The New Royal Capital. The Outer City. Stinky Sock Street.
It was the sort of place people were bound to love and hate. Those fleeing disaster, or simply looking for somewhere to settle, could find no cheaper place to live that wasn't even more dangerous.
But with the slums so close and newcomers constantly passing through, the neighborhood was scarcely any safer than the slums themselves.
On the bright side, chaos brought opportunity. More than a few Professionals and fortune seekers had made a name for themselves here.
At that moment, several figures sat around a stove on the second floor of a house on Stinky Sock Street, quietly discussing what they had accomplished over the past few days.
"I recruited three people. They're all able-bodied young men. Their families died during the Kingdom's Great Migration and the plague, and they feel no gratitude toward the Kingdom."
"Good. We need people who hate the Kingdom. But make sure hatred doesn't cloud their judgment and drive them to kill innocents. We're here to end tyranny, not become tyrants."
"I recruited seven, but two of them aren't committed. They only joined us for status and a chance to lord it over others."
"We don't need people like that. If wealth and status can win them over to our side, wealth and status can make them betray us."
"I only recruited two, but they're women. They can get close to those nobles and gather information for us."
"No. I refuse, and you need to reflect on why you thought that was acceptable! We want to bring happiness to the people, not use them as tools to achieve our goals!"
As their Chief rebuked him, a middle-aged man hurried in through the door. He looked like any ordinary civilian on the street, down to