So It Is Done: Atlas (Patreon)

James Ironwood never liked autumn. The days would slowly grow colder, time seems to pass faster, and old wounds would begin to ache due to the change in the weather…

James never liked autumn, even before the ‘Tragedy’ happened. He still felt the bullet stuck in his shoulder from a smuggler from Vacuo, his knee being pierced by an Ursa's claws, and the burns from the semblance of that Mistral crime lord.

They all ached every time the weather changed, something which happened all too often in fall even in Atlas, a place always protected by the heating system…

If not for his part in what had happened, then James could even praise Arthur Watts for improving and maintaining such a thing.

He would, if he hadn't lost half of his body because of Arthur. Though then again, he did pay for his mistake with his life, and there’s no need to speak ill of the dead. As tempting as it is each time he was reminded of what he had lost.

James Ironwood slowly ran a mechanical hand over his face, performing his daily ritual to wake himself up. Something that he needed to do to get used to his mechanical limbs. The mechanical parts of his body obeyed him well, but they took some time getting used to.

Even now, after… One and a half years? Was it already that long? Yes - a year and a half after that tragedy, he still sometimes forgot himself, accidentally squeezing his hand too hard, breaking yet another desk or even bursting another mug… Getting used to this takes too long.

Still, no need to dwell on things that cannot be changed. Getting up from his bed, James stretched out his living hand to the pile of clothes on the dresser he had prepared before sleep. First the shirt, then pants, belt, jacket, cloak, holster - and finally, gloves. James had never worn gloves until that tragedy. It was always a disquieting thing, putting gloves over his robotic hand, but he did not want to see in the eyes of the people of Atlas, in the eyes of his subordinates any semblance of pity or sympathy - this surprised look when they saw his iron hand.

He is the Brothers-damned General Ironwood! Even after what had happened, he was the bloody general and commander-in-chief of the Atlas army, the headmaster of the Atlas Hunter Academy, the supreme commander of the Atlas sky fleet! He was not a cripple, he was a general!

Finally, pulling gloves over his palms with perhaps too much force, James looked into his reflection in the mirror… He feels much older than he really is.

Thirty-eight years old… Was he really that old? Then he glanced at the calendar hanging next to him and sighed. Two more weeks, and he would be thirty-nine.

James Ironwood, Headmaster and General. Not a cripple.

He couldn't show any weakness. In fact, He had no weakness! He must be clean-shaven and well-groomed, his teeth white as the driven snow, his jacket ironed and crisp, his pistol clean and glistening, he must walk with a confident gait, with a stern gaze and an aura of invincibility.

He is James Ironwood, he must not be weak.

Satisfied with his grooming, he walked a few steps to the bathroom, then reached out for his toothbrush and began his morning ablutions.

He’s supposed to leave his room in fifteen minutes, say hello to his deputy, make his way to the tower, and then go up to his office, where dozens of letters and reports will be waiting for him…

What is in store for him today? James spat and thought as he brushed his teeth and glanced at the reports he had brought to the bathroom with him..

Some sort of scandal? I see, Jacques has forbidden anyone from the newly founded Kingdom of Glenn to do any business with Atlas, at least the businesses he controls. Really that man... Does he not see the damage this will do to their diplomatic standing? Especially since that man had been talking to anyone that would listen, that Jonathan - King Osmond now - is to blame for robbing his bank… Accusing a leader of a Kingdom, small as it might be, of such a crime is such a stupid move that only a man like Jacques is capable of such a stupidity.

They were true - but it was not something that could be admitted to the public. Besides, the amount of damage or lien stolen was not something that needs to be squabbled about for a man of Jacques’ riches. Well, even if it is something that no one would believe, James will have to issue a public denial once again… He wonders if it wouldn’t do more damage to Atlas just to make Jacques quietly ‘retire’...

James spat once more before washing himself and looking at himself in the mirror again. His stubble is already growing,  is it worth the time to or possible lateness to shave? Yes, personal grooming is important. Besides, he could hurry.

Again, the money or damage to the bank was probably not the main issue Jacques had with Jonathan. Jacques hated Jonathan, simple as that. Was it out of envy, perhaps? Who knows? At the very least whatever damage Jacques had done to the newly founded Kingdom of Glenn, hadn’t soured it too badly that they would declare war on Atlas… hopefully, if not then Ozpin will handle it.

But really, Jacques almost crossed a line with his stunt. For the first months of Kingdom Glenn's existence, it almost collapsed due to Jacques' complete embargo on any sale and transportation of dust, technology and any other products. Not by any illegal means, thank the Brothers, but by simply buying everything and anything in the market that Glenn might want to buy. In other words - if Jacques knew that Jonathan had started buying literal shit, he would have paid triple the price for all the shit in the world, just to spite Jonathan. And Jacques was not a man that liked paying things on an exorbitant premium - he just hated Jonathan so much.

To do that to a Kingdom that just had experienced a Super-horde of all things…  If things had gone badly, Atlas might not have any choice but to intervene. Or him personally, anyway. For a man involved in a conspiracy to save Humanity, during those months, he had to struggle to prevent himself from personally ‘solving’ the Jacques issue.

James ran the razor a couple more times over his cheeks and went for his throat.

It took three years, three years for Jacques to cool off. Perhaps he had taken his pound of flesh? James doubted it, Jonathan must have done something. Jacques was stubborn, very much so, but he was not stupid, he was too influential and too old to be stupid. His character, though, overshadowed any other good qualities he might have. Too stubborn, too self-confident and arrogant, and what Jonathan had done… No, such a thing was not important. Even if Jonathan were just a petty thief who had only stolen a single dust crystal from one of Jacques's shops - even in this case, Jacques would use his entire arsenal to bring him to their knees.

And, unfortunately, for the weakened Mount Glenn, Jacques' arsenal was large indeed...

James dropped the razor blade into the trash can before looking at the razor itself, on the handle of which was a small white snowflake logo. The same logo that was on the handle of his brush, on the tube of toothpaste, on the trash bag in the trash can, and at the bottom of the trash can itself. Really, that man is too petty for his own good.

