Lando's curiosity piqued at Ina's mention of competitors. Over the past few days, not only had she officially established their company, but she had also thoroughly researched the entire business landscape in the city. She delved into not just the machine manufacturing sector they were targeting, but all sectors, including alchemy, blacksmithing, enchanting, and engineering – essentially, everything that generated significant profit.

In her quest for information, she didn't hesitate to spend money to acquire insider insights and rumors, amassing a considerable amount of data. While it might not be entirely accurate, given the possibility of new companies or alliances emerging after the revolution, Ina made sure to take these rumors into account.

"Tell me, who are they? Some rich merchants who smelled the money already? Or powerful houses that have made substantial investments?" Lando fired off his questions.

Without keeping Lando waiting, Ina promptly began her report. "I believe it's best if I provide a general overview first. Many high-level magicians have invested in multiple companies or established their own. A significant portion of the old noble's assets were seized by some of the revolutionaries, who now hold positions in the government. This has resulted in a reduction in the playing field, leaving only a few significant players who have grown in size."

Lando found this explanation quite logical. The winner takes it all – whether this would pose a problem for them remained a question to be answered in the future.

"Let's start with the major players in Goldton. Charlotte Wilkins, the head of the local merchant guild, has greatly benefitted from the revolution. Her company, 'Blue Moon,' now practically holds a monopoly on alchemical products in the city, as they absorbed their biggest rivals among the nobility. While a few competitors remain, it's only a matter of time before she completely dominates the market. It would be wise for us to steer clear of them, especially since Charlotte herself is a high mage. I think the probability of them venturing into engineering is rather low," Ina suggested.

"One of the few remaining high mages in the city, huh? Good to know. Who's next?" Lando inquired.

"The enchanting business, fortunately, is a bit more competitive. Unlike alchemists who can mass-produce potions and elixirs, enchanters require skilled individuals to work on one project at a time. The top performers in this field are 'Stormbound,' 'Embersteel,' and 'Darkwave.' Their leaders are renowned solid stage mages, and there are rumors that they are actively recruiting, as most of them lost quite a few workers that had a noble background during the purge. Currently, they seem focused on recovering and maintaining their positions without heavily expanding into other sectors. So, for now, we should be fine," Ina reassured.

"However, we should keep an eye on their developments. Combining engineering with enchantments to expand our business sounds like a promising idea for the future," Lando suggested, thinking it was a valid strategy.

Ina wasn't surprised by Lando's suggestion, as she had already considered the same idea and put a pause on her boss's plan. "In principle, you're right, and that is a good strategy. However, for now, we should concentrate on conventional engineering. It hasn't been very profitable thus far, which has kept it under the radar of the influential players. But with patents, larger companies can monopolize certain products and increase prices if they desire. Additionally, the profit margin will only rise as machines for mass production become more feasible…"

Lando was grateful to have Ina by his side, as he had limited knowledge of these matters. He could only make suggestions from time to time, but it was Ina who would evaluate, integrate, delay, or discard them based on what she deemed appropriate.

‘It feels like I'm a clueless child trying to appear smart with my suggestions. Well, at least I'm rich, I guess?’ Lando chuckled inwardly while nodding along with a serious expression to Ina's plans.

"...and now our real competitors enter the picture. Some individuals from the merchant guild have also recognized the profit potential in this, just like us. They are engaged in a fierce competition for engineering patents and unique blueprints. The patent office will open simultaneously in the entire country in a week. Since it operates on a first-come, first-served basis, people will be submitting stacks upon stacks of blueprints for evaluation. I've done my research, and I anticipate widespread corruption, at least initially. Since they're playing with rigged rules, we'll have to as well. I've already paid a substantial sum to ensure that our submissions receive priority. Maybe I overpaid a little, but we simply can't afford to lose out, especially since this will be our main source of income," Ina proudly announced.

Lando thought it was a great idea and appreciated Ina's proactive approach to her work. While he had his own opinions on the matter, he chose to hold back for the time being. "Well done, but who are our competitors exactly? How powerful are they?"

"Our first competitor is Stanley Gibson, a metal mage at the liquid stage who specializes in the arms industry. He sells everything from daggers to siege equipment if the price is right. There are rumors that he commands a group of local thugs, with the most powerful among them being a fire mage also at the liquid stage. There are two more mages on a similar level in his group. These thugs also manage his prostitution and drug businesses. I'm not entirely certain, but I believe he may have connections to the new government as well. In my opinion, there's a high chance he'll target us in the future," she declared.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"A crime lord with connections, quite the cliché, don't you think?" Lando commented.

"True, but how should we handle it if this cliché does come after us?" Ina asked, hoping for a suitable suggestion.

"We should closely observe them, but I don't believe they will pose much trouble, especially now that we have two solid stage mages, Anthony and Nathan, on our side. However, if they do cause problems for us, we need to strike back even harder to let them know to not mess with us. Before that, though, let's research his connections. If he manipulates the government against us, we could be in serious trouble," Lando proposed.

