Dark Moon (3)
For a brief moment, a flurry of thoughts crossed Jeron’s mind.
The Dark Moon possessed more than enough resources and capabilities to be of great help to the Farrow Territory.
He could clearly feel just how much effort Ark Farrow had poured in over the decades to build the organization to this scale.
Considering his father’s blood, sweat, and tears, he could not afford to manage this syndicate carelessly.
If it were a simple connection, maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship would have sufficed.
However, in the case of the Dark Moon, it was crucial to secure both justification and practical profit while setting a clear ultimate goal.
“We will bring our businesses into the light as much as possible and restore the ruined lives of many. Furthermore, those whose lives are restored will become our people through legitimate procedures. If you show me your absolute loyalty, I will reward you with wealth and honor.”
A burning desire ignited in the eyes of the gathered leaders.
These were people who had been rescued from the absolute brink of death at the very bottom of society and had climbed all the way here.
To offer them wealth and honor was a powerful motivator.
Restoring ruined lives served as their noble justification—a grand premise that would make this underworld syndicate look like righteous vigilantes.
This was enough to instill both a clear goal and a sense of purpose all at once.
Evan raised a hand.
“Leader, may this subordinate speak?”
“Speak.”
“The former leader also agonized deeply over bringing our underworld businesses into the light, but we faced numerous obstacles. Completely wrapping up our illicit operations is also deemed to be an extremely difficult task.”
“I am not telling you to fold our underworld businesses. I am saying we should conduct them as decently as humanly possible.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
For instance, there were operations where gambling dens lent money and sold debtors into slavery if they could not pay, or kidnapped innocent women, drugged them, and sold them to brothels.
It was a level of viciousness that made Jeron shake his head in disgust, yet it was a common occurrence in large cities.
But Jeron’s stance was clear: at the very least, they must not commit acts that stripped away basic human dignity.
“I believe that is enough for introductions on my end. Now, why don’t you introduce yourselves? Since my father retired so suddenly, I inherited the organization rather abruptly as well.”
“Introductions? You need only command us, Sire.”
One by one, they stood up to introduce themselves.
First was Evan.
“This subordinate is undeservingly in charge of the overall management of the Dark Moon. I compile the reports coming in from the various northern branches, format them into comprehensive overviews, and submit them to the leader.”
Aside from that, Evan had many duties.
The Dark Moon was a fairly large organization, and maintaining it required a significant amount of administrative effort.
While it could not compare to Jeron managing an entire territory, the sheer volume of paperwork was likely similar.
As Evan sat down, a pale-faced woman stood up.
She had ears larger than an average human's and possessed strikingly beautiful features.
A glint of curiosity flashed in Jeron’s eyes.
“I am Minette. I serve as the leader of the Black Reapers, and as you can see, I am a half-elf.”
“How did a half-elf end up all the way here?”
“I was sold from place to place as a slave. Just before I was about to die, the former leader rescued me.”
“I see.”
Though she explained it briefly, her past had clearly been incredibly turbulent.
Elves were nearly extinct in the lands of humans, but in the past, they had been heavily exploited as slaves.
An elf’s price tag was astronomical. Naturally, those who could afford to buy them as slaves were nobles.
A half-elf born between an elven slave and a human noble automatically became a slave under maternal lineage laws, destined to wander the continent.
Half-elves inherently possessed a rebellious streak, which meant the vast majority of them suffered horrific abuse.
Since they were slaves and not even treated as human, it was easy to imagine what kind of treatment they had endured.
Following Minette, the Dark Moon’s chief of finance, chief of operations, and chief of intelligence introduced themselves in turn.
Surprisingly, women made up about forty percent of the executive staff.
Furthermore, it was said that nearly half of the Dark Moon’s entire membership consisted of female talents.
Because Ark Farrow had rescued people regardless of age or gender, the demographics had naturally shaped up this way.
Even though having a high ratio of female personnel in the underworld was generally considered a significant disadvantage, Ark Farrow’s ability to grow the Dark Moon to this level was truly impressive.
Once everyone’s introductions were complete, Jeron introduced Sir Layla to them.
“My father originally designated Sir Jenald as the administrator and leader of the Dark Moon. However, with my father’s retirement, Sir Jenald has also stepped down from all Dark Moon affairs. As you all know, Sir Jenald is at an age where it wouldn't be surprising for his strength to fail him at any moment.”
The leaders nodded in agreement.
Sir Jenald was nearly sixty years old.
He had already lived a long life, and it would not be strange if he passed away tomorrow.
Since Ark Farrow was only in his forties, it was a perfectly reasonable time for a generational shift.
It’s absurd for a man who hasn’t even hit sixty to retire, but considering the average life expectancy of this era, it can’t be helped.
“Sir Jenald’s position will be assumed by Sir Layla.”
“I am Layla Cavain.”
“We look forward to working with you.”
Layla and the Dark Moon executives exchanged formal greetings.
The executives quietly observed Layla, trying to gauge her character.
Although Jeron was their ultimate leader, he could not visit the headquarters often due to his duties in the territory.
Moreover, it would do no good if the fact that Jeron was backing the Dark Moon ever leaked out.
I’ll have to be careful from now on.
Security was the lifeblood of a secret organization.
In that sense, Jeron’s actions today had been slightly reckless.
Once the introductions were over, Jeron decided to foster some camaraderie before diving into the various reports.
He made up his mind and pulled out a few bottles of twelve-year-old whiskey.
Originally, Jeron had intended to keep them for himself, but after seeing the Dark Moon in person, he realized he could not afford to neglect this organization.
To fully inherit the Dark Moon and wield them as his loyal hands and feet, simple duty would not suffice.
Clack.
The whiskey bottles were set upon the table.
