Building a Viking Empire with Modern Industry-Chapter 166: Global Monopoly

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Three months passed as quickly as they came, and Ragnar was ready to march to war. During this time, Princess Elfwynn had returned to the Guildhall in York, where Bishop Aethelwold was blessing the new turbines with holy water.

Albeit the two executives came to an agreement and Ragnar began to support the Bishop with "infrastructure aid" at a discounted price.

After all, the Bishop’s parishioners were suffering from the constant raiding, and Ragnar could alleviate that suffering for a tax break.

It had been over a year since Ragnar was first reincarnated into this world, and he had already accomplished a great deal during this time.

As for what Ragnar was currently occupied with, at the moment, he was once more outfitted for a hostile takeover, standing before Gyda, who was holding onto their toddler, Magnus.

The boy was growing by the day, already showing an alarming aptitude for stacking blocks in efficient patterns. Elfrida was also gathered to send her brother-in-law off to the merger.

During this time, Ragnar had become accustomed to the brace on his leg and was now ready to lead from the front once more, albeit he would no longer be charging into the fray with an axe.

However, at least he would still be on the battlefield auditing his troops.

Gyda had a calculating expression on her face. The last time Ragnar had left for a merger, he had lost the full use of his leg and nearly his life; now he was going to face King Aethelwulf and his Swiss Mercenaries.

It greatly pained her to see her partner risk his equity on the battlefield. As such, she kissed Ragnar efficiently before muttering under her breath.

"I will balance the books while you are gone."

Ragnar chuckled at this remark. Gyda was never an exceptionally emotional woman, but for him, she was willing to manage the entire Directorate solo; he found this to be romantic.

As for Elfrida, she curtsied to her brother-in-law before making him promise her a solemn vow.

"Bring back some silk from the south!"

Ragnar laughed at the woman’s materialistic expression before he adjusted his monocle; after doing so, he agreed to her conditions.

"I promise, I will return with a diversified portfolio!"

After saying such a thing, he departed from the Governor’s Mansion.

It had been too long since he had smelled the coal smoke of a mobile command center, and now he was eager to face the competition who had dared to disrupt his supply chain.

As for Eadwig, he had stayed behind in City Titan, ever under the watchful eye of Gyda and Ragnar’s auditors.

With Ragnar’s departure, Eadwig would be guarded closely to make sure he didn’t try anything... entrepreneurial.

Ragnar mounted his new transport. It was slower than a horse but infinitely more intimidating, belching black smoke and rattling like a cage full of angry spirits.

After climbing into the Chariot, which was clad in its own set of blackened steel plating with magnificent brass trim, Ragnar rode off out of the city and regrouped with his "Security Force" in the streets.

This was the last of his forces to rendezvous with General Bjorn and the rest of his army near Nottingham.

Once the army was on the march, it would split into two, with the more significant portion of the military staying with Ragnar as he marched on Leicester.

As for the smaller portion, they would regroup with Thane Leofric’s defectors and secure the rail lines.

Ragnar sat in the Chariot at the head of the army, with his top hat securely fastened, marching amid autumn; he began to hum along to the rhythmic clank-clank-clank of the steam pistons.

After a few hours, the army reached the southern border of the Directorate, where they proceeded to get settled into the prefabricated barracks surrounding the railhead.

Ragnar quickly got out of his Chariot and approached General Bjorn, who had long since defended the Southern border from the West Saxons. Still, he was left in control of the logistics to ensure no other army came to audit.

Seeing his Director and CEO approach him, Bjorn quickly pounded his chest in a salute before addressing his old friend that he had not seen for some time.

"Director!"

Ragnar chuckled when he saw Bjorn being serious and tapped the man’s breastplate with his cane.

"It is good to see you, Bjorn; the quarterly reports have been... adequate."

Bjorn grinned, seeing that Ragnar was back to his corporate self, even after such a lengthy rehabilitation.

Thus he responded to Ragnar’s informal approach in an equally laid-back manner.

"It is just a shame we will be leaving the coffee machine behind."

A wide grin spread across Ragnar’s face as he looked off into the distance with his monocle. He was gazing towards the direction of Tamworth.

By re-conquering the capital of Mercia, he would soon establish himself and his Board as the main power of the Midlands.

"Worry not, General. If we do our jobs right, we will own the coffee plantation soon enough."

After reuniting with his General and his other officers, Ragnar had opted to gather his high-ranking managers on a platform in front of the railhead.

There was not enough space for the total amount of his contractors to stay within the perimeter, so many of them were gathered in tents outside the wire.

As the high-ranking managers gathered around Ragnar, he quickly addressed them, as he tried to encourage them with a speech fit for a shareholder meeting.

"It has been a while since we last executed a hostile takeover, and though many of you have been defending our assets, others have been enjoying the stability that we have brought to the market. However, as you all know, the price of monopoly is paid with the sweat and overtime of those willing to earn it.

Suppose we wish to continue our existence as the market leaders of our region without interference from a foreign regulator.

In that case, we must fight, not for ourselves or our pensions but for the Brand! For though we are all Vikings, we are, more importantly, Stakeholders!

Our partners in the other regions have been taxed and regulated while we have hidden behind our tariffs allowing it to happen!

Now our actions were not without good reason, as we needed time to build up a capital reserve large enough to buy out the enemy, or else we would end up just like our competitors.

Yet that does not forgive the fact that we have chosen to hide in our well-fortified industrial zones.

