Friends, a small announcement. Tomorrow, two additional chapters will be released, and after that, I may take a short break. I will keep you informed on my Discord channel!
Enjoy your reading!
===
Slander, forged evidence and documents, false accusations, and bribed clients. This was the basic description of what Adam needed in this situation. Branks Company expressed their bewilderment as to why an unknown person was distributing false journals.
"We sincerely do not understand why our company's honor and professionalism are being questioned. We consider this a provocation from ill-wishers and ask our clients not to fall for this slander!"
Such a response, though slightly, reduced the level of dissatisfaction, and thus, Branks Company managed to control the mood of their clients and investors. This move was quite cunning but somewhat strange in a way.
Adam lay on the couch, gently stroking Roav's feathers, who lay on his chest, emitting soft caws, as if urging him not to stop.
The man's eyes were closed, and his breathing was quiet as if he were asleep. But in reality, all his thoughts were focused on the recent problem, which was hammering the final nail into the coffin of their reputation. The main problem was the attacks from officials.
It was already the second check, supposedly someone among the clients found a dangerous magical stone in their suit, which recorded all sounds, thus acting as surveillance.
It took a lot of effort. A lot of effort indeed, but Adam was grateful to all the existing devils for being able to find this "anonymous client" and, after a brief conversation, allowed him to change his opinion.
The situation in the field of journalism was as follows: publishing houses were divided into two groups. The first group was under the influence of Branks Company, while the second group was under Adam's control.
And between these groups, a local war was waged, in which they accused each other of lies and threw information at these two companies. As expected, it had a significant impact.
"Whom should we believe?" clients asked themselves.
But there was no good solution to this issue. A shadow war was going on, of which they were unaware. And it was extensive: officials and important economic figures were involved. The Ministry of Finance of Avalonia also intervened in this war, wanting to pull in money.
And so, sometimes it was necessary to send representatives to meetings in which each side had to defend its rights to the legality of securities. It was chaos that hadn't been seen in a long time.
Adam's family worked at full capacity, and although the head of the family took on most of the paperwork, there were still difficulties that had to be resolved directly. Adam's schedule had turned into pure chaos: every minute was scheduled, and there was no room for even a small break.
Now was one of those rare occasions when he could lie down on the couch and enjoy a little rest.
"How mentally exhausting this is..." he murmured, smiling. Although his smile was somewhat unusual in such a situation. "However, such fierce competition between my company and Branks Company creates an interesting news topic."
Recognizability. That's what was necessary for the proper development of a company planning to dominate the market. Undoubtedly, it was a tough task that needed to be resolved over months.
For comparison: you have a choice between buying a product produced by an unknown company or buying a product from a company you are familiar with. Many will choose the company they know.
Reputation and recognizability. These are the main tools on the path to monopoly.
"Out of these two tools, I only have recognizability. Veridia's company reputation is not as strong as I would like it to be..." Adam thought, opening his eyes. He stood up from his seat, picking up Roav and smiling when the bird grumbled disapprovingly. "You're already a grown boy, and you still like to lie with father? You need to become more independent."
Knock-knock. Someone knocked on the door, and a few seconds later, it opened, and Ekaterina entered the room.
"Sir, it's lunchtime. On the menu, we have fried beef with spicy sauce, boiled broccoli with egg, and freshly squeezed orange juice," Ekaterina reported, bowing.
"But I don't like broccoli... Did Elyra cook this?" he asked, wrinkling his nose.
"That's right. She was very happy to cook for you."
"Ugh..."
It was difficult to refuse her because Elyra was always pleased to prepare for him and dedicated all her attention to it. He was in a difficult situation, and after much thought, he decided to give it a try.
***
At lunch, Adam was served boiled broccoli with egg... it was an unusual combination, but surprisingly, he liked it.
"Elyra, the broccoli turned out great, although you might have over-salted it a bit. But otherwise, you're doing very well," he sincerely said, sharing his feelings.
"D-D-Did I? But I was sure there was enough salt..." Elyra mumbled, and after a few seconds of contemplation, she clenched her fists and nodded. "Okay. I'll do better next time!"
"I would be grateful if you could focus on the potatoes..." Adam chuckled and finished the last bite of broccoli, wrinkling his nose. Although the taste was not bad, he still didn't like eating it.
