Episode 130 — The Report Was Good News

"Anyway, I’ll leave the two of you to iron out the fine print on using land ownership as a reward. With that, rebooting the rural sector should just be a matter of time."

I drained the rest of my flat cola and wrapped up the roadmap. Gustav and Argo nodded deeply. A comfortable silence filled the living room—the kind that only comes after a major problem finally has a clear path to resolution.

But that silence was broken by the light electronic chime of the doorbell. I checked the monitor and saw Volg looking up at the camera with a bored expression, exuding that somewhat unhealthy professional charm of his. I unlocked the door, and a moment later, he strolled into the living room, raising a hand with a nihilistic smirk.

"Master Gustav, I figured I’d find you here. Yo, Boss. Hope I’m not interrupting anything."

"Volg. It’s rare to see you come here alone. Is there some urgent bug we need to squash?"

"Nah, not exactly urgent... but just like you predicted, the bait we threw into that 'honey pot' caught some interesting prey. I figured this was big enough that I had to bring a formal report in person."

Volg sat down across from me and began to detail the results of the "counter-intelligence manipulation" op we’d set up a while back.

"It’s going exactly as you planned. Those spies who were reporting Felsen’s wealth back to the Magic Race territories... well, it seems that after a while, they started feeling like idiots for ever struggling back home. Right now, they’re actually agonizing over how they can cut ties with their homeland and stay here for good."

"As expected—brainwashing by way of happiness. So, how did their headquarters react?"

"That’s the thing. The merchant guilds in the Magic Race territory—they call themselves the 'Interests Distribution Layer' over there—they reached out through unofficial channels. They decided that rather than fighting and destroying this city, they’d rather cut a deal and get a taste of that 'sweet nectar' for themselves. A group wanting to resume trade is starting to move behind the scenes."

Hearing Volg’s report, Argo, who had been quiet until now, let out a slight tremor from his shoulders. His eyes behind his glasses wavered with a complex light.

"Is it... is it true? The Magic Races... they chose to trade? They chose profit over rejection?"

"Yeah, it’s true, Argo. It seems the higher-ups over there saw those arithmetic textbooks you wrote and nearly fell out of their chairs. They were baffled that 'such advanced logic could be born between humans and the Magic Races.' Now their sages are practically begging for a chance to learn from you."

As Volg smirked, Argo quietly wiped his eyes. For a man who was once shunned by both races and had only numbers for friends in the basement of a lonely casino, the fact that his existence was now stitching two hateful worlds together with a thread called "profit" must have been a salvation beyond words.

"Mr. Zect... thank you. I always thought that numbers were the only fair gods in this world... but the 'system' you’ve built using those numbers is kinder, more ruthless, and... more beautiful than any god."

"Well, people are more peaceful when they’re acting on profit rather than emotion. Once you’re interconnected, the cost of going offline becomes too high to bear. That’s the ultimate form of security."

I toyed with my empty cola can to hide my embarrassment, while Volg let out an impressed sigh.

"Anyway, my 'Shadows' will handle the coordination for the specific trade routes. I assume I should just link up their merchants with Edmond?"

"Exactly. Edmond will probably strike a deal so good he’ll pick their bones clean, even if they are Magic Races."

With the discussion concluded, Volg headed back out. Gustav and Argo followed suit, leaving the house with newfound hope in their hearts.

"Mrrp. (Luring farmers with land, then luring Magic Races with luxury. Your fishing pond is getting more crowded by the minute.)"

Tama let out a contented purr on my stomach.

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