Chapter 1216: Warmth of Reborn
Michael finally found the motivation to stay up late once again.
After all, solving their new allies’ problems was very critical in how they progressed their company from now till the future.
Once they’ve solidified this alliance, Reborn would finally have full control over the Southern part of the Royal Continent.
This included the Kings region and the Lower Queens region, all the way up to Metropolis.
Once they did that, they could finally advance past Metropolis, over to the Upper Queens region where the elites and the Upper Echelons resided. They already had the territory ready for them, so all they needed to do was consolidate their new position before starting the move.
Also, helping their allies would further his goal of defeating the Ersatz from the inside out.
Ever since becoming allies, the Shadow Orcs had canvassed all of their new territories and couldn’t help but notice the increasing uptick in Ersatz soldiers and members.
This is all because of one reason: poverty.
With the large chasm separating the Lower Queens region from the Upper Queens region, the trade between the two had slowed to a crawl.
Spices quadrupled in prices. Raw materials quintupled. Food became a luxury.
And that was just the current price. The trends seemed to predict that the prices would continue to soar up as the situation everywhere became more and more dire.
"Magic was a large foundation of our world. Now that it’s gone, our world has begun to tip off its kilter," said Castelle.
And she was spot on. Without magic, things had become infinitely harder. Food, water, and even basic living.
After all, farmers had been used to using magicians to enhance their crops. Before, when they truly needed more food, they could simply ask a magician to hasten the growing process of their crops.
Now, they could only wait normally, which would take months.
They needed food today.
Of course, they could still do that if they truly wanted to. They could now ask Maugnetics to take the place of those magicians.
Unfortunately, they would need to find a specific Maugnetic whose power could be applied to crops and food. And that required a ton of money, something that only the rich and the affluent could afford.
If they wanted to survive, they would have to depend on other people. They would have to seek out stronger companies or organizations, selling their own loyalty in exchange for food and other such things.
Or another option would be to forcefully take food from others. That’s why robbers, thieves, and marauders grew in numbers.
But even that wasn’t sustainable. How were they going to make a living stealing, if the ones they stole from had nothing too?
That was where the Ersatz came in. They came with the promise of power. They came in with the idea that they didn’t have to spend thousands of gold coins just to hire a Maugnetic to bless their crops. They could just do it themselves. And all it would take was to become part of the Ersatz.
Now, most people knew something was fishy with this offer. After the attack on New Sparta, the Upper Echelons and Conglomerates had a joint mission to spread information about the Ersatz. About how they were the ones responsible for the attack as well as the loss of magic.
But even with this knowledge, people will still inevitably cling to Ersatz. They had no other choice. Either make themselves a slave for the Conglomerates, or make themselves a slave for Ersatz.
One was better than the other, since one promised power and the other hoarded it for themselves.
Now thankfully, the territories in the South clung onto Reborn. They weren’t that tempted by the Ersatz. They simply weren’t that desperate thanks to Reborn.
Michael made sure to provide everything in Reborn, crops, materials, food, and everything else at normal prices.
But others weren’t that fortunate. They weren’t anywhere near Reborn. The Shadow Orcs told him that there was a territory far in the North who had completely succumbed to the Ersatz. It was a tragedy.
That’s why Michael had to start fixing things quickly.
"We should start providing electricity for all our territories," he said to them. "For free. At least, for now."
There were no objections.
He needed there to be a reason for people to flock to the Rebornian banner. He wanted to tell them that they didn’t need to succumb to the dark side. Reborn was plenty warm.
With the winter season coming, there was a real danger of entire cities becoming frozen to death.
Before, they relied on magicians and wizards to warm their territories and keep them from the blizzards that frequented their region.
But now, that magic was gone. Any fires they tried to make inside their houses would only last a few days.
That was why they needed to spread electricity.
With a simple flick of a switch, they could have warmth, light, and water in their houses. They didn’t need magic. Reborn could provide them with everything.
"Sheina, please inform our engineers about our plans. Castelle, start arranging everything we need to start the project. The materials, the manpower, everything."
Both women nodded, before turning around and walking out of his room with a pep in their step.
Then, he quickly turned to his shadow.
"Fudge, you there?"
A violet slime emerged from the darkness, jumping into his arms. "Yes, Master?"
"How’s our new recruits?"
Fudge’s mouth curved up into a devious smile.
A few days ago, Michael instructed Fudge to take care of the Ersatz members that they caught during the automobile robbery.
And to be honest, Michael did feel bad for the Ersatz members since they’d have to be under Fudge’s slimy hands. But that was the only way to ensure they wouldn’t escape.
"How are they?" he asked Fudge.
"They’re feisty," Fudge replied. "But worry not, Master. I’ll knock some sense into them soon."
Michael glared at Fudge. That’s not what they discussed.
"Kidding! Knock some sense to them using baseball, of course."
For the first part of their rehabilitation, he ordered the Ersatz members to experience the Rebornian life.
