Chapter 196 - Consolidation

Three days later…

“Count Leon has been killed?” Kyle raised his eyebrow, surprised that it had happened faster than expected.

“Indeed. The timeline in which we have to entrench ourselves have been slightly pushed forward. Baron Namor will soon take the position of Count, but I believe I can stall the process slightly.” Baron Cain remarked. “Three months is the maximum I can promise – any more would be too much to ask for.”

“Three months is more than enough.” Kyle nodded in agreement. “Who is in charge of the remaining forces at Ocra now?”

“I heard the Duke’s mage has taken over command and is launching brutal attacks into Ocra directly with no concern.”

“Scorched earth, I assume.”

“Indeed. Unlike Count Leon, who intended on capturing the populace, the Duke seems to have no qualms eradicating them.”

“The Duke is clearly in a rush to end the war as fast as possible,” Kyle remarked. He postulated that the Duke wanted to quickly claim Ocra and then sign a peace treaty with Versia, with the condition that Ocra belonged directly to the Duke.

“What are you going to do?” Baron Cain asked, knowing that Kyle was in a unique position to affect the war thanks to his ADCON.

Kyle pondered for a moment. He had been considering the effects of the war thus far – ADCON was by far the biggest mercenary company in Versia right now, accounting for nearly a fifth of the Versian military. However, as much as war benefitted him, it was not the true end goal of a crime lord like him.

With his close ties with the new Versian government, he already has replaced the previous spot of the industrialists, assisting Dekar in running state-owned ventures, for a price of course. His companies in Versia, established in Desham, were almost free from taxation thanks to their connections, and he could begin to funnel resources from Versia into Raktor to further fuel his exponential economic growth.

However, he could only funnel resources if the war ended, but ending the war would also mean that the military force of ADCON would lose their main contract, and their revenue plummeting. Kyle had to think of a way for ADCON to pivot to something more sustainable while maintaining the same military size to act as a deterrence.

Pitting ADCON against the Duke’s mage would result in untold casualties – none of his troops save for Nox and Yona knew the true strength that a single mage could inflict on the battlefield. It was a miracle that the Duke’s mage was also of the mind to stall Count Leon as long as possible, but now that Count Leon was dead, nothing held the mage back.

“I will recall ADCON from Ocra. Let the Duke have it. There is no point wasting resources fighting for it.”

“A sound plan.”

“Moving forward, once the truce between Versia and the Duke or Baron Namor has been signed, we can begin using the established economic base in Versia to accelerate our efforts in the South Sector,” Kyle explained. “I’ll need a special permit to allow foreign traders to enter the South Sector. The guards of the caravans will be ADCON soldiers as well.”

“The West Sector and North Sector are still in flux – your Versian traders won’t be able to access the river nor their roads.” Baron Cain pointed out. “They’ll have to use either of those paths if they want the shortest distance to the South Sector.”

“Not a problem. There is a possibility that we can redirect them to Culdao Peaks Town. I’ll look into the viability of it. If it's viable, I’ll begin construction immediately. This way, we can concentrate economic growth in the southern region instead of the East.”

Kyle and Baron Cain discussed their joint ventures a bit more. Plans to restore the formerly destroyed weapons factory, new malls as well as improved transportation features in the South Sector were all briefly negotiated, Kyle not directly rejecting any. With every construction project, my gang becomes more and more entrenched in the system. Soon, every single building of note in the South Sector would have been developed by me.

“Speaking of the West and the North Sector, how shall we deal with them? I have reports of the Ardent Cretins engaging in skirmishes with the Violet Demons.”

Kyle was not surprised by the information, knowing the Ardent Cretins were now at odds to the Demons thanks to the Violet Demons' immediate betrayal at the first sign of potential loss during their battle. Sebastian would immediately retaliate and try to hold onto any holdings he originally possessed while not having to worry about being attacked by Baron Cain or the Seven Snakes.

The stability and peace of the South Sector ensured Sebastian’s ability to dedicate more forces to attacking the Violet Demons. Kyle had no intention of getting involved in another large conflict with another major gang, focusing all his resources on rebuilding his economic base.

Either way, his own troops were already caught up with dealing with the recent corruption and traitors, while Sasha was busy suppressing former Ardent Cretin members in other districts. “Let them do what they want. As long as they don’t go against the peace treaty.”

Capturing portions of the West Sector was a valid strategy, except Kyle did not think that going wide was the right play here. He knew that the Tul’e Da’li was expanding into adjacent sectors, spreading into his South Sector as well as the North Sector, where the Bolsh Legion was still fighting tooth and nail against a stubborn North Baron.

With the solutions agreed upon, Kyle immediately returned to the Culdao Peaks to begin his integration plan in preparation for the imminent truce. He delivered an order to Nox, Yona and Feldon to stop fighting in Ocra, as well as advising Dekar not to resist any longer.

