The next morning, Ender woke up early.
After washing up and putting on his guard uniform, Ender went to the Guard headquarters.
Before he even went inside, he saw a large group of guards rushing in and out, looking busy.
"Hurry! Commander O'Car was killed! This has alarmed the Left Minister, and that great man has ordered a full-city search for the killer!"
Hank was directing the large number of guards with a look of fake sadness, but his eyes showed ambition, acting as if he was the boss now that O'Car was dead.
Ender noticed two guards standing at the headquarters entrance, watching everything with cold eyes. Those two were the men who were with O'Car last night, and they were definitely O'Car's close followers.
Hank's actions had probably made them suspicious, but this was a chance. If he played it right, Hank could replace O'Car.
The Guards is not a very large department. Besides O'Car, everyone else was just a regular guard. O'Car himself was really just a Captain.
As for a Deputy Captain, the Guards never had one. It would cost extra money, and O'Car would never let his power be divided. Ender had already seen O'Car's arrogant personality yesterday.
Ender killed O'Car not just because the man acted like a boss in front of him.
Ender urgently needed to rise in status quickly, and there was no suitable position while O'Car was alive.
As for the inside of the royal palace, Ender knew nothing about it, and he didn't want to get involved.
The simpler the plan, the fewer mistakes it would have. He only needed a job that would let him get close to the King and move up fast.
Tomorrow was the day the Gray Terminal would be burned. The palace naturally wouldn't handle such a dirty job directly; they would send people from the lower ranks to do it.
Ender had investigated. There were two groups responsible for security in the capital city: the Guards, which handled city order, and the Gate Guards, which watched the city gates.
Usually, this kind of work should be given to the Gate Guards, but when Ender chose his weapon in the warehouse, he saw a large amount of explosives.
Based on the small signs in the warehouse, Ender judged that the explosives had been put into storage recently. The purpose of the explosives was clear.
To set fire to the large-scale Gray Terminal, simply starting a fire wouldn't be enough.
Therefore, Ender needed the Head of the Guards position. Whether he could meet the King would depend on his own actions.
"Hank, what happened?"
Hank, who was directing the others, turned to look at Ender.
"The boss was assassinated last night! And these fools only found out this morning! You came at the perfect time. Come with me right away to see the Left Minister."
Ender felt a chill. See the Left Minister? Hank might have bad intentions. Ender only became a guard yesterday, which could easily be used against him. Did Hank want to make him a scapegoat? It was unlikely.
While already thinking about how to kill Hank, Ender showed a smile.
"The Left Minister? That big shot wants to see me?"
Ender pretended to be confused, but his eyes stayed focused on Hank.
"Yes, the Left Minister wants to see you. I don't know the exact reason either."
Hank looked envious, maybe even jealous.
This sudden good news surprised Ender. He had no connection to the high-ranking palace officials. The only thing that could link him to them was... that letter of introduction? It seemed that letter was far more important than he had thought.
Following Hank through a few blocks, Ender arrived at a courtyard. A luxurious villa came into view.
Hank looked nervous and walked up carefully. Two guards at the gate stopped him.
"Is this the man the Minister wants to see?"
Hank quickly nodded. The two guards took away Hank's weapons. As for Ender, all his weapons were in his Inventory, so the guards couldn't find them.
The guards led the way, and Ender arrived in a large hall.
A family was eating breakfast in the hall. An old man with white hair and a serious face sat at the main table.
When the old man saw Hank, he casually put down his food and told everyone else to leave. Only a strong, well-built man remained standing behind the old man.
That strong man gave Ender a feeling of extreme danger. Although the man was empty-handed, Ender noticed the thick calluses and flattened knuckles on his fists.
This was a master of martial arts and the old man's personal bodyguard.
"You must be Hank. Is this the new guard?"
The old man spoke slowly, looking calm and composed, like someone with high authority.
"Y-yes, Sir," Hank stammered, struggling to speak.
"You can leave."
The old man seemed unhappy with Hank's nervousness and didn't even look him in the eye.
Hank backed away with his head down until he reached the door and disappeared from Ender's sight.
"I am the Kingdom's Left Minister. Carlos offered me many interesting collectibles, and as his nephew, I should have looked out for you."
"Unfortunately, Carlos had a very bad trip out of the city yesterday, and my collectibles never arrived. Since I can't find him, I must find his nephew, which is you."
Ender figured out the situation.
Carlos was the Black Market Merchant Ender had killed yesterday. After Carlos died, the Left Minister's "tribute" stopped coming. Since he couldn't find Carlos, the Left Minister came to find Ender to take his place.
That Black Market Merchant was unlucky. Not only was he exploited by the Gate Guards, but he also had to bribe this Left Minister.
It seemed the Minister now wanted Ender to take Carlos's place and buy goods for him.
Ender didn't understand the details of their deal. If it weren't for the man behind the Minister, Ender would have already taken control of the Left Minister.
However, this was a rare chance to deal with a high-ranking palace official.
"The collectibles are not a problem. I know all of my uncle's sources. He was badly injured yesterday and is resting, but..."
The Left Minister raised an eyebrow and looked directly at Ender.
"If you can get me the collectibles I need, you can ask for any condition. I heard your Captain died yesterday. If you succeed, I will make you the Head of the Guards."
–
Half an hour later, Ender left the Left Minister's courtyard and walked along the street.
Things were going well, but the condition the Left Minister had set gave Ender a massive headache.
At the same time, Reincarnation Paradise gave him a new mission alert when the Left Minister proposed the condition.
[Side Mission Triggered: Left Minister's Collectibles]
Left Minister's Collectibles
Difficulty Level: LV.2.
Mission Summary: The Left Minister's collection is very large; this greedy old man wants any valuable collectible.
Mission Information: Kill the Master of Mt. Colubo and get its teeth. (Master of Mt. Colubo: A fierce beast in the One Piece world, a large cat.)
Mission Time Limit: Within 10 hours.
Mission Reward: Identity as the Head of the Guards.
Failure Penalty: Kicked out of the Guards and charged with false crimes.
...
Ender knew what the Master of Mt. Colubo was. It was a giant tiger that nearly killed the young Luffy in the story.
Ender sighed deeply. Since he entered this derived world, the opponents he faced were too strong, and it made him feel frustrated.
One day, he would slice his way through with his long knife and never be so timid again.
But this world was too dangerous; he didn't even have the right to fight with everything he had.
He was still too weak. Before he became strong, he had to learn to hold back when needed.
The Master of Mt. Colubo was strong, at least too strong for Ender to fight directly right now. But no matter how strong it was, it was still just a beast.
Being unable to fight it head-on didn't mean Ender couldn't kill the tiger.