It seemed that Jacques, in the last three years, had developed his entire company with one goal - to become a monopoly for the production of everything in the world. All in order to deprive Jonathan - and therefore the entire Kingdom of Glenn - access to any products.

It didn’t work of course, thankfully, while the Kingdom of Glenn’s economy couldn’t be called meteoric in any way, it didn’t trend downwards and even developed somewhat… Actually It developed quite well, James had to admit.

The economic miracle of Mount Glenn in its journey to be the Kingdom of Glenn was associated with many factors, most of which, in one way or another, boiled down to King Osmond and his actions - and now, three years later, it slowly disappeared - but still... After just three years, Glenn has practically returned to the standard of living before the tragedy... After the loss of a quarter of the population and the complete destruction of the city? It could not be called anything other than a miracle...

However, as mentioned, this miracle had many factors.

After examining himself in the mirror again, James straightened his cloak and walked confidently out of his apartment to his workplace.

On to the next report… Oh, it seems that King Osmond will once again meet with Ghira Belladonna, the leader of the White Fang. A meeting with a terrorist organi… a Faunus Rights movement. The news gave James a headache.

Atlas never recognized the official legitimacy of Jonathan's power - which was especially ironic, given that even Vale, the one whose government was directly challenged by Glenn, had already opened official diplomatic channels with Glenn. Of course all, the while not recognizing them as a legitimate government, but ‘free territory’, whatever that is. A meaningless title that Ozpin pushed through the Council, and something that passed only because it only officially confirmed what was already known to everyone. That Glenn was a free state, outside the power of Vale, no matter what other politicians would crow about.

However, Atlas couldn't afford the political capital lost to do such a thing even when Vale could, all because Jonathan was in good standing with the White Fang.

Damn the White Fang… No kingdom in Remnant has suffered more from the White Fang than Atlas, and the other Kingdoms had the temerity to tut at them for calling the White Fang a terrorist organization. In other Kingdoms, they could act openly or semi-legally - the worst thing they did in Vale or Mistral was protesting or breaking some shop windows, and perhaps several murders that cannot be traced back to them. Of course, accusing every Faunus that murdered someone a part of the White Fang would only ignite criticism of racism.

James did not approve of the other Kingdoms’ lax response to the White Fang’s actions, or at least what they are suspected of to have done. But, the world of politics had taught him to understand that sometimes a few deaths were just a mark on a report, not a reason to panic.

Sometimes it was better if people just didn't know what had happened… That sometimes it is better to keep the peace than enact Justice.

Damn Ozpin and his lessons… He splashed some water on his face, before drying it with a towel and started on his way towards his office.

James opened the door out of his personal room, nodded to the deputy waiting outside, right on time, and walked firmly and confidently to the elevator in his tower.

Though James had to admit that in Atlas… In Atlas, everything was completely different.

James had no illusions over how the people of Atlas treated the Faunus, if anyone on Remnant were asked to name where all hatred for the faunus was mostly concentrated at, one hundred out of a hundred would name Atlas. And they wouldn't be wrong.

There weren't that many people in Atlas who really hated the faunus from birth for whatever irrational reason they might have, there were never too many of them in the first place. But too many of them have at least a low level of disdain towards the faunus. After all, if most of your acquaintances expresses their hate for faunus, it takes quite the brave or stupid person to confess your love to them. So, in time, you will accept the rules of the game, first conformity towards the community, then it would mold into an acquired disdain - teach this to your children, and then suddenly, without ‘reason’, your home is firebombed by the White Fang. And so the cycle continues, getting worse and worse.

So it is to be expected that Atlas has the best counter-espionage network in the world - not because James's predecessor was paranoid - but because Atlas needed it.

The massacre at the ‘Institute of All Sciences’ - forty-seven dead. Six guards, three scientists including the renowned scientist, Helmut Furst, including seventeen students, twenty-one visitors - and four children.

The biggest and most bloody terrorist act done by the White Fang - but not the only one, far from the only one.

Bombs placed on the Atlas Plaza, multiple times in fact, the kidnapping of the matriarch of the Marigold family, the murder of Gold Trophy, and lists upon lists of atrocities and crimes that continued on and on…

The White Fang could be condemned and prosecuted, their publicly secret base in Menagerie raided, but that would never happen. The whole of Remnant already sees Atlas as the center of Faunus hate, actually attacking the ‘home’ of all Faunus? Might as well start the Great War, Part Two: Electric Boogaloo.

The other Kingdoms could afford to conclude at least secret treaties with Ghira. But not Atlas.

After the series of accounts of terrorism, the people of Atlas only became more and more convinced of the need to prosecute the faunus. And it doesn't matter that every time such an act happens, Ghira condemned it, calling on the faunus to use only peaceful methods to protest their prosecution - there are always radicals in any organization. Atlas’ drove the faunus out of the city, and the faunus’ set fire to the mansions.

The cycle repeated again and again, until James was held hostage to the situation where he cannot cut through the knot of hatred.

Atlas could not recognize the White Fang’s legitimacy in any way, at least if he did not want a full-fledged revolt in the city. Something that also means that he could not recognize the legitimacy of the Kingdom of Glenn, who quite openly deals with the White Fang. At least, if done so only with the goal of immediately declaring war on Glenn and breaking all diplomatic ties.

Especially since the King of Glenn might be an ally in the defense of Humanity. At the very least, if he had that pique of insanity, Jacques would be happy… Actually, that’s just more reason not to do something that stupid.

While Atlas did not recognize the legitimacy of the Kingdom of Glenn, there are still commercial activities happening between the two Kingdoms. While all the transactions involving the Kingdom took place in the gray zone of the law, nothing stops the march of Capitalism. It's just that instead of marking any sold material’s destination as ‘The Kingdom of Glenn’, all any Merchant needed to do was mark the outgoing shipments as going to ‘Vale, Free Territory’ - and no unnecessary questions would be asked.

But it was also impossible to live forever in the gray zone.

Without an official status, official recognition, there was no chance of any official channels. Which means that there was no way of a transaction larger than from a small business, or a travel service sending passengers there back and forth maybe once a month.

