100\% DROP RATE : Why is My Inventory Always so Full? Chapter 556 - Price of Arrogance

Most of the allied factions held a firm belief that the soul contracts served as an impenetrable shield against direct betrayal. They were convinced that Lootwell was incapable of harming or destroying them without shattering the sanctity of their agreement.

Their conviction, however, was accurate only to a point.

Lucien, a master strategist, never forged agreements without meticulously laying the groundwork for potential corruption.

The Covenant of Ending was conceived precisely for such unsavory complications.

This potent artifact possessed the capability to permanently sever oaths, soul contracts, anchors of reincarnation, prepared vessels, bloodline bindings, and any continuity mechanisms tied to a designated target.

Should an ally stray from the righteous path, hiding behind the supposed invincibility of a contract, the solution was straightforward.

First, the contract itself had to be nullified.

Then, decisive action could be taken.

Lucien's smile vanished, replaced by a stern resolve.

"I do not chastise individuals for their errors," he stated, his voice resonating with authority. "However, if they deliberately exploit our accord as a bulwark while perpetuating harm under our banner, they are not merely making a mistake. They are deliberately testing the substance of our principles."

Eirene's expression softened, a clear sign of her approval.

"And your intention is to return the favor, to test them in return."

"Indeed," Lucien confirmed.

He then turned his gaze towards Elias, his subordinate.

"Dispatch the warning."

•••

The ominous warning was disseminated that very same day.

It was concise, lacking superfluous details.

Lucien understood that brevity often carried the greatest impact.

[Official Notice from Lootwell]

[The recent actions of certain allied members and their subordinate groups have demonstrably breached the fundamental standards expected from those who benefit from Lootwell’s unwavering support.]

[Lootwell unequivocally condemns and does not tolerate oppression, coercion, the abuse of status, forced confiscation of resources, or the deliberate humiliation of weaker entities operating under our recognized protection.]

[Rectify these transgressions immediately.]

[Should your constituents conduct themselves with discipline and adherence to our code, our alliance will remain steadfast and unbroken.]

[Conversely, if you erroneously interpret Lootwell’s trust as implicit permission to fester into corruption, there will be consequences.]

[This serves as your sole admonition.]

That comprised the entirety of the message.

This critical communication was delivered privately to the highest leadership of every allied faction implicated in the accumulating reports.

Subsequently, Lucien adopted a posture of patient observation.

Unbeknownst to them, the factions were already undergoing an intense scrutiny.

The Shadow Information Network, however, was actively observing every move.

Operatives under Reaper and Eldran moved with spectral silence through the labyrinthine corridors of sect halls, the bustling hubs of branch markets, the well-trodden trade roads, the serene courtyards of elders, the communal disciple dormitories, the discreet establishments of hidden taverns, and the clandestine servant routes.

They were meticulously listening.

They were diligently recording.

They were carefully observing who succumbed to panic, who displayed callous indifference, who treated the warning with the gravity it deserved, who carelessly dismissed it, who attempted to quash the circulating reports, and crucially, who immediately initiated internal purges of their corrupt elements.

...Within a mere span of days, the comprehensive intelligence reports began to filter back.

The vast majority of the factions demonstrated commendable judgment, choosing the path of rectification.

This outcome brought a measure of satisfaction to Lucien.

One prominent guardian sect, situated in the north-western expanse, acted with remarkable swiftness, responding within the hour. Its sect master promptly convened a tribunal for the arrogant disciples responsible for intimidating their branch members, summarily stripped them of their privileges, mandated public apologies to the smaller clans they had threatened, and arranged for compensation to be delivered before the day concluded.

Elsewhere, another significant faction took decisive action by imprisoning two insidious elders who had been nefariously leveraging Lootwell’s esteemed name to extort nearby resource-rich villages into making "voluntary protection payments."

A particular clan, displaying unyielding resolve, crippled a notoriously violent young master who had violently assaulted a merchant's son after being denied preferential treatment at a branch establishment.

