Will I Eventually Become a Capitalist? Chapter 27

Talulah looked at her ally, whose eyes seemed to gaze into a void. It was as if he had never truly faced anything in this world, only fixated on distant lands.

It seemed only the distant Son of Heaven was worthy of being his true enemy.

Unlike the Black Snake, who had been revolving around Ursus for generations, this guy's plans were astonishingly vast.

Ursus, Yan, Victoria...

This guy was using all of Terra as his chessboard!!

[Your reputation with the Reunion Movement has increased again]

[You are now considered an schemer on par with, or even superior to, the Black Snake]

[Talulah feels a degree of fear towards you. She doesn't want to be near you, but she is acutely aware that she is still trapped in the Black Snake's scheme. By serving you and working together to defeat that immortal, she will have a chance to escape this nightmare and achieve her ideals.]

[As long as it doesn't involve matters of principle, she will accept all your commands.]

The prompt suddenly beeped, startling Russell, who had been discussing with Valmont whether to fill the swimming pool with champagne.

Wait.

What just happened?

Good news.

Talulah bowed her head in submission.

Bad news.

He had no idea how he suddenly gained the ability to command this dragon girl.

[You'll have to ask the dragon girl about that. That guy has quite an imagination; it's a waste that he doesn't write novels or draw manga.]

The prompt seemed to sigh in resignation.

Damn it, he, who only cared about Victoria feeling the strain of a cat arching its back, was being mentally framed as one of the puppet masters of Terra.

Russell looked at the seemingly obedient Red Dragon and, after some thought, spoke.

"Lift your head."

The beautiful dragon girl raised her head.

"Extend your hand?"

"Huh?"

Talulah blinked, then extended a hand.

"Shake hands?"

Talulah hesitated for a moment before taking Russell's outstretched hand.

"Do a somersault?"

An expression of annoyance appeared on the dragon girl's face.

"Your Excellency, this is perhaps going too far."

The prompt was right. As long as it didn't involve matters of principle, Talulah would indeed obey him.

Although he didn't know how this girl had come to believe he wanted to deal with the Black Snake, since she was willing to obey him, she was a great secretary!

Almost instantly, Russell's DNA reacted.

He was worried that if he sent the Shadowkhan Army to the factory to twist screws, the mine's extraction efficiency would decrease. Naruto couldn't possibly be digging in the mine twenty-four hours a day. Hiring local orcs to mine felt a bit too anthropomorphic.

Now, it was perfect. He could have the Reunion Movement people go tighten screws.

With Patriot, a top-tier commander, under Talulah's command, managing a factory would be more than enough. She had received advanced education from the Black Snake, so assigning her to expand the inhibitor market worldwide should also be fine...

Russell's eyes immediately welled up.

He had been worried about how to manage the Originium Inhibitor Factory, and Talulah had just agreed.

What a wonderful start this was!

Wouldn't it be a disservice to the Black Snake, who was about to be sealed into a kunai as a tool spirit, not to use her to his fullest?

"Very good."

Russell suppressed his excitement and spoke calmly.

"I have an Originium Inhibitor Factory near the mine north of Chernobyl. It requires two hundred workers. I'll leave the recruitment and management to you."

"The basic wage for workers will be set at three portions of Originium inhibitor. If the factory's production capacity meets the target, additional bonuses will be issued. What do you say?"

Russell didn't provide a specific monetary amount for wages, choosing instead to distribute a portion of the factory's output as payment.

—Unlike Huihui and Naruto, who converted their money into supplies, he had converted his money into gold and asked Skadi to help him buy a big house. Although Victoria's capital was controlled by a certain Sarkaz, it was still one of Terra's most prosperous cities, and he couldn't take it without investing heavily.

Russell was genuinely short on money right now.

If he were forced to pay the workers in cash, he would have to return to his original state and hang himself with a rope.

However, upon hearing Russell's proposal, not only Talulah but even Frostnova beside her wore expressions of blissful joy, as if struck by a windfall.

The young man's offers were as generous as ever.

No, that's beyond generosity.

It's practically unconditional aid.

The Reunion Movement is comprised of Infected individuals.

An Originium inhibitor.

To normal people, it might just be a highly advanced medicine, but to the Infected, it's akin to a second life.

