The Black Skull Gang

Portland considered it for a while, then answered, "It shouldn't be much of a problem, but you'd better find a capable Artisan. Otherwise, the negative effects could be quite severe."

Kronos wasn't too worried about that. His family had always been on good terms with the Church of Steam and Machinery, so finding a good Artisan would be easy enough.

In fact, a Sequence 9 Beyonder characteristic wasn't even worth a good Artisan's fee. But Kronos was about to set sail, and he needed a Beyonder item suited to conditions at sea. Besides, money was no concern.

As for his family's collection, it contained no Beyonder items from the Sailor Pathway. Beyonder characteristics from the orthodox deities' pathways weren't easy to find. Most Beyonders on those pathways belonged to the churches, which recovered their characteristics whenever one of them died.

After leaving Portland's place, Kronos wrote Marquis Argyle a letter explaining the characteristic's condition and how he had decided to handle it. Then he sent someone to deliver both the letter and the characteristic to the marquis.

His plan for the day was to inspect the work Beck had reported on that morning. Beck was reliable, but Kronos still needed a clear picture of everything himself.

The two houses and the Coim Company didn't need checking. Those were tasks he had specifically assigned, and their completion was enough. His main concerns were the Ansair Asset Management Company and the Walter Factory.

The Ansair Asset Management Company was in the Hillston District, which was closer, so Kronos planned to go there first. The Saint George District, where the Walter Factory was located, was much farther away and could wait until later.

The Hillston District was the economic heart of all Backlund. Every industry capable of making serious money could be found there, making it an exceptionally bustling area.

The Ansair company stood in the busiest part of the entire Hillston District, with neighbors such as the headquarters of the seven major banks, the stock exchange, and the futures exchange.

Beck hadn't known Kronos would come in person, so he wasn't outside to greet him. Since the company had only just been established and was still recruiting, it didn't even have a receptionist.

Kronos walked straight into the office. A few clerks were working inside, but none belonged to the secretarial team he knew. Those people were probably out finalizing other matters.

Kronos didn't go to see Beck. He had only come to familiarize himself with the place and look over its location and layout. Since everything looked good, he decided not to interrupt their work and turned to leave.

The next stop was the factory in the Saint George District. Although Beck had said they hadn't secured it yet, Kronos believed the person handling things there would recognize him, so he could still take a look.

The Saint George District was much farther away. Taking the subway would actually have been the best option-it was fast and saved time. But the coachman adamantly refused. If other nobles learned of it, Kronos wouldn't be the only one mocked; the Argel Family would be ridiculed too.

So Kronos had no choice but to sit in the carriage as it rocked its way toward the Saint George District.

Doing nothing during the journey would have been a waste of time, so Kronos simply began meditating in the carriage.

About an hour later, the carriage arrived at the entrance to Saint Hilarion Church. This was the headquarters of the Church of Steam and Machinery's Backlund Diocese, with a Saint stationed there. Choosing a factory nearby offered a reassuring sense of security.

The Argel Family had a special relationship with the Church of Steam and Machinery, so rather than heading straight to the factory, Kronos first visited the church to worship. That was what it meant to observe the proper courtesies.

No important figure came out to receive him, but Kronos didn't need one. He was only making a gesture.

After worshipping, Kronos left.

Two streets away from Saint Hilarion Church lay the dock area. There was a rather unusual property there: it belonged to the Saint George District, but bordered the Tussock River and had its own private dock. This was the site Beck had chosen.

When he arrived, Kronos spotted two groups facing off from a distance. Leading one side was a member of Marquis Argyle's secretarial team, with a middle-aged man in a suit standing beside him. The two stood at the center, surrounded by several other people in formal suits. A ring of workers, unmistakable in their work clothes, formed the outermost layer.

The other side was just as distinctive. They looked like a bunch of thugs, and they were by far the most aggressive, swearing nonstop and shoving both the workers and the suited men. Without the workers' protection, there was no telling what might have happened to those inside the ring.

Kronos understood the wisdom of keeping clear of danger, so he first sent the coachman to find out what had happened. The crowd might have been difficult to push through, but plenty of spectators were standing outside it.

It wasn't that he intended to abandon these people at the first sign of danger. He simply needed to establish how dangerous the situation really was, and whether he could control it.

Within a few minutes, the coachman returned with a clear account of the situation.

The Saint George District was packed with factories producing vast quantities of goods every day, creating a great demand for transportation. The property Beck and his people had their eye on belonged to a transport company-the largest in the entire district.

