A Lewd Cultivator in Brockton Bay 56 (Patreon)

A Lewd Cultivator in Brockton Bay

Chapter 56

-VB-

Carol and Sarah turned out to be frequent visitors to the Marris House.

Why?

They wanted to see Olenna.

It’s been a long time since a new baby joined the family, and Olenna was getting a lot of attention from her adoptive grandmother and grandaunt.

Carol still didn’t like me. Hated me for “stealing” both of her daughters, even though she also approved of it. It didn’t matter that she was a cold bitch to Amelia for the longest time. She felt like I had stolen from her, so that’s what truly mattered underneath the veneer of her career as a lawyer. She loved to make smart remarks about me.

Dealing with her was annoying at best and frustrating at worst, and the fact that she was now my mother-in-law didn’t help, especially because she was only a decade older than I was.

However, these were details I could think about some other time.

“You called me to tell me that outsiders are looking to move into the bay?” I asked my one and only underworld contact, a simple man with a simple need that had been easily solved with Amy’s touch. The man was loyal to me for arranging that which saved his baby boy.

(A lot of things happened between my home life, PRT/Protectorate cooperation, and daily night hunting.)

I pushed the mug of beer towards him.

“Yes,” Justin replied. The bearded and bald man accepted the beer. The denim jacket, pants, red cotton shirt, and steel-toed brown boots wearing ex-Empire (his wife was black) took a sip before he set it down. “Gesellschaft is sending three capes: Sprengritter, Auckenschneider, and Bo.”

“... Bo?”

“His name is too fucking long.”

“Okay, and anything you can tell me about them that I can’t find online?” I asked him.

The bar we were at was empty save for us and the bartender.

Justin shrugged. “I’m sure you won’t finding anything about them online. They’re supposed to be some secret pr-”

“You mean like Night and Fog.”

“... Yeah, like them.”

I blew out a stream of air. “Well, that sucks. When are they arriving?”

“Supposedly within the week,” he replied as he took another sip. “They expect to be able to convince the Empire’s remnants to join them.”

I snorted. “I think Gesellschaft is a bit optimistic if they think the idea that ideology will be enough to gather their American ‘compatriots’ together.”

“You said it, not me.”

“Hmm. Any details on them?”

“Supposedly,” he set the empty mug down (when did he finish it?). “Sprengritter is supposed to be a counter to you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. The fact that you are constantly growing is a concern for them. They think you’re the next Triumvirate, and one that has reason to seek them out to end them.”

I chuckled. “I’m still a bit away from Alexandria.”

As much as I liked to strut around once in a while about how I was the strongest cape in Brockton Bay, I knew and told my close friends and family that I was nowhere near the level of the Triumvirate. Stood definitely on par with Lung, but no one acknowledged Lung to be Triumvirate level.

I’ve even hit a plateau after my vacation. I wasn’t growing stronger at the same rate as before. I was stagnant, and it was something that irked me. However, I was not here to find answers to that. I was here for information.

I squeezed my fists for a moment.

If the Gesellschaft sent their capes with me specifically in mind, then wouldn’t at least one of them be strong? Could I grow in power again like I did before?

“Bo is to be their counter to the independents and coalition remnants.”

I grunted. “And Auckenschneider?”

“He’s supposed to be anti-Tinker.”

“... Oh?”

“I don’t know any more details than that,” he shook his head.

“What about the fanatics? How are they these days?”

“With only two capes to their name, they are struggling a little.”

I nodded and then slid him a small if thick envelope. He took it and left.

I nodded to the bartender and slid him a big tip, and he smiled and nodded in return. I finished my own mug of beer and left after that.

I picked up some groceries on the way home, walking of course, but my mind was on the supposed newcomers soon to enter the city.

The fragmented Empire was not one divided by masters but by ideology. Those who were true to the toxic supremacy gathered in one extremely fanatical group, those who were in it for power went in another group, and the last group was more remnants of Empire that fit into neither group but couldn’t just leave the gang life.

They hated each other more than they hated the other groups. One called the others traitors, the others called that one stupid fanatic, and so on and so forth.

If the Gesellschaft capes came, then I wondered how the Empire remnants would react.

‘They’re probably going to fight back against the Gesellschaft capes,’ I snorted in amusement. It wasn’t as if the remnants were lacking in firepower. New capes joined those gangs either looking to benefit from them or become their leader. ‘I think there’s around two to three capes each in their roster.’

If they united again, then they would be the second biggest cape group in the city. Combined with the Gesellschaft capes, they might even be the biggest if the PRT/Protectorate moved some Protectorate members out of the city.

But the independents and coalitions wouldn’t let that happen.

So what was I going to do with this information…?

I could release it. Just flat out tell everyone, through a proxy, that someone wanted to reforge the Empire. I would, of course, react publicly and go on my own little crusade to break at least one of the three remnants. This might, however, galvanize the Gesellschaft to act quickly and might even get them to send them more capes. After all, if they could fight off a bigger - and looser - confederation of capes and establish their beachhead, then they will be hold on.

I could go silent and attack the Empire remnants independently, leaving nothing for the Gesellschaft to unite. It might, however, make me the target of the villains, both remnant and not, because of my aggression.

I snorted.

As a former Europa Universalis IV lover, I was all too aware of aggression in politics. Push too hard and get the backlash. Real life was no different. If I “expanded” too fast by taking out the villains, then the villains will unite to take me out.

Considering that I was Panacea’s husband, they wouldn’t do anything too permanent, not unless they want her to refuse any and all service. That and the fact that she was also capable of making “pets” that could and will bite, tear, burn, and kill them also factored into it, and Vicky would not spare them, either.

I did want to get the PRT involved if only to have more manpower and people to spread the aggression out among ourselves, but the bureaucracy would move slowly at best or not at all.

If I acted by myself, the most I could do was take out one of the three remnant gangs.

I rolled my shoulders just before I walked into our house. I noticed that Carol and Sarah’s cars were gone.

“Welcome home!” Amelia greeted from inside the house. “I’m making spaghetti bologna!”

“Nice,” I hummed.

I’ll have to take out the fanatics. Two capes only for me to crush, maybe three dozen regular members, and the rest would flee.

It shouldn’t be too hard.