The private sector was strong, but without the power of the state, they were not able to completely break into Glenn’s market. Something which leads to the Kingdom of Glenn being forced to use the services of the White Fang - well, Menagerie, but in the minds of the average Atlas’ citizen, it was interchangeable. A fact that only strengthens their connection - which tightens the noose on his neck more and more, limiting his course of actions.

And, of course, you cannot discount Jacques, who is all too ready to bite into the throat of anyone who even dares mentions recognizing Glenn.

James pushed the elevator button before taking a breath.

He was a general, and he got used to running the army, not this meandering swamp called politics. Simple hierarchy - direct instructions - and clear orders. Everyone obeys, no problem… In the world of politics, on the other hand, everything was too complicated.

There were too many groups, all having their own goals and priorities. Something that he has to balance if he wants to keep his position. Jacques is ready to kill for even entertaining the idea of ​​recognizing Jonathan as a king, but a group of other tycoons is pushing James to recognize Glenn’s status so that they can get their hands on the mountain of gold that is a whole Kingdom desperate for the production and economic capacity that Atlas had in abundance. They wanted these markets, where small businesses reigned - they wanted to crush them with all the power of their huge companies - and they were ready for a fight, damn all subtlety.

Great, he has a migraine now. Time to get his mind distracted by something else.

The third report will most likely be from someone like Con. What did they want again? Ah right, he would also very much like for Atlas to accept Glenn’s legitimacy, and if the army needs some financial help, they’re willing to ‘help’ with that problem. Really, they’re so transparent.

James heard the elevator’s ding, before the elevator doors opened in front of him, allowing him to exit.

It is sadly true, though, the army needed more funding as their budget was just cut in response to his reluctance to outright declare war on Glenn… To spite your face by cutting your nose, James was not sure if the Council was in their right minds.

With Ozpin's help, he had managed to curb the Council’s stupidity before it could completely ban all of Atlas' business from interacting in any way with the Kingdom of Glenn. But, the Council did not take his stance on the matter lightly, as did the rest of the Atlas…

As soon as his decision to ‘support’ the Faunus, terrorist-loving ‘Kingdom’ was leaked to the public, all of a sudden a bevy of ‘scandals’, corruption ‘investigations’, and the sudden removal of his allies from office... If only he could blame the Council for all his troubles.

The Council tried to force his hands the best as it could, his captain, the commander of its flagship, the pride of the entire Atlas air fleet - was removed from his position with a scandal that was leaked to the press. The captain, and he trusted that man with his life, swore up and down that he was innocent, but alas the court of public opinion had sentenced him. And seeing that he’s unmoved, the harassment campaign simply escalated. A supposed ‘grass-root’ slander campaign against himself, decrying him as a dictator, the Council reducing the funding for the army, cancelling the funding for the Polendina project. And finally, the one that got him fuming the most, was the ban on the creation of the special squad, AceOps, that was supposed to be under the direct command of Ironwood himself. And after what happened to Watts, restarting the Paladin program might as well be a daydream.

The army needed funding, and James would have to work hard to find a source of it without essentially selling the Army to the highest bidder.

Could he reduce the scale of the army? No, not an option. Not in a world where the Grimm threaten Atlas’ borders every day. Not in the world where she lives. And not in a world where half the protection of the Atlas was provided by the army, and the other half by the people's belief that they were protected by the army. A blow to the army itself will directly mean an increase in the deaths caused by the Grimm, which means that the army must be financed...

But where to get the money?

Ironwood hated politics, hated autumn, and hated Mondays.

Therefore, on Monday, October first, the year one thousand seven hundred and thirty-five, while sitting down at his desk and sorting out mail from his numerous ‘acquaintances’, Ironwood very much regretted the fact that right now he could not drink himself to unconsciousness.

And where was Qrow when he was so needed?

***

Kaiser Quartz, for decency’s sake, knocked on the door, even all the while knowing that it’s useless. As he stood in front of the door waiting for the acceptable time to just open the door, he wondered about the man he’s visiting. That old rogue, Pietro, was almost always in his own thoughts no matter the time of day, and Kaiser was a man who hates to waste time. And so, like the many times he did it before, after giving Pietro some seconds for decorum’s sake, he let himself in. In any case, the door did not have locks anyway.

As always, after passing the front door, he was greeted first by the view of what could only be called a doctor's office combined with a mechanic’s workshop, if much more sterile than that description would imply. It is a place where Pietro would arrange and create prosthetics for anyone that might need it. Kaiser sometimes even saw the results of his labors walking along the streets of Atlas. Of course, the prostheses don't really look like a proper one, one that General Ironwood wears, much, much cheaper in fact. But, given the fact that Pietro did it at his own expense, it was impossible to call this man any other than a saint.

Although, hm, considering who actually funded him, perhaps it could be said that he was the one that performed these acts of generosity. Of course, since he was doing it secretly, he just has to enjoy the benefit to his karma for his service to Humanity.

Well, it’s not like Kaiser was hurt for money, he had more money than he could spend! Even if he somehow decided to dine in the best Atlas restaurants for each meal all the while deciding to go on a shopping spree every weekend, his rather immodest earnings would still be enough to maintain several Polendinas, to say nothing of him alone. Though of course, as a politician, there’s always something to spend money on.

Glancing around the poorly furnished shack, so inappropriate for the status of, if not the greatest, then at least a significant scientist, Kaiser slowly walked through the waiting room, all the while ignoring the doors leading to Polendina's quarters, to the laboratory and workshop, he knew exactly where to find the Doctor.

Honestly, as he walked, feeling the floorboards creak underfoot, Kaiser could only shake his head at the thought of Polendina’s priorities. How can he live in such squalor? To live in such a terrible shack, in Mantle of all places. Well he knew he had a suspicion why at least, all the funding, and it is quite the sum, were probably exclusively spent on the workshop and laboratory! After all, a decent house in Atlas was quite inexpensive, as long as you’re not a Faunus of course. And even if for some reason he didn’t want to live on Atlas, Polendina could have repaired his shack to a more pristine condition, bought himself new furniture and bought a car for the budget that Kaiser had given him.