Very little of the Saint George District bordered the Tussock River, and only one location was geographically suitable for building a dock. That sole dock belonged to this transport company.

But with such a fine location and such a profitable business, why would its owner sell?

The reason was a gang!

The Black Skull Gang from Backlund's dock area.

The dock area contained more than eighty percent of Backlund's docks. Although none of those docks belonged to the Black Skull Gang, the businesses operating there enjoyed its "protection," and naturally had to pay protection money.

This was a gold mine for the Black Skull Gang, and naturally, they wanted more. They turned their attention to docks in other districts, inevitably setting their sights on the Saint George District's only dock.

When they approached the transport company's owner a year and a half earlier, they had demanded an acceptable sum, equivalent to ten percent of the company's profits. In return, dealings with the dock area would become much easier.

But afterward, the fee rose every three months, until it reached an astonishing seventy percent of the profits. The owner did everything he could to make inquiries, only to discover that the man assigned to his property had raised the fee on his own authority. He only needed to hand half of it over to the gang each month.

With no other options, the owner asked someone to arrange a meeting with the Black Skull Gang's higher-ups. That very night, his entire family was beaten up.

A businessman really couldn't afford to struggle endlessly against thugs like these, so the owner decided to sell the company and rid himself of the trouble. But most factory owners in the Saint George District knew about the situation and didn't dare take it on, which was why the sale had dragged on until now.

At last, someone who didn't know the truth was willing to buy his company. The owner therefore worked very hard to push the deal through, offering both a lower price and help converting the premises into a factory.

But the Black Skull Gang's man soon learned about it. He immediately brought his men over, determined to force the new buyer to agree to pay him protection money.

The man really was an idiot. Had he waited until the contract was signed to pull this stunt, the new buyer would have had little choice but to accept. But the contract hadn't been signed yet. If the buyer backed out and the seller kept the business closed, he wouldn't get a single penny.

Faced with all this trouble, the secretary decided not to buy the property and tried to leave on the spot. That was what had sparked the confrontation.

"The Black Skull Gang? I think they appeared in the original story. Something to do with the East Balam Restoration Society. They should be a subordinate organization of the Eternal Life Society, a branch of the Numinous Episcopate," Kronos muttered, rubbing his chin.

Klein had wiped out this gang later on. They apparently didn't even have a Sequence 7 Beyonder, so dealing with them would be easy.

But there was one thing to keep in mind: when dealing with an organization like this, he had to strike at its weak point in one decisive blow.

Right now, for example, Kronos had two options. He could simply teach the man in charge a lesson, but afterward, a swarm of foolish, hotheaded gang members would come charging in. Even if all they wanted was to prove their courage and loyalty, they would become a major nuisance.

But if Kronos chose to have someone pressure the Black Skull Gang's boss, the whole matter would be resolved by tomorrow. The man in charge might even be thrown into the Tussock River tonight.

Yet Kronos had come up with an entirely new idea.

He stepped out of the carriage and walked toward the crowd, ignoring the coachman's attempts to dissuade him.

Upon seeing Kronos, the secretary hurriedly shouted, "Everyone, stop!" Then he rushed over to bow before him.

He was just about to explain everything when the idiot in charge jumped forward first. "Well, well, looks like this pretty boy is the one running things. Perfect. I'll talk to him."

Kronos glanced at the man, then said, "What do you want to discuss?"

"This is a fine business you've got here. I can let you run it, but you have to give me seventy percent of the shares. Of course, I won't put in any money or do any work, but I can protect you!" the man declared arrogantly.

Kronos laughed in sheer irritation. "Idiot. You got this position through connections, didn't you?"

"What did you call me?" The man froze.

"That doesn't matter. I just want to know who's backing you."

"My sister is the mistress of Lima, the Black Skull Gang's boss. That makes us family," he boasted.

Kronos continued, "Do you know who I am?"

"Why would I need to know that?"

"Then if I turn around and leave, where will you find me? The owner here will keep the business closed, and you'll still have no income. That means you're hurting the gang's interests. A month or two might be fine, but if it goes on, do you think they'll let you live?"

Although the man was stupid, he had one redeeming quality: he listened to advice.

Kronos continued, "You can't have any shares, but you can have twenty percent of the profits each month. At least you'll have money to hand over to the gang. We can discuss what comes next later. And deal with whoever gave you this idea. They're either malicious or stupid."