather annoying to have men who have grudges against me staying alive.
I think it’ll be better off to let them go and have them negotiate with their families instead… Oi, Smartass.
What happens when these two die?”

“Their wealth will be transferred to their families.”

“Will the rights to the waterways be included?”

“Yes.”

“Good.
Let’s throw these two away and negotiate with the families.
I’m sure they’ll sign it if I offer an extra million Giga.
Make sure you find out who exactly gets to own the waterways.
I don’t need the rest.”

“But what if that person were to refuse too?”

“I think I’ve been patient enough, considering that I went through this much trouble.
If they can’t give it up while they’re alive, then they shouldn’t be alive.”

“Wait!’

“What?”

Rodney asked with a defeated look as if he had given up everything.

“… Are the waterways really all you ask for?”

“That’s right.”

“What are you saying! Rodney, come back to your senses!”

Niske made a ruckus, but Rodney shook his head in silence.

“… I’ll sign it.”

“Ha.
Good thinking.”

“Rodney!”

“Do you really want to be beaten to death?”

“Kuuk!”

Niske despaired and Rodney’s face was grim as they looked at the documents Soland brought before them.
Despite their quivering hands, they managed to sign the documents.

“Now! I guess everything is over.
It was a nice trade.”

With the transfer of the rights over, Isaac glimpsed at the documents with a satisfied look before handing them over to Soland, while Rodney looked at Isaac as he grit his teeth.

“Don’t think this is over.
You will regret that you only took the waterways from us.
We will use everything we have to make sure you are destroyed.”

Rodney’s vengeful declaration brought a smile to Isaac’s face.
Isaac approached them slowly, and Rizzly quickly brought Isaac’s chair from behind him.
Isaac sat on the chair, crossed his legs, and began to gloat in front of the two.

“Do you really think this haphazard plan of mine succeeded only because I got lucky?”

“What?”

The two’s eyes went wide with astonishment at Isaac’s words, and even Rizzly and Soland, who stood behind Isaac, looked at him in confusion.

“I wanted to destroy the root of my misfortune, but it was refused, you see.
What can I do? I have to follow my orders.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, I wonder?”

The two fell deeper into bewilderment as Isaac coldly snickered with a mysterious look on his face.
It seemed as if Isaac was tell them something, but they couldn’t find the reason why Isaac said those words.

“Think a little.
Who gained the most out of this incident? Kukuku.”

“I guess the glory of Port City is over now.”

Isaac muttered to himself as he watched Rodney and Niske walk through the plaza, surrounded by a crowd.
The citizens constantly pestered the two, demanding answers.
The two simply walked on like soulless husks, shocked by the violent treatment from the crowd before and the stressful interrogation occurring now.

“But there’s still one left.”

“Zeroman, that old man? Don’t worry about him.
He alone won’t amount to anything.”

“The three remaining families still have their wealth.
With the wealth they have, they can attempt to retaliate.”

Isaac snickered when Rizzly spoke out his opinion in worry.

“Do you know what the scariest thing in human’s mind is?”

“What is it?”

Rizzly tilted his head when he heard the question.
Isaac turned to look at Soland instead.

“Smartass, do you know?”

Soland spoke with a bitter smile on his face.

“… Is it doubt?”

“Oh! So you do know.”

“I’ve used it a few times in the past to destroy some of my rivals.”

“I knew there was a brain in that smartass of yours.”

“You’ve destroyed the trust between the citizens of Port City and the four rulers and made it impossible for the four to become united.
Port City will fall without us having to do anything.”

The seed of doubt had already been planted.
They may be at a loss and in confusion now, but in time, they would start to look for an excuse.

The prime suspect would be Zeroman, as he left just before everything happened.

It may seem like a lucky move, but was it really luck? Doubt creates discord and discord causes conflict.
What if Zeroman was behind all this? What if he controlled all of this while acting like he was retiring? The seed of doubt would begin to sprout, and when it fully bloomed, they would start to believe that what they are imagining is true.
Even if it didn’t escalate to such a level, while the seed of doubt was still in their minds, they would never regain the firm unity they once held before.

“How scary can a human’s deception be?”

Rizzly shook his body in terror while Isaac retorted with a playful look.

“Huh? What do you mean? I never lied?”

“What? But…”

“It’s true though.
I wanted to get rid of the trouble that is Count Milros, but I was stopped.
The greatest benefactor of all this was the government.
All I did was save myself from speaking the full details.”

Soland stayed silent as if he was at a loss for words, while Rizzly’s body shook in terror.

“How scary can a human’s deception be?”