Building a Viking Empire with Modern Industry-Chapter 114: A baby boy

Ragnar’s army had been steaming north since he successfully annexed the Capital of Wessex into the Directorate’s portfolio. It had been weeks at this point, and he could finally see the smokestacks of City Titan and its brutalist ferro-concrete defenses on the horizon.

It had been over two months since he first began his "Hostile Audit" of the South, and he had achieved an overwhelming monopoly against the luddite forces.

A warm, calculated smile appeared on the handsome Director’s face as he stood on the cowcatcher of Locomotive No. 1, the "Screaming Kettle," muttering the words on his mind beneath his breath as the iron wheels clacked rhythmically against the rails.

"The commute is finally over..."

Ragnar’s losses in the war were quite low; less than 200 "Interns" had suffered workplace accidents in the conflict; as for the Saxon levies that were conscripted, their number was a bit higher due to poor shovel technique.

Still, he did not count them among his own depreciation, as they were technically "Contract Labor" at the moment.

As for the workforce behind his back, it was less than half of what he had invaded Winchester with; the region was given to General Bjorn to manage temporarily until a time in which the local guilds had officially integrated into the Common Market.

As for Leif the Elder, he was in charge of the Thames Bridge toll booth.

The spirit of resistance was still within the hearts of many priests who Ragnar had audited in this time, but at the moment, they did not act upon it.

Once the audit was officially over, Bjorn, Leif, and the Franchise Garrisons left behind would remain there until a more permanent administration comprised of locals who had properly been onboarded into his corporate culture was established.

It had been two months since he felt his wife’s terrifyingly efficient embrace, or since he saw the spreadsheets of his home office, and Ragnar had missed them greatly.

As such, when the train rolled into the Titan Central Station he had a large smile on his face.

When Ragnar and his engineers entered the station, the citizens of Titan lined up across the platform, welcoming the return of their Director as a conquering Hero.

"Efficiency is Victory!" the crowd chanted, waving grey flags stamped with the Iron Gear.

Ragnar thought to himself as he tipped his conductor’s cap at his employees:

’So this is a shareholder meeting? It is truly fitting...’

To the citizens of Titan, Ragnar had accomplished the unthinkable; he spread the logistics of their territory and captured the entirety of the Midlands and the South in a span of two months.

Though some coal had been burned in the conflict, Ragnar would keep his promise and issue a "Victory Dividend" - a bonus of salt and preserved fish for every family.

However, the people of Titan did not know about this bonus yet.

After the train hissed to a halt, Ragnar dismissed his workforce; they could return to their dormitories for the time being; after all, they had more than earned their rest period.

It was only after his "Iron Gear" veterans fully gathered into ranks and slammed their fists onto their breastplates in a synchronized salute that he understood the extent of their brand loyalty. Such a performance was not asked of them in the contract, yet they took it upon themselves to salute their Director, who had led them against unthinkable superstition and into an overwhelming market share.

Ragnar returned their salute with a sharp nod before marching into the Governor’s Palace.

The moment Ragnar stepped through the heavy steel doors of his office, he was practically tackled by Gyda, who rushed into his arms not like a charging bull, but like a Force of Nature.

Luckily for him, his "Mark III" plate armor was capable of withstanding the impact.

Her new "Consultants" - Queen Eadburh and her daughters - as well as Helga the Brewer, had gathered nearby and witnessed the reunion. Ragnar began to greet Gyda:

"Did you audit the..."

Before he could even finish his sentence about the quarterly report, his wife had pressed her lips against his own.

Her consultants were quite shocked by her boldness and watched in embarrassment for some time as the two continued to display public affection; it was only when Ragnar reached for Gyda’s substantial baby bump did someone decide to speak up.

Queen Eadburh cleared her throat to signal to the couple that they had company, and that things were getting unprofessional.