At the table, in addition to Elyra and Adam, there was also Amarantha. The other girls, including Sierra, were occupied with their tasks.
"Adam, I received several notifications from their attached bodyguards. They reported nine assassination attempts," Amarantha told him, sipping orange juice. She sighed deeply.
"I'm even surprised that there were only nine attempts. It seems they decided to show some leniency," Adam replied, laughing. He took a cigarette case from his inner pocket, retrieved a cigarette, and lit it.
"You've started smoking too much. It's harmful to your health, Adam," Amarantha warned him, sighing.
***
At the same time, the construction of the second city was progressing smoothly. Various types of structures had been built, as well as an entertainment center. Moreover, Adam had hired a team of engineers who had passed a strict screening and were eventually directed to develop gaming machines.
Adam had plenty of information, but he lacked knowledge of engineering and related fields. Moreover, there was room for adaptation to make these inventions more suitable for this world, and improvements were not ruled out.
If he could create a vending machine, it would be a ray of hope for creating a television. However, this was a distant future that he wasn't ready to reveal just yet.
Building design was left to the taste and preference of the women in his family, as Adam didn't pay much attention to such matters, and he simply didn't have the time. However, it was worth noting that most of the buildings were in a medieval style.
It seemed that Amarantha was a fan of this architecture. Perhaps her age had something to do with it as well.
***
A week had passed. The conflict that had flared up for a while was gradually subsiding, although it was undoubtedly a lull before the storm.
During this lull, Adam strengthened the stores and added better security measures. Meanwhile, he wasted no time in entering into long-term contracts with the officials he had managed to sway to his side during his time as an advisor.
Oh yes, it was worth noting that his status as an advisor was still intact. All he needed to do was occasionally show up at the castle, spend twenty minutes at the meeting, and put on a smart look.
He hadn't seen Elizabeth during this time; she had been avoiding him by any means. Her behavior reminded Adam of the actions of a girl in love who had caught her boyfriend cheating. It was a bit strange.
"And so, gentlemen, our country is showing good results. Recently, we were able to trace the trail of the hero Leonid..."
With a serious expression, Adam sat at the long table, listening to the arguments of the officials, who were discussing more of a social topic than a political. It was incredibly boring, but he had to endure it.
Usually, at such meetings, the queen would be present, but she had been absent several times due to health problems. At least, that was the official reason.
Although, it seemed to him that she simply didn't want to see him. Whether it was resentment or something else, he didn't delve into it much.
"If I were given a choice between Elizabeth and Veronica, I would choose Veronica in any case," Adam thought as he stood up from his seat.
Comparing these two women was meaningless. Veronica was infatuated with him and loved him, plus he was a prince, so his position with the demons was much better. Although, Elizabeth was needed as an ally to strengthen his position in the business market.
Because business in Avalonia was thriving. There were more opportunities here than in the Chaos Empire. It was a minor dilemma.
Leaving the hall, Adam wanted to put his hands in his inner pocket out of habit but restrained himself. Smoking was not allowed in the castle, as per the safety rules.
His footsteps echoed in the corridor. There was no one around, and only he walked along these long corridors, adorned with paintings and beautiful furniture.
"..."
He sighed when he felt the gaze that exuded coldness. This gaze was familiar to him, and it had accompanied him in the small office where he worked as an advisor.
Looking ahead, he saw her – Elizabeth. Her beautiful silver hair shimmered, and her cold blue eyes were fixed on him. She was dressed in royal blue attire. On her head, she wore a beautiful crown adorned with gemstones in rainbow colors.
She remained silent, saying nothing, but her gaze penetrated his very essence and seemed to search for answers to questions of which only she knew the content.
She was the Queen of Humans, the Holy Queen Elizabeth. A woman with a long history and a reign that spanned millennia.
"Good day, Your Majesty. It's been a while since I've seen your beautiful presence," Adam greeted her with a smile.
"..."
However, he didn't receive a response. It seemed that his words only made her gaze grow colder. Her silence was icy, and it felt like there was pressure, as if gravity had intensified several times.
But Adam wasn't concerned about it and continued to smile carelessly, looking into her eyes where he could see his reflection, which was starting to fade by the end.
To be continued...
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