Assembly

"Hidden in plain sight—you really did think this through, sir." Agamemnon lightly flattered the old butler.

"Mm. Do it well, and you won't be treated unfairly." The old butler narrowed his eyes. Clearly, Agamemnon's flattery pleased him greatly.

"Do it well. I'll be waiting for good news." With that, the old butler prepared to return to the elevator that had been waiting behind him.

"I'll see you off." Agamemnon hurried forward and supported the old butler into the elevator. As he let go, an unregistered gold bank card silently slipped into the old butler's pocket.

"Mm..." A satisfied sound came from the old butler's nose.

The elevator doors closed, and the numbers on the display slowly began to change, indicating that the old butler was returning to the top floor of the Tower.

"Damn old vampire!" Agamemnon watched the elevator recede and showed an expression of utter pain. That gold card contained a full one million credit points.

One million credit points had immense purchasing power on Kiavahr. Watching those little angels with golden wings fly away, how could Agamemnon not feel heartbroken?

"Budelin, go hire a Detective Group on Kiavahr. Have them turn the mining area upside down," Agamemnon said to the subordinate beside him.

"Master, the old butler said we should investigate it ourselves. Wouldn't it be inappropriate to leave this to outsiders?" Budelin asked doubtfully.

If Sandman had known, he would definitely have said that whether it was 2K or 30K, humanity could never escape the fate of outsourcing.

"Idiot. Do you really think the thing would be hidden in the mine tunnels? That old bastard just wants to squeeze some benefits out of us.

Remember our duty. The output of the mine beneath our feet is what our livelihood depends on. A large-scale search will inevitably affect the miners' productivity. If those above hold someone accountable, we'll still be the ones taking the blame. That old bastard won't be affected in the slightest." Agamemnon spoke as he watched the elevator vanish from sight.

The old butler's "otherwise" was merely meant to scare Agamemnon. The Lord of the High Tower was only angry that the Precision Power Armor he had spent so much to acquire had been reduced to a single set, but that did not mean he could not figure out that it was impossible for the item to be in the mine tunnels.

There were quite a few nobles on Kiavahr who had been robbed. As for whether the slaves below might have stolen it?

For Akalin to even consider that possibility would have been an insult to his intelligence. If those slaves had that capability, his head would have been cut off long ago, and the armed department might as well all go eat bullets.

No one could have imagined that the old butler's accidental suggestion had correctly guessed that the mastermind was in the mining area. Unfortunately, both those giving the order and those carrying it out had ulterior motives and brushed it aside.

Meanwhile, in Lycaeus's mining area, Korax had gathered the leaders of camps large and small at Saviors Camp.

"The exchange rates at the supply station are getting more and more outrageous. If not for the occasional aid from Saviors Camp, many of us would have starved to death long ago—and that's after Korax swept away those parasites in the west!" Giovanni said furiously.

As the leader of a camp, he felt that life on Lycaeus was becoming increasingly difficult.

Those mad vampires were pushing the miners' limits even further, and they had no intention of providing even the slightest bit more supplies.

Since taking over the camp, this was the first time he had felt such deep helplessness. According to the records left by the ancient elders, the Tower repeated this sort of thing every so often, but no one wanted to encounter such a situation while they were alive. Worse still, he was the person in charge of the camp.

One careless mistake, and the camp would be destroyed in his hands.

"Yes. If things keep going like this, many of our brothers and sisters will starve to death," said another tall, thin camp leader.

This camp leader should originally have been an extremely burly, towering man, but under the Tower's oppression and the shortage of food, he had clearly become much thinner. His skeleton, nearly one-third broader than that of an ordinary person, revealed what he had once been like.

"Chief Sandman, thank you for supporting us. Korax has gathered us together, and we all understand that we are now waiting only for your order. Even if we have to risk everything against those overseers, that would still be better than starving to death."

"Yes. People can die of old age, disease, drowning, murder, or fire—but they must never be starved alive! That is the most painful death in the world, the greatest punishment in human existence. I would rather see my people buried by a collapsed mine tunnel than witness the misery of those who starve to death!" Aibu, the leader of a camp near Saviors Camp, spoke of this tragedy.

Without the aid of Saviors Camp, many of his brothers and sisters would suffer the most painful death in the world.

"Yes. From the discovery of Lycaeus's abundant mineral resources until now, hunger has always plagued the miners who serve as slaves,"

"Hunger has always been this way since ancient times, but does that make it right? Our forebears launched countless uprisings, large and small, all just to fight for a little more insignificant food. Nothing more."

"Was that wrong? No, it wasn't. Survival is the first priority before every person, isn't it? But it was wrong—terribly wrong. After this uprising succeeds, will there not be another compliance test?" Sandman's voice rang beside the ears of every camp leader like a great bell.

"I am not saying this to blame the forebears who made sacrifices in those uprisings. I say it because our goal was wrong from the very beginning. Even when it was not wrong, we fought alone and were extinguished. A spark never became a prairie fire.

"Now, everything is different. Korax's arrival has shown everyone the way and, more importantly, brought the leaders of every camp together in an unprecedented gathering. I'll leave the next part to Korax. Let him explain the plan ahead to us." Having finished speaking, Sandman yielded his place to Korax.

Originally, Sandman had not wanted to come out, but Korax's repeated requests had worn him down—after all, he was the leader of Saviors Camp.

If he did not appear, Korax always felt as though he might be suspected of usurping authority. What would the old people in the camp think of him then? Though Sandman did not care about that.

For Sandman, after confirming his own abilities, the identity of camp leader had become insignificant.

The faster Korax's influence expanded, the more benefits Sandman gained. He could practically lie back and win—it was an absolute steal.