[WARNING: Important Info dump]
{Valekar Capital – Valekar Imperial Palace – Imperial Crown Palace}
Looking at the captive tied to his chair, Alexander turned to Alfred with a questioning look, "Why?"
"He was spying on the Six-Seven Gang when we got there… immediately gave up that he was a member of the Argus Giant Eyes." Alfred explained.
The Argus Giant Eyes Information group was once the imperial Spy group that went rouge.
Basically, what happens when the FBI and CIA tell the United States government to fuck itself and becomes a private organisation that sells information to everyone.
"Wake him… he is indeed useful." Alexander said plans forming in his mind as he dug into his breakfast.
After having the talk with Victor, Rose returned with his meal and wine, He introduced her to Alfred before sending her off to rest.
Once she was gone, Jackson was slapped awake by Alfred and the questions began.
Jackson like always prioritized survival and after question, Alexander finally decided.
According to the relevant information they got from Jackson, Argus Giant Eyes was completely changed compared to when they worked for the Imperial Family.
According to what Jackson knew, Argus Giant Eyes operated on a rigid internal ranking system.
Members were graded by "Eyes," starting from One-Eye and rising all the way to Seven-Eyes.
Jackson himself was a Four-Eyes.
In the Imperial Capital, there was a regional leader overseeing operations, but Jackson had never seen them.
In fact, he wasn't even sure whether the leader was male or female. That level of access was reserved for higher ranks, and Four-Eyes were kept deliberately in the dark since they were not high enough.
To be considered a core member of Argus Giant Eyes, one had to reach Five-Eyes.
Only then would the Guild present a loyalty contract.
That had been Jackson's goal.
It was why he had been taking riskier assignments lately, chasing bigger pieces of information in hopes of pushing his rank up.
Rank advancement within Argus Giant Eyes wasn't political. It was transactional.
Every piece of information submitted to the Guild was evaluated and assigned a point value based on its importance, sensitivity, and usefulness. Accumulating enough points was the only way to advance.
According to rumours Jackson had heard, the leader of the Imperial Capital branch was at least Expert rank, possibly higher.
The organization itself was divided into two broad categories of members.
Regular members and True Members.
Jackson was a regular member.
Regular members were information gatherers. They moved through the city, overheard conversations, tracked movements, watched targets, and collected fragments of useful intelligence.
Once they believed something was worth reporting, they would pass it up the chain in exchange for points.
True Members were different.
They handled deep-cover operations.
These were the ones responsible for maintaining spies embedded within noble families, merchant clans, religious institutions, and even criminal organizations. Some True Members were handlers. Others were spies themselves who had successfully infiltrated a target and risen high enough within it to provide long-term intelligence.
Jackson had never met a True Member directly.
As for how Argus Giant Eyes ensured the accuracy of the information they received, Jackson didn't know the method. He only knew the result.
The Guild could tell whether information was true or false.
False reports didn't just fail to earn points. Repeated attempts at deception resulted in silent disappearances. That knowledge alone kept most members honest.
Contact with the organization was deliberately unstable.
Jackson didn't have a fixed meeting place. The handler who collected his information met him at random locations, at random times. Jackson couldn't even be sure if it was always the same person.
If Jackson ever needed to initiate contact himself, he was instructed to go to a specific bar.
Eyes on Ice.
Beyond that, he knew almost nothing.
He didn't know the identities of any major members. He only knew a handful of fellow operatives around his own rank, friends he trusted just enough to share drinks and trade minor tips.
They all shared the same emergency contact point, but even then, Jackson was confident that 'Eyes on Ice' wasn't a true Guild hub.
He had staked it out more than once.
From everything he could tell, the bar was only ever used by his small circle.
There was no unusual traffic, no hidden signals from regulars, no other members coming in.
He wasn't even sure if the workers knew of anything.
Alexander mauled over this information that he got as he ate and once, he was done eating he already had a full plan.
Argus Giant Eyes Guild used to work for the Imperial Family… it was time for them to return to their master.
***
{Imperial Capital – Police Headquarters}
The police department was very much different from the ones on earth.
Here, the police held immense power at least the higher ups… not only did they maintain law and order, but they also supervise officials and ever since Argus Giant Eyes turned coat, they also gathered local intelligence and carried out covert activities.
The Minister of Police, Earl George Campbell was an Honorary-Imperial noble that controlled majority of the Police Force… at least in the Central Imperium Region.
The other major player in the Police Force was Marques Jordan Thorn, another Honorary-Imperial noble.
Marques Thorn had another identity… The High Chancelor and a Loyalist… A strong supporter of the throne.
Unfortunately, Earl Campbell who was also supposed to be a staunch supporter of the throne was not, however power had blinded his lineage.
Now to understand the power dynamics here and the claims of required loyalty you must understand how nobility worked.
One of the most important things to consider was who a noble swore their oath to.
There were two fundamentally different forms of fealty within the empire.
The first was known as Imperial Direct, or informally, the First Oath.
These nobles swore loyalty directly to the Emperor himself.
This category included all six Great Dukes, whose power was vast enough that no intermediary could reasonably stand between them and the throne.
It also included a special class known as Imperial Freeholders.
These were nobles consisting mostly of Marques, Counts or Barons whose lands did not fall under the territory of any Duke.
Their holdings were often placed at important/ strategic locations with intent to curb the dukes' power.
They tend to be loyalist who answered only to the Emperor, these nobles were protected by imperial law from encroachment by the Dukes.
In exchange, they served as the Emperor's eyes, hands, and influence in regions where ducal power would otherwise go unchecked.
Their loyalty was expected to be absolute… well not anymore but we will get there in due time.
The second form was Layered Fealty, known as the Second Oath.
These nobles swore allegiance not to the Emperor directly, but to a superior lord. A Baron to a Count. A Count to a Duke. Their loyalty flowed upward through the chain rather than directly to the throne.
In times of war or imperial decree, they did not answer the Emperor's call themselves.
Their forces were gathered and presented by their immediate lord, who acted as both shield and filter between them and the throne.
In theory, this system allowed for stability and delegation.
In practice, it also allowed powerful nobles to hoard loyalty and quietly test the limits of imperial authority but at the same time allows the imperial family to plant spies in said territories.
Beyond oaths, nobility was further divided by another crucial distinction.
Whether a noble was landed or honorary.
Landed nobles held titles bound to physical territory. A Barony, a County, a Duchy. Their authority came from the land itself. With that land came judicial power, military rights, taxation privileges, and responsibility for defence.
No land meant no true power.
Honorary nobles, often called court nobles, were different.
Their titles were rewards for service.
Military commanders. Senior bureaucrats. Exceptional artists. Scholars whose work elevated the empire's prestige.
These titles came with stipends, ceremonial robes, and access to court, but no land and no independent authority.
Most resided permanently in the capital.
They were entirely dependent on imperial favour.
And that was precisely the point.
They served as a counterweight to the landed aristocracy, loyal by necessity rather than tradition.
However, their titles were fragile. Each generation inherited a lesser version of the honour until, eventually, it faded entirely back into common blood.
This also means that should the empire fall, they also fall with it.