But instead, absolutely all the money, of which Polendina would set aside at least a couple of thousands for himself and for repairs, went to his projects!

Kaiser, of course, understood what it means to get ‘carried away’ with a personal project, he was a young man once too. But wouldn’t any hobby be much more pleasing when it is done in front of a cozy fireplace, in a good house, on a decent sofa and with a glass of wine in hand? And not under the leaking roof of a shack, which could not even be called a house in the full sense of the word?

When he got to the only decent-looking thing in this house - and it was a metal door lodged in a metal wall - Kaiser knocked once again on a door before opening it and looking in. Even being so close to the Doctor’s inner sanctum, he doubts that Pietro would be able to hear him.

The room beyond the door was a stark contrast to the rest of Polendina's shack. Instead of squeaky wooden floorboards, there was a white and pure metal floor, clean to the point of sterility. Equipment that even the Kaiser himself could only appreciate as ‘something extremely valuable and technological’ adorned the walls and floor space. The ceiling was adorned with dozens of cables in various forms and colors and wires intertwined with each other, converging on to the farthest wall of the very large room. As Kaiser looked on that far off wall, he could see where behind the large and probably bulletproof glass was one of the reasons why Kaiser wanted to get Polendina.

True, at the moment it was difficult to discern something concrete in the object behind the glass as it was obscured by several large manipulators handling a heap of parts, wires and circuit boards. At the very least, he could see that it very, very approximately resembled a humanoid form. However, Kaiser himself was not that worried even if he didn’t understand what was happening, Polendina knew his craft well, and with proper funding, he will finish his project in just a few years. Kaiser was greatly satisfied with such a result.

However, he came not to see Polendina's project, but for the man himself. And therefore, wrenching his eyes from Polendina’s magnum Opus, Kaiser's gaze shifted to the plump, balding man standing in front of the glass. Or, rather, sitting in his slightly unnerving white mechanical chair on four legs. He didn’t have to do anything, as a moment later the strange machine turned to the sound of the opened door, letting the man sitting on it to notice Kaiser’s presence.

The machine’s four large mechanical legs, something that made it  look uncomfortably like a giant spider, made Kaiser a little nervous. At least he was able to persuade the man to build the monstrosity rather than his original plan to cut off his lower body and replace it with a robotic prosthesis. Kaiser had seen how it looked on Ironwood, and that was with the best money can buy, he could scantly imagine the atrocity of a machine that Pietro would most likely build.

The short, fat and balding man in his stretched sweater, old jeans, and small vest that strained against his chest and small glasses on the nose, hiding large eyes that immediately filled with recognition and warmth. Kaiser wondered if Pietro would greet him with the same warmth if he knew that it was he himself that orchestrated the cancelling of his project?

“Mister Quartz, Kaiser!” After a brief pause and a whirring sound that grated on his teeth, Polendina's mechanical legs moved with skin-crawling spindliness and grace on the floor, closing in uncomfortably close towards Kaiser, “I didn't hear you coming in!”

“Pietro, again immersed in your work, I see.” Kaiser smiled in response. “I’m sorry that I’ve entered uninvited…”

“Nonsense!” Pietro bent the mechanical legs, before reaching out his hand, which Kaiser shook. “I am always glad to see you visiting! Would you like some tea?”

“Chamomile, if you have it, please.” Kaiser smiled genially, after which Pietro quickly hurried past him to his shack, probably for a kettle, tea and other things, leaving Kaiser alone in the workshop. Perhaps he should have taken offense at the fact that the Doctor would find him uneducated enough to leave him with his life’s work without fearing that Kaiser would be able to steal it…

Well Pietro had nothing to worry about, while he, perhaps, understood the scheme and goal of Pietro's new project, he’s funding it after all, but he was definitely not someone who could actually understand how it is done. Pietro’s current project required very, very specific knowledge and a very high degree of understanding of robotics and Aura, something which Kaiser did not possess.

If he had, then he would not need to do the things that he has been doing for the last three years…

Still, curiosity is a sin all humans possess, so Kaiser couldn’t help but take a few steps towards the glass, looking at the heap of wires behind the glass, and couldn’t help but shake his head.

Really seeing the culmination of his ambition in front of him reminds him of just how stupid the Council could be, ha! It's funny how just how the appearance of this Jonathan, or he guessed he should be calling him ‘King Osmond the Third, by right of succession, the sovereign monarch of the Kingdom of Vale and the Kingdom of Glenn, protector of the islands of Patch, Eid and the Lesser Isles, patron to the hunters of Beacon and Signal and Heir of King Oswald the Great’ now… Each time, the titles of the aristocracy only got bigger and bigger...

Ahem, oh yeah, what was he talking about?

It's funny how the appearance of this Jonathan had greatly rocked the world’s community, creating a deluge of panic from the ruler class of the world. Seventy years ago, the monarchy was abolished all over the world, and although during the first decades many people refused to relinquish their powers and there were multiple uprisings from former nobles and kings that now found themselves powerless by popular opinion that shook the world. Revolts that were crushed almost immediately by a populace that was sick of nobles ruling over them. With the passage of time, most nobles resigned themselves to the fact that the time of the monarchy had passed and even the imperial family of Mistral, the oldest monarchy whose dynasty had not been interrupted for one and a half thousand years, ceased to exist.

Of course, Nature abhors a vacuum, and soon the ruling class’ position was again filled, now only by oligarchs, industrialists, political figures and generals. Ah, truly the sheep always needs a shepherd...

But now, the monarchy has returned once again. And in what form!

A Kingdom built on the ruins of a colony of Vale, the Kingdom that was the birthplace of the Council system itself that was copied all over Remnant. On a settlement that suffered the destruction of the super-horde. And a King that declared himself the grandson of the legendary and strongest documented person in the history of the Remnant, whose rule was cemented by personally destroying this super-horde. A Kingdom that at the same time is a  monarchy, democracy and military dictatorship all at the same time!

Truly, how strange is this world in which we live…

But such an attention grabbing oddity was not bad in itself, on the contrary, it was a golden opportunity. Atlas’ political machine was slowly breaking under its own weight, this swamp needed a shake-up. And, what a shake-up it was!

