Crimson Overlord

"Guide me to the hideout," Lilith ordered coldly.

''O-Only if you p-promise me y-you will not kill me."

The man forced himself to say those words despite his fear. He must be sure he would survive as he was betraying his gang.

Lilith gave him a brief glance before nodding. It was unknown what she thought as her face was unreadable.

"Okay."

The man sighed in relief and stood up before taking me to the gang's base.

The gang he belonged to was called Black Snake. It was a medium-sized gang that occupied part of the west of the capital. According to the man, its leader was a Level 4 Origin master, and he had four Level 5 Origin master as subordinates.

Orpheus, who heard this, knew this gang must have a connection with the imperial family or some noble families because no gang could survive otherwise. The emperor and the nobles couldn't let them gain influence if they didn't have something to gain from this. It had always been like that.

''Master, why are you doing this? It's because you wish to punish Leon, the crown prince, the future ruler of this empire?" Amber asked after thinking hard. She was smart, and after what happened in the library, she understood that Leon seemed to be targeting her master; he even sent someone to get closer to her to get information because if she had been in his shoes, she would have done the same thing.

Her master was too sharp, so naturally, he must have noticed Leon's hostility; maybe it was why he enacted this plan.

Orpheus chuckled; he was happy that his new subordinate was smart and could connect the dots easily without someone explicitly telling her everything.

''That's part of the reasons why I'm doing this. The real reason is that I wish to take over this empire, and for this, I must start from the bottom to the top. Even without the little brat, I would have done the same thing, just that I have changed my plan because it will be fun to play with him, don't you think too?"

Amber nodded while inwardly she was shivering; her master's eyes shone when he was talking about playing with Leon. Although she didn't know what her master had planned for Leon, it would be nothing good; she almost felt pity for the man. His greatest mistake would have been he made her master his enemy; however, he had yet to know this.

''Master, do you wish to rule an empire?" Amber asked this question after hearing why her master was doing this, and as she had expected, her master smiled, not answering, but his smile could be interpreted as an answer in itself.

The two continued to watch Lilith and the man head toward Black Snake Gang headquarters.

Feeling a little talkative, Orpheus asked.

''To rule what to you need the most?"

"You will need support.'' Amber's answer was immediate, she might have left the orphanage recently, but it doesn't mean she was clueless about certain things. Even at the orphanage, if you wish to be the little boss of other children, you need support, so the same thing must be applied to an empire.

''Good answer. Let's say I wish to put someone on the throne. I'll need support. The best support is the commoners and the best part to start with is the gangs.''

''And why is it like that?" Amber asked, not wanting to miss out on an opportunity to have her master talk a little longer with her.

Orpheus noticed this but did nothing; he started, so he must finish; sometimes, you better give your subordinates what they desire to make them loyal, to let them see that you cared about them.

''You know Gangs have a certain level of influence in the capital, mainly among commoners. Even if they can't afford to offend the nobles and have to be careful with the imperial guards, their words have a strong power among commoners. No commoner dares to offend a member of the gangs unless he is strong enough or has a strong backing.''

As someone who came from the bottom, he was born and raised in a slum, so he knew what he was talking about.

Orpheus continued.

''As I said, you must start from the gangs. Gaining control of a gang is not hard. Unless the gang is a force belonging to a noble family, you only need to show a stronger punch to become its leader. Of course, this does not guarantee the members' loyalty, and they will probably try to kill you a few times before accepting you as their leader. But with enough time and enough benefices, they'll become your arm and legs. It's what I'm aiming for. Lilith is doing a good job; you should watch and learn. That's why I took you with me.''

Orpheus ended his explanation by pointing ahead, and following his hand, Amber noticed that Lilith and the man had arrived at their destination.

The Black Snake's base was located in a bar hidden in a dark alleyway. Even before reaching the bar, Lilith could already feel a dozen gazes looking warily at her. She felt that they just needed an order to pounce like rabid dogs. The dagger around her waist quivered lightly as if she couldn't wait to be unsheathed; Lilith calmed her down and continued to watch her surrounding through her senses (Eyes and spirit perception)

She was surprised that even the prostitutes nearby had a sharp look in their eyes. She had to admit that this gang had a pretty good sense of unity. Orpheus, who was watching everything from somewhere, nodded, thinking Lilith had picked up a good gang; they would be worth nurturing.

Guided by the man, Lilith finally reached the door of the bar where a sweet voice belonging to a woman reached her ears; this voice not only was sweet, it was imposing as well.

''Ohohoho! We have a visitor. A beautiful little flower. Jack, who is our guest?"