The report astutely noted the young master’s father attempting to defend his errant offspring, only to be unceremoniously struck unconscious by the clan matriarch in full view of the assembled council.

Lucien reread this particular passage with deliberate care, his interest piqued.

He then offered a nod of profound satisfaction.

"Allocate them an augmented medicine allotment for the subsequent month."

Eirene offered a subtle smile and diligently recorded the directive.

Yet another faction transcended mere punishment; it proactively established a permanent internal review committee tasked with rigorously investigating any member who invoked Lootwell's name in the context of local disputes.

This particular initiative deeply impressed Lucien.

As a mark of his favor, he significantly increased their access to select Law Book study sessions.

He believed implicitly that trust, when earned, deserved commensurate reward.

And this, ultimately, was the core principle at play.

The factions that diligently corrected their course did not suffer any loss of esteem in Lucien’s eyes.

On the contrary, they ascended.

Errors could, and would, be forgiven.

But inherent corruption, the true rot, had to be surgically excised.

These two concepts were fundamentally distinct.

•••

Then, the lamentable minority emerged.

The foolish ones.

Lucien had, of course, anticipated their existence.

Certain factions remained obstinately deaf to the warning.

They secreted away their amusement, privately smirking, and continued their unsavory practices unabated.

A select few even adopted a facade of cautious public behavior, while surreptitiously intensifying their misdeeds in concealed locations. They clung to the deluded belief that the Soul Contract rendered them inviolable. They were convinced Lootwell would never dare to inflict damage upon an ally. They naively presumed Lootwell prioritized its public image of stability over the suffering of those crushed beneath its veneer.

This fundamental miscalculation proved to be their undoing.

One particularly damning report arrived under the cloak of late night.

Elias himself procured and delivered it directly to Lucien.

Lucien perused its contents once, his expression remaining impassive.

Then, his face became an unreadable mask of cold stillness.

A minor allied faction, based in the south-western region, had commenced a campaign of forced subjugation against nearby minor families. Their elders shamelessly invoked Lootwell’s name. Their disciples aggressively seized businesses. Their inner circle deliberately disseminated propaganda suggesting that any resistance against them constituted defiance of Lootwell's established regional order.

Worse still, they had specifically targeted a small faction that had, in the past, formally applied for branch cooperation.

Lucien deliberately placed the report down on the table.

"I shall proceed to dissolve the Soul Contracts with these errant factions."

With deliberate intention, Lucien retrieved the potent artifact known as the Covenant of Ending.

His spiritual sense reached out, clearly perceiving the soul-contract threads extending from him towards the offending factions.

"For the record," he stated, his voice steady, "they were given a warning."

Elias confirmed, "Indeed, they were."

"They misappropriated our name to harm individuals we explicitly forbade them from touching."

Eirene affirmed softly, "Yes, that is correct."

Lucien gave a slight nod.

"Consequently, the alliance is dissolved."

The Covenant of Ending activated.

The Soul Contract threads, with a sharp snap, broke.

A mark materialized above him, signifying his role as the executor of this judgment.

Lucien cast a single glance upwards at the mark.

Then, his Law of Nihility stirred.

The mark vanished without any fanfare.

Lucien's gaze remained devoid of emotion.

He had no intention of allowing any judgment to impose constraints upon him.

...

Far removed from this scene, the leaders and elders bound by the agreement felt the immediate severance.

Some were overcome, collapsing.

Others cried out in anguish.

A few stared at their hands as the privileges linked to Lootwell disappeared from their respective tokens.

Within Lootwell, Lucien and his companions commenced the process of removing all associated benefits.

Priority access, branch privileges, discounts, eligibility for Law Books, repair services, communication priority, automaton support, medicine channels, training rights, and emergency protection clauses.

All gone.

Next, the blacklist was enacted.

The entirety of the offending faction was prohibited from entering Lootwell's domain.