During the first days of the Kingdom of Glenn’s life, almost all the councilmen seemed to refuse to sleep. Each and every day, they would meet in the Council room, and, for the first time in many years, these were not the lazy meetings with their hour-long discussions about another increase in the fur tax by two percent or about holding regular army exercises among the snowy wastelands of Solitas so that their friends in the Military Industrial Complex would receive an order for ammunition. No, these were real discussions, heated ones. And they were all panicking like headless chickens.

They were all panicking, each and every one of them in the dark on how to handle the new diplomatic reality that they were in now. All of them are looking for causes and consequences, every day discussing what they should do, only in order to finally come to the conclusion that they absolutely do not know what they need to do at the moment.

The Kingdom of Glenn was not a state, it was barely even a city, ravaged as they are by the Grimm. No, it was a symbol. Dozens of years after the dissolution of the monarchy, it seemed that monarchy was finally destroyed as an idea, but then an heir suddenly emerged. One that is as powerful as his legendary ancestor.

Jonathan Goodman - or, again, Osmond Vale the Third - not only had protected his people from a seemingly indestructible catastrophe, but simultaneously also possessed the power to destroy any other state that went against him, At the same time, he was also economically minded enough to be able to subsequently organize and restore his state from the state of absolute ruins it was before, demonstrating miracle after miracle.

Hmm, though in the latter, of course, Jonathan himself was not personally involved, As Jonathan was limited in power in dealing with the private sector, and according to the constitution of his newly created Kingdom he had very modest legal power. Legislative authority mostly lies in the so-called ‘Senior Royal Parliament’. Even the state Constitution was not created personally by Jonathan, but by Parliament with help from various sources like Ghira Belladonna and, surprisingly, from Vale itself.

Why an independent Kingdom would ask the opinion of foreign states to craft their governing rules was completely unclear to Kaiser. Still, what the old enemy of Atlas was doing on the other side of the world was none of his business. At least not at the moment when a storm had arisen, overwhelming even Atlas, ‘the city above earthly problems’.

Something Kaiser was greatly enjoying and is exploiting to benefit himself to the fullest.

The halls of government were buffeted by screams of panic and confusion, it was child’s play to push them in the right direction...

And now, the frightened council of Atlas was teetering from side to side, giving order after order, contradicting each other and common sense. Should we send diplomats to Glenn? Yes! But prevent them from recognizing Glenn as a state! Bring the army to combat readiness, and then send it to the middle of nowhere! To double the budget for purchasing Dust! Why? Just cause, we’ll figure out what to do with it later!

The man that staffs the Council were not stupid, but in a situation like this, just a few careful words delivered to the right ears can make the smartest people do the stupidest things.

In the state of almost political anarchy that Atlas was in, someone had to do something before the Councilors themselves began to destroy each other for incomprehensible purposes. And Kaiser was not in the habit of betting on dark horses.

General Ironwood, for a man with so much power, he’s lousy at playing the game of politics. But, at the same time, he possessed colossal political influence, which he was not slow on to bring down on the heads of the panicking Councilors, trying his best to calm the situation down, and to let cooler heads reign. And he, of course, almost immediately became just another reason for the start of the struggle for power.

All that Kaiser had to do, in that atmosphere, was just to stand aside and direct the blows of the two opposing sides against each other and reap all the rewards.

A small tidbit of news, that one of the Counselors is too keen on meeting with his Mistral colleague delivered to the right hands - and now that Counselor has been removed on charges of high treason! Then the Council reacted instantly, fearing that it was the opening move from Ironwood. A few whispered words about the high upkeep of the army, and Ironwood lost funding for his personal project, the AceOps. Some spread rumors to Ironwood that the Council were depriving him of his levers of influence, and Ironwood launched a total census of the army's weapons suppliers, uncovering a great scandal! And something that every one basically already knew, that any weapon the Atlas army purchased was paid for three times - for the soldier who will receive it; for the supplier who will produce it; and for the Counselor who orders it. Then we will hint that Ironwood seems to be aiming at the position as sole dictator of Atlas and was mustering his army. After all, he already has two seats on the Council, and given the removal of the Economic Adviser - just one correctly placed candidate in his place, one under ironwood’s thumb, will be able to give him full control of the Council as sole ruler. And with that rumor campaign, prominent actors in society started to express their disapproval of the ‘dictatorial policy’ of the general…

All that remained was to watch the two mad dogs tear each other apart and pick up the flying pieces. The AceOps - now the ‘Diplomatic Detachment of Special Importance’ was one such piece, Polendina was another. Both under his thumbs.

The Council was too used to thinking that everything revolves around money, so it seemed like a good idea to cut off funding from a prominent scientist in cooperation with the Army. All to spite Ironwood, or to save money, or it is too dangerous, they would say.

After all, after what had happened with Watts and his Paladin Project, the dangers of artificial intelligence out of control are too much to risk. Cut off those few miserable tens of thousands lien budget that Pietro asked, and at the same time a couple of million liens more from the army. The Council rejoices at how hard Ironwood was hit - and no one asked themselves where Dr. Polendina goes after his funding is cut off.

As mentioned, the cost of Polendina's experiments was only a measly thirty or forty thousand lien a year. Kaiser could afford to do without an extra bottle of wine a month.

Really, both Ironwood and the Council are both blind fools.

Finally, after a while, the sound of Pietro's chair was heard again, and he arrived in the laboratory with a tray with two cups of tea and a plate of cookies, Tea, that Kaiser gratefully accepted, taking a sip.

Ah, chamomile…  Such a trifle in Vale - and yet such a rarity in the Atlas! Almost thirty liens per pack, how can a pack of tea be so expensive?!

Oh yes, what was he talking about again? Kaiser took another sip, then reached out to the cookie on the tray and took a small bite.

In the end, Kaiser had made the right decision, choosing to lay his cards not with the old fossilized old men of power, accustomed to building secret networks for years and moving towards the goal through a dozen detours, nor with the general inexperienced in politics, who acted with the grace of a drunk elephant, and with the same strength. As a result, both the Council and the general paid for it, while Kaiser significantly increased his political capital.