At the same time, he revisited the Culdao Peaks town, the planned destination of every Versian trader to gauge the viability of his plan.

The Culdao Peaks was not the only town that formed a path between Raktor and Kregol – it was not even the most direct one, taking nearly twenty hours longer. But Kyle reasoned that if he could either lower that travelling time or provide far more amenities and security along the trading route, he could entice Versian traders to stop here first as well. The low security of the West and North Sectors made the town a perfectly safe alternative route.

Now… how to reduce the travelling time… Kyle decided to talk to the locals, accompanied by Mari, who was insistent on tagging along the moment she heard that he was going out once more. “Come on, the town isn’t that far! I’ll be back in time for training!”

Kyle allowed it, recognising it as a small action to earn her loyalty and build rapport. Kyle met with Hank, who was now the de facto leader of the town, rebuilding slowly.

The Seven Snakes had sent a few workers over to assist in the reconstruction, but as the main priority was the South Sector, the town was proceeding at a slow and steady rate. Previously demolished buildings were slowly regaining their original façade, with improved planning thanks to assistance from the Golden Snakes Construction Companies.

The economic prospect for the town was also looking up, as Kyle had set up a few small production lines – small workshops that processed food or basic supplies for use in both Kregol and Raktor. They weren’t as large as the ones in the goblin kingdom, but they sufficed for now, given the diminished town’s population. It provided jobs for those not involved in the reconstruction, stabilising the food supplies in the town a bit more and creating a safety net.

“It’s been going swimmingly; everything is great now.” Hank grinned widely as he bowed to Kyle, showing respect for the town’s saviour. “I think within three months, we should be back up to normal business.”

Hank showed Kyle around the place with Mari trailing behind and marvelling at the restoration. However, Kyle was far from impressed, noticing a clear lack of expansion potential. It seems the town was simply going through the motions, restoring what used to be and hoping for the best.

“This isn’t good enough,” Kyle remarked as they neared the end of the tour. “The town needs to expand bigger than it is currently.”

“That’s impossible; we were never the major trading route for traders going between Kregol and Raktor. The time deviation would cause any trader to prioritize the next town over us immediately.”

“You’re referring to the Cordian Plains,” Kyle responded.

“Yes, that is the most direct route by far. Over here, you would have to contest potential raids from forest bandits, goblins and bumpy roads. Wagons can’t travel as fast as they should here.”

These problems were easily solved – save for one. Kyle knew the road’s lousy quality: his first trip out of Raktor was telling enough. But to pave the road, he would have to have machines capable of doing it in the first place. Asking his men to do it from the town to Raktor and to Kregol would take ages.

What’s more, he had to provide a viable transportation route for the Versian traders to join this intersection instead of stopping over at the Cordian Plains. Any road, railway, or tunnel he dug would bypass this area, rendering him vulnerable to interception and blockading. He needed a new method of transportation that could overcome these disadvantages.

“Hovercrafts?” Mari leaned over and whispered into Kyle’s ears, but Kyle shook his head.

“Too much investment.” Kyle did not want to show off too much high-tech – advanced engravings were already the limit to him. He still kept in mind the Wardens who had yet to appear.

Hank scanned Kyle’s face, clearly knowing what Kyle was thinking about it. “I’m sure if more was invested into the town, we could potentially attract more traders. We can work on smoothing out the road to improve travel time and maybe even build a railway track.”

Kyle wasn’t convinced however, not seeing any viable way to improve the Culdao Peaks Town’s position. As far as he could tell, the Cordian Plains that laid right smack between the three counties of Versia, Kregol and Raktor served as the best intersection.

He returned to the Culdao Peaks quickly, pulling out observation maps drawn from the aerial observations, marking the various towns that existed in the Cordian Plains. There were nearly a dozen, all owned by the Violet Demons, Ardent Cretins or the Veiled Angels.

Kyle could use plenty of methods to exert influence or control the town, but nearly all of them would involve combat of some form, which could lead to escalating conflict. He needed a method that could gut a town out from within and let him slowly claw his way in over the months, without the Violet Demons even hearing a peep.

[Sir, the selection of opiates is now ready for inspection from the seed storage. Would you like to view them?] Orisa spoke to him via one of her clones in the observation complex. Kyle had previously instructed her to search for plants he recognised from his former life, simplifying the drug-synthesising process. As great of a ‘potion-maker’ Kyle was from his titles, he had limited access to ingredients, only able to rely on Galactic Era modified seeds that could grow in the Culdao Peaks.

The message came at just the right time, with Kyle having a small smile on his face, his eyes landing on a specific town in the very heart of the Cordian Plains. They think they are the only ones who can infiltrate a gang from within? Let a real crime lord show you how it’s done.