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Troll.
It has been a busy week for his guys. Upon the capture of a suspected traitor, a whole web of potential traitors got uncovered, exposing many traffickers of all kind, supporting the cause of a potential rebellion.
Among the many names the General received from the first suspect, in a not.so-kind torture session, there was also that of an ex nurse, said to practice illegally and to have even kidnapped and sold babies, in the past.
He doesn't participate directly to the investigations, nor to the raid of the house of the nurse after she is found, due to his many duties, but his IAs do their job just as flawlessly as ever and barely an hour after they left the hq, they come back with the captured woman.
As usual, a couple of IAs remained on the scene, in case someone will go there. It's a good trap for more traitors to show up, which is the main reason why someone always remains in there.
It barely takes a couple of hours to get every information they could from the woman and to confirm her unequivocal guilt. Sadly, now even IAs have to protect innocents.
Among the many names the General received from the first suspect, in a not.so-kind torture session, there was also that of an ex nurse, said to practice illegally and to have even kidnapped and sold babies, in the past.
He doesn't participate directly to the investigations, nor to the raid of the house of the nurse after she is found, due to his many duties, but his IAs do their job just as flawlessly as ever and barely an hour after they left the hq, they come back with the captured woman.
As usual, a couple of IAs remained on the scene, in case someone will go there. It's a good trap for more traitors to show up, which is the main reason why someone always remains in there.
It barely takes a couple of hours to get every information they could from the woman and to confirm her unequivocal guilt. Sadly, now even IAs have to protect innocents.
Interrogation for suspected slavery.
How did Coco end up in your hands, daegam?
"To begin with, that boy has an involuntary talent in passing unnoticed. He doesn't do it deliberately, he is just very unlucky. The suspected traitors' residence he was found into had previously been investigated by other organizations with other charges that were all cleared. Our operation was the third, and last."
What is known about him?
"Not much. He was obviously kept as a toy slave, probably since birth or still a very young age. No record about him or his family was found in the public registers."
How old is he?
"Hard to tell for certain, I didn't have that checked. Probably somewhere between 15 to 18, by my wild guess."
Didn't you summon an Imperial Physician to visit him, daegam?
"Naturally I did, or he wouldn't be here to cause havoc. His state, upon his rescue, was tragic. And I wouldn't say he looks well, even today."
Why did you keep him illegally? Why wasn't the procedure followed?
He raises a brow. "I did my part, followed the procedure carefully. If I wanted to risk staining my name to keep a slave, don't you think I'd pick one who could at least hold a tray in his hands? In the brief time he has been with me, he has hardly done anything. It's safe to say I've been supporting him for nothing."
* The deal between the General and the Emperor regarding underaged servants consist in a series of procedures both sides are to follow:
. When a boy is rescued during official operations:
1 The General must provide all the immediate assistance to ensure the survival and wellness of the subject;
2 The General must send immediate notice to the Emperor;
3 The Emperor must send a consultant to meet the child;
4 The consultant must check the psychophysical condition of the subject and offer him the choice whether to become a servant of the IA, under General Yung, or to be moved to an Imperial Orphanage;
5 Officialize the decision of the boy.
Are you accusing Jeonha of negligence, daegam?
"I am merely stating a fact: I did my part of the deal. Nobody was sent to see the boy. What was I supposed to do? Leave him in the street? Kick him into the Imperial Palace?"
How can it be proved? The documents held in the old Palace are likely all destroyed.
"You are interrogating me under truth serum."
... Why did you order him to personally serve one trainee? Why him?
"Because he is incapable, unable to assolve to most duties. Removing him from his position wouldn't change anything to the other servants."
Where does the name Coco comes from?
"The name was given to him. We had to call him in some way, didn't we?"
You never asked his name?
"He won't say it. Whether he doesn't have one or finds it too shameful to reveal, I didn't seem to find it a good idea to torture him into telling me. I'll accept my punishment for that." Sarcasm.
What are your claims about him?
"Honestly? I hope Jeonha will keep him. Carrying that terrified thing back and forth is not worth the gain." No worries, Sao, nobody was thinking you weren't being enough of an a**hole.
If Jeonha will determine it's not slavery, the boy might return to serve under IA.
"Gift him to General Zhendong. He brought me more annoyance than any use."
"To begin with, that boy has an involuntary talent in passing unnoticed. He doesn't do it deliberately, he is just very unlucky. The suspected traitors' residence he was found into had previously been investigated by other organizations with other charges that were all cleared. Our operation was the third, and last."
What is known about him?
"Not much. He was obviously kept as a toy slave, probably since birth or still a very young age. No record about him or his family was found in the public registers."
How old is he?
"Hard to tell for certain, I didn't have that checked. Probably somewhere between 15 to 18, by my wild guess."
Didn't you summon an Imperial Physician to visit him, daegam?