Yet no longer! Tomorrow we march to liquidate the West Saxon assets! King Aethelwulf seeks to press claim over us all and rule us under his feudal laws! I reject it, for the Midlands shall forever remain in the hands of the Corporation!

I promise you, if you all do your part in this upcoming merger, you will be home before the fiscal year ends! Efficiency is Victory!"

Right before Ragnar had finished the last part of his speech, he raised his cane and pointed it southward into the grey sky before shouting the motto that his armies had become renowned for.

The moment he did so, the officers who had gathered to witness his word all raised their clipboards and weapons into the sky before also screaming the Directorate motto.

"Efficiency is Victory!"

After chanting those words a few more times, Ragnar finally silenced the crowd and addressed his managers.

"Now, go rest, for tomorrow the market opens!"

After hearing Ragnar’s orders, the high-ranking officers all began to head towards their quarters, where they all rested for the night.

Ragnar, on the other hand, had a private coffee with General Bjorn; he would finally reveal his schemes to become Lord Protector to his most trusted General.

Bjorn knew something was suspicious from the start; after hearing that Eadwig was "saved" by Ragnar and brought to City Titan for "safety," he knew Ragnar was plotting something serious; though he did not know what.

Ragnar brought two mugs of black coffee over to the table where Bjorn was sitting before he sat down. After doing so, he handed a mug to Bjorn and began to drink from his own skull chalice.

It was only after the two had tasted the brew that Ragnar began to address Bjorn with a grave expression.

"I will be Lord Protector of the Midlands soon enough."

Bjorn merely laughed as he heard these words; Ragnar’s ambitions were never satisfied; as such, he began to ask Ragnar what his plan was.

"How do you plan to do that? Last I checked, Eadwig was the heir..."

Ragnar was utterly frank with Bjorn, and as such, he told the truth.

"After I have won that boy’s lawsuit for him, I will continue to be his Trustee; during this time, he will be... ’encouraged’ to pursue a career in the arts. It may take years, but before that boy turns twenty-one, he will realize he hates mining. Leaving me as Trustee in a position to sweep in and buy his shares for pennies on the dollar."

Bjorn gazed at Ragnar with a shocked expression on his face. Before leaning in and whispering to him.

"You are going to defraud a kid?"

Ragnar merely took a drink from his mug before answering Bjorn’s question.

"It is either that or I will be forced to start a civil war."

Bjorn looked at Ragnar with a sense of amusement before asking Ragnar another question.

"You want to be Lord Protector so badly that you would swindle an innocent boy?"

Ragnar shook his head and looked sternly at Bjorn before he began to lecture him.

"The boy covets my company; the moment he gains any real authority by becoming a Guildmaster, he will demand I hand over the blueprints; by that point, the Steam Engine will be my legacy, and I will refuse to do so. He will try to have me fired for resisting his orders, and I will raise an army to fight him." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Bjorn could not believe Ragnar was willing to throw the Midlands into another chaotic lawsuit all for intellectual property; as such, he tried to reason with Ragnar.

Since this was the justification Ragnar had used for his actions, Bjorn would be sure to offer an alternative solution.

"You could just give the blueprints to the boy; after all, you already have the factories, just license it to him!"

Ragnar shook his head while taking another sip; after doing so, Bjorn grew frustrated and pounded his fist on the table before asking Ragnar.

"Give me one good reason not to!"

Ragnar glared at the man fiercely through his monocle before answering him.

"Because he is inefficient!"

Hearing this, Bjorn scoffed; seeing that the man was displeased with his plans, Ragnar decided to pose a philosophical question.

"General, with all your infinite wisdom, explain to me why it is more righteous to have thousands of men lose their jobs in a market crash than it is to creatively account for a single trust fund?"

With those words, Bjorn stared at Ragnar with disbelief. He honestly did not know how to answer that question.

Ragnar decided to add salt to the wound as he further pressed Bjorn; he pointed to the door while doing so.

"Why do the pensions of those men not matter as much as Eadwig’s inheritance? Whether it is to secure my IP or fulfill my great ambitions, it truly does not matter. If I can spare the livelihood of a single one of my employees by cooking the books on Eadwig, then I will do it! You would do best to remember where your stock options lie. It is not just to me, but the men, women, and families on my payroll, and if I can spare them the pain of bankruptcy by engaging in a bit of white-collar crime, then I will gladly do so."

Bjorn drained the mug of coffee down his gullet before pouring another one, where he proceeded to consume its contents rapidly.

It was only after he had chugged three cups and wiped the foam from his beard that he decided to say his final thoughts on the matter.

"You are right! I am sorry, I find it a bit cold to swindle a kid, but you are right, as always. Even if you were willing to give up on the IP, put aside your ambitions, by allowing Eadwig to run the company that would only bring disaster to our market.

That boy is not fit to rule a lemonade stand, let alone a Directorate!"

Hearing Bjorn finally agreed to his plans, Ragnar smiled and patted him on the back.

"Go get some rest, old friend; we will be opening the market at dawn."

With that said, Bjorn smiled before departing, leaving Ragnar by his lonesome.

It was only after Bjorn was long gone that Ragnar began to think about the actions he would have to take before reaching the heights of his ambition.

In doing so, his lips turned into a sinister corporate smile before voicing his thoughts aloud.

"For the path that I walk upon, defrauding a trust fund is but a rounding error. Oh, my dear friend Bjorn, I am destined to do far worse in the future.

Yet, in the end, by doing so, I shall establish a global monopoly for my Brand."