WorldCrafter - Building My Underground Kingdom-Chapter 176 - The Situation

176: The Situation

176: The Situation

Zarnak moved to kneel out of habit, but Ben raised a hand to stop him.

“No need for formalities.

Just sit and talk.”

“As you command, City Lord.” The old captain settled into his chair with a slow breath, gathering his thoughts.

“After word spread of Lord Kharvek’s defeat, there was unrest… more than we expected.”

He hesitated.

Ben’s eyes narrowed.

“Say it straight.

I won’t punish honesty.”

Zarnak exhaled, shoulders relaxing a little.

‘He’s not like Kharvek… maybe this city has a chance after all.’

“The Reagent, the one tasked with governing in the city lord’s absence, was the first to panic.

The moment he confirmed Kharvek’s death, he began rallying the wealthy and powerful to flee.

At first, no one agreed.

Forgive me for saying this but You Lord Tzarek, were an unknown.

A lowborn.

They assumed you’d be easy to manipulate.”

Zarnak paused, glancing at Ben’s face.

The city lord didn’t react.

“They believed you’d be a puppet.

You were popular in the arena, but in the eyes of the nobles, that meant little.

Until they heard… you had Draeven behind you.”

Ben’s jaw tightened slightly.

Zarnak saw it, but continued.

“That changed everything.

Suddenly, you weren’t just a strong fighter.

You were a threat.

A true Ashborn-backed contender with the means to rule, not just hold the seat.

That’s when the Reagent’s words started to take root.

Fear spreads fast among those with things to lose.”

Ben leaned back slightly, arms crossed.

“So they ran?”

“No, not at first.

Some tried to resist.

Others wanted to stay and negotiate.

But the Reagent… pushed harder.

Called you a butcher in disguise.

Claimed you’d purge the whole city.

That when the Ashborn came, they’d brand every noble here a traitor.”

“And the rest followed?” Elvira asked, her voice flat.

Zarnak nodded grimly.

“Within two days, a third of the city’s upper class left.

Another third turned violent.

Riots.

Fire.

Assassinations.

The Reagent declared an emergency evacuation and vanished with the treasury.

What you see now…”

He gestured toward the empty streets outside the post.

“…is what’s left.”

Elvira frowned.

“So most of them didn’t leave.

They died.”

Zarnak’s expression darkened.

“The truth is… the fight was barely a war.

Most of them were taken as a slaves.”

Ben’s eyes sharpened.

“Slaves?

Nephirid being enslaved?”

Zarnak shook his head slowly.

“No, my lord.

Not our kind.

The majority of those enslaved were the other races.

This city’s population was always… mixed.

Merchants, miners, crafters, freight handlers.

The kind of labor our people turn their noses up at.

The Nephirid here were few to begin with.

Perhaps a thousand before the conflict.”

Ben leaned back, processing the picture.

It aligned with the fragmented reports he’d bought before arriving.

Krahal-Zir was a city of commerce.

The Nephirid here were those that have different value with the society, those that hate fighting.

Zarnak continued.

“Those nobles who left took the best with them.

The strong, the skilled, and all the wealth.

Anyone not nailed to the ground was either dragged along or left to rot.”

Elvira’s tone was flat.

“And the captives?”

“Sold through back channels.

Smugglers.

Maybe some went through official routes, but most vanished into the deeper tunnels..”

Ben’s jaw clenched.

If the ones managing the trade routes were the oen smuggling than there will be not proof.

No accountability.

Just profit cloaked in bureaucracy.

‘It’s a miracle this kingdom hasn’t collapsed already.’

The Ashking’s system is simple, As long as the city-states paid their dues, the crown turned a blind eye.

Only those cities producing weapons, war beasts, or rare resources got real scrutiny.

But in Ben’s eyes, that wasn’t a foundation for a lasting empire, it was a bomb waiting to explode.

Krahal-Zir, for example, was no backwater.

It sat on the main lava channel closest to the capital, a important facility.

Even if they are used to use land-based caravans, this river route had strategic value.

It connected several key cities through the flows and could be expanded into a full transport network with enough work.

And more importantly, it could serve as a failsafe.

Backup plans were everything.

No matter how powerful a kingdom looked on the surface, it was made of countless moving parts, each one vital.

A single failure could bring ten more with it.

What if a hell worm tore through the land routes tomorrow?

