Chapter 824: A Man Can Only Rely on Himself

A hundred-square-meter bath was prepared for one person. The king lay in the hot water, nerves completely relaxed.

When the Federation first found him, he had nearly pissed himself in fear.

He thought they were there to kill him and almost confessed he was just a stand-in. Fortunately, their polite demeanor kept him from saying anything foolish.

In return, he got the life he now enjoyed.

Unlike other royals who lived in constant fear—worried the Federation would barge in and kill them just like they did to the old king—he was at ease.

Yes, many members of the royal family still believed it wasn’t some political faction that killed the old king—it was the Federation.

Removing the old king was the first step toward controlling the country through a puppet. When the time was right, they would eliminate the rest of the royals. Then Nagaryll would truly be finished.

Everyone lived in fear. The Federation forbade the royals from leaving, which also served as a form of intimidation.

But only the king knew: there was no need to be afraid. Even if the whole world wanted them dead, the Federation needed them alive—and well.

How else could the Federation justify its actions in Nagaryll as something other than a power grab?

During his years impersonating the Crown Prince abroad, he hadn’t just wasted time—he’d learned a lot. Though he had little social interaction, he wasn’t ignorant.

In this cold country and colder palace, there was no one more reliable than the Federation.

As he thought about the agreements he’d made with them—

When the time came, he would retire early and quietly move to the Federation to enjoy the rest of his life.

The Federation had promised him a new identity and a massive sum of money—enough to last a lifetime.

Five years at most—that was their guarantee.

The thought of it lit up his previously dull life. He couldn’t help but smile.

Then, sudden footsteps disrupted the quiet.

No one should be here. The heavy footfalls were especially out of place.

Palace women weren’t allowed to wear shoes—they might scratch the gem-inlaid floors—so their steps were always silent.

Only men made noise. And everyone knew his habits. No one would dare disturb him now.

His heart jumped. The still water rippled outward from his body.

He jolted upright, eyes snapping open—but it was too late.

A chill scraped up his spine and hit the back of his skull. He shuddered.

The Crown Prince stared at the man in the bath—his stand-in—with no expression. His identity couldn’t be revealed just yet.

If his supporters realized they’d been backing the actual Crown Prince all along, their belief might collapse.

And if that happened, the Crown Prince didn’t know what their future would be—but he was sure of his: death, and by their hands.

“Cooperate, and you’ll live,” he said.

“Refuse, and you’ll die. Understand?”

The palace’s loose security was something the new king had intentionally arranged to impress the Federation. With many Federation troops stationed outside, he wasn’t worried anyone would get in.

But not only had someone broken in—they had found him.

More footsteps approached. A few more men arrived. The Crown Prince turned to them. “Take him. I’ll come out in five minutes.”

This was part of the plan. Someone needed to be held responsible.

They’d studied resistance tactics from Amélia and learned it was important to leave evidence proving who did it. That way they could gain fame, attract support, and recruit more people.

The men silently pointed their guns at the king. He put on his clothes with a grim face and followed them.

After they left the bath, the Crown Prince walked to a wall.

On it was a beast-headed figure with eight human arms—a god from the local religion. Each hand held a treasure. The Crown Prince pressed each arm down in sequence. The statue and the wall behind it slowly moved aside, revealing a hidden space.

The vault required precise operation. One wrong move and it wouldn’t open. Other palace statues could also move slightly, so no one who didn’t know the exact mechanism could guess there was a treasure room beneath the bath.

Three minutes later, he emerged with items in his pockets—a gemstone the size of a child’s fist and a bank deposit certificate.

Early the next morning, people finally realized something was wrong: the king was missing!

The Federation quickly ordered a full search of the palace. Within 30 minutes, news of the king’s abduction had reached the upper ranks of the Joint Development Company.

Lynch was having breakfast when a phone call came in to the nearby landline.

“The king has been abducted. They say a video will be mailed to the TV station by noon. Please watch it. Also, join our conference call at 11. The number is…”

Lynch pulled out a pen and jotted the number down on a notepad.

After hanging up, he called Mr. Truman and shared what he knew. “That so-called Nagaryll National Congress kidnapped the king. Any further info?”

Mr. Truman had his office cleared and the door shut. “We’ve investigated the DPP. Supposedly, they’re the ones who killed the old royal couple. They were behind the last attack on the palace.”

“Tracing it back, the NNC is actually the old Nagaryll Youth Party.”

“As for what’s happening now, I haven’t got much more—still waiting on updates.”

He paused, then asked, “Any intel from the Joint Development Company?”

Their infiltration of Nagaryll was deeper than the military or government. They had access to sectors and regions even the military might not.

“Nothing yet,” Lynch said. “But there’s a board meeting at noon. I have a feeling it’s related.”

“After it’s over, let me know everything that happened in the meeting—if possible…”

Neither of them had any further information. After exchanging what little they knew, they ended the call.

At 11:00, the conference call began. Lynch joined in from his study.

No one spoke. Everyone was waiting for news.

Around 11:30, the kidnappers sent the videotape to the TV station. The meeting audio was patched through with a delay.

According to the experts, the king was in a tightly sealed room. He’d been beaten badly, and two men with guns were pressing their weapons against his head.

Following the kidnappers’ instructions, he read out their demands.

There were two main points: first, to support the Nagaryll people in rising up against foreign rule. Second, to call on the public to join the Nagaryll National Congress and fight the Federation to achieve national freedom and glory.

The broadcast was cut off shortly after it began.

At that moment, Mr. Geruno’s voice came through.

“I believe everyone has, by now, learned what happened through their own channels. Our interests have been harmed like never before. This goes against everything we initially planned.”

“The facts show that there are still opportunists in Nagaryll trying to overthrow the current power structure. Their presence seriously threatens our collective interests.”

“Given the current situation, I believe we can’t leave the safety of our assets entirely in the hands of the military. We must take responsibility ourselves.”

“After all, no one cares more about our wealth than we do.”

A familiar voice chimed in: “Be specific—what exactly do you mean?”

It was Mr. Patric, his accent unmistakably leaning toward the Gephra region.

Claiming noble blood, he naturally spoke the common tongue with a strong Gephran accent.

Mr. Geruno replied with a warm smile, “Actually, I’ve been discussing with several members of Congress a legal framework to protect our overseas assets. I didn’t expect something like this to happen so soon.”

“I’m planning to push a bill called the Overseas Security Act. Its core idea is to grant armed forces established outside the Federation the same rights and responsibilities as the federal military…”

Capitalists—especially major ones—have never been gentle. The essence of this so-called Overseas Security Act was predatory.

Lynch’s aggressive expansion abroad had made him a symbolic figure of the new generation of capitalists, even if he didn’t see himself that way.

The truth was, he rose to power by having an armed force under his control.

With the international situation growing more volatile, military rivalries between nations had begun to ignite public unrest. This benefited the state, but not investors with assets overseas.

Lynch had men and guns. Wherever he went, people had to consider his stance.

For early- and mid-generation capitalists, replicating Lynch’s path wasn’t easy. So Mr. Geruno came up with another approach.

If the mountain wouldn’t move to them, they would walk to the mountain.

If the bill passed, capitalists could legally form overseas military forces recognized by the Federation.

And once they had military power, the overseas expansion of federal capital would become even more unrestrained.