Agreeing with Lando's viewpoint, Ina nodded and continued her report.

"The second competitor is Amanda Rocksun. She is only a gas stage mage, but she employs mages in the liquid stage. She is in the ore business and recently inherited her wealth from her father. Since taking over, she has been successful and is well-liked by her employees for her kindness. Allegedly, she is a natural in her field and has ventured into other industries such as fine clothing and silk," she disclosed, clearly well-researched.

Lando evaluated the information he had about Amanda. His mother had informed him about common deceptive practices, but Amanda didn't seem to heavily rely on them. Someone who is popular among their employees for their kindness couldn't have a completely ruthless mindset, at least in Lando's opinion.

"Alright, I think we'll take a wait and see approach with Amanda. She doesn't appear to be too much of a problem. What's your opinion on her?" he asked.

"I agree, but we should still keep an eye on her. I don't believe anyone can thrive in business without employing a few underhanded tricks. Anthony and his group are constantly recruiting personnel for situations like this," Ina recommended.

"If we have the manpower, then why not? How is the recruitment going, by the way?" Lando asked curiously. He was aware that they had already recruited some people, but he didn't know the exact numbers at the moment.

"It's going better than expected, if I'm being honest. Just before George came by and gave me his report, we had seven apprentices, three of which were your suggested ones. We also have twelve novices and a group of civilians who mainly gather information for us. And that's just for our 'security' department. The land purchases for our factories went smoothly as well. It was actually quite surprising how cheap we were able to acquire the land, but I suppose many people simply couldn't afford to rebuild their factories or warehouses. As for the factory workers, we haven't hired any yet since the facilities are still under construction. However, with the current job market, people are lining up for every available opportunity, so we shouldn't have any issues. Archibald's recommended colleagues were happy with the deal we offered them too. While it may not be as generous as the one you made with Archibald himself, they are still well-compensated. We currently have fourteen of them under contract," Ina proudly reported, not even needing to glance at her notes.

Lando was quite impressed with the swift progress of everything. He had only spent the last few days focused on his own training and hadn't personally contributed much. Still, he was delighted that his company was advancing quickly. He even recommended some old classmates from the academy which came from a common background. Many of them were eager to work for a noble, but this possibility certainly did not exist anymore. He told Ina to not mention his name just out of precaution, but he eagerly anticipated the day he would walk out of the boss room and say to his old friends ‘Oh why I was in there you ask? It’s my office of course.’

Putting his showoff thoughts at the back of his mind again, he praised Ina, "Well done! Oh, I just remembered something quite useful that I have in my storage ring."

Summoning the magical quill that could transcribe spoken words, Lando explained its function to Ina and said, "You seem to enjoy paperwork, but if your hand ever gets sore after filling out the ten thousandth form, just use this. And remember how kind and caring your boss is," he added with a hint of amusement.

Ina's eyes sparkled as she examined the artifact. She summoned a piece of paper from the spatial ring that Lando had given her and instantly tested out the quill. After a few minutes of intense writing, Lando realized once again how fast Ina could speak. Her words poured out like a geyser, and it was hard for him to keep up. However, the quill continued to transcribe everything accurately, or at least that's what he assumed since Ina didn't need to make any corrections.

"You seem to like it," was the only thought that came to Lando's mind as he refrained from commenting on Ina's enthusiastic rambling.

At Lando's remark, Ina halted her extensive testing, already having filled ten full pages. With a delighted expression, she exclaimed, "Very much so! This will easily double, no, triple my writing speed! I can't wait to tackle all the patent forms!"

Not wanting to veer too far off track, Lando had to interrupt his employee’s testing session, "Alright, alright, the forms aren't suddenly going to disappear. Remember, we were discussing potential rivals to our company?"

Feeling slightly embarrassed by her unprofessionalism, Ina quickly stashed away her papers and the quill, already anticipating a sleepless night filled with forms and applications. Blushing slightly, she asked, "Ahem, where were we? Oh, right, the third and final person who could cause problems for us: Dorothy Plaingrowth. She is a darkness mage in the liquid stage and is involved in various lucrative ventures. Even though her husband is officially managing the business, everyone knows she is the one in charge. She's a cunning businesswoman who doesn't hesitate to employ underhanded tactics. She utilizes a wide range of methods, including bribes, blackmail, kidnapping, torture, and even murder. Although she operates covertly, I didn't have to dig too deep to uncover the most important details. Additionally, she explicitly targets smaller businesses without any significant backing, and it seems she has formed a substantial organization out of it."

"That's definitely a problem," Lando mused aloud, contemplating the situation. It was clear that someone like Dorothy would try to sabotage them in some way. If they couldn't use direct force, they would find alternate methods. They would leave no stone unturned until their rivals were eliminated or absorbed.

After pondering for a moment, Lando concluded that only one solution seemed truly viable. The atmosphere in the room shifted, causing Ina to feel a chill as Lando proclaimed with determination, "Gather all available information on them. I want to know anyone with even the slightest connection, whether they're magicians or beggars. I believe the best course of action here is a preemptive strike."