This measure alone would have been a crippling blow.

However, Lucien was not yet finished.

He turned his attention to Elias.

"The faction they oppressed."

Elias, anticipating this, already had the relevant file prepared.

A subtle smile touched Lucien's lips.

Elias understood him exceptionally well.

Lucien perused the name on the file.

A minor faction situated by a riverside, possessing respectable discipline but limited resources. They had a long-standing reputation for defending nearby villages, despite lacking any significant external support.

They had been among the initial groups to cautiously report the abuse.

Lucien tapped the file.

"They shall assume the position."

Eirene's eyes gleamed with interest.

"As full guardian candidates?"

"Candidates initially. An expedited evaluation process will follow. Should they succeed, they will be granted the full privileges."

Vivian offered a cold smile.

"That will be a deeply humiliating outcome for the previous holders."

Lucien glanced at the record of the severed contracts.

"It ought to be," he affirmed.

•••

The news disseminated with astonishing speed, far too rapidly to be contained.

Consequently, Lootwell made no effort to suppress the information.

Communication devices carried the narrative throughout the Western regions.

An allied faction had flagrantly abused Lootwell's name.

Lootwell had issued a clear warning.

They disregarded it.

Lootwell implemented a blacklist against them.

Subsequently, Lootwell selected the weaker faction they had persecuted and elevated them to the status of the region's new guardian candidate.

The Western territories were abuzz with discussion.

The faction now facing consequences attempted to issue a rebuttal.

They publicly accused Lootwell of a breach of the Soul Contract.

They proclaimed their sense of betrayal.

They asserted that any agreements made with Lootwell were unreliable.

They disseminated impassioned statements through every available communication channel.

To their misfortune, the Shadow Information Network possessed irrefutable evidence.

A concise yet brilliantly damning timeline was presented, detailing the initial warning and the faction's persistent misconduct thereafter.

Public sentiment shifted dramatically within mere hours.

A widely circulated comment from a merchant resonated:

[If you are warned against using someone's name to exploit others, and you persist in doing so, perhaps the core issue lies not with the contract itself.]

Another elder from a neutral Sect offered his perspective:

[Lootwell did not betray trust; rather, it withdrew trust from those who violated their conduct.]

Lucien read this particular commentary and gave a satisfied nod.

•••

The severed faction soon fell silent.

This silence was not born of genuine acceptance of their wrongdoing.

It was a consequence of every attempted action being reported before it could gain traction.

When they endeavored to make contact with adversarial powers, Lucien was immediately informed.

When they dispatched disciples to disseminate falsehoods, countermeasures were deployed to neutralize the rumors before they could take root.

Upon suggestion from an elder to covertly assault the weaker faction promoted to replace them, the crucial conversation reached Lootwell before the meeting concluded.

Lucien studied this report for a considerable duration.

Subsequently, he dispatched a final, resolute message.

[Do not misinterpret forbearance as ignorance.]

This served as sufficient deterrent.

They ceased their activities.

At least, for the present moment.

Those factions that had rectified their behavior observed these events unfold with an apprehension akin to a cold sweat.

Many experienced profound, heartfelt relief at having acted with promptness.

One Sect Master, upon hearing the news, reportedly confined himself to his office and emerged three hours later, bearing a revised disciplinary code, a comprehensive list of compensation policies, and the visibly shaken expression of an individual who had narrowly avoided a catastrophic fall, only realizing the precipice's height in retrospect.

Lucien approved of this outcome.

Fear could serve a purpose.

Provided it was anchored in principle, not arbitrary caprice.

The factions that had demonstrably improved received precisely the intended outcome.

•••

By the conclusion of this affair, Lootwell's reputation experienced a resurgence.

The Western powers gained a crucial understanding.

Lootwell possessed the capacity for generosity.

However, associating with Lootwell was not a mandate to act as a tyrant under a borrowed luminescence.