After giving William a new name, Arthur cut off contact with William... no, Sebastian Moran.
North County had not originally been part of Arthur's plans at this stage.
His current plans still centered on South Los, gradually extending toward the Inner Bay.
As for North County?
He would certainly make arrangements there in the future.
But now?
Absolutely not.
Arthur knew he did not have enough people.
But he was far too concerned about Malinda's situation-even setting aside their solid bond of brotherhood, their close cooperation had long since intertwined their interests.
Or, to put it another way, they were grasshoppers tied to the same string.
Neither of them could get away.
If anything went wrong, they would both suffer.
Arthur could guarantee that nothing would go wrong on his end.
But Malinda?
Arthur could offer no such guarantee.
So he had to put a little insurance in place.
And it could not originate in South Los.
Expanding from South Los toward the West Coast would be far too conspicuous. Not only would Malinda spot it easily, but the family her mother belonged to would have no trouble discovering it either.
That made William just the right candidate.
Someone who would never arouse suspicion.
After all, everyone knew that he, Arthur, was the Medium of South Los.
North County?
It had nothing to do with him.
As for Moran's loyalty and capabilities?
Arthur had even less to worry about.
Moran's loyalty to him was beyond question, not only because of the Contract, but also because Arthur's acting had been good enough to twist that loyalty into fanaticism.
And as Moran's strength increased, his own abilities had become free of weaknesses.
After all, he was-
A Corpse Lich! He actually succeeded!
Arthur had also read books concerning Corpse Liches, and they