Hearts of Iron 4 Player's Guide to Save the Isekai World

Cascadia First

Revised March 2024

Bullets and fragments are woke since they don't discriminate with extreme prejudice

Poison Shadow

***

Swordsmound Barracks, Palace Exterior
Night

Analyzing the documents left a lot to be desired. But the picture it painted left scholarly men littering the room with spent bottles of ink and wasted copies of paper for the words and final redrafts shifted to the men in black.

One arranged a short stack of paper and handed it to the one beside him. The man adjusted his spectacles.

"This is an interesting development if I say so myself, Spymaster."

"Consider your sentiments validated, Director."

Hours of work, unending shifts, as were the sailors on the high seas sailing towards the unknown, each document was like the first islands sighted that would become the New World. One cannot help but express it fully with solemn gusto.

"This is a rather long list. Greed is truly the greatest demon of them all."

"And they deserve nothing more than the most potent poisons for having the gall to carve the Kingdom's pillars. But this won't be the first time politics will interfere. You may consider your responsibility a gift from His Majesty to the Minister."

"And how do we consider your coverage in the military?"

"Goodwill, but you haven't heard it from us. The Minister may rest easy that his weapons will remain in better hands."

"Hopefully, Spymaster. We'll need every abled individual to know how to shoot if this dream ever becomes a nightmare."

***

Ministry of Security

A rebellion, a war, a headache; Erich set his feet off the bed and onto the floor. Unwinding took a few seconds; losing any shred of natural concern, a bit more.

"Sponsored or negligence?"

"The former."

"At least we know where the coin's going," a silver lining for the sake of it.

"We have the names of aristocrats — legislators. As far as we can tell, some seem to be nothing more than victims of their own greed."

"Meaning?"

"Blaire was mainly a financier enticing others to join Salais' cause, be it directly or unknowingly. Through bribes, he erased his steps in layers of bureaucracy, hoping for it to be archived. It explains the wealth he has accumulated in the form of anonymous donors of the city's Development Grant."

"And by virtue of its charter, they were given a level of confidentiality that eluded the Kingdom."

Perhaps Chartered Cities, as the Americans called it, or Free Imperial Cities, will see a downtrend in the future for what it has done to Cascadia and the Hero. But as hosts and councils lament down the paved path of centralization, there lies a single variable of fluidity, which fell in the realm of probability.

"From the figures, it is not something Salais would consider a worthy investment."

More like a money sink from how thick Emmanuel's folder was. Someone was bankrolling them.

"We've added a marker on those complicit so far."

Then it's a developing list.

"The Kingdom will settle on the military and has entrusted us with dealing with the aristocracy, preferably while they are still in the capital. Words such as 'diversion,' 'mercenaries,' and 'convicts' have increased in frequency on recent dates. The current issue is that we might never have another chance to gather notable suspects like this again, and once news spreads, others outside parliament may flee the Kingdom, leaving only trails of slander. That's why we'd like to consult how we move forward in consideration of your plans."