He was the dust beneath their feet. Now, he is the storm on their horizon. Twenty years ago, Zaid was a beggar in the village of Kafar Al-Noor, his dignity carved away by the lash of a wealthy man's whip. He was told he was the soil-meant only to be trodden upon. But Zaid learned a dangerous secret in the shadows of the Great Port City: The world is not moved by gold, but by what people believe is gold. Now, he returns as Count Zaidan. He hasn't come for apologies; he has come to collect a debt. Armed with a "divining rod" for destiny and an understanding of the commodity of illusion, Zaid begins his final masterpiece. He will offer the greedy elite exactly what they've always hungered for-and watch them build their own gilded cages. A gripping tale of psychological revenge, brilliant deception, and the high cost of victory. In this game of wit, the greatest trick isn't stealing a man's fortune... it's making him thank you for the privilege.