Yes, as a result of his meddling, the Council was taken out of the game and wouldn’t be able to recover for a long time. Ironwood could consider himself the de facto ruler of Atlas - but Kaiser knew that only the quietest fisherman caught the biggest fish...

After finishing his tea, Kaiser put the cup aside, then stared at Polendina's creation behind the glass. Pietro, seeing the look on Kaiser’s face, cheered up a little, clearly proud of his achievement. “Mr. Quartz, once again, let me express my gratitude! After all that happened - if not for your proposal, I don't even know what would become of me!”

“There’s no need for undue gratitude, Pietro,” Kaiser shrugged his shoulders, - “Just your completion of your work, no, even just working on it has benefited me even more than you can imagine.”

“If you're talking about those technical improvements for the paladins - it's not worth it, it was only a few days of work, it's not worth the lien you’re spending.” After these words, Polendina's face darkened, - “Poor Arthur…”

“I know, it is always hard to lose colleagues”, - Kaiser sighed, - “Especially because of such a simple mistake…”

Seeing the somber mood, Kaiser shook his head. “At least, I think that he’s looking at us now from a better world, he would be glad to see that you were able to finish his creations and that now it can serve the good for the whole of Atlas.”

“And Mantle,” Polendina hastened to add, before sighing. “I hope he does.”

A second later, having determined that he had paused enough, Kaiser continued to speak. “So, what state is your project in?”

“Ah, Penny?” Polendina brushed off the sadness with alacrity, eager to switch to a topic that he’s much more interested in. “Yes, I’ve already finished with the prototype servo drives and the systems are showing themselves capable of performing their functions. Unfortunately, Penny will obviously weigh at least a hundred kilograms when she’s fully operational - and, I'm afraid, no diet will help her lose weight in this case.”

Pietro smiled at his joke, to which Kaiser only nodded. He didn't care about the final weight of the model, as well as her name, but Kaiser was definitely pleased to hear that the project was moving forward.

“Though, Mr. Quartz,”, - Pietro sighed. “I'm really embarrassed, taking advantage of your kindness this way… This project is a personal child of mine, and is the main part that I spent most of your money on, and you won’t really be getting any direct benefit from its implementation…”

“As I’ve said before Pietro, no need to feel that way.”, - Kaiser smiled, - “There is nothing more profitable than helping a scientist in such an ambitious project. Just a couple of measly liens or a thousand is not the price for the opportunity to create a new person, a real artificial intelligence…”

Finished with yet another impromptu speech, Kaiser turned around, then glanced at his watch, before sighing, “I was glad I was able to see you, Pietro, but I just dropped by to see you. I'm afraid that the world won't wait.”

“Of course, Mr. Quartz, you’re free to visit at any time - my doors are always open for you”, - Pietro smiled, after which, like a respectable host, he accompanied Kaiser to the front door, shaking his hand and seeing the Counselor off to his car.

Kaiser, whose door to the limousine was opened by the driver, just settled in his place. After which, after waiting for the car to drive away from the shack of the good doctor Polendina, he took out a scroll from his pocket and, after checking that the partition to the driver was closed, Kaiser’s limousine was specifically created to be soundproof - clicked on the number he needed.

One beep, another… After the second beep, the face of a man, whose main draw was his big mustache, appeared on the screen of the scroll, glancing at the Kaiser with disapproval.

“Is it something serious? Can’t it wait?” He asked irritably - although, nevertheless, and trying not to show his irritation too much, he relented. “I'm in the middle of an experiment, so make it quick.”

“No, I’ve taken the necessary information that you’ve asked for from Polendina, now I'm heading for First Avenue. Pick it up from the diner as usual.” Kaiser responded, before lifting his eyebrow in curiosity. “What experiment?”

“I'm trying to recreate Polendina's damned machine, and, shit!” The man at the other end winced, “It hasn’t exploded for now, but judging by the sparks that almost struck me, it's only a matter of time.”

Instantly determining from the slightly mocking look on Kaiser’s face, his attitude to what the other man had said was made clear, the man winced, - “I have three degrees I’ll remind you: in robotics, medicine and dust! I have never worked with Aura before!”

“Congratulations,” Kaiser replied with a roll of his eyes. “ In that case, shouldn't you be happy? A new horizon of scientific knowledge has just been opened for you,”, - Kaiser nodded, - “Arthur.”

At these words, Arthur Watts, the man on the other end of the Scroll only rolled his eyes before disconnecting, ending the call.

Arthur Watts was the third - but far from the last - piece that the Kaiser had managed to snatch from under the noses of the Council and Ironwood.

A lone scientist, a renowned genius, so offended that Ironwood was not depending on his expertise, but with his scientific rival, Pietro Polendina. Kaiser even felt a little disappointed that the motivation of a genius, whom the world had not seen since the time of Furst, was so banal. Just a desire to do more, something for which he needed more funding, funds which the Council had redirected to support the Polendina project, and Watts himself would receive funding on a leftover basis.

Of course, who could say whether or not he had a hand in this decision?

With his ego thoroughly bruised, all Kaiser had to do was intercept Watts before he offered his services to someone else. And he was going to escape to Glenn, of all places!  And push him to the right thought. That is to work for him, of course.

And so, the moment when Ironwood had finally dealt with the Council and could turn his attention to other things, and might notice Kaiser’s machination, a terrible tragedy struck!

Who would have thought that the latest development of the renowned scientist, Arthur Watts, would suddenly get out of control right when it was presented! What a tragedy - so many killed and wounded, even General Ironwood himself was terribly wounded! His wounds sent him to the hospital for six months, not only clearing the political situation for Kaiser for a while, but at the same time making Ironwood forget that the Kaiser was the only old representative of the Council who lost practically nothing during their death struggle.

