Inside the temporary base of Shadow Garden, one billion Zeny sat brazenly displayed on the table.
As the saying goes, the first step is always the hardest; without the 100 million Zeny Shino had borrowed from Cid, they never could have amassed a billion this quickly.
Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta all looked at Shino, waiting for his next directive.
“Regarding this billion Zeny…
I believe the credit belongs entirely to Gamma.
She has a natural gift for business.
Therefore, I am entrusting 500 million Zeny to Gamma to use as capital for her commercial ventures.” “Lord Phantom, I can’t!” Gamma protested.
“Everything I know, I learned from your teachings.
If it were you, you would have spotted this opportunity even more easily and earned far more than I did!” To be honest, Shino hadn’t actually seen the opportunity at all.
While he possessed the business theories from his past life, he was an armchair general at best–his knowledge looked good on paper but was useless in practice.
“Gamma, this is an order.
You must do it!” Shino said, his face hardening.
“These 500 million Zeny are yours to manage.
It’s settled.” Gamma realized she couldn’t refuse any longer without genuinely upsetting him.
“Alpha, take 100 million Zeny to establish Shadow Garden’s intelligence department,” Shino continued.
“We still don’t know where the enemy’s bases are.
We need an information network to investigate the Cult’s movements.
As they say, know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated.” “As for the remaining 400 million Zeny, I have other uses for them.” “I have taught you everything I can for now.
From this point forward, Alpha and Delta will operate together to gather intelligence on the Cult.
Beta will assist Gamma in establishing the company to provide a steady flow of funds for our future operations.” Having finished his instructions, Shino left with the 400 million Zeny.
300 million were for Cid, and the last 100 million were for himself.
Over the recent months, the food, clothing, and daily expenses for the girls had been coming out of his personal savings.
His “little vault” was running dry, and it was time for a refill.
On a dark and windy night, two cloaked figures met on a solitary boat in the middle of a lake.
“What is the meaning of this summons?” Cid asked, his voice dripping with cool detachment.
“The three hundred million Zeny I promised.” Shino placed the massive sum onto the boat.
“…” “…” The two brothers fell into a brief silence.
“Did you rob a bank?” Cid finally asked.
“No, I made it through business.” “…” Cid paused.
“How about I just work for you instead?” “Where is your dignity as an ‘Eminence in Shadow’?” “Forget I said anything.” Cid looked at his brother.
“Aren’t you afraid of getting caught, hanging out with Alpha and the others every day?” “Not really.
If I’m caught, I’ll just apologize.
I’m sure Alpha will forgive me.” Cid still believed the Cult of Diabolos was a fictional story he and Shino had made up.
“Is that so?
Well, good luck with that.” Cid turned to leave.
“Wait,” Shino called out.
“If you encounter anyone suffering from Demon Possession, tell me.
I’ll treat them and bring them into Shadow Garden.
For every person you find, I’ll give you ten million Zeny.” Cid stopped in his tracks.
“Is that a promise?” “Absolutely.” “Deal.” Cid vanished into the night.
Shino lay back lazily on the boat.
*This way, I don’t have to worry about missing Epsilon, Zeta, or Eta.* *Shadow Garden…
my…
well, whatever.* A grin spread across Shino’s face.
*I shouldn’t get too ahead of myself, though.
Arrogance invites a lightning strike.* Talking to Cid was simple: you just had to appeal to his emotions and reason–specifically, his love for money.
As long as it wasn’t something truly “evil,” Cid would do almost anything.
Both brothers had their own sense of morality; neither would go out of their way to harm others, but if someone crossed them…
well, they wouldn’t hesitate to play the villain.
Following Shino’s orders, everyone in Shadow Garden became incredibly busy.
Before Alpha left for her mission, Shino pulled her aside.
“Phantom?
Is there something else?” “Delta…
she isn’t very bright.” “So, you want me to look after her?” “No.
I want you to treat her like a trained animal.” “Eh?” Alpha blinked, confused.
“I know you want to treat everyone in Shadow Garden like family, but if Delta is given too much slack, she’ll cause trouble.” Alpha nodded.
“I understand.” Delta, who had been standing nearby the whole time, chimed in.
“Delta is a wolf!” Neither Shino nor Alpha paid her any attention.
Trying to reason with her was like playing a flute to a cow.
“Delta, from now on, you will obey Alpha’s every command.
You are not allowed to act on your instincts.
Before you do anything, ask Alpha for permission.” “Delta understands!” Alpha and Delta departed together.
Shino recalled Delta’s first few weeks at the base.
While her combat strength had skyrocketed, she had also started becoming unruly.
Relying on her raw power, she had tried to bully Beta and Gamma, trying to pin them down and force them to show their bellies.
Beta and Gamma hadn’t been angry; they just thought she was playing.
But Shino knew better.
Delta was behaving like a wild beast, trying to establish her dominance in the pack.
That kind of toxic environment couldn’t be tolerated.
Shino had given Delta a thorough thrashing and then forced *her* to lie down and show her belly for Beta and Gamma to pet.
In Delta’s original tribe, exposing the stomach was a sign of total submission.
Under Shino’s “deterrence,” Delta had transformed from a wild, unruly wolf into an obedient one.
If Shino hadn’t stepped in, Alpha likely would have been the one to discipline her eventually.
A wild streak wasn’t a bad thing—but it should be directed at the enemy, not at their own comrades.
As for the others, Shino didn’t need to worry.
They were all brilliant.
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