While they were of slightly lower quality than the ones he had gifted to the high nobles, they were still spirits that could never be found on the Karen Continent.
“Wait, this is...”
“You are all my vassals now.”
“Vassals...”
The executives’ eyes trembled.
Considering these were people who had barely survived the bottom of society and risen here purely on talent, Jeron’s words were a bit of an exaggeration.
But that was fine.
If a few words could secure even a fraction more of their loyalty, he would say them a hundred times over.
As the glasses were filled, a sharp, sweet aroma drifted through the room.
“Now, let us have a drink and continue our discussion.”
The executives downed their drinks in one go.
Compared to seventeen or twenty-one-year-old whiskeys, this twelve-year-old blend felt a bit harsh, and its flavor profile was slightly lacking compared to well-aged spirits.
Even so, it was a whiskey that represented the pinnacle of modern brewing technology.
It was on an entirely different level of quality compared to the cheap alcohol they usually drank here.
“Ah...! To think such precious alcohol exists!”
“What in the world is this...”
Everyone looked as if their minds were about to blow.
It was a reaction very similar to when the soldiers had first tasted fried chicken.
Since they had likely never tasted a liquor so strong yet rich in flavor, a deep wave of awe washed over them.
After a few rounds, their faces flushed, and the tense atmosphere softened considerably.
This was exactly the effect Jeron had aimed for.
Jeron also relaxed his posture and spoke more casually.
“When I was walking through the entertainment district earlier, I ended up cutting down some thugs. I noticed one group had a silver wolf tattooed on their necks. Are they a hostile organization?”
“You saw correctly, Sire. That would be the Silver Wolf syndicate. Along with our Dark Moon, they are one of the two major organizations that split Hanes County.”
“So they share control of the Hanes underworld.”
“Yes, Sire. The ones you dealt with were merely low-level thugs. They also possess a combat force that rivals our Black Reapers. Their numbers are similar to ours, around a hundred members, and they are called the Dire Wolves.”
“Did they have a grudge against wolves? Why is everything wolf-themed?”
“There are rumors that the leader of the Silver Wolves is a werewolf, though it has never been confirmed.”
According to Evan, their ill-fated relationship went back over a hundred years.
Just like the Farrow family, the Dark Moon had gone through cycles of ruin and prosperity, and behind those shifts was always a turf war with the Silver Wolves.
Since their current strength was roughly equal, fierce battles were constantly being waged in both the underground and the surface.
The losses incurred from this feud were far from negligible.
“If we wipe out the Silver Wolves, can we unify the northern underworld?”
“That is uncertain, Sire. Just as the Dark Moon has a noble house backing us, it appears the Silver Wolves also have a powerful noble backing them.”
“Complicated, indeed.”
“Most underworld syndicates maintain collusive relationships with the nobility. It is simply kept hidden from the public eye.”
Jeron clicked his tongue.
The larger the territory, the more likely it was that a powerful noble was acting as a mastermind, infiltrating the underworld.
They frequently used the underworld to fight proxy wars.
In the case of Hanes County, such conflicts were said to be at their peak.
The only saving grace was that Count Hanes himself operated in the central political sphere, leaving the local underworld to run its course.
At this moment, Jeron caught a glimpse of the dark side of the nobility.
Then again, no matter how medieval this world was, maintaining an underworld syndicate without connections to noble houses would have been nearly impossible.
Understanding this hidden reality made him realize just how hard Ark Farrow had worked to establish the current Dark Moon.
Given all that struggle, it’s understandable why Father retired.
He needed to focus on pacifying the underworld, but he had to avoid overextending. If he made a wrong move, it could escalate into a territorial war between noble houses.
Nothing in life was easy.
Next was the report from Venuss, the chief of operations.
Venuss was a man in his early thirties with a somewhat plump build that fit the image of a merchant perfectly.
As the atmosphere relaxed, his natural personality seemed to emerge. In terms of vibe, he was quite similar to Burken—though their physical appearances were completely different, given Venuss's stout frame.
“Our Dark Moon operates various businesses across the north, but they can be summarized as follows.”
Venuss explained in a friendly manner.
According to him, the Dark Moon's businesses could be categorized into six main types.
In the underworld, intelligence-related businesses were the largest, and they also operated several taverns and gambling dens.
On the surface, they ran inns and general trade. Interestingly, they had also dipped their toes into the delivery business, which could be considered the courier service of this era.
Although the scale of the delivery business wasn't very large, it spanned the entire northern region, allowing them to gather a vast amount of information.
The more Jeron listened, the more amazed he became.
The Dark Moon was managing funds that rivaled the Farrow Territory's entire annual budget, and all of this was possible thanks to Ark Farrow.
However, most of the funds were reinvested into business expansion and territorial growth. Since many of these ventures had only recently begun, the net profits were not yet massive.
Aside from that, they had investments scattered in various places and held tens of thousands of gold coins in cash.
The scale of their liquid funds isn't that large. But that just depends on how we grow it.
It wasn't that the territory was dirt poor.
It was just that because all funds were reinvested into businesses and expanding their influence, the capital flowing back into the Farrow fief itself was minimal.
Of course, running an underworld syndicate wasn't done purely to make money.
Their ancestors had poured effort into it because they knew that information was the ultimate lifeblood.
In any case, once the trade rights were secured, they wouldn't have to suffer from severe financial difficulties, so he didn't need to obsess over money too much right now.
Finally, Aria, the chief of intelligence, delivered her report.
Judging by how her beauty rivaled Minette's, she too likely possessed an extraordinary past.
“We are currently compiling various pieces of intelligence, but the most critical matter we are investigating is the suspicion that someone has been selling weapons, war supplies, and state secrets to the Lapis Kingdom.”
“What!?”