"Naturally I did, or he wouldn't be here to cause havoc. His state, upon his rescue, was tragic. And I wouldn't say he looks well, even today."
Why did you keep him illegally? Why wasn't the procedure followed?
He raises a brow. "I did my part, followed the procedure carefully. If I wanted to risk staining my name to keep a slave, don't you think I'd pick one who could at least hold a tray in his hands? In the brief time he has been with me, he has hardly done anything. It's safe to say I've been supporting him for nothing."
* The deal between the General and the Emperor regarding underaged servants consist in a series of procedures both sides are to follow:
. When a boy is rescued during official operations:
1 The General must provide all the immediate assistance to ensure the survival and wellness of the subject;
2 The General must send immediate notice to the Emperor;
3 The Emperor must send a consultant to meet the child;
4 The consultant must check the psychophysical condition of the subject and offer him the choice whether to become a servant of the IA, under General Yung, or to be moved to an Imperial Orphanage;
5 Officialize the decision of the boy.
Are you accusing Jeonha of negligence, daegam?
"I am merely stating a fact: I did my part of the deal. Nobody was sent to see the boy. What was I supposed to do? Leave him in the street? Kick him into the Imperial Palace?"
How can it be proved? The documents held in the old Palace are likely all destroyed.
"You are interrogating me under truth serum."
... Why did you order him to personally serve one trainee? Why him?
"Because he is incapable, unable to assolve to most duties. Removing him from his position wouldn't change anything to the other servants."
Where does the name Coco comes from?
"The name was given to him. We had to call him in some way, didn't we?"
You never asked his name?
"He won't say it. Whether he doesn't have one or finds it too shameful to reveal, I didn't seem to find it a good idea to torture him into telling me. I'll accept my punishment for that." Sarcasm.
What are your claims about him?
"Honestly? I hope Jeonha will keep him. Carrying that terrified thing back and forth is not worth the gain." No worries, Sao, nobody was thinking you weren't being enough of an a**hole.
If Jeonha will determine it's not slavery, the boy might return to serve under IA.
"Gift him to General Zhendong. He brought me more annoyance than any use."
Promising youth.
He can't deny that when the Emperor forced him to take the boy in trial, he was terribly displeased and had close to no intention to give him a real chance.
That, at least, until the demonstration he gave by offering himself to be torture-trained. That definitely left an impression on him, which finally convinced him to give a serious chance to the boy.
So far, he tested his strength and resilience, although unwillingly; then had to testify he is either very crazy or brave to offer himself like a sacrificial lamb and finally, he witnessed the boy has quite an high resistance to pain, even compared to men who have been training for years.
There is only one last thing that is still unchecked. Even before strength and technique, what he really wants from his men is brutal cruelty. The perfect soldier, in his eyes, is a bit like him: someone who won't hesitate to commit any atrocity for the greater good. So far though, he didn't have luck. Nobody managed to match his standards of mercilessness, but maybe this boy will surprise him one more time.
The next morning, he welcomes GongPo to the barracks with a tied man, a circle of IAs and the final test.
The tied man is a death-sentenced prisoner, but he made sure the thing wouldn't be so easy to guess. Although not even he is crazy enough to drag an innocent man to be harmed under the nose of the Emperor.
As imaginable, the man starts to cry and beg for his life. Especially after the General gives the order to the boy to hurt him. Just like that "hurt him as much as you can, however you want".
At first GongPo seems to hesitate, but then he picks up a training stick and starts to hit the man with so much hate and anger one would think that's his worst enemy.
Three IAs are needed to stop him from killing the man.
With even that test passed exceedingly well, now the General really wants the boy in his unit.
That same evening, he invites Tero to dine with him, mainly to discuss about his admission.
"When the news I'm recruiting spreads, the number of deserting soldiers grows within days. Every barrack I visit, tens of men are reported too sick to show up. You will excuse my skepticism, but I still can puzzle out what reasons would bring someone so young to make such decision", says the General while sipping his finest soju.
"I am unable to make myself fitting for any society. I have tried to pretend to be something else, but it didn't work. People can't understand me. I am fed up of people scolding me for being unable to become what, in their mind, I should be. I prefer to hear their screams of terror echoing in my mind, than trying, even for just one more second, to 'fix myself' to become something they'd like."
The General smirks. They have quite a few things in common, but he won't say that thought out loud. "If it's people's terror you are looking for, you found the right place. But I want you to know that, should you decide to join me, there will be no way back."
Tero sips some liquor before moving his gaze on Sao. "Maybe I was too hasty, though."
He raises a brow. "You realized it just now?"
"Jeonha offered me a whole region to administrate as Archduke."
Why this little son of a bitch - he thinks. "Are you, by any chance, trying to bargain with me?"
Tero raises a brow. In truth, he is being hesitant for real. "Bargain?"
