NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 22
“I’ll go prepare the delivery, then.”
Siena watched Alan disappear with proper decorum, her gaze fixed on his retreating back. He’s probably off to produce more morphine again.
‘1,000 talers per gram?’
Even Princess Siena couldn’t help but chuckle at the outrageous sum.
This price wasn’t arbitrarily set. When opium transforms into morphine, its weight diminishes to less than ten percent, and there were other materials involved as well—whatever they might be.
Yet, even accounting for that, it was still an absurd profit margin.
With the current morphine stock and the raw opium piled in the warehouse, converting it all could potentially net at least sixty million talers.
And that wasn’t the end of it. As long as the Empire’s military persisted, there would be a consistent influx of profit.
The results achieved by, not slaves, but two employees were simply unbelievable.
‘Yet the man himself remains so calm.’
Having amassed such extraordinary wealth in less than a month and still maintaining this composure—it was as if he had foreseen this situation all along.
Moreover, Alan’s detachment wasn’t limited to money alone.
When Siena had uncovered the interaction between lemons and psilocybin on her own, Alan didn’t seem the least bit startled. He merely looked a tad weary, as if to say, “Well, here we go again.”
Just how far ahead could Alan see? And how much hidden potential did he still harbor?
It was unknowable.
However, Siena was clear on what she needed to do now.
“I need to grow my power too.”
She needed to become the sort of master befitting such a talented subordinate.
It was unimaginable that Alan, who had sworn his knightly honor by offering his sword, would suddenly turn against her just because he had made some money.
Still, once the announcement of the military contract was made, Alan—and Medoff Pharmaceuticals, founded using his title—would inevitably attract the attention of all the people in the Empire.
Businessmen drawn to morphine’s potential and possibly even Victoria and her circle, who presumably already harbored goodwill towards Alan, might start making their approaches soon.
In this process, Alan’s notoriety would gradually fade. Eventually, he would merely be seen as a successful businessman.
‘The more that happens, the harder it’ll be for me to control him with my current strength.’
She needed to bolster her influence before his stature rose even higher.
And not only to guard against any potential unwanted contacts but also to ensure that Alan himself wouldn’t feel the need to collaborate with other powers. For this, groundwork was necessary.
She already had a plan in mind.
Execution begins now.
“Send Oliver in.”
Immediately after Siena’s order, a limping servant appeared.
This was the servant who had been injured by Alan, leaving one of his knees ruined and all his front teeth knocked out.
Though not permanently disabled, his walk still indicated lingering discomfort. Despite that, upon seeing Siena, he immediately bowed with a nervous smile, indicating his desire to survive.
“You.”
“Yes, Your Highness…!”
“Are you still harboring resentment towards Alan? And me, of course?”
“H- How dare you!”
As the pitiful servant began to protest, Siena casually raised her hand to silence him.
“I have a task for you. Not to harm him.”
“…What?”
“Now, let’s imagine you bear a grudge against Alan for crippling you and mocking you ever since.”
“And now that Alan is about to become incredibly wealthy through the military contract, you’ve become so furious that you impulsively decide to steal the method for making morphine.”
“What exactly are you asking me to do?”
“It’s simple. All you have to do is covertly inform the people I designate that you’ve managed to extract the secrets of morphine production and are considering selling them.”
“To whom?”
“Lord Draiden, the former Count; Lord Dowenshire, the former Count; Lord Draghead, the former Viscount.”
All of them were figures who had been sacrificed as scapegoats due to Anais’ accusations of poisoning.
Their titles had already been stripped upon her request, and they were soon to lose a portion of their assets during what was set to be a routine trial.
At this moment, they must have been grappling with immense feelings of loss. Normally, Anais would handle such matters, but clearly, she wasn’t in a position to care for anyone.
‘If they hear about the potential to gain information on morphine, they’ll undoubtedly leap at the chance like madmen. A servant supposedly crippled by Alan offering it should lend credibility.’
The servant clearly wasn’t thrilled about Siena’s request, likely fearing it would be a death trap.
Siena decided to motivate him.
“If you fulfill this task immediately, I will arrange for the Saintess to heal your injury within a few days. Naturally, I will cover all the required offerings.”
“…!”
At this proposal, the servant’s face lit up instantly. The irony of the person who had actually caused his injury being Siena herself wasn’t lost on her, but such is life.
Humans are, after all, creatures that can be ruled through punishment and reward. Why refuse a deal that promised to heal his legs in exchange for running an errand?
Siena delivered detailed instructions to the now-motivated servant.
This operation was aimed at baiting her younger sister Anais’ faction.