And the explosion that happened after the Paladin malfunctioned, destroying Arthur's body, coincidentally, leaving nothing even for identification. Oh, what a tragedy…

Kaiser sighed and looked out the window of the limousine, looking at the not at all impressive panoramas of Mantle. How can a person in his right mind choose to live here, all the more so, a brilliant scientist like Polendina? Arthur, for example, settled in one of Kaiser's many hideouts. Of course there were some benefit in living here for the amoral scientist, in the slums of Mantle there were so many undocumented people that it was possible to found a new Kingdom with that alone, so there’s no lack of experimental subject. But why would Polendina decide to take such a step?

Kaiser could only shake his head, returning to much more pressing matters than thinking about the character of his acquaintance. So many things to do, so many strings to pull...

Hmm, maybe he should give a hint to the faction of the oligarchs who are in favor of Glenn's admission on why General Ironwood has not accepted their generous offers for too long? Or to Jacques - that General Ironwood will not be able to refuse their offers for too long? Or maybe a grass-root rumor campaign in Mantle and how their population is doing, how they’re simply thrilled about Jacques’ actions?

So many things to do, so many opportunities...

Kaiser smiled to himself, and then jokingly saluted towards the sky.

Thank you for this world of opportunity, King Jonathan Goodman.

***

Jacques Schnee was a man with many problems.

Oh, if only Jonathan Goodman would just bite it and die in a ditch, like the stray dog he is!

If only he could just fall one day and break his neck, how much easier Jacques's life would become!

But, with regret, Jacques was forced to admit that Jonathan Goodman was very much alive. In the morning, when Jacques himself woke up, that self-named King was also alive, which means that Jacques Schnee's day was ruined.

Well, that also means that a glass of brandy is waiting for him tonight...

Ha, Jacques should be careful with alcohol, or he will end up like Willow... Ha, this will be the funniest moment of his life - if he falls in love with this woman again by starting to drink shamelessly with her. Maybe if hell freezes over and pigs fly, maybe.

Jacques pondered the benefit of drinking himself to a stupor, and then shook his head. Unlike his wife, he was not a former hunter, which means that large amounts of alcohol still poses problems for his health. And Jacques was not going to die before Jonathan did. And that means a glass of brandy - and that's it, solely to calm the nerves.

Jacques yawned, he was clearly not an early riser, and then glanced at the correspondence on his desk - packaged in categories by Klein in advance.

Klein - that fat dwarf - Jacques would have fired him a long time ago, if not for his phenomenal usefulness and amazing ability not to fall even when he’s so fat, while always appearing at the right time to deliver his glass of alcohol, give a pen and take Willow aside at the next appointment when she got drunk again and began to disgrace Jacques' business reputation.

Willow, huh...

It’s funny that if Jacques' life took a different route, he would be a financial analyst in the service of Klein…  Ha, what a blessing that Willow was always so stupid, and Nicholas at that time was too afraid of competitors and didn’t manage to notice his actions. Pft, what a man, created a financial empire, but until the end of his life he did not learn to play by the rules of business.

Life is funny that way.

After all, Jacques could never have imagined that he would be able to seduce a young huntress, the heiress of Nicholas' dust empire and the most coveted bride in the entirety of Atlas, if not the whole Remnant, but he succeeded. He was always a handsome man, and Nicholas, who raised his daughter ‘in modesty’, only helped Jacques conquest. A beautiful date at the top of Atlas Plaza with violinists playing her favorite music, a road of roses and a couple of walks in the rain to show how ‘romantic’ he is and how he’s ‘close’ to the ordinary people. All of that, and in just a couple of months, they were inseparable…  More precisely, Willow could not be separated from Jacques, she was always terribly clingy.

And after that, everything was so prosaic, a grandiose marriage, where Jacques changed his last name, and with a bit of finagling to get the shares of the SDC from Willow - and he, Jacques Schnee, became the de facto owner of Schnee's financial empire.

His ascension was marred only by the fact that Willow still remained the formal owner of the SDC and could wrestle control of the company from his hands at any time. But then Jacques could only thank his lucky stars for the fact that luck was on his side. That, instead of fighting him, Willow, whose heart was broken, simply gave up and started drinking her troubles away, all the way to unconsciousness every day and not thinking about taking back the Schnee empire from Jacques.

Klein was an additional detail that Jacques was only glad about - that fat-assed dwarf from the very beginning could not stop following Willow's tail, it seems. Not even realizing that his actions only makes the situation worse for her. He could promise to love her as much as he wanted, but the reality is, with their marriage contract, should Willow ‘betray’ their marriage the company would actually do formally transfer into his hands. Does Willow even remember this fact? Maybe Willow could have known about this fact, if she was sober enough for once to at least just see one Klein with her own eyes. But instead, Willow preferred to get so drunk that Jacques was not even sure that Willow even knew about the existence of Klein.

Hmm, in recent days he began to think more and more about abstract things - is it really the autumn weather that affects him so? If so, then he should bear this in mind for the future.

Sighing, Jacques stretched out his hands to the correspondence on his desk, to the first pile, he picked one on top of the pile.

Reports from his corporation? Hmm, he could only hope that reading this could at least please him.

The first sheet pulled from the folder turned out, as one would expect, a summary of the income, expenses and profits of his corporation - and, as one would expect, the numbers on it pleased Jacques.

Pf, what Kingdom of Glenn? Why did he need it when he could earn all the money of this world on Mantle alone?!

Of course, for the first couple of months after the embargo was imposed, his company suffered somewhat. Nevertheless, it was just another sales market. And while it is indeed a large market, especially considering the large amount of Dust Glenn needed to restore itself, the SDC could have made a killing. But, watching the agony of that accursed Kingdom and the panic in Jonathan's face was worth it.

Or, at least, Jacques assumed that the kinglet was panicking, Jacques had never actually met him personally. But what other emotion could there be on his face when he realized that he was denied access to the most important resource on Remnant?

Without Dust, there is no heating, no electricity, no factories, no transport, no weapons, no ammo - nothing!

True, when Jacques had imposed the embargo, he had assumed that the rebellious crowds of Glenn themselves would hand Jonathan to him on a silver platter. No such thing happened, and by no other means than a miracle, Glenn was able to find enough Dust for their economy to function.

Probably with the help of White Fang…

Jacques was sure that at least half of SDC’s supplies that were stolen went to that damned Kingdom. And to Jacques' great annoyance - he had lost a lot of things.

