Zach wanted to train these people into a cohesive and complete force that could take on the best forces in the world. He couldn't have them become passive in the face of mages who constituted the greater part of the world's elite forces but were weak to the smallest of his guns. He needed to show them that the mages were not to be feared. They weren't as outstanding as they had believed in the past.
Unfortunately, the belief had been ingrained in their thinking since birth as they were born in slavery and needed to deify something or someone to continue moving forward. To common folk, magic was no less than a miracle.
Therefore, he needed a magic tutor who was not only good at his job but also loyal and trustworthy enough to steer his people in the direction that Zach wanted.
…
With the finalization of the deal with Bruce, the Windsor family began preparations to launch their new product in the market. The promotional events included free tastings at various locations in the local market and sending free samples of sugar to various influential families of the city in order to understand the true demand for the commodity they were about to expend so much on.
The feedback so far had only been positive. The marketplaces were willing to pay any amount to get their hands on such a lucrative product. Marico knew what those people in the local market wanted to do by making such an offer. They were definitely thinking of selling this sugar in the other cities as a luxury commodity to highly influential families in order to make profit before the Windsor family launched it beyond the confines of Byzantium city. He knew because he would have done the same in their places. It was mainly business. There was nothing shameful about it.
One of the recipients of those free samples of sugar was the Hunter family. They had been thinking of methods to build a good relationship with the Windsor family but so far they had found no opportunities to do so. It was as if the head of the family was purposefully avoiding the Hunter family.
So, when the Hunter family leader heard of the new project Marico was working on, he became livid with frustration. He couldn't accept that the Windsor family that was just about to be trampled on by him had gotten a new lease on life. It had not only survived but was obviously thriving. Had they managed to establish a good relationship with the Windsor family, Hogan could have tried to partner up for this project.
His thoughts were interrupted when Nelson came into the study with a servant in tow who was bearing a tray laden with snacks and a teapot. Upon his instruction, the servant placed the tray on the table in front of Hogan and left with hurried steps. The servants already knew that the family head was in one of his moods again and it was better to avoid him until he calmed down.
Nelson bent towards the table and poured the coffee from the teapot in a cup gently so as to not spill any. His father hated it when someone spilled anything in front of him.
He then picked up a spoon and poured a spoonful of sugar from the sample being kept in a small glass jar marked with the unique crest of the Windsor family.
After gently stirring the coffee with the help of the tea spoon, Nelson handed the cup full of coffee to his father who had been waiting impatiently for it.
Nelson didn't sit down and waited for his father to test the sweet coffee as the Windsor family now called it.
Hogan took a small sip of the cup and his face turned dark like the underside of the bed. It was frightening how bloodshot his eyes became once he tasted the sugary concoction. One would think that the reason for such an elaborate expression would be because the coffee tasted extremely horrible.
But the truth was quite the opposite. The coffee has a heavenly taste that he couldn't have imagined before this.
Hogan's grip on the cup tightened slowly as the cup shattered under the excessive grip strength spilling the sweet coffee everywhere in the study.
Nelson immediately called for a servant to clear the pieces of the broken cup away before cleaning the floor of the study.
Hogan figured that the Windsor family was working its way towards a meteoric rise while the Hunter family hadn't even begun to make its move yet. This made him furious but he couldn't do anything about it. He had to drink up his anger in frustration and change his family's strategy soon if he wanted to catch up to his rival families.
Nelson had been in suspense all this while but he didn't dare to ask until Hogan calmed down enough to talk properly.
When the servant left along with the tray in her hand, Hogan finally began to speak his thoughts.
"We won't be able to catch up to the Windsor family once this product reaches the market. There will be no stopping it if it became a common household item. Had it been luxury goods, we could have made up for the difference with our other profitable businesses or by making alliances but the fact that Windsor family is using this product to enter unexplored markets makes it worrisome. We can't afford to let them expand their influence or they would very soon leave us behind in dust."
It felt as if Hogan was talking to his son but only Nelson knew that Hogan was in fact muttering to himself. This wasn't a dialogue but a monologue that he shouldn't interrupt.
Still he wanted to speak his mind.
"I have heard that this has to do with the man who healed that old fart. That SS rank water mage who arrived with a huge number of people and stayed with the Windsor family for some time before moving to the uninhabited island at the edge of the city."
"I don't care whether it was that Mr. Smith who developed this product or the Windsor family. The fact that the Windsor family is currently marketing this product in their name means that the business belongs to them. We can no longer afford to offend the Windsor family until we are able to get our hands on the production method of this thing."
"I don't think we can do that. I have heard that the production process is impossible to copy without the infrastructure that the Windsor family has developed. Even if we wanted to, what can we possibly do to arrest their growing influence?" Nelson raised his concerns as he had read up on the latest news regarding the Windsor family and their constant promotions.
"We need to revise our external affairs strategy before moving any further. Make sure that we don't offend the Windsor family or even attract their attention for a period of time until I think of a possible solution. If we don't do something worthwhile at this time, I am sure that our businesses would be swept off by the tide of change that is surely coming for this city soon. Thankfully, we aren't the only ones who might be affected by this sudden change. If our luck is good, we will soon have powerful helpers on our side to take the Windsor family down a peg."
Hogan had already settled on a suitable strategy. He was only waiting to implement it at the right time to get the maximum benefits.
…
Byzantium city was far greater in scale compared to Elizabeth city that stood at the very edge of the empire. Even the largest family in Elizabeth family couldn't surpass the mid tier families in Byzantium city.
Unlike Elizabeth city where only one family reigned supreme at the top, Byzantium city was being ruled by four elite families that kept each other in check so that no one family could gain absolute power to dictate everything in the city. The four families had lived in equilibrium with each other for as long as the current leaders had been conscious. There were slight skirmishes in between this time and of course there were various attempts to dethrone each other in the dark but on the surface there was a harmonious atmosphere in the city. This was also one of the reasons why no one had been able to touch the Windsor family despite the deteriorating state of the leader.
These four families were named as the Hunter family, Windsor family, Davis family and Brown family in the order of their individual strength. These families had lived in mutual respect until now at least on the surface but Hogan figured that the balance was about to be broken by the increasing influence of Windsor family soon.
Putting his plan into action, Hogan mobilized his trusted servants to deliver two urgent letters to the leaders of Brown and Davis family so as to invite them for an emergency gathering. This emergency meeting would address the issue that Hogan Hunter was worried about.
…
Midnight, Hunter family mansion
In a cramped conference room that didn't even have any windows to vent out the inside air, three individuals were seated facing towards each other with a small triangular table in between the three of them.
At first Olaf hadn't wanted to pay any attention to Hogan who had been becoming more and more paranoid lately after the revival of the Windsor family but the sense of urgency in the letter forced Olaf to give him a chance at least.
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