Chương 74: The State of Ichoris City

"See the one, the only, the death-defying, incalculable, and all-knowing man himself, The Oracle Hand! Only twenty minutes until the doors open up!" In front of a large, recently constructed building, an older man wearing heavy clown makeup jumped around. Ahead of him, a large congregation of curious residents stood waiting for the show to officially begin. Over the last week, they'd heard rampant rumours of how unbelievable The Oracle Hand really was. They were all here to see if the rumours were really true.

Apparently, he was a man capable of reading your mind and telling you your fortune even without an ability. Rumours like these weren't uncommon, so most people had been very doubtful of such tales. Then came the rare news from the slums, where The Oracle Hand had already managed to amass a large following. At the very least, it couldn't have been a complete lie, right? Even then, most people still didn't want to spend the 10 Riak fee to see a show they'd probably be disappointed in.

It wasn't that it was particularly expensive, but why take the risk? If he really was everything he promised to be, then they could just go in the future. That was, of course, until they found out the Mayor was also going. It wasn't uncommon for him to go to shows, plays, and concerts, so it hadn't been a massive surprise, but his decision to go added just a little extra credence to rampant rumours, and who didn't want to go see a man who could see the future?

The building in which the show would take place was also brand new. The front entrance was framed by four massive columns carved from pristine, white marble. The exterior limestone walls were cream-coloured without a single speck of soot or grime; they almost seemed to glow in the late afternoon light. From the outside, the slightly tinted glass allowed people to see only the faint, warm glow of chandeliers within, keeping the interior a mystery.

Despite the Ichoris Legerdemain's origin tracing back to the dirty slums, just by seeing the building, they knew it was a luxurious event. Suddenly, the fee of 10 Riak felt cheap. Beside the crowd, there was a second line, and occasionally, someone of importance would pass by. The crowd excitedly watched as the important people came in, one after another. First, it was the heads of Redigo, Vito and Corienne. Then came the merchants and high-ranking families. Eventually, a new face declared her presence.

Although nobody had seen her before, the young woman of striking, ethereal beauty caught the eyes of every person in line. She wore a tailored, floor-length gown of obsidian and cerulean, contrasting with her silky silver-white hair. She walked with a quiet, mesmerizing confidence, turning her head to speak with a suited man. Despite his impeccable clothing and recently groomed face, his eyes featured deep eye bags, and his face was filled with wrinkles. They both wore icewood badges.

Hers was a knife, and his a hammer.

"The VIP room, one close to where the Mayor will be staying." She spoke softly.

"50 Riak each, please." The man in the clown costume politely replied. She nudged her black-haired colleague, who handed over a few bills.

"My friend here will lead you to your room. Feel free to use the general VIP room, as well, where there will always be someone to help you if needed. Enjoy the show!"

"Thank you." She smiled, causing a few heads among the main line to turn away with flushed cheeks. The two walked through the sculpted hallways, then climbed a few flights of stairs before finally being given a small room with a large window overlooking the stage. The show had yet to begin.

"So, what's your assessment, Zephyr?" The man beside her, Erden, asked. She pushed aside her dress and sat comfortably on the couch, looking down on the stage.

"They set Prachar back years of goodwill and connections. My assessment is that they failed spectacularly, and even worse, got caught failing." This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Despite the blame being pinned on a mid-level staff member, it was obvious to everyone that the corruption was deeply rooted.

As a result, the previous head of Prachar had been fully ejected from his position and sent straight to the frontline, despite both his lack of combat capability and his lack of drive to advance further. Somehow, the job of cleaning up his mess had landed on her lap. Erden, beside her, was one of the few high-ranking members unaware that the heads had been pocketing the difference. Zephyr softly exhaled.

"Give me the rundown on the state of the city as you see it." Erden slumped down on the couch beside her and sighed.

"Let's see… if we're just going through the list, Regulus obviously doesn't have a presence here. Equis does what they always do, providing basic consumable goods to the citizens and elixirs and potions to the other Banners. They stay out of almost everything not related to their core business, so I think we can count them out." Zephyr hummed. It was rare for Equis to vie for power in random small cities like Ichoris. Erden continued,"Acies is actually getting more of a footing in recent years.