"I can't give you as much as the Emperor, but I might be willing to offer you some privileges."
"Like?"
"A small residence in the training field, instead of a room?"
"A place for myself is not a big deal."
"Then what is it that you really want?" Sao tilts his head, keeping his gaze on the boy. "Maybe... a servant all for you?" he asks with a slight smirk. If his problem are people, maybe what he really wants is some company.
Tero seems to have some thoughts about it. "A residence and a servant..."
"I may add, no rules where my eye can't reach? Like inside the place you'll get. Your home your rules. And you get to choose your uniform."
"Deal!"
Sao smirks again. He has a feeling it wasn't choosing the uniform that made the trick. "The new headquarters will be operative in two days. You'll hear from.me about that time."
That, at least, until the demonstration he gave by offering himself to be torture-trained. That definitely left an impression on him, which finally convinced him to give a serious chance to the boy.
So far, he tested his strength and resilience, although unwillingly; then had to testify he is either very crazy or brave to offer himself like a sacrificial lamb and finally, he witnessed the boy has quite an high resistance to pain, even compared to men who have been training for years.
There is only one last thing that is still unchecked. Even before strength and technique, what he really wants from his men is brutal cruelty. The perfect soldier, in his eyes, is a bit like him: someone who won't hesitate to commit any atrocity for the greater good. So far though, he didn't have luck. Nobody managed to match his standards of mercilessness, but maybe this boy will surprise him one more time.
The next morning, he welcomes GongPo to the barracks with a tied man, a circle of IAs and the final test.
The tied man is a death-sentenced prisoner, but he made sure the thing wouldn't be so easy to guess. Although not even he is crazy enough to drag an innocent man to be harmed under the nose of the Emperor.
As imaginable, the man starts to cry and beg for his life. Especially after the General gives the order to the boy to hurt him. Just like that "hurt him as much as you can, however you want".
At first GongPo seems to hesitate, but then he picks up a training stick and starts to hit the man with so much hate and anger one would think that's his worst enemy.
Three IAs are needed to stop him from killing the man.
With even that test passed exceedingly well, now the General really wants the boy in his unit.
That same evening, he invites Tero to dine with him, mainly to discuss about his admission.
"When the news I'm recruiting spreads, the number of deserting soldiers grows within days. Every barrack I visit, tens of men are reported too sick to show up. You will excuse my skepticism, but I still can puzzle out what reasons would bring someone so young to make such decision", says the General while sipping his finest soju.
"I am unable to make myself fitting for any society. I have tried to pretend to be something else, but it didn't work. People can't understand me. I am fed up of people scolding me for being unable to become what, in their mind, I should be. I prefer to hear their screams of terror echoing in my mind, than trying, even for just one more second, to 'fix myself' to become something they'd like."
The General smirks. They have quite a few things in common, but he won't say that thought out loud. "If it's people's terror you are looking for, you found the right place. But I want you to know that, should you decide to join me, there will be no way back."
Tero sips some liquor before moving his gaze on Sao. "Maybe I was too hasty, though."
He raises a brow. "You realized it just now?"
"Jeonha offered me a whole region to administrate as Archduke."
Why this little son of a bitch - he thinks. "Are you, by any chance, trying to bargain with me?"
Tero raises a brow. In truth, he is being hesitant for real. "Bargain?"
"I can't give you as much as the Emperor, but I might be willing to offer you some privileges."
"Like?"
"A small residence in the training field, instead of a room?"
"A place for myself is not a big deal."
"Then what is it that you really want?" Sao tilts his head, keeping his gaze on the boy. "Maybe... a servant all for you?" he asks with a slight smirk. If his problem are people, maybe what he really wants is some company.
Tero seems to have some thoughts about it. "A residence and a servant..."
"I may add, no rules where my eye can't reach? Like inside the place you'll get. Your home your rules. And you get to choose your uniform."
"Deal!"
Sao smirks again. He has a feeling it wasn't choosing the uniform that made the trick. "The new headquarters will be operative in two days. You'll hear from.me about that time."
Sonyeon.
It's in days like this that he gets the confirmation he did such a good job with his baby boy LianBi ❤
The punishment was quite a sight, but nothing even close to shock him or for him to say 'that's too much to bear'. He is quite satisfied on how the Emperor handled the matter, he only wonders how he didn't ever think about such punishment himself, before! Is LianBi overcoming his master?
Anyhow, the reunion concerning reconstruction is pretty boring and mainly has to do with the transport of the resources.
When it's finally over, they can finally discuss about the other pending matter, regarding ZiFu's poisoning. Naturally they have to investigate on that and find out who the culprit is.
The punishment was quite a sight, but nothing even close to shock him or for him to say 'that's too much to bear'. He is quite satisfied on how the Emperor handled the matter, he only wonders how he didn't ever think about such punishment himself, before! Is LianBi overcoming his master?
