Viscount Iscoran's seat was among the civilian representatives in the back row.
Surrounded by private security companies and mercenary groups, his unique aura made him stand out conspicuously.
He didn't need to make a show of his distinction; merely standing casually made him the center of attention.
When Viscount Iscoran mentioned that the Brotherhood of the Blade had dispatched dedicated assassins, Councilman Virgil felt as if his head was going to explode.
It was even more stressful than facing the Secret Intelligence Bureau Inspector of Seawall District moments ago.
The Inspector wanted money. This one likely wanted "power."
Storm City was already chaotic enough; the Brotherhood of the Blade's involvement could only make things worse.
"Viscount Iscoran!" Virgil declared, "Assassins are illegal in Storm City. The Empire has repeatedly ordered the Brotherhood of the Blade to disband your assassins. I will not entrust the city's safety to a group of assassins."
Viscount Iscoran smiled and said, "That was a poor choice of words on my part. After talking about 'assassins' for so long, I misspoke.
The Brotherhood of the Blade has disbanded its assassins in compliance with imperial law. The members we've sent this time belong to our newly established 'Sting Blades.' I assure you they are very powerful and unafraid of death, all willing to sacrifice their lives for the safety of Storm City..."
Virgil cursed internally, changing the name didn't change the fact that they were professional assassins.
These old nobles were unwilling to relinquish the privileges granted to them by the royal family at the founding of the Argent Empire.
"Viscount Iscoran, I believe our Storm City Administrative Hall is capable of handling this crisis. We do not need the Brotherhood of the Blade's assistance."
"Hahaha... I respect your opinion." Despite the repeated rejections, Viscount Iscoran maintained his composure.
"But Storm City does not belong solely to the Administrative Hall. As a civil organization, the Brotherhood of the Blade has a duty to protect this city.
Our 'Sting Blades' will be ready to act during any disaster and will conduct routine patrols... I request that the security personnel in all districts do not mistakenly attack us."
It was clear that the Brotherhood of the Blade intended to seize this opportunity to assert its influence in Storm City.
Even if they couldn't secure official positions, they wanted to establish themselves as a vigilante force.
Viscount Iscoran sat back down elegantly, but the tense atmosphere of the meeting did not ease.
The Brotherhood of the Blade's interference made Councilman Virgil lose interest in continuing the meeting.
He assigned the task of forming a city crisis response agency to the Chief of Public Safety and appointed a few others to join a small meeting before declaring the city safety conference adjourned.
Officials left one by one, while Lucas and Karina ran around the City Hall.
Only after securing the 80 million Imperial Mark special fund check did they leave the Administrative Hall, fully satisfied.
In the car, sitting in the back with Lucas, Karina couldn't resist sharing the highlights of the conference with Shelley and Zane in the front.
When they heard that Lucas had secured 80 million Imperial Marks from the Administrative Hall, Shelley turned her head and asked, "Inspector, how will the money be distributed?"
"Distributed?!" Lucas scolded. "Do you think this 80 million Imperial Marks came easily? We might not get our monthly 2 million city subsidy anymore. This money is for investment!
If you want a good life in the future, don't even think about touching this money without my authorization. Karina... no one can use this money without my written permission."
"Yes, Inspector!" Karina tightly clutched the bag in her hands.
"Zane, drive!"
"Yes, Inspector!"
Zane started the car, and the Secret Intelligence Bureau's convoy left the Administrative Hall.
Not far away, Viscount Iscoran watched Lucas's convoy depart from inside a carriage.
Viscount Iscoran spoke to a hooded figure beside him, dressed in a dark coat, "Storm City, from top to bottom, is filled with people from the city council. It will be very difficult for us to truly infiltrate. This newly appointed Inspector of the Seawall District Secret Intelligence Bureau has some minor conflicts with the city administration. He is a target we can win over."
The hooded figure responded in a low voice, "The Secret Intelligence Bureau? They are the rivals of our Assassin Tavern! The conflict between imperial agents and our Bladed Assassins has never ceased."
"Times have changed... We must accept this fact! The Brotherhood of the Blade was founded to oppose royal power, but now the Brotherhood is no longer equal to the royal authority. The Assassin Tavern is also not on equal footing with the Secret Intelligence Bureau.
We should not simply categorize the Intelligence Bureau as our enemy. If we want to continue the glory of the nobility, the first thing we must do is avoid being eliminated by the times.
The bigwigs of the Brotherhood should really step out of their manors, come to Storm City, and see the world outside."
"My lord, the Brotherhood needs reform, and it needs someone with your wisdom and vision to lead it."
Viscount Iscoran glanced sharply at the person beside him.
"I have no intention of vying for power and profit!"
"Sorry, my lord... that was a poor choice of words."
"Hmm... send someone to investigate the Seawall District Secret Intelligence Bureau. I've heard that the Seawall District Security Bureau has recently had trouble with them."
"Yes, my lord."
...
Lucas had no idea that he was now under the Brotherhood of the Blade's scrutiny.
After his recent uproar at the city hall, he was certain that many people were paying attention to him and the Seawall District Secret Intelligence Bureau, so he didn't mind a few more pairs of eyes.
Back at his office, Lucas called all the department heads into his office.
In just a short time, everyone in the Intelligence Bureau had heard from Zane's big mouth that the Inspector had secured an 80 million Imperial Mark special fund from the city hall.
Wealth had arrived!
The Seawall District Secret Intelligence Bureau had never been so affluent. Everyone's faces were filled with joy.
Lucas was also very generous, having Karina write checks on the spot.
Each department head received an initial bonus of 100,000 Marks, and regular agents got an additional 20,000 Marks as this month's bonus.
Lucas personally handed each 100,000 Mark check to the department heads, encouraging them to work hard.
Once everyone happily tucked away their checks, it was time to discuss serious matters.
First on the agenda was expansion.
Currently, the Seawall District Secret Intelligence Bureau had around four hundred personnel, including both permanent staff and temporary workers.
Subtracting undercover agents, the elderly, the infirm, and administrative staff, the combat-ready force was barely a few dozen.
Any significant operation required everyone to mobilize just to maintain appearances.
For future plans involving potion production and smuggling, this number was clearly insufficient.
Additionally, there was the task of capturing the elf, Ela, and conducting a city-wide manhunt.
Even just to keep up appearances, more manpower was needed.
First, they would increase to two thousand temporary workers.
It just so happened that there was a group of experienced fighters at the headquarters of the Mad Axe Gang, all reliable and already connected to the Flame Sun Smuggling Group.
They would all be integrated into the Intelligence Bureau.