Realizing that the Saxon royals were watching, Gyda quickly retracted herself from Ragnar’s embrace and smoothed her violet velvet dress. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Her cheeks were flushed, not with shame, but with the adrenaline of a successful merger.

Ragnar, on the other hand, smiled and wiped a smudge of lipstick from his cheek before greeting Gyda and the others.

"So I guess the merger went well?"

Afterward, he quickly grabbed ahold of Gyda’s waist and guided her over to the others. The Saxon consultants each had a different expression on their faces.

Queen Eadburh considered Ragnar to be a dangerous radical who had turned her world upside down, but she knew he was capable of paying her pension and had helped topple the stagnant economy of her husband; as such, she was conflicted with how to treat the man in front of her.

Princess Elfwynn had already chosen to submit to the Directorate and gracefully welcomed the man that had given her a job as a draftsman.

She had already received news of the successful integration of the Thames Bridge. After becoming aware of the sheer engineering marvel, Elfwynn finally realized that she had made the right choice in supporting the future.

As for the younger sister, she was acting like a terrified intern, hiding behind her mother.

Helga the Brewer was beaming with a smile on her soot-stained face. With Ragnar back, she could finally get approval for her new "Explosive Excavation" project.

Ragnar looked at the group, then turned his attention to the most important person in the room.

In Gyda’s arms was not a ledger, but a small bundle wrapped in grey wool.

Ragnar blinked. "You... you delivered the asset early?"

Gyda smirked, tired but triumphant. "He arrived ahead of schedule, Ragnar. Just like his father."

Ragnar walked over to her and peered into the bundle.

A baby boy with a tuft of dark hair stared back at him with piercing blue eyes—eyes that looked like they were already calculating the room’s square footage.

"Magnus," Ragnar whispered, touching the baby’s tiny hand. "Your Director has returned!"

With that, Ragnar held onto his child, surrounded by loved ones and employees. He felt completely solvent for the first time in what appeared to him like a lifetime of risk management.

A grand feast was thrown that night to celebrate his return.

Ragnar had invited his top executives and the Saxon consultants to partake in it.

During the extravagant meal, which tasted like haute cuisine after having eaten nothing but "Nutrient Bricks" and trail rations for two months, Ragnar forced himself to stop analyzing the nutritional content of the roast pork and made a victory toast.

Everyone expected him to say something valiant, something bold, or a declaration of future expansion into Scotland.

Instead, Ragnar merely lifted his glass of filtered water and said the somber words that had plagued his mind since the audit began.

"To the depreciated assets," Ragnar said, his voice echoing in the silent hall. "May their liquidation pave the way for a more efficient future."

The serious toast brought the excited audience out of their celebratory mood and forced them back to reality; every mile of track was paved with the sweat of the dead and those brave interns who dug the trenches.

The fact that Ragnar had used corporate terminology as a toast undoubtedly killed the mood for the Saxons, who didn’t understand the metaphor, but it achieved the effect he was hoping for; it reminded his Vikings that Growth always came with a Cost.

"However," Ragnar added, a smile returning to his face as he looked at little Magnus sleeping in a basket on the table. "Tonight, we do not focus on the losses. Tonight, we celebrate the Launch."

He raised his glass higher.

"To the Iron Empire! And to the first generation that will never know the mud!"

"Efficiency is Victory!" the hall roared back.

As the feast continued, Gyda leaned over to Ragnar.

"You realize," she whispered, "that while you were playing with trains, I negotiated a trade deal with the Danes?"

Ragnar nearly choked on his water. "The Danes? You mean... the raiders?"

"They aren’t raiders anymore," Gyda smiled, tapping her glass. "They are Shipping Contractors. I hired them to transport our steel to Frankia. Why build a navy when you can just rent one?"

Ragnar looked at his wife with a mixture of fear and absolute adoration.

"Gyda," he said seriously. "Remind me never to host a hostile takeover against you."

"Don’t worry, darling," she kissed his cheek. "You couldn’t afford me."