Chapter 3: Abacus Snake
"Here" Lynn started "There is a discrepancy of five gold coins in the weapon procurement funds."
"And here. The protection fees from the East District Tavern were recorded incorrectly three times, totaling seventeen silver coins."
"And here…"
Lynn continued writing as he spoke, calmly pointing out each problem in turn.
As flaw after flaw was exposed, the atmosphere in the room shifted perceptibly.
Although most of the thugs couldn't read the ledgers, they vaguely recognized some of the situations Lynn described. The numbers might have been unclear, but the locations and transactions were not.
Several gazes instinctively drifted in the same direction.
The Deputy Gang Leader, Ghost Fox.
One-Eyed Wolf's single eye gleamed. He leaned forward slightly, resting his forearm on the table.
"In total," Lynn concluded evenly, "this ledger contains false entries and omissions amounting to twelve gold coins, thirty-eight silver coins, and seventy-seven copper coins. And that doesn't even include the inflated procurement costs."
When he finished announcing the final figure, the skinny Accountant beside him was already shaking, his face drained of all color.
It was over. Completely over.
He opened his mouth to defend himself.
Bang!
One-Eyed Wolf slammed his palm down on the table. The room fell dead silent.
Then the gang leader laughed.
"Good," he said slowly. "Very good."
He fixed his burning gaze on Lynn, the savage grin never leaving his face.
"Kid. What's your name?"
"Lynn."
"From today on," One-Eyed Wolf said, pointing at the trembling Accountant, "you take his place."
"I'll give you one month to sort out every ledger in this gang."
"If you can truly help me make money, you'll be the Blood Hand Gang's Abacus Snake."
"And if you can't…"
He didn't bother finishing the sentence.
One-Eyed Wolf had no intention of dealing with Ghost Fox immediately. He needed time, time to verify the deception, and time for Lynn to finish untangling years of accounts.
He wanted to know exactly how much Ghost Fox had siphoned off behind his back.
Hearing the gang leader personally bestow a title, envy flickered across the faces of those present.
Lynn bowed his head in gratitude, hiding the cold glint that flashed through his eyes.
Abacus Snake?
A crude name.
But I'll take it.
Just like that, Lynn became the Blood Hand Gang's new accountant.
He was still given no proper lodging and was sleeping on straw in the woodshed, but at least he was no longer locked in a cage. He now had limited freedom of movement.
Aware that Ghost Fox would certainly try to silence him, One-Eyed Wolf forbade Lynn from stepping even half a pace outside the gang's headquarters.
At the same time, he didn't fully trust him either. A young thug who knew a few characters, nicknamed Skinny Monkey, was assigned to monitor Lynn at all times, both to prevent escape and to ensure the ledgers weren't tampered with.
But One-Eyed Wolf greatly overestimated Skinny Monkey.
Lynn was confident that even if he openly falsified the records under the boy's nose, Skinny Monkey wouldn't notice a thing.
His first task was to reorganize the Blood Hand Gang's finances and all its so-called "business operations."
He was given coarse parchment and low-quality ink. Very quickly, Lynn realized that the handful of foreign characters he had learned were nowhere near enough.
The gang members were barely literate. Most couldn't even write their own names. The former Accountant, the most educated among them, had already been "Dealt with."
After handling so much dirty work, even if the Gang Leader spared him, the Deputy Gang Leader certainly wouldn't.
One-Eyed Wolf refused to let Lynn go out to seek instruction. Instead, Lynn was forced to copy unfamiliar characters and have gang members ask around and report back.
Progress was painfully slow.
But… this was also his opportunity.
If he couldn't read the local script properly, then others certainly couldn't read English letters or Arabic numerals.
An idea took shape instantly.
Lynn found a thin wooden board and a piece of charcoal and told Skinny Monkey,
"This is safer and easier to hide. The gang's secret ledger can't leak."
Skinny Monkey didn't really understand, but it sounded reasonable enough.
So Lynn began writing exclusively in some han characters, English letters and Arabic numerals, and simplified symbols he invented himself, creating a cipher ledger that only he could decipher.
To anyone else, it was meaningless scribble.
Using the logical thinking and mathematical foundation from his previous life, Lynn quickly unraveled the Blood Hand Gang's financial chaos.
Every thread of deception led to the same person.
Ghost Fox.
The Deputy Gang Leader had clearly profited enormously over the years.
The formerly close relationship between the two leaders fractured, and the atmosphere within the gang grew increasingly volatile.
Lynn also redesigned the loan system.
Upfront interest deduction, borrow ten silver coins, receive only nine, yet repay interest calculated on ten. Penalties for late payments became harsher, compounding relentlessly.
Countless common folk were ruined by these methods.
Especially at the gang's casino, where gamblers were pushed into usury every single day.
Half a month later, Lynn had fully cleaned up the gang's accounts.
His efficiency and ruthlessness greatly pleased One-Eyed Wolf.
He was rewarded with a handful of copper coins and a half-worn linen shirt. The Gang Leader officially announced Lynn's status as the Blood Hand Gang's Abacus Snake.
From that day on, Lynn gained a measure of freedom.
But whenever he walked the streets, he was met with fear-filled and hateful stares.
Fortunately, no one dared attack him within the gang's territory.
Yet Lynn's ambitions stretched far beyond the filthy place.
While managing the accounts, he quietly exploited information asymmetry and his cipher system to skim wealth for himself. A fraction of the protection fees here. A sliver of interest there. Inflated procurement costs, buried deep within unreadable ledgers.
It was extremely dangerous. Discovery would mean death.
But he had no choice.
He couldn't remain in this gang forever. He needed capital and a path forward.
At the same time, Lynn began preparing for his own escape.
A strong body was essential.
This healthy body, so different from the one that had kept him bedridden for years in his previous life, felt almost intoxicating.
Every night, after Skinny Monkey fell asleep, Lynn trained silently in the shadows of the woodshed.
Squats.
Push-ups.
Sit-ups.
He never attempted to flee during these moments. Too many guards surrounded the headquarters.
Only after earning deeper trust could he gain real freedom.
When Lynn suggested enrolling in an academy to better manage the accounts, One-Eyed Wolf rejected the idea outright.
There were too many powers within the academy the gang couldn't afford to offend. If Lynn became tied to them, he might slip beyond control.
Left with no choice, Lynn requested permission to buy books for self-study instead.
This time, One-Eyed Wolf readily agreed, and even gave him an extra thirty silver coins.
Thus, during a trip to purchase writing materials, Lynn entered a nearly deserted bookstore.
Knowledge in this world belonged to nobles. Commoners struggled just to survive and couldn't afford education.
Seeing his shabby clothes, the shop owner initially tried to chase him out.
Lynn calmly slipped a few silver coins into the man's hand while Skinny Monkey wasn't looking.
The owner paused, then pretended nothing had happened, tightly gripping the coins.
Lynn wasn't in a hurry to buy. He casually picked up a book and flipped through it.
And as his finger traced across the yellowed pages, a translucent screen unfolded before his eyes.
[Memory Library Activated]
[Recording: Abridged History of the Continent… 1%… 15%…]