With their monopoly on weapons, they've been getting filthy rich off the increased price of stratite. I doubt anyone will be able to grab that piece of the pie, since Acies has all the weapon-making expertise and talent…"

"Are they pushing outward from arms manufacturing within Ichoris?"

"Not as far as I know, but if someone tries to fill in the gap we left, it'll probably be them. They've gotten used to eating big, and their appetite might continue to grow." Erden fixed his posture.

"Then there's us, who recently fell from grace as one of the top Banners in the city. Since we're expected to pay back all that was stolen, it isn't looking good for us." Zephyr tapped her fingers on the couch as she thought.

"What is the Mayor's opinion of us?"

"I don't know." Erden sighed.

"The reason I didn't even know about the tax fraud is because I hate getting involved in politics. I'd rather spend the day tinkering with my little gadgets.

""And the other two Reapers?"

"Eminus has a very small presence, even less so than Equis. There isn't a lot of work in a city like this for summoners. As for Redigo, they've pretty much taken full control of the city.

""From what the previous head reported, even when Prachar was close to Redigo in terms of influence, the Mayor still always favoured them."

"I've heard similar things, but I wasn't nearly involved enough to tell you for sure. Realistically, he's just trying to cover his ass with shity excuses." Zephyr closed her eyes and faced the ceiling as she considered all the moving parts.

"What else does the city have?"

"Well, the obvious one is Slack Stone, but I won't repeat what you already know. Otherwise, the slums work well to hold the workers as we cycle through them. Redigo mostly handles everything going on there. I actually heard that The Oracle Hand first performed at the slums before moving here." Those in the slums lived such pitiful lives, and it was mostly not even their fault.

They had been lured here with the promise of decent pay, housing, debt forgiveness, and safety from the rampant gang violence from nearby cities, only to be put to work in such an insidious Danger Zone. Unfortunate, but from the business side, Redigo clearly knew what they were doing. Erden continued.

"As for Upper-Ichoris, most of the industries are similar to what you can expect in similar cities. Fashion, tourism, and entertainment are all a little higher than what you'd expect. Festivities are frequent, and the approval rates remain far above average, which reduces a lot of friction for the massive projects the Mayor likes to take on."

"What's their purpose? Or are they all just vanity projects?"

"The official word is they are to help improve the citizens' lives, which I guess they do." Erden shrugged.

"I don't really see how it matters anyway; he's not a person we can afford to anger in any capacity." Zephyr opened her eyes and placed her chin on her arm.

"Seems like we have a lot of work to do."

"Indeed." Erden's voice went up an octave as his face lit up.

"But that new infor—" Zephyr raised a finger, and Erden immediately stopped. Her soft eyes sharpened, and a slight frown tugged on the corner of her lips.

"Apologies." Erden shook his head and slumped back down on the couch. She lowered her hand and used it to hold up her cheek as the curtains opened on the main stage. A young, black-haired man with a round face walked to the stage. His mouth began moving, likely introducing the show, but from within the VIP room, Zephyr had closed the sound ducts. She had more pressing matters to discuss.

"Tell me what you know of Prachar's current financial situation. I don't need exact numbers. Just a vague estimate on how our industries are performing. I also want a basic report of what you know of the major families and merchants of Ichoris. I read the files from the previous head, but I'd like to hear your opinions and insights on each topic." There was a lot to consider, and as a fresh face, first impressions were critical.

Prachar was on a rapid decline, but she also had one key piece of information that Redigo didn't know she had; it was up to her to extract as much value as she could from it. As Erden went down the list and explained each topic, Zephyr kept her eyes fixed on the caped young man performing his little magic tricks. He showed some promise and even surprised her a few times, but with her exceptionally sharp eyes, she could still catch the key movement of deception in most of his tricks.

Once the deception is broken, the remaining tricks lose their magic. You already know there's a trick; it's just a matter of finding it. Hopefully, The Oracle Hand wouldn't be as disappointing.