Chapter 41: XLI. Earn on Board
Liszt picked up a flat stone and skimmed it across the lake. Stealing someone’s treasured possessions was akin to killing their parents, Diaz would surely call on the Black Sail and fight to the death.
"I’ve never seen him, and no one in the Thief Guild has either," Swan said. "He only issues orders and manages members through written correspondence. He could be anyone in the guild, perhaps an inconspicuous farmer from a village, or even a high-ranking official within the court. Diaz is just his pen name. Most of the time, it’s more like... an intangible thought that infiltrates the darkness of the Western Continent through letters, claiming a place in the entire underworld."
Although Swan said this, there was not a hint of fear in his green beast-like eyes. He had always tried to expose Diaz, but to no avail.
Under Diaz’s control, the Thief Guild had reached the highest level of a gang organization. It was maxed out and could not be surpassed.
A mature large-scale gang organization.
There wasn’t a need for too many powerful figures, which would only lead to splinter factions and self-aggrandizing armies. Only a very few functional key members were necessary.
For a gang-like organization to grow, it must make people realize that only by continuing to rely on the organization could they form a formidable "force."
Without the organization, they were nothing, just nameless pawns.
The Thief Guild mastered this principle to perfection. There were no famous figures among the official members, nor were there any minor roles like shrimp soldiers and crab generals. Even if there were people with outstanding skills, they remained anonymous, maintaining an extreme balance. It was like a parasite clinging to the capillaries of all the nations on the Western Continent, with only a pen name—Diaz—orchestrating all thieves behind the shadows, managing their training, work positions, and funerals all in one.
In Liszt’s words, it was like deep mud. Even if one wanted to muster forces to annihilate the Thief Guild, there were no breakthrough points. Even if a few dens were cleaned up, it was insignificant.
You search for him across the vast land and find no trace; he strikes you with a divine weapon, coming from nowhere, impossible to guard against.