It was amusing to ensnare those who were floundering due to their broken leader, but it wasn’t done solely for amusement.
**
Two days later, dawn.
“They’re all inside. Eight of them.”
Upon receiving the report from her bodyguard Erica, Siena smirked.
Right now, she was near a medicinal plant shop on the outskirts of the State. Inside the building, the individuals who had followed—or had previously followed—Anais were gathered.
Three of them had taken Siena’s bait and brought five more voluntarily.
Naturally, the reason for their gathering was morphine.
[We will demonstrate the production of morphine in front of you with a pharmacist. Just see the demonstration and then pay. There’s an abandoned pharmacy in District 13; come there without any escorts, secretly.]
These were the people who fell for the bait delivered by Siena through the servant.
Already, the name morphine had subtly spread across the State.
The nobles who followed Anais mostly engaged in trade or finance, and thus their attachment to money was stronger than usual. A drug that cost 1,000 talers per gram was something no merchant could remain indifferent to.
Though they were initially hesitant due to their past experience of being duped by Siena…
‘When they heard about a live demonstration, they couldn’t help but rush over. Eight of them, no less.’
Is money really that desirable? Of course, it was.
Thereafter, Siena confidently walked into the building with two bodyguards in tow.
“Your Highness…?”
The eight pairs of eyes turned towards her.
There were those who had once stood idly by while she trampled on Anais, and others who hadn’t been involved, ranging from minor figures who owned a single ship to the President of the Stock Exchange. Despite their varied backgrounds, they all shared the same startled reaction upon seeing Siena.
After enjoying the uncomfortable standoff for a moment, Siena finally spoke.
“Previously, you tried to tarnish my honor with unfounded claims of poisoning… Now, you’re conspiring to ruin a company I’ve invested heavily in. Why do you all hate me so much?”
“Your Highness! Not again like this…!”
“Again? So, did you steal before?”
“Huh…!”
The nobles fidgeted with a mixture of anger and confusion, making for good entertainment. Siena felt she had not made the trip in vain.
“Princess Siena?”
It was then that a middle-aged man stepped forward with a relatively calm expression.
Count Sowon, the biggest catch among those ensnared this time.
“Speak.”
“Apparently, we’ve fallen into another trap. Hearing about the method of morphine production must have clouded our judgment. However, Your Highness, such machinations can hurt your reputation as well. Even someone as Honored as you has limits.”
His statement wasn’t entirely wrong.
Attempting a similar strategy against the same faction twice was akin to exposing your play. Though she could push her way through with brute force, doing so would ensure no noble would dare approach her again in the future.
But that wasn’t a concern.
“I’m not here to punish you immediately. Since Anais is already in that state, what good would it do to unnecessarily crush her followers as well? As you say, that would only harm my reputation.”
“Then…”
“I came here to personally confirm your faces. To remember whoever is leeching off my profits.”
“…”
“Isn’t it better to deal with that later?”
A subtle implication that she had just added their names to her kill list for a future purge.
Fortunately, no one seemed to have missed the message.
And no one seemed unclear on how to avoid making the list.
“Your Highness, do you… perhaps desire our support?”
“I don’t want support. That implies forming a faction, and factions involve sharing profits. And I have no intention of sharing profits with you, who sought to profit off my morphine.”
“Then…”
“I just want you to follow my commands like dogs.”
“…”
“In return, I’ll guarantee your lives. Mostly.”
Obey or eventually be marked for a slow death.
The nobles exchanged hesitant glances with increasingly uneasy expressions. When one of them requested time for deliberation, Siena simply shook her head with a smirk.
“I’m good either way.”
After Siena delivered this ultimatum…
“YOUR HIGHNESS!”
Finally, one of the hesitant nobles fell to his knees, yelling before she had urged him to do so. With the precedent set, the pressure on the others was palpable.
“Like dogs, we will obey, Your Highness.”
Within a minute, all eight nobles were on their knees.
This was the first time Siena, who had hitherto only managed a few fallen nobles to run casinos, gathered truly influential people under her banner.
Including those loyal to her younger sister, who normally would have brought her immense satisfaction.
While the servants under her command through manipulation and threats weren’t exactly ideal, people served their purpose according to how they were managed. Inciting internal strife, rewarding carefully with small opportunities, and punishing accordingly would suffice.
‘Success. But oddly, I don’t feel that excited.’
There was nothing more thrilling than playing with people, so why wasn’t it as fun this time?
Siena knew the reason well.
Because the value of all these people combined paled in comparison to the worth of one individual already under her command. Compared to Alan, everyone else simply seemed insignificant.