What if some new monster rose up and claimed a major trade route?

It wouldn’t take much to throw everything into chaos.

And this so-called kingdom had no safety net.

They were already spread thin, but still not doing their best to create solution.

Ben leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping on the armrest, his thoughts sharpening.

This wasn’t a real kingdom.

It was a loose patchwork of cities pretending to be united.

Held together not by loyalty or vision, but by fear and convenience.

Each city looked out for itself, hoarded its resources, bribed its neighbors, and called that peace.

The Ashking at the top?

He didn’t lead, he only took, asking their payment fee in return of security.

‘No wonder the situation keep becoming worse each years.

And the templar choose to ignore them…’

It wouldn’t take war to break this system, just one well-placed push.

The damage had already been done.

All he had to do was make sure it didn’t go to waste.

Krahal-Zir was the perfect example.

A key trade city, close to the capital, positioned on lava routes that could link half the region.

It should’ve been heavily guarded, well-supplied, run by capable hands.

But the moment things got difficult, the leadership vanished.

The city hollowed out.

No aid from the capital.

No order, no one care.

Elvira noticed the shift in his gaze and raised a brow.

“What is it, my beloved?”

Ben’s expression didn’t change.

“Nothing.

Let’s talk about it later.”

He turned his attention back to Zarnak, voice calm but firm.

“Where did they go?”

Zarnak hesitated for a breath, then straightened in his seat.

“Most of them fled to Gravenhold, my lord.

It’s a fortress city deeper along the southern magma channel.

Built for training young Nephirid.

They teach them art of war, discipline and combat technique.”

Ben’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“That doesn’t sound like a random retreat.”

“It wasn’t,” Zarnak confirmed.

“Gravenhold is ruled by Lord Varnak.

He’s… the cousin of our former city lord, Kharvek.”

Ben leaned back again, the pieces clicking into place.

Of course it was family.

“Varnak’s probably knee-deep in the slave trade too,” Ben muttered.

“Wouldn’t surprise me if he’s using those smuggled captives as live targets for his so-called training program.”

Zarnak’s face stiffened.

“It’s… possible.

That kind of thing isn’t officially outlawed.

But the Ashking imposed heavy taxes on all slave transactions.

Almost half the earnings go straight to the capital.”

Ben scoffed.

“And so, like every greedy bastard with a title, they just bypass the system entirely.

Fifty percent is enough to turn any noble into a smuggler.”

Zarnak continued, “Varnak’s known for protecting his own.

He’s greedy, but loyal.

If the nobles from here offered him enough coin he would’ve taken them in without question.

And from what I hear, he’s been quietly building influence for years.”

“So he’s that type,” Ben muttered.

“The ambitious one.”

Zarnak gave a nod, face grim.

“Yes.

And if I may speak freely… they’ll be watching.

Gravenhold doesn’t forget insults, especially not ones that involve blood.”

Ben’s grin returned, cold and sharp.

“Good.

Let them come.”

He stood slowly, stretching his arms once, the weight of his plan settling into place.

“If they’re not…” he said softly, “then we will go there soon.”

“A war, my lord?” Zarnak asked with hesitation.

Even with everything he’d heard about Tzarek’s record, he couldn’t help the doubt in his voice.

A full-scale conflict between cities states was no small thing.

And if they lost, it wouldn’t just be Tzarek’s name carved into history, it would be all of theirs burned from it. free𝑤ebnovel.com

Ben didn’t answer right away.

He let the silence hang before replying in a calm, measured tone.

“Not yet.

If we go to war, it will be sanctioned.

It will be clean.

Approved by the Fire Temple.”

Zarnak blinked.

“The temple still mediates war?”

“They always have,” Ben said.

“Every battle between city-states, every official one, at least, is recorded, logged, and permitted by the Fire Priests.

Otherwise, it’s branded as rebellion.

Treason.”

Zarnak gave a slow nod.

It was true.

That was the role of the Fire Temple: to keep order in a kingdom that prized chaos.

War couldn’t be waged simply because two lords were angry.

It had to be approved.

It had to be ritualized.

But even so, it hadn’t happened in years.

Not officially.

Not since the last sanctioned war, decades ago, when both sides lost more than they gained.

Soldiers were a precious resource.

The Nephirid might worship strength, but with their current situation, they didn’t want to waste it easily.