8 8) Plan for robbery

After listening to Bhanumati's story, Aryan finally understood the ins and outs of this matter. 

He also understood why Shubh was so confident that King Chitrangad would compromise.

After all, if he doesn't want to make the matters worse then King Chitrangad has no choice but to compromise, more so because the opponent is too strong to fight. 

When the peace messenger from Udra kingdom arrives in a few days, not only King Chitrangad can't sue them for attempting to kidnap princess Bhanumati, he would also be forced to voluntarily release the culprit, Shubh Udrabhan. 

Aryan's understanding of the situation deepened as he grasped the intricacies of the political landscape. The delicate balance of power, the ambitions of Paundraka Vasudeva, and the potential consequences for King Chitrangad and Kalinga became clear to him.

It was evident that Shubh's confidence in King Chitrangad's compromise was well-founded, given the precarious position of Kalinga in the face of such a formidable opponent.

As they contemplated the challenges ahead, Aryan couldn't help but admire Bhanumati's resilience and determination to protect her kingdom.

But aside from these things, Aryan focused more on another point - Paundrak Vasudeva.

Paundraka Vasudeva was the King of Pundra and resided in the capital city of Pundra, Karusha. 

Paundraka was the son of King Vriddhasharma and Queen Shrutadeva. Shrutadeva was the sister of Vasudeva, Krishna's father. Paundraka's brother was Dantavakra, who was the rebirth of Kumbhakarna (and indirectly Vijaya, the doorkeeper of Vishnu).

As Aryan remembered what he read in those ancient texts in the cave, Paundraka's story is described in the 66th Chapter of the 10th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam.

One time, the ministers of Paundraka once told him how great he was, even comparable to Lord Vishnu. But Paundraka took this compliment seriously. Due to this, he began thinking of himself to be an avatara of Lord Vishnu.

For someone who thinks that he is God himself, Aryan thinks that this is already the limit of pride. So considering all things, Aryan believes that Paundraka can definitely be recognized as the Lion's Sin of Pride by the seven deadly sins system.

So in other words, as long as he can kill him, Aryan can get his hands on another powerful ability. 

Collecting his thoughts, Aryan looked up at Bhanumati and was mesmerized by her beautiful face as golden sun rays reflected off her delicate skin. 

"What happened? Is there something on my face? "

Aryan finally came to his senses as Bhanumati shook him out of his reverie. 

"Oh it's nothing. I was just wondering how you're so beautiful. Lord Brahma must have spent extra time when he was making you. "

Aryan said cheekily. 

Bhanumati immediately blushed on hearing this and bowed her head in shame. 

After talking light heartedly with each other for some time, when it was getting dark, Aryan escorted Bhanumati to her boudoir and he himself returned to his own room. 

It's just that during this time, when Aryan was passing by the entrance of one of the rooms, he heard the conversation of some soldiers, which immediately attracted his attention, causing him to stop. He hid behind the curtains and eavesdropped on them. 

"Hey Surendar, it's almost time for shift change. I think we should leave for the treasury. "

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go quickly or else we would never hear the end of it from Chief Vijay. "

"Hahaha, you got that right. That guy is just too much to handle when he starts his lecture. "

* step * * step * 

After the group of soldiers walked away from the room, Aryan finally came out from behind the curtains and quickly followed after them. 

But just after walking a few hundred metres, Aryan had to stop. It's because the closer he got to the treasury, the tighter the security became. And from here after, there is a pair of soldiers appointed in each corridor. 

So it's basically impossible to go further without being discovered. Sighing, Aryan silently made a mental note of this location and returned to his room.

Lying on the bed, he started pondering the possibilities of how he might enter the treasury for the robbery in the future. 

Aryan contemplated the challenge of robbing the treasury. It was clear that the treasury was heavily guarded, making a direct approach nearly impossible. He needed a plan that would outsmart the guards and ensure his success. 

And the first crucial step was to gather as much information as possible about the treasury's layout, guard rotations, and security measures.

Aryan decided to use the excuse of looking for the traitor to roam the palace and explore it during the day when security was relatively lighter. He would discreetly observe guard patterns, noting their numbers, routes, and timing.

The second step to successfully carry out the robbery is infiltrating the Treasury.

Aryan needed a way to bypass the guards positioned in the corridors leading to the treasury.

For this, he remembered hearing it from Bhanumati that the palace had a network of underground tunnels used for various purposes such as escaping if the palace is under attack. He planned to access these tunnels from a discrete location within the palace and navigate through them to reach the vicinity of the treasury without being detected.

The fourth step is cracking the vault. The treasury would likely have a well-protected vault. Aryan knew he couldn't rely on brute force, so he thought of another way, stealing the key of the treasury.

The fifth step is creating a diversion for the guards, so that the movement inside the treasury won't attract their attention. And this would also help to reduce the number of enemies in case something goes amiss. 

To divert the guards' attention and thin their numbers, Aryan needed to create a convincing distraction. He decided to orchestrate a fake crisis in another part of the palace, something that is urgent enough to draw guards away from the treasury. And the moment he thought about this, Shubh's face unconsciously came to his mind. 

"I think I know what to do. "

The seventh step is retrieving the treasure once inside the treasury.

This step alone is hundred times more difficult than all the previous steps. Because unlike other transmigrators in the novels, he doesn't have a storage space or inventory.

Thus he had to come up with a fail safe method of moving the treasure out of the treasury right under everyone's nose. 

He could of course retrace his steps through the underground tunnels to avoid detection by guards. But the problem is, he couldn't carry so much wealth all alone. 

So while he had a rough outline of the plan ready, a few loopholes need to be filled. 

Aryan was well aware that executing this plan would require precision, timing, and a bit of luck.

He knew the risks were high, but the potential rewards were worth it, especially if he could obtain the power associated with Fox's sin of Greed.

With a rough plan in place, Aryan peacefully fell asleep.