Anyhow, the reunion concerning reconstruction is pretty boring and mainly has to do with the transport of the resources.
When it's finally over, they can finally discuss about the other pending matter, regarding ZiFu's poisoning. Naturally they have to investigate on that and find out who the culprit is.
Avatars?
When he was ordered to find people showing weird abilities, he has to admit he didn't expect he would receive some many reports in such a short time.
Ssdly, Xhuanghen is still rearward for what concerns the knowledge of creatures, thus one can imagine the chaos.
Since it was his duty, he has taken each of the reported people, although many of those, mainly very young people, don't convince him much.
After escorting the nth poor and terrified werewolf boy to Yang, just to be said that no, that is not what they are looking for, the General receives two very interesting reports. Interesting because, for once, they don't mention the disappearance of fowl, strange people surrounding the person orscarh noises in the night. Also the fact they don't come from the far mountainside and countryside is worth as a guarantee its probably a rational report, finally.
Report 1: a young, beautiful girl reportedly seen 'crying precious gems'.
Last seen: at the market, stealing food wherever she could.
Description: well, 30 different descriptions from 30 different people.
He just hope it's not a ShSh.
While investigating on this case, he receives the...
Report 2: a pirate girl whom, according to the witnesses, is gifted supernatural strength.
He sure hopes it's not the nth creature of the night.
Last seen: tearing off a cannon from a navy warship with her bare hands, then throwing it in the sea.
Description: western, short, young.
Weak point: a known pirate, accused of countless of crimes. She calls him 'abeoji'.
Lucky case is: the pirate in question was arrested and taken to Xhuanghen, being he an eastern pirate.
The General sends his men to investigate on the first girl, since she can't be so much of a threat and is probably living close to the centre of the Capital
He heads to the navy harbour where the pirate is being held. When someone has such a weak spot as a person, is the easiest to capture.
All he needed to do was to set a trap, wait for the girl to show you to save her father and force her to cooperate, leaving her the choice really, he was just comfortably holding a sharp knife against the man's throat.
Capturing Carlie was much simpler, since they found her inside an abandoned house and had no way out. Plus, she didn't fight.
When both are 'tame', the General takes them, together with a couple other boys from other reports, in the presence of Yang.
"Werewolf, shsh and..." Bingo, but who they fss do these two girls belong to?
Yang can feel they are Avatars, they have the jewel in them, but he can't recognize the aura of any known God or Goddess.
At that point, though, Sao's job is done, thus, after reporting to LianBi, the General returns to his usual duties. It's unlikely they will find more Avatars, anyway.
Ssdly, Xhuanghen is still rearward for what concerns the knowledge of creatures, thus one can imagine the chaos.
Since it was his duty, he has taken each of the reported people, although many of those, mainly very young people, don't convince him much.
After escorting the nth poor and terrified werewolf boy to Yang, just to be said that no, that is not what they are looking for, the General receives two very interesting reports. Interesting because, for once, they don't mention the disappearance of fowl, strange people surrounding the person orscarh noises in the night. Also the fact they don't come from the far mountainside and countryside is worth as a guarantee its probably a rational report, finally.
Report 1: a young, beautiful girl reportedly seen 'crying precious gems'.
Last seen: at the market, stealing food wherever she could.
Description: well, 30 different descriptions from 30 different people.
He just hope it's not a ShSh.
While investigating on this case, he receives the...
Report 2: a pirate girl whom, according to the witnesses, is gifted supernatural strength.
He sure hopes it's not the nth creature of the night.
Last seen: tearing off a cannon from a navy warship with her bare hands, then throwing it in the sea.
Description: western, short, young.
Weak point: a known pirate, accused of countless of crimes. She calls him 'abeoji'.
Lucky case is: the pirate in question was arrested and taken to Xhuanghen, being he an eastern pirate.
The General sends his men to investigate on the first girl, since she can't be so much of a threat and is probably living close to the centre of the Capital
He heads to the navy harbour where the pirate is being held. When someone has such a weak spot as a person, is the easiest to capture.
All he needed to do was to set a trap, wait for the girl to show you to save her father and force her to cooperate, leaving her the choice really, he was just comfortably holding a sharp knife against the man's throat.
Capturing Carlie was much simpler, since they found her inside an abandoned house and had no way out. Plus, she didn't fight.
When both are 'tame', the General takes them, together with a couple other boys from other reports, in the presence of Yang.
"Werewolf, shsh and..." Bingo, but who they fss do these two girls belong to?
Yang can feel they are Avatars, they have the jewel in them, but he can't recognize the aura of any known God or Goddess.
At that point, though, Sao's job is done, thus, after reporting to LianBi, the General returns to his usual duties. It's unlikely they will find more Avatars, anyway.