Chapter 2868: The Tripoint Border City
Date: Unspecified
Time: Unspecified
Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Southern Region, Blossom District, Sky Blossom City, Headquarters
"My lord, we will do our best to raise tension between the Western Regionâs royal family and its citizens, while spreading word of your rule and achievements here in the new empire," Luna remarked in response to the task Iâd assigned the Freedom Fighters.
I wasnât impressed. What Luna had in mind wouldnât change anything in a short time. It was like comparing your child to the neighbourâs golden child â it didnât mean youâd throw yours away and adopt theirs, raise him alongside his own parents. You either learn to be happy with the child you have, or you demand more of your child. Lunaâs plan wasnât without merit, but it would take decades to get what I wanted. And it wouldnât fit my no-unnecessary-bloodshed world domination campaign.
As if sensing my disinterest, Luna pivoted on the spot and improvised. "My lord, there is another way. But for that, Iâll need to request the help of Aurelia, Diana, and the others. Using our connections in the west, we can help them set up and operate shell companies and organizationsârun through proxiesâto replicate what they did here in the South."
I couldnât help but nod, clearly impressed. But before I agreed, I needed to confirm with those in question.
"Consider it done, my Lord." Diana, Fred, Old Ben and the rest nodded, accepting the task. Meanwhile, Aurelia stepped forward from behind and took her place at my side.
"My Lord," she said, a quiet pride in her voice, "the Bright Lions Security Agency has already taken over the Western Tripoint Border City â the trijunction point where the Southern, Western, and Empire territories converge, high up in the Lux Mountains."
Basking in the amazed gazes of everyone in the room, Aurelia continued, "The city lord and the major families there are either repeat offenders or suspected of treason â or so they say. I canât vouch for how much of it is true. What is true, though, is that theyâve been shunned by the Western Royal family and its nobles, exiled to the Border City to quietly die out of sight. Naturally, they carry a lot of resentment toward the crown.
"The high school gangs â" she caught herself, "â the young entrepreneurs there, collectively applied to join the Bright Lions Security Agency and open a branch in their city. Turns out theyâre die-hard admirers of Southern Hope. I think thatâs where we start."
"Yeah, no." Luna didnât mince words. "Regular folks might not care about the background of a company as long as the prices are fair and the service is decent â but the major families wonât see it that way. The moment they find out weâre associated with the Tripoint Border City, theyâll shut the door on us. Might even blacklist us outright. You of all people should know that." She wasnât just rejecting Aureliaâs plan â she was certain that any tie to the Tripoint Border City would make it impossible to gain a foothold anywhere else in the Western Region.
"Nah, itâll work." Aurelia held her ground. "As long as thereâs money to be made, even the Western Royalty will look the other way. I know that better than most, itâs how I got to where I am today." She paused, then added, "Besides, if we want to spark a real revolution in the West, the Tripoint Border City is exactly where we start. These people were cast out by the Royal family and the nobles, written off, left to wither on a mountain, and yet here they are, still alive, still standing. Donât make the mistake of underestimating them."
"I agree with Aurelia," I cut in, ending the argument.
The tripoint up in the Lux Mountains didnât even warrant a proper border garrison â the terrain alone was hostile enough to make any large-scale mobilization a nightmare. Both the Empire and the Southern Region made do with a single rotating squad and called it a day despite the fact that the Western Royal family had planted a whole city up there. That said everything.
The Tripoint Border City, those people had not only survived but kept it functioning like any other â that wasnât desperation, that was resilience. Aurelia was right. Underestimating them would be a mistake.
"Alright, the Freedom Fighters and my original organizations will work on this together. But let me be clear â donât try to intimidate or threaten your colleagues over minor disagreements or differences of opinion. I wonât tolerate it." That last part needed saying. The gap in realm between the Freedom Fighters and my original organizations was wide enough that left unchecked, things could get ugly fast.
Just then, Henricks slipped quietly into the assembly room and took his seat, exchanging a silent nod with Corey.
Ignoring it, I moved on to the Empire. Glancing at Catherine and her entourage, I began, "Your task will be to supply numbers to the others. Have your people curb the extremist mindset and learn to mingle. And Iâd ask everyone else to be mindful of differing beliefs and faith in return. This isnât just about filling the shortage of higher-rank Card Apprentices across the organizations â itâs also a good opportunity for the Empire to slowly integrate with the rest."
"Yes, my lord, consider it done." Saintess Catherine agreed without hesitation. Turning to the others, she added with quiet grace, "Everyone, I will be personally overseeing this. Please donât hesitate to reach out to me directly over any issues that come up. The Empire is looking forward to being part of something larger â and I hope youâll bear with us through the occasional misstep. Our ways are different, and that gap wonât close overnight."
I nodded, pleased to see the others responding warmly to Catherineâs words. Then I moved to wrap things up.
"Alright, thatâs it for today. If thereâs nothing else you want to bring to me, youâre dismissed."
Seeing no one spoke up, I rose from my seat and left with the Field Marshal and Aurelia. Behind me, the room stood up in unison and bowed as I walked out.
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