The tactical failure at the Censorate Plaza sent Marshal Gwang into a predictable, violent rage. But Arion knew the immediate danger was not Gwang's anger, but the cold, calculating mind of Head Minister Jihun. Jihun, backed by the vast, shadowy wealth of the Grand Merchant Guild, would not waste resources on direct physical confrontation. He would attack the most vital logistical weakness of any large city: the food supply.
Within hours of the Censorate raid, the System registered a critical anomaly in the city's trade flow.
LOGISTICS ALERT: IMPERIAL CITY SUPPLY CRITICALInflow of non-essential luxury goods (Silk, Perfume, Rare Earths) remains normal.Inflow of essential foodstuffs (Grain, Meat, Preserved Vegetables) has dropped by 95% across all major gates.Root Cause: Coordinated action by the Grand Merchant Guild, utilizing standardized, long-range contract termination protocols.
Jihun was not starving the city directly; he was using the Standardized Trade Contracts controlled by the Merchant Guild to legally, perfectly, and silently choke the capital. The Guild simply refused to honor delivery contracts, citing vague "security concerns" and "force majeure" clauses that their lawyers had meticulously standardized over decades.
"They are weaponizing bureaucracy and hunger," Arion observed, a thin line forming on his lips. "They believe the populace will turn on the Emperor when the markets empty, forcing a chaotic surrender."
The people's faith was Arion's most fragile logistical asset. If panic set in, Gwang's subdued forces would have the perfect excuse to launch a city-wide 'pacification' campaign.
Arion's current resources were immense, but they were mostly Spirit Jade and Gold. They could not be eaten. He needed to find the hidden food reserves and secure a transparent, standardized method of distribution to defeat the Merchant Guild's supply blockade.
"System. Scan all city-based, non-Imperial storage facilities for foodstuffs. Filter for reserves large enough to supply the capital for greater than one week."
The System performed a deep topographical scan, utilizing existing city infrastructure sensors that the System had secretly taken control of.
SCAN RESULT:Three massive, privately owned grain silos detected in the Northern District, owned by three subsidiaries of the Grand Merchant Guild.Estimated supply capacity: 45 days for the entire Imperial City.Status: Sealed and heavily guarded by non-uniformed Stage 4 mercenaries.
Jihun hadn't stolen the food; he had simply locked it away, waiting for the optimal moment to use hunger as his weapon.
Blueprint 105: Standardized Inventory Protocol
Arion needed a tool to manage this immense logistical task instantly and transparently—a system that could track every grain and every ration to prevent hoarding or corruption by his own men.
BLUEPRINT 105: STANDARDIIZED INVENTORY PROTOCOLA Class 7 resource management array designed for rapid classification, quantification, and distribution tracking of massive, disorganized reserves. It calculates optimal caloric and spiritual distribution based on population density.Focus: Food Standardization, Distribution Logistics. Input Required: 2 Units Purified Jade (for calculation stability), 1 Unit Refined Iron Alloy (for portable housing).
The resulting tool was a small, integrated display screen housed in an iron frame, capable of being carried by one man. Its activation would instantly generate a precise, real-time ledger of all resources it was pointed at.
Arion immediately summoned five additional squads of Iron Standard Automatons (now 100 units total). He assigned a squad to Captain Joon, who, along with thirty of his most highly synchronized human guards, was given the critical mission: Secure the Northern Silos.
"Captain Joon, you will not use kinetic force unless fired upon," Arion instructed. "Your objective is to deploy the Inventory Protocol at the gates, announce the findings to the local district officials, and begin immediate, standardized distribution. We will defeat starvation with perfect transparency."
The Crisis of the Empty Market
The timing was critical. Panic was already setting in. Food prices in the city's main market had doubled, then quadrupled. Vendors loyal to the Merchant Guild were subtly spreading rumors that the Emperor's execution of the Granary Master was the real cause of the shortages.
When Captain Joon arrived in the Northern District with his combined force, the atmosphere was volatile. Hundreds of desperate citizens, already starving, watched as the emotionless Iron Standards stood guard around the three massive silo gates.
The three Merchant Guild managers—plump, arrogant men protected by burly, Stage 4 mercenaries—met Joon at the main gate.
"This is private property, Captain," sneered the senior manager, a man named Hwael. "The grain inside belongs to the Guild. We are simply awaiting optimal market conditions for release."
Joon, his face rigid with the discipline of the Drill Harness, simply activated the Standardized Inventory Protocol array and pointed it at the massive silo structure.
The display instantly calculated the grain capacity by scanning the foundation and structure. A clear, holographic projection, visible to the local officials and the crowd, appeared above the device.
INVENTORY PROTOCOL REPORT: NORTHERN SILO 1Owner: Grand Merchant Guild Subsidiary (Hwael Trade).Contents: High-Grade Imperial Grain (Wheat/Rice mix).Total Units: 15,000,000 standard rations.Current City Need: 500,000 rations daily.Supply Duration: 30 days.
The crowd gasped. The local district head, a minor official who had been secretly paid by Jihun, stammered, "Thirty days? They claimed they were empty! They claimed the roads were blocked!"
The transparency of the System's quantified truth was more powerful than any lie. The Merchant Guild had kept enough food to feed the entire city for a month, while allowing panic to spread.
"The Emperor commands the immediate, standardized distribution of this supply," Joon announced, his voice amplified by the synchronized formation of the Iron Standards. "The price will be set by the Emperor's new Standardized Trade Value, not by speculative Guild metrics."
The Political and Economic Fallout
The Guild mercenaries, seeing the crowd turn hostile and faced with the silent, formidable line of Iron Standards, were quickly overpowered and disarmed. They were professional fighters, not ideologues, and they saw no profit in dying for a collapsing scam.
Arion, receiving the successful mission report, saw the System adjust the city's logistics flow instantly.
LOGISTICS VICTORY: FOOD SECURITY ESTABLISHEDGrand Merchant Guild's Starvation Protocol neutralized.City Panic Level: Dropped by 70%.Next Critical Threat: Marshal Gwang mobilizing against the newly secured distribution centers.
The victory was immense. Arion had countered the Head Minister's economic warfare, and in doing so, had earned the immediate loyalty of the populace. They had witnessed the Emperor's logistics defeat corruption and guarantee their survival.
However, Arion knew this act was a direct declaration of war against the Grand Merchant Guild. They would not suffer their assets to be quantified and seized. Their next move would be a massive, calculated financial assault—a currency crash.
"Jihun will attack the stability of the gold standard itself," Arion predicted. "He will attempt to make the Empire's currency worthless, paralyzing the new government."
But before Jihun could execute his next economic maneuver, Marshal Gwang would strike. The humiliation of the Censorate Plaza defeat combined with the loss of the silos would push the brute Marshal into a full-scale, desperate military confrontation. Gwang would mobilize his remaining elite forces in a brazen attempt to take the palace itself, relying on his superior Stage 6 strength to shatter Arion's standardized defense.
Arion stood up, looking at the tactical overlay of the palace perimeter. He had the troops and the training, but now he needed the perfect formation to receive a siege. He would use the next chapter to deploy his full force, ready to meet Marshal Gwang's final, violent act of the early arc.