Who is the richest person in the world?
Some people will immediately think of the Emperor. There is no one in the world with more money than the Emperor.
However, the Emperor's wealth is only meaningful within the Palace. Some people might argue that he cannot be considered a true 'rich person' because he does not have the freedom to use his wealth.
Others may think of the Golden King, Seok Dae-rip, and Seok No-ya, the owners of the Central Plains Battle.
Even today, an unimaginable amount of cash and vouchers are exchanged in the Central Plains Business field.
The Central Plains Business field, the largest bank in Central Plains, sees an unimaginable amount of cash and vouchers exchanged daily. Seok Dae-rip, the owner and one of the Central Plains Ten Merchants, is truly the richest man in Central Plains.
However, some might shake their heads at that statement.
There is more hidden money in the world than any visible money. Those who move real money are not in the bright world but in the shadows.
It is said that the jewel of the Black Ghost Tower, involved in all kinds of dirty money such as gambling and human trafficking, handles the most money in the world. It is rumored that touching it without permission could lead to the destruction of three generations of a family.
Even if that statement is an exaggeration, no one can deny that the jewel of the Desolate Gold Elder is one of the three richest people in the world.
The treasure room of the Black Ghost Tower, where the lord Desolate Gold Elder resided, was much simpler than expected. No, rather than simple, it was more lonely.
An old and worn-out desk, an old and twisted chair, and books and ledgers that filled one wall were all that was in the room.
People were gathered in the shabby room, where not a single cheap folding table or orchid could be seen. They all had serious faces.
Kiik.
The old chair that Desolate Gold Elder sat on creaked loudly. His hands, instead of expressing discomfort with words, fell off the abacus.
Desolate Elder's hands, which were accustomed to playing the abacus, never stopped. As long as he sat at the desk, he would roll the abacus out of habit, even when receiving reports or writing documents.
Even after receiving reports that the Namgung family was coming to Plum Blossom Island and Jang Ilso was personally going to the Yangtze River to confront Shaolin, his hands did not stop.
But now, his hands had stopped.
"Where now?"
This cold voice escaped from the lips of Desolate Gold Elder.
One of those standing in front of him spoke with a stiff face.
"There are those committing massacres in Hangzhou. According to the information I have confirmed so far, it is probably… that group of the Demonic Cult."
Desolate Gold Elder's mouth slightly twitched.
"Demonic Cult?"
"Yes."
"You sure?"
"… I cannot say that I have confirmed it fully. However, the survivors of the Hangzhou branch have reported it."
"There are survivors?"
The eyes of the Desolate Gold Elder narrowed.
"If you confirmed that the enemy was from the Demonic Cult, such a person didn't run as soon as he saw them but fought with the Demonic Cult and survived?"
"It seems they let him go alive."
"That is odd."
The Desolate Gold Elder leaned back in the chair.
"That's not the way the Demonic Cult works either. If the stories we heard about the Demonic Cult in the past are true, then you wouldn't have missed this fact. So is there a reason you judged them to be from the Demonic Cult?"
"… the survivor said so."
"That is the answer…."
"To be exact, it wasn't the survivor, but someone who had once been a survivor who said that. They claimed they didn't need anything other than their mouths to communicate, so they ripped off all the skin on the face, gouged out the eyes, and cut off both arms. As if that wasn't enough, they drilled holes in the body and told him to run forward if he wanted to live."
"…."
Even the Desolate Gold Elder of the world was speechless for a moment.
"When the rear guard found the survivor, he had already lost consciousness. It was the Demonic Cult. He kept repeating the same words, that the Demonic Cult had come, until he died of exhaustion."
"… it seems to be the case."
A sigh escaped from his lips.
To the Evil Sect, being cruel isn't exactly an insult. It is even considered somewhat similar to being bold.
But this is too much. No sect would kill a person like this.
Only those who don't see people as people can do this.
"The Demonic Cult. In Hangzhou…."
The fingers of the Desolate Gold Elder were placed on the abacus. However, his fingers, which had flinched several times, couldn't move.
"It is really twisted."
A self-deprecating laugh escaped his mouth.
"Now of all times… why now?"
At that moment, Wei Chong looked around and quietly opened his mouth.
"Lord. I don't know if this is presumptuous, but…"
"Let us talk without unnecessary details. Just say it."
"Yes. Tower Lord. Even though times have changed, dealing with the Demonic Cult has always been the job of the entire Central Plains. Shouldn't we have this information about the Demonic Cult's rise told to them and receive support without having to resort to unnecessary trouble?"
"That's what we should do normally…"
"Uh? Then…."
"If it wasn't for now, then."
The voice of the Desolate Gold Elder was emotionless.
"In the past, of course, it would have been like that. No, there was no need to do such a troublesome thing. If we had just let it be known that the Demonic Cult had appeared, the Justice Faction guys who were playing the game by the riverside would have rushed over and fought them."
In the past, wasn't it the Justice Faction guys who stopped the Heavenly Demon?
"But not now."
"Why… ah, the Southern Island restrictions!"
Desolate Gold Elder nodded.
