Emotionless Swordsmanship Genius

Episode 74: Fogus (Part 1)

As the wait grew tiresome, Sylbella’s aide entered the waiting room and led Karon and his group to her office. Sylbella herself hadn’t returned yet.

A few minutes later, the door burst open, and Sylbella entered, her face flushed with anger, a clear sign of recent frustration. She took a deep breath to steady herself before speaking in a firm tone.

“As you suggested, the old man is not at fault. Upon questioning the responsible bank officer, we uncovered evidence of collaboration with an external organization. We’re still investigating quietly, but it appears that the old man is not the only victim.”

“Goodness…” Everyone, except Karon, looked surprised at the news of multiple victims.

“The officer confessed that he was coerced due to massive debts incurred by his family. Although this doesn’t excuse his actions, it suggests the real issue lies with the external force behind this.”

“Who exactly is this external group?” Shong asked, noting the dark expression that crossed Sylbella’s face, a sign she knew exactly who they were.

After a moment, she explained, “They’re called ‘Fogus.’ As the name implies, they operate as a decentralized network with no discernible hierarchy. We could round up some lower-level members, but they’ve embedded themselves in Wattsbell for so long that it’s nearly impossible to root them out.”

“What kinds of crimes do they commit?” Hinshan asked.

“All kinds. If it turns a profit, they’re involved—loan sharking, kidnapping, illegal human trafficking, gambling, extortion, assault, prostitution, and even more unspeakable atrocities. They’re monsters in human form.”

“Couldn’t we trace the money flow back to their leader?” Shong asked, puzzled.

Sylbella shook her head bitterly. “We’ve tried that. But they just generate more money, and whenever someone gets exposed, they replace them. Any crackdown only escalates violence in the streets, making law enforcement harder. It’s a kind of threat, really.”

“Hmm…”

These were indeed meticulous criminals, covering their tracks by using puppet managers and discarding them when needed. They seemed like an invisible, black hand manipulating everything from the shadows.

“This situation is serious,” Sylbella said. “The one place they hadn’t touched was the Imperial Bank. Now, with these recent incidents, it’s clear their influence has infiltrated even here.”

“It sounds like a difficult problem to tackle,” Hinshan observed, shaking his head.

“Exactly,” she continued. “This might call for a massive investigation.”

Sylbella’s voice and expression revealed a strong resolve, but Hinshan, ever the realist, disagreed.

“If you start arresting people indiscriminately, you’ll face strong resistance. The leaders of Fogus will only go further underground,” he argued.

“But we can’t just stand by. They’ve violated the sanctity of the Imperial Bank,” Sylbella replied, frustration evident.

A tense silence followed, with no one able to offer a clear solution. Anxiety mounted as they searched for a way forward.

“Karon. Hinshan. Shong.”

Karon’s quiet voice broke the silence.

“Yes, Karon?”

“Why?” Shong asked.

“Just come here.”

The two leaned closer, and Karon whispered his plan to them. Occasionally, Hinshan and Shong exchanged surprised looks but soon nodded in agreement.

A moment later, Hinshan turned to Sylbella and spoke confidently.

“Sylbella, we’ll handle this. We’ll bring them down.”

“What?” Sylbella looked taken aback.

Hinshan gave a small smile. “In exchange, we ask that you delay any public investigation and keep this under wraps until we’ve completed our work.”

Sylbella was momentarily speechless at the unexpected proposal.

—

An hour later.

The old man, Aldrich, met with Ironius, a wholesale dealer in Wattsbell, with his granddaughter Lara by his side.

Ironius, with his distinguished, deep-set wrinkles, was Wattsbell’s oldest wholesaler, who had since expanded his business to export goods abroad. The produce cart that Aldrich had brought was already being sorted in the warehouse.

“Welcome, Aldrich!” Ironius called out, keeping an eye on the transaction records while also greeting the old man and his granddaughter.

Aldrich raised a hand and smiled. “Good to see you, Ironius.”

“Busy as ever, you know. And Lara, you’ve grown so much,” Ironius said, handing Lara a piece of candy and patting her head.

“Thank you,” Lara replied politely.

Ironius turned back to Aldrich. “Your crops look good this year. I hope the harvest went well?”

“Fortune smiled on us,” Aldrich replied.

“You’ll get the best price, as always.”

“Thank you for that.”

Aldrich bowed sincerely. Thanks to Ironius, he could sell his crops at a fair price each year with little hassle.

But Ironius was grateful to him as well.

“I should be the one thanking you. You know how popular your black beans are in the market. I’ve told you before, haven’t I?”

“You have,” Aldrich nodded.

“Why not expand your black bean fields while you’re at it?” Ironius suggested, but Aldrich waved his hand dismissively.

“This is enough for me. My body can’t keep up with more.”

“Ah, a shame. You’d have made a fortune if you were ten years younger,” Ironius laughed.

“A fortune you’re earning, no? Still working hard as ever.”

Ironius sighed and set down his pen. “A fortune, indeed…”

The old man, Aldrich, took this opportunity to quietly ask, “What’s going on? Is something wrong?”

