Chapter 101 Unreliable Narrator

Words : 769 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

*** {Outside The Projection} "...Okay, can we talk about what the fuck the Sultan just did?" "I mean, are we even surprised at this point?" "He literally had '100,000' floating above his hand just a bit ago." "Now that he's upstairs, interacting with normal people, we can see how warped he became." "Yeah, but damn... That was unhinged." Stay updated with My Virtual Library Empire "Unhinged? Unhinged is eating dates with a fork. This? This is something else." A few snickers broke the tension, but most of the crowd was still focused on the name Malik's rescuer had spoken. The Silent Crescent. Al-Hilal Al-Samit. "Anyone ever heard of them?" A man near the back asked and glanced around, but everyone either shook their heads or looked just as lost.@@@@ "No clue. Sounds fancy, though." "If none of you know, that means they were either really secretive... or really irrelevant." "Could be both. You'd be surprised how many idiots think being mysterious means they're important." At that, several heads turned toward the front of the group—toward Roya. She didn't react at first, just kept her eyes on the projection, deep in thought. Then, with a slight tilt of her head, she acknowledged their silent request. "There was... one report." That got their attention. People shifted, leaning in. "It was during the early days of Malik's rule. One of the Banu Sasan—don't ask me which one, I didn't care enough to memorize his name—called in a favor from him." "What kind of favor?" Roya smirked. "War." The room tensed. "War? As in a battle? A campaign?" She shook her head. "No. Just him. He fought alone. One man against an army. One that ironically amounted to a hundred thousand soldiers." Silence fell for a moment till someone broke it: "...And?" "Did he win?" Roya gave them a pointed look. "What do you think?" A nervous chuckle spread through the crowd. "Hah... Right. He wouldn't be the Sultan if he lost." Someone muttered under their breath: "This man... He's insane." "Good job, Captain Obvious." Roya corrected, her tone dry: "No, he's right. It isn't stated enough. He was insane long before he wore the crown." "Things are only gonna get more fragmented, aren't they?" The old man nodded at her, his expression grim. "Unfortunantly... Yes, it's only going to get worse." *** {Inside The Projection} Malik scoffed, wiping the last traces of blood off his knuckles. "Turns out trash isn't the best bodyguard after all." "Details, details~." Khamal waved off with a grin and sat down, his grin easy but his words sharp: "Look, we're not here to flip the whole damn table over. Too much work, too much blood, and frankly—" he tapped his neck, "—I like my head exactly where it is." The noble's secretary, an older woman with ink-stained fingers and a sharp gaze, sighed. "And here I thought I joined a group of visionaries. Turns out, you're just lazy~." "Smart, actually." Khamal corrected, flashing a grin. "The way I see it, we move the right pieces, push the right people, and sooner or later, the whole board shifts without them even realizing it. That's how you change things. Not by screaming, not by swinging swords like an idiot, but by making sure the next time those in power reach for their cup, they're drinking out of the one we filled." The priestess snorted, still working on the young master's swollen face. "And what happens when they realize they've been drinking poison?" Khamal shrugged. "That's what we have you for, Priestess. When we get stabbed, you fix us up." She shot back, smirking: "For a price." Khamal waved lazily at her. "Naturally." One of the two stablehand brothers, a broad-shouldered man with straw still clinging to his tunic, chuckled. "Our lot talks big, but we don't mind. As long as we don't have to deal with shit ever again, we're in. And I ain't gonna lie, the better pay also helps." "See? That's the spirit." Khamal smiled at him. "Change the world, and get paid while doing it. Everyone wins." His wiry brother nodded in agreement. "Aye. We'd change the world just to keep away from those fucking steeds." He glanced at Malik. "Seriously, you don't know just how bad monster shit smells." Malik, who had been silently standing so far, looked at them, unimpressed. "Is it worse than a sea of rotting corpses?" "..." "..." "..." "..." "..." The room fell silent.

Chapter 101 Unreliable Narrator

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