Talulah couldn't help but look at her close friend, Yelena, beside her.

Yelena's bodily functions were severely compromised due to her prolonged infection with Oripathy, often causing her to faint.

Her body temperature was critically low, below the hypothermia threshold, leading to near-total paralysis. Her body had mutated to the point where even drinking a hot beverage would cause internal burns.

Patriot, the Reunion Movement's strongest warrior, was also suffering greatly from Oripathy.

In his youth, he was arguably Ursus's strongest warrior. Now, weakened by illness and with damaged armor, he could only take down three Shield Guards.

If only he could recover his health...

Talulah felt her breathing become ragged and uncontrollable.

This was exactly what the Reunion Movement needed.

Frostnova, standing nearby, was stunned.

In Yelena's experience, nobles were practically vampires among vampires.

Russell, being of noble blood, was this generous?

The price of an Originium inhibitor was far beyond what any worker could afford.

This guy...

He was surprisingly humane.

[Beep, Yelena's favorability towards you has greatly increased. Tsk—, who needs the favorability of this pauper? Oh, oh, oh, Talulah's favorability has also increased. Host, you've taken a big step towards becoming the father of the next monarch of Victoria.]

The prompt's speech was utterly condescending.

Erm...

Russell didn't mind any of that.

Seeing the uncontainable smiles on Talulah and Yelena's faces, Russell smiled as well.

He liked people who could smile while doing all the work for him.

They won.

I won too.

A win-win.

ps: I feel like the protagonist's skills are a bit too monotonous.

I'm considering whether to give the protagonist a skill that can grow taste buds in people's small intestines.

Chapter 31: Black Snake, Your Doom Has Arrived

"So, when do we depart?"

While Russell was still bickering with the prompt, Talulah, the representative of the Reunion Movement, forcibly suppressed her inner elation and asked Russell with a serious expression.

However, the slight upward curve of her lips revealed that her mood was exceptionally good.

She could hardly wait to go to the factory and "work 996" for Russell, creating surplus value for him.

Frankly, Russell should have had her sign the papers right then.

After all, workers with such enthusiasm were hard to come by.

But—

Russell carefully examined Talulah's beautiful face and then shook his head.

Before that, he needed to deal with a certain damned Black Snake. Otherwise, if some special unit were to appear halfway and attack his Originium Inhibitor Factory, he'd have to rush back from Victoria overnight, and that would be terrible.

Black Snake was easy to deal with.

That was beyond doubt.

Tiger Talisman—the decree of unification and division.

Activating its power could split individuals with dual personalities into separate entities.

Black Snake, that old geezer, had been caught.

The line of people wanting to deal with it could probably stretch from Saint Petersburg to Moscow.

Russell would have to queue even to give it a couple of kicks.

However, completely eliminating Black Snake was quite difficult—Koschei's Originium Arts involved the transfer of will and soul. This bastard was exceptionally skilled at escaping.

In terms of evasion skills, Huihui and Talulah were mere apprentices compared to it.

Russell didn't intend to let that old geezer escape so easily, so he commissioned personnel from the Crimson Demon Tribe to craft kunai capable of restraining souls.

That thing hasn't arrived yet...

"System, give me some advice."

Russell silently recited in his heart.

[Hmm, isn't it just a matter of delaying for seven days? The people in the Reunion Movement have strong fighting spirits, but their physical condition is really not good. Open the granaries, distribute some cotton-padded clothes, and let them rest for seven days. Once their physical condition improves, it will be easier for them to work overtime in the future.]

The System's remarks were as full of trashy wisdom as ever.

I like it.

Russell nodded, then spoke to Talulah.

"There's no need to be so anxious."

"I have no interest in seeing a bunch of skinny guys working in my factory; it's quite a bore."

He really is a typical rich man.

The rich man is kind-hearted and can't stand to see the poor, so he won't drive them out of the factory.

"Your Excellency is asking me to take some time to screen the workers?"

Talulah's face showed a hint of difficulty. The people under her command were not in good physical condition—the damned frozen tundra environment and the Oripathy were like constant torture.

If Russell's requirements for workers included very good health...

It was estimated that only the Shield Guards under Patriot's command would meet the requirements.

"No, what I mean is, I will open the granaries and let those workers rest for seven days first."