"The effect was pretty good."
Boer's calm voice echoed through the metal chamber, as though the earthshaking explosion just now had been nothing more than a casually lit firework.
He strolled back to the head seat and casually raised his right hand. Under everyone's awed gazes, a gold brick slowly rose from the safe, as though drawn by invisible threads.
"Thatch will handle the gangs, and Roland will open channels with the nobility. Any problems?" The boy's words were gentle, yet carried unquestionable authority.
Fine beads of sweat formed at Roland's temples. The shrewd merchant rapidly weighed the profits and risks in his mind. In the end, his desire for wealth and power overrode everything else.
He drew a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly with excitement. "Of course not, Lord Boer. I know the rules of the nobles' game. I'll certainly weave an arms-trading network spanning the West Blue for you. With the weapons you make, winning over those greedy nobles will be child's play!"
Thatch immediately voiced his support, loyalty written all over his rugged face. "I'd brave fire and water for you. But..." His tone shifted, and worry crossed his face.
"We have too few men right now. If those greedy gangs learn about your ability and the profits these weapons can bring, they'll swarm us like sharks scenting blood. They couldn't harm a hair on your head, but their endless harassment would cause plenty of trouble."
As they spoke, the floating gold brick began to change shape in Boer's hand.
Under the magnetic field's exquisite control, the gold slowly stretched and curved, finally forming a perfect ring.
Electromagnetic energy began flowing into it, and a faint radiance appeared on the gold ring's surface, like the first glimmer of dawn.
After their experience with the silver ring, everyone in the meeting room held their breath, even deliberately suppressing the sound of their heartbeats, afraid that the slightest disturbance might trigger a catastrophic explosion.
Within Boer's Extrasensory Vision, the gold was whispering its secrets to him.
Unlike silver's unrestrained affinity for energy, gold displayed a steady, substantial quality.
Its atomic structure was astonishingly stable. Although it could not release an instantaneous burst of energy like silver, it resembled an indestructible reservoir, capable of securely locking vast amounts of electromagnetic energy within its crystal lattice.
"What was the kingdom we're heading to called again?" Boer suddenly asked, the gold ring in his hand glowing steadily brighter.
Roland hurriedly lowered his voice to answer. "The Kingdom of Bernia, my lord."
"Tell me about the distribution of power there." Boer tapped a fingertip lightly, and the gold ring began to rotate slowly.
"The nobles, led by the royal family, rule the kingdom by day, while the night belongs to the gangs." Roland chose his words carefully. "But in reality, most gangs are fronts for the nobles. Among them, the Hunter Family is the uncrowned king of the Underworld. They've joined forces with the other four major gangs to form the Dark Alliance. Under certain circumstances, even the royal family has to take their stance into account."
"He's right." Thatch nodded gravely, a memory of humiliation flashing through his eyes. "Their grip on the entire kingdom is airtight. When I first came here fifteen years ago, I heard a saying: without a nod from the head of the local Kent Family, you can forget about earning even a single Beli. That's why I still haven't managed to amass any decent wealth after all these years of fighting. Move against any one gang, and the whole alliance will retaliate like mad."
Just then, the gold ring in Boer's hand suddenly blazed with light, which swiftly drew inward, leaving a perfect creation wreathed in a flowing golden halo.
Iron sand crawled over it like a living thing, enveloping the gold ring before merging into the armor on his chest. Through the metal's surface, the surging energy within could be felt pulsing in a steady rhythm.
"Spread the word." Boer's voice suddenly turned icy. "Say that an arms dealer from overseas wants to meet this 'king in the dark.'" His lips curved into a cruel smile. "Gather all the Hunter Family's principal members together, and then I'll..."
He pressed a hand to his chest. The gold ring's energy was drawn out in an instant, condensing in his palm into a ball of ceaselessly leaping lightning. Its electric light cast flickering shadows over his young face.
"...send every last one of them to their deaths."
As his fingers closed, the lightning ball gave a soft crack and dissipated into the air.
"With this approach, can you two build me a stable, secure 'home' in the shortest possible time?" Boer's gaze swept over the two men before him. "Power and wealth are beckoning to you. Can you see them?"
The enormous profits from arms trading, the absolute force Boer had displayed, and the power vacuum that would remain after the Dark Alliance was decapitated-all these factors intertwined, making Thatch and Roland, who had been mortal enemies not long ago, as close as dear friends now.
"Absolutely!" Roland's voice trembled with excitement. "With the threat of annihilation behind us and money to entice them, once we take over the Dark Alliance's power, all of Bernia will grovel at your feet!"
Thatch laughed heartily and slung an arm around Roland's shoulders, nearly lifting the nobles' agent off the floor. "Let's go, old friend. Let's not disturb our lord's rest. We need to carefully work out this... grand plan to reshape the West Blue."
The two men walked out of the meeting room side by side, the same flames of ambition burning in their eyes.
Boer stood alone before the porthole, his fingertips gently tapping the gold ring on his chest.
Within his Extrasensory Vision, the outline of the Kingdom of Bernia was slowly taking shape in his mind-it would be his first stop as he stepped onto the world stage.
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