"That is also a reason. But the bigger issue is that Shaolin, which can be called the center of the current Justice Faction, is facing off against the Ten Thousand People Clan in the Yangtze River. Those who were fighting one another while growling at each other suddenly change their attitudes when they see the Demonic Cult appearing?"
"…."
"If that was possible, it would really be right to call us Buddhas and Immortals, not humans. It would take a long time for that to happen."
Desolate Gold Elder glanced at my face.
'The timing is too bad.'
Jang Ilso's strategy of secluding himself in the Yangtze River and opposing each other to divide everyone had unexpectedly led to the worst outcome.
But who could blame Jang Ilso now?
Was there even one person in the world who predicted that the remnants of the Demonic Cult, who had not shown themselves for a hundred years, would rise up in Hangzhou at this very moment?
'What if the Yangtze River isn't broken through and neither side moves its troops? That would be the worst.'
But at the same time, it is possible. It would be difficult for even the Ten Thousand People Clan and Shaolin to back out first. If no one backs down, they would have to hold their ground until a sword flew from behind.
In that case, they would have to deal with them only with the Black Ghost Tower.
That Demonic Cult.
The hands of Desolate Gold Elder quickly flicked the abacus beads.
"There's no way the Demonic Cult has preserved its former strength. It would be, at most, less than three-tenths. In that case, we should assume that their actual strength is less than one-tenth."
The reason for that judgment is simple. The power of the Demonic Cult, which once dyed the Central Plains in blood, came from the existence of the 'Heavenly Demon.'
Desolate Gold Elder naturally thought that the existence of the Heavenly Demon was exaggerated. If all the oral tales were true, he would not be human but something more.
However, even if all those absurd legends were removed, the human called Heavenly Demon, as seen, was equally powerful. Since that Heavenly Demon no longer exists, the Demonic Cult, which has now revealed itself, wouldn't be the Demonic Cult they knew.
That would be the case. No, it had to be that way.
Desolate Gold Elder's hands, flicking the abacus beads, became even faster.
"… Lord."
Thump!
Finally, Desolate Gold Elder's hands, which had spread wide, pressed down on the abacus. An icy coldness settled on his face, as if he had made up his mind.
"… Wei-chung."
"Yes, Lord."
"Gather all the useful ones."
Drrrrr.
The sound of the abacus beads rubbing against each other rang out eerily.
Desolate Gold Elder asked with a cold, sullen face.
"Didn't they say they sent the survivor back alive?"
"Yes."
"That means they wanted to let people know they are the Demonic Cult."
"Surely… we can see it that way."
Desolate Gold Elder lightly pressed his eyes.
"Making yourself known means you have another goal. If they were going to get it by force, they wouldn't have resorted to such troublesome methods. They have the will to speak."
Wei-chung nodded.
Desolate Gold Elder was right. They must have something else in mind and want to get something out of it too. If it was just a simple massacre, they wouldn't have bothered to reveal who they were.
"What do you plan on doing?"
"First…"
Desolate Gold Elder nodded as if he had made up his mind.
"We have to find out what they want first. We cannot gamble without knowing what cards they have."
Wei-Chung looked at Desolate Gold Elder with renewed admiration. It might seem like an obvious conclusion, but it's definitely not easy to calmly assess the situation after hearing that the Demonic Cult is waging a massacre in Hangzhou.
"I will go."
"No."
Desolate Gold Elder shook his head firmly at Wei-Chung's words.
"I will go."
"Lord! It is too dangerous!"
Desolate Gold Elder spoke coldly, without changing his expression.
"No matter how much they crawled out of the boring history, if they really are people of the Demonic Cult, someone worthy of their status should deal with them."
"But…"
"There is no need to be afraid."
The dark eyes of Desolate Gold Elder stared at Wei-Chung.
"After all, the Demonic Cult is just humans made of flesh and blood. If they are not mute beasts but humans who can talk, there is plenty of room for negotiation."
After speaking, Desolate Gold Elder was lost in thought for a moment.
Whether the Demonic Cult was stronger than he expected, or had lost its former prestige and turned weak, it would only be a loss to fight them alone.
What if the Black Ghost Tower suffers great damage while fighting the Demonic Cult?
'That Jang Ilso's blade will be pointed at us.'
What the injured lynx fears most is not a tiger which appears out of nowhere, but the group it was hunting with just a moment ago. And Jang Ilso is a lynx that never misses the scent of blood.
And then the conclusion was sent.
"Get ready."
"Yes, lord. I will do it."
Wei-Chung ran out like the wind. It was a new time worthy of Black Ghost Tower, which considered time as gold.
Desolate Gold Elder didn't glance once at the kid who was leaving.
Tak! Tak! Tak!
The sound of abacus beads moving gradually died down. At the same time, the breathing of Desolate Gold Elder grew thinner and weaker.
"It isn't like he is a monster with three heads and six feet, but even so, he's still human."
Humans can't escape from desire. No, to be exact, there are humans who can suppress their desires, but there are no sects that are free from profit.
Then, one can always bring negotiation to the table, right? Isn't that the way of the Black Ghost Tower?
But Desolate Gold Elder didn't know.
There are people in the world who do not follow common sense at all. How big a mistake it is to interpret such people within the range of common sense.
The world had forgotten about the Demonic Cult.
But… it will soon be engraved in their minds again.