“Don’t even get me started,” Ironius replied, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. Lowering his voice, he continued, “At the end of last year, the group collecting our ‘protection fees’ changed, and they’re relentless. They’ve even raised the fee to 20% of profits.”

“What?! How could anyone be so ruthless?” Aldrich responded, genuinely horrified. Even he felt that a 20% cut was beyond unreasonable.

Emboldened, Ironius explained further. “They claim to protect us from pirates, but it’s all a sham. The pirates and these so-called protectors are in league with each other. Any merchant who refuses to pay the fee ends up killed by ‘pirates.’”

“Where’s the navy in all this?” Aldrich asked.

“The navy? They’re the same,” Ironius snorted. “They look the other way and pocket whatever scraps fall their way.”

Aldrich frowned deeply, realizing the situation was even worse than he’d imagined.

“It’s outrageous. The Empire should intervene,” he said, but Ironius only shook his head.

“With so much territory to cover, these remote areas are barely on their radar,” Ironius replied with a sigh.

After a moment of silence, Ironius leaned closer, lowering his voice even more.

“And there’s more. Rumor has it they’re using the trade convoys to smuggle slaves in and out under the guise of ‘protection.’”

Aldrich’s eyes widened in shock. Such a vile practice was beyond anything he’d imagined.

“These slaves… They say some are subjected to terrible things. I’ve heard they’re harvested for organs and sold to dark sorcerers. These people are monsters.”

Aldrich’s jaw tightened. The story left him feeling sick. It was pure evil.

“What kind of people could do such things? Are they locals?”

“No, they showed up here just last year,” Ironius replied.

“Then I’ll have to be careful,” Aldrich murmured, glancing with concern at his granddaughter, who was playing nearby.

“There’s a tavern by the harbor called Soulbird. It’s rumored to be one of their main hideouts. You’d best keep away from that area,” Ironius warned, casting a worried glance toward Lara.

Aldrich gave Ironius a firm pat on the shoulder. “Thank you. Stay strong. Maybe one day things will change.”

“Thank you, Aldrich. Let’s meet again next year.”

“Take care, and stay safe.”

“Goodbye, Aldrich! See you next time, Lara!” Ironius called, waving as Aldrich and Lara set off.

Once their conversation was over, Aldrich quickly led Lara out of Wattsbell with the empty cart. A short distance away from the city, he parked the cart and, after a quick check of their surroundings, led Lara down a narrow path.

In a small clearing, Karon and his group were waiting on horseback.

“You made it back safely!” Shong called out.

“Were you able to learn anything useful?” Hinshan asked as they welcomed Aldrich and Lara.

“I learned a few things, but I’m not sure how much it’ll help you,” Aldrich said modestly.

“Every bit of information helps. Please, tell us,” Hinshan encouraged.

Aldrich shared everything he had heard from Ironius, detailing the recent increase in protection fees, the use of trade convoys for slave trafficking, and the suspicious rumors of smuggling and organ harvesting.

At the mention of illegal smuggling and slave trafficking, the three men’s eyes gleamed with understanding—it could explain why their targets had suddenly disappeared, likely due to covert departures from the port.

“Thank you for your help, sir. This is valuable information,” Hinshan said sincerely.

“You’re the ones helping me,” Aldrich replied, grateful.

“This is enough for now. Please return home, sir. Digging any deeper could be dangerous. We’ll handle the rest,” Hinshan assured him.

“Though it’s not my place to say this, please do whatever you can to end this and save those poor souls. I’m counting on you,” Aldrich said, gripping Hinshan’s hand.

“Don’t worry. We’ll do our best,” Hinshan replied with a reassuring smile.

At that moment, Shong nudged Andrew forward, taking over the conversation.

“We do have one small request, though,” Shong said.

“Anything. What do you need?”

“Could you look after Andrew for a few days? We may need some time to wrap things up here,” Shong explained.

“Of course! Leave him with us,” Aldrich replied without hesitation, drawing Andrew close. The young boy stood silently by his side, his expression as composed as ever.

Lara’s face brightened at the news that Andrew would be coming home with them.

“Thank you, sir. Could you mark your home’s location on a map for us?” Hinshan asked, pulling out a map.

“Certainly,” Aldrich said, tracing a route on the map with his finger. “Head south from the cemetery we passed yesterday, toward a small village called Hilltan. Keep going south until you reach a large field, and our cabin is just beyond that. On horseback, it should only take…”

As Aldrich provided directions, Karon walked over to Andrew and crouched down to meet his gaze.

Looking directly at Andrew, he said calmly, “As I mentioned earlier, I can’t have you with me while we’re hunting these people. So stay with the old man at his house. If you face any danger, fight back or, if that’s not possible, escape. Got it?”

Andrew nodded expressionlessly, taking in Karon’s instructions without a word.

Watching this exchange, Shong muttered with a bemused look, “Are those really the kind of things you say to a ten-year-old? And he just takes it in stride… amazing.”

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