CHAPTER 119: MANIPULATED

His words sounded alarming, but they were clear. Everyone could understand him clearly. His intentions, his motivations, and his plan. For many, this was shocking. Others thought it was only natural.

Dewey stared at him. "You’re not going to let us go, are you?" he asked.

"Indeed." He shook the revolver. "Of course. You have an alternative."

"To be your subordinate preachers?"

"Correct." Louis smiled graciously, as if he found this amusing. "You’re smart. That’s good. Don’t worry. Your 10 million will be yours, but your companies will be mine. You can continue to work in them, as their leaders, and earn a salary that even other business leaders envy, but for that you will need to be a strange preacher. One who has realized the path to change."

Louis grabbed the document with Paul’s blood on it and put it away as he said this.

"It’s up to you."

It would naturally be difficult for them to sign those documents. We are talking about a lifetime’s work going down the drain if they signed.

Years devoted to different companies, helping them grow, only to see them vanish in the blink of an eye. They were not willing to do that.

At the very least, they wanted to have some say in the matter. To have a voice here. These were their companies. Their sweat, their blood, their tears.

But they also understood that there were decisions that could lead to their demise. They understood that it was not easy to navigate this world, full of powerful figures, and that one mistake could cost them everything they had achieved so far, even their lives.

And they had the best example bleeding beside them.

Who was Paul Borne?

A self-made man. He had amassed incredible fortunes, which even inheritances could not match. He was an exceptional businessman in different markets, backed by a powerful organization, because he had earned it.

But all that wealth disappeared without a trace. There wasn’t even an exchange for 10 million. The only thing he received in return was a bullet to the head, and certain death followed.

This showed that the man in front of them, who was trying to force them to sign something they didn’t want, was someone on a completely different level. He was ruthless, he was crazy, but he had the strength to back up his own madness and cruelty.

Furthermore, he was someone who would repay the slightest offense with much more. He would not settle for little after killing someone important to the North.

Therefore, they were all doomed to sign or die.

If they signed it and accepted his words, they would keep their lives, although their dignity would be shattered. Even so, it was better to have no dignity but a life to cling to in order to rise again than to lose their lives.

For if they did not accept his words, they would all die with certainty.

Those three could do nothing but bow their heads. Unanimously, they decided to sign without protest.

Soon, Louis had all the documents in his hand and smiled. He put two of them away and held one in his hand.

He looked at Dimash.

"Paul Borne won’t bother you anymore, and I think both houses are more than willing to cooperate with you," he said.

Dimash, who had been watching everything from the sidelines in silence (not for any other reason than that he was in shock), smiled with some embarrassment on his face.

"I didn’t expect anything like this, Mr. Carwine. This is more than I can process."

"Haha, okay. You have until Jessy’s business opens to process it. Now, it’s time for you to fulfill your part of the deal."

Dimash tensed up, but nodded. "What do you want me to do, Mr. Carwine?"

"It’s simple. We have a business vacancy in Ancient Moon. Join us and work for me. I’ll give you that business vacancy, with all the companies of that man. With that, I think you’ll be able to get into that Table of 12, right? Coincidentally, I need several representatives there."

Dimash was perplexed. He was offering something too good to be true all of a sudden—was that his request? To ask him to join Ancient Moon?

Many businesspeople would covet that position with all their hearts, even members of the 12 might do so. So it was a blessing, more than anything else.

Still, Dimash wasn’t really that interested in it, because he knew the kind of business the Houses in this place were involved in.

Dirty business, black market, or whatever you want to call it. In this room alone, he could see a large number of people wanted by the nation’s forces or by the church.

Didn’t they have the same leaders, arrest warrants? Although it wasn’t easy to capture them, they all had a background that made the guards and the church pay a lot of money for them.

That meant they were all dangerous and involved in illegal activities. Whether it was money laundering through gambling, or smuggling various substances that, although legal, they made scarce in order to sell them at a higher price.

Did he want to get involved in that?

If he were honest, the reality was that he had no interest. But he wasn’t going to refuse either.

He nodded gently toward him.

"If that is your request, it is something I can fulfill, so I accept."

"Very well." Louis tossed him the documents he would need. "Then get everything ready. Talk to those guys over there and come find me when you’ve finished the paperwork." He walked across the room as he spoke and stopped at the door.

"Right." He looked back at them. "If war breaks out, be patient and don’t act rashly. The north will despair sooner or later, as we have always been known for acting without thinking. Let them explode with anger. If necessary, kill some of those men they sent and then let me do the job."

With that, he left. But not before saying: "Jessy will soon be celebrating the opening of her new business. Be sure to come see her."

Jessy followed him out, while the rest remained in the room.

-

When they left, Jessy stared at him from behind.

"You seem to have questions," Louis said suddenly.

She bit her lip slightly, but nodded.

"Did you already know that guy was an Ascended?" she asked.

Louis smiled. "Of course. I knew from the start."

"So what you did was provoke him into acting so you’d have an excuse to kill him?"

Louis looked at her. "Why? Does it bother you?"

She shook her head. "No. I think whatever Lord Louis decides is the right thing to do. I was just thinking... it was a little scary. You manipulated him so easily."

"Hahahaha..." Louis laughed.

"There are times when manipulating someone else is the only way to achieve your goals. You manipulate an idiot, this idiot turns against you because he hasn’t realized it’s a trap, and then you kill him. All of that makes your life easier. It makes business easier and success easier. Manipulation is the key to reaching the highest heights," he said.

She smiled. "You make it sound so easy, but without power, no matter how hard I try, I won’t succeed."

Louis then turned back to look at her. "Yes, in my case, that’s true. I’m not that good at manipulation, because I depend on my power to do it. There are people who, without power, can manipulate everything. A community, a company, a city... a kingdom. Even a world. The most detestable and dangerous beings are those who, without showing a hint of anger, can give you nightmares. So don’t trust the weak, they’re dangerous."

She stared at him for a moment. She frowned, then relaxed. She bit her lips until she drew a little blood, then relaxed again.

She had trouble understanding what he was trying to tell her, but suddenly she felt she had found the figures he was referring to.

"You mean..."

He nodded. "Whoever is behind the revolutionaries is an expert at this. And you can also think about the church. Although I don’t know anything about the latter. But you must be careful of them," he replied.

She nodded. "I understand, Lord Louis. Thank you for your advice."

"Haha, good. Then let’s go back. I’m hungry."

"I’ll prepare something delicious for you to eat. Look forward to it."

"Alright, surprise me then."

--

A few days passed, and soon the weekend arrived.

The opening of Jessy’s company had been delayed, so it would still be another week before it was ready.

But the movements in the South continued, and the news that reached the North angered them.

Louis seemed to be moving more than usual in the southern area, thanks to the fact that he now had good control over the entire region, including the businessmen.

At the same time, Dimash was able to rise from his own ashes and become one of the most important businessmen in the region. Although he himself knew that all this was thanks to Louis.

But the new companies were helping his businesses. In addition, with all the local businessmen now knowing that he was allied with the new leader of the southern zone, he began to receive investments from different places, and even his older brother thought of introducing him to the Great Family he served.

So the development they were experiencing was quite good.