Although, what else did he expect from Jonathan? That dog has joined a bunch of animals, a fitting description!

Although the words that ... What was it called...

His Majesty’s Dust Syndicate of the Kingdom of Glenn - DSG for short - that this association will now be fighting the Schnee's, his monopoly of Dust around Remnant - made Jacques grin. Let them try!

In Glenn, they might be protected from Jacques' wrath, but as soon as they stick their nose out of it, Jacques will crush them with all the might of Schnee's financial empire. Indeed, if there was a fifth Kingdom in the world, it was not Glenn and of course not Menagerie, but the Schnee dust mega-corporation. The capital his company goes through each day itself exceeds the entire volume of Glenn's economy at least twice, and that is all thanks to the efforts of Jacques himself!

After all, although there was nothing more pleasant for Jacques than to impose a complete embargo on Glenn, he did not like to lose money, even because of a just cause. And nothing other than a stroke of genius, Jacques had figured out how to do it!

If his company was losing sales, so to return to his original level of profit, all he had to do was just to increase the prices! But how do you get people to buy things at higher prices?

Initially, Jacques thought about raising his prices for the army’s procurement, but the squabble in the Council persuaded him not to do it. The rising storm that had brewed there had shown that the so-called general was a dunce and nothing more than a dictator. Something that Jacques had suspected before, but now he is fully convinced of this.

What if, in a fit of anger, that idiotic general refuse to buy from him! This would lead to a conflict, which, against the backdrop of the ongoing political madness, would definitely strike a blow to Jacques himself and his company. No, Jacques could not put ultimatums in such conditions. Therefore, instead of Ironwood, Jacques turned his attention to Mantle.

Mantle simply could not refuse the ultimatum to raise prices!

But Jacques was not an idiot and understood that raising prices would require large expenses on the part of buyers, lien that they might not have… In this case, Jacques could only increase their income! But no, an increase in wages was out of the question - instead, Jacques could simply increase the quotas for the production of dust! Of course, all quotas were paid at the standard rate. But if he raises the quota, they would also receive more pay!

Jacques could not call his decision anything other than ingenious.

After all, the workers who received the extra money would immediately spend it on Dust, whose prices had increased. And so as a result, Jacques had managed to make the SDC remain in the black by increasing the extraction quota of Dust for free - and Mistral offered him the most excellent conditions for the sale of additional dust. A series of events which ultimately turned into incredible profits.

Which Jacques, as befits a real businessman, invested in growing his company. And now, with more and more factories opening, gone are the days when the Schnee were only known for Dust - now the Schnee makes everything!

Chemical factories, electronics, heavy machinery, steel-making -  the Schnee's white snowflake were now flaunted on every second product in the world!

Mantle complained about the lack of jobs - please! Go to a Schnee factory, or the Schnee mines, or the Schnee workshops, or the Schnee farms, or the Schnee atelier - Mantle is now full of possibilities!

And given the political anarchy of those in power - and after that Paladin incident - when Ironwood was removed from the game for six months - there was no one who could stop the real economic miracle of Jacques’s. And it’s a real miracle, not like the paltry tricks of that Kingdom of Glenn!

When James finally crawled out of his hospital - a completely new Atlas had appeared before his eyes - an Atlas with the Schnee logo on top!

The Schnee were no longer just the largest company in Remnant, it is now a full-fledged economy! Able to speak on an equal footing with the Councils and Kingdoms - and all this thanks to the wise leadership of Jacques himself!

Could Willow have done the same?! Would Nicholas be able to?! No, no, not in a million years! His success only proved that it was Jacques who had the rights to Schnee's financial empire, damn Nicholas's will!

Delighted by the multitude of zeros on the report, Jacques put it aside for another reading for another time. He then pushed the folder away - he will do it a little later, maybe even show it off to Willow!

He then pulled the second pile of correspondence close to him, whose content, however, somewhat upset him.

The report from his security service pleased him a little with the information that they managed to catch almost three dozen of those damned animal sympathizers - and therefore accomplices of Glenn and the White Fang - and convince them not to do this anymore.

Some of them even survived - those whose disappearance was too difficult to hide.

Still, there were so many workers in Mantle that the disappearance of even thousands would not affect the productivity of the factories in any way.

However, this was the only good news, reading further along the report, it informed him that two trains and a ship had been hijacked in the past month! And of course Jonathan was involved - who else! - And also the White Fang!

Jacques clenched his fist in rage, but after waiting a couple of seconds, he was able to exhale and push the sheet away from him. The monetary losses were unpleasant, but negligible against the backdrop of his expansions in Mantle. He just needs to express his disappointment with the security service later and, probably, buy new paladins from ‘Quartz Corps’. Judging by the information spread around, Arthur's mistake was already fixed in the new model...

Although Jacques would note to himself never to stand next to them anyway. Flashes of memories of the General's injuries reminded him that unexpected incidents happen all the time. Jacques himself was still only a man of great intelligence and charisma, not a hunter, so he might well not survive the incident.

Putting this report aside, Jacques stretched out his hands to the third pile - the thinnest, in fact, containing only one letter.

Pulling it up to him, Jacques carefully examined the envelope. It was sealed and without any identification marks, before thinking. Who exactly could have sent him an envelope like this?

Jacques had to deal more than once with a variety of ‘less-than-savory’ folks, this was the way of business, of course. But, in this particular case, Jacques could not remember with whom he was negotiating now.

Though… Could it be!? An unexpected guess pierced his mind that he immediately opened the envelope and began to speed read, before reaching the right words and grinning. After which, unable to restrain himself, he breaks out into a laugh, throwing the letter away from him.

Today he’s going to get drunk, he now had a great reason for this!

The unusual letter was handwritten in uneven handwriting, as if the writer’s hands were shaking - but this was not due to excitement, but, most likely, because of problems with alcohol.

“Dear Jacques. I don't know how you found me - but judging by what you wrote, by the fact that you did find me - and on the prepayment - you are serious. In that case, for the murder of Jonathan, I will charge one hundred million lien, the price is not negotiable. Signed, Marcus Black."