897 The Darker Side of Demopolis

Jin emphasised that he did not intend to exploit the poor, but instead aiming to give them the chance to turn their lives around for the better. His minions didn't doubt his sincerity and were already satisfied that they would be able to bring their family into the picture as long as they were productive.

And the unexpected twist in his clause caused many of the Orcs to volunteer before he could even leave the stage which prompted Jin to tell them to sign their participation with the System once it produced the appropriate forms out.

Finally, the last announcement which he gave was that the hotpot they were having had also been extended to the end of the day.

That meant that barring any unforeseen circumstances, everyone would be able to eat, drink and get drunk for an entire day before it was back to business as usual. The moment everyone heard it, they cheered once more and returned to their respective hotpot instances and had fun.

"Is this wise, User?" The System asked Jin when he stood at the stage waving goodbye to the minions.

"Which one? The charity part or family part?" Jin asked as he saw that the bellators had remained seated at the front row, and that included the Foxes. He had also asked a few monster leaders which he had trusted implicitly to stay back for a further debrief.

"Both, and also the free flow of food for the rest of the day." The System replied.

"If they bring out some really talented people, I say it will be a worthy investment. That being said, it doesn't harm if we have some mediocre talents in the Virtual Reality Network. Correct me if I am wrong, but shouldn't it help lighten your workload if we use them to fill up our Virtual Reality Network? They can just go about their business, and the players will think of them as life-like NPCs so you won't have to have AI helpers to that job."

"And besides, everyone has to start from somewhere, right? I mean look at me. If you did not put that slight trust in me to change after defying you, would we be where we are now?" Jin slowly sat down at the edge of the stage since he wished to give them a briefing.

"System reserves its comments for the moment." The System answered and gave Jin the opportunity to address his employees. Lynn, Qiu Yue and Claire had also joined in as per his request.

"First of all, Happy New Year to you Foxes once again. Thank you for not only allowing us to gain Demopolis but also putting your efforts into governing it." Jin said and bowed as a sign of his gratitude.

"As the new King, let me provide you with a breakdown of the current situation," Rex spoke as he adjusted his seat. "First things first, I hope you know about our crackdown of the bad guys in the area?" 

"It is nice to know that you and the System trust me in that task, but as the one overall in charge, you should still know about all the things going on under you. So, for the two weeks that you were gone, we had been busy making those ministers confess to their crimes. It didn't take long for the major shadow criminal triads that to come into the open after we had apprehended their backers." Rex explained and with the help of the System pulled up pictures with all the information they had gathered up until now.

"I assume you need more manpower to deal with them?" Jin went straight to what he assumed Rex would want from him, which made the latter smirk.

"Exactly, while the Home Guards are decently strong, they are unable to match the firepower which the demons are carrying." Rex remarked.

"They can't be carrying that much punch, right?" Jin asked, and Rex looked at Ixel who immediately produced photographs and threw an envelope full of incriminating evidence in front of Jin.

He obviously caught it but nearly fell from the edge of the stage. That was when everyone, including Lynn could feel the change of aura on Jin and it further solidified Lynn's suspicions. Kraft was sitting there and already grinning by the side, as if satisfied to see his master's progress and unsubtle revelation of his new grade.

"Oops. Sorry, nearly dropped that parcel." Jin apologised as he opened the envelope to find the Demopolis' Triads were holding onto advanced weaponry that could outmatch the Demon Army's arsenal of weapons.

"You know any of these weapons, Lord Focalor? As a Pirate Captain, you must have seen some of these before?" Jin asked as he passed the photographs to the Sea Tiefling.

"Hmm, my crew are using something similar, but ours seems to be an older variant. I heard the King wanted to procure a series of such advanced weaponry for us since raiding in the sea requires dexterity and accuracy. Killing our enemies before they can do anything is the surest way to get our treasures too."

"But this is definitely something that even the King would have trouble getting," Focalor stated as he pulled out his old pin-lock pistols and showed the difference.

"Yea, what they are using is some kind of Wheelock rifles. These types of rifles improved the rifle's stock contour for ease of handling and improved the accuracy of the longer barrels. System, what kind of gunpowder are they using?" Jin queried.

"It is akin to serpentine gunpowder. They should be easy to refine, but they lack the firepower of modern conventional gunpowder." The System replied, and Jin nodded his head.

"In essence, jailing the ministers was just the first step in cleaning up. The biggest vermin are still hiding inside the city and will still cause it to rot if left unchecked. That is where I would like you to come in if possible." King Rex said as if he wanted to see more of Jin in action.

"You want me to catch these mafias or triads so that we can control Demopolis' dark side too?" Jin asked once more for confirmation.

"There's no doubt about that. Given your array of monster soldiers at your disposal, it should be an easy job, no?" Rex asked, and Jin chuckled.

"This will be good practice for the soldiers to learn a bit of urban combat as well as getting them prepared for the Demon Rat extermination. I agree to do it, but not in the near future." Jin said, and Rex raised up three fingers.

"Three weeks. We have heard rumours that they are planning something big and whatever it is can't be good for us. I can get the Demon Home Guard to apply occasional pressure with simple tactics as a diversion to your raid." Rex said, but before Jin agreed, he requested for something else.

"But in return, I need something back. Is that okay?"

"I am part of your Panda Remnant and to some extent, a bellator of yours, I cannot say no. But depending on how you do your job in coordinating this Mafia clean up, I will return the favour appropriately," Rex replied, and Jin knew that the oldest and most powerful fox was blatantly testing him.

"It's a very simple request. Lend me Kraft." Jin pointed at the devil in human skin, causing each and every Fox Bellator turned around to their de facto leader.