The Demon King naturally thought of a business plan previously proposed by Alaric. After his chain of general stores had devoured almost the entire market of the Viscounty, the congenital magnate instinctively turned his gaze to the neighboring territories.
Discounting the Lightless Tomb, there were four territories bordering the Viscounty of Reed. Of these, the Baker Viscounty served as Ralf’s retirement haven, so Alaric had no immediate plans for annexation there; while the Westlands were currently embroiled in conflict with the Viscounty, ruling them out; the Southlands were separated from Reed by a vast forest, and since Murphy had recently made a substantial "donation" there, Alaric initially steered clear and instead eyed the royal territory to the northeast.
But when first presented, Murphy vetoed this proposal outright. There was no deep reason, just a gut feeling of its unreliability. In Alaric's initial document, the royal domain was painted as a juicy steak, seemingly beckoning them. However, a closer analysis presented a clear problem: wouldn't such a rich prize inevitably attract a swarm of vultures? How could a small-time merchant from a backwater territory get anywhere near such a feast?
Despite the allure of a monopoly on chain supermarkets in their world, it wasn't something people couldn’t live without. Humans are creatures of habit—before supermarkets, hadn't they continued farming the land and paying taxes as usual? Who would really care about a newly-founded establishment? Trying one's luck could turn a small profit, but by ignoring it, one would never make a loss.
Moreover, within the rigidly hierarchical Heracles Kingdom, what the commoners did or didn’t need wasn’t their choice to articulate. Their lords decided their needs, and what would the lordly class think of bargain supermarkets? Most likely: 'keep at a safe distance, please.'
Many nobles, especially the minor ones, were convinced their calling was to cleverly deplete their peasants' pockets while maintaining a semblance of civility. Even if their coins rusted in their castle cellars, it wouldn’t slow them down.
Nobles weren’t noisy about such matters, much like they wouldn’t admit the same person controlled the burly dock foremen, tavern gambling houses, and shadowy alley brothels.
Their mission was to keep the workers poor while ensuring the same coppers circulated continually among them, aware of precisely how little was in the peasants’ pockets—and preferably, that amount to be nil.
Regardless of the territory’s scale, wealth invariably flowed from civilians towards their lords, amassing in the noble coffers and finally rotting silently in the dungeons.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Now an outsider merchant dares to divert a portion of this hoarded wealth? Such methods wouldn’t work, even in a world devoid of supernatural forces, let alone one filled with various powers.
This reasoning held equally true for the kingdom's largest personal domain—the royal territories.
Occupying half the country’s lands, the royal domain seemed the king's alone, yet His Majesty’s daily responsibilities were too vast for one man. Instead, a myriad of towns and settlements fell under the stewardship of many townsmen and mayors, who differed from the hereditary nobility mainly in that they departed with their loot once their tenure ended.
Operating within the royal domain meant they couldn't be too excessive. Still, these officials would never allow some small Viscount’s merchant free rein in their jurisdiction, which was why Murphy initially dismissed Alaric's ambitious plan. This middle-aged merchant from a minor land seemed to have an overly rosy view of the royal domain.
This already treacherous commercial landscape, coupled with Alaric's eagerness to expand aggressively, made Murphy foresee a time when Alaric would sob at his feet, seeking loans.
But times had changed. Murphy now needed human agents for intelligence gathering, even if they lacked the loyalty and sharpness of his demon underlings.
If the chain supermarkets expanded wide enough, intelligence flow would surely increase—given Alaric would follow Murphy’s advice to advance cautiously without ruffling local feathers.
Murphy was confident that, soon enough, with the ghost spy network and Alaric's chain supermarkets, his grip on intelligence in the Heracles Kingdom would strengthen.
---
Sealed doors muffled the noise from downstairs, allowing Alaric peace at his desk to pore over the parchment booklet.
"To penetrate other territories with a supermarket network requires meeting three conditions. First, forge good relations with the local nobles and townsmen for a fighting chance at survival…"
"Next, cozy up to the church, possibly offering them vital items free of charge when necessary…"
"The most important thing is to have a solid backing…”
The slightly portly merchant knitted his brows at a footnote—“Leave this third concern to me.”
Forge relationships with nobles? Alaric mulled over it; he was there to scoop coins from their grips, not to align as allies... but what about offering gifts?
His thoughts connected to an enterprise already finding its groove under his guidance: memory crystals.
Although unsure of the magical trinket's stock remaining on the market, the recent surge in demand and prices in the capital had Alaric’s entrepreneurial spirit blooming.
Which noble could resist such temptation?
As for dealing with the church, Alaric had his strategy down pat. A one-time substantial donor—whose funds directly catalyzed a large-scale sermon—knew their inner workings. It was a simple matter of paying the right price to pave the way, which left only the critical third point to Murphy. Could Alaric’s plan for a vast supermarket chain be as flawless as he envisaged?
The grand narrative unfolded like a novel in his thoughts. Murphy left Alaric to his calculations and contemplations, secure in the knowledge that his grand design would soon unveil